NBA Mock Draft Part 5 – First Round Breakdown

2009 NBA Draft Preview
A LayupDrill.com Exclusive

If you have been following our Mock Drafts since December, there have been some constants in our previews. For one, regardless of who had the worst record in the NBA, Blake Griffin is the undisputed top pick. After that, it is up for grabs. While some publications have reported Ricky Rubio will be in the draft, others have not. All signs are pointing that Rubio is in fact in putting his name in the lottery, and I have continued to include him in our preview because of that.

As we draw closer and closer to the draft, expect to see more information on LayupDrill.com regarding it. The 2009 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament is set to tip off Wednesday April 8th though Saturday April 11th, 2009, and LayupDrill.com will be there throughout, giving you updates on what seniors stock is rising and falling, along with sleeper picks, and insight from scouts of the league.
UPDATE: 4/11/09
Check out the breakdown of the entire first round of the NBA Draft, starting with the lottery.

1. Sacramento Kings – Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
2. Washington Wizards – Ricky Rubio, Spain
3. Los Angeles Clippers – Jordan Hill, Arizona
4. Memphis Grizzlies – Hasheem Thabeet, UConn
5. Oklahoma City Thunder – Greg Monroe, Georgetown
6. Minnesota Timberwolves – James Harden, Arizona State
7. Golden State Warriors – Ty Lawson, North Carolina
8. Toronto Raptors – Demar DeRozan, USC
9. New York Knicks – Chase Budginer, Arizona
10. New Jersey Nets – Earl Clark, Louisville
11. Indiana Pacers – Brandon Jennings, Rome
12. Milwuakee Bucks – Jeff Teague, Wake Forest
13. Charlotte Bobcats – Cole Aldrich, Kansas
14. Phoenix Suns – Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest
15. Chicago Bulls – Craig Brackens, Iowa State
16. Detroit Pistons – Eric Maynor, VCU
17. Philadelphia 76ers – JRue Holliday, UCLA
18. Minnesota Timberwolves – Stephen Curry, Davidson
19. Atlanta Hawks – BJ Mullens, Ohio State
20. Dallas Mavericks – Patrick Patterson, Kentucky
21. New Orleans Hornets – Wayne Ellington, North Carolina
22. Portland Trailblazers – James Johnson, Wake Forest
23. Utah Jazz – Dejuan Summers, Georgetown
24. Sacramento Kings – Terrence Williams, Louisville
25. Chicago Bulls – DeJuan Blair, Pittsburgh
26. Oklahoma City Thunder – Tyreke Evans, Memphis
27. Minnesota Timberwolves – Damion James, Texas
28. Memphis Grizzlies – AJ Price, UConn
29. Los Angeles Lakers – Gani Lawal, Georgia Tech
30. Cleveland Cavaliers – Stanley Robinson, UConn

Notes: As you can see, the draft, and in particular, the lottery, has changed a bit since just a month ago. As teams needs continue to develop, another important factor to realize is the fact many teams will be active in the off season trading. Watch out for teams like the OKC Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves, who both have cap space and multiple first round picks. Depending on how the lottery balls drop in a few weeks, you could very well see teams trading up to attempt to get Blake Griffin, or trading out of the lottery all together, in return for future picks and expiring contracts. The other factor to think about is upcoming stars whose contracts run out after the 2009-10 season. Chris Bosh of the Raptors and Tracy McGrady of the Rockets could see their names talked about more this summer than they did in February around trade talks. Other players, including Vince Carter could also be packaged on a sign-and-trade. While this draft certainly is “light” on the star power, there are still some good players available, and teams still have a chance to improve their team immensely.

Tagged as: 2009 NBA Draft, AJ Price, bj mullens, blake griffin, brandon jennings, chase budinger, craig brackens, damion james, Dejuan Blair, dejuan summers, demar derozan, earl clark, Eric Maynor, first round, gani lawal, james harden, james johnson, Jeff Teague, jordan hill, mock draft, patrick patterson, preview, ricky rubio, Sam Young, stanley robinson, stephen curry, terrence williams, ty lawson, Tyler Hansborough, Tyreke Evans, wayne ellington