1. John Wall
. Kentucky
John Wall was always going to be the first pick of the 2010 Draft. He has the pure, natural talent and aptitude to be an All-Star immediately and he has shown enough of the same intangibles that turns All-Stars into Hall of Famers to make me believe he truly can become one of the top-five point guards in basketball history.
2. Evan Turner
GF. Ohio State
Someone recently asked me if I thought there was a better than 50/50 chance that Turner becomes a perennial All-Star. I responded by saying that there was probably a less than 25% chance that he ever actually plays in one. With that aside, Turner will become an above average NBA shooting guard and I love that 76ers backcourt with he and Jrue Holiday.
3. Derrick Favors
F. Georgia Tech
Similar to the initial three picks, this one is supremely easy for the Nets to make. He has as much upside as DeMarcus Cousins, none of the personality issues and will make an excellent power forward complement to Brook Lopez.
4. DeMarcus Cousins
C. Kentucky
I have been one of the biggest supporters of Cousins, ranking him ahead of Turner on my Top 100, but I even waver on what kind of player he will become. During last week's draft combine, he alternated between the most charming guy there and also the most immature. Some of the opinions that have been formed about him are oversimplistic and I would have far more confidence in mining his staggering talent while keeping his personality out of his own way, rather than taking a lesser prospect. I think Cousins works really well in Minnesota, leading to an Al Jefferson for a wing trade and there are enough other teams interested in Cousins, where Minnesota could trade this pick.
5. Wesley Johnson
F. Syracuse
The Kings have a glut of small forwards, but I expect Geoff Petrie to take the best player on the board and worry about them playing musical chairs later. Sacramento is far enough way from competing where they need to keep compiling assets and Johnson will ostensibly become a valuable one.
6. Al-Farouq Aminu
F. Wake Forest
I love his potential and the style of his game suits Golden State, regardless of who ends up coaching the team in 10-11. Nonetheless, Aminu has virtually no chance of being the leading scorer on an NBA team. If any of the players in this draft are lacking that extra component necessary to become great, it is Aminu. He is a dangerous role scorer and will be a good complimentary offensive weapon with good versatility to offset Stephen Curry.
7. Cole Aldrich
C. Kansas
The Pistons are in need of a legitimate center and Aldrich gives them a solid two-way B with his shotblocking and enough of an offensive repertoire to make opposing bigs defend him.
8. Xavier Henry
G. Kansas
Henry was one of the stars of Chicago and he has much more latent potential than he is being credited for. He has good strength at a young age and will be an instant contributor. Henry also will develop a nice inside/outside game and will also be an upgrade for the Clippers on the defensive end.
9. Greg Monroe
FC. Georgetown
We can thank the Stephon Marbury trade for placing one of the best passing bigs we have seen in years in Jerry Sloan's system. Monroe spoke glowingly to me about Sloan and seems to fully expect to play for the Jazz.
10. Ed Davis
. North Carolina
The Pacers are in dire need to find their point guard and could conceivably go with Eric Bledsoe here, which I wouldn't consider a reach, but I think it is harder to find a player of the caliber of Davis than Bledsoe right now. He is a face-up power forward that would suit Indiana's style. Davis wasn't allowed to play to his strengths at North Carolina and I expect we'll see a significantly better NBA player than what he showed in the ACC.
11. Hassan Whiteside
C. Marshall
Whiteside is working with Hakeem Olajuwon and if his next mentor became Chris Paul, I'm not sure a player from Marshall since Randy Moss accrued as much good fortune. Whiteside will be instantly a tough cover for opposing defenses in the pick and pop and on the pick and roll as soon as he acquires more physical strength.
12. Eric Bledsoe
SG. Kentucky
The Grizzlies will have an interesting summer given the free agency of Rudy Gay and their relative lack of commitment to any of their backcourt trio. Bledsoe is largely an unknown quantity at point guard, but his selflessness in deferring to Wall, along with his capacity to play off the ball makes him possibly the ideal point guard to pair with O.J. Mayo.
13. Ekpe Udoh
FC. Baylor
Toronto was atrocious on defense in 09-10 and Udoh immediately addresses that weakness given his ability as a shotblocker. He is a better offensive player than some believe, but given his age, he is never going to be a scorer that puts up more than a dozen points per 36 minutes.
14. Daniel Orton
PF. Kentucky
Orton is shorter than I imagined and I think that will ultimately hurt his stock, but 14 is still very high for a freshman that only saw 500 minutes of floor time.
15. Patrick Patterson
. Kentucky
Patterson has a wide potential pick range given his status as a tweener, but the success Luc-Ricard Mbah a Moute has had with the Bucks should be encouraging for both John Hammon and Patterson.
16. Gordon Hayward
GF. Butler
Minnesota needs an instant playmaker at the wing and since they couldn't get the second overall pick and Turner, Hayward is the best option after Wes Johnson. He will be a good spot-up shooter, but I think his ability off the dribble in the halfcourt is what makes him special.
17. Paul George
GF. Fresno State
The Bulls are an absolute ideal landing spot for George, who is best suited to be a spot-up shooter with some athleticism, rather than a primary scorer. He doesn't have enough skill to consistently beat his man off the dribble, but he will get plenty of scoring opportunities off of Derrick Rose (and whomever else they might land this summer) kick outs.
18. Donatas Motiejunas
FC. Pallacanestro Treviso (Italy)
Motiejunas could conceivably withdraw from the draft, but this is probably his basement if he stays in. He has good touch around the bucket, can spread the floor a little bit with his jumper and most importantly has improved significantly from a year ago.
19. Damion James
SF. Texas
Danny Ainge's formula in trying to find wing replacements for Paul Pierce and Ray Allen has been to take fliers on uber-athletic guys like Bill Walker and J.R. Giddens. James is a little more sober player, but his strength would be a nice complement to Rajon Rondo, who is clearly the player the Celtics are now building around.
20. Luke Babbitt
. Nevada
Given the European nature of Babbitt's game and his ability to stretch the floor, he is perfectly suited for Gregg Popovich's system.
21. Quincy Pondexter
F. Washington
I highly doubt the Thunder will keep this draft slot, as they will likely use it to move up in the draft. Pondexter is merely keeping this chair warm for the time being.
22. Larry Sanders
. Virginia Commonwealth
Sanders doesn't have a very sophisticated offensive game, but his ability to play a junkyard style gives the Blazers some of the interior toughness they need.
23. Charles Garcia
F. Seattle
Garcia is a higher risk pick for this part of the draft, but his versatility and size would be an excellent offset to the bigs Minnesota has/will have, particularly if they continue to try the Triangle offense.
24. James Anderson
G. Oklahoma State
James Anderson isn't Joe Johnson, but he represents an affordable attempt at this point in the draft.
25. Willie Warren
G. Oklahoma
Drafting Warren would mean another combo guard on Chris Wallace's roster, but he represents the most potentially valuable asset at this point. I was a big believer in Warren following his freshman season and I expect him to get back to where he was that season. He was a no show at the Chicago media sessions, one of the four or five guys that I was most anticipating having a chance to talk to.
26. Nemanja Bjelica
. Belgrade Red Star (Serbia)
Bjelica has a good combination of size, skill and athleticism. He is one of those European players that can be either the screener or the ball-handler in pick situations.
27. Avery Bradley
. Texas
Bradley, like Warren, was a media session no show on both days in Chicago. He seems like a shooter than can play some point guard, more than the other way around, but he represents an upside project for the Nets.
28. Devin Ebanks
F. West Virginia
Ebanks is kind of a poor man's Rudy Gay, with his ceiling also being measured by how he develops his jumper to match his athleticism.
29. Solomon Alabi
C. Florida State
If the Magic decide the luxury tax is too prohibitive to keep Marcin Gortat, Alabi would be a less expensive alternative and he would at the very least be a good defensive backup for Dwight Howard. He also is new enough to the game where he can improve his currently rudimentary offensive game.
30. Stanley Robinson
F. Connecticut
Robinson isn't the kind of wing that will create his own offense, but his intangibles and athleticism are good enough where John Wall can maximize his potential. For most other teams, Robinson isn't nearly worth this high of a pick, but therein lies the already immeasurable value of John Wall.
Home 
NBA.com 
