Extended Mock Draft 3.3By: Aran_Smith

With so many teams looking to make deals, projecting the draft
has become increasingly difficult. Here’s our best effort to forecast the first
round… for now. To create your own mock draft and compete for a Playstation
3, click to play Draft
Day Challenge.

1.			Blake Griffin	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.
2.			Hasheem Thabeet	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. They will continue to explore options, however the market for this pick appears to have dried up some, with Minnesota rejecting a deal which would have included Kevin Love or both picks (5 and 6).
3.			James Harden	OKC’s brass plays things close to the vest making it tough to know what they’re thinking. 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. Rubio and Curry are also possibilities here. OKC’s lawyer’s are looking into the Rubio buyout situation, and Rubio has come out saying he thinks he may be forced to play in Spain for Joventut next year if they don’t reach an agreement on buyout, which points towards Harden.
4.			Ricky Rubio	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’s wanted to land all along? The Kings are also considering Evans and Flynn here.
5.			Stephen Curry	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.
6.			Tyreke Evans	If Harden slides down, they likely will take Harden and Curry as their backcourt of the future. Otherwise it may come down to Tyreke or Hill. Evans and Curry would be an interesting combination. With tremendous ball handling ability, Tyreke will hope to use his driving ability and strength to have the same success scoring at the pro level as in college.
7.			Jonny Flynn	Golden State could look at Jordan Hill here, but as a skinny 4, he sort of duplicates their young tandem of Brandan Wright and Anthony Randolph. Jennings has as much raw potential as anyone outside of Blake Griffin and would be an excellent match with Monte Ellis in Nellie’s up tempo offense. Flynn might be the most appealing to the club as he’s more ready than Jennings.
8.			Jordan Hill	The Knicks shopping list includes (1) Stephen Curry, (2) Jordan Hill, and if neither of those two are available (3) Tyreke 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 insure they get one of these guys. Rubio is likely their #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.
9.			James Johnson	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.
10.			DeMar DeRozan	Trading Richard Jefferson allows the Bucks to resign both Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions this off season. If Flynn is here, he’s likely the pick, however if he goes 4th or 7th they could go for upside with DeRozan. DeRozan helps give this team some much needed athleticism and potential.
11.			Gerald Henderson	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.
12.			Terrence Williams	Word is Terrence Williams has a promise here from Charlotte. He’s in the green room and has impressed scouts with his candor and personality. The Bobcats will hope he doesn’t go to New Jersey at 11. Williams even tweeted he won’t go past 12.
13.			Tyler Hansbrough	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.
14.			Earl Clark	Some have Clark falling all the way into the 20s due to question marks surrounding his commitment to the game and focus. Based on talent, he’s a top 10 pick without question, but his lack of development in 3 years is an enigma.
15.			BJ Mullens	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 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. Detroit likes DaJuan Summers and could trade down to the early 20s to grab him.
16.			DeJuan Blair	The Bulls could go in a number of directions here with another pick 10 picks later. Some people feel that DeJuan Blair is falling hard recently due to injury concerns and could end up in the 20s. Other players high on Chicago’s board include James Johnson and Tyler Hansbrough.
17.			Eric Maynor	Philly has done well with the steadying influence of Andre Miller. He’s getting up there in age, so Maynor would make for an excellent replacement. The Sixers will consider Lawson and Jennings here as well.
18.			Sam Young	The Wolves are in need of guards after dealing away their starting backcourt. Budinger would be a nice replacement for Mike Miller as he’s the same mold of player. Sam Young is also a player mentioned at 18 to Minnesota.
19.			Jeff Teague	Atlanta’s first order of business this offseason will likely be resigning Mike Bibby. Without him they fall back into lotto land. Teague will provide an excellent back up 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.
20.			Jrue Holiday	The Jazz could use some depth behind Deron Williams, and while there’s a chance Holiday goes 9th to Toronto or 13th to Indiana, someone has to slip and there’s a good chance Holiday falls into the second half of the first round.
21.			Ty Lawson	The Hornets could use a back up for Chris Paul, and while the 21st pick isn’t generally where you want to take a reserve, Ty Lawson could develop into a valuable asset learning under Paul.
22.			Brandon Jennings	Jennings people have no idea where he will go. He appears likely to slip out of the lottery now and could fall all the way to the early 20s. The Trailblazers are opportunists looking for the best value at this pick and while they may have traded up to grab someone like Casspi, they could always veer in another direction with someone like Jennings slipping to them.
23.			Omri Casspi	Casspi is set to become the first ever 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.
24.			DaJuan Summers	The Mavs picked up some second rounders from Portland by moving down 2 spots. They could be looking at Nick Calethes here and moved down knowing he’d be available at the later spot. Summers has been very impressive in workouts and could go higher than this spot.
25.			Chase Budinger	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. Budinger is a heady player who would be of great value here.
26.			Wayne Ellington	Nick Calethes is another player who could benefit with his European contract and ability to stay off the books for a few years. Ellington is a great pick for a teeam like Chicago with a playmaker such as Rose to set him up on the perimeter.
27.			Derrick Brown	There is a rumor that the Grizzlies have a promise in place for DeMarre Carroll here at 27. Which if it is the case, GM Chris Wallace should be fired on the spot. 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 cap money by taking Euros. Josh Heytvelt is another post player who could benefit from the lack of size in this draft and find a spot in the late first.
28.			Jonas Jerebko	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.
29.			Toney Douglas	The Knicks have bought this pick and could be looking at a number of players. Victor Claver is a possibility. If Toney Douglas is here, he’s the pick.
30.			Austin Daye	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 was 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.