NBA mock draft: Updated first round
By Rick Bonnell
McClatchy Newspaper
Here's a mock draft of Thursday's NBA draft.
This mock draft reflects the Pacers-Raptors trade, Bobcats-Nuggets trade, Hornets-Trail Blazers trade.
1. Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose, Memphis guard: How does this affect Ben Gordon's impending free agency?
2. Miami Heat, Michael Beasley, Kansas State forward: Just because they draft him doesn't mean they'll keep him.
3. Minnesota Timberwolves, O.J. Mayo, Southern Cal., guard: Rashad McCants could become extraneous here.
4. Seattle Supersonics, Russell Westbrook, UCLA guard: A bit of a risk, but he's a guard with size who plays great defense.
5. Memphis Grizzlies, Kevin Love, UCLA forward: Hurting as they are inside, Love has the chance for instant impact here.
6. New York Knicks, Danilo Gallinari, Italian pro forward: New coach Mike D'Antoni is comfortable with International players.
7. Los Angeles Clippers, Eric Gordon, Indiana guard: They can use another wing scorer, with Corey Maggette's status in doubt.
8. Milwaukee Bucks, Joe Alexander, West Virginia forward: Has great athleticism and the Bucks need everything but power forwards.
9. Charlotte Bobcats, Jerryd Bayless, Arizona guard: No question this team needs another point guard under contract.
10. New Jersey Nets, Brook Lopez, Stanford center: The Nets need to stabilize their inside game.
11. Indiana Pacers, Anthony Randolph, LSU forward: Trading for T.J. Ford solves Pacers' point-guard problem.
12. Sacramento Kings, D.J. Augustin, Texas guard: This is a fall-back plan in case Beno Udrih leaves via free agency.
13. Portland Trail Blazers, DeAndre Jordan, Texas A&M center: Blazers have so much young talent, they can wait for him to figure it out.
14. Golden State Warriors, Brandon Rush, Kansas guard: One of the more ready-to-play prospects in this draft.
15. Phoenix Suns, Robin Lopez, Stanford forward: Not as polished offensively as his brother, but still a keeper.
16. Philadelphia 76ers, Darrell Arthur, Kansas forward: Might not be a starter, but he'll quickly fit into a rotation.
17. Indiana, Nicolas Batum, French pro forward: This is a shot in the dark following Wednesday's trade with Toronto.
18. Washington Wizards, Roy Hibbert, Georgetown center: With Etan Thomas's heart condition, they need alternatives at center.
19. Cleveland Cavaliers, Kosta Koufos, Ohio State center: It makes great sense for the Cavs to deal this pick for veteran help.
20. Charlotte Bobcats, Donte Greene, Syracuse forward: Hibbert makes sense if he's there or Nos. 9 and 20 could become one higher pick.
21. New Jersey Nets, Mario Chalmers, Kansas guard: They're disenchanted with backup point guard Marcus Williams.
22. Orlando Magic, Marreese Speights, Florida forward/center: Could use a more conventional power forward to back up Hedo Turkoglu.
23. Utah Jazz, JaVale McGee, Nevada center: Jazz is a team that has always valued a lot of big men.
24. Seattle Supersonics, Jason Thompson, Rider center: An exceptionally productive big man from a smaller conference.
25. Houston Rockets, J.J. Hickson, N.C. State center-forward: A true back-to-the-basket scorer is more valuable in the pros than college.
26. San Antonio Spurs, Alexis Ajinca, French pro center: International players have been good to the Spurs (Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili).
27. Portland Trail Blazers, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis guard: Blazers acquired this pick from Hornets, and it could be moved again.
28. Memphis Grizzlies, Ryan Anderson, California forward: A jump-shooting forward in the mold of Austin Croshere.
29. Detroit Pistons, D.J. White, Indiana forward: The Pistons are leaning toward the best big man left on the board.
30. Boston Celtics, Joey Dorsey, Memphis forward: An active, tough guy with some size to add to the champions' depth.