Chad Ford's 2008 Draft Board, Round 1

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Chad Ford's 2008 Draft Board, Round 1
PICKTEAMNAMEHTWTPOSSCHOOL
1ChicagoDerrick Rose6-3196PGMemphis
It was a foregone conclusion ... and the right pick. Though Beasley is an offensive force, Rose gives the Bulls leadership, athleticism, defense and a winning attitude. He will make everyone in Chicago better and quickly help turn around a franchise in desperate need of a shot in the arm.

2MiamiMichael Beasley6-8239PFKansas State
It's been a wild ride getting to this pick. Beasley may be the most NBA-ready and talented player in the draft, but it seems as though the Heat had to be talked into drafting him. Even now, some NBA observers still believe that the Heat will continue to explore trades over the next few days and weeks. I think they should keep Beasley. He is such an explosive, versatile scorer, and an excellent rebounder. And I think he's going to play with a chip on his shoulder to prove everyone wrong.

3Minnesota (Traded to Memphis)O.J. Mayo6-4200SGUSC
The Wolves will send the rights to Mayo to Memphis. The Grizzlies have coveted Mayo as a scoring guard who could become a star. The team now has a glut of guards in the backcourt (including Mike Conley, Kyle Lowry and Javaris Crittenton), but it should be able to package one or more of them for a big man to help fill the hole left by Pau Gasol.

4SeattleRussell Westbrook6-4192PGUCLA
Great pick for the Sonics. I know that Sam Presti's heart was with Westbrook. While many think this is too high for him, I don't. I think he has incredible upside and he's a lock to be a great defender. He should develop on the offensive end, too. Overall, he has a chance to be a better version of Rajon Rondo.

5Memphis (Traded to Minnesota)Kevin Love6-10255PFUCLA
The Grizzlies have agreed to send the rights to Love to the Wolves. Kevin McHale wanted Love all along, and he picked up a bonus in Mike Miller as part of the deal. The Wolves need help in the low post and Love can provide it right away. Their front line will be undersized, but I can see why they like the deal.

6New YorkDanilo Gallinari6-9212SFItaly
It was meant to be. Mike D'Antoni once played with his father in Italy, and he's the perfect forward for D'Antoni's system. He's tough, he can run the floor, he handles the ball and he shoots it with range. He's more like Dirk Nowitzki or Toni Kukoc than fellow Italian Andrea Bargnani.

7LA ClippersEric Gordon6-3222SGIndiana
The Clippers have a huge hole in their backcourt and Eric Gordon will really help them there. He can be a star: He is strong, can shoot the long ball and can be a tough defender. I'm not sure he's ready yet, but he'll have to be. With Corey Maggette hitting the free-agent market, the Clippers need Gordon to be good.

8MilwaukeeJoe Alexander6-8220SFWest Virginia
The Bucks have loved Joe Alexander for weeks. But where will he play? Milwaukee just traded for Richard Jefferson. I think the Bucks have more pressing needs now at the 4 and in the backcourt. We'll have to see how this plays out. But the Bucks wanted a talent with lots of upside, and Alexander has that.

9CharlotteD.J. Augustin6-0172PGTexas
A little bit of a surprise. We've been hearing all day that the Bobcats are shopping Raymond Felton. I guess this confirms it. They passed on a need (Brook Lopez) to get Augustin. He's an upgrade over Felton, so it's hard to criticize the Bobcats. Augustin has a chance to be special. The Blazers and Kings wanted him and have to be crushed right now.

10New JerseyBrook Lopez7-1258CStanford
The Nets are doing backflips. They had three guys they really liked in this draft: Kevin Love, Danilo Gallinari and Brook Lopez. They need size and a guy who can score in the low post. I thought Lopez would have been a reach at No. 3, but he's a very solid pick at No. 10. I think this is a very good day for the Nets.

11Indiana (Traded to Portland)Jerryd Bayless6-3204PGArizona
Bayless really slid in the draft, which makes him a great value here. Why would the Pacers draft another point guard after trading for T.J. Ford? Because they're sending Bayless to the Blazers for the No. 13 pick, Jarrett Jack and Josh McRoberts. So how will Bayless fit with the Blazers? He isn't the pure point guard that Kevin Pritchard pined for, but he's an excellent scorer and competitor, and an upgrade over Jack.

12SacramentoJason Thompson6-11250PFRider
Wow! This is the biggest surprise of the draft. Though the Warriors liked him at No. 14, we had Thompson projected as a late first-round pick. He's solid, but that's it. There are much better players on the board here. Perhaps the Kings were shell-shocked after losing out on Bayless and Augustin, the two point guards they wanted.

13Portland (Traded to Indiana)Brandon Rush6-7205SGKansas
The Blazers will send the rights to Rush, Jarrett Jack and Josh McRoberts to the Pacers for the rights to Bayless and Ike Diogu. I think this is a great pick for the Pacers. Rush should be a great fit in the backcourt with T.J. Ford because he defends, shoots the ball and has great size. Rush is one of the most NBA-ready players in the draft.

14Golden StateAnthony Randolph6-10197PFLSU
Interesting pick for the Warriors. At this point you go with the best talent available, and I think, as far as upside goes, that was Randolph. Here's the problem: They drafted the same kind of guy last year, Brandan Wright, another super-athletic freshman forward drafted on the basis of potential. What do they do now that they have both of them?

15Phoenix (from Atlanta)Robin Lopez7-0245CStanford
Solid pick for the Suns. It's clear Mike D'Antoni is no longer in Phoenix. Lopez brings energy and defense, but he's an offensive liability. Once Brandon Rush was off the board, Phoenix felt Lopez was best fit for its needs.

16PhiladelphiaMarreese Speights 6-10245CFlorida
I like this pick for Philly. Speights has a lot of talent and he fits a need for Philly. He's an excellent offensive player who can score in the post and facing the basket, and he can rebound. He is kind of a poor man's Elton Brand.

17Toronto (Traded to Indiana)Roy Hibbert7-2275CGeorgetown
Toronto is making this pick for the Pacers. This is an interesting pick for Indiana. He does add a low post scorer and give the Pacers much-needed size. But his lack of athleticism and rebounding make me wonder if this was the best pick for Indiana. I think I would've grabbed Darrell Arthur here. He seems to be a better fit for Jim O'Brien's system.

18WashingtonJaVale McGee7-0241CNevada
I'm not a huge fan of this pick, especially with a proven guy like Darrell Arthur on the board. McGee is a physical specimen, very long and athletic, and he has some skills. But he's very soft and looks like he's years away. He reminds me of Andray Blatche.

19ClevelandJ. J. Hickson6-9240PFNC State
I'm surprised they passed on local hero Kosta Koufos of Ohio State. But I do like Hickson, who's a sleeper. He's strong and athletic and he can score in multiple ways. He was 12-for-12 from the field in his first college game.

20Charlotte (from Denver)Alexis Ajinca 7-1240PFFrance
Ajinca is 20 years old and averaged 5 ppg in France. In the history of the NBA draft, has there ever been a player who averaged 5 ppg or less who turned into a decent player? Ajinca was a workout warrior, dominating some of the other big men in the past few weeks. And he has great size and skills. But can he turn them into production on the court? He'll likely stay in France to develop.

21New Jersey (from Dallas)Ryan Anderson6-10225PFCalifornia
We knew the Nets were high on two guys -- Hickson and Anderson. Anderson is a face-the-basket 4 who can shoot the ball -- kind of like Yi Jianlian. He's talented, but I think I would have grabbed DeAndre Jordan here.

22OrlandoCourtney Lee6-5200SGWestern Kentucky
The Magic need a scoring 2-guard who can shoot the basketball. They thought J.J. Redick was that guy, but he wasn't. Lee is solid. I don't think he'll be a star, but he's proven and ready. It's interesting that, given the Magic's needs in the post, they didn't grab Darrell Arthur.

23UtahKosta Koufos7-1265COhio State
Great value pick for the Jazz at No. 23. He could be the second coming of Mehmet Okur -- a sweet-shooting big man who can play inside and outside. If Koufos had stayed in school, he would have been projected as a top-10 pick in 2009, so I don't think the Jazz could have done much better at 23.

24Seattle (from Phoenix)Serge Ibaka6-10220PFCongo
We've seen this one coming for a while -- the Sonics have been keying on him. He's one of the best athletes in the draft, but he's very, very raw. He'll go back to Spain and continue to develop, but down the road he could become an interesting prospect.

25Houston (Traded to Portland)Nicolas Batum6-8210SFFrance
The Rockets have agreed to trade this pick to the Blazers. While Batum didn't fare well in John Hollinger's Euroleague translations, he has tremendous upside as a wing, and the Blazers are intrigued. He has all the tools, but does he have the drive? I spoke with Portland GM Kevin Pritchard tonight and he says he thinks Batum will actually sign with the Blazers this year.

26San AntonioGeorge Hill6-2181PGIndiana Purdue
You have to love the Spurs. They always march to the beat of a different drummer. I sort of like this pick because I think he's a guy who can really play -- and play both the 1 and 2. But is he really better than Mario Chalmers? I don't think so. I don't want to second-guess one of the best-drafting teams in the NBA, but I think Chalmers will be a better NBA player.

27New Orleans (Traded to Memphis from Houston and Portland)Darrell Arthur6-9216PFKansas
The Blazers have agreed to trade Arthur and the 33rd pick to the Rockets. Houston then then shipped Arthur to Memphis. When the Rockets drafted Batum, I questioned it. He measured out terribly statistically under John Hollinger's formula and the Rockets are stat geniuses. Lo and behold, they swap the pick for Arthur, whom Hollinger listed as the fifth-best prospect. Yes, teams were worried about a kidney issue. But I've talked to two teams, and I'm told it's not a big deal. He has a chance to be an Antawn Jamison-type player.

28Memphis (from LA Lakers)Donte Greene6-9221SFSyracuse
Another value pick. Lots of scouts compare him to Rashard Lewis. Greene is a perimeter shooter who lacks a position or real game right now, and I'm not sure how he fits on Memphis, which already has Rudy Gay. But the Grizzlies have been shopping this pick, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Greene wearing another hat later tonight.

29Detroit (Traded to Seattle)D.J. White6-9240PFIndiana
Detroit is selecting White for the Seattle SuperSonics, a Pistons source told me. The Pistons will get two of the Sonics' second-rounders -- the 32nd and 46th picks. This is a very solid pick for the Sonics. White is an excellent rebounder and a good low post scorer. He's also young for a senior. He helps the Sonics get tougher up front.

30BostonJ. R. Giddens6-5208SGNew Mexico
A huge surprise here. Giddens might have lottery-type talent, but he had so many off-court issues that his stock tanked. I guess Danny Ainge is willing to roll the dice, given his veteran squad. If Giddens grows up, this will be a great pick. But it's a big if ...