NBA Draft 2009 Top 10

Seeing as the Warriors season is over, I thought I should get started on scouting for the NBA draft.

In my opinion this is a pretty weak draft, especially if Rubio sits out as expected and Jrue stays in school. Here's my top 10 with some brief analysis:

1) Blake Griffin
A weak draft means a player with obvious flaws could easily go 1st overall. He's a great rebounder, leader, scorer, and is a tremendous team player. However, he isn't as athletic as NBA coaches would like and he projects to be a Carlos Boozer type in my opinion. Not going to block a ton of shots but will make a big difference.

2) James Harden
In my opinion he's the most NBA ready player in this draft. He's an athletic player who can score and make the extra pass. However, his athleticism won't dominate at an NBA level but will be more than enough to get the job done. He'll do a decent job on defense but won't generate a ton of turnovers.

3) Jordan Hill
He's improved immensely this season but he still has a lot to learn. Basically a banger who can finish well and board with the best. Blocking 2 shots a game as well. After Hill, the picks in the draft have a ton of upside but also a ton of bust potential. I'm going to say right now that I don't like most of the players after these top 3 so my analysis will be biased.

4) Hasheem Thabeet
Will his body hold up at the next level? History of players his size says it won't. He has a ton of potential and is a surprisingly good shot blocker. Most players his size block shots just because of their height, but Thabeet does so with tremendous explosiveness and skill. Great defender.

5) Brandon Jennings
I have a mancrush on this guy. Don't let his euroleague stats fool you, he's actually getting better. In Europe they don't want to develop talent and embrace rookie mistakes like college teams would, they want to win now and don't tolerate rookies acting like rookies. Brandon was kicked out of the gym when the season started for half assing it in half court drills and discipline like that can do 1 of 2 things for him. The biggest knock on Brandon was that he had no discipline, he would make the flashy play when he didn't need to, so he could take all this as a learning experience and grow from it or get pissed off and give up. Hopefully it's the former.

6) Greg Monroe
He strikes me as a guy who will stop trying once he gets a contract. He has a ton of potential but needs to stay focused on improving if he wants to be a good NBA player. He gets pushed out of the post and lacks go to post moves. Talented as hell though and in this draft you can't pass up this much potential.

7) Jeff Teague
Think Stephen Curry, but a better ball handler who attacks the basket much more effectively. He can put up points in a hurry, but he really isn't a PG so his size might hurt him. If someone can teach him to take care of the ball better, he'll end up being a strong scorer in the NBA.

8) Stephen Curry
People give this guy way too much credit. Against bad teams, he absolutely destroys. Puts up around 30 and 7 against them. But against good teams he either goes 5/26 from the field (Purdue) or dishes out only 3 assists (Oklahoma). I think people will be disappointed by his true passing ability but I also know that his team absolutely blows so he's a very intriguing player to think about. Keep in mind that he's not great taking it to the hole and has a small frame.

9) DeMar DeRozan
Stay in school. Please.

10) Ty Lawson
He will be a steal if taken around 13-18. Probably will never start in the NBA, but will be a great defensive PG who can pass and score a little.

Also, they have an annual feature on ESPN.com that randomizes the draft lottery and generates a mock draft. Check it out here: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/lottery2009/mockdraft