Now that April 27 - the last day for underclassmen to declare for the NBA draft - has come and gone, the field of NBA prospects is set. Players who have not signed with agents have until June 16 to pull their names out of the draft.
The lottery teams won't find out when they pick until May 20, but general managers have to be excited by the depth of this draft class. Everyone knows about Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose, but there is plenty of talent beyond the probable No. 1 and 2 picks.
After Beasley exited the NCAA Tournament quickly, Rose improved his stock by guiding his team to the national championship game.
Some believe that Rose, not Beasley, is now the No. 1 pick.
However, GMs will have a tougher time distinguishing between all the talent after Beasley and Rose. The question is, who will be picked third overall?
The answer to that question depends on who is drafting third. Different needs will result in different teams looking to draft different players.
The players who could be that possible No. 3 pick include any of the following: Jerryd Bayless, Brook Lopez, DeAndre Jordan, or O.J. Mayo. One of these four will most likely be picked third, but don't be surprised if someone like Kevin Love or Eric Gordon slips into the discussion because of a great pre-draft camp performance.
All eight of the aforementioned players are underclassmen, and it is possible that the first fifteen or so picks could be sophomores or freshmen. There are the obvious (Beasley and Rose) and the not-so-obvious (LSU forward Anthony Randolph, UCLA guard Russell Westbrook, and Nevada center JaVale McGee, to name a few).
No upperclassmen really stick out until Joe Alexander, who is one of the most intriguing players in this draft.
The West Virginia forward was almost unknown to casual college basketball fans until the Big East tournament rolled around. Alexander carried the Mountaineers to the semifinals and then guided them through two victories in the Big Dance before losing to Xavier. His ability to hit midrange jumpers and 3's, mixed with his aggressiveness and athleticism, make Alexander a prime candidate to climb the draft boards before June 28.
Other players who may have the same sort of potential include Ryan Anderson, D.J. White, and Bill Walker. All three are late first- or early second-round picks, whereas Alexander is likely a Top 20 pick.
Anderson's outside shooting and size may compel a team to take the offensively-gifted forward from California.
There always seems to be that one player drafted in the first round based almost solely on his longevity, consistency, and experience at the collegiate level. White could be that player this year. The Indiana star has plenty of skill, but his toughness and leadership may be his most attractive attributes.
Walker is intriguing almost entirely because of his athleticism. He could have been a Top 10 pick had he been able to enter the draft right out of high school. His stock has dropped because he was completely overshadowed by Beasley at Kansas State.
He still has a chance that some team will take a chance on him despite his apparent character issues and lack of a jump shot.
One player whose name will likely be called within the first 10 draftees someone you may never have heard of. His name is Danilo Gallinari and he is a 6-10 shooter from Italy who has many scouts interested.
This may sound vaguely familiar to NBA fans. It sounds an awful lot like Andrea Bargnani, the No. 1 pick by the Raptors in 2006 who has disappointed thus far, but teams are interested in Gallinari for the same reasons they were tempted by Bargnani.
There is plenty of risk when picking an international player, and teams are fully aware of it. They will have to decide whether they think Gallinari is the next Nikoloz Tskitishvili, the fifth pick by the Nuggets in 2002, or the next Pau Gasol, the third pick by the Grizzlies in 2001.
The team that has the most to gain from this draft is the Golden State Warriors. By missing the playoffs, the Warriors most likely moved from the 20th pick to the 14th.
After going 48-34 this season, they are one good player away from being one of the best teams in the NBA, and that player could be sitting there waiting for them at No. 14.
Plenty of good players will still be available with the last lottery pick. Players such as Alexander, Anderson, Stanford center Robin Lopez, and Arizona guard Chase Budinger, all of whom fit perfectly into the way the Warriors play, will likely still be waiting for their names to be called.
The NBA draft may seem like it is far off, but as the field of playoff teams continues to dwindle, interest and curiosity over this draft will increase. There are already 18 NBA teams who care much more about the draft than they do about these playoffs.
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