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Leading up to the 2009 NBA Draft on June 25th, I'll post "Draft Talk" updates at least once a week so we can discuss the latest rumours, combine results and various draft news tidbits.
The full measurements from the draft combine are now up at Draft Express. In terms of players that should interest Raptors fans, James Harden performed really well with excellent scores in bench press, vertical, agility and 3/4 court sprint — all in spite of having one of the higher body-fat percentages. If there was any doubt before that Harden will be the first shooting guard to go in the draft, there shouldn't be, now. The Raptors will definitely have to trade up into the top five picks if they want to grab him.
Demar DeRozan had the third-best vertical leap in the combine (38.5" — tied with Chase Budinger and behind Rodrigue Beaubois and Jonny Flynn) but his lane agility time was fifth-worst, right behind Tyreke Evans. Tyreke also bested DeRozan in bench press and sprint tests, leading me to think there's no way DeRozan goes ahead of Evans in the draft since Evans has a more NBA-ready body and skillset.
Unsurprisingly, DeJuan Blair performed well on the bench with 18 reps at 185 pounds. Blake Griffin actually tested out second-strongest (behind Luke Harangody) with 22 reps. Combine that with his explosiveness and it's not hard to figure why he's the consensus number one pick.
Now that we have the full measurements to add to my previous amateur evaluations, here's my Top 10 draft board for the moment. These are listed not by team need, but in the order of what kind of impact I think they'll make in the NBA.
- Ricky Rubio
- Blake Griffin
- James Harden
- Jordan Hill
- Tyreke Evans
- Stephen Curry
- Jrue Holliday
- Jonny Flynn
- Hasheem Thabeet
- Brandon Jennings
Some of you might be thinking that I dropped Thabeet so far out of wishful thinking that he would be available with the Raptors' pick at 9. Let me assure you that this is not the case. I'm just not that impressed with his game — and while I wouldn't be upset if he fell to the Raptors and they picked him, I also wouldn't be devastated in the unlikely case that they pass on him, as well. He's probably never going to be even a decent scorer, he's a lousy rebounder for a 7'3" guy, and while he's obviously a prodigious shot-blocker, he's really not a very strong defender, either.
As most of you know, the guy I really like in this draft is Tyreke Evans, but I will be shocked if he's still on the board by the Raptors' pick. You'll notice that I don't have DeRozan in my Top 10, but he's probably going to be the best two-guard available at nine so he could very well be the most likely pick for the Raptors. Also, I've talked myself into feeling like I'd be pretty happy if Stephen Curry is available with the ninth pick. He might not have DeRozan's upside, but it might surprise you to know that he beat DeRozan in the bench press, sprint and agility tests — and we already know that Curry has an NBA offensive skillset.
You might have also noticed that I have Rubio at the top of my list. Call it a hunch, but I think he's the only guy in this draft with superstar potential. Griffin is probably going to be a very productive 20 and 10 player, but I think he's going to be average at best on the defensive end. In contrast, Rubio could be a Top 10 player in the NBA in his prime and I'll actually be surprised if he doesn't reach that level. More than anything else, he is the one guy I'm most looking forward to watching in the NBA next season. Here's hoping he actually wants to leave Spain for the team that drafts him. 
My wife and I will be participating in the "Walk Now for Autism Ontario" on June 7th as part of "Team Maxwell" in honour of my three-year-old Autistic son, Max. If you'd like to make a donation to the cause of increased funding for support and treatment of Autism in Ontario, please click the "SUPPORT TEAM MAXWELL" graphic I'll display in the right column until after the event.
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