Randy Foye, Sr., Villanova,� 6�4�, 205

 

Foye is a strong guard that has the ability to absorb contact and keep going.� However, it�s still yet to be seen how well suited he is to be a point guard.� He�s got the dreaded �combo guard� tag on him right now (but who doesn�t at this point).� Foye is probably more suited to be a Mike James type of scorer who maybe picks up some assists.

2. Marcus Williams, Jr, Connecticut, 6,2�, 200

Marcus is more likely to steal your laptop than an errant pass.� Ok, with that obligatory cheap shot out of the way, it�s still a concern when a guy like this has that kind of red flag attached to his name.� The big trend in sports right now is �character guys,� so Danny Ainge will have to really look at that brain wave analysis of his when it comes to Marcus.� On the court, Williams is more of a pure point guard, but he�s prone to turning the ball over.� He did have a great tourney, which really bumped him up on most draft boards.

 

3. Rajon Rondo, Soph, Kentucky, 6�2�, 171

Here�s a guy with all the tools but not quite all of the skill yet.� He�s incredibly fast, he�s a good finisher, and he can play some D.� However, he�s not much of a shooter at all and his decision making has yet to be honed.� In the absolute best case scenario, he�ll add some weight, become a student of the game, and become a Jason Kidd type of pass-first guy who can carry a game without scoring.� That could be years away, though.

 

4. Sergio Rodriguez, Spain, 6�3�, 180

Sergio was impressive in his workout for the Celtics.� Since none of us have seen him, we�ll have to rely on reports and reputation.� His rep is summed up in his nickname the �Spanish Magician.�� Like most Euros, he�s not much of a defender and he�s not the most explosive guy around� but what skills he does have are phenomenal.� He�s said to be a terrific ball handler and passer, but it will probably take him a little while to get into the NBA style of play.

 

5. Dee Brown, Sr., Illinois, 6�0�, 180

Dee was going to make A LOT of money in last year�s draft before he got hurt.� His stock then dropped after his performance this year.� His FG% was WAAAY down (36% this year, down from 50% last year)� which just adds to the concerns about his streaky shooting.� However, he�s still quick� a good sign that he can come back from injury well.� His playmaking sense needs some work, but his natural gifts make him more attractive.� You can�t teach speed.

Brandon Roy, Sr., Washington, 6�5�, 195

JJ Redick got all the hype, but Brandon Roy is the best 2 guard available.� He�s got good size, good ball handling ability, and a quick first step.� He�s more of a mid-range guy, which start to evoke memories of Ron Mercer.� And that leads us into his downside.� Roy, like Mercer, does a lot of things well in college but did nothing amazing.� Once Mercer got to the pros, he had a long career as a decent player.� However, is that what you want with your first pick in the NBA draft?

2. JJ Redick, Sr., Duke, 6�4�, 190

If the draft were held in April, he might have been the number 2 pick behind Adam Morrison (at least if the guys at ESPN were running things).� Redick is a pure jump shooter.� The best comparison we can make is to John Paxson.� Redick�s success in the NBA will probably depend directly on which team he is on.� If he shares the court with a point guard and small forward who are good slashers, he can spot up and drill jumpers all day.� If you ask him to create his own shot, he�ll be in big trouble.

 

3. Ronnie Brewer, Jr., Arkansas, 6�7�, 217

His versatility will make him attractive in the first round.� He can play the 2 or the 3� and some will contend that he can even bring the ball up if needed.� Like Roy, he�ll be able to do a lot of things well, but probably won�t dazzle anyone with any particular aspect of his game.� However, he is a good passer� and a good passing 2/3 man helps if your point guard is more of a scorer.

 

4. Shannon Brown, Jr., Michigan St., 6�3�, 200

Brown is the guy who every year hits the workout circuit and starts climbing the NBA draft boards.� Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn�t.� He�s a touch on the small side, which could have some teams asking him to play some point guard.� Brown is a bit of a combo guy anyway, and his explosiveness has him drawing comparisons to Tony Allen.� And just like Tony, his jumper is a bit of a question mark.� He won�t make his living spotting up.

 

5. Maurice Ager, Sr., Michigan St., 6�4�, 202��

Ager seems to be a guy who will end up driving NBA coaches nuts.� He�s got the skills, but his heart is a question.� We can see this guy coming out, dropping 15-20 points with some great highlights for a few games� and then he�ll have a 20% shooting night and play no D.� If he can play up to his potential and do it consistently, he could be one of this draft�s success stories.

Adam Morrison, Jr., Gonzaga, 6�8�, 205

Morrison was the man� and then he started crying with time on the clock and a chance to pull a miracle out of his shorts in the NCAA Tourney.� That�s pretty much the point where his stock dropped.� But� his skills are good enough where his stock is back up, and he�s appearing at the top of mock drafts again.� Morrison is a tremendous scorer, but he�s slow and he could be a liability on D.� He�s not explosive, but he�s the kind of guy who will get somewhere on the court on a regular basis� and have you wondering how he did it every time.

2. Rudy Gay, Soph., Connecticut, 6�9�, 220

Good luck getting a read on this guy.� At his best, he�s a freak with the ability to be an NBA star for quite some time.� At his worst, he�ll be the subject of a very long SportsCenter �Where Are They Now� piece highlighting how some wrong choices can kill your career.� We can just as easily envision the headlines �Rudy Gay, 8-Time All Star�� and �Rudy Gay, 8 time Italian League MVP�.� At 6�9�, 220� he�s got the NBA body for a 3 man, we know he�s got the NBA skills, but does he have an NBA mind?

 

3. Rodney Carney, Sr., Memphis, 6�7�, 205

The Conf USA Player of the Year is considered to be the best athlete in this draft.� He might end up being more of a 2 guard when it�s all said and done� if he can find a consistent jumper.� The knock on him, however, is that he�s got one bad game for every good game.� You�ll see Carney on ESPN a lot throwing down highlight dunks� but it�s possible that�s all you�ll see from him for a while.

 

4. Shawne Williams, Jr., Memphis, 6�9�, 225

Carney�s teammate is a very versatile guy, which could very well keep him around for a while.� He�s a better 1-on-1 guy than Carney, but he�s nowhere near as athletic and his jumper isn�t ready for the NBA.� He�s got a good head for the game though, which could make up for his shortcomings.

 

5. Marcus Vinicius, Brazil, 6�9�, 235

He could very well be as good offensively as anyone in this draft.� He still might have to learn a thing or 10 on the defensive end of the court.� Again, this is a guy coming out of Brazil, so we�re basing this on reports and reputation.� Marcus is supposedly able to do it all offensively� but he�s a turnstile on D.

LaMarcus Aldridge, Soph., Texas, 6�10�, 240

LaMarcus, it�s your turn on top of the �which power forward is the best available� list.� He�s certainly big enough to play both the 4 and the 5 spots in the NBA.� In fact, in today�s NBA, he�s probably not far away from being a legitimate big man.� It�s hard to tell what the Raptors are thinking� and don�t look to any mock drafts for help, because they�re all over the place� but Aldridge seems to be a legit pick at #1.

2. Andrea Bargnani, Italy, 7�0�, 225

If he gets taken first, he should thank Dirk Nowitski for having such an awesome post season.� Scouts are calling this guy the next Dirk, because he�s 6-11 but he patrols the perimeter.� Just like Dirk, he�s on the soft side on D, and he�s not a big back-to-the-basket kind of guy.� He�s pretty much exactly what you�d expect out a European player� a little soft, a hell of a shooter, slacking on D.� But if he�s anywhere near Dirk�s ability on offense� he�s worth the roll of the dice.

 

3. Tyrus Thomas, Fr., LSU, 6�9�, 220

Ty pushed himself into this discussion simply because he made a name for himself in the NCAA Tourney.� The bottom line here, though, is this:� Are you willing to make a 6�9�, 220 pound PF your number one pick?� The Celtics already have a guy that size, Ryan Gomes, and he was a 2^nd rounder.� I know, Ty Thomas is much more explosive� but he�s also coming out after his freshman year.� It�s very possible he can turn out to be great, but he�s more of a project than most people would like to admit.

 

4. Shelden Williams, Sr., Duke, 6�9�, 250

Shelden is another undersized guy who is going to try to make the leap into the NBA.� In fact, you could interchange Thomas and Williams on this list because each has what the other doesn�t.� Shelden is stronger, and he�s coming out after his senior year� which makes him better suited to succeed.� Thomas is quicker and has more upside� which allows the NBA sized egos making these picks to think they could get more out of him.

 

5. Cedric Simmons, Soph., NC State, 6�9�, 225

This kid looks like someone who�ll spend 10 years in the NBA as a 10 minute a game shot-blocker.� Of course, he could progress further than we expect and turn into a defensive/rebounding specialist.� Don�t expect too much from this kid offensively� at least not early in his career� but he might be able to get by crashing the boards and blocking shots until the rest of his game comes along.

Patrick O�Bryant, Soph., Bradley, 7�0�, 250

 

As with just about every young big man entering the League, O�Bryant is a project.� He is coming out of school in time to cash in on a very good NCAA Tournament performance, but he�s not ready for the NBA quite yet.� Like Cedrick Simmons, he could get by on his rebounding and shot blocking� but he needs work.� Actually, what he needs is the same type of weight lifting program Kendrick Perkins has been on.

2. Tiago Splitter, Brazil, 6�11�, 235

Every draft needs an enigma, and Splitter�s our guy this year.� Some mock drafts have him as a lottery pick, some have him going late 1^st round, and some have him going late in the 2^nd round.� That�s why we hate mock drafts and still refuse to do one.� Adding to the confusion, we�re still not sure where to list Splitter.� Is he a center?� Is he a power forward?� Is he a small forward?� He�s just about 7 feet� which draw the comparisons again to� Dirk Nowitski.� My question to all these foreign teams is, do you guys play ANY post offense?� All these 6-11 guys are wing men.� One more thing: he�s playing in a Spanish league right now� so he won�t be able to come in for any private workouts� so he�ll be drafted on Euro League scouting alone.� Are we looking at another Darko here?

 

3. Saer Sene, Senegal, 7�0�, 235

I�m going to have to avoid lightning strikes when I say this� but this guy is starting to sound like the next Hakeem Olajuwon.� Now, before you roll your eyes� he�s a guy out of Africa who only recently started playing the game but seems to be mastering it amazingly well and very quickly.� He�s 7 feet tall but he�s got a big wing span and he�s got a knack for rebounding and blocking shots.� I�m not saying this guy is next Olajuwon� I�m just saying I�ve heard the beginning to this story before� and I�m intrigued by it.

 

4. Aaron Gray, Jr., Pittsburgh, 7�0�, 270

He might be the only guy in this draft that has one true position and that�s it.� At 7 feet, 270� he�s a center and that�s it.� He�s going to be a hard worker who hits the boards hard.� But where he was able to muscle people around in college, it�s going to be much harder for him to do in the NBA.� His coordination and quickness need a lot of work� so while the rest of his team is practicing, he�ll be better suited doing agility drills off in the corner.

 

5. Kevin Pittsnogle, Sr., West Virginia, 6�11�, 255

Pittsnogle is a Brad Miller type of player who is more comfortable 15 feet from the hoop.� But where Miller can crash the boards and bang down low, Pittsnogle is not exactly a force closer to the basket.� He has a future because he�s big and he can shoot well� and he has the desire to improve.� However, his future might be more as a 4 man who will draw players away from the middle than as a back to the basket center.� In the end, he might end up being more Raef LaFrentz than Brad Miller.