NBA Mock Draft 1.0

(Note: this was formatted on Mozilla Firefox and may not read as well on Internet Explorer or other browsers. Not much I can do about it. Blogger is just that good.) 1st Round
#	Team	Pos	Player	Notes
1	Chicago	PF	Michael Beasley	Beasley gives the Bulls the low-post scorer they've been missing, plus rebounding. Chicago will take a long look at Rose, but Beasley has to be the pick
2	Miami	PG	Derrick Rose	Like Seattle last year, Miami can take whichever consensus Top 2 prospect falls into its lap. Rose and Wade should make an excellent backcourt
3	Minnesota	C	Brook Lopez	O.J. Mayo would be a solid pick here, but Minnesota needs a big man to pair with Al Jefferson and Lopez is a good fit with his shooting and shot-blocking
4	Seattle	SG	O.J. Mayo	Pairing Mayo with Kevin Durant sounds great on paper, but could it really work? Mayo's got the talent to be the best player in the draft and is worth the risk
5	Memphis	SG	Eric Gordon	Memphis has a lot of holes to fill and they would have to consider a big man such as Anthony Randolph, but its most glaring need is at shooting guard
6	New York	PG	Jerryd Bayless	Mike D'Antoni needs a point guard to run his fast-paced offense and Bayless should be a great fit. This pick would be a good start to rebuilding the Knicks
7	L.A. Clippers	SF	Danilo Gallinari	Point guard is more of a need, but with Rose and Bayless off the board Gallinari is a sensible pick. He and Thornton should be an excellent combination
8	Milwaukee	PF	Anthony Randolph	The Bucks would be tempted to trade if put in this position, as drafting Randolph would cut into Villanueva's and Yi's minutes, but if they go big, it could work
9	Charlotte	PF	Kevin Love	This would continue the Bobcats trend of picking great college players with questionable NBA futures. Love fits the Larry Brown mold as well
10	New Jersey	C	DeAndre Jordan	A long, athletic center with great potential, Jordan would give the Nets their best inside scorer since the departure of Kenyon Martin
11	Indiana	PG	Russell Westbrook	Tough call here between Westbrook and Augustin and this pick could go either way. Westbrook seems like a safer option, as he's got much better size
12	Sacramento	PG	D.J. Augustin	Beno Udrih played well filling in for Mike Bibby, but he's hardly a long-term solution. Augustin is the second-best pure point guard in the draft
13	Portland	SF	Joe Alexander	Portland gets another young, athletic forward to work with. A point guard would be ideal here, but with the top four PGs off the board, they pick a swingman
14	Golden State	SF	Donte Greene	The 6-10 forward is a bit of a tweener, but with his ability to play the 3 and the 4 he should be a good fit in Don Nelson's offense.
15	Phoenix	PF	Darrell Arthur	Of course Phoenix probably trades this pick for cash, but on the off-chance that they keep it, Arthur's defense and athleticism makes him a good pick
16	Philadelphia	SG	Brandon Rush	Philadelphia could go for a big man here, but Rush could fill the Sixers' need at SG. There are concerns about his injury history, however
17	Toronto	C	Marreese Speights	As well as Rasho Nesterovic played down the stretch, the Raptors could use an upgrade at center and Speights could be a good fit next to Chris Bosh
18	Washington	C	Kosta Koufos	Koufos gives Washington another good option at center and as a skilled big man with some shooting range should complement Brendan Haywood well
19	Cleveland	SG	Chase Budinger	They could opt for a center here, with their aging big men, but Budinger's explosive offensive game could solve the Cavs' shooting guard woes
20	Denver	SG	Chris Douglas-Roberts	Denver might choose a point guard instead but the better option might be to take a perimeter defender to play alongside Allen Iverson.
21	New Jersey	SF	Bill Walker	There are still good big men available, but Walker is a good gamble here. He's got lottery potential and it's just his injury history that's a concern
22	Orlando	C	Robin Lopez	The other Lopez could help out Orlando with his defense and rebounding, especially now that Adonal Foyle is entering the final year of his contract
23	Utah	C	JaVale McGee	McGee provides shot-blocking on a team that desperately needs it. Aside from Kirilenko, no Jazz player averages more than one block per game
24	Seattle	PG	Ty Lawson	After taking Mayo with their first pick, Seattle gets some help at point guard with Lawson. While he won't start as a rookie, he could be a valuable backup
25	Houston	SF	Nicholas Batum	Landing Batum this late could be a steal. The Rockets could afford to bring the 19-year old along slowly, but he should be able to find a niche
26	San Antonio	C	Ante Tomic	The Spurs could use some young blood immediately, but this late in the draft they will likely take a player like Tomic and stash him overseas
27	New Orleans	PF	J.J. Hickson	Above all New Orleans needs depth, particularly at the 4 and 5. Hickson would be an upgrade over Melvin Ely and Chris Anderson
28	Memphis	PF	Jason Thompson	A big man with an NBA body, Thompson should be able to give the Grizzlies some solid minutes at center even as a rookie
29	Detroit	C	Roy Hibbert	One of the biggest concerns surrounding Hibbert is his speed, or lack thereof, that wouldn't matter in Detroit, where they play at the league's slowest pace
30	Boston	PG	Mario Chalmers	He would fight with Gabe Pruitt for minutes, but with his shooting ability and ball-handling skills he should be an upgrade over Eddie House
2nd Round
31	Minnesota	SG	Courtney Lee	They're already set on big men and could use the help at SG
32	Seattle	PF	D.J. White	Seattle adds some size and inside scoring after adding two guards
33	Portland	PF	Alexis Ajinca	Portland can stash Ajinca overseas as their roster is pretty full already
34	Minnesota	C	DeVon Hardin	Minnesota rolls the dice on Hardin's lottery talent and lackluster effort
35	L.A. Clippers	PF	Nathan Jawai	Jawai provides some depth at PF in case Elton Brand leaves
36	Portland	C	John Riek	Tons of upside, but still very raw. Portland can afford to wait
37	Milwaukee	SG	Wayne Ellington	The Bucks add another three-point threat to back up Michael Redd
38	Charlotte	SF	Davon Jefferson	Jefferson's athleticism makes him a good complement to Jared Dudley
39	Chicago	PF	Serge Ibaka	The Bulls can wait a few years for the 18-year old to develop
40	New Jersey	C	Trent Plaisted	The Nets take a chance on a big man with first round talent
41	Indiana	PF	Richard Hendrix	A bit undersized, but he's worth a look this late in the draft
42	Sacramento	SF	Victor Claver	One of the top European prospects, he could be a bargain this late
43	Seattle	SF	Keith Brumbaugh	Incredibly talented, but off-court issues have hurt his value
44	Golden State	SG	Shan Foster	Excellent 3-point shooter who could find a few minutes as a specialist
45	Sacramento	C	Omer Asik	The Kings add a raw big man with good size and defensive ability
46	Utah	SF	Danny Green	His shooting and basketball IQ could make him a valuable role player
47	San Antonio	PG	Rodrigue Beaubois	French point guard could become a reliable backup to Tony Parker
48	Washington	SF	Luc Richard Mbah a Moute	Mbah a Moute could improve Washington's lackluster defense
49	Phoenix	SG	J.R. Giddens	Excels as a shooter and an athlete and could be a good fit in Phoenix
50	Seattle	C	Nikola Pekovic	The Sonics stash a big man overseas rather than overload the roster
51	Dallas	PF	Joey Dorsey	Dallas gets a defensive-minded big man to replace Desagana Diop
52	Miami	PF	Ryan Anderson	Miami needs some size, with no reliable options at center
53	Utah	SG	Jamont Gordon	Utah gets a combo guard who might be able to spell Deron Williams
54	Houston	C	C.J. Giles	Dikembe Mutombo can't be Yao's backup forever…or can he?
55	Portland	SG	Robert Vaden	Portland gets a shooter with deep 3-point range to fill out the bench
56	Seattle	SG	Malik Hairston	All-around talent without one specialized skill, but he might find a spot
57	San Antonio	SF	Pat Calathes	The point forward with a very high basketball IQ should be a good fit
58	L.A. Lakers	SG	Lester Hudson	He's a tweener, but the Lakers gamble on his offensive potential
59	Detroit	PG	Ronald Steele	He could become a good backup PG in the Lindsey Hunter mold
60	Boston	SG	Kyle Weaver	Limited scoring ability, but his defensive talent could get him drafted