With the 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament finally concluded, it's time to look forward to June's NBA Draft. Several players, like North Carolina Guard, Ty Lawson, made a name for themselves in the tournament. While Blake Griffin is still the hands-down favorite to be the top overall pick, there's a lot of wiggle room after that.
1. Sacramento Kings selects PF Blake Griffin, Oklahoma -- He's the best player in the draft without question. Griffin combines size, toughness, strength and athleticism with a lot of skill and grit. He has a very good chance of making a giant splash in the NBA. NBA Comparison: Carlos Boozer
2. Washington Wizards selects PG Ricky Rubio, International -- Rubio may not declare this year, but if he does, the Wizards ought to strongly consider him. Though they need a big man, Rubio's upside is tremendous. He's like Steve Nash with defense. If Rubio doesn't declare, expect the Wizards to select either Jordan Hill or Hasheem Thabeet. NBA Comparison: Steve Nash.
3. LA Clippers selects PF Jordan Hill, Arizona -- Jordan Hill has the athleticism and work ethic to be a nice fit alongside Thornton, Kaman and Gordon. NBA Comparison: Poor man's Chris Bosh.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder selects C Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut -- This pick would make a lot of sense. Thunder GM, Sam Presti, comes from the San Antonio Spurs train of thought that defense wins championships. That's what prompted this group to select Jeff Green a couple years ago, and Russell Westbrook last year. Thabeet may not have a lot of offense to his game, but his defense is excellent. NBA Comparison: Dikembe Mutombo.
5. Minnesota Timberwolves selects SG James Harden, Arizona -- The Wolves have sufficient size, minus a shot blocker, in Al Jefferson and Kevin Love, and combo Guard, Randy Foye, continues to show promise. Harden would be a nice complement to what's already in place. NBA Comparison: Joe Dumars.
6. Memphis Grizzlies selects C Cole Aldrich, Kansas -- The Grizzlies badly need some beef on the inside. Though Marc Gasol had a solid rookie campaign, Aldrich would be a great fit. The Grizzlies already have a solid perimeter, with Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo and Mike Conley. NBA Comparison: Spencer Hawes.
7. Golden State Warriors selects F Earl Clark, Louisville -- Golden State should be salivating if Clark slips this far. At 6-10, Clark is extremely versatile and would fit in well with the Warriors' run-and-gun style. NBA Comparison: Danny Granger.
8. New York Knicks selects PG Ty Lawson, North Carolina -- Lawson's short, but he's quick and fairly strong. The Knicks may end up cleaning house this summer, and nabbing a new point guard could be in the cards. NBA Comparison: Terrell Brandon (I got this comparison from NBADraft.net. While many comparisons were obvious, this one was trickier. Though, I think they nailed it.)
9. Toronto Raptors selects G Gerald Henderson, Duke -- Henderson's stock seems to be rising, but Toronto would be an especially good fit for him. The Raptors are playing the up-and-down game, like GM Jerry Colangelo prefers, and Henderson's athleticism and shooting ability makes him a good fit. His size (6-4) will work against him, and he does have asthma. NBA Comparison: Jason Richardson.
10. Milwaukee Bucks selects F Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest -- The Bucks will likely shake things up this summer, and may opt to move Michael Redd. If they do that, however, they may look for another scorer to help Richard Jefferson and Charlie Villanueva. Aminu may be the best player available in terms of upside at this point in the draft. NBA Comparison: Luol Deng.
11. New Jersey Nets selects F Craig Brackins, Iowa State -- Brackins is kind of a tweener, in that he's not a true NBA power forward, nor is he a true small forward. He can score, though, which could fit the Nets well with Vince Carter getting older. NBA Comparison: Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
12. Indiana Pacers selects G Stephen Curry, Davidson -- Curry is an enigma in this draft. He's not really a point guard and he's too small to be a shooting guard, making this pick a big risk for Indiana. NBA Comparison: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf or Shawn Respert.
13. Charlotte Bobcats selects F DuJuan Blair, Pittsburgh -- With Sean May likely gone, Blair can help push people around to give Okafor a break. Blair's deceptively quick, despite his huge frame. He's only 6-6, but he knows how to create space and is a hard worker. NBA Comparison: Paul Millsap.
14. Phoenix Suns selects PG Brandon Jennings, International -- Jennings has insane quickness and immense talent, and may be drafted higher because of it. A lot will depend on draft workouts with him. The Suns will likely draft a point guard as insurance in case they lose Steve Nash. NBA Comparison: Kenny Anderson.
