NBA Tickets - Lottery Mock 2.0

Author: Brent Warnken Subscribe to users feed SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

While we won\'t know the order of the 2009 NBA Draft until after the draft lottery in May, here\'s my second attempt at a mock draft using the order according to teams\' respective records as of March 30th. (This mock draft only excludes underclassmen that have made public their intentions to return to school for another season.)

1. Sacramento Kings - Blake Griffin, PF, Oklahoma: Griffin has a stranglehold on the number one position on scouts\' draft boards and I don\'t see any way that that changes before the draft. Any team would take him number one regardless of positional need. He\'s a man among boys in college and is ready to contribute on the pro level.

2. Washington Wizards - Ricky Rubio, PG, Spain: If the draft were held today, it\'s extremely likely that Griffin would go one and Rubio would go number two no matter which two teams were selecting. Rubio has a huge buyout, but word is that he\'s ready to declare if he feels he will be a top three pick. He will be.

3. Los Angeles Clippers - Greg Monroe, PF, Georgetown: Monroe is a pick that will be made more on upside and potential than production. He\'s definitely got a ways to go, but the complete package is there for a star player. His team wasn\'t very good this season and his numbers were likely hurt by Georgetown\'s Princeton-style offense, but he remains a top prospect.

4. Memphis Grizzlies - James Harden, SG, Arizona Stat: Harden may have struggled in the NCAA Tournament, but two bad performances won\'t be enough to wipe out a solid sophomore season at Arizona State. He\'s not spectacular and his marginal athleticism could hurt him in workouts, but as of now he\'s still a top five pick. This selection would be made as long as Memphis is going the best player available route.

5. Oklahoma City Thunder - Hasheem Thabeet, Center UConn: Thabeet may never be an offensive force in the NBA, but he\'s got all the tools to be an elite defender. He would immediately bolster OKC\'s inside presence on defense.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves - Brandon Jennings, PG, Italy: Jennings has not gotten a ton of playing time overseas, but he\'s going to work himself back into the top 10 conversation as soon as he gets back to the states and starts working out for teams. He\'s got an exciting game that will sell a lot of NBA tickets.

7. Golden State Warriors - Willie Warren, G, Oklahoma: The Warriors need a point guard, and while Warren is not a pure point, some people think he can become a lead guard. He\'s a good shooter and would be an immediate help to the Warriors.

8. Toronto Raptors - Al-Farouq Aminu, F, Wake Forest: The Raptors need a three and Aminu has the potential to develop into the prototypical NBA small forward.

9. New York Knicks - DeMar DeRozan, SG, USC : DeRozan had a tough time making the transition to the college game, but he really started to catch on towards the end of the season. If he declares, he\'ll probably be a warrior in individual workouts and convince a team that he\'s worthy of being a top 10 pick.

10. New Jersey Nets - Jordan Hill, PF, Arizona: I don\'t think Hill is going to wow anyone, but a number of teams will give him a look in the top 10. He\'d be a nice complement to Brook Lopez down low for the Nets.

11. Milwaukee Bucks - James Johnson, F, Wake Forest: A month ago I would have told you that you were crazy if you said two Wake Forest players would go in the lottery and one of them was not Jeff Teague. That, however, appears to be the way things are looking.

12. Indiana Pacers - Earl Clark, F, Louisville: I\'m convinced that someone will take a chance on his all-around talent at some point in the lottery.

13. Charlotte Bobcats - Cole Aldrich, C, Kansas: The Bobcats need a true center and Aldrich is coming off a huge performance in the NCAA Tournament.

14. Phoenix Suns - Stephen Curry, G, Davidson: If the team retains Alvin Gentry as head coach, Curry could be deadly in Gentry\'s version of seven seconds or less.

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