2010 NBA Mock Draft

1. Washington Wizards
John Wall, PG
Kentucky- Freshman
Lightening fast guard from Kentucky that will be one of NBA's elite.

2. Philadelphia 76ers
Evan Turner, SG
Ohio State- Junior
Versatile scorer for Ohio State, can play as a guard or a forward.

3. New Jersey Nets
Derrick Favors, PF
Georgia Tech- Freshman
A lot of upside and untapped potential from this big man.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves
Wesley Johnson, SF
Syracuse- Junior
Came on strong for Syracuse after disappointing stint at Iowa State.

5. Sacramento Kings
Demarcus Cousins, PF
Kentucky- Freshman
Big physical body who will bring aggressive play and help for Tyreke Evans.

6. Golden State Warriors
Ekpe Udoh, C
Baylor- Junior
Good interior defense and a big presence in the post for Golden State.

7. Detroit Pistons
Greg Monroe, C
Georgetown- Sophomore
Monroe is sized like a Center but plays like a guard, his versatility will help.

8. Los Angeles Clippers
Al Farouq Aminu, SF
Wake Forest- Sophomore
Aminu averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds in the ACC.

9. Utah Jazz
Luke Babbitt, SF
Nevada- Sophomore
Babbitt is a lights out shooter, not a name you know now but will soon.

10. Indiana Pacers
Patrick Patterson, PF
Kentucky- Junior
Tremendous work ethic and good range for a big man.

11. New Orleans Hornets
Xavier Henry, SG
Kansas- Freshman
Henry is a solid shooter who can also take it inside.

12. Memphis Grizzlies
James Anderson, SG
Oklahoma State- Junior
Memphis has fallen in love with Andersons work ethic and drive.

13. Toronto Raptors
Hassan Whiteside, C
Marshall- Freshman
Whiteside is a 7 foot center with a 7-7 wingspan, the NBA loves size.

14. Houston Rockets
Gordon Hayward, SF
Butler- Sophomore
I don't think anyone knows what to expect from Hayward in the NBA.

15. Milwaukee Bucks
Ed Davis, PF
North Carolina- Sophomore
Very tall and athletic but still relative unknown as to what his ceiling is.

16. Minnesota Timberwolves
Kevin Seraphin, PF
France
6'10 20 year old from Cayenne, French Guyana.

17. Chicago Bulls
Larry Sanders, PF
VCU- Junior
A bit of a late bloomer, but again he has some size which every team needs.

18. Miami Heat
Craig Brackins, PF
Iowa State- Junior
Many projected Brackins to be a lottery pick in 2009.

19. Boston Celtics
Cole Aldrich, C
Kansas- Junior
Boston is always looking to add depth in the frontcourt.

20. San Antonio Spurs
Damion James, SF
Texas- Senior
A rare Senior in the crop, James has a high basketball IQ.

21. Oklahoma City Thunder
Solomon Alabi, C
Florida State- Sophomore
Alabi played his best games against the best competition.

22. Portland TrailBlazers
Paul George, SG
Fresno State- Sophomore
George is a reach for any team, but he is 6'7 and plays like a guard.

23. Minnesota Timberwolves
Stanley Robinson, SF
UConn- Senior
Robinson averaged 14 points in his senior season at UConn.

24. Atlanta Hawks
Avery Bradley, SG
Texas- Freshman
Very good shooter and strong in transition.

25. Memphis Grizzlies
Sherron Collins, PG
Kansas- Senior
The Grizzlies may reach here for Collins, they like his leadership.

26. Oklahoma City Thunder
Daniel Orton, C
Kentucky- Freshman
Orton only averaged 3 points for Kentucky in limited action.

27. New Jersey Nets
Eric Bledsoe, PG
Kentucky- Freshman
Still unknown what Bledsoe can do as the top PG, playing in the shadow of Wall.

28. Memphis Grizzlies
Lance Stephenson, SG
Cincinnati- Freshman
Stephenson has a good sense on the court and an NBA ready body.

29. Orlando Magic
Quincy Pondexter, SF
Washington- Senior
Improved significantly from his Junior and Senior year.

30. Washington Wizards
Devin Ebanks, SF
West Virginia- Sophomore
Ebanks is a defensive specialist who can help any team in spot situations.

NBA Draft Drinking Game

Tonight is the NBA draft, and when we watch the Draft we get a solid four hours of analysis from the talking heads. With that analysis we are sure to be hit with a vocabulary of terms and phrases that are typically not used in normal language. Below are a list of cliche's to listen for, when the reporter says the word you take a drink. Pretty simple. Here are the words or phrases to listen for:

"Good footwork"
"You can't teach height"
"Gym rat"
"that pick is a reach"
"tremendous upside"
"break his man down"
"shut down defender"
"lock down defender"
"good length"
"bouncy"
"handle the rock"
"score the ball"
"has the intangibles"
"project"
"low center of gravity"
"tremendous leaper"
"can leap out of the gym"
"great hands"
"nice touch"
"soft touch"

Bonus: Since this draft is being held by our friends at ESPN here are some bonus phrases or words. If they say one of these then you must take a shot of whiskey.
"Bret Favre"
"Manny"
"Barry Bonds"
"Michael Vick"
"A-Rod"
"Yankee Stadium"

Jodie Meeks Leaving Kentucky, Staying in the NBA Draft

Jodie Meeks has released a statement indicating that he will be staying in the NBA Draft. Although most predict that Jodie will be a second round selection Meeks has still decided to pursue his dream of playing in the NBA. This is a blow to Coach John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats but even without Meeks Kentucky should be heavily favored in the SEC.

Meeks has worked out for several NBA teams including Minnesota, Philadelphia, and Washington.

Jodie's 54 point performance at Tennessee last year was a record for the most points scored in a game from a Kentucky player. Meeks is a 56th member of UK's 1,000th point club and also holds the record for single season three pointers made.

Derrick Brown Will Sign with Agent, Enter NBA Draft

Various media outlets, including FOX Sports, are reporting that Derrick Brown will sign with an agent and enter the NBA Draft. It's said that Brown will sign with agent Bill Duffy. So far Brown has worked out for Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago and I could see him landing with the Cavs at the 30th pick in the 1st round.

Brown was quoted in a recent interview as saying, "I'm in the draft. I'm not even thinking about anything other than that. I loved my time at Xavier, but I'm ready to move onto a new era."

Am I surprised that Brown is leaving.....no. If you would've told me that he was going to enter the draft following the season I would've thought otherwise. I think Miller leaving and his current draft status as a late first-round pick has played a big part in him deciding to jump to the NBA. Unlike last year, the Muskies will now be dependent on there guard play and won't have much depth in the post. Jamel McLean will need to step up as he will play power forward along with Love and Frease splitting time at center. Xavier has now lost four forwards, two to graduation in B.J. Raymond and C.J. Anderson, Brown, and Sean Miller recruit and now Arizona bound Kevin Parrom.

How big can this be for Kentucky?

With Kentucky signing the #1 recruit in the country John Wall they will potentially propel themselves back into national prominence. But not only that, Wall can become an NBA Lottery pick in 2010 and become one of the highest drafted Kentucky players if he can reach the potential level that is speculated. So I was curious to evaluate the NBA Draft and how Kentucky has fared throughout the years. I found some data online regarding Kentucky and the NBA draft. The numbers are from 1949-2008 draft history (1949 was the first year they did the traditional round robin format)

Kentucky Wildcats
Total NBA draft picks: 35
Total First round draft picks: 23
Total Second round draft picks: 12

Kentucky has only had three first round picks in the 2000's (Jamal Magloire, Teyshaun Prince, and Rajon Rondo) With this recruiting class and the current talent at Kentucky I could see that number exploding in 2010. With Patterson, Wall, Cousins, Bledsoe, and Orton all projected to be top players in the country and Meeks could come back and make himself a first rounder.

Also, John Wall is projected to be the first pick of the 2010 NBA Draft. (Obviously this doesn't mean anything right now) But, if Wall were the first overall pick in the NBA draft he would become the first player in Kentucky Wildcat history to accomplish this feat. The closest Kentucky has had was two #2 picks (Alex Groza and Sam Bowie)