#2. Miami – Michael Beasley. Well, Pat Riley didn’t seem particularly enthused by the pick, but surprisingly he kept his hands off and let the team choose Beasley.

#3. Minnesota – O.J. Mayo. No surprise that Mayo is drafted here, but we were looking for some kind of trade. C’mon, Kevin McHale, couldn’t you liven things up a bit?

#4. Seattle – Russell Westbrook. Whaaaat? I don’t think anybody saw this coming. Jerryd Bayless was #4 on just about everybody’s mock, including this one. So Seattle might end up looking like geniuses here or maybe we find out the owner was out to spite Sonics fans for making moving the team such a hassle.

#5. Memphis – Kevin Love. We thought Memphis would go big, but didn’t expect Love to go this soon with the questions surrounding his athleticism. We shall see.

#6. NY Knicks – Danilo Gallinari. Haha, you gotta love the Knicks taking a European player in the lottery. You can cue the boos when that happens since nobody knows who the guy is.

#7. LA Clippers – Eric Gordon. Good pick for the Clips. Jerryd Bayless is slipping.

#8. Milwaukee – Joe Alexander. Bucks fans should at least have some hope after acquiring RJ earlier today and now getting a guy who might be ready to contribute on Day 1.

#9. Charlotte – DJ Augustin. I guess Larry Brown thinks Augustin “plays the right way”.

#10. New Jersey – Brook Lopez. Along with Yi, the Nets now have acquired 2 7-footers on the same day.

#11. Indiana – Jerryd Bayless. Bayless has now been traded to Portland. So now Portland has a good point prospect, the Rookie of the Year, and Greg Oden in the middle next year. Blazer fans should be pumped.

#12. Sacramento – Jason Thompson. Kings fans should expect Thompson to be ready to rebound and play D on day one, but he might not be ready offensively.

#13. Portland – Brandon Rush. Traded to Indiana. I’ll be he would rather be with the young and promising Trailblazers, but the Pacers have some young pieces of their own so don’t fret too much, Brandon.

#14. Golden State – Anthony Randolph. I thought Randolph would be off the board by now. The Warriors are getting a bargain.

Other Notables

#19. Cleveland – J.J. Hickson. The freshman from NC State has seen his stock rise in the past few weeks, but he’s going to have to help out ASAP if the Cavs want to be an attractive option for Lebron when he becomes a free agent.

#27. New Orleans – Darrell Arthur. You gotta feel bad for Darrell Arthur having to wait all the way until the 27th pick to get drafted. That was worse than Brady Quinn. At least the NBA doesn’t take as long between picks or Arthur would still be waiting there.

Well, for starters, let’s look at the college freshman who were chosen in the lottery since 2006:

• Tyrus Thomas, 4th pick, 2006
• Greg Oden, 1st pick, 2007
• Kevin Durant, 2nd pick, 2007
• Mike Conley, Jr., 4th pick, 2007
• Brandan Wright, 8th pick, 2007
• Spencer Hawes, 10th pick, 2007
• Thaddeus Young, 12th pick, 2007

So do these guys look like they were any more prepared than the fresh out of high school players from earlier in the decade? Not really. You’ve got a mixed bag like you get every year with the rookie class. Durant was the only guy out of those who really put up good numbers right away. A year before, Martell Webster and Andrew Bynum were the two players who jumped straight from high school and were selected in the lottery. Bynum is developing nicely while Webster is not doing bad for himself either. So it doesn’t look like a year of college is really developing these players all that much (though it is doing a good job marketing them at no cost to the NBA).

Stern, of course, would argue that the rule is helping keep “busts” from ruining their college eligibility. Of course, these “busts” are probably going to go play overseas anyways rather than using their degree. It seems far-fetched to imagine a player ready to declare for the NBA, but then being required to go to college for a year where he learns he isn’t that good and soon he is feverishly studying engineering to prepare for a drastically different type of career. I’d bet that not-so-good player is going to play in Europe instead, make good money over there, and possibly getting a shot at the NBA again.

The age limit is probably good for business though. The NCAA does a great job marketing the NBA’s prospects and the Draft is a lot more interesting when you actually recognize most of the players. So, despite the fact that it seemingly should violate labor laws, has no noticeable impact on the quality of players entering the league, and doesn’t prevent “busts”, the NBA is ecstatic that its fans already know that Michael Beasley is a beast, that Derrick Rose might be the next Dwyane Wade, and that Kevin Love already has haters.

1. Chicago Bulls – Derrick Rose. All indications are that the Bulls favor Rose over Michael Beasley.
2. Miami Heat – Michael Beasley. There are rumors abound that the Heat may trade down to #3 and draft OJ Mayo, but that all depends on whether or not Wolves GM Kevin McHale is in as generous of a mood as he was last summer when he traded KG.
3. Minnesota Timberwolves – OJ Mayo. We expect Mayo to be selected, but keep an eye on the Wolves to make a trade or perhaps draft Italy’s Danilo Gallinari here.
4. Seattle Supersonics – Jerryd Bayless. It looks very likely Seattle will add another scorer to their roster.
5. Memphis Grizzlies – Brook Lopez. The Grizzlies have a number of options here, but look for them to add the 7-footer, then try to address some of their other positions later in the offseason.
6. New York Knicks – Eric Gordon. Expect a pleasantly surprised crowd at MSG if the Knicks announce this one.
7. LA Clippers – Russell Westbrook. The Clippers would prefer Gordon fall to them, but look for them to take a guard regardless.
8. Milwaukee Bucks -Anthony Randolph. The Bucks will pounce on Randolph if he’s available.
9. Charlotte Bobcats – Joe Alexander. His size and shooting touch make Alexander a great pickup for Charlotte at #9.
10. New Jersey Nets – Danilo Gallinari. Gallinari could easily be off the board by the time the Nets pick, but if he isn’t, they’ll grab him.
11. Indiana Pacers – DJ Augustin. The Pacers are hoping a solid PG will be on the board when they’re up and we expect that guy to be Augustin.
12. Sacramento Kings – Darrell Arthur. The Kings would like to address the PG spot, but would take the PF Arthur as the best player available if neither Augustin or Westbrook fall to them.
13. Portland Trailblazers – DeAndre Jordan. Jordan would be the best player available at this spot, but the Trailblazers already have so many young pieces they very well could trade this pick.
14. Golden State Warriors – Kevin Love. Love’s stock has dropped a bit, but don’t expect him to fall past #14.

Your thoughts?