2010 NBA Mock Draft: Picks 1-10

After the draft lottery on Tuesday, the Washington Wizards received the first pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. The Wizards, a team that's season contained the Gilbert Arenas-Javaris Crittenton gun incident, and the trading away of All-Star caliber players Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison. Overall, the Wizards appear to be in a rebuilding mode. Let's take a look at the top 10 picks in the draft.

1. Washington Wizards - PG John Wall, Kentucky
With Arenas being a distraction, I think the Wizards are going to cut ties with their veteran point guard. Wall is a great player, and can help the Wizards rebuild their team. Pairing Wall, a great play maker, with their other 1st round pick (30th overall) could provide the Wizards a dynamic duo for the future.

2. Philadelphia 76ers - F Wesley Johnson, Syracuse
Many people are saying that Evan Turner should be the pick here, and I do feel Turner is the better player. However, if the the 76ers take Turner, they will have 4 guards in Turner, Lou Williams, Jrue Holliday, and Andre Iguodala, and none of them are great jump shooters. Johnson is a solid wing player, who can catch and shoot at a great percentage (he shot 41% percent from 3 last year at Syracuse).

3. New Jersey Nets - F Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech
While Evan Turner is still the best player on the board, he just doesn't fit well with New Jersey. The Nets already have 4 players of their future lineup complete (Devin Harris, Courtney Lee, Terrence Williams, and Brooke Lopez), and Favors could fit in with their new lineup. Favors did not produce stellar numbers at GT, but his potential is great enough to justify being drafted this high.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves - G Evan Turner, Ohio State
In my opinion, Turner is the best player on the board, but none of the top 3 teams have needs at the 2 guard. The Timberwolves should try to build around Jonny Flynn and their big men Al Jefferson and Kevin Love. Evan Turner would be a great piece to add to the lineup, and Corey Brewer is turning out to be a solid pro. If the Timberwolves could get Turner, they could have a bright future.

5. Sacramento Kings - F/C Greg Monroe, Georgetown
Monroe is a great post player, and an above average passer. Monroe had decent stats at Georgetown in his two year career, and still has some untapped scoring potential. Pairing Tyreke Evans and Monroe can provide a solid duo for the Kings. If Wes Johnson is available here, I could see the Kings taking him to give them a wing presence, but if he isn't Monroe is a decent pick.

6. Golden State Warriors - F/C DeMarcus Cousins
Cousins was one of the most dominating post players in college last year at Kentucky. He could provide a post presence that the Warriors have lacked the past few years. The Warriors have a dominant back court with Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry, and Cousins could give them a player to feed the ball to in the low post.

7. Detroit Pistons - F Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest
The Pistons, a perennial playoff team, had a pretty bad year this season, but Aminu can help them reload and possibly contend for a spot next year. The Pistons have some good pieces in place with Rodney Stuckey and Ben Gordon. Adding Aminu could provide them with a good low post player to rebound and score. Aminu also has a solid mid-range jumper.

8. Los Angeles Clippers - F Patrick Patterson, Kentucky
The third Kentucky player in the top 10, Patterson might not have as high a profile as Cousins and Wall, but he can have a huge impact for the Clippers. With Patterson, Blake Griffin, and Eric Gordon, the Clippers can try to create a young nucleus to push them closer to playoff contention in a few years.

9. Utah Jazz - C Cole Aldrich, Kansas
The Jazz have some good young player in Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews, but with Carlos Boozer possibly leaving, and Mehmet Okur injured, the Jazz low post game could really suffer next year. Aldrich is a great shot blocker as well as a great offensive big man. He can replace Boozer as their main scorer down low if Boozer chooses to leave Utah in the free agent period.

10 Indiana Pacers - F Ed Davis, North Carolina
The Pacers have Danny Granger, but not many other players they can count on. Ed Davis had a very limited career at North Carolina, playing as a role player in his freshman year, and breaking his wrist in his sophomore year and missing the entire season. Still, Ed Davis has a lot of potential to be a great forward, and the Pacers here are just taking the best player available.

Be sure to check out picks 11-20 which will hopefully be up this week. In the NBA Playoffs, the Celtics have a 3-1 lead on Orlando, and the Lakers have a 2-1 lead on Phoenix. In the NHL Playoffs, the Flyers and the Blackhawks have advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals. Philadelphia won 4-2, and the Blackhawks swept the San Jose Sharks. Enjoy this week in sports!

Photo from http://dieboltdesigns.blogspot.com/2010/05/john-wall-wizard.html

Where Does Rajon Rondo's Playoff Performance Place Him Among NBA PG's?

In the Boston-Cleveland series, the leader of the Celtics for the entire series was PG Rajon Rondo. In the Celtics 2008 title run, Rondo was the young PG feeding the ball to the Big Three and staying conservative. This year, Rondo is the leader of the team, the NBA's leader in steals, and a walking triple-double threat. Rondo had been criticized by many for his lack of a jump shot, and the fact that his supporting cast is one of the best in the NBA. After this great postseason, where does Rajon Rondo rank among the top NBA point guards?

First we must start with who the best point guard in the NBA is. There are three guys I think can be mentioned here. Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Steve Nash. Paul was hurt for the majority for the 2009-2010 season, playing in 45 games and 18.7 PPG and 10.7 APG. Williams had nearly identical numbers, with 18.7 PPG and 10.5 APG in 76 games. Steve Nash, the only of these three still in the playoffs, played in 81 games and amassed more assists, but slightly less points. Nash averaged 16.5 PPG and 11.0 APG this year for the Suns. I think when healthy, Chris Paul is the best PG in the NBA, followed by Steve Nash and then Deron Williams. While all three are close, Paul's playmaking ability puts him above the pack.

In the next tier is where I think Rondo can be mentioned, a group containing Derrick Rose, Tony Parker, Chauncey Billups, and Rondo. Rose is just a sophomore player, but has impressed many with his ability to lead the Chicago Bulls. Rose had a great year this year with 20.8 PPG and 6.0 APG. In the Bulls short playoff run (they were eliminated by Cleveland in the first round), Rose elevated his play to 26.8 PPG and 7.2 APG. Tony Parker was hurt for much of this season, starting only 50 games. However, Parker averaged 18.6 PPG this year, but I would take Rose over Parker right now. Chauncey Billups of Denver scored more points than ever in his entire career (19.5 PPG), but saw a drop in his assists, averaging only 5.6 APG, while he had previously averaged a high of 8.6 APG. Rondo 13.8 PPG and 9.8 APG. In addition, Rondo was the leader in steals with 2.3 SPG. In the playoffs, Rondo had 18.0 PPG and 11.1 APG to lead the Celtics past the Cavs in the conference semifinals. Of this group, I would take Rondo, followed by Rose, Billups and Parker.

So my PG rankings in the NBA look like this:
1. Chris Paul, Hornets
2. Steve Nash, Suns
3. Deron Williams, Jazz
4. Rajon Rondo, Celtics
5. Derrick Rose, Bulls
6. Chauncey Billups, Denver
7. Tony Parker, Spurs

Other players deserving mention are Russell Westbrook, Andre Miller, Brandon Jennings, and Monta Ellis.

With the conference semifinals complete, the two matchups are Lakers-Suns and Celtics-Magic. Enjoy!