2008 NBA Mock Draft (With Explanations)

1. Chicago - Derrick Rose (6’3’’, PG, Memphis, Fresh.)
Simply put, Derrick Rose is the best prospect in this draft. He has a chance to be a special point guard in the vein of a more athletic Jason Kidd. Chicago will toy with Beasley, but at the end of the day they make the right, smart pick and take a future star point guard.

2. Miami - Michael Beasley (6’8’’, PF, Kansas State, Fresh.)
Michael Beasley will go #2 in this draft, but who will be doing the picking? I suspect Seattle ends up moving up here to snag Beasley. Miami is more than willing to drop a few spots if they can dump Mark Blount and his atrocious contract in the process. If Miami stays put, they likely swallow hard and take Beasley even though they are not in love with him.

3. Minnesota - OJ Mayo (6’4’’, SG, USC, Fresh.)
Minnesota will toy with the idea of taking a big man here (Love or Lopez) or a trade to move down. If they stay put, they almost definitely take the USC combo guard here. The bigger need is for a center, and in my opinion, the smarter pick is Lopez. But, Mayo’s upside will likely be too hard to pass over.

4. Seattle - Brook Lopez (7’0’’, C, Stanford, Soph.)
Bayless has been penciled in here as long as I can remember, but he is falling slightly here lately. I still think Seattle moves up to #2, but if they do not, look for them to nab a much needed man in the middle. Brook Lopez may lack upside, but he is ready to play now. Partnering him with Jeff Green and Kevin Durant makes Seattle’s frontcourt solid for a long, long time.

5. Memphis - Eric Gordon (6’3’’, SG, Indiana, Fresh.)
They need a power forward in the worst way, but Love and Randolph are just too much of a reach here. Memphis will put their need for a big man on hold until the 28th pick and take Gordon. Eric Gordon will fit perfectly in Memphis’ soon-to-be up tempo style and his defense will be a welcome sight in Memphis.

6. New York - Jerryd Bayless (6’3’’, PG, Arizona, Fresh.)
Long thought to be a lock in the top 5 picks, Bayless will be a welcome sight for Knicks fans when he falls to #6. They will toy with the idea of taking Westbrook, Gallinari, or Alexander here. At the end of the day however, Bayless is too good of a fit in D’Antoni’s system and New York needs a point guard too bad to Bayless pass up.

7. LA Clippers - Russell Westbrook (6‘3‘’, SG, UCLA, Soph.)
4 combo guards in 5 picks, what is the draft coming to? The Clippers need a guard desperately, and while they have made no secret of their desire to move up and nab Mayo, if they stay at #7 they will have little choice but to grab the 2nd best combo guard in Los Angeles.

8. Milwaukee - Joe Alexander (6'8'', SF, West Virginia, Jr.)
Milwaukee needs a small forward and they need toughness. Joe Alexander will fill both those voids. Milwaukee is a tough team to gauge, as they could go a lot of different ways with this pick. Randolph and Gallinari will be in the mix, but they will ultimately settle on a player more ready to contribute from day one.

9. Charlotte - Kevin Love (6’9’’, PF, UCLA, Fresh.)
Kevin Love is a Larry Brown player if there has ever been one. He is smart, tough, fundamentally sound, and even went to UCLA. Considering the big man void in Charlotte, if Love can not find minutes here, then no rookie will ever find any with Brown.

10. New Jersey - Danilo Gallinari (6’9’’, SF, Italy)
Danilo has been long thought to have a promise here with the Nets. Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t, but he is simply too good to fall past this pick. New Jersey has no huge need, so they are in a good position to take the best player available. Gallinari is certain that, and he is a steal at #10.

11. Indiana - DJ Augustin (5’11’’, PG, Texas, Soph.)
Auggy going to Indy has been one of the easiest picks to project for as long as I can remember. He is a true point guard who will excel in O’Brien’s up tempo system. If the Jermaine O’Neal to the Raptors trade does not happen, Augustin will be the #11 pick. If that trade does go through however, look for Indy to look for a big man here. Perhaps DeAndre Jordan or even Roy Hibbert.

12. Sacramento - Robin Lopez (7’0’’, PF, Stanford, Soph.)
The Kings will take a power forward here, the question is which one. Any of a number of big men could be selected with this pick, but Lopez brings the defense and rebounding that they will need to pair with Spencer Hawes’ refined offensive game.

13. Portland - Alexis Ajinca (7’0’’, PF, France)
Portland will probably trade this pick and move up for Westbrook or Alexander, or out of the first round completely. If they stay put, they will do what they usually do, make a bold upside pick. Ajinca has a ton of talent and has turned a lot of heads the last month or so. Portland loves to take waivers on foreign players and this looks like a great chance to since they can not fill their needs by getting a point guard or small forward without severely reaching.

14. Golden State - Donte Greene (6’9’’, SF, Syracuse, Fresh.)
Greene was born to play in this system. He will take a while to develop, but his upside is out of this world. Golden State needs a swing man for the future and Greene has the talent to be an all star in this league if he can make his game match his skills.

15. Phoenix - Brandon Rush (6'7'', SG, Kansas, Jr.)
The Suns are in a win now mentality and Rush is one of the safest picks in the draft. They don’t know what exactly they will get out of Grant Hill at this point, so this is the perfect chance to nab a rotation guy who can play both the shooting guard and small forward positions.

16. Philadelphia - Anthony Randolph (6’10’’, PF, LSU, Fresh.)
Not a perfect fit in Philly, but too talented to fall any further. Philly is a young team and they can wait for Randolph to develop. It was not long ago that Randolph was a top 5 pick, but poor workouts and a complete lack of strength have many teams unsure how long it will be before he can contribute.

17. Toronto - Roy Hibbert (7’2’’, C, Georgetown, Sr.)
Toronto has long needed to add a big tough center to play next to Bosh. They do not get any bigger than Hibbert. Once thought to be a top 10 pick, his lack of upside has caused him to fall. He will play and play well from day one though, and his size and toughness will be a sight for sore eyes in Toronto.

18. Washington - Darrell Arthur (6‘9“, PF, Kansas, Soph.)
With Jamison possibly leaving town, Arthur would be an perfect pick for the Wizards. A big time steal at #18, Arthur has all the skills to be a top NBA power forward. He would have benefited greatly by going back to school and proving he could be a go to guy. His loss is Washington’s gain.

19. Cleveland - Kosta Koufos (7'0'', C, Ohio State, Fresh.)
Big Z is not getting any younger and Varejao is not getting any better offensively. Cleveland needs a skilled young big man in the worse way. Enter Ohio native and friend of LeBron, Kosta Koufos. Koufos was once a top 5 pick, and it is easy to see why. There is very little this guy can not do on the court and his shooting ability and shot blocking will help Cleveland immensely.

20. Denver - Mario Chalmers (6’2’’, PG, Kansas, Jr.)
Denver needs a point guard more than any team in the league and they have no other way to get one except via the draft. Chalmers once was thought to be a reach this high, but now he may be gone by this point. He can play right away and has had very good workouts. If Chalmers is off the board, look for Denver to go big or trade this pick.

21. New Jersey - DeAndre Jordan (6’11’’, C, Texas A&M, Fresh.)
Gallinari and Jordan make New Jersey the biggest winners of this draft, having gotten 2 top 5 talents at #10 and #21. Jordan’s questionable work ethic and average freshman year caused his stock to plummet, but make no mistake, this kid has the size and talent to be an elite NBA big man. Can he put it all together and put in the work to be great? Who knows, but at #21, it is a gamble worth taking.

22. Orlando - Courtney Lee (6'5'', SG, Western Kentucky, Sr.)
Otis Smith’s love of Courtney Lee has not been a well kept secret. Unless a guy like Koufos or Rush happens to fall in the Magic’s lap here, they will take Lee and call it a day. No player has helped himself more in the workout period than Lee, who has outplayed pretty much everyone. Lee has been so good in workouts that bigger guys like DJ White were having trouble scoring on him in the post.

23. Utah - Marreese Speights (6’10’’, PF, Florida, Soph.)
A simply case of best player available lands Speights in Salt Lake City. He has a ton of talent and Utah has been looking to add some size this off season. Jason Thompson and JaVale McGee are also options here.

24. Seattle - Nicolas Batum (6’8’’, SG, France)
Seattle got their center at#4 and now will spend the rest of the draft adding guards and Euros. Batum fills both those categories. With health questions apparently answered, Batum is back working out again. His size and willingness to be a role player make him an ideal fit in Seattle.

25. Houston - JaVale McGee (7‘0‘’, C, Nevada, Soph.)
Houston has no great needs, but considering Yao’s injury issues, grooming another young center just in case is not a terrible idea. McGee has a ton of talent and could end up being a steal at this spot.

26. San Antonio - Serge Ibaka (6'10'', PF, Congo)
The Spurs take a draft and stash player every year late in the draft. Even though they got burnt by Tiago Splitter last year, they will continue to do what they do. Ibaka is a high upside guy who is super raw and super athletic. Another couple years in Europe may make his the steal of this draft.

27. New Orleans - Chris Douglas-Roberts (6'7'', SG, Memphis, Jr.)
New Orleans’ wing players are not getting any younger (Peja and MoPete). CDR will fit perfect next to Chris Paul in the Hornets backcourt.

28. Memphis - JJ Hickson (6‘9‘’, PF, North Carolina State, Fresh.)
Memphis grabs a lottery level talent this late in Hickson. Another year in college would have done him wonders, but he is a very skilled player that will fit well into Memphis’ long term plans…assuming they have any.

29. Detroit - Bill Walker (6’6’’, SG, Kansas State, Soph.)
It has been a foregone conclusion for a month now that Bill Walker had a promise here. It is easy to see why considering Detroit’s need for a backup small forward and Walker’s talent level if he can stay healthy. Mayo’s one time running mate was well on his way to being a lottery pick before the injury bug bit him.

30. Boston - Jason Thompson (6’10’’, PF, Rider, Sr.)
There is no real reason Thompson should fall this far. He is a very good player, but someone has to fall in every draft. Boston will grab him gladly and let him backup Kendrick Perkins.

31. Minnesota - Ryan Anderson (6’10’’, PF, California, Soph.)
32. Seattle - Kyle Weaver (6’5’’, SG, Washington State, Sr.)
33. Portland - Ante Tomic (7’1’’, C, Croatia)
34. Minnesota - Nathan Jawai (6’10’’, C, Australia)
35. LA Clippers - Gary Forbes (6’6’’, SG, UMass, Sr.)
36. Portland - George Hill (6’2’’, PG, IUPUI, Jr.)
37. Milwaukee - Jamont Gordon (6’4’’, PG, Mississippi State, Jr.)
38. Charlotte - DeVon Hardin (6’11’’, C, California, Sr.)
39. Chicago - Nikola Pekovic (6'11'', PF, Serbia)
40. New Jersey - Omer Asik (7’0’’, C, Turkey)
41. Indiana - DJ White (6’8’’, PF, Indiana, Sr.)
42. Sacramento - Mike Taylor (6’2’’, SG, NBDL)
43. Seattle - Semih Erden (7'0'', C, Turkey)
44. Golden State - Sonny Weems (6’6’’, SG, Arkansas, Sr.)
45. Sacramento - Damjan Rudez (6’10’’, SF, Croatia)
46. Utah - Goran Dragic (6’4’’, PG, Slovenia)
47. San Antonio - Richard Hendrix (6’8’’, PF, Alabama, Jr.)
48. Washington - Walter Sharpe (6’9’’, PF, UAB, Soph.)
49. Phoenix - Joey Dorsey (6’7’’, PF, Memphis, Sr.)
50. Seattle - JR Giddens (6’5’’, SG, New Mexico, Sr.)
51. Dallas - Shan Foster (6’6’’, SG, Vanderbilt, Sr.)
52. Miami - Trent Plaisted (6'11'', C, BYU, Jr.)
53. Utah - Pat Calathes (6’10’’, SF, St. Josephs, Sr.)
54. Houston - Davon Jefferson (6’6’’, SF, USC, Fresh.)
55. Portland - Anton Ponkrashov (6’7’’, PG, Russia)
56. Seattle - Will Daniels (6’8’’, SF, Rhode Island, Sr.)
57. San Antonio - Marcus Dove (6’9’’, SF, Oklahoma State, Sr.)
58. LA Lakers - Malik Hairston (6’6’’, SF, Oregon, Sr.)
59. Detroit - Darnell Jackson (6’8’’, PF, Kansas, Sr.)
60. Boston - Othello Hunter (6’8’’, PF, Ohio State, Sr.)