1. LAC - Blake Griffin
H: Unlike the last two years where there's been a furious debate about who the best player is this year's crop provided a very easy choice for the #1 team. Simply but, Clippers win, Griffin loses.
2. MEM - Ricky Rubio
J: Ultimately, I couldn't pass on Rubio here. There is a valid concern that his scoring may never be up to par, but he will provide an immediate impact in nearly every other category. He can play right away and best of all, a good point guard ages like a fine wine. Memphis might be well served by trading the pick, however, because I wouldn't count out Mike Conley just yet.
3. OKC - Tyreke Evans
H: I think the debate here was purely between Evans and Harden. Yes, Thabeet would've done a nice job fortifying their frontcourt but Evans and Harden are on a tier above Thabeet in my book, thus not warranting a selection based on position. Evans is a combo guard who can score in a variety of fashions, rebounds, assists, and can provide the Thunder with a potentially deadly set of guards and wings.
4. SAC - James Harden
J: A straightforward pick for the Kings as far as I'm concerned. I don't see guys like Thabeet or Flynn as the sure thing that Harden is. Versatility is critical for a shooting guard prospect and versatility happens to be Harden's calling card.
5. MIN - Ty Lawson
J: And Hugh reaches to grab Ty Lawson at #5. I love Lawson too - the history of sub 6'0" point guards is not in his favor, but none of his predecessors could boast of his absurd efficiency numbers on the collegiate level either. Worst case, he's a solid backup. Maybe a reach at #5, but in a draft this weak, maybe not.
H: I'll be straight, I am highly skeptical of the point guards being touted as going in the lottery. Lawson's the same size as Flynn but is superior in shooting, rebounding, assists, steals, and TOs. As for comparing Lawson to Holiday...the Tar Heel far exceeds the Bruin in all categories other than size, rebounding, and being two years older. Lawson has experience leading a premier team, has all the assets, just with none of the flash.
6. MIN - Stephen Curry
J: Curry and Lawson would probably get torched defensively, so this may not be the ideal backcourt for the Timberwolves. But lest I get torched for making this pick, I should stress that we were unaware of the Washington-Minnesota deal until about midway through our mock draft. Curry's college numbers are unbelievable and if he seemed at times to be mortal this year, it was only because he had to carry a huge load of Davidson's possessions.
7. GS - Nick Calathes
J: Hugh really reached here, but statistically, Calathes surpasses every point guard in the draft besides Lawson.
H: I can go through the exact same defense for Calathes as I would for Lawson. I think Curry is a better fit for Golden State's run and gun system, but Golden State needs a running buddy for Ellis and Calathes' short-comings athletically are mitigated by his size and his ability to score both by getting to the line and shooting from range.
8. NYK - Jonny Flynn
J: Assuming Flynn isn't having nightmares about his last visit to Madison Square Garden, this would be a nice pick for the Knicks. I'm not really sure what to make of Flynn. Point guards are notoriously tough to predict. I will say that he is cast from the same clay as point guards like Chris Paul and Mike Bibby. Whether he is as good remains to be seen.
9. TOR - Hasheem Thabeet
H: Thabeet falls far in our draft for several reasons. While no one doubts his defensive capabilities, but his offensive game entirely consists of getting the ball in the low post and acting as a finisher. He's also 22 and yes he's only been playing basketball for a limited time, but his overall athleticism improved minimally over three years and at times often looks stiff and uncoordinated on the floor. Still, if he falls this far Toronto will be ecstatic to play him alongside Chris Bosh.
J: He's no Dikembe Mutombo.
H: Well put.
10. MIL - DeJuan Blair
J: I realize that the real Bucks would take a point guard like Holiday or Jennings here. But this is my draft, and here, the Bucks take a player who will immediately produce and rebound. He and Scott Skiles would be BFFs, take my word for it.
H: I hate you.
11. NJ - Terrence Williams
H: As a Nets fan I'm drooling at the opportunity to play a lineup of Harris, Carter, SF, Blair, Lopez. It's the perfect lineup to lure the ultimate SF. Anyways, I digress. Terrence Williams is a very versatile player who rebounds, defends, and passes well. His scoring is something to be desired but hopefully Lopez' emergence will compensate. The Nets need good complimentary players for especially at the forward positions where they are incredibly weak.
J: And by ultimate SF Hugh of course means Adam Morrison, last seen leading the Lakers to the NBA title.
12. CHA - Austin Daye
J: I considered taking DeMar DeRozan but instead I went with Daye, another player who has yet to reach his potential, but unlike DeRozan, Daye statistical indicators of greatness. Daye racked up a ton of steals and blocks and shot 42% on 3s. Perhaps he will never get his head in the game but as long as you're drafting for upside, I would rather take a guy like Daye who at least has shown the ability to do greater things.
13. IND - Jordan Hill
H: I'm not a huge Hill fan, but he's fallen far enough and the Pacers are need of some depth at their front line. I'm skeptical that Hill can cut it as a starter (he really lacks any prominent skills), but there's no reason to believe he can't make an impact off the bench.
J: Jordan Hill plummets in our draft, and rightfully so. I am convinced that he will be nothing more than a journeyman power forward. There are no particular indicators of his athleticism in his statistics, always a bad sign.
14. PHO - Earl Clark
J: I waffled on this pick for the Suns and wound up selecting Clark. In retrospect, I probably should have taken DeRozan here, who blew up in March. Clark has a lot of skills but is more Tim Thomas than Lamar Odom (Odom was a much better college player).
15. DET - Gerald Henderson
H: Henderson's smart, defensive style of play fit perfectly into Detroit's system. However his offensive game only began to emerge his junior year and I'm not fully sold on his actual peak. Regardless, I think Detroit could easily grab themselves a solid lock down defender who isn't a liability on offense.
J: Solid pick for Detroit, although I don't think Henderson has the offensive game to be more than a defensive stopper off the bench.
16. CHI - DeMar DeRozan
J: As a part-time Bulls fan, I hate to bring a workout wonder like DeRozan to Chicago. But at #16 he would be a great value. The risk of him being a bust is more than compensated by his upside if he were to fall this low. Furthermore, he did emerge as a scorer towards the end of the season, although he still showcased a decided lack of an all-around game.
17. PHI - Jrue Holiday
J: The bleeding stops for Holiday. Apart from his lack of scoring, he's not a bad prospect. Yet I don't think there's any way he would have gone in the lottery last year and our mock draft reflects that.
H: I'm really not sold on Holiday, but I ragged on Westbrook last year and he emerged to have a fairly impressive first year. However, Westbrook was a better scorer, particularly when it came to getting to the line, a skill that allowed Westbrook to shoot below 40% but still score at a reasonable pace. Holiday is considered a top-notch defender, but as a PG running the offense is a far more important task.
18. MIN - Danny Green
J: I reached a bit for Danny Green, but I really like him. He's a low upside pick but ought to be a better version of Bruce Bowen.
H: I concur with this pick. After loading up with offensive prospects like Lawson and Curry, Green would be a nice defensive compliment at a position where the Timberwolves are a little thin,
19. ATL - Darren Collison
J: Hugh blatantly ignores the elephant in the room (Brandon Jennings) and selects a backup point guard. This is low enough in the draft that I would have rolled the dice.
H: Maybe I need to see Jennings on the court, but even those that have given him mixed reviews. I'll save my mini-rant for later, but Collison will probably not be an all-star PG but he has supplementary assists such as his ability to shoot from range and his strong defensive skills given his size. He's probably not enough to push the Hawks over the edge he should give them some flexibility with the supposed departure of Mike Bibby.
20. UTA - Tyler Hansbrough
J: Hansbrough is a poor defender and rebounder so if his scoring doesn't translate, he won't last long in the NBA. Still, I like the fit here and he isn't a bad gamble at this point in the draft.
H: Utah's unlikely to be able to retain Boozer and Millsap so hopefully Hansborough can alleviate some of the pain felt from their loss.
21. NO - Wayne Ellington
H: I very uninspired pick because I feel that's how the Hornets always address the draft. They're always on the cusp of being able to get that SG but never put the extra effort to move up some spots or make a deal.
22. DAL - Brandon Jennings
J: The Mavericks gleefully select Brandon Jennings, suddenly a low-risk and high-upside selection at #22. There's a reason he fell so far in our mock draft and it's because he was simply awful in the Euroleague. Yes, the transition to European basketball was undoubtedly a tough one. But he also shot below 40% from the field and below 30% from the 3 point line. I think he deserves to go higher than #22 but there is a reason he is sliding in other mock drafts besides ours.
H: Frankly his statistical profile is dreadful. Nothing in it warrants a selection in the first round and personality questions have begun to arise too. I feel as though his stock his entirely based on supposed potential based on athleticism. I agree it's low risk at this stage in the draft but I see Jennings' chances of making an impact of any sort as very very slim.
23. SAC - Eric Maynor
H: His profile is eerily similar to Collison's in that his upside is somewhat limited and is undersized for the position but has other skills. He shoots well from range and penetrates with a good deal of success (though he was playing for VCU). Regardless the Kings would love to find someone to take some minutes away from Udrih.
24. POR - Jeff Teague
J: This pick would force Jerryd Bayless to get his act together or lose his spot in the rotation. Teague is another talented combo guard who can provide a scoring burst off the bench.
25. OKC - B.J. Mullens
H: He's definition of a project. But hey, it's the 25th pick, the Thunder aren't competing anytime in the next two years, why not take a little gamble and hope it pays off?
26. CHI - James Johnson
J: James Johnson is another player who slipped a bit in our mock draft. I actually don't dislike him, there's just nothing in his profile that gets me excited either. He would be an excellent selection for the Bulls at #26 seeing as how they are considering taking him at #16 in real life.
27. MEM - Omri Casspi
H: Perhaps a poor man's Rudy Fernandez, except for the 3/4 position. He's an aggressive off-the-ball offensive contributor who is a good shooter and improved his range greatly this past year.
28. MIN - Lester Hudson
J: With this pick, I was trying to replicate the foresight of Hugh last year, when he selected George Hill near the end of our mock draft. Indeed, Hill was a surprise first round pick and provided a valuable bench role for the Spurs this year. Hudson is a similarly talented small-college guard. That said, Hugh put a damper on my pick by revealing that Hudson was actually more like 6'0" or 6'1" than 6'3". This makes a difference, because one of his primary skills - rebounding - will be more difficult to translate to the NBA. I still like him though.
29. LAL - Sergio Llull
H: Sadly this pick no longer belongs to the Lakers, which makes the comedy a little less profound. Regardless, Llull is an interesting PG who doesn't score a ton but is quite efficient from the line and behind the arc. He doesn't rack up a ton of assists but committed very few turnover this year in either the EURO or ACB leagues.
30. CLE - John Bryant
J: With the final pick of the 2009 Draft, the Cavs pick up a poor man's Shaquille O'Neal. I don't know if Bryant is actually good enough to stick in the NBA but he was surprisingly dominant at Santa Clara throughout his college career.
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