1. Derrick Rose, Memphis to the Chicago Bulls
2. Michael Beasley, Kansas State to the Miami Heat
3. OJ Mayo, USC to the Minnesota Timberwolves

Have three freshman ever gone 1-2-3?

This is a bit of a surprise. The Supersonics go with a tweener guard at #4. He is not a point guard at all and doesn’t shoot the ball well enough to play the two guard. He is a great finisher and an ever better defender.

If Westbrook is the fourth best player, then this is a VERY weak draft.

D.J. Augustin right here to the Knicks to fill the Steve Nash role in D’Antoni’s offense.

Augustin is not flashy and would not fit in the NYC. I’d love to see him in an offense like D’Antoni’s but not in NYC.

Knicks go with a Eurpoean player and Madison Square Garden erupts into a chorus of boos.

Danilo Gallinair, Italy to Knick at #6.

I’m not a big fan of Westbrook to the Sonics, although Bill Simmons will be.

Westbrook’s lightning quick and a good defender, but I don’t see enough of an offensive game to succeed in the pros.

I think the Knicks fans are booing just to boo. Didn’t the Daily News (or one of the other mags) run a poll where Danilo was far and away the preferred fans’ pick?

By the way, he sounds a little bit like Ahnold.

“Cahn ohn! Ahm raight heah! Keel meeh!”

I’ve always thought of the Clippers as a college all star team that happens to play in the NBA.

I like Gordon as a pro. Good NBA body who can score, score, score.

I wonder if the WWL or NBA.com had a contest this year, because the first 7 picks have gone completely to form. I’m guessing Milwaukee wavers on Alexander having acquired Jefferson earlier in the day, so hopefully we see something interesting. Maybe this is the slot the Blazers can move up into.

lands in Milwaukee at #8. Am I the only one totally underwhelmed by him?

Has there been an SMQ-study done about these March Madness unknowns that suddenly go shooting up draft boards, a la Westbrook and Alexander?

I too am underwhelmed, but I think he’s half-Asian, so I’ll be rooting for him. Funny how the trade Yi and pick up another Mandarin speaker.

Once he grows his hair out again, he’s a lock of the Hobbit All-Stars.

Augustin to Bobcats. Ugh.

in Charlotte.

DJ obviously made the right decision money wise. A top ten pick after his sophmore year. He wasn’t getting much higher than that.

Having taken Felton just 3 years ago, this seems entirely too soon to give up on him. I’m looking your way, Rose City.

DJ says yes sir to Stuart Scott. Says he’s ready to compete for floor time.

And mentions that Coach Barnes is a tough coach to play for ala Larry Brown. Love it.

I liked the “yes, sir” answers from DJ.

I don’t think I saw a mock that had DJ going to Charlotte. Their roster is hideous.

It’ll currently be:

C Nazr Mohammed
PF Emeka Okafor/Sean May
SF Gerald Wallace/Adam Morrison
SG Jason Richardson
PG Ray Felton/Augustin

I don’t like this pick either. Too stationary and too athletic. If he’s an inch or two shorter, he is barely a pro.

Bayless is a big point with talent and upside as high as anyone in this draft. I really like this pick.

This pick I really like. I love his intensity and explosivness. He has a solid NBA body already. He and TJ would be a very small backcourt but they will be able to score and dish a lot.

A little bit of a surprise. We’ve been hearing all day that the Bobcats are shopping Raymond Felton. I guess this confirms it. They passed on a need (Brook Lopez) to get Augustin. He’s an upgrade over Felton, so it’s hard to criticize the Bobcats. Augustin has a chance to be special. The Blazers and Kings wanted him and have to be crushed right now.

Kings sucketh.

They’re hurt most of all by all the PGs being drafted already.

Wow. Gotta love the high school sized gyms.

Huh? I’m a big man of college basketball and I’ve never heard of him. Rider. Hmm… We’ll see further amplifies how weak this draft is overall.

He was talked about by some analysts as a good value pick later on in the draft…one of those “draft gems” you try to find later.

Picking him in the lottery looks like a huge mistake.

I loved how Stern ended the pick with a snarky “he’s not here.”

Bayless really slid in the draft, which makes him a great value here. Why would the Pacers draft another point guard after trading for T.J. Ford? We’re hearing Bayless is going to Portland for No. 13 and Jarrett Jack.

did Stephen A just say “looking forward to playing with Brandon Rush”? I think he meant Roy.

flirted with coming to Texas. He is really, really thin and didn’t blow me away b/c his team was just so bad last year. Upside pick, for sure.

In case y’all didn’t see it, Dre Jones pled guilty. No word on whether he kicked bitches at his sentencing.

http://www.barkingcarnival.com/henryjames/andre-jones-pleads-guilty

What the fuck are the Suns thinking? Worst. management. Evar.

and every year they flop out of the nba
because it’s an athletic game
every single year
this year dicky v is doing kevin love
i mean … how can you not learn

2009 mock…

Damion James at 13
Connor at 39
Abrams in Greece

http://www.nbadraft.net/mocks/2009_nba_mock_draft.html

Just got in from running, maybe I missed some explanation, why was the Lopez kid crying when Charlotte picked DJ? Does he have family there?

doing a pretty good Matt Leinart impersonation right now in the green room.

nobody cares about the WNBA.

They need to announce these picks faster before boredom completely takes over. This draft is boooring.

what the hell

Alexis Ajinca for the Bobcats? No thx.

Especially when Arthur was still on the board. C’mon.

but if I was, I would be furious every time my favorite team drafts an international player.

He would’ve been great as a wing for LeBron, or as a backup learning from Wallace and J-Rich. At this point, I’m hoping he falls to the Rockets (although I doubt Morey would pick him up anyway).

Because you really want two big white guys on your team.

Well, in a way, I guess you’re right Stu…

San Antonio picks someone from Lower Gwondanaland, who reappears five years from now as a salary cap giveaway.

Ajinca is 20 years old and averaged 5 ppg in France. In the history of the NBA Draft, has there ever been a player that averaged 5 ppg or less who turned into a decent player? Ajinca was a workout warrior, dominating some of the other big men in the last few weeks. And he has great size and skills. But can he turn them into production on the court? He’ll likely stay in France to develop.

Way to give Augustin some help there, MJ.

My “boy” Kosta Koufos to the Jazz. Couldn’t be a better fit anywhere: white, soft, white, inside-out big man, white, a poor man’s Mehmet Okur. Did I mention very white?

I’m licking my chops at the prospects of Darrell Arthur to the Rockets, but Seattle is rather devoid of talented bigs. That Russell Westbrook pick may look better if the Sonics can land Arthur. Can you imagine a young core of Arthur-Nick Collison-Jeff Green-Kevin Durant-Russell Westbrook

have their pick between Arthur, CDR and Chalmers. I like all 3.

Stern didn’t even know how to pronounce the dude’s name.

Chad Ford had tied Sonics to Ibaka for a while…that has the Presti Spurs touch all over it.

There’s no way the Rockets can fuck this pick up, which obviously means they will.

from the Congo. Huh??

Fraschilla says that he won’t be in the NBA for three to four years. Then why pick him now?

Ron Jeremy makes an appearance.

CDR, Mario Chalmers, Donte Green, Darrel Arthur, or someone we’ve never heard of who won’t come to the States for three to four years. Stay tuned…

Nicolas Batum to the Rockets in 2012. Great pick.

that he’ll never reach.

Did D’Antoni really just make fun of his inability to coach defense in this interview with Wendy Nix? Choice.

wonder if the Hornets are regretting selling their pick, with Arthur still on the board. Speaking of Arthur and Bucher’s reported kidney problems, if that was the case, why did the NBA invite him to the green room anyway? Just because they needed a fidgeter in the green room?

Arthur to the Blazers would be positively ridiculous.

Spurs select George Hill (who?) from IUPUI. Not that the Spurs need their first rounders anyway.

Jordan made the wrong choice.

Arthur selected 27th. Will land in Portland?

No risk pick for the Blazers. They paid chump change for the pick, and have enough talent that Arthur could turn out to be nothing and it won’t matter.

Ibaka:

We’ve seen this one coming for a while—the Sonics have been keying on him. He’s one of the best athletes in the draft, but he’s very, very raw. He’ll go back to Spain and continue to develop, but down the road he could become an interesting prospect.

Batum

Here’s something interesting. John Hollinger, our resident stats guru, expects Nicolas Batum to be a draft bust, according to his Euroleague translations. The Rockets, led by GM Daryl Morey, are considered the most stats-savvy team in the league. Something doesn’t add up. I wonder if there’s a trade here. Batum has some physical talent and some skill, but he’s yet to put it together in any meaningful way.

Sorry, but I don’t see why you pick a kid who is playing on a junior national team for Spain over someone who has played even a year in college in the US.
Talk all you want about potential, Euros don’t play defense.

how do you feel if you were picked behind that guy?

stfu so they can announce the damn pick.

Detroit is selecting White for the Seattle Supersonics, a Pistons source told me. The Pistons will get two of the Sonics’ second-rounders—the 32nd and 46th picks. This is a very solid pick for the Sonics. White is a excellent rebounder and a good low post scorer. He’s also young for a senior. He helps the Sonics get tougher up front.

Holly is posting at Ridiculous Upside that Rockets are trading Batum for Arthur.

Complete rumor at this point.

10% luck, 100% annoying

good choice to not be in the green room

just say, “With the very first pick of the 2008 NBA Draft….”?

He forgot this is the second round.

in ‘06, became eligible this past year, and now goes pro?
Sounds like this is a kid who might have had attitude problems.

Didn’t they see that the second-round picks that go on to be wildly successful in the pros were all wildly successful in college (Arenas, Boozer, etc.)? There’s a trend, people, a trend that means there’s no need to pick a crap player like Sharpe.

“I think (the pro scouts) will really be watching this game (Saturday) night because it’s two great big men going against each other,” Joey Dorsey said. “I’m an underrated big man and [Greg Oden]’s a lot overrated as a big man. It’s going to be a great rebounding game for me. I’m going to try to outrebound him.”

Hope you enjoy getting took on a daily basis in practice for the next 2 years, sir.

wow, he is there

without the 1-year rule, jordan would’ve come out last year and been a lottery pick. he and bill walker have legitimate gripes at the new process.

Turgeon had never coached a player taller than 6’8, then came to A&M and had four guys taller than that on his squad last season.
Jordan was immature, but I don’t think Turgeon knew what to do with him.

Far from live-through-the-NBA-Draft—2952/” >official, but exciting none the less:

-I was just informed by the Trailblazers that Nicolas Batum was traded by Houston to Portland in exchange for the rights to Darrell Arthur and one of Portland’s early second round picks.

Looks like it was probably Omar Asik who Hollinger rated as a Top 10 caliber pick.

Portland doesn’t need him yet obviously, and can stash him over in Europe while he continues to mature and progress. The Blazers basically win the draft for a second straight year, however, I am VERY excited by bringing Arthur in to spell Yao and Scola.

I’m thinking CDR will be the steal of this second round.

Or is Coach Calipari a better analyst than anyone on ESPN’s crew?

Legacy pick anyone? This cat was a BENCH player and he’s going higher than our man A.J. could’ve gone? Yikes.

Marcus Dove, who’s 97 on Ford’s list. Hell of a defender, and a decent spot-up shooter. Could do a lot worse.

=

?

Per Houston Chronicle

It didn’t take long for the Rockets to say au revoir to their first round draft pick from France.

Just a short time after taking 19-year-old small forward Nicolas Batum with the No. 25 selection in Thursday’s NBA draft, the Rockets were working to complete a pair of deals that would send away Batum and their second round pick (No. 54) and get two players in return.

Those two players are Donte Greene of Syracuse and Joey Dorsey of Memphis.

Greene, a 6-11 forward, was chosen by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 28th pick in the first round.

Dorsey, who played in the NCAA championship game with the University of Memphis, was taken with the No. 33 pick (second) round by Portland.

Batum will go to the Portland Trail Blazers and the Rockets will also end up with a second round pick from the Grizzlies in 2009.

The Rockets are still waiting for the NBA office to approve the deals.

I like Greene, but I don’t see how that’s an upgrade over Batum. They’re both projects with high ceilings, but are still a bit away from reaching it. Dorsey’s a nice player, but a spare part at best; unless the Rockets are going up against a team with a true center, they’ve already got a player (Chuck Hayes) who does Dorsey’s skill set better.

Per the Chronicle, the Rockets have swung some head inducing, chron necessitating 3-way deal with Memphis and Portland:

Just a short time after taking 19-year-old small forward Nicolas Batum with the No. 25 selection in Thursday’s NBA draft, the Rockets were working to complete a pair of deals that would send away Batum and their second round pick (No. 54) and get two players in return.

Those two players are Donte Greene of Syracuse and Joey Dorsey of Memphis.

As a Kentucky fan, I’m pretty pleased with this. His freshman year, I never thought he’d make the league. Now he’s a second rounder. Has the potential to be an Azuibuike or Bogans-type player, depending on whether he improves his slashing or jump shooting skills more.

By the way, if y’all ever get the chance, go check out Ridiculous Upside. Their live blog was hilarious and kept me going through this utterly boring and disappointing draft.

The T-Wolves and Grizzlies pulled off the blockbuster of the draft:

The deal as described to HOOPSWORLD will feature Memphis sending the draft rights to Kevin Love, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal and Jason Collins to Minnesota for the draft rights to O.J. Mayo, Marko Jaric, Antoine Walker and Greg Buckner.