An Early Look at the Draft.

[KB21]

This should be an interesting draft. Things seem to go in cycles, and it looks like this may be the case with this draft. I don't think you will see the plethora of high school kids, freshmen, and sophomores enter this draft. The only high school guys that seem to be serious about entering the draft are Lebron James and James Lang. As far as freshmen go, Carmelo Anthony is the only one that is clearly ready to make the jump. Chris Bosh, Torin Francis, and Antoine Wright are talents that are clearly not ready to make the jump. Among the sophomores, Ben Gordon, Mo Williams, and David Harrison are the only ones that have given an indication that they may test the draft waters. Chris Thomas and TJ Ford both need another year to quell the questions that will surround them concerning their size. The biggest influx of underclassmen will likely come from the junior class with players like Luke Ridnour, Jarvis Hayes, Mike Sweetney, Dwayne Wade, Darius Rice, and Mario Austin being the headliners. The juniors, seniors, and European imports will likely dominate the first round of this draft.

Some early player rankings:

Point Guards:

1. Ben Gordon 6-2 195 Connecticut So.

2. Luke Ridnour 6-2 175 Oregon Jr.

3. Marcus Banks 6-1 200 UNLV Sr.

4. Maurice Williams 6-1 180 Alabama So.

5. Kirk Hinrich 6-3 190 Kansas Sr.

6. Jameer Nelson 6-0 190 St. Joseph's Jr.

Shooting Guards:

1. Reece Gaines 6-6 200 Louisville Sr.

2. Jarvis Hayes 6-7 215 Georgia Jr.

3. Dwayne Wade 6-4 205 Marquette Jr.

4. Josh Howard 6-6 200 Wake Forest Sr.

5. Rickey Paulding 6-5 210 Missouri Jr.

6. Romain Sato 6-4 185 Xavier Jr.

Small Forwards:

1. Carmelo Anthony 6-8 210 Syracuse So.

2. Darius Rice 6-10 220 Miami Jr.

3. Aleksander Pavlovic 6-7 205 Russia

4. Carlos Delfino 6-7 215 Argentina

5. Mickael Pietrus 6-7 210 France

6. Boris Diaw-Riffiod 6-8 205 France

Power Forwards:

1. Anderson Vajerao 6-10 240 Brazil

2. Sofoklis Schortsianitis 6-9 260 Greece

3. Malick Badine 6-11 240 Senegal

4. Zarko Cabarkapa 6-11 230 Yugoslavia

5. Mario Austin 6-9 265 Mississippi State Jr.

6. Michael Sweetney 6-8 260 Georgetown Jr.

7. Jerome Beasley 6-10 240 North Dakota Sr.

8. Pape Sow 6-10 255 Cal State Fullerton Jr.

Centers:

1. Darko Milicic 7-0 240 Yugoslavia

2. Eduardo Hernandez 6-11 240 Spain

3. Chris Kaman 7-0 255 Central Michigan Jr.

4. David Harrison 6-0 240 Colorado So.

5. Chris Garnett 6-11 275 Indiana Southeast Jr.5

6. Slavko Vrjanes 7-6 270 Russia

Mock Draft:

01. Cavs - Lebron James SG High School

02. Nuggets - Darko Milicic C Yugoslavia

03. Pistons - Carmelo Anthony SF Syracuse

04. Raptors - Anderson Vajerao PF Brazil

05. Heat - Reece Gaines PG/SG Louisville

06. Bulls - Jarvis Hayes SG Georgia

07. Clippers - Ben Gordon PG Connecticut

08. Bucks - Eduardo Hernandez C Spain

09. Sonics - Luke Ridnour PG Oregon

10. Knicks - Chris Kaman C Central Michigan

11. Warriors - Marcus Banks PG UNLV

12. Wizards - Dwayne Wade SG Marquette

13. Grizzlies - Darius Rice SF Miami

14. Magic - Sofoklis Schortsianitis PF Greece

15. Lakers - Michael Sweetney PF Georgetown

16. Bucks - Mario Austin PF Mississippi State

17. Hornets - Josh Howard SG Wake Forest

18. Celtics - David Harrison C Colorado

19. Suns - Maurice Williams PG Alabama

20. Celtics - Kirk Hinrich PG Kansas

21. Jazz - Nick Collison PF Kansas

22. Timberwolves - Malick Badine PF Senegal

23. Trailblazers - Aleksander Pavlovic SF Russia

24. Nets - Carlos Delfino SF Argentina

25. Grizzlies - Rickey Paulding SG Missouri

26. Hawks - Jameer Nelson PG St. Joseph's

[djicy]

wheres the pistons other first round pick???

[KB21]

I stopped at the Hawks. The Piston's other pick will be after the 26th pick.