2009 NBA Mock Draft

Finally, I decided to do my own mock draft. As always, I do my mock draft based on who I would pick in each position. I do not try to guess what each NBA General Manager will do. So, here are my picks:

1. L.A. Clippers: Blake Griffin, Oklahoma. Earlier in the year, I wrote that I would take Tyreke Evans. However, after hearing about Blake Griffin's work ethic, you would be crazy not to pick him.

2. Memphis: Tyreke Evans, Memphis. He's not a point guard, and he's not a shooter, but neither is O.J. Mayo. For some reason, an Evans/Mayo back court intrigues me. Also, I believe in drafting for talent, not position, and I like Evans' talent.

3. Oklahoma City: Hasheem Thabeet, UConn. To be a great defensive team, you have to have an inside presence. Thabeet is an inside presence. He won't be the best player in the draft and won't put up huge numbers, but he will make OKC better defensively.

4. Sacramento: James Harden, Arizona State. A productive shooting guard who can spread the court and get to the foul line.

5. Washington: Ty Lawson, UNC. He was the best point guard in college basketball last season.Not sure how six or seven guys are suddenly better than him. He improved between last season and this season. He is not Raymond Felton.

6. Minnesota: Ricky Rubio, DKV Joventut. He has been a star in Europe for years. Minnesota needs a star and a point guard.

7. Golden State: Brandon Jennings, Lottomattica Roma. He has as much talent as anyone in the draft if he puts it all together. GSW needs a PG to move Ellis to SG. An athletic big like Jordan Hill makes sense, but Nelson plays four guards anyway.

8. New York: Stephon Curry, Davidson. Many saw Steve Nash as a non-defense playing shooting guard as well. D'Antoni needs a PG who can shoot to run the pick-and-roll effectively.

9. Toronto: Jordan Hill, Arizona. He is athletic and improved tremendously at Arizona. Toronto has many needs, but another big to complement Bosh and Bargnani adds depth in an area where it is hard to find.

10. Milwaukee: Jrue Holiday, UCLA. At one time, I thought he had the talent to be the #1 pick, but he never seemed to break through at UCLA. He's younger than some incoming freshman and has great instincts with the ball. When he puts it together, he'll fit well with Scott Skiles' defensive mentality.

11. New Jersey: Demar Derozan, USC: Another athletic freshman with plenty of potential. Some believe that he could be the best player in the draft. Time will tell.

12. Charlotte: Terrence Williams, Louisville: He reminds me of Brandon Roy in that he can play two or three positions, handle the ball, set up the offense and score.

13. Indiana: Gerald Henderson, Duke. An athletic, aggressive wing to pair with Danny Granger in Jim O'Brien's up-tempo offense.

14. Phoenix: Earl Clark, Louisville. If they stay with an up-tempo style, they miss Shawn Marion's ability to play power forward. Clark can fill that role.

15. Detroit: B.J. Mullens, Ohio State. He's a young, skilled center, which is hard to find.

16. Chicago: Tyler Hansborough, Carolina. They need a post player who can score inside to complement their athletic, more defensive posts like Noah and Thomas.

17. Philadelphia: Johnny Flynn, Syracuse. They need shooters and they need a point guard if they allow Andre Miller to leave.

18. Minnesota: Austin Daye, Gonzaga. Last year, he was expected a top five pick because of his talent. His finesse and shooting can open the court for Al Jefferson.

19. Atlanta: Jeff Teague, Wake Forest. If they lose Bibby, Teague could be Bibby, Junior. He can definitely score; it remains to be seen if he can really be a PG.

20. Utah: Dejuan Blair, Pittsburgh. A perfect replacement for Boozer if he leaves, Blair is an aggressive, physical player in the Sloan mold.

21. New Orleans: Jodie Meeks, Kentucky. The Hornets need more scoring and Meeks can add scoring and defense at shooting guard.

22. Dallas: Nick Calathes, Florida. A good value pick here and a point guard to eventually replace Jason Kidd.

23. Sacramento: Eric Maynor, VCU. With Harden already selected, grabbing a point guard is essential and they have a choice between Maynor and Darren Collison.

24. Portland: James Johnson, Wake Forest. The Blazers have few needs, but Johnson could add athleticism at forward and add a different dimension.

25. Oklahoma City: Jonas Jerekbo, Angelica Biella. From the Greg Popovich book, taking a player and letting him develop overseas. OKC already has lots of youth. Jerkbo could be another combo to throw into the mix with Jeff Green and Kevin Durant.

26. Chicago: Marcus Thornton, LSU. Assuming Ben Gordon leaves, they need another guard who can shoot and complement Rose, Hinrich and Salmons.

27. Memphis: Sam Young, Pittsburgh. A combo forward with toughness.

28. Minnesota: Wayne Ellington, Carolina. Another shooter to add to the mix.

29. Los Angeles: Tony Douglas, Florida State. If they re-sign Lamar Odom, they have few needs and few roster spots. However, they could use some better point guard defense, and a combo guard like Douglas fits in the triangle.

30. Boston: Taj Gibson, USC. They suffered in the play-offs with a lack of post-depth. Last season, they grabbed two wings. Darren Collison as a back-up to Rondo would work too.