Hey Guffers,

Been a few changes with some workouts and team chatter…

1. Washington John Wall. Still the right choice here we think.  And he’s already come out in the press talking about if he goes to Washington, Gilbert Arenas may have to do what’s best for the team and move to the SG spot.  The kid is already taking leadership of a team he hasn’t been drafted by….love it!!!
2. Philadelphia Evan Turner. A lot of talk around this pick…Favors?  Turner?  Even Wesley Johnson would be a good selection…but do you pass up on Turner?  Probably not in the end, unless you are trading picks or something.
3. New Jersey Derrick Favors. Teams are loving the guy.  Not as much potential or athleticism than Cousins, but a much better attitude.  He may not be a better pick than Wes Johnson either, but NJ will still take a big because taking a SG or SF sends the wrong message to Lebron, Joe Johnson, etc.  Favors is not a bad pick at all, he has all the physical gifts, huge wingspan, has a standing 9-1 reach. 9-1!!! But GMs are all caught up in his physical traits, which he lived off to beat guys in college.  Teams love Favors, but still don’t think he can contribute straight away, you may see him come off the bench as a rook.
4. Minnesota Wesley Johnson. Did you see the video of a workout of his the other day….wow.    
5. Sacramento DeMarcus Cousins. Sac have some good players, but with the 5^th pick at their disposal and coming off a 25-57 season, all bets are off and they are taking the best player available at this point in the draft. We think Evans & Casspi’s positions are safe, but if the Kings have to upset Spencer Hawes, Nocioni or Beno Udrih, then so be it.  Cousins is apparently difficult to coach and GMs haven’t gotten a great personal vibe from him.  But the guy’s got all the physical talent, a bit of a mean-streak and is determined. Hope it turns into hard work in the NBA. Not great fitness, but when he’s out there, he’ll get it done. Number 1 in the NCAA in rebounds per 48 minutes. He has all the tools, possibly the most NBA-ready centre in the draft.
6. Golden State Patrick Patterson. One word…UNDERRATED.  He’s a good pick-and-roll player, which with Baron Davis & Steve Blake out there is very valuable.  AND has a high basketball IQ.  The 6-9 SF/PF and has looked awesome in workouts.  Team love his NBA-ready body & his attitude. But (sorry GSW fans) this organisation sucks balls and Nelson can’t go past a nice guard.  I can see them taking Xavier Henry and they usually have draft some good players (e.g – Steph Curry), but never appropriate for what their team actually needs. 
7. Detroit Greg Monroe. Word is he’s currently fallen a bit out of favour due to his 11.2% body fat, whereas other guys are measuring in the 5s & 6s. Still, he’s a solid rebounder, defender and a great team-mate. Averaged 1.5blk & 1.2stl, very quick hands, hard worker, decent physical strength and size.  Just not enough FAHO (NB – FAHO is Freakish Athleticism Hard On, Gms and execs get that a lot this time of year).  But here we go…are you ready?  ……we’re saying it here.  If ANY team can or will take the Sixers Elton Brand in a trade for that number 2 pick with Philadelpia….it’s Detroit.  Brand isn’t over the hill yet.  He’s played injured for a season and a half, and could still add value (albeit not $51M of value over 3 years), but the Pistons like a bruising undersized PF/C (McDyess, Ben Wallace, Jason Maxiell) and Brand is VERY Detroit we think.  Sixers are really keen to move Brand and still think they’ll get a good player down the line (they’ve worked out Patrick Patterson, Cousins, Favors, Monroe), and if anyone can pull this, we think it’s the Pistons.  If not, we’re going with Monroe even though he’ll likely fall past here.  
8. LA Clippers      Paul George. Paul George is a 6-8 SF who could slot in nicely with a team that already has a lot of scoring options.  George’s strengths are defence, running the floor, and he was in the league leaders in assists for all SFs in college.  Nice player, not a tonne of offence in college, but looking awesome in workouts and with some work could be very effective. 
9. Utah Cole Aldrich. He’s big, solid, plays with his back to the basket, has great footwork in the post and whilst he can step out and hit a jumper, prefers to live in the paint. Think Kevin Love with better defence (averaged around 3 blocks a game in college). Boozer is going and Fesenko is ordinary.  Milsap is the PF of the future for the Jazz, so they desperately need a centre.  Aldrich could still be snapped up higher, but with no FAHO, will likely fall.  Even past here perhaps.  Would be a good selection at 9 and is a very Jerry Sloan kind of player. 
10. Indiana Luke Babbitt. The guy can shoot!!  And shoot!  And shoot!  And showed in the recent combine that he has some freakish strength & athleticism for a 6-9 PF.  Was the biggest surprise in the athletics combine results for sure.  Could be a more athletic, stronger Troy Murphy.  Word is that Larry Bird has a player-crush on Gordon Hayward, but at pick 10?!?!  We don’t see it. 
11. New Orleans Hassan Whiteside. They need some help in the paint, and Whiteside’s interior presence would be a good addition to this Hornets team.
12. Memphis Ekpe Udoh. Udoh is a lean 235 at 6-10, but is strong and has amazing shot-blocking ability.  Will be able to step in and defend NBA power-forwards & most centres straight away.  Huge FAHO right here.  Has been great in workouts and teams are loving his fire & competitive spirit, the guy plays hard every second he’s on the floor.  Talent-wise there are better guys here at pick 12, but you can’t teach energy & effort.   
13. Toronto Al-Farouq Aminu. The Raptors are sure to take a big.  Aminu is getting the ‘soft’ tag a bit…Gms think he could be soft, not a hard worker, etc… Still very early, but not wowing right now.  Aminu is a great defender, can guard 4 positions, blocks alot of shots for a guy who is 6-8. Great athletisicm, great on a fast break.
14. Houston Donatas Motiejunas. Potential is through the roof, will be as good as he wants to be, and pending workouts, could go as high as 3 or 4.  One of those wild-card players where you just don’t know how much effort he’s going to give.  Great talent though, 7-0 PF who can knock down outside shots, but also has a bit of mongrel and likes to beat guys in the paint.  Could go higher for sure.  Could also be a jerk?
15. Milwaukee Ed Davis. This 6-9 PF in a few years time could be a steal!  The knocks on his game are he’s not strong enough, and needs a bit of range…..that’s all.  Everything else is there, just no real wow-factor like some of the guys above, but looks great in workouts and whilst the Bucks are liking a lot of the combo guards out there, we are hoping they pick smart and take a PF with some offensive ability (sorry, Bah Moute, we like you a lot, you just can’t score points to save yourself!).
16. Minnesota Xavier Henry. Henry is a nice player and good shooter.  He’s been reasonably inoffensive, does what is needed of him, plays good ball…seems very much Coach Rambis kinda player and would give Minnesota another decent offensive option.
17. Chicago.          Armon Johnson. Johnson could become a very good back-up PG.  Has all the tools, the size, and does everything well….just not great…yet.  He’s a pretty fearless little dude, so could thrive with the challenges in the NBA.  Was one of the best shooters at the recent combine aswell and for a Chicago team with no real backup PG (Lindsay Hunter is due to retire & Flip Murray isn’t a permanent solution), Johnson could help.
18. Miami Larry Sanders. We really like Damion James here, but think the Heat would be more inclined to take someone with a bit more height & length considering they had no-one over 7-0 on their roster last year and their biggest guy under contract so far is Michael Beasley, who’s a 6-9 SF.  We’re sure the Heat would LOVE to be just a few more picks up the board to have the option of an Ed Davis, Aminu or Udoh.  Hopefully one of those guys will fall because Sanders is more of a work in progress.
19. Boston Terrico White. Has torn it up in workouts, looking like the most athletic guy out there (one of the fastest in ¾ court sprints, and hit a maximum 11”9 in his vertical touch…which was good for 12^th out of the 30 draftees that did the test.  Not bad for a guy 6-5.  YEP.  6-5, and he gets up to 11”9 on the run.  Crazy.  Scouts keep commenting on his natural feel for the game.  White could be something special.
20. San Antonio James Anderson. He’s a gun-slinging lock-down defender at 6-6.  Didn’t shoot the ball real well in the combine, but had one of the quickest releases out there.  Could very well be a shooter who’s a game shooter, not a practice shooter.  We like Anderson in Boston, but think Terrico White is probably a better player and achieving better results in workouts to date.
21. OKC                 Damion James. The 6-7 combo forward outta Texas likely won’t go this high, but we are a fan.  Damion James at 6-7 averaged 11.2 boards a game…read that again…what a monster!!!  And is super-quick and pretty fit, playing over 30 minutes a game in college and whilst undersized, you can’t look past the effort it takes to pull down 11.2 boards when you are only 6-7 in shoes.
22. Portland Devin Ebanks. The 6-7 Ebanks has looked pretty good in workouts so far.  Doesn’t need plays drawn for him to score, gets a lot of offensive glass, takes good shots, good basketball mind and one rare quality….he gets fired up about defense!  May go higher for sure, but his lack of ‘superstardom’ will drop him to the 20s.
23. Minnesota Nemanja Bjelica. 6-10 SF from Serbia has great versatility, passing, size, and experience in a professional league in Serbia.  But crosses against him are defence, quickness, strength, etc.  It’s terrible to say, he’s a typical young Euro kid that needs time to develop.  Coach Rambis has been to Serbia in the last few days though, and is a fan.
24. Atlanta Gani Lawal. He pulled out of the draft last year to spend another year at Georgia Tech to work on his game.  He’s a 6-9 PF who can score & rebound, that would help this Atlanta team who desperately need more interior presence.  Word is though that the Hawks are looking to sell this pick because whomever they draft has guaranteed money…which means the Hawks have guaranteed luxury tax, which they don’t want/can’t afford when they are focusing all their $$$ to try and keep Joe Johnson.
25. Memphis Solomon Alabi. Was predicted to be around the low 20s, but teams are looking at that 7-1 kid that only pulls down 6.0 rebounds a game in college…if you’re 7-1, and only getting 6 boards a game in college then you’re a lazy-ass.  But in saying that, the Celtics recently put Alabi through his paces and in his mental aptitude test, he recorded the highest score ever for the Celts.  Other teams have also interviewed & worked out Alabi and really like him, so could be a first rounder.
26. OKC                 Daniel Orton. 6-10 & 255 with great potential make this guy a good pick for an OKC team that can give the kid a bit of time.  He wasn’t very polished in workouts so far, looking a little out of his depth, and at the end of the day, only played 13 mins a game off the bench in college.  Teams like him, but know he needs a few years to work on his game.  Could in time be a very solid backup big.
27. New Jersey Avery Bradley. Bradley could go a lot higher, but being only 6-2, NBA execs will look past him.  But if Bradley is still available, the 6-2 SG from Texas would be a nice addition off the bench.  Not a PG at all, as he goes for his own shot all the time, but would suit a role as firepower off the bench (ala Eddie House or Bobby Jackson).
28. Memphis Elliot Williams. 6-4 shooting guard out of Memphis who’s a great on the ball defender and rebounds well for a guard too.  Has great quickness off the dribble, and showed some wicked athleticism.  Bledsoe is also a possibility here, but Williams has a bit more size and length.
29. Orlando Quincy Pondexter. Pondexter (6-7 SF) is another guy who does a lot of good things, is a sound player and person, but is already 22 years old, so scouts won’t get the whole ‘potential’, ‘upside’ and FAHO.  So he’ll drop, maybe even to the second round, but a polished guy who averaged 19 points & 7 boards in college is worth a pick here for sure.
30. Washington Jordan Crawford.  Remember the stories about the kid who dunked on Lebron and the tapes were confiscated, etc….well, that’s this 6-4 SG out of Xavier.  Crawford showed that he can shoot the rock aswell, lighting it up at the recent shooting drills combine.  He was the 6^th best shooter on the day, including tops in three point shooting, hitting 20 of 25 from NBA three range.

Just outside our first round

Craig Brakens 6-10, plays PF and also moves to the 3 spot.  Is big, long, but not strong.  Doesn’t play either forward spot overly well, but could blossom.  Hasn’t looked great so far and teams think he’s more a mid-second rounder.

Kevin Seraphin.                      The 6-9 PF/C from France has all the tools for the NBA, but just injured knee very similar to the injury Lakers centre Andrew Bynum is nursing.  Could put him into the mid-late second round now.

Stanley Robinson. The 6-8 combo forward from UCONN isn’t getting heaps of love, and whilst we liked him as a late-first-rounder the love affair is wavering after some so-so showings at the combine.  He’s a strong, long, fit (played 35 mins a game in college) defensive-minded guy who would still be a decent early second-round pick.  A guy who can compete & defend against good competition in college for 35 mins a game is worth taking a chance on.

Domonique Jones. The dude has NBA scoring ability.  He’s a SG who seems to me like Chris Douglas-Roberts two years ago, had that NBA ability, but with the systems they run in college, you don’t always get to see it.  He’s probably not a first-rounder, but could sneak in late first.

Willie Warren. There is no question Warren has an NBA game, but attitude concerns are there.

Eric Bledsoe. Could be much better than anticipated, but teams are looking at his height and only a year in college…thinking he may not really be ready for the NBA just yet.