National Basketball Association

2009 NBA Draft pick-by-pick analysis

Published Jun. 26, 2009 4:06 a.m. ET

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2009 NBA DRAFT: Second Round
Pick	Team	Player	Pos.	Height	Weight	School/Country	Class
31.	Kings	Blake Griffin	PF	6-10	252	Oklahoma	Sophomore
The Clippers have a brand new training facility and Blake Griffin is genuinely excited about leaving Oklahoma and moving to Los Angeles. He's got a youthful exuberance which hopefully can inspire a new attitude from a club with a long-standing losing atmosphere around it. Watch his video preview
32.	Wizards	Hasheem Thabeet	C	7-3	265	UConn	Junior
With owner Michael Heisley as the driving force, the Grizzlies appear set to take Thabeet here. They want Thabeet and they know if they trade down Oklahoma City will take him at 3. Watch his video preview
33.	Blazers	James Harden	SG	6-5	220	Arizona State	Sophomore
OKC's brass plays things close to the vest making it tough to know what they're thinking. If available, Rubio makes a lot of sense for them, but then there's the Westbrook factor and whether or not taking Rubio would be disrespecting him in his mind. The small market team needs to keep their biggest stars (Durant and Westbrook) happy any way possible. A nucleus of Westbrook, Harden, Durant and Green would be tough to keep out of the playoffs for long. Watch his video preview
34.	Nuggets	Ricky Rubio	PG	6-5	180	Spain
Rubio made good after missing his initial scheduled workout with Sacramento. On Tuesday a hearing decided that the buyout issue will not be resolved until October. So there still has to be fear about Rubio's ability to get out of his buyout and play in the NBA next year. If his Spanish team Joventut tells him they will drop his buyout in half or 3/4 if he returns for one more season, that might be his best option. Could the fear of this happening scare some teams off? Could Rubio end up in New York, where he'd like to land all along? Stay tuned.
35.	Pistons	Stephen Curry	PG	6-1	180	Davidson	Junior
The trade that sent Foye to the Wizards gives the T-wolves back-to-back picks. This was a good trade for Washington as Foye is an established pro and a rising star. The player taken at this pick will not be a sure bet, and Washington was able to unload a number of contracts in the process. Word is they are likely to go with some combination of Curry, Harden and possibly Evans or Hill. Watch his video preview
36.	Grizzlies	Tyreke Evans	SG	6-5	221	Memphis	Freshman
If Harden slides down, they likely will take Harden and Curry as their backcourt of the future. Otherwise it may come down to Evans or Hill. Evans and Curry would be an interesting combination. With tremendous ball-handling ability, Evans will hope to use his driving ability and strength to have the same success scoring at the pro level as in college. Watch his video preview
37.	Spurs	Jonny Flynn	PG	6-0	186	Syracuse	Sophomore
Golden State could look at Jordan Hill if he falls to them, but as a skinny 4, he sort of duplicates their young tandem of Brandan Wright and Anthony Randolph. Flynn would be an excellent match with Monte Ellis in Nellie's up-tempo offense. Jennings or DeRozan are also possibilities here. So is James Johnson.
38.	Blazers	Jordan Hill	PF	6-10	235	Arizona	Junior
The Knicks shopping list includes (1) Curry, (2) Hill, and if neither of those two are available (3) Evans is next on the list. Rubio might be their real target, but could be out of reach for them. The Knicks are pushing hard to move up to 5 to ensure they get one of these guys. Rubio is likely their No. 1 target. Gerald Henderson has jumped into the mix as a possibility here, particularly if someone moves up to 2 to take Rubio, making Evans at 5 or 6 likely. If Hill falls here, look for new York to take him. Watch his video preview
39.	Pistons	James Johnson	SF	6-8	257	Wake Forest	Sophomore
The Raptors are down to two likely candidates with James Johnson and Jrue Holiday. Johnson gives them the athleticism and readiness they're looking for.
40.	Bobcats	DeMar DeRozan	SG	6-6	210	USC	Freshman
Trading Richard Jefferson allows the Bucks to re-sign both Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions this offseason. If Flynn is here, he's likely the pick. If not, they could go for upside with DeRozan. Watch his video preview
41.	Bucks	Gerald Henderson	SG	6-4	210	Duke	Junior
The Nets appear to be in great position to grab a player that falls, similar to last year when nobody wanted Brook Lopez and he fell into their laps at 10. The Nets are very high on Henderson and will consider him at 11 if he's available. Watch his video preview
42.	Lakers	Terrence Williams	SF	6-6	213	Louisville	Senior
Williams is said to have a promise here from Charlotte. He's in the green room and has impressed scouts with his candor. The Bobcats will hope he doesn't go to New Jersey at 11. Williams even tweeted he won't go past 12. Watch his video preview
43.	Heat	Tyler Hansbrough	PF	6-9	234	UNC	Senior
Hansbrough fits the Pacers' philosophy of drafting safe, ready to contribute players. DeJuan Blair is still a possibility, but with concerns about Blair's knees, they may decide to go in another direction. Ty Lawson is also being mentioned here. Watch his video preview
44.	Pistons	Brandon Jennings	PG	6-1	170	Playing in Italy
Jennings appears to be slipping and while there's an outside chance he goes 8 to New York or 10 to Milwaukee, there's also a real chance Phoenix goes in another direction and he slides into the second half of the draft.
45.	Timberwolves	B.J. Mullens	C	7-0	258	Ohio State	Freshman
Trading away Billups was essentially giving up trying to win for a few years, but the team is in tremendous cap shape now and can start to reload for the future. Joe Dumars can afford to look for a long-term player here. Rumors swirled around Austin Daye and this pick, however Dumars is too smart for that. Mullens is the type of guy whose career may be affected by the team that he lands with. Detroit would be a great situation for him.
46.	Cavaliers	Earl Clark	PF	6-10	230	Louisville	Junior
Blair remains a real possibility here as he's one of the Bulls' few targets. If gone, Williams offers them an athletic defender and insurance with Ben Gordon's future with the team up in the air. Watch his video preview
47.	Timberwolves	Ty Lawson	PG	6-0	197	UNC	Junior
Philly played its best basketball after Elton Brand went down, as the racehorses were able to get out on the break and run. Lawson fits in very well with their speed and athleticism. Unfortunately, Brand doesn't. Philly will likely have a number of PGs to select from, but Lawson is said to be a guy they like. Watch his video preview
48.	Suns	Chase Budinger	SF	6-7	218	Arizona	Junior
The Wolves are in need of guards after dealing away their backcourt. Budinger would be a nice replacement for Mike Miller as he's the same mold. Watch his video preview
49.	Hawks	Jeff Teague	PG	6-2	175	Wake Forest	Sophomore
Atlanta's first order of business this offseason will likely be re-signing Mike Bibby. Without him they fall back into lotto land. Teague will be an excellent backup to groom behind Bibby, allowing him to take his time learning the position at the NBA level before being expected to take over the club. Watch his video preview
50.	Jazz	Jrue Holiday	SG	6-4	199	UCLA	Freshman
The Jazz could use some depth behind Deron Williams, and while there's a chance Holiday goes ninth to Toronto or 13th to Indiana, someone has to fall and there's a good chance he drops into the second half of the draft. Watch his video preview
51.	Spurs	Eric Maynor	PG	6-3	180	VCU	Senior
The Hornets could use a backup for Chris Paul, and while the 21st pick isn't generally where you want to take a reserve, Maynor has starter potential and could develop into a valuable asset learning under Paul. Watch his video preview
52.	Pacers	DaJuan Summers	SF	6-8	243	Georgetown	Junior
The Blazers made an interesting move trading up to 22 and leapfrogging the Kings, leading to speculation that they could take Summers, Victor Claver or Omri Casspi. Summers is a player on the rise lately. Claver remains a strong possibility here, or he could slide to the Blazers' second-round pick at 33. Claver works with their salary situation as they could keep this pick off the books for a season until they're able to resign Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge in 2010.
53.	Spurs	Omri Casspi	SF	6-9	211	Israel
Casspi is set to become the first Israeli player to play in the NBA. His toughness and experience will allow him to be a nice pro someday, but he may take some time before he can be expected to contribute.
54.	Bobcats	DeJuan Blair	PF	6-6	227	Pitt	Sophomore
Rick Carlisle likes players with a defined skill, and Blair has a NBA skill with his excellent rebounding ability. Blair appears to be falling lately with teams concerned about his physicals. He could still go as high as 13 to Indiana or 16 to Chicago, but it is beginning to look more likely that he will slip into the 20s. Watch his video preview
55.	Blazers	Wayne Ellington	SG	6-5	194	UNC	Junior
Oklahoma City may end up moving this pick. Ellington is a bit of a poor man's Russell Westbrook. He lacks the speed and athleticism, but is a better shooter. He would give this team yet another offensive weapon. Watch his video preview
56.	Mavericks	Derrick Brown	SF	6-8	225	Xavier	Junior
Brown could be one of the players who falls into the second round with so many small forwards in the mix, not to mention a number of teams looking to save money by taking Euros. Nick Calathes is another player who could benefit with his European contract and ability to stay off the books for a few years.
57.	Suns	Taj Gibson	SF	6-10	214	USC	Junior
There is a rumor that the Grizzlies have a promise in place for DeMarre Carroll here at 27. If that's true, GM Chris Wallace should be fired on the spot. Gibson is a long, athletic forward, but teams have to question his ability to add strength at his age (he turns 24 on Wednesday). Regardless, his excellent post skills and 7-4 wingspan make him an intriguing option in a draft devoid of quality bigs.
58.	Celtics	Jonas Jerebko	SF	6-9	220	Sweden
The Timberwolves are one of a few teams that are high on Jerebko and will consider taking him late in the first round. Unlike some other Europeans (Claver), Jerebko is ready to play in the NBA next year and would actually prefer to go in the first round. Jerebko could go anywhere from 23 to late 30s.
59.	Lakers	Toney Douglas	G	6-2	183	Florida St.	Senior
There's a good chance the Lakers will get rid of this pick. If they hold onto it, look for them to take a player such as Claver that they can leave over in Europe. They will be trying to resign Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom this offseason, so every penny will count. Brown will give some team a steal in the late first round as he could go as high as late teens.
60.	Heat	Austin Daye	SF	6-11	192	Gonzaga	Sophomore
Daye somehow got an invite to the green room which would suggest some team is set to take him in the top 20. However, the rumor is that Detroit would take him, yet most people are convinced they won't. Daye can shoot it, but he may not see any game action for a few years.