Redrafting the 2009 NBA Draft

The draft where David Kahn went crazy. We can look at the super freak athlete that Blake Griffin is or the monumental flop pick of Hasheem Thabeet. We can be in awe of Stephen Curry's shooting or James Harden's beard. But for me, 2009 will always be about the draft where Minnesota Timberwolves president David Kahn actually drafted four point guards in the first round including two with back-to-back picks at #5 and #6.

The decisions that Kahn made (or didn't make) in 2009 still haunt Minnesota today and are part of a string of events that would be the catalyst for the clearly pending Kevin Love exit which will mirror Kevin Garnett's 2007 exit and lead to the once-again downfall of the organization.

As no matter how good this class was and is today, I will always look at 2009 as the year that the Minnesota Timberwolves' prospect laden rise started to decline...again.

Pick 1: Los Angeles Clippers

Who they took: Blake Griffin

Who they should have took: Blake Griffin

Why: As smaller as the answers to this question get the more recent we get we these drafts, this is one I really feel like I should leave blank. It may be the biggest no brainer in the modern era of the NBA draft because I feel I have no reason to have to justify this. But in case I do, 18 points and 8.3 rebounds. Those are the lowest single season marks for Griffin in his short, yet successful NBA career. Lows.

Pick 2: Memphis Grizzlies

Who they took: Hasheem Thabeet

Who they should have took: James Harden (3rd pick)

Why: Harden is what we thought he was. Unfortunately, Oklahoma City had too may other (two to be exact) stars to notice. He is not a sixth man, he is a prolific scoring first option that you build an entire organization around. Would Memphis be able to see that, already loaded down with Rudy Gay and Mike Conley? Maybe not, but you still don't pass on a guy like Harden here who people follow like his game is the gospel.

Pick 3: Oklahoma City Thunder

Who they took: James Harden

Who they should have took: Stephen Curry (7th pick)

Why: People kind of cringed as Curry dropped down the draft board. But none of those people seemed to be executives with early picks. While Harden was built, in the eyes of OKC, as too much like Russell Westbrook to play alongside him all of the time, Curry was basically built for a role as a 2-guard in OKC. Imagine the defense worrying about how Kevin Durant will abuse them in the post, forcing them to halfway double him always, then collapse on a driving Westbrook, only for him to kick it out to WIDE open Steph Curry. Ouch.

Pick 4: Sacramento Kings

Who they took: Tyreke Evans

Who they should have took: Ricky Rubio (5th pick)

Why: In the downfall they were in at that point that they could have afforded to wait a couple years for a player of Rubio's ability. He is absolutely a guy you could build around and would be great in a modern Sacramento where he, Demarcus Cousins and Ben McLemore could all work off of each other.

Pick 5: Minnesota Timberwolves

Who they took: Ricky Rubio

Who they should have took: DeMar DeRozan (9th pick)

Why: DeRozan can fly. In my opinion, if you can nail down a good point, a true wing and solid big man, you can fill in those last two spots around them. Knowing that you can still get a point guard with the next pick (so I guess these two are interchangeable), you need to take that wing as you already have Kevin Love inside. DeRozan is the most long term scoring option at this point and has a natural athletic ability (I say that a lot, don't I?). His scoring prowess has steadily rose to over 22 ppg and is currently a go-to guy for the surging Raptors. In Minnesota, he would have taken a lot of heat off Love and vice-versa.

Pick 6: Minnesota Timberwolves

Who they took: Jonny Flynn

Who they should have took: Ty Lawson (18th pick)

Why: They actually picked him anyway at 18 before trading him away (might have had something to do with the other two point guards they had already drafted that night). Lawson has become easily the second best point guard from this draft by being able to adapt from being a score first guard to a pass first guard on any given night depending on what is need of him. Proof in the pudding? Last season, he put up career best 17.6 ppg and 8.8 apg numbers.

Pick 7: Golden State Warriors

Who they took: Stephen Curry

Who they should have took: Brandon Jennings (10th pick)

Why: The question on Jennings was how does one adapt from the high school game to the European game and back to the pro game. Even scarier, he averaged only 5.5 ppg in Europe and proved why the two games were so different. Good news? He's never averaged lower than 15.5 ppg in the NBA. He wouldn't have been the same player Curry was, but he would still have helped a Golden State revival. This is one of those ones where I don't trade him on draft night, but I still pick him with every intention of trading him down the line, be it a year or two away.

Pick 8: New York Knicks

Who they took: Jordan Hill

Who they should have took: Taj Gibson (26th pick)

Why: Gibson was one of those guys who you thought you wanted, but maybe thought was too raw, but he was so strong...probably close to every team in this draft had a love/hate relationship with the idea of drafting Taj Gibson. The Knicks really could have used him here, because he has been the defensive power that they wanted from Hill, who never lived up to anywhere close to his hype. Gibson will never been a big scoring or rebounding guy, but he does enough to be a game changer on defense and that is what New York desperately needed when they took Hill. That and a prime time scorer that they missed out on by ONE SPOT when Golden State took Steph Curry.

Pick 9: Toronto Raptors

Who they took: DeMar DeRozan

Who they should have took: Tyreke Evans (4th pick)

Why: Evans is a prolific ball handler and assuming the Raptors still built up the same way they have, they could have used someone with his court sense. His drop is attributed to the fact that he isn't a prime time scorer in the league as expected, but his quickness, court vision and ball handling are all still major assets.

Pick 10: Milwaukee Bucks

Who they took: Brandon Jennings

Who they should have took: Jrue Holiday (17th pick)

Why: Holiday needed another year at UCLA to develop. Let's get that out of the way first. And while that is the case with a lot of these guys, it really is with Jrue. He proved over time in Philadelphia that he can be a number one or two scorer and can rebound when needed. Hopefully he can find his role in New Orleans, but should he have gone here, he would have immediately been the top dog in Milwaukee in pretty much the exact same way Jennings was.

Pick 11: New Jersey Nets

Who they took: Terrence Williams

Who they should have took: Jeff Teague (19th pick)

Why: New Jersey wanted an interior defender here but you can't pass on Teague, who has quietly become one of the more intriguing wings in the last couple of years. He shoots the ball well (.447 for his career) has really developed a great get-to-the-basket game which has helped him become the primary guard scoring option in Atlanta and has him lined up for a big free agent contract soon.

Pick 12: Charlotte Bobcats

Who they took: Gerald Henderson

Who they should have took: Wesley Matthews (undrafted)

Why: In recent years, has there been a better UNDRAFTED prospect than Matthews? He was a very solid player for four years at Marquette, which made his draft status questionable. He made sure people understood why by averaging 9+ ppg as a rookie and has seen his scoring and rebounding improve almost every year since. Like with pretty much always, Charlotte was looking to stockpile guys who could be of any help and Matthews could have been much more so than Henderson.

Pick 13: Indiana Pacers

Who they took: Tyler Hansbrough

Who they should have took: Danny Green (46th pick)

Why: There are a lot of very naturally gifted, athletic scorers in this draft and that is the only reason I have Green as far down as 13. He's today's Robert Horry, minus a few pounds (though still about the size of Horry during the Houston Rockets' mid-90s title runs). He can contribute, is unassuming and a crafty clutch three point shooter, all of which Indiana could use right now and in the past several years while they were looking for those intangible pieces to help topple Miami.

Pick 14: Phoenix Suns

Who they took: Earl Clark

Who they should have took: Darren Collison (21st pick)

Why: I don't have a great answer here. Collison is the best player today left on the hypothetical draft board at this point.

Pick 15: Detroit Pistons

Who they took: Austin Daye

Who they should have took: Demare Carroll (27th pick)

Why: Carroll has always been a really strong guy, which fits into the Pistons style. Last year in Atlanta, he proved he could score often in the NBA, which is something the Pistons are lacking, despite a constant rotation of those "physical" players over the last several years.

> Best and Worst of the NBA Draft

The 2009 NBA Draft has wrapped and now it’s time to break down the picks and see which teams and players made off like bandits and which teams just got left standing.

Each of these first three categories is broke down into four parts: the lottery (L), the remainder of the first round (R1), the first half of round two (2F) and the second half of round two (2S).

>The Best Picks
L: Ricky Rubio - #5 to Timberwolves
R1: Ty Lawson - #18 to Nuggets (via Timberwolves)
2F: Dejaun Blair - #37 to Spurs
2S: Jack McClinton - #51 to Spurs

>The Worst Picks
L: Tyler Hansbrough - #13 to Pacers
R1: Taj Gibson - #26 to Bulls
2F: Sergio Llull - #34 to Rockets (via Nuggets)
2S: Sergey Gladyr - #49 to Hawks

>The Steals
L: Jordan Hill - #8 to Knicks
R1: Jrue Holiday - #17 to 76ers
2F: Dejaun Blair - #37 to Spurs
2S: Patrick Mills - #55 to Trail Blazers

>Winning teams
Minnesota Timberwolves
-Great guard draft with Flynn, Rubio and Ellington. Other three picks wil help them down the road.

San Antonio Spurs
-The Richard Jefferson pickup was nice but the Spurs stole Dejuan Blair and Jack McClinton in round 2. These guys are two that could have gone in round one.

Oklahoma City Thunder
-James Harden is a better pick than most people think at #3. The helped their depth by adding Robert Vaden via a trade late.

>Losing teams
Los Angeles Clippers
-They drafted Griffin, he's not THAT big of a difference maker. Not making any other moves was a dumb decision.

Atlanta Hawks
-The Hawks have a lump to get over that Jeff Teague won't help with. They needed another point or maybe a way to grad some round two picks.

Houston Rockets
-With no picks, the Rockets made moves thrice in round two, giving up only future considerations or money. But did they help themselves at all with Jermaine Taylor, Sergio Llull and Chase Budinger?

>Winning players
Jonny Flynn - #6 to Timberwolves
-Flynn does not have to be a huge player right away. Coupled with his other rookie teammates and what Minnesota already has, Flynn can develop naturally.

Taylor Griffin - #48 to Suns
-Thank god his brother is who he is because Taylor should not have gotten drafted, let alone so early in round two.

>Losing players
Blake Griffin - #1 to Clippers
-Can you win as a Clipper?

Stephen Curry - #7 to Warriors
-Unless they pull the trigger on a trade for Amare Stoudamire, the Warriors have just left Curry on an island by himself.

>Who got left out that should have gone
Tyrese Rice – Boston College
Dionte Christmas - Temple
Ben Woodside – North Dakota State
Jerel McNeal - Marquette
Orlando Mendez-Valdez – Western Kentucky

> 2009 NBA Mock Draft

Take it for what it is...it's an odd collective of players this year and pretty much a crap shoot in guessing, even with just two days until draft time.

1. Los Angeles Clippers - Blake Griffin / Oklahoma
Griffin is pretty much the only guarantee at this point simply because of his basketball maturity and potential. He is a scorer who can come in and help the team while not clashing with stars like Baron Davis. Potential wise, he has the most long term of anyone in this draft, but the Clippers need to know he won't be a quick fix for their ailing franchise unless they add more around him this offseason.

2. Memphis Grizzlies - Hasheem Thabeet / UConn
Memphis is in a unique spot where they need something, they just don't seem to know what. They already have a strong foundation of highly skilled young players with the likes of Rudy Gay and Mike Conley. So without needing to take a player like either of those two, they can gamble a little on Thabeet who still needs some tweaking, but isn't the prototypical "project player." And, it doesn't hurt that he is a 7-footer that can move around better than most at his height.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder - James Harden / Arizona State
While it's hard to pass on Ricky Rubio here, I just don't see a need for him in the OKC with Russell Westbrook leading things at the point. So with so many other voids to fill, they need to go for the best pure athlete here and that's Harden.

4. Sacramento Kings - Ricky Rubio / Spain
If I were making a draft pick, Rubio would be my guy. He has strong ball handling skills and unparalelled international experience for someone of his age. He has the most imediate upside in my opinion of any of the top picks. The Kings luck out here that Oklahoma City already has a young point guard and Rubio drops to four.

5. Washington Wizards - Tyreke Evans / Memphis
Smart money says that Evans goes here, even if the proposed trade to the Timberwolves goes through. He's another athletic player who has the intangibles and can score, which both teams need. He accents Gilbert Arenas well if Washington does stay here and he replaces Randy Foye in the scoring capacity if the T-Wolves ship Foye to Washington in part for this pick.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves - Jordan Hill / Arizona
Minnesota needs a lot of things, most notably another big to help Kevin Love down low. Hill is not going to be a prime time scorer in the NBA, but he can rebound well and be a shot blocker. It makes sense to take Hill here and free up the later first (2) and second (2) round picks. However, if they don't pull the trigger to get the 5th pick, they might want to take someone more athletic here instead of drafting for size.

7. Golden State Warriors - Brandon Jennings / Italy
It has been years since the Warriors have drafted an effective player, which is what Jennings would be as he fits in well with the up tempo style that made the Warriors one of the league's best offensive teams a year ago.

8. New York Knicks - Jrue Holiday / UCLA
The Knicks need a strong combo guard. Stephen Curry is the 'duh' pick here. The Knicks have a habit of dissapointing their fans with the draft held in New York yearly. All that said, I expect them to make another bad move, pass on Curry and allow the Big Apple faithful to boo the UCLA freshman right off the stage.

9. Toronto Raptors - Stephen Curry / Davidson
Toronto needs another super freak athlete in the mold of former players Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady. Unfortunatly, if the Knicks get stupid like usual, it is too hard to pass up Curry who would really be a steal at nine.

10. Milwaukee Bucks - Demar DeRozan / USC
With the trade of Richard Jefferson for three guys who won't do much, the Bucks really need a score now guy and fast rising projected points Jonny Flynn and Ty Lawson won't be that guy. The fluctuating DeRozan is the best bet of someone who can help earlish and oftenish.

11. New Jersey Nets - Terrence Williams / Louisville
New Jersey is the most solid of the lottery teams and Williams fills their only real void at the 2-guard.

12. Charlotte Bobcats - Gerald Henderson / Duke
Charlotte has been a team not so much of habit in the past, outside of the no brainer Emeka Okafor pick in their first draft. That said, it is hard to predict what the hell Michael Jordan may do here. Best bet is they stay inside and get a state of North Carolina guy who also fills a need at the shooting guard area.

13. Indiana Pacers - DeJaun Blair / Pittsburgh
With the aging Jeff Foster and the ill-used Josh McRoberts and Maceo Baston likely out of the post and out the door to free agency, the Pacers need to go big. DeJuan Blair doesn't fit the mold of any of those three, but maybe that is what is needed for this team that still needs to clean up the rough edges from last offseason's overhaul.

14. Phoenix Suns - BJ Mullens / Ohio State
I personally don't see the draw of Mullens, who I can't even call a disspointment at Ohio State. But many others do. With Shaq aging and potentially out the door this summer, Phoenix needs another big behind Amare Stoudemire. With Blair out of the equation, Mullens is the next highest post on most people's radar.

15. Detroit Pistons - Jonny Flynn / Syracuse
Flynns is climbing most Mock Drafts, but a good deal of teams don't need a point and that is hurting both he and Ty Lawson. But with his freak vertical and more than average wingspan, Flynn has the potential to be a very different kind of hybrid combo guard in the NBA. That potential is too much for Detroit to pass on with Rodney Stuckey at the point and a seemingly unhappy duo of Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince on the wings.

16. Chicago Bulls - Earl Clark / Louisville
Welcome to the crap shoot part of the draft where nobody has any idea who really is going to go where. The Bulls don't need anything other than depth, so they can afford to take a risk here on a guy that isn't as reliable won't be a prime time player until he puts in some work.

17. Philadelphia 76ers - Eric Maynor / VCU
Does Andre Miller stay? Does it matter? In NBA terms, he's aging a bit so Philly needs to take someone who can run the point in a couple of years if not right away. With the holes at the 2 spot, they also need a point who can score. Maynor is mature and reliable.

18. Minnesota Timberwolves - James Johnson / Wake Forest
He's a top 10 pick in some Mock Drafts and Minnesota should have already addressed their post issues in the lottery, so take a chance on Johnson here; he's athletic, young and can be molded.

19. Atlanta Hawks - Ty Lawson / UNC
Hawks need depth at point behind Mike Bibby (should he return) and most other teams don't really need a true point, so the Hawks could luck out here if Lawson really does slip.

20. Utah Jazz - Jeff Teague / Wake Forest.
Almost every Mock Draft has Tyler Hansbrough here, but I am not sold that he will be worth even a pick this high. Utah does not draft well, which is sad because they could lose tons in free agency. The smart pick is a "just in case" post (not Hansbrough), but I don't see Utah making the smartest pick, still Teague will not be a bad decision.

21. New Orleans Hornets - Austin Daye / Gonzaga
New Orleans also needs a "just in case" post pending their offseason moves and the big men are getting pretty thin here.

22. Dallas Mavericks - Darren Collison / UCLA
Even if Jason Kidd comes back, Dallas needs someone who will be their next floor general with Kidd and Jason Terry at their ages.

23. Sacramento Kings - Omri Casspi / Maccabi Tel Aviv
The Kings can play around here a little if they do indeed land Rubio at #4, so trading this pick to try and bring in a couple reliable guys wouldn't be a bad idea. Granted, this is a team that hasn't made a good pick since Hedo Turkoglu in 2000, so who knows what they might do.

24. Portland Trail Blazers - Sam Young / Pittsburgh
Portland has never shyed away from the International player, but I think they will stay more conventional here. And no, conventional doesn't mean smart.

25. Oklahoma City Thunder - Demarre Carroll / Missouri
OKC is still a year away from really knowing what they need. Until then, they need to keep playing around with different options and Carroll is the best player available at this point.

26. Chicago Bulls - Tyler Hansbrough / UNC
Chicago has a decent set of guys in the post already and could benefit from Hansbrough's game while not needing him to provide too much too quickly.

27. Memphis Grizzlies - Patrick Mills / Saint Mary's
Going big early if they take Thabeet means going small late, which has to mean Patrick Mills if he is still available. Combo'ing him with Conley and Gay could prove highly effective.

28. Minnesota Timberwolves - DaJuan Summers / Georgetown
It is the final person in the Kevin Garnett 7-for-1 deal and it's probably one of the most relevant. Minnesota has three to four first round picks so can have both an aggressive and wait and see attitude. This is the best spot for them because they have who they want, now they can get someone else who just slipped because of other picks.

29. Los Angeles Lakers - Rodrigue Beaubois / Cholet (International)
What do you need when you've just won a NBA title and three of your four free agents are likely staying put? Best guess is another point who can add depth with Jordan Farmar's oft-odd play and Derek Fisher not getting younger.

30. Cleveland Cavaliers - Toney Douglas / Florida State
Cleveland has this pick so that they can either: (1) add an athletic player who plays defense to their mix on the wing or (2) throw it away. Douglas could fit either mold.

Just outside the first round/potential late first round picks (in order): Chase Budinger (Arizona), Wayne Ellington (UNC), Nick Calathes (Florida), Marcus Thornton (LSU), Victor Claver (International), Taj Gibson (USC)

Day Three: Major Conferences Part 1

IAD 2008-2009 COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW DAY THREE
BEST OF THE MAJORS PART 1: "The Bigs"

Part one of my look at the seven "major" conferences starts with "The Bigs" of the Big East, Big Ten and Big XII (that's twelve if you can't count roman numerals). These conferences always bring a good deal of excitement to the table, and in 2008 they even brought a national title by way of the Big XII's Kansas Jayhawks.

16 teams total to put the "big" in Big East whereas many as 10 teams could honestly find themselves dancing come March. Leading that pack is Notre Dame, who have no real household names behind Luke Harangody, but just a consistent core of players that includes four seniors and three juniors other than Harangody. Sure, they lost 12.5 ppg with the graduation of Rob Kurz, but they also add redshirt freshman Carleton Scott, who will likely shoulder half of that load while senior combo Ryan Ayers will also chip in a few more on the offensive end. Behind them is a hungry UConn Huskie team that prematurely exited the 2008 tournament in part due to an injury to AJ Price. Athlon Sports picks them to make it to the National Title game and that may be something that the Huskies have to cash in on right away with Price's forthcoming graduation and the likelihood that 7'3'' junior Hasheem Thabeet will also take his size and low-post skill pro come June.

But, where to go from behind these two? Picks 3-10, all very likely tournament candidates, will be tough to make. Louisville, Pittsburgh and Marquette are the likely choices to be on the heels of Notre Dame and UConn, but Georgetown, Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia and Providence would all like to make cases for themselves as well.

It's an upperclassmen laden conference that also happens to be highlighted by lightning quick guards. I can't wait to see the super-duo of Dominic James and Jerel McNeal at Marquette. Unfortunately, the load is all theirs, along with a couple other guards with no real post threat. If you want an intriguing post threat in the Big East, look no further than New Jersey where 6'9'' JR Inman is going to do some damage for Rutgers. I'd expect the senior to improve his numbers a bit and likely average 15 and 10 in his final season.

And while the Big East flourishes, the Big 10 is kind of another story. Purdue, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Ohio State should all shine their dancing shoes, but beyond that, it's looking pretty sparse. The Boilermakers should be a runaway champion in the conference, losing just one player in transfer Scott Martin. He transferred because he was not seeing enough minutes, so chances are they won't miss him too much. Chances are even more likely that the Purdue faithful will be too busy watching Martin's ex-classmates Robbie Hummel, E'twaun Moore and JuJuan Johnson run roughshod over the league. Toss in the sturdy veteran Chris Kramer and this is likely to be at least an Elite Eight team. Wisconsin will also be interesting to watch, despite losing over 20 ppg. Numbers for Marcus Landry and Trevon Hughes will go way up.

Possible the most interesting thing to watch in the Big 10 this year will be likely last place Indiana, who returns just Kyle Taber. Who, you ask? Exactly. JuCo transfer Devan Dumes, freshman late signee Malik Story and walk-on Evan White are the ones who I think will do the most damage or at least look good in trying.

Ohio State's return to the tournament will not be that easy. They didn't make it there last season for a reason, despite winning the NIT, and they lost their top three scorers. So everybody in Columbus is going to have to pick up the slack if they hope to return to the real madness of March. I'm expecting freshman BJ Mullens to have the best "non-Oden" year that anyone has had for the Buckeyes in recent memory.

Big XII = Blake Griffin. Remember that equation and come June, you will also know how to solve the NBA Draft Lottery equation (hint: 1 = Blake Griffin). Coach Jeff Capel took over a becoming inbattled program from the cheat-tastic Kelvin Sampson and has done some good things with it. His best move, getting Griffin to stay in school and lead the Sooners deep into the 2009 postseason. He'll get some help from junior Tony Crocker but Willie Warren, the freshman who led the McDonald's All-American game in scoring, will give Oklahoma the perfect outside match for Griffin's inside power. Texas will contend, but unless AJ Abrams can get some help inside (Dexter Pittman just ain't gonna do it). Baylor hadn't been to the NCAA's in 20 years before being the last choice this past Spring, but they will be back again I'm sure, however they won't bridge that big gap between them and the top two teams in the Big XII.

Behind those three, it's tough to call. Kansas returns just four players (Sherron Collins being the most experienced) from their National Champion team, but junior college transfer Mario Little will pick up more than his fair share of slack. Oklahoma State, Missouri and (kind-of) Texas Tech will all have to rely on new coaches. Meanwhile, Nebraska's off-season has been ripe with injury and big recruits bailing.

ALL-MAJOR (Big East, Big 10, Big XII) CONFERENCE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Blake Griffin (Oklahoma) - Player of the Year
AJ Abrams (Texas)
Hasheem Thabeet (UConn)
Dominic James (Marquette)
Luke Harangody (Notre Dame)
Robbie Hummel (Purdue)

OTHER MAJOR (Big East, Big 10, Big XII) PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sherron Collins (Kansas)
Mario Little (Kansas)
Deonta Vaughn (Cincinnati)
AJ Price (UConn)
Jerel McNeal (Marquette)
JR Inman (Rutgers)
Scottie Reynolds (Villanova)
Raymar Morgan (Michigan State)
BJ Mullens (Ohio State)
E'Twaun Moore (Purdue)
Marcus Landry (Wisconsin)
Trevon Hughes (Wisconsin)

IAD CONFERENCE CHAMPION PREDICTIONS (if different than regular season winner, automatic bid recipient will follow in bold)
Big East: Notre Dame
Big 10: Purdue
Big XII: Oklahoma