Blogging the NBA Draft

Let's do this. Three picks already on the board, but that's not going to stop me.

30. Boston Celtics: J.R. Giddens, G, New Mexico- And we're done!

29. Detroit Pistons: D.J. White, PF, Indiana- With Thompson off the board several hours ago, the Pistons looked for another big, physical player to improve the front court.

28. Memphis Grizzlies: Donte' Greene, F, Syracuse- Like Arthur, you just have to make the value pick at some point. The Grizz took a chance with Gay becoming a good player, and they're taking a similar chance with Greene.

27. Portland Trailblazers: Darrell Arthur, PF, Kansas- The kidney issue is very serious, but there's a point where you have to take the risk and make the value pick. Portland was supposed to get this pick, but NO might've kept it.

26. San Antonio Spurs: George Hill, PG, IUPUI- The Spurs make some interesting choices, but you have to trust them to do the right thing, right?

25. Houston Rockets: Nicolas Batum, SG, France- Like I mentioned before, Houston has a solid roster, up and down. They just needed someone that can come off the bench for now.

24. Seattle SuperSonics: Foreign guy- This is kind of surprising. I guess they'll keep him where he is, but I'm not sure how he'll fit in.

23. Utah Jazz: Kosta Koufos, C, Ohio State- It's no secret that they wanted to add a C and get bigger, and Koufos was supposed to go higher in the draft.

22. Orlando Magic: Courtney Lee, SG, Western Kentucky- Almost everyone called this before the draft, and I listened to them and did as well.

21. New Jersey Nets: Ryan Anderson, PF, California- They really have a young, offensive minded frontcourt now.

20. Charlotte Bobcats: Alexi Ajinca, FC, France- Larry Brown likes rookies that don't play, and he found one that really won't.

19. Cleveland Cavaliers: J.J. Hickson, PF, North Carolina State- Hickson is one of my favorite players in this draft. He got a bit overlooked because of their mediocre team, but he's a talented forward.

Pretty big trade. Blazers get Diogu and Bayless for Rush and Jack.

18. Washington Wizards: JaVale McGee, C, Nevada- GOT IT.

17. Indiana Pacers: Roy Hibbert, C, Georgetown- He should've come out last year, but he's got a nice shot at instant playing time in Indianspolis. Decent pick.

16. Philadelphia 76ers: Marreese Speights, FC, Florida- I don't mind it. I would've preferred Arthur, but Speights has some good potential. He's got decent size, he's athletic, and he'll be able to get eased into the game with a few minutes off the bench early.

15. Phoenix Suns: Robin Lopez, C, Stanford- I guess he brings the kind of defensive presence they want their C to bring in the post D'Antoni days. It's too bad Shaq is literally blocking him.

14. Golden State Warriors: Anthony Randolph, PF, Lousiana State- Randolph is a pretty big risk with some pretty big red flags. However, you can't question his athletic ability, and he should fit in the up tempo offense in Oakland.

13. Portland Trailblazers: Brandon Rush, SG, Kansas- I had them taking a similar kind of player in Alexander, but he's obviously gone. Rush is a good shooter that should be able to help out.

12. Sacramento Kings: Jason Thompson, PF, Rider- This is the highest someone from Rider has ever been taken in anything. Vietnam draft, dodgeball, NBA, etc.

11. Indianapolis Pacers: Jerryd Bayless, G, Arizona- Like Lopez, the Pacers couldn't pass this pick up. He could also make great trade bait if they really don't want him.

10. New Jersey Nets: Brook Lopez, C, Stanford- This pick was a no brainer with him still on the board. A lot of people expected him to go a bit higher, but this sounds about right.

I didn't think the Sixers would trade up and they didn't work him out, but the Sixers might want to think about trading up for Bayless. I think he would be a good fit.

9. Charlotte Bobcats: D.J. Augustin, PG, Texas- I'm not sure why you would take a backup PG with a top 10 pick, but Larry Brown has proven he knows what he's doing, I guess. I expect a trade.

8. Milwaukee Bucks: Joe Alexander, F, West Virginia- Blast. I knew they were interested in him, but I really thought they should take a PG. Shouldn't have gone against conventional wisdom.

7. Los Angeles Clippers: Eric Gordon, SG, Indiana- Does this count as a win in my mock draft? I said they liked him, but they just didn't trade up to get him. This was a slam dunk when he fell to 7.

6. New York Knicks: Danilo Gallinari, SF, Italy- Gallinari wanted the Knicks, and they apparently wanted him. I wonder how the NY fans will react to a guy that's not a huge name college star being taken.

5. Memphis Grizzlies: Kevin Love, PF, California-Los Angeles- Nailed another pick in my mock draft. Chris Wallace made a nice pick here.

4. Seattle SuperSonics: Russell Westbrook, G, California-Los Angeles- He's going to get traded, right? The Clippers liked either Westbrook or Gordon, so maybe they make a deal to get him.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves: O.J. Mayo, G, Southern California- Hey Al Jefferson, can you make sure no one puts a drink on my sound system?

2. Miami Heat: Michael Beasley, PF, Kansas State- Pat Riley isn't insane quite yet. He makes the right pick. Will he get traded? I don't know. I hear they wanted a lot for this pick.

1. Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose, PG, Memphis- Everyone predicted this would happen, and it did. Personally, I liked Beasley.