NBA Draft Preview

1. Washington Wizards - John Wall, PG, Kentucky

-The best player in the draft is a no-brainer with the 1st overall pick. At only 19 years old he may be somewhat raw, but the talent and intangibles are what makes Wall the best prospect available. Should Gilbert Arenas return, he and Wall would make up a great guard tandem in the back court. This would allow Arenas to play more of the 2 guard while Wall runs the offense. A great start to the rebuilding stage in Washington.

2. Philedelpia 76ers- Evan Turner, SG/SF, Ohio State

-The 2010 Naismith Award winner has been the consensus number 2 leading up to the draft and his reputation holds true as he becomes the 2nd player off the board. He has three years of big time college basketball experience and plenty of awards to back him up. He is bit light to play forward right now and lacks the overall athleticism and outside shot to be a starter at the 2 guard, so his position is in influx right now. Turner looks as if he will be a good player but he is not the kind of rookie to build a team around.

3. New Jersey Nets- Derrick Favors, PF, Gerogia Tech

-Prokhorov adds another young piece to an already bright nucleus. Favors is big enough and athletic enough to be a future Chris Bosh. He was never given great guard play during his lone season at Georgia Tech, which may have hindered him from putting up even bigger numbers. Favors might be the most impressive physical specimen in the draft in terms of his size and speed. Adding Favors to the Devin Harris/Brooke Lopez combination and factoring in the team's salary cap room makes the Nets a scary team going into the 2010-2011 season.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves- Wesley Johnson, SF, Syracuse

-Passing on Stephen Curry and Brandon Jennings to take Ricky Rubio really hurt the Timberwolves last year so they will attempt to make up for it by taking the safer Wesley Johnson. In his lone season with the Orange, Johnson proved to be a big time player, winning the Big East Player of the Year Award, as well as being a consensus First Team All-American. Johnson will provide immediate help for a young Minnesota team. He is very polished after spending three years in college and is one of the lower risk prospects in the draft.

5. Sacramento Kings- DeMarcus Cousins, C/PF, Kentucky

-Perhaps the most intriguing prospect in the draft falls all the way to number five. At close to 300 pounds, Cousins will most likely be a Center in the NBA, especially in Sacramento. Though he is somewhat immature and can be a hot head from time to time, Cousins has the look of a winner and when he is focused he is truly dominant. Many are calling him a high risk, high reward type of player but he is by far the best player on the board so Sacramento is smart to wrap him up.

6. Golden State Warriors- Greg Monroe, PF, Georgetown

-A mature big man who can pass and create for others, Monroe was a leader during his time at Georgetown. He will certainly need to play tougher at the NBA level because he could be pushed around during his Big East days. Monroe will be a decent player at the next level but he may never be a solid starter. The drop off from the top 5 to Monroe is very steep.

7. Detroit Pistons- Ed Davis, PF, North Carolina

- Won a National Championship as a freshman and then suffered a broken wrist for a God-awful Tar Heel team as a sophomore. Davis is a very physical player but has a limited offensive game. There is enough to work with going forward and that is why Detroit takes him over the safer Cole Aldrich.

8. Los Angeles Clippers- Al-Farouq Aminu, SF, Wake Forest

-Somewhat undersized but very quick and gifted. Aminu and Blake Griffen could form a young forward tandem for the next 10 years in LA. Aminu is far and away the best player left so LA shouldn't over think the operation and just take him at number 8.

9. Utah Jazz- Cole Aldrich, C, Kansas

-The consistent big man on the team ranked number 1 for most of the college season, Aldrich looks to be a safe bet to be a decent NBA player. His ceiling is somewhat limited but as a rotation player he will be valuable. The Jazz are facing the prospect of losing Carlos Boozer in Free Agency so taking a big man like Aldrich is a good way to begin the eventual replacement.

10. Indiana Pacers- Daniel Orton, C, Kentucky

-The backup to DeMarcus Cousins does not have much experience but has a lot of upside as an NBA player. At 6-10 and 250 pounds, Orton has room to grow and thicken out as an NBA center. He will most likely not contribute much early in his career but he has long term potential to be productive.

11. New Orleans Hornets- Patrick Patterson, PF, Kentucky

-When 4 of the first 11 picks are from one school, you wonder how the Wildcats didn't at least make it to the Final Four last year. Patterson was the veteran on the team of one-and-done Wildcats and his leadership last year helped John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins become the college forces they were. Patterson is pretty well rounded at both ends of the court so his selection at number 11 seems smart. He will be able to contribute as a rookie off the bench due to his experience and basketball IQ.

12. Memphis Grizzlies- Luke Babbitt, SF, Nevada

-The Grizzlies might lose Rudy Gay come July 1st so they attempt to replace his offensive productivity with Babbitt. Scouts say he will help as an NBA scorer but he has absolutely no defensive presence whatsoever. Because he played at a lesser publicized school, there is not much hype surrounding Babbitt as the draft approaches but Memphis is apparently very high on him.

13. Toronto Raptors- Gordon Hayward, SF, Butler

-The darling of the Tournament, Hayward quickly became the face of the underdog Butler Bulldogs last season. He is very light at 6-9, 210 pounds and he looks as if he will lose speed if he were to put on weight. Hayward could potentially be a J.J Redick type of player but he will need to improve his defensive game to reach that plateau.

14. Houston Rockets- Xavier Henry, SG, Kansas

-As a Jayhawk, Henry quickly established himself as a great shooter at the college level. At 6'6 and 220 pounds he has decent size already and could be a good spark plug off the bench early in his career. The Rockets need more offensive production and Henry would be a good selection as the Lottery Picks finish up.