Two days after sending Randy Foye and Mike Miller to the Washington Wizards in exchange for the No. 5 overall pick in the draft along with Oleksiy Pecherov, Etan Thomas and Darius Songaila, the Timberwolves shook things up even further by selecting two point guards -- Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn -- back-to-back with the fifth and sixth picks respectively. It left many observers scratching their heads as Minnesota GM David Kahn insisted he planned on playing Rubio, 18, and Flynn, 20, at the same time this season.
The top-four picks largely went as planned with Oklahoma's Blake Griffin going No. 1 to the Clippers, Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet going second to the Grizzlies, Arizona State guard James Harden third to the Thunder and Memphis guard Tyreke Evans fourth to the Kings. It was an eventful evening to be sure in a precursor to what should likewise be an entertaining off-season.
First Round
1. L.A. Clippers – Blake Griffin, PF, Oklahoma
Griffin is a can't-miss pick that will make an immediate impact. The Clips are now looking at a potential starting five of Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Al Thornton, Blake Griffin and Marcus Camby with Zach Randolph and Chris Kaman coming off of the bench. Not bad... at least on paper.
2. Memphis Grizzlies – Hasheem Thabeet, C, Connecticut
A shot-blocking force like Thabeet doesn't come along every day, so the Grizzlies were wise to seize this opportunity. It also allows Marc Gasol to slide over to the power forward position.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder – James Harden, SG, Arizona State
The young nucleus of Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kevin Durant and Jeff Green will have the Thunder winning games consistently in the next few years.
4. Sacramento Kings – Tyreke Evans, SG, Memphis
Evans is another NBA-ready player that will help the Kings with his ability to drive into the lane and finish around the rim.
5. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Washington) – Ricky Rubio, PG, Spain
Rubio is a wild card, but his showmanship will win the Minnesota fans over in due time. The question is whether or not he'll suit up for the Wolves this year or remain in Spain for one or two years. Stay tuned.
6. Minnesota Timberwolves – Jonny Flynn, PG, Syracuse
Flynn is going to be a solid point guard in the NBA for years, but Minnesota has too many other issues to get cute with two top-six picks.
7. Golden State Warriors – Stephen Curry, PG, Davidson
The selection of Curry conceivably allows Monta Ellis to move over to shooting guard, and Don Nelson's free-wheeling offense should benefit from Curry's unique scoring ability.
8. New York Knicks – Jordan Hill, PF, Arizona
Hill, who averaged 18.3 points, 11 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in his junior season, brings size and athleticism that will fit well into Mike D'Antoni's system.
9. Toronto Raptors – DeMar DeRozan, SG, USC
DeRozan's high-flying act will fit nicely in Toronto. With Shawn Marion likely on the way out, he'll have the opportunity to turn into a star.
10. Milwaukee Bucks – Brandon Jennings, PG, Italy
Jennings was late to his own party on draft night, but his selection by Milwaukee means Ramon Sessions will be signing with another team. Jennings will have an opportunity to learn the ropes from Luke Ridnour.
11. New Jersey Nets – Terrence Williams, SG, Louisville
The Nets are a team in rebuilding mode, but an NBA-ready player like Williams makes a lot of sense here.
12. Charlotte Bobcats – Gerald Henderson, SG, Duke
Henderson's athleticism will fit in nicely with Larry Brown's 'Cats, particularly with Raja Bell getting up there in age.
13. Indiana Pacers – Tyler Hansbrough, PF, North Carolina
Larry Bird knew a thing about hard work when he played, and he selected a clone in Hansbrough. The mid-range jump shot he developed at UNC could also help him in the league.
14. Phoenix Suns – Earl Clark, SF, Louisville
Great pick for a rebuilding Suns team. Clark is a glue guy that will be able to effectively guard some of the league's top scorers once he's entrenched a few years from now.
15. Detroit Pistons – Austin Daye, SF, Gonzaga
Daye went a little early to the Pistons, but he's an excellent shooter and athlete for a 6-foot-10 player. He'll get a chance to learn from Tayshaun Prince.
16. Chicago Bulls – James Johnson, PF, Wake Forest
Solid pick for the Bulls who now have some maneuverability with Tyrus Thomas in the offseason.
17. Philadelphia 76ers – Jrue Holiday, PG, UCLA
The Sixers were happy Holiday fell to them at 17; they needed a point guard after losing Andre Miller.
18. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Miami) – Ty Lawson, PG, North Carolina (rights traded to Denver)
Lawson will have the chance to learn from one of the best game managers the game has seen in Chauncey Billups.
19. Atlanta Hawks – Jeff Teague, PG, Wake Forest
Teague's selection along with the acquisition of Jamal Crawford means Mike Bibby will suit up for another team this season.
20. Utah Jazz – Eric Maynor, PG, VCU
At 6-foot-3, Maynor has great size and quickness. He'll fit in nicely as the primary backup to Deron Williams.
21. New Orleans Hornets – Darren Collison, PG, UCLA
The run on point guards continued with Collison's selection. He will be a solid defender and floor general behind Chris Paul.
22. Portland Trail Blazers (from Dallas) – Victor Claver, SF, Spain
It could be a while before Claver dons an NBA uniform, but his shooting and quickness at 6-foot-11 is a rare find.
23. Sacramento Kings (from Houston) – Omri Casspi, SF, Israel
Casspi is a project, but his size and toughness could be an asset for the Kings down the line.
24. Dallas Mavericks (from Portland) – B.J. Mullens, C, Ohio State (rights traded to Oklahoma City)
The Thunder pick up a big man in the middle with some upside to round out their future starting five.
25. Oklahoma City Thunder (from San Antonio) – Rodrigue Beaubois, PG, France (rights traded to Dallas)
Beaubois, who at 6-foot-2, possesses impressive athleticism, will continue to develop overseas before hitting the floor for Dallas.
26. Chicago Bulls (from Denver through Oklahoma City) – Taj Gibson, PF, USC
Gibson is a force down low, and the Bulls have done a nice job adding depth to their front line.
27. Memphis Grizzlies (from Orlando) – DeMarre Carroll, PF, Missouri
With the selections of Thabeet, Carroll and Sam Young, the Grizzlies put together a very strong draft class.
28. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Boston) – Wayne Ellington, SG, North Carolina
Ellington could play right away for the Wolves, and his maturity will help him hit the ground running.
29. L.A. Lakers – Toney Douglas, SG, Florida State (rights traded to N.Y. Knicks)
With Douglas, the Knicks nabbed a big-time scorer and underrated defender to compete with Chris Duhon.
30. Cleveland Cavaliers – Christian Eyenga, SF, Congo
Likely to remain overseas for a few years until NBA-ready, but his raw athleticism could benefit Cleveland down the line.
Second Round
31. Sacramento Kings – Jeff Pendergraph, PF, Arizona State (rights traded to Portland)
32. Washington Wizards – Jermaine Taylor, SG, Central Florida (rights traded to Houston)
33. Portland Trail Blazers (from L.A. Clippers) – Dante Cunningham, PF, Villanova
34. Denver Nuggets (from Oklahoma City) – Sergio Llull, PG, Spain (rights traded to Houston)
35. Detroit Pistons (from Minnesota) – DaJuan Summers, SF, Georgetown
36. Memphis Grizzlies – Sam Young, SF, Pittsburgh
37. San Antonio Spurs (from Golden State through Phoenix) – DeJuan Blair, PF, Pittsburgh
38. Portland Trail Blazers (from New York through Chicago) – Jon Brockman, PF, Washington (rights traded to Sacramento)
39. Detroit Pistons (from Toronto) – Jonas Jerebko, SF, Sweden
40. Charlotte Bobcats (from New Jersey through Oklahoma City) – Derrick Brown, PF, Xavier
41. Milwaukee Bucks – Jodie Meeks, SG, Kentucky
42. L.A. Lakers (from Charlotte) – Patrick Beverley, PG, Ukraine (rights traded to Miami)
43. Miami Heat (from Indiana) – Marcus Thornton, SG, LSU (rights traded to New Orleans)
44. Detroit Pistons – Chase Budinger, SG, Arizona (rights traded to Houston)
45. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Philadelphia through Miami) – Nick Calathes, PG, Florida (rights traded to Dallas)
46. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Chicago) – Danny Green, SF, North Carolina
47. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Miami) – Henk Norel, PF, Netherlands
48. Phoenix Suns – Taylor Griffin, SF, Oklahoma
49. Atlanta Hawks – Sergiy Gladyr, SG, Ukraine
50. Utah Jazz – Goran Suton, C, Michigan State
51. San Antonio Spurs (from New Orleans through Toronto) – Jack McClinton, SG, Miami
52. Indiana Pacers (from Dallas) – A.J. Price, PG, Connecticut
53. San Antonio Spurs (from Houston) – Nando De Colo, PG, France
54. Charlotte Bobcats (from San Antonio) – Robert Vaden, SG, UAB (rights traded to Oklahoma City)
55. Portland Trail Blazers (from Denver) – Patrick Mills, PG, Saint Mary's
56. Dallas Mavericks (from Portland) – Ahmad Nivins, PF, St. Joseph's
57. Phoenix Suns (from Orlando through Oklahoma City) – Emir Preldzic, SF, Slovenia (rights traded to Cleveland)
58. Boston Celtics – Lester Hudson, SG, Tennessee-Martin
59. L.A. Lakers – Chinemelu Elonu, PF, Texas A&M
60. Miami Heat (from Cleveland) – Robert Dozier, SF, Memphis
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