1. Michael Beasley – Beasley will be able to score and rebound right away.
2. Greg Oden – Don’t forget about Oden, who missed his rookie year.
3. OJ Mayo – Should score right away with the Grizzlies.
4. Derrick Rose – Expect him to start slow and then come on strong.
5. Rudy Fernandez – Expect him produce great numbers if a starter.
6. Kevin Love – Love has a very developed game and should shine.
7. Eric Gordon – Could score by the dozens with the Clippers.
8. Jerryd Bayless – The Blazers have three top rookies in the top ten.
9. Brandon Rush – Should …read more

With the 2008 NBA Draft approximately a week away, here’s our updated mock draft. A number of players pulled out of the draft, including Chase Budinger and Ty Lawson, which changed the dynamics of the draft a bit — especially late in the first round.
1. Chicago Bulls – Derrick Rose
2. Miami Heat – Michael Beasley
3. Minnesota Timberwolves – OJ Mayo
4. Seattle Supersonics – Jerryd Bayless
5. Memphis Grizzlies – Kevin Love
6. New York Knicks – DJ Augustin
7. Los Angeles Clippers – Russell Westbrook
8. Milwaukee Bucks – Joe Alexander
9. Charlotte Bobcats – Brook Lopez
10. New Jersey Nets – Danilo …read more

Although AJ Abrams declared for the 2008 NBA Draft, most draft experts believe that Abrams will end up returning to the University of Texas. While Abrams is a solid talent, he isn’t a first round prospect at this point. If he returns to Texas, his stock will likely rise enough for him to be a legitimate prospect in the 2009 NBA Draft.
Size is the biggest concern for Abrams. At 5-foot-11 and 155 pounds, Abrams is one of the tinniest draft prospects in recent history. What compounds that problem is that he hasn’t shown much of an …read more

While there are a lot of point guards in the 2008 NBA Draft, DJ Augustin is unique in many ways. The University of Texas point guard is expected to be drafted at some point in the first round, most likely between picks 12 and 20.
The first thing you notice about Augustin is his size – or lack thereof. At 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Augustin is a tiny NBA prospect. While he’s not going to get any taller, he could help himself by adding some strength and muscle to his frame.
What NBA scouts like about Augustin is his point guard ability. …read more

There might not be a prospect in the 2008 NBA Draft as polarizing as DeAndre Jordan. Jordan, who played only one season at Texas A&M, wasn’t too impressive in college. However, NBA teams are salivating over his combination of size and athleticism.
At 7-feet and 250 pounds, Jordan definitely has the size to be a center in the NBA. And 19-years-old, Jordan will undoubtedly get bigger and stronger. A number of scouts believe he’s the best true center prospect in the 2008 draft.
On the other hand, there are a number of scouts who aren’t convinced he’s anything more than a project …read more

Teams looking for a superstar in the 2008 NBA Draft will consider drafting Anthony Randolph. Randolph, who played only one year at LSU, still has a lot of growing up to do but there are signs that he may become a superstar in the future.
In his freshman season at LSU, he had extremely impressive stats. Randolph averaged 15.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. If he were to stay in school, there’s no question that Randolph would have been one of the best players in college basketball next season.
Randolph’s size and length has scouts salivating. At 6-foot-10 with …read more

While the NBA lottery order hasn’t been determined yet, here is how I see the draft going if the most statistically likely teams ended up with the top picks.
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1. Miami Heat – Derrick Rose
While Michael Beasley is a great prospect, the Heat desperately need a point guard to put next to Dwyane Wade. Derrick Rose would work perfectly with the Heat.
2. Seattle Supersonics – Michael Beasley
Michael Beasley, Kevin Durant and Jeff Green would give the Supersonics an amazing swingman rotation. That threesome would be able to grow up together and …read more

After entering the season as the nations most ballyhooed freshman, OJ Mayo was under a lot of pressure to perform at USC. Although he played relatively well, critics were in full force nitpicking every aspect of his game. However, NBA scouts are still high on Mayo and he’s still viewed as a lottery pick.
Many had Mayo pegged as the number one pick in the 2008 NBA Draft before the season started. Now, Mayo is expected to be a top five pick. He may drop a bit but don’t expect him to drop out of the top ten. In fact, Mayo …read more

Chase Budinger is an interesting prospect in the 2008 NBA Draft. A year he was thought to be a lottery level talent. However, after a so-so sophomore season, Budinger’s stock has slipped a bit. Right now, it appears as if Budinger will be picked between 12 and 20.
The good news for Budinger is he’ll no doubt be a top 20 pick. On athleticism alone, a team will take a chance on him. At 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds, Budinger is a very springy athlete who has shown a good amount of skill in his time at Arizona.
The downside to his game …read more

As March Madness reaches the Final Four, Derrick Rose is arguably the most talented player still alive in the tournament. The Memphis freshman has an extremely bright future ahead of him in the NBA.
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Rose has all the needed abilities to be a high-end point guard in the NBA. His dramatic improvement over the course of the season at Memphis has shown how much he’s willing to work on his game. With Michael Beasley likely going number one, Rose is a no-brainer at number two.
And really, Rose could conceivably be the …read more