In Bullz-Eye’s Mock Draft, I discussed which player each team should take in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft, but I thought it would be fun to try to predict who the first seven teams will actually draft. Here’s the latest scuttlebutt:


1. Portland Trailblazers: Greg Oden
Oden’s workout with the Blazers didn’t go so well, while Kevin Durant’s did. This has fueled speculation that GM Kevin Pritchard might go with Durant. I still think Oden will be the pick.

2. Seattle Supersonics: Kevin Durant
The Sonics will pick whoever’s left – Durant or Oden.

3. Atlanta Hawks: Al Horford
The Hawks probably should go with Mike Conley here, but Horford has become the consensus #3 pick. The Hawks are talking to a few teams about trading down. They don’t need another forward, that’s for sure. It looks likely that they’ll grab Acie Law at #11.

4. Memphis Grizzlies: Mike Conley
Mike Iavaroni needs a pass first point guard to make his up-tempo offense go. Conley fits the bill.

5. Boston Celtics: Corey Brewer
There is lots of talk about the Celtics trading this pick for veteran help. If they keep it, they might go with Yi Jianlian or Joakim Noah, but Brewer had a good workout in Boston and could play alongside Paul Pierce (or replace him).

6. Milwaukee Bucks: Brandan Wright
Word is that Wright’s stock may be slipping, but he had a great workout in Milwaukee. The main thing working against him is that GM Larry Harris may not be secure enough in his job to wait on Wright to develop. The Bucks could trade up for Horford or Conley, though I don’t know why Harris would draft Conley after trading away T.J. Ford. They are basically the same player. There are also rumors that Harris may still draft Jianlian even though his agent wouldn’t let the Bucks see him work out. Why do you want to draft a guy that doesn’t even want to play for you (and is a shoe in not to re-sign once his rookie contract is up)?

7. Minnesota Timberwolves: Joakim Noah
With Kevin Garnett on his way out of town, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Wolves draft someone who can control the boards. Jeff Green is another possibility.

A few other probable picks:

13. New Orleans Hornets – Nick Young
15. Detroit Pistons – Rodney Stuckey
29. Phoenix Suns – Petteri Koponen