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Former Bruin forward Trevor Ariza was drafted by the New York Knicks in the second round of the N

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New York Knicks general manager Isiah Thomas has never seen nor met Trevor Ariza in person.

No problem.

Thomas gave the former Bruin an early birthday present – he turns 19 on Wednesday – by drafting Ariza with the 43rd pick in the June 24 NBA Draft.

“There’s no looking back,” Ariza’s agent, Todd Ramasar said. “Trevor’s excited to be a part of the Knicks organization. He’s ready to make the jump to the NBA, and the next thing he’s focused on is making a good impression.”

Ariza played just one season in Westwood, averaging 11.6 points and 6.5 rebounds a game. He was criticized for leaving too early, as most believed that he was a surefire first-round and possible lottery pick had he stayed at UCLA for a little longer.

At one point, there were questions about whether Ariza would even be drafted. Against the recommendations of both his coach and mother, Ariza declared for the draft, giving up the chance to hone his game for another year in college and possibly receive the guaranteed contract that comes with being a first-round pick.

At 6-foot-7, 194-pounds, Ariza also needed to add weight and gain strength. Slated to be the team’s starting power forward this season, Ariza and coach Ben Howland often clashed over Ariza’s decision-making and his team-high 3.4 turnovers per game.

Despite being selected, Ariza realizes he still has his work cut out for him.

“I’m pretty excited, but I know nothing is guaranteed yet,” Ariza told the Orange County Register. “I've still got to keep working hard and go out and make the team.”

The general consensus entering the draft was that the Knicks needed shooters. But while Ariza doesn’t fulfill that need – he only shot 23 percent from three-point range last year – he does give Thomas a very young athletic wing with enormous upside.

“We liked his athleticism,” Thomas told Newsday. “He has the ability to defend and he has a 7-foot wingspan. He can handle the ball and possibly play three positions for us. And he’ll get bigger.”

Which three positions remains to be seen. The Knicks are already loaded with wing players, including Allan Houston, Anfernee Hardaway, Shandon Anderson, DerMarr Johnson and Tim Thomas. The indication seems to be that Thomas will be active in trading some of those players during this offseason.

Even though the Knicks were not among the dozen or so teams Ariza worked out for, the team still coveted him. Thomas, fearing Ariza might be taken earlier, tried to work out a deal to get into the first round. Those deals never panned out, but as it turned out, Ariza was still available at No. 43. Ramasar said after the draft that, although he believed his client was a first-round talent, the indications he received from NBA executives accurately reflected Ariza’s draft position.

As a second-round pick, Ariza has no guaranteed contract awaiting him. Instead, he will have to prove himself again, traveling to New York to practice with the Knicks and then returning to Long Beach to participate in the Knicks summer pro league.

Things weren’t so lucky June 24 for former Bruin T.J. Cummings, who returned for his senior season hoping to increase his draft stock. Cummings went undrafted and immediately becomes a free agent.

Cummings went through an up-and-down senior year. Academic problems led him to consider foregoing his senior season to enter the draft last year. But after earning the necessary grades, he became eligible this past December and gave UCLA its only legitimate offensive threat at times, turning in a solid season by averaging 12.8 points and 6.7 rebounds a game.

Attempts to reach both Cummings and Ariza for this article were unsuccessful.