NBA Mock Draft: What Should Happen?

With the NBA Draft coming up on Thursday night, FanHouse's Tom Ziller took a friend's advice and unilaterally decided what teams ought to do in the first round. Think of it as a shorter version of our ongoing Crystal Ballin' series.

1. Chicago -- Michael Beasley, Kansas State. Fan consensus would have the point guard from Memphis here, and it looks like John Paxson will swing that way, too. It looks like a whole lot of Chris Paul-induced "pure point" fervor to me. Beasley, though, is the rare unassailable post presence who also boasts great perimeter skills and extraordinary tenacity on the court. With a team so desperate for points on something other than jump shots, Beasley fits right in.

2. Miami -- Derrick Rose, Memphis. The Heat, on the other hand, has some firepower in the paint, between Dwyane Wade's irrepressible slashing and the alternating efforts of Shawn Marion and Udonis Haslem. But Wade needs help running the show. Rose would provide the right engine to push Miami's offensive abilities while offering some backcourt defensive support.

3. Minnesota -- Brook Lopez, Stanford. Like any other basketball aesthete, I have cracked some Brook Lopez jokes. But behind the Cheetah Girls t-shirts, he's a good prospect. The biggest thing he can offer Minnesota in some interior anchorage on defense. Al Jefferson got abused routinely in the paint last season, with nary a partner to help stunt the opponent. Lopez immediately fortifies the effort, maybe not creating a good defense by himself, but at least helping out. Oh, and he can score too.

27 more picks of questionable logic after the jump.

4. Seattle -- O.J. Mayo, USC. No reported mocks have Sam Presti touching Mayo, not with Kevin Durant already running the offense from 24 feet. But I think Mayo would mesh well with the two-man Sonics nucleus (Jeff Green is people!). No matter how "Greatest of All Time" KD gets on us in years to come, he'll need a scoring partner. Green fits more as a back-up plan on offense, at this point -- a Josh Howard type that can score 20 points a night, but would be more efficient were less required. Likewise, Green needs help on defense. At current pace, it will be 2017 before Durant can defend forwards or big shooting guards. Mayo offers sideback status in both sectors -- he can be the Iverson to Durant's 'Melo on offense, and the Udoka to Green's Bowen on defense. And, as I said above, I'm a basketball aesthete. Tell me you wouldn't watch this team every chance you got.

5. Memphis -- Kevin Love, UCLA. Big Love has become the single most polarizing prospect in this class. Some will think I'm crazy for suggesting Love deserves to go this high in an "ought-to" draft; some will wonder how B Lopez went first. In my opinion, Love fits the Grizzlies roster very well. Already aiming for speed, Love's legend outlets could strengthen Mike Conley's resolve as well as get Rudy Gay some more easy buckets. In the halfcourt set, Love's a good option to have in the post when all else is lost. And on defense ... well, he can get rebounds. Maybe Darko Milicic will fulfill his promise as the next Theo Ratliff?

6. New York -- Jerryd Bayless, Arizona. Just answer this: would you have like to have seen Gilbert Arenas play in the Suns offense over the last few years? Bayless doesn't fully approximate Gil, but he's the closest match you find in the years since Agent Zero arrived. And remember that every shot Bayless takes means one less for Zach Randolph.

7. L.A. Clippers -- Eric Gordon, Indiana. When you consider Elton Brand's coming departure, the likelihood of Chris Kaman remembering who he is, and the possibility Shaun Livingston never plays again, this team can't be trifling with anything worse than the best talent available. Gordon, at this point, is certainly that. He can replace some of Corey Maggette's scoring and Cuttino Mobley's shooting. (No, Cat hasn't gone anywhere. But he needs to go somewhere. Anywhere.)

8. Milwaukee -- Russell Westbrook, UCLA. The Bucks need some backcourt defense, some backcourt athleticism, and a fresh idea after the utter failure of 2007-08's roster. Westbrook (in cahoots with Ramon Sessions) might grease the skids for Mo Williams, which would absolutely not be a bad thing for Scott Skiles. Mo's a fine player, but he's not built for defense ... and if Skiles doesn't have some degree of defense happening, he'll make everyone's life miserable.

9. Charlotte -- DeAndre Jordan, Texas A&M. A kid surnamed Jordan who bears an odd resemblance to Kwame Brown and by the New Year will be looking at Adam Morrison, asking, "Dang man, how do I get some of those minutes?" I'm doing this solely to speed the inevitable MJ resignation, which is when this team can actually start building toward something. No offense 'Cats fans; I'm really trying to do you a favor.

10. New Jersey -- Anthony Randolph, LSU. Someone's got to take a chance on him, and NJ's got time to kill. (Two years, to be exact.) This low in the draft, if someone gave you a 50% chance at a better Shawn Marion, you'd take it, yes? 35% chance? Randolph's somewhere in there.

11. Indiana -- D.J. Augustin, Texas. I'm not sure whether it makes more or less sense with T.J. Ford potentially in the fold. Definitely one or the other.

12. Sacramento -- Darrell Arthur, Kansas. The Kings had three major weaknesses in 2007-08: rebounding, post defense, turnovers. Arthur certainly helps you in the first, offers a good shot at aid in the second, and ... well, you're on your own, Beno. That's this year, though. Arthur can get better and take the Kings with him.

13. Portland -- Joe Alexander, West Virginia. Alexander duels gravity and sometimes wins. But you could make the case Serge Ibaka is the more refined basketball player. Portland's flush with Victorian refinement, though; Nate McMillan needs a freak.

14. Golden State -- Ryan Anderson, Cal. A tall, grotesquely efficient shooter who can run the streets and the court? Anderson might just be Don Nelson's godson.

15. Phoenix -- Mario Chalmers, Kansas. Beyond the facts concerning how well Chalmers fits in the Terry Porter mold and the Steve Kerr vision, this dude's just good. A New Age Mike Bibby who can spell Steve Nash today and feed Amare Stoudemire tomorrow.

16. Philadelphia -- Roy Hibbert, Georgetown. The 76ers might get away with anchoring a defense around Samuel Dalembert and Hibbert, two brawny archetypes who can resist enemy advances while clearing paths for the slashing onslaught of Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young.

17. Toronto -- Marreese Speights, Florida. The Raptors desperately need a counterbalance to Chris Bosh's outside-in game. Speights is hefty and bull-headed, and Sam Mitchell has the firebrand if dude needs it.

18. Washington -- Danilo Gallinari, Italy. When I hear GMs toss around the name "Boki Nachbar" and see references to "Vince Carter without the explosion, or Manu Ginobili without the quickness or the deadeye aim," I get nervous. But enough is enough, and Ernie Grunfeld has had enough. Gallinari can be a bench spark for the next couple years, then we'll see what is the what.

19. Cleveland -- Kosta Koufos, Ohio State. Zydrunas Ilgauskas would be an apt mentor, given he's moving slowly toward the end. (He also moves slowly toward the fridge, and moves slowly down the court.)

20. Denver -- Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis. With J.R. Smith apparently on San Antonio's mind (!), the backcourt should be a draft priority for the Nuggets. I wanted to allow Superintendent Chalmers to fall here, but CD-R fits the trick as well, but as Iverson's rarely-used back-up, and a spot partner in a PG-less environment.

21. New Jersey -- Brandon Rush, Kansas. With Randolph in tow, the Nets can look to nab more of a sure-thing, a fellow who can be the best wing substitute this season. If NJ gets lucky, Rush can become a better John Salmons and possibly hold down Richard Jefferson's spot.

22. Orlando -- Jason Thompson, Rider. The Magic need to compete now, so they need frontcourt help immediately. Thompson can both spell Dwight Howard and cover up his weak side when used in tandem.

23. Utah -- Courtney Lee, Western Kentucky. If Kevin O'Connor ain't too proud to reach, a helpful shooting guard sits plenty available. Lee's a great shooter and could be a Sloan fave on the defensive end.

24. Seattle -- Alexis Ajinca, France. Most in the know have Serge Ibaka here, but were I in Sam Presti's head, I'd think more seriously about Ajinca, who projects to possibly be some day a great shotblocker. Ibaka's more ready to contribute today. Unfortunately, Seattle's the one team in which that's a negative.

25. Houston -- Robin Lopez, Stanford. With Yao Ming facing a busy summer and Dikembe Mutombo facing physiological decomposition, emergency munitions up front is required.

26. San Antonio -- Serge Ibaka, Congo. Serge cannot survive both R.C. Buford and an R.C. Buford disciple. Though the Spurs have not traditionally drafted out of Africa, Ibaka has played well in two season in Spain. I assure you the Spurs know all about that.

27. New Orleans -- JaVale McGee, Nevada. If McGee is going to become something neat in the NBA, some lobs from Chris Paul might be the most direct path.

28. Memphis -- Goran Dragic, Slovenia. He won't cost anything for a few years, right?

29. Detroit -- J.J. Hickson, North Carolina State. Let Hickson, Jason Maxiell, Amir Johnson, Rodney Stuckey and Chauncey Billups start an exhibition game, stick it on NBA TV, and watch the ad dollars pour in.

30. Boston -- Davon Jefferson, USC. I think Scalabrine is running the draft, actually. Trojans, yeah!