#1) The Washington Wizards select John Wall, PG - KentuckyNo changes here. The one year wonder (pictured to the right) is still going number one without any questions from anyone.
#2) The Philadelphia 76ers select Evan Turner, SG/SF - Ohio State
I tried to get cute with this pick before by putting Wesley Johnson here, but the truth is that the 76ers will find perimeter shooting elsewhere. They can't pass on a kid as good as Turner.
#3) The New Jersey Nets select Derrick Favors, PF - Georgia Tech
The possibility of Favors fulfilling his potential outweighs any apprehensions the Nets may have about the big man.
#4) The Minnesota Timberwolves select Wesley Johnson SG/SF - Syracuse
The Wolves will be happy to add a long distance to compliment the penetration of Jonny Flynn.
#5) The Sacramento Kings select Greg Monroe, PF - Georgetown
Monroe has shot past Al-Farouq Aminu on everyone's draft board thanks to the element his passing game brings to any team.
#6) The Golden State Warriors select Al-Farouq Aminu, SF/PF - Wake Forest
Aminu is the logical choice for the run and shoot Warriors unless the team wants to go for a home run and draft Paul George at six. That would be my move, but I don't think the Warriors have the type of job security to swing for the fences with Aminu on the board.
#7) The Detroit Pistons select DeMarcus Cousins, PF/C - Kentucky
Detroit probably doesn't care about Cousins' attitude as much as other teams. Team President Joe Dumars played with Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn during his heyday. I doubt that Cousins (pictured to the right) even compares to those two.
#8) The Los Angeles Clippers select Paul George, SF - Fresno State
The Clippers will take a chance on the athletic freak from Cali, banking on the fact that he can prove to be more effective than Aminu, especially early on in their careers.
#9) The Utah Jazz select Cole Aldrich, C - Kansas
As long as Aldrich is big and white...Utah's not letting their next Greg Ostertag slip out of the top ten. Especially when this updated version displays so much more skill than the original.
#10) The Indiana Pacers select Epke Udoh, PF - Baylor
#11) The New Orleans Hornets select Xavier Henry, SG - Kansas
The Hornets would love to get their hands on Paul George but his stock has risen much too high. They will settle for the best combo guard in the draft.
#12) The Memphis Grizzlies select Patrick Patterson, PF - Kentucky
All indications are that Memphis has fell in love with Patterson. If you see a mock draft that doesn't have Patterson going to Memphis - stop reading it.
#13) The Toronto Raptors select Avery Bradley, SG - Texas
The Raptors are locked on to Bradley even more so than the Grizzlies are with Patterson. Bradley might as well start house shopping in Toronto.
#14) The Houston Rockets select Hassan Whiteside, C - Marshall
The Rockets would like to get Cole Aldrich here, but I really think the Jazz will take the big man from Kansas. The Rockets will have to settle for this project with extreme upside.
#15) The Milwaukee Bucks select Luke Babbitt, SF - Nevada
Babbitt (pictured to the right) has been flying up draft boards thanks to his size and shooting ability. The gunner from Nevada would be an excellent compliment to Brandon Jennings.
#16) The Minnesota Timberwolves select Ed Davis, PF - North Carolina
I can't see Davis going in the lottery because of his injury history, but he is too talented to fall past a team like Minnesota who desperately needs an influx of talent on their roster.
#17) The Chicago Bulls select Gordon Hayward, SF - Butler
Hayward is a very familiar face in Chicago, having played at nearby Butler. He can come to Chicago and play the role of a taller and more skilled Kirk Hinrich. Hayward is in heavy competition to be selected before Luke Babbitt.
#18) The Miami Heat select Eric Bledsoe, PG - Kentucky
The Heat would love to get their hands on Hayward, Babbitt, or Ed Davis with this pick. However, Bledsoe is an exciting play maker that can team with Dwayne Wade right away on South Beach.
#19) The Boston Celtics select James Anderson, SG - Oklahoma State
#20) The San Antonio Spurs select Kevin Seraphin, PF - France
The Spurs will strongly consider Damion James from Texas but with 6'11 Brazilian Tiago Splitter supposedly entering the fold next season. The Spurs can afford to stash this athletic four man in Europe.
#21) The Oklahoma City Thunder select Larry Sanders, PF - VCU
The Thunder need more size and athleticism up front. Drafting Sanders is the equivalent of cloning rookie standout Serge Ibaka. Sanders will immediately contribute defensively and on the glass thanks to his freakish wingspan.
#22) The Portland Trail Blazers select Solomon Alabi, C - Florida State
The main priority for this draft pick is to provide solid insurance for Greg Oden. Daniel Orton or Kevin Seraphin could easily be selected here as well. This pick WILL be a big man.
#23) The Minnesota Timberwolves select Daniel Orton, C - Kentucky
The Wolves will be thrilled if Orton, a player they will consider at #16 falls to them at #23. Al Jefferson is probably bolting Minnesota as soon as he gets a chance so front court depth is crucial for the rebuilding T-Wolves.
#24) The Atlanta Hawks select Armon Johnson, PG/SG - Nevada
Johnson comes off the board late in the first round to justify his decision to leave college early. The Hawks hope that this combo guard can make the transition to the point and eventually replace Mike Bibby. Of the four guards contending to be picked in this area of the Draft (Johnson, Dominique Jones, Elliot Williams, and Jordan Crawford) Johnson has the most upside at the point.
#25) The Memphis Grizzlies select Elliot Williams, PG/SG - Memphis
This is a hometown pick that turns out not to be a reach at all. Williams (pictured to the right) is a solid pick at #25 no matter who is on the clock, but you better believe the Grizzlies are making this pick knowing that it puts extras butts in the seats every night.
#26) The Oklahoma City Thunder select Dominique Jones, PG/SG - USF
The Thunder desperately need outside shooting and Jones fits that description the best at this point in the draft. Jones scores in bunches and could be a valuable reserve for a Thunder team that looks lost on offense when Kevin Durant isn't in the game.
#27) The New Jersey Nets select Devin Ebanks, SF - West Virginia
Ebanks does too many things well to not find a role in the Nets rotation.
#28) The Memphis Grizzlies select Gani Lawal, PF - Georgia Tech
The Grizz addressed a lot of needs with their first two picks, but they still needed a rugged inside presence. Lawal meets the criterion.
#29) The Orlando Magic select Quincy Pondexter, SF - Washington
The Magic have seemingly locked in on Pondexter as an eventual replacement for Vince Carter on the wing. Pondexter (pictured to the right) will ratchet up the team's defensive intensity even more and add some fire to a relatively docile locker room.
#30) The Washington Wizards select Jordan Crawford, SG - Xavier
Crawford goes to DC by default based on the fact that all of the other quality two guards are off the board. The Wizards probably would prefer James Anderson due to his size, but he probably won't drop that far.
