Brownie Points: Suns in selling mood on draft day

The Suns have become the eBay of the NBA draft.

When Portland’s mega-bucks owner Paul Allen decided he wanted to cap off a day in which the Blazers drafted Greg Oden and moved the $61 million left on Zach Randolph’s deal to New York, he knew whom to text.

Allen called the same place he called last year, when he bought Sergio Rodriguez from the Suns for the same $3 million check he cut Phoenix Thursday — adding Spain’s Rudy Fernandez to an impressive day of rebuilding.

The Suns will not only sell you a first-round pick when you need it, (five have been dealt or sold in the last five years) you get a free mug and a coupon for an eight-gallon gas fill up with each purchase.

After the deal was announced, ESPN cameras caught the Portland draft room giving itself a standing ovation for overhauling a franchise. There was no such joy at US Airways Center Thursday, but the hope is the applause will come later.

One thing remains clear: While the Suns still have one eye on the prize, the other is focused squarely on the bottom line.

Mirror, mirror

It’s almost like the Suns and the Warriors are sharing the same brain since Don Nelson took over Golden State. Not only do they play the same style, they are fighting over the same players.

Thursday, ESPN reported the Warriors have tip-toed into the conversations regarding Kevin Garnett. Then Golden State took Marco Belinelli with the 18th pick. Then the Warriors grabbed the No. 8 pick the Suns were trying to get from Charlotte (Brandan Wright) with a package headed by Jason Richardson. I’ll bet you they have no use for Marcus Banks either.

Quick hitters

• My television at home blew a fuse when ESPN had Stephen A. Smith and Dick Vitale on a split screen, screaming at each other. The TV did all it could.

• Philadelphia, with three picks in the first round, used the No. 12 pick to take Georgia Tech forward Thaddeus Young. Young had a 4.3 grade-point average at Tech, and should average about as many points for the 76ers.

• I love the Atlanta Hawks’ new uniforms and logos. They made the hawk on the jersey look meaner. That’s the way the Cardinals do things: If you can’t make the team better, toughen up the bird.

• The Suns have taken notice that Allan Houston is considering a comeback. The 36-year-old Houston was the league’s second-highest paid player last year ($20.7 million) but his $100 million deal will expire Sunday. He missed the last two seasons with chronic knee pain, but is feeling good. Money is not an issue, and Houston wants to play for a winner.

• It was a good day for athletes of famous fathers. Tito Horford’s son, Al, went third to Atlanta. Mike Conley’s son, Mike Jr., went fourth to Memphis and Yannick Noah’s son Joakim went ninth to Chicago. Acie Law IV, who went 11th to Atlanta, has a famous great uncle as well — Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks.