Show Anew new era begins an Draft preview Jake Williams Sports Editor Greg Oden and Kevin Durant will finally know where they'll be playing Thursday night after the 2007 Draft kicks off from Madison Square Garden New York Whoever the first pick is we already know both players are headed to the Pacific Northwest The Portland Trailblazers start the show Thursday night at 5 pm p.m. and are sure to take Oden Several analysts have tried to spark a 2 1 debate concerning Oden and Durant but Portland cant can't pass on this foot 7 pound prospect from Ohio State University The 19 year-old year has drawn comparisons with Bill Russell Tim Duncan and Patrick Ewing However it may be more appropriate to compare him with Yao Ming since both players are injury prone lack a killer instinct and have scouts salivating at their potential That said Yao was worth the top pick in 2002 and Oden is worthy of the same selection in 2007 Hes He's going number one After the Seattle Supersonics hear Portland's ortland's pick they'll have no problem taking Kevin Durant number two The Player of the Year is a consensus top two pick without a ceiling Durant is headed to Seattle The third pick owned by Atlanta is where the fun begins The Hawks have passed on Deron Williams and Brandon Roy in the past two drafts and still need someone to run their offense To make matters worse the best player available when the Hawks pick in 2007 wont won't be a point guard Al AI the foot 6 power forward from Florida is a physical inside man who plays all His tough inside game will compliment the un intimidating Zaza Look for the Hawks to take the two-time two national champ third despite their whole at atthe atthe atthe the point The Memphis Grizzlies had a 25 percent chance of landing the top pick but somehow fell to number four Last years year's worst team by record the Grizzlies can find a roster spot for any player available so look for them to draft for versatility They'll find it in Georgetown small forward Jeff Green a potential defender with a decent body Memphis will be hoping his length and strength outweigh his streaky shooting and lack of any anyone one polished skill Corey Brewer is unlikely to land higher than the Boston Celtics Celtic's fifth pick but dont don't expect Boston to leave him on the board if hes he's available there They need defense and will get it from Florida's foot 6 shooting guard Milwaukee drafted Utah's Andrew Bogut with their top overall pick in 2005 and will likely go gobig gobig gobig big again in 2007 The top rated foreigner Yi is a safe pick at number six and may go as high as third I feel hell he'll slide however because he needs to add strength some killer instinct up post-up moves and defensive prowess before he can impact the A project like Yi wont won't go in top five Speaking of projects the Minnesota will run jump all over Brandan Wright if he falls to them at number seven The North Carolina power forward is extremely raw and needs to add strength but his defense length and athleticism make him a no- no brainer top ten pick The Charlotte Bobcats struggled as a result of selecting Adam Morrison third overall last year I Ican Ican Ican can see them blindly going with a big name with obvious question marks again this year so expect to hear Joakim Noahs Noah's name called eighth Noah was the leader for Florida's two championship teams but lacks strength and the the- frame needed to hold any extra muscle His energy is undeniable as is his shot-blocking shot but Noah has almost no jump shot Imagine Ben Wallace Vallace with Shawn Bradleys Bradley's build that's Noah Chicago is easily the strongest team in the top ten They acquired this pick from New York from the 2005 Eddy Curry trade and will likely look to strengthen their bench at number nine Julian Wright an energetic foot 9 defender out of Kansas who can also pass well is a logical pick here because he can potentially play four positions That versatility is exactly what Chicago will love before calling his name The Sacramento Kings round out the top ten and look to get a quality big bigman bigman bigman man this year because they have Mike Bibby Kevin Martin and Ron Artest Attest in the Spencer Hawes the foot 7 1 center from Washington is the most ready player outside the top two His impressive post low-post game and understanding of the game will make an immediate impact for the Kings who need some wins immediately after hiring Reggie Theus their third coach in 18 months Other players who could break into the top ten include Mike Conley the foot 6 pure point guard from Ohio State and Al AI Thornton a small forward from Florida State The Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia would love these two players to fall out of the top ten |