Round One:
1. Washington Wizards - John Wall, PG - Kentucky - No change here. No surprise here. Wall will give the Wizards a new face to the franchise and his point guard skills/athleticism are simply off the charts to even consider drafting someone else.
2. Philadelphia 76ers - Evan Turner, SG - Ohio State - This has been up for some debate about whether Doug Collins would side with Turner or Derrick Favors but I always sided with Turner. He can play three positions effectively and is ready to contribute in a major way.
3. New Jersey Nets - Derrick Favors, PF -Georgia Tech - The Nets are finally showing some sense here. Wes Johnson is a nice prospect but doesn't have that potential superstar gear that Favors has. Johnson's ceiling is a better shooting Shawn Marion. Favors is Dwight Howard. Need I say more? If Favors is the pick, the Nets might not be looking for big men in free agency with Favors and Brook Lopez being the frontline for years to come.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves - Wesley Johnson, SF - Syracuse - Had Johnson been taken, the Timberwolves would be selecting a guy who doesn't particularly fit a need. Johnson fits a spot that the Wolves desperately need as he hopefully provides some scoring on the perimeter and compliment Kevin Love and Al Jefferson.
5. Sacramento Kings - DeMarcus Cousins, C - Kentucky - The Samuel Dalembert acquisition should not change draft strategy come Thursday for Sac-town. If Cousins can ever improve his maturity and attitude, the sky is the limit for him. But it's a big IF for a guy who has potential superstar skill-set.
6. Golden State Warriors - Ekpe Udoh PF, Baylor - I'm a huge fan of Udoh and think he fits in nicely with Golden State. Monroe had a disappointing workout with the team and on my "board" Udoh ranks higher. Love his defensive presence and his constant improved offensive game.
7. Detroit Pistons - Greg Monroe PF, Georgetown - High basketball IQ, can run the floor like a deer, unselfish player. The Pistons need someone/something in the middle of the paint and Monroe can be a great value pick at No.7. Some mocks have him going as high as 5.
8. Los Angeles Clippers - Al-Farouq Aminu, SF - Wake Forest - Aminu is one of the most athletic prospects in the entire draft. The only question is, what position will he play in the NBA? He has the outside game of a three but can rebound like a four. The Clips desperately need a swingman and can choose between Aminu, Gordon Hayward, or Paul George.
9. Utah Jazz - Ed Davis PF, North Carolina - Losing out on Carlos Boozer will hurt this team down low, despite the fact they still have Paul Millsap. Davis is a guy who loves to crash the boards and is one of the more athletic big men in the draft.
10. Indiana Pacers - Gordon Hayward, SF - Butler - Udoh would seemingly make more sense here but it's the Pacers. Hayward is the hometown kid and fits the Caucasian profile that the Pacers unintentionally (I would hope) have grown to love over the past couple of years.
11. New Orleans Hornets - Luke Babbit SF, Nevada - Morris Peterson, James Posey, Peja Stojakovic. All of these free agent forwards have been swings and misses for the Hornets. Maybe going the route via the draft will bring better fortunes. Babbit will have to adjust defensively but is ready to contribute offensively right away.
12. Memphis Grizzlies - Paul George, SF - Fresno State - George has been rising up draft boards over the weeks and an invite to the Green Room is evidence of that. The Grizz could potentially lose Rudy Gay in the off-season and George could serve as an appropriate replacement.
13. Toronto Raptors - Cole Aldrich, C -Kansas - With Chris Bosh all but gone from the Raptors, Toronto needs to find a replacement. This pick will come down to Aldrich vs. Patrick Patterson but I feel more comfortable having Andrea Bargnani playing the four and not the five.
14. Houston Rockets - Patrick Patterson, PF -Kentucky -The Rockets don't have a ton of glaring needs and with Yao Ming future looking bleak, they could always use front-court depth. Patterson was one of the few lottery prospects to work out at the NBA Combine.
15. Milwaukee Bucks - Xavier Henry, SG -Kansas - This is a slam dunk pick for Milwaukee. Michael Redd is all but done, John Salmons is opting out and the Bucks need a guy who can score the ball. Pair Henry up with Jennings in the back-court and the Bucks are rocking a sweet pair of lefties.
16. Minnesota Timberwolves - Damion James, SF - Texas - James was one of my favorite players in college to watch. He dominated many games but made it look so effortless. With a need for a swingman, the Wolves will be high on James.
17. Chicago Bulls - James Anderson, SG - Oklahoma State - The Bulls missed Ben Gordon last year and need someone who can consistently score with Derrick Rose. Anderson may struggle on the defensive end, but he dominated games offensively in the Big 12 and is a nice pick here.
18. Miami Heat - Avery Bradley, PG - Texas - With the way the Miami Heat pretty much abandoned Mario Chalmers last season, the need for a PG seems evidence. Bradley needs to work on a more consistent jump shot but he is one of the best if not the best perimeter defender in the draft.
19. Boston Celtics - Solomon Alabi, C - Florida State - Rasheed Wallace could be heading for retirement so Alabi could be the perfect guy to add to the Celtics bench and provide meaningful minutes for Kendrick Perkins. He's raw offensively but has great size and a great motor.
20. San Antonio Spurs - Hassan Whiteside, C - Marshall - The Spurs need to add size and Marshall possess the largest wingspan in the draft. He has wowed in workouts but Whiteside's maturity has been questioned to the point where people feel like he actually needs to have a babysitter next season.
21. Oklahoma City Thunder - Larry Sanders, PF - VCU - Sanders has been creeping up some boards as of late and could be a nice addition to an already athletic Thunder team. Great length and defensive ability.
22. Portland Trail Blazers - Kevin Seraphin, C - France - Looking at different draft sites across the 'net. One thing is constant: The Blazers love Seraphin. They need insurance for Greg Oden but could keep Seraphin overseas for a year or so to continue to develop.
23. Minnesota Timberwolves - Jordan Crawford, SG - Xavier - This is a little bit of a reach pick for me but Crawford's ability to fill up the box score is something the Wolves need from their back-court.
24. Atlanta Hawks - Eric Bledsoe, PG - Kentucky - Mike Bibby is about 50 years old and has literally nothing left. Bledsoe showed some point guard skills at Kentucky but played his best when he was on the court with John Wall.
25. Memphis Grizzlies - Dominique Jones, SG - South Florida - Was a great scorer for a South Florida team who was constantly the inferior team in the Big East. He could translate to the NBA well and provide solid minutes off the bench.
26. Oklahoma City Thunder - Stanley Robinson, SF - Connecticut - Robinson hasn't been able to put it all together for a full season and that is what has kept him out of the lottery. But his flashes of talent are good enough to land him in the first round of my mock and on a team that fits his up and down style of play nicely.
27. New Jersey Nets - Terrico White, PG - Ole Miss - The Nets need help at the guard position and this is a toss-up between White and Dominique Jones. White has lottery talent but needs to become more aggressive and maximize his skills.
28. Memphis Grizzlies - Greivis Vazquez, PG - Maryland - Vazquez can also play off the ball in the NBA. Defensively he won't give a team much but can be explosive offensively in spurts. The Grizz have said that GV has wowed them in workouts and could have made a promise.
29. Orlando Magic - Devin Ebanks, SF - West Virginia - Crashes the boards, lengthy and versatile. If he can improve on his jump shot, he has the chance to really improve his role in an NBA rotation.
30. Washington Wizards - Darington Hobson, SF - New Mexico - Despite his size, Hobson has fantastic playmaking skills and can even multiple spots. He's a guy that started in the second round and worked his way up into the first.
Round Two:
31. New Jersey Nets - Keith Gallon PF, Oklahoma
32. Oklahoma City Thunder - Elliot Williams, Memphis
33. Sacramento Kings - Ryan Richards C, England
34. Portland Trail Blazers - Trevor Booker PF, Clemson
35. Washington Wizards - Gani Lawal PF, Georgia Tech
36. Detroit Pistons - Willie Warren PG, Oklahoma
37. Milwaukee Bucks - Daniel Orton C, Kentucky
38. New York Knicks - Craig Brackins PF, Iowa State
39. New York Knicks - Jarvis Varnado PF, Mississippi State
40. Indiana Pacers - Tibor Pleiss C, Germany
41. Miami Heat - Quincy Pondexter SF, Washington
42. Miami Heat - Jerome Jordan C, Tulsa
43. Los Angeles Lakers - Armon Johnson PG, Nevada
44. Golden State Warriors - Lance Stephenson SG, Cincinnati
45. Minnesota Timberwolves - Miroslav Raduljica C, Serbia
46. Phoenix Suns - Da'Sean Butler SF, West Virginia
47. Milwaukee Bucks - Dexter Pittman C, Texas
48. Miami Heat - Dwayne Collins PF, Miami
49. San Antonio Spurs - Sylven Landesberg SG, Virginia
50. Dallas Mavericks - Lazar Hayward SF, Marquette
51. Oklahoma City Thunder - Thomas Huertel PG, France
52. Boston Celtics - Sherron Collins PG, Kansas
53. Atlanta Hawks - Charles Garcia SF, Seattle
54. Los Angeles Clippers - Mikhail Torrence PG, Alabama
55. Utah Jazz - Hamady N'Daye C, Rutgers
56. Minnesota Timberwolves - Nemanja Bjelica SF, Serbia
57. Indiana Pacers - Jerome Randle PG, California
58. Los Angeles Lakers - Derrick Caracter PF, UTEP
59. Orlando Magic - Manny Harris SG, Michigan
60. Phoenix Suns - Samardo Samuels PF, Louisville
Alright kiddies, there's the official 2010 NBA Mock Draft. I'll be hosting a live chat on this site on Thursday night to follow the Draft as it happens. We'll hopefully have it launched by 6:45 PM (ET). Join me then and contribute!
-Matt Soldano
Let it be known, I had Favors going #3 and Johnson going #4.
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