NBA draft update: UK's Cousins moves up to No. 3; Bledsoe, Orton moving up the draft boards

An up dated look of the NBA Draft status for the ’09-’10 Kentucky Wildcats. The ‘official’ drawing takes place May 18th, where it will then be known who holds the first three selections and beyond in the 2010 NBA Draft. Let’s take a look:

1st – New Jersey Nets: John Wall, point guard (6’4”, 195 lbs.)
It still isn’t ‘officially’ known, but New Jersey still has the best chance to win the rights to the first overall selection, with a 25% chance, owners of the worst record in the NBA this season. Wall would be a welcome addition for the Nets, as he and Devin Harris revitalize New Jersey’s backcourt. Much of the Nets problems stem from a lack of continuity and teamwork, made even more difficult when you don’t have a legitimate coach.

Whether Wall goes to the Nets or quite possibly the Kings, Timberwolves, Warriors, or Wizards, expect the former ‘Cat to make an immediate impact on the offensive side of the ball. It’s doubtful that he’ll make an All-Star appearance in year one in the NBA, but he’ll certainly have plenty of chances down the road. It will be interesting to see how Wall matches up against guys like Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, and even Tyreke Evans. If he plays anywhere near the level that he did in college, Wall will make a name for himself from day one.

3rd – Sacramento Kings: DeMarcus Cousins, center (6’11”, 280 lbs.)
Cousins has long said to be in the Top 3-5 of this year’s NBA Draft and this week is no different. DraftExpress.com lists Cousins as the third overall selection to the Kings, which makes a lot of sense. Imagine Cousins alongside former Memphis star Tyreke Evans, thus allowing you to replicate the ’09-’10 seasons with a new look Kings squad.

Essentially forced into the draft by head coach John Calipari, Cousins will excel at the next level at either the power forward spot or at center. He’d look pretty good at power forward with current King’s center Spencer Hawes, as Sacramento builds a team for the future. If you look at ESPN’s mock draft, Chad Ford has Cousins slipping to the fourth spot to the Warriors, where Don Nelson would have a field day with a ‘high-powered’ offense.

12th – Memphis Grizzlies: Patrick Patterson, power forward (6’8”, 235 lbs.)
Patterson is expected to announce his ‘official’ decision about whether he’ll return to school or stay in the draft this week. His mom thinks there’s no chance that Patterson returns, but as a fan you can always hope. The junior power forward is ready to move on and has the skills to be effective for any team that drafts him in the lottery. Patterson is currently slated as the 12th overall pick to the Grizzlies, which would create quite a front line with Zach Randolph and Hasheem Thabeet.

Don’t expect any miracles in Patterson’s return simply because he evolved as a power forward under Calipari. He was able to develop a pretty reliable jump shot in his junior season, while hitting a good amount of three-point field goals for a guy who didn’t have any in his first two seasons.

13th – Toronto Raptors: Eric Bledsoe, point guard (6’1”, 195 lbs)
Bledsoe is moving up in surprising fashion. According to ESPN’s Chad Ford, Bledsoe now makes his way back into the NBA lottery as the 13th overall selection to the Toronto Raptors. The first year guard had his moments at Kentucky, but didn’t always impress and was usually second fiddle to guys like Wall, Patterson, and Cousins. That doesn’t take away from his skill set however as he’s likely to be the second ‘guard’ drafted behind former teammate John Wall.

The Alabama native his almost as quick as Wall going end-to-end and loves to get into the lane, where his body strength allows him to get to the line at an accelerated rate for a guy coming in at only 6’1”. Bledsoe’s shooting may be above par and better than Wall’s, but at this point and time Bledsoe is still the ‘second’ guy. It will be interesting to see when he signs an agent and how he does in NBA pre-draft camps, while working out for teams before the draft.

14th – Houston Rockets: Daniel Orton, center (6’10”, 255 lbs)
If DraftExpress.com gets it right, there will be five Kentucky Wildcats in the Top-14 picks, all in the lottery. It’s amazing to see Orton jump this high, but it is possible due to his big-body and defensive abilities. He showed zero signs of an offensive game with NBA teams willing to wait for that portion of a rookie’s game to ‘come-around.’

The Rockets could use a big guy with Yao Ming aging and sitting out due to injuries, along with a lack of production from guys like Chuck Hayes and David Andersen. It will be interesting to see just how high Orton can go in this draft and if he ‘dazzles’ in the pre-draft camps, he could be a Top-10 pick based purely off of potential.

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