1. Cleveland  Kyrie Irving   6-3 191  Freshman  Point Guard
   In my humble opinion, Irving isn’t the best player in the draft. He should be a good point guard in the NBA, but will have the pressure of making Cleveland fans forget LeBron James. Irving may never make it to the same level as Chris Paul or Derrick Rose, but he could be a notch below that.
2. Minnesota  Derrick Williams  6-9  248   Sophomore  Forward
   Williams  may be the best player in the draft, he has the versatility to play both forward position and the skills to score inside and out. He also can impact the floor on both sides of the ball. However, not sure if the Timberwolves are the best fit for him. They have a plethora of versatile forwards (Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, Anthony Randolph and Wesley Johnson), but Williams is better than them all except for Love.
3. Utah  Brandon Knight  6-3  177  Freshman  Point Guard
   This is an example of how bad the draft is, in a normal draft Knight may be a flex-top-15 pick, but in this draft he is projected to go in the top five. It is a tough pick for the Jazz, because their biggest needs are on the wings but it is too early to draft a wing with the third pick, unless they fall in love with Kawhi Leonard. Knight could have a great career, one that mirrors a player like Jrue Holliday but it is a pretty big drop off from Irving.
4. Cleveland  Enes Kanter  6-11 259  Freshman  Center/Power Forward
   Kanter has wowed some teams in recent workouts. He has great size and athleticism to go with his basketball IQ. Kanter did lose a year after sitting out his freshman season due to suspension. He is an intriguing prospect and has potential to be another Love with some coaching and years. If he falls to the Cavaliers at four, it would be a great draft for Cleveland.
5. Toronto  Jan Vesely  6-11 230 21 years old  Forward
   Vesely may be the most ready foreign prospect in the draft. At 21, he doesn’t have the potential as other foreign prospects, but is one of the more ready players in the draft. He hustles and is very competitive and is very athletic. He could potentially be another Andrei Kirilenko. (more…)

That’s right people the Denver Nuggets at least for right now have a first round pick in the NBA Draft.

Of course that could change over the next month. But until than, the Nuggets have the 22nd pick in what could be considered one of the worst drafts in recent history. Some of the better freshman, Jared Sullinger, Harrison Barnes and Perry and Terrence Jones (no relation), have each dropped out due to the imposing NBA lockout. So the talent pole remains very slim.

And due to the dearth amount of talent in the draft the Nuggets likely won’t find a player that would contribute anytime soon and the only need they really could fill through the draft is a third point guard. But for a pick so late, their best option is to draft the best available talent or trade the pick for a better talent, and here are a few players the Nuggets may consider:

• TOBIAS HARRIS, 6-8 223, Tennessee, Forward, 18 years old (19 in July), Freshman
  NBA Comparison: Kris Humphries, Ryan Gomes, Shane Battier, Glen Rice (don’t ask me, ask NBADraft.net)
  Harris is slated to go to the Nuggets in both Chad Ford’s Mock Draft and NBADraft.net’s Mock Draft, but considering his age and basketball IQ he is undoubtedly rising in the draft and there are rumors that he will soon be a lottery lock. Harris’s game is slightly underrated, he has great size, an adequate scorer and has potential to be a top of the line defender at the next level.
  He is similar to Atlanta Hawks’ Josh Smith, only less athletic but with a better basketball IQ. Offensively, he is a better player than Smith. He can bring the ball up the court and is good driving to the basket. With his length he can be a mismatch at either forward position. The only downside is he is a below average shooter (not as bad as Smith), but he does have an awkward release and doesn’t have a lot of lift (if at all) on his jump shot. Defensively, he will be valuable due to size and versatility. Harris could be a starter in the League, but not next season. (more…)