NBA Mock draft: Where the dominoes will fall
The NBA draft this year may not be a good one, but it promises to be distinctive. The No. 1 pick is the only sure-fire star while the rest of the first round is a guessing game. And it's anyone's guess who's going to land where.
The Los Angles Clippers, champions of the Draft Lottery, have their sights set on Oklahoma's Blake Griffin, the 6-foot-10, 248-pound power forward who was college basketball's consensus player of the year last season.
Griffin is regarded as the only superstar of this draft, which consists of two rounds. It will begin at 7 p.m., Thursday at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden (ESPN).
"He's a terrific athlete, he's strong, a terrific person and I think any franchise would be happy to have a player like Blake Griffin for a long time," Clippers president Andy Roeser said. "I also think a lot of people are going to be happy with some of the other players in the draft, like Ricky Rubio and Hasheem Thabeet. I happen to think this is a draft where the top teams are going to be pretty happy in the long run."
It is possible former Niagara Falls High School and Syracuse University point guard Jonny Flynn could go as high as No. 4 to the Sacramento Kings. Nine franchises in the Lottery -- including Washington, Golden State, New York and Toronto -- also have expressed interest in the 6-foot Flynn. Flynn has impressed scouts with his ability to push the ball upcourt, hit a variety of passes and also pull up and pop the 20-foot jumper.
Flynn, who starred for two seasons at Syracuse, could be the highest drafted player from the area since Nichols School and Duke All-American Christian Laettner was selected with the No. 3 pick by Minnesota in 1992. Paul Harris, Flynn's teammate at the Falls and Syracuse, could be selected in the second round and Minnesota has shown the most interest.
Another player with local ties who could be drafted in the first round is Jonas Jerebko, who signed with the University at Buffalo four years ago before opting for a professional league in Sweden. Jerebko's father, Chris, played for Syracuse from 1977 to '81 and played professionally in Europe.
The rebuilding New York Knicks, who have the No. 8 pick overall, like Flynn, Davidson's Stephon Curry and Arizona's Jordan Hill. Toronto, with the No. 9 pick, wants someone who can create off the dribble and like Flynn, USC's DeMar DeRozan, Duke's Gerald Henderson and Louisville's Earl Clark. Cleveland has the last pick in the first round and could lose both Ben Wallace and Anderson Varejao this summer. The Cavs are in the market for an athletic forward so Jerebko is a possibility, as are Xavier's Derrick Brown and Missouri's DeMarre Carroll.
Clicking on highlighted players directs you to video highlights.
| Pick | Team | Player | Particulars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |  | LA Clippers: | Blake Griffin | Pos: PF College: Oklahoma |
2 |  | Memphis: | Hasheem Thabeet | Pos: C College: UConn Plays like: Dikembe Mutombo Comment: Still developing as a player. |
3 |  | Oklahoma City: | Ricky Rubio | Pos: PG College: Spain Comment: Steve Nash exciting. |
4 |  | Sacramento: | Tyreke Evans | Pos: SG College: Memphis Plays like: Jamal Crawford Comment: Extremely smooth and talented. |
5 |  | Washington: | James Harden | Pos: SG College: Arizona State Plays like: Nick Anderson Comment: Steady, consistent scoring threat. |
6 |  | Minnesota: | Stephen Curry | Pos: PG College: Davidson Plays like: Sam Cassell Comment: Basketball IQ off the charts. |
7 |  | Golden State: | Jrue Holiday | Pos: PG /Pos: SG College: UCLA Plays like: Delonte West Comment: Disappointing freshman season. |
8 |  | New York: | Jonny Flynn | Pos: PG College: Syracuse Plays like: Damon Stoudamire Comment: Possesses elite athleticism and quickness. |
9 |  | Toronto: | DeMar DeRozan | Pos: SG College: USC Pos: C Plays like: Vince Carter Comment: The Human Highlight Film Jr. |
10 |  | Milwaukee: | Jordan Hill | Pos: PF College: Arizona Plays like: Chris Bosh Comment: Smooth and still developing. |
11 |  | New Jersey: | Tyler Hansbrough | Pos: PF College: North Carolina Plays like: Kurt Rambis Comment: Plays hard all the time. |
12 |  | Charlotte: | Gerald Henderson | Pos: SG College: Duke Plays like: Dahntay Jones Comment: Smooth great athlete. |
13 |  | Indiana: | Earl Clark | Pos: SF College: Louisville Plays like: Marvin Williams Comment: Has the talent to develop into a star. |
14 |  | Phoenix: | Brandon Jennings | Pos: PG College: Italy Plays like: Kenny Anderson Comment: Up-and-down season overseas. |
15 |  | Detroit: | Austin Daye | Pos: SF College: Gonzaga Plays like: Keith Van Horn Comment: Needed another year of school. |
16 |  | Chicago: | DeJuan Blair | Pos: PF College: Pitt Plays like: Danny Fortson Comment: Hard to move off the blocks. |
17 |  | Philadelphia: | Chase Budinger | SG/Pos: SF College: Arizona Plays like: Brent Barry Comment: Nice jumper and athlete. |
18 | | Minnesota: | B.J. Mullens | Pos: C College: Ohio State Plays like: Chris Kaman Comment: Has a long way to go. |
19 |  | Atlanta: | Eric Maynor | Pos: PG College: VCU Plays like: Eric Snow Comment: Very savvy playmaker. |
20 |  | Utah: | Sam Young | Pos: SF College: Pitt Plays like: James Posey Comment: Tremendous wing span. |
21 |  | New Orleans: | James Johnson | Pos: PF College: Wake Forest Plays like: Danny Granger Comment: Has battled inconsistency throughout his career. |
22 |  | Dallas: | Terrence Williams | Pos: SG College: Louisville Plays like: Andre Iguodala Comment: Nice feel for the game. |
23 | | Sacramento: | Ty Lawson | Pos: PG College: North Carolina Plays like: Terrell Brandon Comment: Member of All-Blur team. |
24 |  | Portland: | DaJuan Summers | Pos: SF College: Georgetown Plays like: Tim Thomas Comment: Inconsistency keeps him out of lottery. |
25 | | Oklahoma City: | Wayne Ellington | Pos: SG College: North Carolina Plays like: Francisco Garcia Comment: Final Four MVP. |
26 | | Chicago: | Toney Douglas | Pos: SG College: Florida State Plays like: Ben Gordon Comment: Just in case Gordon bolts. |
27 | | Memphis: | Nick Calathes | Pos: PG College: Florida Plays like: Shawn Livingston Comment: Signed pro contract in Greece. |
28 | | Minnesota: | Omri Casspi | Pos: SF College: Israel Plays like: Matt Harpring Comment: Needs to gain strength. |
29 |  | LA Lakers: | Darren Collison | Pos: PG College: UCLA Plays like: Chris Duhon Comment: Super-quick point guard. |
30 |  | Cleveland: | Jonas Jerebko | SF/Pos: PF College: Sweden Plays like: Hedo Turkoglu Comment: One-time UB signee has outstanding versatility. |
Key: SG-Shooting guard; SF-Small forward; Pos: PG -Point guard; PF-Power forward; C-Center.
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