NBA Draft

[wayne1218]

1. ORLANDO MAGIC
Dwight Howard
SW ATLANTA CHRISTIAN H.S. | FORWARD
HEIGHT: 6-10¼ | WEIGHT: 240 | AGE: 18
Insider scouting report


Not a big surprise. This is what we've been hearing for the past 48 hours. Why Howard over Okafor? Two things stand out. One, now that the Magic are pretty certain that they are trading T-Mac, they want to start rebuilding. Many teams think that Howard has the most upside in the draft and can become a franchise player down the road. Fewer people believe that about Okafor. Two, the back issue, however minor it was, spooked the Magic. After going through the Grant Hill fiasco, they couldn't afford to have their building block come up lame. Still, I believe the Magic should've taken Okafor. I think Howard has all the skills to be a great player, but does he have the heart?

[wayne1218]

2. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS


Emeka Okafor
CONNECTICUT | JUNIOR | FORWARD
HEIGHT: 6-10 | WEIGHT: 257 | AGE: 21
Insider scouting report

Dropping to No. 2 isn't the worst thing in the world for Okafor. I actually believe he'll be a better fit in Charlotte. Bernie Bickerstaff loves old-school players like Okafor. He'll appreciate all the ways that Okafor comes out and contributes to the game. While being the No. 1 pick is prestigious, being the first player of an expansion team is also important. The bottom line is that Bickerstaff wanted Okafor more than any player in the draft. He's going to build a team around him that complements his style of play. I think that Okafor will blossom here. The Bobcats did the right thing by moving up in the draft to get him.

[wayne1218]

3. CHICAGO BULLS
Ben Gordon
CONNECTICUT | JUNIOR | GUARD
HEIGHT: 6-2¼ | WEIGHT: 192 | AGE: 21
Insider scouting report

Gordon is an interesting choice. He's the most ready of any of the players left on the board. That means a lot for GM John Paxson. He's sick of potential and rebuilding. He has enough of that in Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler. I'm not sure if Kirk Hinrich and Gordon are a good fit in the backcourt however. I wouldn't be surprised if the Bulls end up moving the pick.

[wayne1218]

4. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Shaun Livingston
PEORIA H.S. (ILL.) | GUARD
HEIGHT: 6-7½ | WEIGHT: 186 | AGE: 18
Insider scouting report

The Clippers had to take Livingston. He was the best player on the board. I know Mike Dunleavy would've preferred to have taken a more experienced point guard like Devin Harris. But in five years, Livingston could be the best player in this draft. The Clippers always seem like they're waiting on something. However, Livingston is worth waiting on.

[wayne1218]

5. DALLAS MAVERICKS
Devin Harris
WISCONSIN | JUNIOR | GUARD
HEIGHT: 6-3 | WEIGHT: 170 | AGE: 20
Insider scouting report

That's a very interesting decision. I'm not sure exactly what it means. David Aldridge is reporting that Harris will stay in Dallas. The Mavs are talking to almost every team in the league and the guy they appeared to want was Pavel Podkolzine. Does this mean that Steve Nash's isn't coming back to Big D?

[wayne1218]

6. ATLANTA HAWKS
Josh Childress
STANFORD | JUNIOR | FORWARD
HEIGHT: 6-7¼ | WEIGHT: 196 | AGE: 20
Insider scouting report

We began hearing that Childress was the Hawks' guy late last night. They had him ranked on the board ahead of Andre Iguodala and Luol Deng. The Hawks love his versatility, his length and his experience. Like the Bobcats, the Hawks don't want to start rebuilding with high school guys.

[wayne1218]

7. CHICAGO BULLS
Luol Deng
DUKE | FRESHMAN | FORWARD
HEIGHT: 6-8 | WEIGHT: 220 | AGE: 19
Insider scouting report

A week ago, the fact that the Bulls were selecting Luol Deng would've surprised no one. However, over the past week we thought they preferred Andre Iguodala and Luke Jackson. Unless the Bulls are moving this pick, that's obviously not true. Deng got a bad rep in workouts for being unathletic. I don't think that's fair. He's not a super athlete, but he's not a bad one either. If the Bulls keep the two picks, they did pretty well for themselves.

[wayne1218]

8. TORONTO RAPTORS
Rafael Araujo
BYU | SENIOR | CENTER
HEIGHT: 6-11 | WEIGHT: 280 | AGE: 23
Insider scouting report

This is the first real surprise of the draft, though, if you look at it, it makes sense for the Raptors. The need a center in the worst, worst way. Chris Bosh is much more comfortable playing the four. Araujo is the only other big guy in the draft, other than Okafor, who is ready to play right now. He's strong, aggressive and isn't afraid to beat up people. He'll be a nice addition in Toronto, though he doesn't have the upside many of the other people on the board did.

[wayne1218]

9. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
Andre Iguodala
ARIZONA | SOPHOMORE | GUARD
HEIGHT: 6-6¾ | WEIGHT: 217 | AGE: 19
Insider scouting report

The Sixers are very happy to end up with Iguodala. After Luol Deng, Iguodala was the second-highest swingman on their board. The great thing about Iguodala is that he doesn't need to shoot 20 times a night to be effective. That's important to any team that has Allen Iverson on it. I think Iguodala is a steal here. We had him ranked No. 4 on our big board.

[wayne1218]

10. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Luke Jackson
OREGON | SENIOR | GUARD
HEIGHT: 6-7 | WEIGHT: 212 | AGE: 22
Insider scouting report

We've heard for weeks that the Cavs love Jackson. When they traded for Sasha Pavlovic on Tuesday, however, we thought that they may go in a different direction. Jackson is athletic, he can shoot it and will be a good fit with LeBron. However, it's possible that the Cavs could move this pick to the Pacers. They loved Jackson and had been talking about a deal with the Cavs for the past 72 hours.

[wayne1218]

So far picks 7 & 8 don't excite me much and i think Orlando should have went with Okafor.

[wayne1218]

11. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Andris Biedrins
LATVIA | FORWARD
HEIGHT: 6-10 | WEIGHT: 235 | AGE: 18
Insider scouting report

The Warriors gave Biedrins a promise during the Chicago pre-draft camp. That's why he was hard to find the past few days. Philly tried hard to bring him in, but Biedrins wouldn't budge. He hasn't worked out for anyone in three weeks. His agent Bill Duffy was the guy who took Chris Mullin to Latvia to see the kid. I think it's a good pick for Golden State, especially because they'll likely lose Erick Dampier. Intrestingly, this is the first time since 2000 that an international player wasn't taken in the top 10.

[wayne1218]

12. SEATTLE SUPERSONICS
Robert Swift
BAKERSFIELD H.S. (CALIF.) | CENTER
HEIGHT: 7-1 | WEIGHT: 260 | AGE: 18
Insider scouting report

Swift? They need a big guy and many people believe he has as much potential as anyone in the draft. Danny Ainge is crying his eyes out. At least we think so. The Celtics and Jazz were both trying to move up to get Swift so it's possible that this is a trade. However, it sounds like the Sonics are determined to keep him.

[wayne1218]

13. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
Sebastian Telfair
LINCOLN H.S. (BROOKLYN, N.Y.) | GUARD
HEIGHT: 5-11 | WEIGHT: 170 | AGE: 18
Insider scouting report

Ugh! Mo Cheeks loves Telfair. That was clear. But did the Blazers really need to take him here? They were afraid he wasn't going to be there at No. 22, obviously. I can't see who would've picked him before. I can't believe that they'd pass on Kirk Snyder here. Even Jameer Nelson makes more sense than Telfair.

[wayne1218]

14. UTAH JAZZ
Kris Humphries
MINNESOTA | FRESHMAN | FORWARD
HEIGHT: 6-9½ | WEIGHT: 238 | AGE: 20
Insider scouting report

We had obviously heard that Sergei Monya would be here for weeks. But the Jazz were blown away by a Humphries workout a few weeks ago. They loved his athleticism and his ability to fill a need at the four. His college coach compared him to Karl Malone. That couldn't have hurt his stock with Utah. He's got a rep as a selfish player. That won't fly under Jerry Sloan. Being drafted by Utah could be the best thing that ever happened to him. Look for the Celtics to grab Monya at No. 15.