NBA Draft Preview

The NBA Draft is soon approaching, and if you ask me, is not getting the attention it deserves. Sure, there’s the top two that everyone is talking about: Oden and Durant. But after them, a lot of these players are going unnoticed or flying way too far under the radar. I have taken it upon myself to enlighten the public on what players should be drafted this year. One thing I refuse to do, unlike NBA GM’s, is fill the end of the second round with European project players. Each player at each pick is a player that truly deserves to be there.Round 1

1.    Portland- Greg Oden (C) Ohio State: There’s no thinking here. A 7-footer with agility and explosiveness, not to mention game-changing defensive ability. Oden will be a star.
2.    Seattle- Kevin Durant (F) Texas: Durant is basically Rashard Lewis all over again, so this is perfect. The Sonics can either play them together or trade Lewis for another big name.
3.    Atlanta- Mike Conley (PG) Ohio State: So much for Oden and Conley playing together. A trade might still happen, but there is no way Atlanta gets another forward. That’s all their roster is made up of right now.
4.    Memphis- Al Horford (PF/C): If there weren’t problems at home with Gasol, I’d say go for a point guard here. But Horford is just downright logical here. His power and tenacity cannot be ignored.
5.    Boston- Yi Jianlian (PF) China: This would be far too high to pick Acie Law, and they probably don’t need him anyways. They simply need to give West and Rondo time. Jianlian is very gifted, but I don’t see immediate impact.
6.    Milwaukee- Joakim Noah (PF) Florida: As long as they hold onto Mo Williams, all they really need is depth within their big men. Bogut and Noah could end up being very scary.
7.    Minnesota- Corey Brewer (G/F) Florida: Brewer is what Garnett needs to get back to the playoffs.
8.    Charlotte- Jeff Green (G/F) Georgetown: Unfortunately, Morrison will have to look over his shoulder. Unless, of course, Gerald Wallace finds a new home.
9.    Chicago- Brandan Wright (PF) North Carolina: Will he really slip this far? Who knows? But this is the best fit for him, and for the Bulls.
10.    Sacramento- Spencer Hawes (PF/C) Washington: Their big men are aging and it is showing. Hawes is still young and in the project mold, but boy is his potential exciting.
11.    Atlanta- Julian Wright (F) Kansas: Like I said before, they have more than enough forwards, but acquiring this talent gives them a lot of outs.
12.    Philadelphia- Javaris Crittenton (PG/G) Georgia Tech: They need more depth at either guard spot. Another possibility here is a post player, but McRoberts may be a bit of a reach this early.
13.    New Orleans- Thaddeus Young (F) Georgia Tech: They are set at the point, and David West is holding down the post with Chandler just fine. Young will be a welcomes addition.
14.    L.A. Clippers- Al Thornton (F) Florida State: The Clippers need offense, and Thornton can bang it in or shoot it outside. It’s either him or Nick Young.
15.    Detroit- Nick Young (G) USC: Best available talent here. The Pistons would love to have Crittenton, and might trade up to get him if need be.
16.    Washington- Rudy Fernandez (G) Spain: The Wizards are already an explosive offense, but could use better guard play after Arenas.
17.    New Jersey- Josh McRoberts (F) Duke: Josh Boone is not the future, is he? God, I hope not. Either way, if Kidd sticks around, he’ll make sure McRoberts blossoms.
18.    Golden State- Derrick Byars (G/F) Vanderbilt: This team is built to run, so I see them drafting nothing but guard/forward types here.
19.    L.A. Lakers- Marc Gasol (PF) Spain: If you can’t get Pau, why not Marc? Hey, maybe they’ll play together in L.A.
20.    Miami- Jason Smith (PF/C) Colorado State: It’s time to groom Shaq’s successor while Shaq Daddy is still around to give pointers.
21.    Philadelphia- Tiago Splitter (PF/C) Brazil: If they pass on Crittenton at the 12 spot, Acie Law is a very good option. However, getting Splitter here is an incredible steal.
22.    Charlotte- Ante Tomic (PF/C) Croatia: They are just going for depth here. They wouldn’t want to upset Raymond Felton by drafting Law here, now would they?
23.    New York- Acie Law (PG) Texas A&M: No team could use a point guard more than the Knicks. Well, that might be an overstatement, but this move allows them to ship Marbury and Francis, or just do the logical thing and cut them.
24.    Phoenix- Arron Afflalo (SG) UCLA: He’s a shooter and can go all day. Exactly what the Suns love.
25.    Utah- Alando Tucker (G/F) Wisconsin: He’ll never light up the score board, at least not consistently, but he can play defense better than most. He is exactly what Utah needs.
26.    Houston- Daequan Cook (G) Ohio State: He shouldn’t even be in the draft, but Houston takes him here, regardless.
27.    Detroit- Gabe Pruitt (PG) USC: Chauncey Billups replacement, everybody!
28.    San Antonio- Marco Belinelli (G) Italy: They love those foreigners. And this guy has Manu Ginobli written all over him.
29.    Phoenix- Marcus Williams (G/F) Arizona: Why this kid falls almost out of the first round is beyond me. Quite a steal. Phoenix just bolstered their already unmatchable offense.
30.    Philadelphia- Nick Fazekas (F) Nevada: His only true knock is that he doesn’t run the floor very well. He should be able to slide into the first round.

Round 2

31.    Seattle- Aaron Gray (C) Pitt: No one knows if any of these project centers Seattle has will ever pan out. Gray is as sure a bet as they come. How he dropped to the second round, no one knows.
32.    Boston- Rodney Stuckey (PG) E. Washington: It’s Stuckey or Aaron Brooks at this point, and Stuckey has better size.
33.    San Antonio- Kyle Visser (PF/C) Wake Forest: The Spurs are good because they know which positions to upgrade and when to upgrade them. Besides, the last time they got a guy from Wake it turned out alright.
34.    Dallas- Aaron Brooks (PG) Oregon: A firecracker off the bench, will bring instant offense once on the floor.
35.    Seattle- Sean Williams (PF) Boston College: He would have gone much higher if he hadn’t had character issues. This is a fine pick.
36.    Golden State- Morris Almond (G) Rice: A team player with untapped talent, along with a great shooting stroke.
37.    Portland- Demetrius Nichols (G/F) Syracuse: People should be higher on him. He’s got tremendous size and can shoot the hell out of the ball.
38.    Philadelphia- Reyshawn Terry (G/F) North Carolina: All they have is Korver and Carney here. Depth is a concern.
39.    Orlando- Bobby Brown (PG) Fullerton: They are loaded at point guard, but getting Brown might force them to finally deal Travis Diener or Dooling.
40.    L.A. Lakers- Glen Davis (PF/C) LSU: A Shaq clone, at least in some ways, will be too tempting to pass up.
41.    Minnesota- Jermareo Davidson (PF) Alabama: Garnett is getting older and could use some banging help on the front lines.
42.    Portland- Stanko Barac (PF) Bosnia: This team has so much young talent, bordering on too much. How they draft will truly depend on who they want to keep and what direction they want to go in.
43.    New Orleans- Quinton Hosley (G/F) Fresno State: They can use wing help. Basically, this team just needs anyone who can shoot the ball.
44.    Orlando- Jared Dudley (G/F) Boston College: Those who say he isn’t athletic enough to run in the NBA are wrong. Orlando might be getting a future starter here.
45.    L.A. Clippers- Dominic McGuire (G/F) Fresno State: The Clippers need to bolster their forward position, but I’m not too sure this would be helping.
46.    New Jersey- Adam Haluska (G/F) Iowa: It’d be a shame if the Nets passed on this guy. He’s athletic and one of the best shooters in the draft. He would be a magnificent pick-up.
47.    Washington- Wilson Chandler (F) DePaul: Washington is simply adding depth this late in the draft. Chandler would be unlikely to stick on the team.
48.    L.A. Lakers- Ron Lewis (G) Ohio State: Lewis could pull off a Luther Head type role with the Lakers. Key word in that sentence is “could”.
49.    Chicago- Sean Singletary (PG) Virginia: Not really the best passing point in the world, but brings a lot of scoring to the table. He could stick on the team, possibly in a Janerro Pargo type role.
50.    Dallas- Marko Tomas (G/F) Croatia: Gifted enough to go much higher, but this draft is stacked in the first round. Dallas could really use this guy in a couple of years, or you know, right now.
51.    Chicago- Sun Yue (G/F) China: Why not take a chance on him? A project in the purest form, but hey, this is the second round.
52.    Portland- Taurean Green (PG) Florida: They don’t need a point guard, but then again, are they truly settled on one right now, anyways?
53.    Portland- Lee Humphrey (G) Florida: This is probably a reach, but Humphrey brings consistent shooting, and really brings to the table Steve Kerr-like abilities.
54.    Orlando- Carl Landry (PF) Purdue: Landry can post up with the best of them, as he showcased against Florida in March, and can also step back and hit shots.
55.    Utah- Caleb Green (F) Oral Roberts: Anyone who can post up and step back and shoot is welcome in Utah.
56.    Milwaukee- Mustafa Shakur (PG) Arizona: Every camp he has been in points to him going undrafted. However, his overall talent and potential is that of a top 20 pick. Shakur could really end up being a star in the league. It’s all up to him.
57.    Detroit- Stephane Lasme (PF) Mass: If they wanted another version of Jason Maxiell, they got it.
58.    San Antonio- Renaldas Seibutis (G) Lithuania: I’m telling you, they love the foreigners.
59.    Phoenix- Colby Karl (G) Boise State: If he wasn’t the son of a NBA coach he probably wouldn’t even be mentioned. Heck, maybe he never would have touched a basketball. Regardless, Karl can shoot the ball, and is worth a look.
60.    Dallas- European Player: Does it really matter? It’s like the NFL’s Mr. Irrelevant. The guy drafted here rarely makes it.

This draft is packed with talent, but short on actual production or any kind of guarantee. There is shooting galore available in the second round, due to a dunk-a-thon draft in the first. Look for a number of these guys to do almost nothing in their first year, but eventually become stars in this league. One last note: Jared Jordan of Marist will undoubtedly not be drafted, but he surely should not go unnoticed. Look for him to latch on somewhere.