NEW YORK — The ESPN cameras took away all the guesswork for Jonny Flynn.

Minutes before any pick is announced, cameras are pushed into the prospect's face. So after

Ricky Rubio was selected with the No. 5 pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves, the cameras began

to hover around one of the top point guards ever produced by Western New York.

Then NBA Commissioner David Stern said, "With the sixth pick, the Minnesota Timberwolves

select Jonny Flynn from Syracuse University."

When Flynn, the former Niagara Falls High School and Syracuse point guard, officially

became a part of the NBA on Thursday there was plenty of joy, a little bit of relief but

somewhat of a feeling of surprise. When he finally suits up for the 'Wolves he will be

competing against Rubio. Both play the same position: point guard.

"You see the NBA going to a format with two point guards," said Flynn. "That's what the

game is shifting to. It's good to have two facilitators who can make plays on the court. I

think we can boost each other's level of play and I can't wait to go play with him."

It was certainly a curious move by Minnesota, which recently parted ways with longtime

General Manager Kevin McHale and doesn't have a coach. After Flynn was selected, rumors

quickly floated that either Flynn or Rubio would be moved to the New York Knicks in exchange

for Arizona power forward Jordan Hill, who the Knicks selected at No. 8 to loud scattered boos

at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

But the deal never materialized so Flynn and Rubio are teammates, which doesn't seem to

concern Flynn.

"You're just a basketball player out there, whether you're playing with a superstar, Kobe

Bryant or LeBron James, they're going to have the ball most of the time anyway," Flynn said.

"But with two [point guards], you don't have the pressure on you to do everything so it's

going to be great."

Rubio, who some have compared to the legendary Pete Maravich, didn't sound as optimistic.

"That's a big surprise for me, they took another point guard," Rubio said. "But we are

going to see what they want. I don't know yet what exactly they want."

Flynn joined Hall of Famer Bob Lanier, Christian Laettner and Greg Oden as Western New York

natives who have been drafted in the first round.

In 73 career games at Syracuse the 6-foot, 195-pound Flynn averaged 16.6 points and 6.0

assists. Flynn ranked 38th at Syracuse in career scoring (1,211 points) and seventh in career

assists (439). He started all 73 games of his tenure, scoring in double figures in 64

contests.

Flynn is the first Syracuse player selected in the draft lottery since Carmelo Anthony went

third in 2003. Flynn's former teammate, Donte Greene, was the 28th overall pick last year by

Memphis.

"It's been a crazy ride over the past two months, but I shot up the draft boards," Flynn

said. "When I first came out I was a late first-rounder and then with some good workouts and a

good showing at the NBA draft combine I really shot up the charts."

Flynn, his parents and sister and nephew watched the draft from the green room and didn't

wait long for his name to be called.

Memphis' Tyreke Evans and Rubio were the only point guards taken before him.

Thursday night was a happy ending to a month of uncertainty for Flynn. He spent much of the

past month on the road traveling to workouts in Minnesota, Sacramento, Golden State, New York,

Toronto and other places and selling himself — both as a personality and a player

— to potential employers.

When he first announced he wasn't returning to Syracuse, Flynn was expected to be picked at

the low end of the lottery. Along the way, Flynn heard reporters and draft mavens question his

decision to turn pro and assert that he would have been the No. 1 point guard taken in the

2010 draft.

Flynn heard them criticize his size and wondered if he could run a team as a shoot-first

point guard.

"It was definitely a roller coaster ride, people telling you that you should stay in school

and they tell you you're making the wrong decision," he said.

But Flynn himself never seemed overly anxious about the process. As usual, he remained

giddy. He was confident he was going to end up in a situation where he could thrive and he is

prepared to work. His size doesn't matter.

"You look at guys like Chris Paul, you look at Aaron Brooks in the past playoffs, guys like

that have really dominated the basketball game," he said. "When I see that, I kind of throw my

hands up in the air and say, "Yeah for the little guy.'"

As expected Blake Griffin, the National Player of the Year from Oklahoma, was selected No.

1 by the Los Angeles Clippers.

Griffin was followed by Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet at No. 2 to the Memphis

Grizzlies. Arizona State guard James Harden went No. 3 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Flynn's teammate at Niagara Falls and Syracuse, Paul Harris, was not selected in Thursday's

draft as was another Syracuse player, Eric Devendorf.

It was a busy day for trades among veterans as well, the blockbuster move being Shaquille

O'Neal being shipped from Phoenix to join James in Cleveland. The Cavs sent Ben Wallace and

Sasha Pavlovic to the Suns, along with a second-round pick in the 2010 draft and cash.

Also, the New Jersey Nets reportedly agreed to a trade All-Star Vince Carter and Ryan

Anderson to Orlando for Rafer Alston, Tony Battie and Courtney Lee.