Welcome readers, passersby, and lurkers to the KnickerBlogger 2009 Draft Contest! Time to test your psychic powers and predicative ability. We want you to guess the first 15 picks of the NBA draft which occurs on Thursday, June 19th, 2009.
To enter do the following:
1. Register and Login
2. Comment here with your picks. Make sure you have them numbered 1-15 (teams don’t matter, draft slot does).
For each pick you guess correctly, you get that many points. For instance, the first pick is worth 1 point, the second 2 points, … the fifteenth 15 points. Ties will be broken by order of posting (the first person to post the winning selection will be declared the winner). One entry per person. Entries will be closed approximately one hour before the draft. All decisions by KnickerBlogger.Net are final. Do not take internally.
The winner will choose between an Awesome Custom KnickerBlogger T-Shirt and an autographed copy of Brian Cronin’s book Was Superman a Spy? The runner up will rightfully receive the runner-up prize. Brian has been a KnickerBlogger writer since 2006, and his book is perfect for some light summer reading, coffee table discussion, or learning more about our funny section friends. On the other hand the T-Shirt will tell everyone you meet how truly awesome you are, in a way only a T-Shirt can.
FIRST!!!!
Ok, ok… here goes:
1. Blake Griffin
2. Ricky Rubio
3. Stephen Curry
4. Johnny Flynn
5. Hasheem Thabeet
6. James Harden
7. Tyreke Evans
8. Jrue Holiday
9. Earl Clark
10. Jordan Hill
11. Dajuan Blair
12. Terrence Williams
13. Ty Lawson
14. Brandon Jennings
15. Austin Daye
Hi, my first post! I am from spain and I’ve been lurking for a while, following the fate of Ricky Rubio. I’d like to see him at NY, but seems unlikely. Go and get Sergio Rodríguez! hehehe
1. Blake Griffin
2. Jordan Hill (surprise!)
3. Hasheem Thabeet
4. Ricky Rubio
5. James Harden
6. Johnny Flynn
7. Tyreke Evans
8. Stephen Curry
9. Austin Daye
10. Jrue Holiday
11. Brandon Jennings
12. DeJuan Blair
13. Demar DeRozan
14. Ty Lawson
15. Terrence Williams
1 Clippers Blake Griffin
2 Grizzlies James Harden
3 Thunder Hasheem Thabeet
4 Kings Ricky Rubio
5 Wizards Jordan Hill
6 Timberwolves Tyreke Evans
7 Warriors Stephen Curry
8 Knicks Jrue Holiday
9 Raptors Demar DeRozan
10 Bucks Jonny Flynn
11 Nets Brandon Jennings
12 Bobcats Gerald Henderson
13 Pacers DeJuan Blair
14 Suns Earl Clark S
15 Pistons Austin Daye
1. Griffin
2. Rubio
3. Thabeet
4. Holiday
5. Harden
6. Evans
7. Hill
8. Curry
9. DeRozan
10. Flynn
11. Blair
12. Henderson
13. Ellington
14. Clark
15. Mullins
1. Blake Griffin
2. Ricky Rubio
3. Hasheem Thabeet
4. James Harden
5. Jordan Hill
6. Jonny Flynn
7. Tyreke Evans
8. Stephen Curry
9. Demar DeRozan
10. Brandon Jennings
11. Jrue Holiday
12. DeJuan Blair
13. Ty Lawson
14. Earl Clark
15. Austin Daye
1. Griffin
2. Rubio
3. Thabeet
4. Harden
5. Evans
6. Hill
7. DeRozan
8. Curry
9. Holiday
10. Jennings
11. Blair
12. Henderson
13. Flynn
14. Clark
15. Daye
1. Griffin
2. Rubio
3. Thabeet
4. Harden
5. Hill
6. Curry
7. Evans
8. Holiday
9. Henderson
10. DeRozan
11. Blair
12. Clark
13. Jennings
14. Daye
15. Hansbrough
Ok I want that T-Shirt… and I’ll even guess the trades…
1. Clippers – Blake Griffin
2. T-Wolves – Ricky Rubio
3. Thunder – James Harden
4. Kings – Jonny Flynn
5. T-Wolves – Stephen Curry
6. Grizzlies – Hasheem Thabeet
7. Warriors – Jordan Hill
8. Knicks – Tyreke Evans
9. Raptors – Demar DeRozan
10. Bucks – Jrue Holiday
11. Bulls – Dejuan Blair
12. Bobcats – Gerald Henderson
13. Pacers – Ty Lawson
14. Suns – Brandon Jennings
15. Pistons – Earl Clark
1. Griffin
2. Thabeet
3. Harden
4. Rubio
5. Hill
6. Evans
7. Curry
8. Holiday
9. DeRozan
10. Flynn
11. Clark
12. Jennings
13. Blair
14. Teague
15. Mullens
1. Griffin
2. Thabeet
3. Harden
4. Rubio
5. Harden
6. Evans
7. Hill
8. Curry
9. DeRozan
10. Teague
11. Blair
12. Henderson
13. Daye
14. Jennings
15. Clark
Also – VERY interesting article out of Hahn this AM — this Wizards want either Jefferies or Hughes? Yes please to Jefferies!
I’m pretty high on Harden as well, Frank, but I don’t think any player is good enough to be both the 3rd and 5th pick.
Harden getting drafted twice on Thursday is more likely than the Knicks finding a sucker to dump Jeffries on :(
I just think he’s that awesome.
Hmm. I guess I will need to re-do my list. How’s this:
1. Griffin
2. Thabeet
3. Harden
4. Rubio
5. Hill
6. Evans
7. Curry
8. Holiday
9. DeRozan
10. Teague
11. Blair
12. Henderson
13. Daye
14. Jennings
15. Clark
I’d love for Evans to drop if Curry does not — he can play/defend the 2 this year, be groomed to play point by Duhon first then Nash when he comes for the MLE in 2010 — then when Nash retires Evans can be the man.
Alternatively I’d love to see a trade like this – Hughes + Chandler to DC for Mike James, Etan Thomas, and the 5, draft Curry with the 5, and then pick BPA at 8 or trade down for multiple picks or in a package with JJ or Eddy for an expiring…
I’m not a big Chandler fan, but I don’t see any point in trading him to go from 8 to 5 – BPA at 8 could easily be as good or better than Curry. If you could swing that deal with Jeffries — JJ, Chandler and the 8 for Thomas (or James) and #5 — then hell yeah, go for it. Or even Jeffries and Chandler for Thomas and Washington’s 2010 pick (figure, mid-first).
I meant trade Hughes + Chandler (and NOT the #8) for the #5 + James and Thomas. So it’s basically Chandler for the 5 which I still think is a good deal. Especially if it allows us to move the #8 with Jefferies or Curry for an expiring contract.
1. Blake Griffin
2. Hasheem Thabeet
3. James Harden
4.Jonny Flynn
5.Jordan Hill
6.Tyreke Evans
7.Demar DeRozan
8. Stephen Curry
9.JRue Holiday
10.Ty Lawson
11. Terrence Williams
12.Gerald Henderson
13.Jeff Teague
14.Brandon Jennings
15.Earl Clark
REally hope we get curry. Would be interested in Holiday at plan B but im not sure what we would get in the kid. Really hope it all works out for the best for the team. Lets go Donnie!!!
I’m a long time reader and used to post but never really ended up posting though I’ve got a pretty good memory of all the goings ons around here. Anyways this inspired me to put a pen to paper so to speak and pump out my list. Here goes:
1. Blake Griffin
2. James Harden
3. Hasheem Thabeet
4. Ricky Rubio (Probably traded)
5. Jordan Hill
6. Jrue Holiday
7. Tyreke Evans
8. Stephen Curry (I think he’ll end up in New York somehow, at least he does)
9. Demar DeRozan
10. Johnny Flynn
11. Brandon Jennings
12. Gerald Henderson (The Bobcats site is just plastered with his face)
13. Terrence Williams
14. DeJuan Blair
15. Earl Clark
A couple side notes: I scoured a couple teams sites to see who they were trying to hype up and learned that 1) Larry Brown called Henderson “well coached” which tells me he’ll overlook the fact that he’s from Duke because he acknowledged coach K and 2) Tyreke Evans uses the phrase “you know” anywhere most people would use a comma or period.
Hey Hudson, still hoping the Knicks nab DeAndre Jordan? His per minute numbers were nice on a small basis – save for the free throw shooting. And with the Clippers getting another big man… Hey I wouldn’t mind him as a cheap option at center.
No. Player
1 Blake Griffin
2 Hasheem Thabeet
3 Ricky Rubio
4 Jordan Hill
5 Brandon Jennings
6 Stephen Curry
7 Tyreke Evans
8 James Harden
9 Ty Lawson
10 Jrue Holiday
11 Jonny Flynn
12 DeJuan Blair
13 DeMar DeRozan
14 Earl Clark
15 Austin Daye
*** NOT A CONTEST ENTRY ***
But for what it’s worth, here’s my list of how the draftees really stack up. I ignored team needs, but considered many subjective things like injury history, bust risk, potential, etc.
1 Blake Griffin
2 Ricky Rubio
3 Ty Lawson
4 James Harden
5 Hasheem Thabeet (I guess I’m officially on the bandwagon. I
don’t see him as a top-5 talent, but this year, who is?)
6 Tyreke Evans
7 DeJuan Blair (Most years, a chubby guy with bum knees would
be disqualified from the top 10. But production-wise he’s a
giant)
8 Brandon Jennings (the PGs at 8-11 are hard to separate. Flip ‘em
around if you want)
9 Stephen Curry
10 Jrue Holliday
11 Jeff Teague
12 Terrence Williams
13 Austin Daye (One of the few with a chance to be a star)
14 Earl Clark
15 Tyler Hansbrough
No, I didn’t forget Flynn or Jordan Hill. I wouldn’t argue if you picked them 10-15, but I don’t think 16-20 is too low. I have to say, aside from Lawson, Flynn and Blair I’m feeling pretty mainstream this year. Brainwashing? Or is there something to be said for conventional wisdom?
1 Clippers: Blake Griffin
2 Grizzlies: James Harden
3 OKC: Hasheem Thabeet
4 Kings: Stephen Curry
5 Minnesota: Ricky Rubio
6 Minnesota: Tyreke Evans
7 Golden State: Brandon Jennings
8 New York: Jordan Hill
9 Toronto: DeMar DeRozan
10 Milwaukee: Jonny Flynn
11 Nets: Gerald Henderson
12 Charlotte: Tyler Hansbrough
13 Indiana: Jrue Holiday
14 Phoenix: Earl Clark
15 Detroit: Ty Lawson
Humbly submitted:
1. Blake Griffin
2. Hasheem Thabeet
3. James Harden
4. Tyreke Evans
5. Ricky Rubio
6. Stephen Curry
7. Jordan Hill
8. Jrue Holiday
9. Demar DeRozan
10. Jonny Flynn
11. Gerald Henderson
12. Terrence Williams
13. Brandon Jennings
14. James Johnson
15. Earl Clark
1. Blake Griffin
2. Hasheem Thabeet
3. James Harden
4. Tyreke Evans
5. Ricky Rubio
6. Stephen Curry
7. Jordan Hill
8. ty lawson
9. Terrence Williams
10. jrue holiday
11. Gerald Henderson
12. demar derozan
13. Earl Clark
14. Jonny Flynn
15. Earl Clark
opps i said earl clark twice
#13 brandon Jennings
1. Clippers: Blake Griffin
2. Grizzlies: Hasheem Thabeet
3. Thunder: James Harden
4. Kings: Ricky Rubio
5. Timberwolves: Tyreke Evans
6. Timberwolves: Stephen Curry
7. Warriors: Jordan Hill
8. Knicks: Jrue Holiday
9. Raptors: Brandon Jennings
10. Bucks: Johnny Flynn
11. Nets: DeMar DeRozan
12. Bobcats: Terrence Williams
13. Pacers: Dejuan Blair
14. Suns: B.J. Mullens
15. Pistons: Earl Clark
Hi, I’m occasional reader from Croatia, but I always stop by to check extended stats.
1 LA Clippers PF Blake Griffin
2 Memphis PG Ricky Rubio
3 Oklahoma City SG James Harden
4 Sacramento G Tyreke Evans
5 Minnesota C Hasheem Thabeet
6 Minnesota G Stephen Curry
7 Golden State PF Jordan Hill
8 New York PG Jrue Holiday
9 Toronto SF Demar DeRozan
10 Milwaukee PG Jonny Flynn
11 New Jersey SG Terrence Williams
12 Charlotte SG Gerald Henderson
13 Indiana PG Brandon Jennings
14 Phoenix PF Earl Clark
15 Detroit C B.J. Mullens
Notes:
– Rubio doesn’t want to play in Memphis, but I believe Grizzlies will either trade #2 either later trade Rubio to highest bidder (Knicks? Wolves? Kings? ).
– Thabeet falling outside top 4 because only Grizzlies out of top 4 picks needs center, Kings even traded away Brad Miller to make room for their youngsters.
– Knicks are looking for a point guard “who can play high tempo and defend.” . Well, Jrue is the best such still available at #8.
– Tough choices for Raptors and Nets, both would rather have different draft positions, both might trade picks.
– Nets would like PF as they have covered PG/SF/C well with Devin/VC/Lopez. But this is, even more than usually, biggies thin draft.
– Raptors need swingman, but only DeRozan can justify high #9 pick. Alas, he’s “project” and after bad season BC needs results now. Tough luck.
– Pacers need every position, they could finish with complete miss or best pick of the draft.
Thomas B.’s “Sure to be totally wrong MockERY Draft”
1. Blake Griffin. Shortly after being selected by the Clips, Griffin will tear his left ACL on his way to the podium. The subsequent fall will damage his right knee requiring micro-fracture surgery. It’s the clips afterall.
2. Hasheem Thabeet. The trade of Darko means the Grizz have a slightly larger hole to fill in the middle than when Darko was playing. They will take the best center of the class.
3. Ricky Rubio. The Thunder have to be thinking run, run, run by adding Rubio to young guns Durant and Westbrook.
4. Tyreke Evans. The Kings will seriously consider Curry or Harden here but will take Evans. James Harden should go here, but in a draft that is long on promise and short of sure things, GM’s start looking at the players with the most promise once the sure things are off the board. Evans fits the promise model; he is bigger and younger than Harden and “could develop” into so much more.
5. James Harden. Minny will be giddy to nab Harden here to replace Foye. With McHale gone, I can’t joke about the Wolves trading the rights to Harden to themselves for…
6. Johnny Flynn. The revamp of the Wolves backcourt continues as will the Wolves’ drafting mistakes. Minny will want a point and will conclude that Flynn has more “promise” than Curry being younger and having played at a “Major” program. Oh well, our gain.
7. Jordan Hill. GS gets the size they were looking for thaks in part to the Wolves stock of young PF’s. His lack of offense is offset by his ability to run the floor.
8. Stephen Curry. Dare I purchase a Knicks jersey with “Curry” on the back? I will now.
9. DeMar Derozen. No, he doesn’t shoot well so he’ll be right at home with the Raptors.
10. Terrence Williams. The Bucks could use some defensive toughness in the backcourt and they will get it with Williams. Kendall Gill’s second coming?
11. Earl Clark. The Nets won’t be able to resist this guy’s measurements. He has great tools combined with a questionable work ethic.
BR: “Hi, Derrick Coleman? Yeah, Bruce Ratner here. We just drafted a kid that really reminds us all of you.”
DC: “Whoop-dee-damn-do.”
12. Ty Lawson. Carolina. Tar Heel. Tough PG. Coach Brown. ‘Nuff said.
13. Brandon Jennings. He will manage to stay a lottery pick and will work with a coach that can get the most out of his skill set.
14. Dejuan Blair. With Shaq gone and Wallace headed to Boca-Raton, the Suns will take one of the NCAA’s best rebounders and strongest interior defenders. If anyone won’t mind playing an undersized front line its the Suns.
15. Jrue Holiday. He is big smart and a great defender-sounds like Dumars. He gives Detriot just what they are looking for in a backcourt player (minus seasoning). I say they won’t take Mullens here because he isnt strong enough a prospect. Yes, there are some front court holes for the Pistons but those can be addressed over the off-season via free agency.
There you have it. Picks 2-15 almost sure to be wrong. At least I dont have Earl Clark being drafted twice.
1. Blake Griffin
2. Hasheem Thabeet
3. James Harden
4. Tyreke Evans
5. Ricky Rubio
6. DeMar Derozan
7. Jordan Hill
8. Stephen Curry
9. Jonny Flynn
10. Brandon Jennings
11. Terrence Williams
12. Gerald Henderson
13. Tyler Hansbrough
Oh, I’m supposed to deliver 15.
14. Jrue Holiday
15. Earl Clark
1. Griffin
2. Thabeet – did you hear Boeheim thought he could be as good as Patrick?
3. Harden
4. Rubio
5. Evans
6. Flynn
7. Hill
8. Curry
9. Henderson
10. Jennings
11. Williams
12. DeRozan
13. Holiday
14. James Johnson
15. Clark
Here goes:
1. Blake Griffin
2. Hasheen Thabeet
3. Ricky Rubio
4. Harden
5. Curry
6. Evans
7. Hill
8. Holiday
9. Flynn
10. Blair
11. DeRozan
12. Henderson
13. Teague
14. Lawson
15. Earl Clark
1. Blake Griffin
2. Hasheem Thabeet
3. James Harden
4. Ricky Rubio
5. Tyreke Evans
6. Stephen Curry
7. Jordan Hill
8. Jrue Holiday
9. DeMar DeRozan
10. Jonny Flynn
11. Gerald Henderson
12. Terrence Williams
13. Ty Lawson
14. Earl Clark
15. B.J. Mullens
1. Blake Griffin
2. Hasheem Thabeet
3. Ricky Rubio
4. Stephen Curry
5. Tyreke Evans
6. Johnny Flynn
7. James Harden
8. Ty Lawson
9. Jordan Hill
10. Jrue Holiday
11. Earl Clark
12. DeMar DeRozan
13. Brandon Jennings
14. Austan Daye
15. DeJuan Blair
1. Blake Griffin
2. Hasheem Thabeet
3. James Harden
4. Stephen Curry
5. Ricky Rubio
6. Johnny Flynn
7. Tyreke Evans
8. Ty Lawson
9. Jordan Hill
10. Jrue Holiday
11. Brandon Jennings
12. DeMar DeRozan
13. Terrence Williams
14. BJ Mullens
15. DeJuan Blair
But honestly, I have no idea, seems like anything could happen…
I’ll add mine. That t-shirt looks awesome.
1 Griffin
2 Thabeet
3 Harden
4 Rubio
5 Curry
6 Evans
7 Hill
8 Lawson
9 Holiday
10 Blair
11 Williams
12 Jennings
13 DeRozan
14 Mullens
15 Henderson
The 2009 NBA Draft
1) Griffin
2) Thabeet
3) Rubio
4) Evans
5) Harden
6) Curry
7) Hill
8) Flynn
9) DeRosan
10) Blair
11) Clark
12) Henderson
13) Jrue Holiday
14) Brandon Jennings
15) B.J. Mullens
OK the polling is closed! Good luck everyone.