NBA Mock Draft

The draft is about to kick off, so let's get things started.

1. Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose, PG, Memphis- I would take Beasley, but the Bulls are leaning towards the hometown kid. They're in a competition with Memphis to determine who can invest the most money into the PG position.

2. Miami Heat: Michael Beasley, PF, Kansas State- I really think Riley's mumblings about his attitude is just some trick to see what teams will offer to take this number two pick. There's no doubt he goes #2, right?

3. Minnesota Timberwolves: O.J. Mayo, G, Southern California- Hey Kevin McHale, can you stand by the aquarium and make sure no one taps on the glass?

4. Los Angeles Clippers: Eric Gordon, G, Indiana- According to Chad Ford, the Clippers and Sonics are swapping picks and stuff if Gordon is still on the board here. Gordon is still on the board here.

5. Memphis Grizzlies: Kevin Love, PF, California-Los Angeles- They're in desperate need of a low post presence, and Love may be able to provide that.

6. New York Knicks: Jerryd Bayless, G, Arizona- Bayless has top five talent, so the Knicks will be excited about getting him one pick later. They need help all over the floor, but why not start on eliminating a backcourt rotation of Marbury, Crawford and Robinson?

7. Seattle SuperSonics: Brook Lopez, C, Stanford- They have Kevin Durant to do the chucking, so Lopez can hide his low upside as a second option for Seattle or wherever they may play.

8. Milwaukee Bucks: Russell Westbrook, G, California-Los Angeles- I pointed this out in last year's mock, and I'm going to again. You need a PG. Take one that can at least feign playing the position.

9. Charlotte Bobcats: Robin Lopez, C, Stanford- One of two things will happen with this pick. Either Larry Brown trades it for Eric Snow, or he takes someone who won't play next year. At least this horrible overdraft fits his system.

10. New Jersey Nets: Danilo Gallinari, SF, Italy- He wanted to go in the top ten to either NY or NJ, and the Nets will appease him whether or not they think he improves the team.

11. Indiana Pacers: Anthony Randolph, PF, Lousiana State- They traded one troubled forward to the Raptors, so they need to nab another one to fill in. Randolph fits that bill.

12. Sacramento Kings: D.J. Augustin, PG, Texas- There's a consensus that the Kings need a PG. If you look at your roster, you will see this is one of many needs.

13. Portland Trailblazers: Joe Alexander, F, West Virginia- They really like Alexander, and they want to trade up to get him. My hilarious overdraft of Brook's Robin allows this to happen.

14. Golden State Warriors: Kosta Koufos, C, Ohio State- He may be a C, but Koufos has the athleticism Nelson looks for to run his system. They also love drafting tall players that don't pan out, but the Warriors are probably hoping to break that trend.

15. Phoenix Suns: Donte' Greene, F, Syracuse- Why not? He has nuclear athleticism, and he can hit some shots. A lot of people believe they'll take a polished player, but I'm moving away from the trend.

16. Philadelphia 76ers: Darrell Arthur, PF, Kansas- He was one of two players that I said are pretty secure at #16, so they'll take him. Reports are saying they're leaning in his direction.

17. Indiana Pacers: Marreese Speights, FC, Florida- They already took Randolph, but they have a better shot at getting one good forward out of this draft if they keep taking them.

18. Washington Wizards: JaVale McGee, C, Nevada- All indications are that if they stay put, they want to take a big man. McGee is a pretty big man with some scoring ability.

19. Cleveland Cavaliers: DeAndre Jordan, C, Texas A&M- Although they made a big trade at the deadline to try and get LeBron some help, they failed to do so in a major way. They still need a man in the middle.

20. Charlotte Bobcats: Mario Chalmers, PG, Kansas- Skin-NER!

21. New Jersey Nets: Brandon Rush, GF, Kansas- I don't even know if he fits here, but he's fallen way too far. They can't pass up on this value.

22. Orlando Magic: Courtney Lee, SG, Western Kentucky- He hit a huge game winning shot for WKU last season, and now he can make some game winning deferments to Howard or Lewis.

23. Utah Jazz: Roy Hibbert, C, Georgetown- It's pretty clear that they're looking to add some muscle, and there's no better way to do it than with this C who stayed in college one year too long.

24. Seattle SuperSonics: Nicolas Batum, SG, France- I gave them a C earlier, so now they can use their second pick on a G that may or may not be a good player.

25. Houston Rockets: Chris Douglas-Roberts, GF, Memphis- Houston has a pretty decent lineup, and that resulted in that long winning streak that amounted to nothing. CDR can shoot and will be a good option off the bench.

26. San Antonio Spurs: Alexis Ajinca, C, France- The Spurs will laugh all the way to the bank with another foreign player. I've said I don't like him, but with the 26th pick, you might as well take a guy with upside.

27. Portland Trailblazers: Ante Tomic, C, Croatia- I've got to give credit to the draft guys who do the dirty work. They've identified Tomic as a player the Blazers really like.

28. Memphis Grizzlies: Bill Walker, SG, Kansas State- I already gave them one big player, and I don't feel like giving them another. He's a bit of an injury risk, but he can certainly play basketball.

29. Detroit Pistons: Jason Thompson, FC, Rider- Although he comes from a small school in New Jersey, his toughness is what Detroit always covets in draft choices. He'll fill in well off the bench.

30. Boston Celtics: Ryan Anderson, PF, California- He's probably the best player available, and Boston doesn't have any immediate holes to fill.

That's it. Now I'm going to hustle and start with pick by pick analysis.