2009 NBA Draft:

June 25, 2009

ESPN

4 p.m.-9 p.m. PST

Current Draft Order:

1. Los Angeles Clippers
2. Memphis Grizzlies
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Sacramento Kings
5. Washington Wizards
6. Minnesota Timberwolves
7. Golden State Warriors
8. New York Knicks
9. Toronto Raptors
10. Milwaukee Bucks
11. New Jersey Nets
12. Charlotte Bobcats
13. Indiana Pacers
14. Phoenix Suns

NCAA Players who have declared:

International Players who have declared:

Our Projected Pre-Off-Season 2010 Starting Lineup:

PG: None (Crawford/Watson)

SG: Monta Ellis

SF: Stephen Jackson

PF: Anthony Randolph

C: Andris Biedrins

6th Man: Corey Maggette

Why the Warriors should draft a PG:

If there's a position we are thin at it will be at the PG position. We are lacking Pass First or Court Vision while we have a more than adequate amount of scoring PG's.

Our PG's: Ellis, Morrow, Watson, Crawford

Why the Warriors should draft a SG or SF:

My personal opinion is that we are OK at these positions especially at the 2, but we need a 2 or 3 who can defend man to man and possibly shoot the long ball. We can also go 2 or 3 if management's draft strategy is to go BPA (Best Player Available).

Our 2's: Ellis, Morrow, Crawford, Belinelli, Jackson, Maggette, Azubuike

Our 3's: Jackson, Maggette, Azubuike, Randolph [Possible]

Why the Warriors should draft a PF:

I also personally think we are fit in the future at PF, a combo of Wright and Randolph may set us for years IF we keep them. Regardless, if we win the lotto for the #1 we pick Griffin if we lose and go BPA we may pick another PF (Which I doubt).

Our 4's: Randolph, Kurz, Davidson, Wright, Turiaf, (All 3's if we play small)

Why the Warriors should draft a C:

The Warriors should draft a Center, but not as a starter, but a backup. This years draft is incredibly weak at the Center spot with only 2 1st round talents in Thabeet and Mullens. You do not draft a backup at #7, but once again if we go BPA and Thabeet is available at our slot not at #1 then he may be the pick.

Our 5's: Biedrins, Turiaf, Randolph, (All 4's if we play small)

Why the Warriors should Trade The Pick:

The Warriors should trade down if at our slot there is no perfect candidate to pick with (Mainly a non-top 3 pick). A trade down to the mid-later 1st would give us many specialists to pick and some pre-season high rated prospects such as Mullens, Teague, Aminu, Lawson, Collison. We can also trade for current NBA players who management target.

EJ's Draft Board with Personal Scouting reports:

Earl Clark

Earl Clark would give us a future long term prospect at the SF position and would allow AR to natural develop at the 4. Did very well under Pitino and was praised for his defense and rebounding. Earl has the ability to bang down low with other bigs and can hit from downtown as well. He's a very solid defender and loves to contest shots. Was originally a SG. Earl is highly inconsistent and is very turnover prone which will lead to inefficiency, there are also questions about his mental toughness and basketball IQ.

Demar DeRozan

Demar is another Pac-10 prospect and could've been a favorite among SC fans if he did not declare. Was a highly regarded SG/SF prospect coming out of High School. Two words to describe Demar: Offensive Powerhouse. Demar is an excellent offensive option from 17 feet to the hoop. His mid range game is solid, he's a highly effective slasher and gets to the hoop well with fluidity and grace, and he's deadly in transition. His freakish athleticism and  long wingspan should make him a good defender, but his footwork needs some tweaking. Demar is in my opinion a 'project' prospect, very high ceiling and great tools, but inconsistency, a less than stellar 3-Point range, inability to create for teammates, and below average ball handling may make him bust.

Tyreke Evans

Tyreke Evans was another highly touted HS prospect. Was ranked in top 5 by most major scouting agencies and major sports networks. Tyreke is a score first PG, but may has the ability to play SG in the NBA. Tyreke has excellent size at 6'6" and a Wingspan of 7'3". He has great range and has the ability to hit from downtown, is excellent in transition, and finishes very well at the hole. Him and Jennings are probably the most exciting players in this draft.  He's able to defend both guard positions which was seen alot with the Tigers and is apt in grabbing steals. Tyreke has all the tools to be an offensive juggernaut, but he has to cut his turnovers down (Worst in this years Draft class), needs to work on his lackluster PG skillset, needs to be more disciplined on the court (He's spontaneuous), and has off court issues.

Blake Griffin

Blake is the unofficial #1 prospect in this draft. He's likely to go #1 and will not go past #2 in any situation. Blake is a big and mobile PF who loves to do the dirty work down low and was the most efficient player in the NCAA. The former Sooner has an NBA Ready body that will get you rebounds, will get you points in the paint, and will get his hands dirty on Defense. A great character and teammate, high work ethic, to add to his freakish athleticism for his size. Handles the ball well and passes well for a big man. However, he is not a perfect specimen; he still has not developed a good mid range game (Can't hit well beyond 13-14 feet), is only a 60% FT shooter, Defensive technique is inadequate, has had knee injuries, and is turnover prone.

James Harden

James Harden was the best player in the Pac 10 this year. Was highly efficient on both sides of the ball. Offensively he's able to get to the rim with relative ease and his body control is outstanding, he's able to twist his body which make him an excellent slasher and a perfect guy to have on the fast break. He's a SG who has great court vision, great passing ability, high basketball IQ, and is not erratic with his shot selection. Defensively, he is one of the best, he can guard well Man to Man, is strout, is active on terrorizing passing lanes, and looks as if he actually wants to play D. He has decent range (Can hit downtown as well), but has an inconsistent jumper. He also has average, or maybe less than average, agility and athelticisim. He's also very turnover prone and his handling skills are questionable.

Jordan Hill

Jordan Hill is likely to be the second PF taken off the board. Jordan is another athletic big with an ideal NBA body. The former Wildcat contested well for top Pac-10 player, but I have Harden narrowly beating him out. Jordan, a Junior, has showed great improvement since his Freshman year. He has developed a very solid mid range game, is working on post moves, is a stout shot blocker, is quick and mobile for his size, and is an excellent rebounder. However, he has not developed advanced post moves yet, is old for the draft class, is still inexperienced (Only started playing in High School), is a 65% FT shooter, and still needs to make smarter decisions and work on fundamentals (FT Shooting, Passing, Footwork).

Brandon Jennings

Brandon Jennings was the #1 prospect coming out of HS last year and became a High School to EuroLeague Trailblazer. A true PG who is amazingly fast, athletic, and flashy. Dangerous off the dribble and in transition, a terror in the press,  and wonderful in stealing the ball (Ranked #1: 5.1 Steals/40 Minutes). He gets to the hole with relative ease while being able to create for himself and for others which makes him a nautral playmaker. Skeptics ask; Did the decision cost him? Although he has matured significantly and played in the second best league he is still turnover prone, is undersized and skinny, is an average jumpshooter, and is a lackluster rebounder,

Ty Lawson

Former Tar Heel and Champion, Ty Lawson, is one of 3 excellent true PG's in this years class. As shown in his fantastic big dance performence he is the fastest person in this draft, is a terror on the open court, is phenomonal in the press and in stealing the ball, and is great in creating oppurtunities for others. His PG skillset is excellent in terms of his passing ability, court vision, and ability to draw defenders to himself via his speed which allows him to make easy passes. He has a solid jumpshot with 3-Point range, takes care of the ball very well, and terrific at getting to the hole. Although, he has good bulk for his size, frankly, he is short. He's under 6 foot (5'11") which will give him a hard time offensively against taller defenders. Although a Junior he is still inexpereinced and needs to inspire his teammates in ways other than on the court.

Ricky Rubio

Pistol Pete, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd. These are the comparisons that he is being drawn to and may be rightfully so. Best PG skillset in this draft as well as one of the youngest. Ricky is a wonderful passer, has eagle eye court vision,  a great knowledge of the game, has faced many tough opponents, and is a tenacious defender. He is excellent in transition and Ricky has the best Assist/40 Minutes in this draft class, which sits at 10.8/40 Minutes and that's saying something in the Slower paced Euroleague. He's a wild defender, think Sasha Vujacic, and like the other 2 excellent PG's is great in the press and at stealing the ball. He also has the best size of the 3 standing tall at 6'3". He does have weakness though; he's coming off an inury to his wrist, is less than average with his jumper, and is highly turnover prone (2.8/2.4 Ratio in the Euroleague and 2.6/3.0 in the lesser Spanish league). He's also young and inexperienced and has the tendency to be too flashy at times.

Hasheem Thabeet

Hasheem "The Dream" Thabeet was probably my second favorite prospect coming in this year. Hasheem has good athleticism for his size and position and is one of the most mobile Centers I have seen in a long time. His big body also allows him to grab rebounds. Hasheem is a marvelous shotblocker and uses his excellent 7'3" height to help him in doing so. His shotblocking and Defense has drawn comparisons to Mt. Mutombo. He's also shown vast amounts of improvement since joining the Huskie basketball program. As gifted as he is Defensively, it's hard to say that about his offense. He still has not developed much post moves outside of his baby hook and really needs to work on his offensive repiortre. He also needs to work on handling the ball better. He's inexperienced as he's only been playing several years. Lastly, he seems to fade in big games and has been outshined by DeJuan Blair of Pitt.