Jun 20 2009
NBA Draft: Cream of the Crop for 2009
The 2009 NBA Draft is fast approaching and will take place this Thursday. You can watch the draft unfold live on ESPN. I know most NBA fans will be watching this on Thursday to see if their favorite NBA team gets a good player or someone they have had a chance to see. Many mock drafts are floating around the Net right now and they do vary quite a bit in some cases. It is a little difficult to get a clear picture on which guys might be the “cream of the crop” in this year’s draft class.
I did get a chance to watch a lot of college basketball this past season and I did see some guys that will develop on the next level. I think this year’s draft class is an average one and there is some pretty good talent on the board. The Atlanta Hawks will have to wait a couple of hours before they select their first pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. They currently have the 19th pick and if the Hawks don’t trade the pick, I do see them getting a descent player at number 19. I think the Atlanta Hawks would be better off to trade the pick for a future 1st rounder. I think there is enough talent on the Hawk’s team now and they really don’t have a roster spot to give a young guy; that would need major minutes on the floor to develop properly.
If the Hawks don’t find a team willing to trade a future 1st round pick for their first round pick this year; I do think they can get a player that will help them this year. Instead of focusing on the 19th pick, I figured I would just list my guys in the order I see from best to worse. The Atlanta Hawks organization can use my draft board as another tool for their draft day decision. I will list the best players I see out there and the guys I view as the cream of the crop.
1 - Blake Griffin
2 - Ricky Rubio
3 - Tyreke Evans
4 - Demar DeRozan
5 - James Harden
6 - Stephen Curry
7 - Hasheem Thabeet
8 - Brandon Jennings
9 - Jonny Flynn
10 - James Johnson
11 - Gerald Henderson
12 - Jrue Holiday
13 - Jeff Teague
14 - Eric Maynor
15 - B.J. Mullens
16 - Tyler Hansbrough
17 - Earl Clark
18 - Ty Lawson
19 - Jodie Meeks
20 - Wayne Ellington
21 - Terrence Williams
22 - Derrick Brown
23 - DaJuan Summers
24 - Chase Budinger
25 - Darren Collison
I think these are the best 25 players in the country. I would love to take these 25 young men and go to an island for a few years and leave that island with the best 12. I think in 3 years of time on that island, I could bring back the best 12 and make the NBA playoffs. I see a lot of good things in these players and each one will bring their own unique talents to their new NBA teams. This isn’t my 2009 mock draft list. This is a list of the 25 best players in the basketball draft this year and they are ranked in order from best to worse as I view them. Perhaps you would rank them differently and not have the same order as my list. You probably see a player that I didn’t mention and you would consider them a top 25 player.
Who will the Atlanta Hawks pick in the 2009 NBA Draft?
Ok, let’s just say the Hawks stay put at number 19 in the first round. Looking at the way the mock drafts have gone and which players may be available; I would think the Atlanta Hawks would be most likely to draft one of these 3 players:
1. Jodie Meeks - Yes this is the guy that I put at number 19 and I knew Hawks fans would be focusing on that spot the most. I think Atlanta will draft this kid out of Kentucky and he is leaving after his junior year. He did well for 2 years, but had a monster junior year as a Wildcat. His individual game scoring record he set at Kentucky with 54 points in one game; shows this guy is ready for the big stage. Meeks would instantly be a fan favorite; since most basketball fans in Georgia is aware of his high school days in Norcross, Georgia. I think this would be the best player to take for the Hawks this year and he would help them this year. This guy can shoot the rock and will be a great scorer at the next level. I can’t see the Atlanta Hawks passing on this guy if he is available at 19.
2. Ty Lawson - A super fast point guard that led the North Carolina Tar Heels to a National Championship last year in college basketball. It doesn’t look like we will ever see Speedy Claxton playing big minutes for the Hawks and Lawson gives us a chance to see what we have been missing. Acie Law did well in the 2nd half of the season last year with his ability to drive and dish the ball to other players. I think that extra gear that Ty Lawson brings to the table will make him a more attractive option. Lawson will develop nicely on the next level and I wouldn’t mind seeing that development in a Hawks uniform. He does have the skills and basketball IQ to help the Hawks this season and he would be a great selection at number 19. Some mock drafts have his teammate Wayne Ellington going to the Atlanta Hawks and he would be a nice addition too. I believe if both Tar Heel players are on the board when the Hawks make their pick in the first round, they will favor Ty Lawson over Wayne Ellington.
3. Eric Maynor - A senior PG that is 6′ 3″ would help the Atlanta Hawks next season. This is what Maynor brings to the table. The draft is loaded with good point guards, but most of them are about 6 feet tall and I think the 6 foot 3 inch guys will have a little more attention on them this year. Jrue Holiday from UCLA is a younger player and he is also 6′ 3″. I think Holiday would be a better choice, since he does have a higher upside than Maynor does. I can’t see Holiday making it down to number 19 in this draft, so I expect him to be on another NBA team this year. It is possible that Maynor will be available when the Hawks are on the clock and he would be a great pick at number 19. I can see this guy in a Hawks uniform and he would be a great upgrade in the backcourt for this team and that will be addressed with their top pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.
What if all 3 guys are available when the Atlanta Hawks make their 2009 draft pick?
That might be a stressful decision to make if all 3 of these guys were available. However, it would be the situation most GM’s would want. Instead of taking away your options, you would have your choice on the player you like the most. I think I would still choose Meeks over the other 2 players. Maynor would be my 2nd choice if all 3 guys were still on the board. I would hate to pass on any one of these great guards, but there is a slight chance that none of these guys would be available. If this was to happen; then the Hawks might take a bigger player at 19, but I think at least one of these 3 guards will still be available. In what order would you rank Jodie Meeks, Eric Maynor, and Ty Lawson?
2009 NBA Draft will be shown on ESPN this Thursday (June 25th)
Griffin-great player, to bad Clippers are going to ruin his career
Rubio-good, but you have to buyout his contract from his Euroleague if you take him
Evans-no real position, will probably be like Dwayne Wade but play point
DeRozan-#4? Seriously?
Harden-has the tools to be a star, they just need to be developed
Curry-a shooter. No defense, No athleticism, No driving ability, just a
shooter with some pg skills
Thabeet-huge defensive force, will shine in OKC with Durant
Jennings-3rd best pg in draft
Flynn-2nd best pg in draft (Rubio #1)
Johnson-see Harden
Henderson-next Duke nba bust (ex s. williams, laettner, battier)
Holiday-no good in college, and he played in the PAC10!
Teague-perfect for a high-paced team such as the Knicks
Maynor-good pg skills, pure scorer, clutch. Just needs a team to play him
Mullens-struggled in the Big 10, but occasionaly showed potential
Hansbrough-cant shoot, cant jump, just a high-energy guy. Will either be a huge bust or a good player coming off the bench
Clark-will probably end up as a nice role player for somebody
Lawson-see Teagaue
Meeks-you’ve lost it. You can’t be a good NBA guard if you can’t dribble or play defense. Just ask JJ Reddick
Ellington-smaller version of Evans, will be an Iverson-model point
Williams-could be the next Turkoglu
Brown-good rebounder, very athletic, hardworking, improving; but he’s undersized and still not much of a shooter
Summers-poor handles, poor shot selection; but a good shooter, proven winner, and physically gifted. High risk/reward
Budinger-2nd best player on Arizona, athletic and a good shooter; will need to work on handles and defense some though
Collison-great defender, good passer, fast, makes good descisions, good work ethic; but he’s very small and weak and is overpowered by bigger guys like Derrick Rose
Why aren’t guys like Jordan Hill, Sam Young, Dajuan Blair, and Danny Green on this list? All 4 are better than many of the players on the list (cough cough Jrue Holiday cough cough)
And as for your question at the end-Maynor, Lawson, Meeks
I think Meeks is like Michael Redd for Milwaukee or will develop into that type of player. I’m not on the Joe Johnson band wagon in Atlanta and think the Hawks need a more consistent 2 guard and Meeks would have filled that void.
I do agree with most of what you said and thanks for giving so much imput on each player.
Young and Blair are big question marks and if they do prove to be solid NBA players; then no one will be surprised. If they don’t ever develop in the NBA; then no one will be surprised. These two fine young men shouldn’t have dropped so far, but most teams like to gamble for someone that could be a star type player and neither one of these guys provide that high ceiling.
Jordan Hill and Danny Green…..I do not know enough about them and they may be top 25 players in this latest NBA draft.
Overall I saw about 20 players in this draft that were solid and probably 12 to 15 will turn out that way. All the players taken in the 2nd round will probably not amount to much, but odds say that 2 to 3 will be solid players in the next 3 to 4 years in the NBA.