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Rookie Watch: Redraft, Version 1.0 Pick No. 1: John Wall to the Wizards Hmmm, would the Wiz take a...

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Rookie Watch: Redraft, Version 1.0 Pick No. 1: John Wall to the Wizards Hmmm, would the Wiz take a point guard who shows competitive fire, Formula 1 speed, a willingness to defend and the charisma of a star? Of course they would. A better debate about Wall: Where would he go in a draft with Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin? I'd guess 50 percent of the GMs would take Wall first. That's how special he can be. While Rose is a dynamic scorer and Griffin is a beast all over the court, Wall can be both a great scorer and a more natural lead guard than Rose, while also being an upgrade on defense. And it seems the league values guys like him more than anyone else besides star quality centers. Favors Pick No. 2: Derrick Favors to the 76ers This looks like as much of a no-brainer as the No. 1 selection. With the Nets, Favors has shown tremendous promise as a rebounder and scorer in the paint and would have gotten plenty of minutes in Philly's rotation. Which looks like a better foundation to build on: Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner as a backcourt duo or Holiday and Favors as a pick-and-roll combo? Holiday and Favors are two of the youngest players in the league, and both possess a demeanor that suggests they are very serious pros. Cousins Pick No. 3: DeMarcus Cousins to the Nets New Jersey would be a perfect spot for Cousins, if Favors weren't available. Tough-minded coach with lots of credibility. A culture of rules and discipline (see Terrence Williams and the D-League). And a franchise center already in place. There wouldn't be any gargantuan banners of him hanging off buildings, as we've seen in Sacramento. And my guess is that in Jersey, we would have seen a slimmer Cousins, who'd have had to work each day just to survive matchups with Brook Lopez and Avery Johnson's expectations. Aminu Pick No. 4: Al-Farouq Aminu to the Timberwolves Who knew Aminu would make more than half of his 45 3-pointers in his first 20 games as a pro? And at just 20 years of age (a full three years younger than Wes Johnson), his upside is huge. He would have been a great fit on the Wolves, an improving team that could really use perimeter shooting. With the way Kevin Love rebounds, the Wolves would have been able to play Aminu some at the 4 with little fear of getting killed on the glass (before he builds enough strength to hold his own). Eventually, Aminu should be able to learn to do some real damage from that spot. Bledsoe Pick No. 5: Eric Bledsoe to the Kings Sacramento has the second-worst record in the league for the year 2010, with just 15 wins since Jan. 1, never winning more than four games in a month. The Kings epitomize rebuilding, a mode they've been in for years. (They got good value with Cousins, but in this exercise, he's off the board.) Now it looks as though the team realizes that the reigning rookie of the year, Tyreke Evans, is better off playing next to a true point guard. And Bledsoe has shown the ability to play that part well this season in his stints as a starter with the Clippers. With his explosive athleticism, he would have given the Kings a very young, very interesting backcourt going forward.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=thorpe_david&page=Rookies-101208

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