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 1. Clippers…….... Blake Griffin. PF. 6’10” 248. Safest pick in draft. Should be a dynamite NBA player. DX(1), CF(1), NBADraft(1).

2. Grizzlies……... Ricky Rubio. PG. 6’4” 185. Needs work on jump shot, will excite and dismay at same time. Best court vision and passing skills in a long time. Does Ricky want to be in Memphis?
DX(4), CF(3), NBADraft(4). Trade for 2nd pick?

3. Thunder…..…...Hasheem Thabeet. C. 7’2” 265. Tremendous shot blocker, offensive skills need work. Is he tough enough for an NBA center?
DX(3), CF(2), NBADraft(2).

4. Kings…………..James Harden. SG. 6’5” 220. Deceptive athlete, high BBall IQ. Could go higher.
DX(2), CF(5), NBADraft(3).

5. Wizards…..…...Jordan Hill. PF. 6’10” 235. Slipping a little in draft, safest big man in draft not named Blake Griffin.
DX(10), CF(10), NBADraft(5).

6. Timberwolves…Jonny Flynn. PG. 6’1” 195. Superfast, super strong. Plays above the rim.
DX(7), CF(8), NBADraft(7).

7. Warriors……….Tyreke Evans. PG-SG. 6’5” 220. Needs ball to be effective, also needs work on shot. Outstanding athlete.
DX(6), CF(4), NBADraft(6)

8. Knicks…………Stephen Curry. PG. 6’3” 185. Best shooter in draft, decent PG skills, deceptive athlete. Might go higher.
DX(5), CF(6), NBADraft(8)

9. Raptors………...Gerald Henderson. SG. 6’5” 215. Tenacious defender, underrated offensive player. DX(12), CF(12), NBADraft(12)

10. Bucks………….Jeff Teague. PG. 6’2” 175. Exciting, high risk/high reward player. Needs work on PG skills, tremendous play maker.
DX(22), CF(19), NBADraft(10)

11. Nets……………Demar DeRozan. SG. 6’6” 210. Might have highest potential in draft. Needs work on shot, still very young, developing. Vince Carter replacement?
DX(9), CF(9), NBADraft(9)

12. Bobcats………...Brandon Jennings. PG. 6’3” 175. Jet quick PG with great skills. Needs strength, maturity. Could go higher.
DX(11), CF(14), NBADraft(11).

13. Pacers…………..BJ Mullens. C. 7’1” 275. Has promise in teens. Pacers? Pacers desperate for big man, could be reach or a steal in 3 years.
DX(18), CF(18), NBADraft(15).

14. Suns….………...Earl Clark. SF. 6’10” 220. Incredibly talented, lacks focus. Bored? He’ll get a chance to show his skills in the NBA.
DX(19), CF(15), NBADraft(16).

15. Pistons………….DeJuan Blair. PF. 6’7” 280. Questions about knees and conditioning, no question about hustle, toughness and heart. Great rebounder. Beast.
DX(13), CF(16), NBADraft(13)

16. Bulls…..………..Jrue Holiday. PG. 6’4” 200. Projected to go higher in most mocks. Can play combo, Hinrich replacement?
DX(8), CF(7), NBADraft(18). Obviously I think Holiday is too high on DX and Chad Ford’s mock. Great skills, good size. Has not produced in college.

17. Sixers…………..Eric Maynor. PG. 6’3” 170. Slight, good defender, good PG skills. Might be most complete PG in draft. Average NBA athlete.
DX(21), CF(17), NBADraft(21).

18. Timberwolves….Terrence Williams. SG. 6’6” 220. Tremendous athlete, underachiever. Might be better pro than college player.
DX(16), CF(22), NBADraft(22).

19. Hawks………… Ty Lawson. PG. 6’1” 200. Slipping a little. Conditioning worries? Still, jet quick, can run a team and shoot from outside. Hawks need PG desperately.
DX(17), CF(23), NBADraft(25)

20. Jazz…………….Tyler Hansbrough. PF. 6’10” 235. Tossup between Hansbrough and Budinger. Might come down to who returns and who is dealt. Budinger might have higher ceiling, Hansbrough could be insurance. Better athlete, bigger than commonly thought. Watch for Johnson, Clark slipping.
DX(20), CF(11), NBADraft(20).

21. Hornets………….James Johnson. SF. 6’8” 255. Supposedly slipping because of character issues. Lottery type talent, could/should go higher. Mismatch at PF and at SF.
DX(14), CF(21), NBADraft(14)

22. Mavs……………Chase Budinger. SG. 6’7” 205. Explosive athlete, great shooter, good passing and rebounding skills for wing. Does he want it bad enough? The talent is there.
DX(25), CF(25), NBADraft(25)

23. Kings……………DeJuan Summers. SF. 6’8” 235. Talented SF, underrated because of Princeton System at Georgetown?
DX(x), CF(24), NBADraft(27).

24. Blazers…………..Omri Casspri. SF. 6’8” 220. Blazers like Euros, Casspri is just one of those glue players. Tough, mean streak, does everything well. Funky release on shot.
DX(26), CF(x), NBADraft(24).

25. Thunder…………Darren Collison. PG. 6’2” 180. Underrated PG skills. Jet quick, would be a steal as a backup or potential starter.
DX(27), CF(29), NBADraft(34).

26. Bulls…………….Wayne Ellington. SG. 6’5” 200. Super smooth SG, good athlete. Worth a shot as Ben Gordon backup?
DX(29), CF(x), NBADraft(19).

27. Grizzlies………...Patty Mills. PG. 6’1” 175. Another quick PG. Can take over games, great shooter. Must learn to distribute better, become better finisher. Not a great leaper despite the speed.
DX(x), CF(x), NBADraft(37)

28. Timberwolves…...Sam Young. SF. 6’6” 220. Scrappy, tough, great athlete with a suspect jump shot. College PF learning SF skills. Older.
DX(23), CF(20), NBADraft(28)

29. Lakers…………...Toney Douglas. PG. 6’3” 195. Fits the triangle to a T. Not great point guard skills, but extremely strong, athletic, great shooter and tough kid from the word go.
DX(38), CF(26), NBADraft(32)

30. Cavaliers………...Jonas Jerebko. PF. 6’9” 220. Swedish phenom. Tough, good athlete. Needs work on outside game, slow getting shot off. One of those guys always around the ball. Anderson V. replacement?
DX(30), CF(x), NBADraft(35)

As always, there are a few interesting comparisons from the different mocks. Chad Ford has Austin Daye going to the Pacers at 13. He is not ranked on the other two mocks, and I feel it’s for a good reason. He wasn’t even close to being the best player on his college team, and while he’s extremely long with good skills, he’s very weak, skinny, and might never gain the strength to be an NBA player, not even considering his heart and desire, which are questionable. Still, he has potential.

Patty Mills has fallen on the drafts after the combine and Eurocamp, but I think he’s still a first round talent. He could be one of those Manu Ginobili  second round steals, or Tony Parker late first coups.

I took needs into account for the mock. For example, the Pacers need a big man, and while they’re rumored to like DuJuan Blair, it just seemed like a good match. In most cases, I valued college production more than perceived or supposed potential. That explains my lower rating of Jrue Holiday, who I hope falls to the Jazz. That would be nice, though I think Hansbrough or Budinger would be nice picks as well. It would also be hard to pass on Earl Clark or James Johnson if they fall. I think Ford skipped Johnson over the Jazz because he doesn’t think the Jazz would draft him with red flags on his character. I still haven’t heard anything to scare me from drafting him.

While I have Rubio as my second pick, I suspect Memphis will try to wind up with Thabeet, as Rubio is not thrilled with playing in Memphis. A trade or two will probably be made so Rubio winds up with the Kings, and Thabeet or Harden in Memphis.

The next and final mock will surely be quite different as the trades and rumors start flying.

A couple of names for the second round. Nande de Colo, a big point guard from France with outstanding court vision and passing skills, and Vyacheslav Kravtsov, a seven footer from the Ukraine, big, good defensively, and an outstanding athlete.


This is by far the most confusing and difficult draft to mock I’ve ever seen. Hope it helps you understand this draft a little better.