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JUST THEIR TYPE

Every team wants to get the right man on draft night. And to find him, they will examine every possible angle - maybe a bit too closely.

by Ric Bucher (smaller pieces by Ian Gordon)

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It likely starts with D-Rose. But then where does it go?

1. CHICAGO BULLS: DERRICK ROSE, PG, MEMPHIS
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: CLUB CORNERSTONE

Don't anoint CP3 the league's best PG just yet.

2. MIAMI HEAT: MICHAEL BEASLEY, PF, KANSAS STATE
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: CORE GUY

Miami is looking to parlay this pick into two instant helpers. If it can't, one superstar will do.

3. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: BROOK LOPEZ, C, STANFORD
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: BORDERLINE STARTER

Lopez-Jefferson sounds a lot like Parish-McHale to a GM who would know.

4. SUPERSONICS: O.J. MAYO, SG, USC
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: CORE GUY

A guy who played for three different HS teams won't be fazed by relocation turmoil.

5. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: KEVIN LOVE, PF, UCLA
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: CORE GUY

Ideal sidekick for an athletic center like Pau Ga--- oh, whoops.

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Bucher has Westbrook to the Clippers. Who will be his post man, though?

6. NEW YORK KNICKS: ERIC GORDON, SG, INDIANA
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: BORDERLINE STARTER

Donnie Walsh, already homesick for Indy, snags this Hoosier to keep him company.

7. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS: RUSSELL WESTBROOK, PG/SG, UCLA
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: CORE GUY

Key question is NOT whether he'll play the point; it's whether he'll be feeding Elton Brand or Beasley (if they trade Elton to Miami)

8. MILWAUKEE BUCKS: JERRYD BAYLESS, PG/SG, ARIZONA
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: BORDERLINE STARTER

Having been coached by the intense Kevin O'Neill should help ease the transition to Scott Skiles.

9. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS: ANTHONY RANDOLPH, PF, LSU
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: CORNERSTONE

MJ never could resist a high-stakes gamble. If this one pays off, he's got a steal.

10. NEW JERSEY NETS: DANILO GALLINARI, SF, ITALY
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: BORDERLINE STARTER

GM Kiki has always had a thing for sweet-shooting European bigs.

11. INDIANA PACERS: D.J. AUGUSTIN, PG, TEXAS
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: BORDERLINE STARTER

If nothing else, D.J.'s presence will force Jamaal Tinsley to show up for a full season.

12. SACRAMENTO KINGS: DeANDRE JORDAN, C, TEXAS A&M
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: BORDERLINE STARTER

Sure, he's unproven; Sac-Town still expects the guy to put de fork in Brad Miller.

13. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS: JOE ALEXANDER, SF, WVU
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: BORDERLINE STARTER

Combine Superman had best not get comfy in this hat; Portland has made draft-night deals for four years running.

14. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: DARRELL ARTHUR, PF, KANSAS
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: CORE GUY

You know what they say: fourth big in five years is the charm.

15. PHOENIX SUNS: MARREESE SPEIGHTS, PF, FLORIDA
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: A TOP RESERVE

You might have noticed their front-line D is a little suspect. Extra credit: he's under 30.

16. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: ROBIN LOPEZ, PF, STANFORD
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: ONE-TOOL SPECIALIST

Scouts say his twin isn't Brook; it's Anderson Varejao.

17. TORONTO RAPTORS: BRANDON RUSH, SF, KANSAS
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: CORE GUY

And, their search for a two-way swingman ends.

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Could Chase Budinger help move Orlando closer to the Conference Finals?

18. WASHINGTON WIZARDS: DONTE GREENE, SF, SYRACUSE
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: A TOP RESERVE

Think of him as Andray Blatche without the off-court problems.

19. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: KOSTA KOUFOS, C, OHIO STATE
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: ONE-TOOL SPECIALIST

Remember when Greece showed up Team USA in 2006? LeBron James does. Pity his new practice dummy.

20. DENVER NUGGETS: TY LAWSON, PG, UNC
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: ONE-TOOL SPECIALST

Tar Heel ties. Recent rap sheet. Born to be a Nugget! [ED'S NOTE: HE HAS SINCE PULLED OUT OF THE DRAFT]

21. NEW JERSEY NETS: NICOLAS BATUM, SF, FRANCE
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: A TOP RESERVE

Some say he will do to Vince Carter what VC did to fellow Frenchman Frederic Weis.

22. ORLANDO MAGIC: CHASE BUDINGER, SG, ARIZONA
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: A TOP RESERVE

In case J.J. Redick didn't get the memo about his future in Orlando, he should consider this his pink slip.

23. UTAH JAZZ: ROY HIBBERT, C, GEORGETOWN
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: BORDERLINE STARTER

Averaged 2.2 blocks for the Hoyas - more than twice as many as the Boozer/Okur combo.

24. SUPERSONICS: MARIO CHALMERS, PG, KANSAS
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: A TOP RESERVE

GM Sam Presti's Spurs-based model doesn't work without tough-minded winners.

25. HOUSTON ROCKETS: ALEXIS AJINCA, C, FRANCE
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: A TOP RESERVE

Ronny Turiaf says Ajinca is NBA-ready. Who are we to question Ronny?

26. SAN ANTONIO SPURS: SERGE IBAKA, PF, CONGO
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: A TOP RESERVE

Another Spurs special (i.e. a talented foreigner you haven't heard of yet).

27. NEW ORLEANS HORNETS: COURTNEY LEE, SG, WESTERN KENTUCKY
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: A TOP RESERVE

If you're looking for a wing man who can keep up with Chris Paul, he's your man.

28. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: JOEY DORSEY, PF, MEMPHIS
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: ONE-TOOL SPECIALIST

Memphis hopes a dose of local flavor will spark one of the league's weakest season-ticket bases.

29. DETROIT PISTONS: J.J. HICKSON, PF, N.C. STATE
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: A TOP RESERVE

Because you can NEVER have too many Jason Maxiells.

30. BOSTON CELTICS: TRENT PLAIDSTED, PF, BYU
WHAT THE TEAM GETS: ONE-TOOL SPECIALIST

Ainge dips into his alma mater for a big who can run next to Kevin Garnett.


WHAT THE TEAMS PUT IN: COMBINE TIME

by Ian Gordon

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Did the Orlando combine help or hurt Kevin Love?

Kevin Love was ready for the worst at the Orlando combine, the NBA's annual meat market. "I can't change my height or wingspan," he said. But he was taking the scene seriously, even if the teams shouldn't. GMs admit the league-sponsored physical tests can offer only a piece of a complicated puzzle. "And you have to decide if it's a big or small piece," says Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard.

Evidence supports the latter. For all the studs who tumble down draft boards because of a weak vertical, just as many marginal talents leapfrog up because they look big-time. Luke Jackson went 10th to the Cavs in 2004; now he's out of the NBA. "He tested like an athlete, he just didn't play like one," says an exec.

Love came out okay. His body fat was high, but his speed and agility rated well. In the end, his skill and hoops IQ, not his physique, will dictate his future.

And didn't we know that already?

WHAT THE TEAMS PUT IN: LOTS OF IN-SEASON MILES

by Ian Gordon

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If Hibbert does land with the Jazz, it will be partially the result of some scout flying all over the place.

What were six pro scouts doing at a Dayton-Rhode Island game? Even Brian Roberts wondered. Funny, because they'd come to see him. Sure, the 6'2" guard is a second-rounder at best, but any all-conference pick is required viewing for the only guys in the draft war room who are paid to see all. Yet theirs is rarely the last word, because everyone favors his own evaluation tool. That's a mistake. Listening to scouts is the mark of the elite. "To draft the right guys," an exec says, "game scouting has to be 90% of your work."

That's not to say scouts are infallible. Sometimes, intent on finding a hidden gem, they overlook the diamond glittering right in their faces. In 2001, Rockets scout B.J. Johnson was sure Gilbert Arenas was a first-rounder. But Houston was set at guard, and other teams saw a tweener. Maybe familiarity (Arenas played at high-profile Arizona) had bred contempt. Arenas fell to the second round. Look at him now.

Roberts had a different issue: He wasn't well-known. It was the scouts who got him to Orlando. "To have them watch you is a sign you're worthy," he says. On June 26, he'll see how much more sway they have.

WHAT THE TEAMS PUT IN: PSYCH EVALUATIONS


by Ian Gordon

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Terry Porter and the Suns evaluate mental health as well.

With Stephon Marbury still receiving a check, you'd figure teams would use the best tools to get inside the heads of potential picks. But NBA execs have long preferred to handle the mind mining in their own ways; there has been no call for a standard predraft psych exam. That may soon change.

Just over two years ago, Silicon Valley tech wiz Chris Kirschke and hoops scout Eric Weiss launched BBIQ. Unlike traditional screenings designed to weed out players with character issues, BBIQ attempts to find what Kirschke calls goodness of fit. An online exam ranks players in 10 categories, from team identity to resistance to burnout. Meanwhile, Weiss talks with front office execs to get a feel for a team's personality, system and expectations. A computer program then helps match players to teams. "We're not about avoiding the Maurice Claretts," Weiss says. "We're about finding a fit for your roster."

BBIQ has five NBA clients. The Suns were the first; their raves have helped sell the brand. Ultimately, Weiss says, teams won't be able to pass up what he's offering. "You just can't commit $60 million to someone who isn't going to deliver," he says. Well, unless you're crazy.


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