Final Mock Draft

Next Update: Wednesday

1. Portland Greg Oden C Ohio State
The Blazers next big decision will be what to do with Zach Randolph.

2. Seattle Kevin Durant SF Texas
Seattle shouldn’t be discouraged with Durant’s poor combine showing. His length and skill set make him second-best player available only to Oden.

3. Atlanta Al Horford PF Florida
The Hawks should take this stud out of Florida and take the best PG available (Javaris Crittenton, Acie Law, or even Mike Conley is he drops that far) with the #11 pick.

4. Memphis Mike Conley PG Ohio State
It’s not everyday you can get a franchise PG, and Memphis should take advantage of this opportunity. A great PG takes a good team and makes them great, or in this case, takes a horrible team and makes them average.

5. Boston Yi Jianlian PF China
It appears Boston will hold onto this pick, and if that’s the case, Jianlian seems to be the pick. There still is the possibility that a team would want to trade for this pick-possibly Memphis who would be targeting Joakim Noah. The Grizz might be willing to part with Pau Gasol for this pick and either a player or a future draft pick.

6. Milwaukee Brandan Wright PF North Carolina
If nothing else, Wright will bring tremendous length and athleticism and make plays similar to the way Tyrus Thomas did as a rookie. He has great long-term potential, and will get an opportunity to play right away considering how often Andrew Bogut and Charlie Villanueva get hurt.

7. Minnesota Jeff Green SF Georgetown
Minnesota does not seem like they are going to deal Garnett. They balked at a trade with the Celtics and the four-team trade that would have sent KG to the Lakers appears to have fallen through. Green is going to be an impact player from Day 1 and paired with Randy Foye, could turn Minnesota into a very strong team while Garnett still is on the top of his game.


8. Charlotte Joakim Noah PF Florida
Noah, Green, and Corey Brewer all worked out for the Suns earlier this week, which means Phoenix has a deal in the works to move into the top 10. Chicago probably won’t want to trade their pick, and even though Sacramento would, there’s no guarantee Noah, Green, or Brewer will be available at #10. That leaves Charlotte as the Suns’ likely trade partner. Phoenix would likely give up their two first round picks this year (#24 and #29) and the rights to Atlanta’s unprotected first round pick next year to get Noah, a winner who will be a great addition to one of the best teams in the league.

9. Chicago Spencer Hawes C Washington
Hawes is a very good fit in Chicago. He’ll give them a post-up scorer, the one facet of the game that the Bulls lack. Hawes could go as high as #7 to Minnesota but probably won’t slide past the Bulls unless Noah is still on the board.


10. Sacramento Al Thornton F Florida State
Thornton is the perfect fit for the Kings. He is a complete offensive player who will help to revitalize a dying franchise in the Bay. This will be the first pick of a rebuilding project that will last the next few years.

11. Atlanta Javaris Crittenton PG Georgia Tech
With Corey Brewer still on the board, the Hawks may threaten to take him so a team makes an offer to move up and Atlanta can pick up an extra pick or player. That game probably won’t pay off because everyone knows the Hawks have to take a PG here, so they’ll opt for the local playmaker Crittenton over A+M’s Acie Law.

12. Philadelphia Corey Brewer SG Florida
The Sixers do not need Brewer, as they are stocked on the wings, but there aren’t any big men really worth drafting here. Brewer could be interesting trade bait, but if Philly can’t get the right deal, he will fit in beautifully in a four-man SG/SF rotation that would also include Andre Iguodala, Rodney Carney, and Kyle Korver.

13. New Orleans Thaddeus Young SG Georgia Tech
Young has as much potential as anyone in this draft. He stands 6’8’’, is a dynamic athlete, and can shoot from outside. He is an absolute steal for New Orleans here and will help make them a perennial playoff team over the next decade.

14. LA Clippers Acie Law PG Texas A+M
Law is ready to step in and start right away- and after looking at Shaun Livingston’s latest MRI- he’ll have to.

15. Detroit Julian Wright F Kansas
Wright’s stock is dropping fast, but Detroit won’t let him slide any further. Wright’s wingspan makes Tayshaun Prince look stubby, and when the two team together, opponents will have a hellacious time trying to get to the rim. This pick could be enough to keep Chauncey Billups in town.

16. Washington Nick Young SG USC
Young is a scrappy player who will likely replace disappointing SG DeShawn Stevenson.

17. New Jersey Jason Smith PF Colorado State
Word is that the Nets are trying to move this pick to Charlotte for Sean May. Smith would serve as an upgrade over May simply because he gives the Bobcats a dimension they do not have. May is very similar to Emeka Okafor, and the team could use someone with Smith’s length and shooting touch.

18. Golden State Derrick Byers SG Vanderbilt
Golden State needs some interior help, but no big man is worth taking here. Byers gives the team more offense and athleticism and also could enable them to trade the selfish and erratic Stephen Jackson.

19. LA Lakers Rodney Stuckey G Eastern Washington
Stuckey is a tremendous scorer who can play either guard position. He would help take a lot of the scoring load off of Kobe Bryant should Bryant remain a Laker.

20. Miami Rudy Fernandez G Spain
Fernandez would give Miami a versatile combo guard to share the scoring and ballhandling duties with Dwayne Wade.

21. Philadelphia Tiago Splitter PF Brazil
Splitter is a terrific shot-blocker and rebounder, but needs to develop his offensive skills. Philly desperately needs big men and Splitter is the best one available at this point.

22. Charlotte Josh McRoberts PF Duke
Having possibly added Jason Smith, the Bobcats will not shy away from taking another talented to big man to help Okafor on the interior. McRoberts will be the pick unless Rodney Stuckey is on the board, in which case he would be of better value.

23. New York Wilson Chandler SF DePaul
The worst-kept secret in the draft is that Isiah Thomas loves Chandler. He would be better off drafting Daequan Cook and then trading into the early second round (not very hard to do) to get Chandler, but this is Isiah and he usually looks to make things as difficult as possible.

24. Phoenix Daequan Cook SG Ohio State
No matter what team is picking here, Cook is sure to come off the board simply because he is the best player left.

25. Utah Gabe Pruitt PG/SG USC
Utah is said to love Pruitt’s speed and athleticism. He would be a great complement to Deron Williams in the Utah backcourt.

26. Houston Marco Belinelli SG Italy
The Rockets desperately need some scorers to surround Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. Belinelli certainly fits the bill.

27. Detroit Taurean Green PG Florida
Green will provide the Pistons with some insurance in case Billups bolts as a free agent.

28. San Antonio Reyshawn Terry SF North Carolina
Terry is a tremendous role player with very few weaknesses. He is regarded as a lockdown defender on the perimeter and will serve as Bruce Bowen’s understudy for the next few years. This pick could be the steal of the draft.

29. Phoenix Petteri Koppenan PG Finland
This 19-year-old PG has come out of nowhere in the past few years. Phoenix may not be making this pick, but if they are, either Koppenan or Ramon Sessions will be the choice. Charlotte might also opt for Koppenan as a long-term plan if Ray Felton ends up leaving as a free agent when his contract is up.

30. Philadelphia Sean Williams C Boston College
Williams is a Sam Dalembert clone…who happens to smoke a lot of weed.

2nd Round

31. Seattle Marcus Williams G/F Arizona
Williams is a big guard who can handle the ball and alleviate the point guard responsibilities of Luke Ridnour and Earl Watson. Aka play instead of them because they suck.

32. Boston Marc Gasol C Spain
The Celts will need a big man regardless of whether they keep the 5th pick or include it in a trade for Kevin Garnett or Shawn Marion.

33. San Antonio Aaron Brooks PG Oregon
Brooks is another outstanding scorer in the backcourt to pair with Parker and Ginobili.

34. Dallas Morris Almond SG Rice
Almond should come in and get minutes right away. Eventually he will take over Jerry Stackhouse’s role.

35. Seattle Ali Traore PF France
The Sonics need all the interior help they can get and Traore is a good value here.

36. Golden State Demetris Nichols G/F Syracuse
Yes, they already took Derrick Byers, but Don Nelson collects long-armed three-point gunners like Jon Gruden collects crappy quarterbacks. Nichols is a perfect fit, and could get play a big role for the Warriors if Matt Barnes and Mikael Pietrus bolt during free agency.

37. Portland Alando Tucker SF Wisconsin
Tucker is ready to contribute right away and will help them turnaround the state of the franchise quickly. Well…Tucker and Greg Oden.

38. Philadelphia Carl Landry PF Purdue
Philly needs to continue to upgrade their frontcourt and Landry is a skilled offensive player who could be a real sleeper.

39. Miami Jared Dudley SF Boston College
The Heat would like to add a point guard here, but there aren’t any worth taking this high. Dudley (and 1st round pick Nick Young) will be tremendous role players alongside DWade and Shaq as Miami prepares to reclaim the Larry O’Brien trophy.

40. LA Lakers Dominic McGuire SF Fresno State
McGuire is a terrific athlete who could see big minutes if the Lakers trade Lamar Odom this offseason.

41. Minnesota Aaron Affalo SG UCLA
Afflalo is a great value here. If the Wolves end the day with this first-team All-American and Jeff Green, KG may want to stay in Minnesota after all.

42. Portland Marko Tomas SG Croatia
Portland is all about the youth movement, but between last year and this year’s draft, they’ll have added eight new players to the roster. Tomas is a talent that they can keep overseas for a little while (like Joel Freeland last year) and bring over when they are needed.

43. New Orleans Quinton Hosley SF Fresno State
Hosley is still a raw prospect but would provide insurance if Devin Brown and/or Desmond Mason left as free agents.

44. Orlando Russell Carter SG Notre Dame
Steal of the draft. Carter is Corey Maggette with a better jumpshot. He would be a great fit alongside Jameer Nelson, Dwight Howard, and (ahem) Vince Carter. Congrats, Billy Donovan…not bad for your first draft. Oh wait…my bad.

45. LA Clippers Kyle Visser C Wake Forest
Visser is considered a fringe first-rounder and the Clips would be ecstatic to see him on the board here. He’ll give them some more depth behind Elton Brand and Chris Kaman.

46. Golden State Stephane Lasme PF UMass
Lasme is a long-armed shot blocker that will give them the same presence that Andris Biendris does without being so awkward.

47. Washington Zoran Erceg PF Serbia
Erceg is a classic European big man…he can shoot the lights out but is a bitch inside. Exactly what the Wizards need.


48. LA Lakers Aaron Gray C Pittsburgh
Gray will hopefully pan out better than LA's last big, white center- Chris Mihm (This is why I'm Hot).

49. Chicago Milovan Rakovic F/C Serbia
Rakovic isn't your typical Serbian big man. He is 6'`0'' 265 lbs and is extremely physical inside. He'll wait a few years but could make an impact once he comes over.

50. Dallas Glen Davis PF LSU
Davis has some nice offensive skills and a big body to complement the finesse of Dirk.

51. Chicago DJ Strawberry SG Maryland
Strawberry is a terrific athlete and defender who may have trouble finding minutes on Chicago’s current squad, but should the Bulls trade away Luol Deng and Ben Gordon for Kevin Garnett, he could get some minutes as a back-up.

52. Portland Mustafa Shakur PG Arizona
Shakur will add some depth to a relatively weak Trailblazer backcourt.

53. Portland Kyrylo Fesenko F/C Ukraine
The Blazers have a lot of picks and can afford to bolster depth down low behind Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge. Fesenko will likely wait a few years (as will last year’s #30 pick Joel Freeland) before joining the roster.

54. Orlando Herbert Hill PF Providence
Hill is a good athlete who blossomed in his late college years. He’s a good value at 54.

55. Utah Stanko Barac C Bosnia
Its only fitting the Jazz would take the best Bosnian available.

56. Milwaukee Bobby Brown PG Cal State-Fullerton
Brown is expected to go higher and would provide some insurance should Mo Williams leave as a free agent.

57. Detroit Coleman Collins PF Virginia Tech
Collins is a bruiser with good athleticism. He could find his way into Detroit's rotation if Chris Webber, Antonio McDyess, and Dale Davis all move into a nursing home as expected.

58. San Antonio Nick Fazekas PF Nevada
Fazekas was a tremendous college player who has the face-up game and feel for the game to contribute off the bench as a Spur.

59. Phoenix Jared Jordan PG Marist
There’s no better player for Jordan, the two-time NCAA assist leader, to learn under than Steve Nash.

60. Dallas Chris Richard PF Florida
This year’s last pick is hardly Mr. Irrelevant. Richard is used to coming off the bench, and will give the Mavs a bruiser inside.