NBA Mock Draft #2

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 by far the second best player available.

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
The Grizz will be tempted to take Brandan Wright, but you cannot win without a PG, and Conley has the potential to be a special one.

5. Boston- Yi Jianlian PF China
Danny Ainge will take Jianlian for two reasons : 1.) He can shoot and his versatility will complement Al Jefferson inside and 2.) He probably will suck and the Celtics might be bad enough to land OJ Mayo or Derrick Rose next year.

6. Milwaukee- Brandan Wright PF North Carolina
If Conley is gone, they will go for the best player available in Wright. If Conley falls to this spot, Milwaukee will take him as a replacement for free agent PG Mo Williams.

7. Minnesota- Julian Wright SF Kansas
The T’Wolves are entering a rebuilding phase. They can go in any direction with this pick, so they’ll take Wright, a versatile player to compliment Randy Foye for the future.

8. Charlotte- Corey Brewer SG Florida
Matt Carroll and Adam Morrison are terrific shooters, but neither plays a lick of defense. Brewer has the potential to be a shutdown defender in the NBA. The Bobcats also will consider taking a big guy here.

9. Chicago- Joakim Noah PF Florida
Noah will play alongside Ben Wallace and Tyrus Thomas in what could be the most intense front line in the NBA.

10. Sacramento- Jeff Green SF Georgetown
The Kings will try to deal Ron Artest to make room for Green, a Georgetown product who has the all-around game to contend for Rookie of the Year next year.

11. Atlanta- Javaris Crittenton PG Georgia Tech
Crittenton may not be NBA-ready right now, but he has the best potential of any guard in this draft (including Mike Conley).

12. Philadelphia- Spencer Hawes C Washington
Samuel Dalembert is a great defender but doesn’t give the Sixers the offense that Hawes will. The two should be able to co-exist in the Philadelphia frontcourt.

13. New Orleans- Al Thornton F Florida State
Thornton possesses freakish athleticism and offensive skill. He will provide an instant impact for the Hornets.

14. LA Clippers- Thaddeus Young SG Georgia Tech
Young is too good a talent to pass up. He has All-Star potential alongside Elton Brand and Corey Maggette. LA just needs to resolve their PG situation and add some depth in the frontcourt if they want to become contenders.

15. Detroit- Rodney Stuckey G Eastern Washington
Stuckey is a dynamic scorer who will serve as the understudy to Chauncey Billups for a few years- unless Billups bolts as a free agent, in which case Stuckey would likely start as a rookie.

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
Smith will give the Nets some semblance of an inside scoring game, something they’ve been lacking ever since Kenyon Martin left.

18. Golden State- Demetris Nichols SG Syracuse
This might be a real reach, but with no real good big men available, GS might opt to take another lanky three-point shooter to make their team even more dangerous from the perimeter. As much as Stephen Jackson helped them last year, he is a selfish player who is prone to committing turnovers and technicals. If the Warriors do indeed draft a wing player such as Nichols, they’d be wise to trade Jackson for a big man.

19. LA Lakers- Acie Law IV PG Texas A+M
Law will take some of scoring pressure off of Kobe, and that's what LA needs most. This pick also causes some drama in Hollywood, as Jordan Farmar was expected to be the PG of the future.

20. Miami- Gabe Pruitt PG USC
Pruitt is a quick point guard with a long frame similar to Devin Harris. Shaq has a few years left in him, so Miami can hold off on taking a center for the future.

21. Philadelphia- Tiago Splitter PF Brazil
Splitter is a terrific shot-blocker and rebounder, but needs to develop his offensive skills. He will team with Spencer Hawes and Samuel Dalembert to give Philly a formidable front line.


22. Charlotte- Josh McRoberts PF Duke
As good as Emeka Okafor and Sean May are, McRoberts is longer and brings with him a finesse offensive game to compliment Charlotte’s muscle inside.

23. New York- Derrick Byers SG/SF Vanderbilt
Byers is a complete player who should come in and compete for minutes on a crowded Knicks team.

24. Phoenix- Marco Bellinini SG Italy
Bellinini can light it up from outside and will be a stellar addition to a team run by a bunch of Italians. If not, the Suns could very well trade their two picks to move up into the late lottery.

25. Utah- Daequan Cook SG Ohio State
Utah’s only glaring need is at SG (because Derek Fisher is aging), Cook luckily falls into the lap of the Jazz.

26. Houston- Ali Traore PF France
Traore is quickly rising up the draft boards after a strong showing at the pre-draft camp. At 6’9’’ 240, he will bring strength and athleticism to compliment Yao in the frontcourt.


27. Detroit- Aaron Gray C Pittsburgh
Gray is a steal here. At 7’2’’ 270 lbs, he may not bring great athleticism, but he does bring a polished offensive game and will contribute immediately.

28. San Antonio- Reyshawn Terry SF North Carolina
Terry is a tremendous role player with very few holes in his game. 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- Sean Williams C Boston College
They’ll be tempted to add speedy Oregon PG Aaron Brooks, but will pass on him because his name suggests he may be very prone to turning the ball over. Williams gives them some more depth and shot-blocking up front.

30. Philadelphia- Aaron Brooks PG Oregon
Brooks provides a nice change of pace to Philly PG Andre Miller and should be a boost of energy off the bench.