Barring any change of collective
heart, the Toronto Raptors are expected to make Italian seven-footer Andrea
Bargnani the first selection in the NBA Draft Wednesday night in New York
City.
Bargnani, according to multiple league sources,
apparently won out over LaMarcus Aldridge (Texas), Rudy Gay (Connecticut), Tyrus Thomas (LSU), Adam Morrison (Gonzaga)
and Brandon Roy (Washington) as the Raptors’ evaluators and decision makers
spent the better part of two months trying to determine who they would
select.
A little less clear is the likely decision of
the Chicago Bulls, who will be on-deck while Toronto makes its choice.
The Bulls were supposedly trying to decide
between Aldridge and Thomas as Tuesday night morphed into Wednesday morning in
Chicago.
Here are the first-round selections
in my final mock draft before NBA Commissioner David Stern kicks everything off
by reading the first name and shaking the first hand on stage Wednesday
night:
(*Heights and weights as recorded by the NBA
during the Pre-Draft Camp in Orlando)
1. Raptors, Andrea Bargnani (7-0, 240)
Italy
Frank Says: If I’ve making this pick, I’m going for Rudy
Gay or Brandon Roy.
2. Bulls, LaMarcus Aldridge (*6-10, 234)
Texas
Frank Says: He could give
Chicago a
semblance of a low-post offensive attack – finally. But Tyrus Thomas is also
still a viable option here. If the Bulls go for the LSU product, Aldridge would
likely land with either Portland,
Atlanta or
Minnesota.
3. Bobcats, Rudy Gay (*6-7, 222)
Connecticut
Frank Says: Many NBA insiders think
Charlotte could
opt for Adam Morrison instead.
4. Trail Blazers, Adam Morrison
(*6-6 ½, 198) Gonzaga
Frank Says: The only way this pick gets a bit dicey is if
Aldridge is still on the board.
5. Hawks, Brandon Roy (*6-5 ¼, 207)
Washington
Frank Says: The speculation of many is that
Atlanta picks
him for Houston and
gets the rights to Shelden Williams and other considerations (Luther Head?) in
return.
6. Timberwolves, Tyrus Thomas (*6-7
¼, 217) LSU
Frank Says:
Minnesota would
probably pick Randy Foye if Thomas doesn’t slip this
far.
7. Celtics, Randy Foye (6-2 ¼, 212)
Villanova
Frank Says: It’s hard to take the speculation of
Boston
trading the No. 7 slot to Portland for
Sebastian Telfair seriously with the possibility that the Celtics could have
Foye – or maybe even Brandon Roy – with the
pick.
8. Rockets, Shelden Williams (*6-7
½, 258) Duke
Frank Says:
Atlanta
appears to be his ultimate destination.
9. Warriors, Marcus Williams (*6-2, 215)
Connecticut
Frank Says: He could be Baron Davis’ running mate – or
insurance policy – if Davis is
sidelined a lot again next season.
10. Sonics, Cedric Simmons (*6-8 ½, 223)
North Carolina
State
Frank Says:
Seattle could
be tempted by another power forward – Hilton Armstrong – as
well.
11. Magic, J.J. Redick (*6-4, 190)
Duke
Frank Says: His jump shots should create a little for
space for Dwight Howard to operate in the
lane.
12. Hornets, Hilton Armstrong (6-9 ½, 240)
Connecticut
Frank Says: He’d give New Orleans/Oklahoma a rebounding
and shot-blocking force in the mold of a one-time Byron Scott teammate with the
Lakers – Elden Campbell.
13. 76ers, Kyle Lowry (5-11 ¾, 175)
Villanova
Frank Says: When in doubt and in search of a point guard,
go “local” if that’s a viable option.
14. Jazz, Thabo Sefolosha (6-6, 220)
Switzerland
Frank Says: The way his stock is sizzling, if there was
another week before the draft, he might climb into the Top
Five.
15. Hornets, Rodney Carney (*6-4 ½, 204)
Memphis
Frank Says: Carney (or, perhaps Quincy Douby) could give
the team a dangerous perimeter scorer.
16. Bulls, Ronnie Brewer (*6-5 ¾, 223)
Arkansas
Frank Says: After Roy (and, perhaps Sefolosha), he is the
most versatile perimeter player in the draft
pool.
17. Pacers, Patrick O’Bryant
(*6-11, 249) Bradley
Frank Says: He’d probably slip this far if
Golden
State (at
nine) or New
Orleans (at
12) doesn’t select him.
18. Wizards, Rajon Rondo (6-1 ½, 175)
Kentucky
Frank Says: He could free Gilbert Arenas from a lot of
his point-guard responsibilities.
19. Kings, Quincy Douby (6-2, 160) Rutgers
Frank Says: Some NBA insiders believe he is the best
“scorer” in this draft.
20. Knicks, Shawne Williams (*6-7 ¼, 227)
Memphis
Frank Says: There are some scenarios in which Williams is
chosen before his former teammate Rodney
Carney.
21. Suns, Mouhamed Saer Sene (*6-11, 237)
Senegal
Frank Says: He’s the best shot blocker in the draft but
his offensive skills couldn’t be any more unrefined. Some scouts think he is a
few years older than his listed 20.
22. Nets, James White (6-7, 205)
Cincinnati
Frank Says:
Quincy Douby
would be tough for New
Jersey to
pass on if he were still available here.
23. Nets, Josh Boone (6-9, 235)
Connecticut
Frank Says: Alexander Johnson is also a “big” option with
this selection.
24. Grizzlies, Alexander Johnson (6-8, 235)
Florida State
Frank Says: Jordan Farmar could be the choice, if
Memphis
decides it wants a point guard here.
25. Cavaliers, Shannon Brown (6-2, 190)
Michigan State
Frank Says: Brown could be reunited with his former camp
and traveling team buddy, LeBron James.
26. Lakers, Jordan Farmar (6-0 ¾,
171) UCLA
Frank Says:
Los
Angeles had
him in for a second workout Tuesday.
27. Suns, Sergio Rodriguez (6-3, 170)
Spain
Frank Says: He could spell Steve Nash for 10 minutes or
so every game – and maybe be his ultimate
replacement.
28. Mavericks, Olexsiy Percherov (6-10, 225)
Ukraine
Frank Says: He’d give
Dallas
another big forward with versatile offensive
skills.
29. Knicks, Maurice Ager (*6-3 ¼, 203)
Michigan State
Frank Says: Does Isiah Thomas want another perimeter
scorer? If so, this could be the direction the franchise goes with this
selection.
30. Trail Blazers, Ryan Hollins
(7-0, 240) UCLA
Frank Says: He finally blossomed over the final couple of
months of his college career and he could be rewarded handsomely for his
efforts.
Others who could get into first round:
Paul Davis (6-10, 240) Michigan State; Marcus Vinicius (6-9, 230) Brazil;
Leon Powe (6-7, 240) Cal; Dee Brown (5-11, 175) Illinois; Daniel Gibson (6-2,
175) Texas; Steve Novak (6-9, 220) Marquette; Guillermo Diaz (6-2, 180) Miami;
Joel Freeland (6-10, 220) England; P.J. Tucker (6-5, 225) Texas.
Inducted into the USBWA Hall of
Fame in April, 2005, Frank Burlison is Scout.com’s national basketball expert and is
also a columnist for the Long Beach (Calif.) Press-Telegram. He can be reached at
frank.burlison@presstelegram.com. Read more of Burlison’s pieces at
www.frankhoops.com