The NBA Draft is just under a month away and still plenty of intrigue surrounds the top spot. Immediately following the Lottery it was suspected that the Chicago Bulls would take hometown hero Derrick Rose, but Rose’s Memphis teammate Joey Dorsey squashed that when he told reporters during pre-draft workouts that Michael Beasley would go in the top spot. There’s still a lot to be decided but here’s how things appear to be shaking out.
As we all know, the weeks leading up to the Draft can make for an overwhelming flurry of inside scoops, conspiracy theories and rumours from all around the internet; this year appears to be no different. Fortunately, Hoops Addict will be in attendance at pre-draft workouts all around the NBA to put it all in perspective, beginning this afternoon at the Air Canada Centre. Make sure to check back here for weekly updates leading up to the draft on June 26, 2008.
1. Chicago - Derrick Rose (Memphis): Personally, I feel Michael Beasley should be in this spot but from all the reports I’ve heard it looks like Rose is Chicago’s selection here. If the Bulls deal this pick for a veteran, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that team select Beasley with it.
2. Miami - Michael Beasley (Kansas State): There have been some hints coming from people who follow the team that Beasley isn’t a Pat Riley type of player, but there’s no way he falls out of the top two. If anything, look for Miami to deal this pick if they aren’t enamored with Beasley and Rose doesn’t fall to them.
3. Minnesota - Brook Lopez (Stanford): While Minnesota’s roster is littered with young prospects the one area they are lacking in is at center. Enter Lopez as the franchise starting center for the next decade.
4. Seattle - Jerryd Bayless (Arizona): Even though Luke Ridnour was invited to try out for the United States national team last summer, it’s clear, neither he or Earl Watson are the long term solution at the point for the Sonics. Look for the team to draft the top point guard left and that would be Bayless.
5. Memphis - O.J. Mayo (USC): This time last year there was talk about Mayo being the top pick this year and there’s no way Mayo slips out of the top five. While some doubts have surfaced after a season at USC, this is a case of people watching him too much over the past few years and over analyzing what Mayo can and can’t do. Look for Mayo to land in Gotham and become a superstar in the NBA.
6. New York - Danilo Gallinari (Italy): Gallinari and Mike D’Antoni would be a match made in heaven. The Knicks need some depth at shooting guard and small forward. Gallinari is young and is mainly a YouTube sensation, it looks like the Knicks could take a gamble on this young hoops prodigy due to D’Antoni’s European connections.
7. Los Angeles Clippers - Kevin Love (UCLA): There’s talk of Love being drafted as high as third or as low as at the end of the lottery. Personally, I see Love falling somewhere in the middle of the lottery and the Clippers would be an ideal spot because this is too high for the franchise to snag a point guard like D.J. Augustin or Russel Westbrook.
8. Milwaukee - Eric Gordon (Indiana): With a new general manager and coach in the mix it’s looking like Maurice Williams and possibly even Michael Redd will see a lot less minutes next season. Enter Gordon and a new guard for Milwaukee to build around.
9. Charlotte - DeAndre Jordan (Texas A&M): Has Charlotte guaranteed Jordan they’ll select him with this pick? There’s plenty of rumors and speculation suggesting this is the case. Bobcats fans are hoping Jordan doesn’t become the next Shelden Williams.
10. New Jersey - Anthony Randolph (LSU): This is one of the relative unknowns in the lottery as there wasn’t a lot of buzz surrounding him this season. However, much like former LSU forward Tyrus Thomas, scouts are in love with his athletic ability and it looks like an NBA team will bite on him in the lottery because of his hops and height. This is also the kind of player that could climb or drop on draft night due to teams getting cold feed or getting excited over his personal workouts.
11. Indiana - D.J. Augustin (Texas): With Jamaal Tinsley breaking down look for Indiana to draft the top point guard available in either Augustin or Russell Westbrook.
12. Sacramento - Russell Westbrook (UCLA): With Beno Udrih entering the summer as a free agent and no depth behind him, the Kings would jump at the chance to snag one of the top point guards in the draft.
13. Portland - Joe Alexander (West Virginia): An area of need for Portland is the wing and Alexander fills the role of scorer off the bench to perfection. Some other players that could entice Portland include Darrell Arthur, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Brandon Rush.
14. Golden State - Darrell Arthur (Kansas): After a strong showing in the NCAA Tournament, combined with strong workouts in Orlando, Arthur is once again being talked about as a lottery pick.
15. Phoenix - Chase Budinger (Arizona) - 6′7″, 190 lbs.
16. Philadelphia - JaVale McGee (Nevada) - 7′0″, 237 lbs.
17. Toronto - Robin Lopez (Stanford) - 7′0″, 255 lbs.
18. Washington - Chris Douglas-Roberts (Memphis) - 6′7″, 200 lbs.
19. Cleveland - Brandon Rush (Kansas) - 6′7″, 211 lbs.
20. Denver - Nicolas Batum (International) - 6′8″, 214 lbs.
21. New Jersey - Marreese Speights (Florida) - 6′10″, 245 lbs.
22. Orlando - Kosta Koufos (OSU) - 7′1″, 245 lbs.
23. Utah - Roy Hibbert (Georgetown) - 7′2″, 272 lbs.
24. Seattle - Jason Thompson (Rider) - 6′11″, 250 lbs.
25. Houston - Ryan Anderson (Cal) - 6′10″, 240 lbs.
26. San Antonio - Shan Foster (Vanderbilt) - 6′6″, 205 lbs.
27. New Orleans - Mario Chalmers (Kansas) - 6′2″, 170 lbs.
28. Memphis - Bill Walker (Kansas State) - 6′6″, 250 lbs.
29. Detroit - Courtney Lee (Western Kentucky) - 6′5″, 200 lbs.
30. Boston - DeVon Hardin (Cal) - 6′11″, 250 lbs.
