Of all the people sliding up and down the draft board, the most unlikely candidate for greased feet would ordinarily be the lone proven center guaranteed a spot in the lottery. Yet there's Brook Lopez of Fresno and Stanford, and maybe Minnesota, or maybe Memphis, or maybe New Jersey.
He doesn't project as a superstar-in-waiting, and that's a problem at the top of the draft. Teams want a major payoff in those spots, not a complementary player, and some will go for the gamble of the prospect with greater upside than settle for the solid contributor. Russell Westbrook of UCLA has obvious holes -- point guard with little experience running an offense -- but he is exciting and has the potential to become a dynamic difference maker on both ends.
Lopez will score, is a 7-footer with a sturdy frame and scouts see his ceiling as somewhere around 16 points a game from the post and out on the perimeter. That's all good. But he's the only safe pick at center, a position very hard to fill, and that still isn't good enough to generate measurable buzz from his workouts.
The Timberwolves at No. 3 (to be able to move Al Jefferson to power forward) and the Grizzlies at No. 5 (though also needing a power forward) both need centers and both may pass. That means the real signs of Lopez and his future according to the NBA comes June 26 and the night of the draft.
For now:
- Bulls. Derrick Rose, Memphis point guard
- Heat. Michael Beasley, Kansas State power forward
- Timberwolves. O.J. Mayo, USC shooting guard
- SuperSonics. Jerryd Bayless, Arizona point guard
- Grizzlies. Kevin Love, UCLA power forward
- Knicks. Danilo Gallinari, Italy small forward
- Clippers. Anthony Randolph, LSU power forward/small forward
- Bucks. Eric Gordon, Indiana shooting guard
- Bobcats. Russell Westbrook, UCLA point guard
- Nets. Brook Lopez, Stanford center
- Pacers. DeAndre Jordan, Texas A&M center
- Kings. D.J. Augustin, Texas point guard
- Trail Blazers. Joe Alexander, West Virginia small forward
- Warriors. Robin Lopez, Stanford center
- Suns. Marreese Speights, Florida power forward
- 76ers. Darrell Arthur, Kansas power forward
- Raptors. JaVale McGee, Nevada center
- Wizards. Kosta Koufos, Ohio State center
- Cavaliers. Brandon Rush, Kansas shooting guard
- Nuggets. Nicolas Batum, France small forward
- Nets. Donte Greene, Syracuse small forward
- Magic. Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis shooting guard
- Jazz. Roy Hibbert, Georgetown center
- SuperSonics. Serge Ibaka, Congo power forward
- Rockets. Ryan Anderson, Cal power forward
- Spurs. Mario Chalmers, Kansas point guard
- Hornets. Courtney Lee, Western Kentucky shooting guard
- Grizzlies. Nathan Jawai, Australia power forward/center
- Pistons. Joey Dorsey, Memphis power forward
- Celtics. Alexis Ajinca, France center
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