NBA Mock Draft #3

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- Jeff Green SF Georgetown
This pick may not be for the Celtics. If they plan on making a trade to acquire Kevin Garnett, Green would be a much more intriguing piece to that deal than say…Yi Jianlian. If Green does end up in a Celts uniform, his versatility and unselfishness will complement scorers like Paul Pierce and Gerald Green very well. .

6. Milwaukee- Brandan Wright PF North Carolina
Given injury bug that has been biting the hell out of Milwaukee’s frontcourt, taking Wright is almost a no-brainer. He has tremendous upside and would be a force alongside Andrew Bogut and Charlie Villanueva.

7. Minnesota- Al Thornton F Florida State
Thornton has impressed in workouts and was a dominant player in college, but didn’t receive a lot of recognition because his team wasn’t a national power. If Minnesota ends up trading KG to Boston for Al Jefferson and the 5th pick, they will have a great young nucleus of Randy Foye, Jeff Green, Thornton, and Jefferson to build around.


8. Charlotte- Corey Brewer G/F Florida
Gerald Wallace may opt out of his cotract, so this pick is insurance in case he does. Brewer is a terrific defender and even if Wallace stays, he would share time with Matt Carroll and Adam Morrison at shooting guard.

9. Chicago- Yi Jianlian F China
The Bulls are said to love Yi and Joakim Noah, and it’s surprising that both would be available here. In the end, the upside of Yi will be too much to pass up.

10. Sacramento- Joakim Noah F/C Florida
The Kings are about to start a massive rebuilding project. Ron Artest and Mike Bibby are on the block, and if Artest is going to be traded, Julian Wright may be the pick. Noah’s energy and enthusiasm is needed to revive this a franchise that has fallen off after a decade of being basketball’s most exciting team.

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- 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
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- 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- Nick Young SG USC
Young isn’t expected to be available at this point, but if he is, Miami will jump on him. Young is a scrappy player who will instantly energize an aging team.

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- Daequan Cook SG Ohio State
Cook is very high on the Knicks’ draft board. He is more ready for the NBA than his age and freshman stats might imply.

24. Phoenix- Marco Belinelli SG Italy
Belinelli 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- 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- 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- 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- 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 a very bad passer. Williams gives them some more depth and shot-blocking up front.

30. Philadelphia- Aaron Brooks PG Oregon
After drafting two white players, there is no way Philly can take Rudy Fernandez (arguably the best player available.) Brooks, a cat-quick African-American guard, has to be the pick.

Second Round

31. Seattle Ramon Sessions PG Nevada
Sessions is a good value here and could end up starting as a rookie.

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 Marcus Williams G/F Arizona
Williams is a big guard who can handle the ball and play some point when Tony Parker is making out with Eva on the sidelines.


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 Dominic McGuire SF Fresno State
The pick of this super-athletic wing will team with Durant and officially put Rashard Lewis on the sign-and-trade block.

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
The Blazers are apparently high on DePaul’s Wilson Chandler (I am also), but 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 Aaron Afflalo SG UCLA
Afflalo is an easy pick here. Philly has already taken a center (Hawes), a power forward (Splitter), and a point guard (Brooks), so drafting a shooting guard makes perfect sense because they are set at small forward with Andre Iguodala and Rodney Carney.

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 Carl Landry PF Purdue
Landry dominated the Big Ten and is a great value here. Should LA decide not to re-sign Luke Walton, Landry will be able to give them some minutes and production inside.

41. Minnesota Zoran Erceg PF Croatia
Erceg is a classic European big man…he can shoot the lights out but is a bitch inside. His sissiness will complement the muscularity of Craig Smith and potential T’Wolve Al Jefferson.


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 Wilson Chandler SF DePaul
Chandler is a big-time athlete with a good outside shooting stroke. He is a first-round talent but work ethic issues push him down to the middle of the second round.

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.

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 Petteri Koponen PG Finland
Kopenen is a tall, lean PG who can shoot. He’ll give the Wiz some options should Gilbert Arenas’ knee problems linger.

48. LA Lakers Ron Lewis SG Ohio State
Lewis might be a little undersized, but he is a legit scorer. LA will continue to add weapons to help keep Kobe in town.

49. Chicago Aaron Gray C Pittsburgh
Gray is falling fast, but will be a perfect fit in Chicago. He will give the Bulls some semblance of a low post scorer.

50. Dallas Milovan Rakovic F/C Serbia
Rakovic isn’t your typical Serbian big man. He is 6’10’’ 265 and is extremely physical inside. He’ll fit well around all of the Mavs finesse players.

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 Glen Davis PF LSU
This pick is purely for one reason…they need some big bodies to defend Shaq in the playoffs if they are going to make it back to the NBA Finals.

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.