1. Blake Griffin
Power Forward. Oklahoma

2. Ricky Rubio
Point Guard. DKV Joventut

3. Jordan Hill
Power Forward. Arizona

4. Greg Monroe
Forward/Center. Georgetown

5. James Harden
Shooting Guard. Arizona State

6. Hasheem Thabeet
Center. Connecticut

7. Tyreke Evans
Combo Guard. Memphis

Evans initially had some struggles when arriving at Memphis, but his play has been much better of late. He has shown the ability to play the point position, which is tremendously valuable given his size and build. He's also shooting the ball efficiently from the perimeter.

8. Jrue Holiday
Combo Guard. UCLA

Holiday is a tremendous athlete and has been playing the Russell Westbrook role this year. He has an excellent handle and when he gets into the paint, he will be able to bounce off defenders and finish much the same way as Chris Paul.

9. Brandon Jennings
Point Guard. Roma

Jennings is a really good jump shooter and will have one of the NBA's best crossover dribbles. He is quick enough to beat his man nearly at will, especially because he's so slippery and with his very good in-air body control, Jennings is a good finisher.

10. Jeff Teague
Point Guard. Wake Forest

Teague may not have the explosiveness of many of the other top guards in this draft, but he's everything you can ask for as a scoring point guard.

11. Terrence Williams
Shooting Guard. Louisville

Williams is someone that looks much better live than on paper. Even though his shooting percentages are far from ideal for a shooting guard, he has good mechanics and a compact form. He has excellent athleticism, a good handle, a great feel for game and should have an Antonio Daniels type of career in the NBA as an incredibly productive combo guard.

12. Craig Brackins
Power Forward. Iowa State

Brackins doesn't have the same kind of star potential as many other players in this portion of the draft, but has an excellent skill set and workmanlike approach.

13. Al-Farouq Aminu
Combo Forward. Wake Forest

14. Ty Lawson
Point Guard. North Carolina

15. Earl Clark
Combo Forward. Louisville

16. Austin Daye
Combo Forward. Gonzaga

17. Jonny Flynn
Point Guard. Syracuse

18. B.J. Mullens
Center. Ohio State

19. Darren Collison
Point Guard. UCLA

20. Demar DeRozan
Guard/Forward. USC

21. Sam Young
Small Forward. Pittsburgh

22. Chase Budinger
Small Forward. Arizona

23. Gerald Henderson
Shooting Guard. Duke

24. Omri Casspi
Small Forward. Maccabi Tel Aviv

25. James Johnson
Power Forward. Wake Forest

26. DaJuan Summers
Small Forward. Georgetown

27. Stephen Curry
Combo Guard. Davidson

28. Nick Calathes
Point Guard. Florida

29. DeJuan Blair
Power Forward. Pittsburgh

30. Patrick Mills
Point Guard. St. Mary's



I think this is a fairly accurate prediction minus Derozan and who knows if the guys who are in and out will change, but assuming the names remain essentially the same, this 7-12 range is really the sweet spot in terms of value/upside in this draft. How we can get another pick in that range I don't know, but it would be nice to be able to pair Evans/Derozan, Jennings/Williams, Holiday/Evans, Evans/Brackins... any of those would completely change the franchise's hopes.

Christmas isn't showing up on drafts for some reason. If we're buying a pick late, maybe he's gettable. He's one of the slick shooters out there and he's 6'5". You'd think he'd be a fit here. RealGM has Jordan as the 1st pick in the 2nd round. I'd take a flyer on him as well if we could buy one.

I think, around here, there is entirely too much focus being put on such a weak draft.

Posted by sebstar:

I think, around here, there is entirely too much focus being put on such a weak draft.

more focus on Alba thread.

Posted by Marv:



rr=pp

(pistol pete)

He looks like the 4th member of Menudo. Please God please let us win the lottery and take Blake Griffin. Please

DraftExpress mentioned that Evan Turner's decision to stay at OSU may not yet be etched in stone. I was watching the final two games OSU played- their conference loss and loss Sienna- to really take a closer look at Mullens, and Turner was the guy who caught my eye.

He is as complete a player as any in this draft if he decides to come out. Not as spectacular as some, but he ended his season with a near triple double. Projected as a SG, but he could also fill in at SF and even play some PG in a pinch. It has been mentioned that he grew an inch this past summer, and is now 6'7." Can he even grow another inch?

Good defensive player man/man and off the ball; he can score inside with either hand and hit a jumper; he can dish it to teammates and run an offense at times, and he can rebound. He is 6'6"-6'7" and he is quick. He is also a gamer who seems to want the ball when it matters. For argument's sake, I am going to say that his upside player comparison is Rick Hamilton.

I would take Griffin and Rubio (despite the fact that each has at least one major flaw in their game) above Turner at this point, but would be willing to compare his overall game and versatility favorably to Harden, Evans, DeRozan, T.Williams, Holiday, Jennings, and others.

Team workouts are going to determine a lot, and I can see a lot of guys rising or falling as teams take a closer look at them, but Turner(if he comes out), also showed (unlike some) that he already had a complete game during his collegiate career.

You have a lot of undersized PGs and "big men" in this draft. The Knicks want a 6'3"+ PG of the future, a banger with length who can rebound and block shots in the middle, or a SG who can hit a J and play D. I am hoping to land Rubio, would trade Griffin for multiple players or picks, and would be more than satisfied with Evans, DeRozan, or Turner if that is who we ended up with.

People should take a closer look at Turner if they can- he has a lot to offer the Knicks or any team that gets him, and may have the most all around skills set of anyone in this draft.

Just a thought.

The steal of this draft is Paddy Mills from St. Marys.

Posted by King1:

Am I the only person who watched the pre olympics and Mills drop 20 on Kobe and Lebron guarding him?

Yes you are the only person