Alright guys, here's my first mock draft. I left out Sergei Monya, but I doubt anyone knows who that is, so don't worry about it. The order of the draft is based on the season's finish and all trades have been factored in (so no lottery, Orlando gets #1, Chicago #2, etc.)
1. Orlando – Emeka Okafor (Connecticut) Orlando needs to win right now in order to keep T-Mac from opting out after next season. Okafor gives them the best chance at winning next year.
2. Chicago – Dwight Howard (High School) The Bulls will gladly take Dwight Howard and then trade Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry, or both. Howard is probably the best prospect in the draft.
3. Washington – Pavel Podkolzine (Russia) The Wizards don’t need Luol Deng, they need size. Andris Biedrins is a consideration here, but Pavel is much bigger and not as big of a gamble; he’s also a legit Center and in the East, that’s big. Plus they’re a young team and can afford to wait while retaining their core of players.
4. Charlotte – Luol Deng (Duke) Charlotte starts building their franchise around Deng. This is probably the best they can hope for at the #4 spot as Deng is polished enough to play right away, but still has a lot of potential.
5. LA Clippers – Josh Smith (High School) The Clippers draft based on potential. Maggette, Richardson, Miles; Josh Smith is just the next bright young prospect to be ruined by the Clippers.
6. Atlanta – Shaun Livingston (High School) Atlanta need everything and have time to develop a project. Livingston is the best point guard in the draft and would be a good start for rebuilding.
7. Phoenix – Andris Biedrins (Latvia) The Suns have a great young core and have time to develop a project. They take the best prospect left on the board at 7 in Biedrins and find Maceij Lampe a friend to go clubbing with in one fell swoop.
8. Toronto – Devin Harris (Wisconsin) Toronto needs a point guard in the worst way, and with their core of Vinsanity and Bosh they could be one Devin Harris away from a playoff spot.
9. Philly – Andre Iguodala (Arizona) Philly actually has a lot of good players on their roster and the biggest hole is at the 3 spot. Iguodala should fit in nicely and contribute right away. It’s also a bonus because Philly doesn’t need scoring desperately.
10. Cleveland – Kosta Perovic (Serbia) Cleveland have a good young core and need to replace Big Z one of these days. Perovic seems like a logical replacement.
11. Golden State – Tiago Splitter (Brazil) Golden State could lose both Dampier and Foyle in the off season and need size. They’ll take Splitter, a very good player already with still more potential.
12. Seattle – Josh Childress (Stanford) Seattle doesn’t have a really good 4 or 5 here that they could grab and feel confident with, so they instead go for Childress. He can play a few positions and rumor has it that Rashad Lewis might be going out the door after not breaking out this year.
13. Portland – Ben Gordon (Connecticut) Portland thank their lucky stars that Gordon falls to them and gladly take him to replace either Derek Anderson or Damon Stoudamire in the lineup.
14. Utah – Rafael Araujo (BYU) Utah has a lot of picks in this draft and are pretty set at the 1-3 positions. They NEED size and Araujo is a nice pick here.
15. Boston – Kris Humphries (Minnesota) Boston needs to get something, ANYTHING done in this draft. While there are rumors that Ainge is in love with Telfair, that pick doesn’t make much sense with Atkins and Banks already in Boston. The C’s need some tough play and Humphries will definitely bring that.
16. Utah – Al Jefferson (High School) Utah grabs another big man here, but this one is much more of a project. Al Jefferson is probably not ready to play in the pros, but he’s got tons of potential and Utah are pseudo-rebuilding.
17. Atlanta – J.R. Smith (High School) The Hawks need everything and have all the time in the world to develop players. Smith could become something really special, so he’s worth the gamble here. A bit of a slide by Smith on draft day.
18. New Orleans – David Harrison (Colorado) New Orleans needs depth at the 4 and 5 slot and Harrison should provide good depth.
19. Miami – Jameer Nelson (St. Joe’s) Miami really doesn’t have any glaring needs besides center, but there really aren’t any good big man left. They instead take an NCAA Tournament star for the third year in a row. A PG makes more sense anyway since Wade is more of a combo guard than a true point.
20. Denver – Kirk Snyder (Nevada) Denver doesn’t really NEED anything, but Kirk Snyder would be a very good guard in the lineup. Usually you don’t look for a starter this late in the first round, but Snyder could assume that role very quickly.
21. Utah – Ivan Chiriaev (Russia) Utah gets their big men with their earlier picks and now turn to a project; and the projects don’t get much bigger than Chiriaev. He’s been hiding from NBA Scouts in the worst way (probably because he actually sucks), but someone will take a gamble on him, and what better team than one that has a good history with foreigners and 3 first round picks this draft.
22. New Jersey – Hakeem Warrick (Syracuse) The Nets need some depth at the 3 and 4 spot and Warrick can probably play both. Will get some decent minutes behind K-Mart and RJ
23. Portland – Luke Carlos*son (Oregon) Portland SHATTER the Jailblazer image with this pick. Local boy Luke Carlos*son can do everything pretty well and is the Blazers second pick behind Ben Gordon. He should get decent minutes at a swing position.
24. Boston – Sebastian Telfair (High School) The fall stops here; Ainge gets his man. Telfair is probably not ready to play in the league at all, but a prospect like him at #24 is tough to find. Ainge also apparently loves the kid.
25. Boston – Sean Banks (Memphis) Boston could use some depth at the 3, and Banks is a good player who can step in and contribute a little. There isn’t good value here for a big man unless you consider Robert Swift or Ha Seung Jin value. I don’t either.
26. Sacramento – Rudy Fernandez (Spain) Sacramento doesn’t need any help, so they take a very good 2 who can stay in Europe next year.
27. LA Lakers – Roko Leni Ukic (Croatia) The Glove can opt out after this season and judging from his conflicts with Phil Carlos*son this season, he just might. Ukic is a good prospect and if he has to he can spend another year in Europe.
28. San Antonio – Ryan Gomes (Prorvidence) San Antonio need help desperately in the swing positions. Ginobli will probably leave after this season leaving them with Hedo and Bowen as the starters. Ouch. Gomes is a decent swing man who can give some minutes right away.
29. Minnesota – Forfeits pick
30. Indiana – Sasha Vujacic (Slovenia) Indiana could do anything here. They could also take Robert Swift, but I don’t think he’s a first rounder. Vujacic could be an upgrade over Tinsley in a year or two, so this pick makes a lot of sense. He could also stay in Europe for a year.