Warriors Draft Day Central

I'm done. This is getting drawn out and frankly, pretty boring. Peace out.

27. Darrell Arthur, Hornets
26. George Hill, Spurs
25. Nicolas Batum, Rockets
24. Serge Ibaka, Sonics
23. Kosta Koufos, Jazz
22. Courtney Lee, Magic

I fell in love with Lee during the tourney in March. Like Anderson he was a projected 2nd round guy taken about 10 picks ahead of consensus...Koufos was on a lot of Warriors boards. Personally, I 'm not a big fan of soft, front-court Euros...Ibaka hails from the Congo. Apparently he currently plays in Spain, he's only 18, and he won't be in the NBA for about 3 years. Sure, whatever...Darrell Arthur finally gets drafted at 27! Last guy left in the green room. How embarrassing.

21. Ryan Anderson, Nets
20. Alexis Ajinca, Bobcats
19. JJ Hickson, Cavs
18. JaVale McGee, Wizards

Anderson comes out of nowhere at 21. Most boards had him in the early 2nd round. Seems to me like an Austin Croshere type...Ajinca is a question mark, but he looked awfully big in that highlight reel they just showed...McGee was another 7'0" beanpole on the Warriors' mock draft board.

• Breaking trade news: Jerryd Bayless goes to Portland for Jarret Jack and Brandon Rush who now go to the Pacers. Oh yeah, Ike Diogu and Josh McRoberts get thrown in as well. This is a good move for Portland, I think, who are gonna be good for a long time with a trio of Bayless, Roy, and Oden.

17 Roy Hibbert, Raptors.
16. Marreise Speights, Sixers
15. Robin Lopez, Suns

Lopez goes to the Suns. Phoenix cries...Speights looks like he would go to Florida...Green? Jordan? Everyone's afraid of the potential or what?

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With the 14th pick in the 2008 NBA draft, the Golden State Warriors select:


ANTHONY RANDOLPH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6'10" 197, LSU (Fr.) - Randolph is crazy long, super athletic, and super versatile. He can play 3 positions, moving out to the perimeter when necessary. He's a gazelle running the floor, gets on the boards, and can play defense despite the fact that he's thinner than a sheet of paper. I also like the fact that both of Randolph's parents are Army people, which means he's disciplined and probably has something of a hard-ass streak in him. I applaud this pick.

That being said, Randolph is a project and will need to hit the weights and borrow some of Kelenne Azuibuike's protein shakes if he's gonna have an impact in his rookie campaign. But the potential here is through the roof.

Here's a link to Randolph's Draftnet.com profile.

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13. Brandon Rush, Portland

Awesome. Rush is lame and I think the Warriors might have drafted him. Either Donte Green, Anthony Randolph, or DeAndre Jordan will make me very happy right now. Randolph wasn't supposed to fall this far so I didn't even include him in my pre-draft notes. But he's a stud.

12. Jason Thompson, Kings

Thompson is a good supplementary player but somewhat of a surprise to be going this high. He was 3rd on my draft board for the Warriors pick at 14 but most mock boards had him in the 20's...Green or Jordan will now definitely be around at 14. This is shaping up well.

11. Jerryd Bayless, Pacers
10. Brook Lopez, Nets
9. DJ Augustin, Bobcats

Augustin is a baller but this doesn't look right to me. Raymond Felton should be a good PG for the Cats for the foreseeable future and neither guy has any business playing any other position. Seems like there were several players that made better sense here...The Nets had so much success with the last goofy center from Stanford who had a way less talented twin brother, so why not Brook Lopez? Seriously though, this is a steal at 10...The last of the great Pac-10 freshman goes at 11. What a boon for the Pacers. In my mind the 2nd best guard in the country after Rose. A much more versatile player than Augustin, a better scorer, and a better athlete...Looks like the Warriors will have their pick of at least Jordan, Green, Randolph, or Rush.

8. Joe Alexander, Bucks
7. Eric Gordon, Clippers
6. Danilo Gallinari, Knicks
5. Kevin Love, Grizzlies

Another freshman and another Pac-10 guy in Love at 6...Knicks fans are livid over the Gallinari pick. I thought New York was supposed to be up to the brim in Italians. Whatever. Seems to me like this makes a lot of sense for a D'Antoni team...Gordon is the 6th freshman. Meh. He doesn't look like an NBA body from where I'm sitting...Alexander is the best white guy in the draft. I like Love but I think Alexander will end up being a 20-10 guy. Dude can ball...Brook Lopez anyone? Bayless?

4. Westbrook, Sonics
3. OJ Mayo, Wolves
2. Michael Beasley, Heat
1. Derrick Rose, Bulls

Westbrook is the first surpise. I never saw him higher than 6 on any of the mock draft boards. There is a necessary increase in entropy as the draft gets deeper. The predictions will become less and less useful as we go forward...Pac-10 looks strong right now, with 2 down already and Lopez, Love, and Bayless set to go in the next few picks.

• The draft is just an hour away. Let's look at some possible 2nd round horses. I think the Warriors will definitely stay big with the 49th pick (unless a guy like Courtney Lee falls that far - highly unlikely). What's less obvious is if they'll take a a guy who can contribute as a rookie or a more raw, project type player. Expect them to do the opposite of what they do in the 1st round.

- DeVon Hardin, 6'11" 240, Cal (Sr.)
We all saw him at Cal. Crazy athletic, ripped, loves to throw it down like a big man, but never came close to fulfilling his potential. Hardin has no idea how to use his body offensively and he disappears for entire games. That being said, he's a guy who can come off the bench and easily match-up with any opposing NBA body. If he falls to the Warriors in the 2nd round they shouldn't hesitate. However, that's not likely to happen. Most boards have Hardin getting picked in the late 1st or early 2nd round.

- Joey Dorsey 6'7" 265, Memphis (Sr.)
I love me some Joey Dorsey. The dude is an absolute man-beast with no regard for human life. He's not very tall for a PF/C type and he is completely incapable of scoring the basketball without dunking, but my god - what a specimen! He brings to the table everything that the Warriors lack - shot-blocking, tenacity, and hard-nosed D. Again, most draft boards have him going 5 to 10 slots before the Warriors pick at 49, but there is a real possibility that Dorsey will still be around. Like Hardin, despite his deficiencies Dorsey should have no trouble playing 10-20 minutes a contest as a rookie. The Machine would be thrilled if the Warriors can land Joey Dorsey.

- James Gist , 6'8" 220, Maryland (Sr.)
Long and lean, Gist is a tweener who doesn't have the physical presence to bang inside and lacks the perimeter skills that would make him a viable swingman. Again though, like the two guys above, Gist has crazy athleticism and the ability to get in the open floor and throw it down with authority. Gist's major problem, aside from his size, is his tendency to shrink against high-level opponents and completely disappear when he's off his game. Gist would certainly make for a long-term project and he'd be unlikely to have an impact his rookie year.

- Trent Plaisted, 6'10" 240, BYU (Jr.)
Don't be fooled by his pale skin and apparent Mormonness, Plaisted is an athlete, yo. His 40 time has been clocked at 4.4 and he sports a 30"+ vertical. Plaisted is not a well-rounded basketball player - he has a marginal post-game, a below average jumper, he's not much of a ball handler, and he doesn't shoot 3's. But the lefty has an exceptionally quick first step and can get to the hoop when he's in a position to face-up inside of 15 feet. He also runs the floor well and shows a keen understanding of how to initiate fast breaks and pass the ball out of double teams Scouts agree that Plaistead has a lot to work with and proper instruction could turn him into a solid asset, particularly given his low draft projection. His defense will always likely be a liability, however.

• ESPN is reporting that the Nets are sending Richard Jefferson to the Bucks for Yi Jianlian and change. Both of these principles were mentioned as possible trade pieces for Al Harrington. No more. And I can't say that anyone around these parts should be too bummed out about it. Jefferson only made sense if Jax were to get moved and Yi is not exactly the dominant defensive presence the Warriors should be targeting.

• This will be a crazy draft. After the first 2 picks, Beasley and Rose, anything can happen. Go look at 5 expert draft boards and you'll see 5 completely different projections. But assuming the Warriors keep the 14th pick and don't make any drastic moves, here are some names to look for (by the way, this is in the order of my personal preferences):

- Donte Green, 6'9" 221 lbs, Syracuse (Fr.)
Green is a crazy athletic swingman who looks like he'd fit nicely into Nellie-ball. Dude can shoot 3's at a reasonable clip and goes hard to the rim but basically has no in between game. Will he play defense? Will his skills ever catch up to his athleticism? Will his college 3-point shooting prowess translate when he has to take two steps back in the NBA? Most people agree that among the players who are likely to fall to the Warriors at 14, Green has the most potential to turn into an All-Star.

- DeAndre Jordan, 6'11" 250, Texas A&M (Fr.)
This is a guy not a lot of people are talking about. I've seen him as high as 5 going to the Grizz and as low as 23 going to the Jazz. I LOVE this kid. He can play C or PF. He's super-long, super-athletic, and can run the floor with anyone. Expect him to get tons of dunks and frequently block shots into the seats. But he's young and he's raw. He's definitely a project piece, but with the draft as thin as it is, I'd rather take this kid and develop him with a long-term outlook than take a guy who can come in and just to play 10 minutes a game and commit some fouls.

- Jason Thompson, 6'10" 245, Rider (Sr.)
Another guy who's flown mostly under the radar. Thompson is considered a late bloomer with deceptive athleticism and nice touch around the hoop. He can rebound, pass, play solid D, and run the floor. He's said to have a tremendous basketball IQ to match an equally impressive work ethic. A strong showing in Vegas summer leagues has upped this kid's stock quite a bit over the last few weeks. He seems like just the kind of guy who, because of his small school and limited exposure, goes unnoticed by teams that would otherwise jump all over a player with his skills and potential. This seems like a great pick to me.

- Kosta Koufos, 7'0" 252, Ohio St. (Fr.)
Your classic soft, sweet shooting Euro center. Koufos has a good perimeter game, with legit 3-point range. He'll occasionally camp out on the post against smaller defenders but he's not a reliable inside threat. Defensively, Koufos has enough length to be mildly effective but he'll get pushed around pretty easily by bigger centers and forwards. He could make a nice change of pace as a substitute for Biedrins.

- Brandon Rush, 6'6" 210, Kansas (Jr.)
You've seen him play. No long-range game, avoids contact at the rim, average mid-range jumper. Athletically he's a lot like Matt Barnes, but without Barnes' intuitive understanding for the game. This is the "safe pick" d'jour and I cannot see him contributing to a playoff run next year. I'm not a fan.

- Robin Lopez, 7'0" 255, Stanford (So.)
If the Warriors draft Lopez I'm gonna puke.

Some other names that have floated around: JaVale McGee, Anthony Randolph, Danilo Gallinari, Alexis Ajinca

• ESPN ran with some rumors that were generated by Marcus Thompson and Geoff Leper's CC Times Warriors Blog that suggested the Pistons had an interest in a Baron Davis/Al Harrington for Billups/Rasheed Wallace swap. Leper's original statements were just speculation though, based on comments made by Joe Dumars at season's end, which ESPN spun to look like more veritable trade rumors. Not the case. Leper clears the air here.

Additionally, the Detroit Free Press reports that the Pistons never considered the above trade. In fact, the Warriors and Pistons haven't even been in contact.

• Janny Hu of the Chronicle spoke to Baron Davis' agent Todd Ramasar late Tuesday night. Ramasar said Baron's chances of exercising his opt-clause and becoming a free-agent are "extreme" at this point. Baron is upset about not getting a favorable extension, but he's adamant about staying a Warrior.

This news really comes as no surprise to anyone who's been following the situation. A trade is still possible and anything can happen in the next few days, but it won't.