2009 NBA Mock Draft Version 1.0
With the NBA Draft Lottery behind us, we now know the exact order of the first 14 picks. The Los Angeles Clippers hit paydirt when they won the right to draft Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin with the first overall pick. The Grizzlies moved up from #6 to #2, and the Thunder moved up one spot to pick #3. The big losers Tuesday night were Sacramento and Washington, who had the best and second-best shot at the top pick, but instead fell to #4 and #5, respectively.
Mock drafts are tough for me because I’m usually thinking about what teams should do instead of trying to predict what they will do. This mock will be more predictive, but if I disagree with a selection, I’ll say so. Over the next few weeks, I’ll update this mock to jive with the latest news from around the league. It’s still very early in the process so things are very fluid. One mock has a player going #11 while another may have him going #29.
I’m just going to make picks for the first fourteen slots on the first go-round and then provide the picks of a few different mocks that I respect for #15-#30, along with a short writeup for each team.
#1 LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Even Mike Dunleavy can’t screw this one up. Barring something obscenely out of the blue, Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin will be the first overall pick. The Clippers could use a power forward to replace Elton Brand, and Griffin is the only “sure thing” in this draft. He’s strong, skilled and athletic, and he has an improving offensive game. He has star written all over him.
Pick: Griffin, PF
#2 MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
The Grizzlies were reportedly one of the few teams more interested in UConn’s 7’3” center Hasheem Thabeet than they were in Blake Griffin. The Grizzlies already have 7’1” Marc Gasol, so Thabeet wouldn’t fill a need like Jordan Hill, Ricky Rubio or Brandon Jennings would (assuming the team isn’t sold on Hakim Warrick or Mike Conley), but Thabeet has the potential to become a dominant defensive center along the lines of Dikembe Mutombo. But will he be willing to put the work in to become an effective post player?
Pick: Thabeet, C
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Tags: 2009 Mock Drafts, 2009 NBA Draft, 2009 NBA mock draft, Austin Daye, Austin Daye draft, B.J. Mullins, B.J. Mullins draft, Blake Griffin, Blake Griffin draft, Brandon Jennings, Brandon Jennings draft, Chase Budinger, Chase Budinger draft, DaJuan Summers, DaJuan Summers draft, Darren Collison, Darren Collison draft, DeJuan Blair, DeJuan Blair draft, DeMar DeRozan, DeMar DeRozan draft, Earl Clark, Earl Clark draft, Eric Maynor, Eric Maynor draft, Gani Lawal, Gani Lawal draft, Gerald Henderson, Gerald Henderson draft, Hasheem Thabeet, Hasheem Thabeet draft, James Harden, James Harden draft, James Johnson, James Johnson draft, Jeff Teague, Jeff Teague draft, John Paulsen, Jonny Flynn, Jonny Flynn draft, Jordan Hill, Jordan Hill draft, Jrue Holliday, Jrue Holliday draft, Marcus Thornton, Marcus Thornton draft, NBA Draft, NBA mock draft, Nick Calathes, Nick Calathes draft, Patrick Mills, Patrick Mills draft, Ricky Rubio, Ricky Rubio draft, Sam Young, Sam Young draft, Terrence Williams, Terrence Williams draft, Ty Lawson, Ty Lawson draft, Tyler Hansbrough, Tyler Hansbrough draft, Tyreke Evans, Tyreke Evans draft, Wayne Ellington, Wayne Ellington draft
