15. Phoenix Suns: Marreese Speights, C, Florida. The Suns could use more size and rebounding, and Shaquille O'Neal is no spring chicken. I still think trading the Matrix was idiotic move, so having a mid first round pick has got to make them feel a little better about an early playoff exit. I hear good things about Speights and Florida bigs are always pretty darn good, ie Al Horford, Joakim Noah, David Lee. Donte Greene or Joe Alexander could show up at this pick as well, but I think they'll go for a big here.
16. Philadelphia Sixers: Chris Douglas-Roberts, SG, Memphis: The Sixers could also use some help at power forward, but they could also use some youth at the 2. Let's face it, Andre Iguodala is not a shooting guard. CDR could be a real scoring threat and could form as nice backcourt with Andre Miller.
17. Toronto Raptors: Robin Lopez, C, Stanford. One of the brothers Lopez could be the inside presence the Raps seem to lack to compliment Chris Bosh. I think there better centers still on the board, but Lopez could be the most NBA ready amongst them, meaning he may have reached his ceiling already. He draws comparisons to Anderson Varejao, so he's got that going for him.
18. Washington Wizards: Roy Hibbert, C, Georgetown. The Wiz take the local product and a team need. Hibbert could give them youth and athleticism at the center position, because Brendan Haywood isn't getting it done. He plays well in the half court and can play some D on a team that's already pretty darn good at it.
19. Cleveland Cavaliers: Joe Alexander, SF, West Virginia: The Cavs take the best player available, which is a good approach for a team on the cusp of winning a championship. Alexander could give them another shooter, if they're able to trade Wally World. This kid has some major hops too. I'm hoping the Blazers consider him at 13, if they intend to stay in the draft. I could see him playing the 2 and 3, in the pros. He really impressed me in the tournament this year.
20. Denver Nuggets: Chase Budinger, SF, Arizona. Are the Nuggets are re-tooling or simply re-building? If I knew the answer, I could predict who they might pick here. I'm leaning towards them re-tooling. They take the scorer here could pair nicely with Carmelo in the future, but proves himself as a role player first. I could see them taking a big here as well, maybe Nathan Jawai from Austrailia or JaVale McGee, depending on their plans with Marcus Camby and the health of Nene.
21. New Jersey Nets: JaVale McGee, C, Nevada. The rebuilding Nets take a big man here with a lot of potential, and take the plunge again in the first round, after drafting the Italian Danilo Gallinari with their first selection. These are two guys they could develop slowly for the future.
22. Orlando Magic: Nicolas Batum, SF, France. I don't see any real needs on the Magic, so they take the next available potentially great player. This kid is drawing comparisons to Rudy ####, not exactly a terrible comparison. Batum could learn the ropes from Hedo and Rashard Lewis. At least, he could get more PT thanJJ Reddick. I think CDR or Rush would be the best fit here, if they are still available.
23. Utah Jazz: Kosta Koufos, C, Ohio State. The team gets a project center, who's already pretty good. He draws comparisons to Mehmet Okur, so what better player to back up and one day replace Mehmet Okur. From what I hear, this kid is worth gambling on. I'm starting to learn more and more that size is just something you can't teach.
24. Seattle Supersonics of Oklahoma: Jason Thompson, C, Rider. This guy is apparently sky-rocketing up the charts. Has a good inside and outside game. This gives the Supes more size up front to put around Durant, Green, and Bayless. He could start coming off the bench, in relief of Collison or Petro. This pick could single the end of Chris Wilcox's time with the rebuilding, youthful Supes.
25. Houston Rockets: Donte Greene, SF, Syracuse. Greene gives the Rockets a big SF, who's athletic and has some real potential. He could be groomed by T-Mac and Battier and eventually replace either one of them in the Rockets' offense. I've heard him compared to Rashard Lewis, which isn't the best thing to hear. I've also heard experts refer to him as having a similar skill set to Shawn Marion. That could be good news for the Rockets.
26. San Antonio Spurs: Bill Walker, SF, Kansas State. I can remember when this guy was as highly regarded as his high school teammate, OJ Mayo. Walker has had his fair share of injuries, but he could be the nextVince Carter, if he can't put it all together. Had some nice games in the tournament. This will be our first glance of the Spurs building toward the future, by not taking a player whose overseas. Walker will replace an aging Bruce Bowen at some point. He could be a real steal at 26. His stock is incredibly low right now.
27. New Orleans Hornets: Ty Lawson, PG, North Carolina: This pick gives them a point guard to back up CP3, who's not a shoot-first point likeJannero Pargo. He's tiny, but quick and will find the open man. I think he gets picked over Mario Chalmers, because from what I hear, he's the more polished point guard. They could also go with Wayne Ellington here, and give them more scoring punch from the 2, but I see Lawson ending up in the Big Easy.
28. Memphis Grizz: JJ Hickson, PF, North Carolina St.Hickson will battle Randolph for minutes, and both will be developed as the 4 of the future for the Grizz. Both are considered raw, but to have tremendous potential. Randolph has him beat on the length 6'11", but Hickson has the bulk advantage over Randolph, 242 lbs. Both could make the Grizz an exciting, young team to watch next season.
29. Detroit Basketball!: Joey Dorsey, PF/C. Other than Rasheed, the Pistons haven't found a solid shot blocker and rebounder since Big Ben. Dorsey might be a stretch here, but his game translates to what the Pistons used to do best, in their championship years, which is play solid D and grab offensive boards. I could also see another center taken here, but the rest of the centers are project players. The Pistons need someone who can supplant the the Theo Ratliffs and Dale Davis's that always seem to show up on the roster at some point during the season.
30. Boston Celtics: Nathan Jawai, PF, Austrailia. The C's don't have any real needs. Maybe they'll need a back up point guard, if Cassell or House aren't in the mix. I see them drafting someone who can be developing themselves overseas, for a season or two.
PF is from the Northwest. I'm a huge fan of the Seahawks, Mariners, and Trail Blazers! If you don't root for your teams, even when they're losing or re-building, you are not a true fan.
Go Beavs! Back to Back NCAA Baseball Champions! Obama in '08!