Gary Parrish

I agree DeMar DeRozan should be solid. As a Knicks fan I think he would be a good pick at #8.
Assuming Blake Griffin, Ricky Rubio, Hasheem Thabeet, James Harden, and Tyreke Evans are all off the board, which is probable.
I think Stepen Curry and Jonny Flynn will also be off the board at # 8. Leaving the Knicks to choose between.

Jordan Hill
DeMar DeRozan
Jrue Holliday
Gerald Henderson, who I would not be happy about, but have been hearing rumors in the NY papers
Brandon Jennings, very exciting player, but weighs in around 170 pounds, which is tiny

Go Knicks


I was really hoping they would get the #5 pick as well

I'm thinking that of your five, thabeet might be the riskiest. his defense will keep him in the nba for a long time much like theo ratliff...
Something tells me the GM of the Grizzlies, Thunder, Kings, Wizards or Timberwolves would not be thrilled to hear his #1 draft pick being compared to Theo Ratliff.  lol

He's a poor man's Rudy Gay...just an athletic guy.  If you want real analysis, check out Hollinger's take on DeRozan and how over-rated he is.  I think Parrish is way off on this one, and DeMar will be nothing more than DeRole player coming off the bench.

Everyone and their grandmothers right now has DeRozen slotted to be picked 9th overall by my Raptors.  I agree that he has tons of upside, but because of this draft being slightly thin than others this year, you have to take chances on guys like this.  If Colangelo ends up taking DeRozan, I think he could be a great fit in Toronto:
PG: CalderonSG: DerozanSF: MarionPF: BoshC: Bargnani
Could be a real interesting lineup that could give some team fits if Triano deploys a true fast-paced attack in training camp this season.
Can't wait for Thursday's draft to arrive! 

great blog by the way, i share similar sentiments , if ever DeRozan ,is now not even projected to be at the top 5 picks right now, but i would say he will be one of those players that people thought would be a bust.He will be a good player in a few years to come , especially if he goes to a team with a direction and a good coach who can motivate him.

DeRozan is a freakish athlete and because he isn't a point guard he won't have to deal with much decision-making in the pros. Keep in mind that he was playing with experienced players at USC like point guard daniel hackett and solid post taj gibson and it was hard for him to consistently get touches and come in and command the ball. He will be a solid scorer once he develops a consistent jumper. i think he could be like richard jefferson, not quite as good as vince carter like i have heard by several as a comparison. He won't be able to carry a team but will be a solid addition and a borderline all-star down the road. it will take him a few years but the guy is too good of an athlete not to make an impact in the NBA.

James Harden is too smart of a player to not be a solid pro. he doesn't blow anybody away with his athleticism but he is crafty and knows how to play the game. he's an underrated passer and knows how to get to the charity stripe. he wore down as the season went on but he was playing with little to no talent. once he is paired with other good players he will let the game come to him and not force the issue like he had to do at times with the sun devils because they had no other facilitators. jeff pendergraph is a hustler but the only reason he will be a late first round-early second rounder is due to how many dunks and layups harden spoon fed him off of pick and rolls and baseline drives.

I'm thinking that of your five, thabeet might be the riskiest. his defense will keep him in the nba for a long time much like theo ratliff but his touch on offense has a long long way to go. he has a ton of potential but there is a lot of work needed for him to be effective on the low post and a miracle needed for him to ever develop even a ten-foot jumpshot.

And because he played at USC, the pressure of getting paid to play well will not intimidate him.  There will be no learning curve because he's already gone through it. 

Heck, that might be why he was inconsistent last year.

Seriously, he was inconsistent, but DeMar DeRozan has all the talent in the world.  He may be in your Top 5 Gary, but I would imagine he'll still be on the board when the Timberwolves (6th team selecting) turn comes up.

For whatever reason, I'm not as impressed as you are (and virtually everyone else is) on James Harden.

Gary have you mentioned to Verno that Thabeet is in your top 5 best available for Thrusday?  Or do you keep that one to yourself for fear of being roasted?  What about Tyreke?  I would take him before Curry.  He's bigger and can get to the basket.  Curry has a better shot but Evens can improve that with time.