2008 NBA Draft: ShotsHeard top three draft values hold the Mayo

This 2008 NBA draft, teams cannot trade down fast enough; except that there have been no takers yet.The Timberwolves, who hold the three pick are a prime example. The Wolves want a big man to compliment Al Jefferson. Kevin Love or Brook Lopez will do. But to use a third pick on one of them, while by-passing OJ Mayo seems fruitless. Teams that may want an OJ Mayo or Jerryd Bayless may be content to hold pat, knowing an Eric Gordon may still be around.

Here's just a brief, not nearly all-inclusive analysis on some of the players in the draft. Being a value does not mean I think these are the top three values in the draft. It means I think they are the best value for the expected range of where they are predicted to be drafted. I'll bypass analyzing Rose and Beasley who are expected to go one and two as you can already read about them on ShotsHeard. My top three draft values are as follows:

Jerryd Bayless
--Expected to be drafted 4th - 8th overall

Like Derrick Rose, he can put on a high flying act. But Bayless has a higher basketball IQ. He averaged 2.7 assists in his one year at Arizona. He will need to get up to seven or eight assists in the NBA to be an effective point guard. But if he cannot do that, he has the drive to be a good shooting guard. He led the Arizona Wildcats in scoring with 20.0 ppg.

DJ Augustin
--Expected to be drafted 8th - 18th overall

He was on the Durant led Texas team that could not make it to the Sweet 16. This year, when it was his turn to lead the team, they got one game away from the Final Four before being blown out by a much more talented Memphis team. Besided Chris Paul, he should be the NBA's best under 6' player.

This kid is fast and he is the pass-first point-guard that teams thirst for. A lot of general managers are going to be beating themselves in the head a year from now that they passed up on drafting Augustin.

DeAndre Jordan
--Expected to be drafted 12th - 25th overall

This kid is a bigger presence than his stats indicate. He only averaged 7.9 points last year, but on 61.9 percent shooting. He is a monster in the middle. In a 71-57 win against Baylor he got six blocks and ten rebounds. He's not going to be a big impact player right off. But after a few years he can anchor the paint in the same way that Kendrick Perkins did this year during the Celtics' championship run.

Hold the Mayo
--OJ expected to be drafted 3rd-6th overall

If I am a GM I stay away from the me-first type of player. OJ Mayo was too busy "marketing" himself breaking rules by taking thousands of dollars in gifts from a sports agent to care about who he was or the institution he represented. I would not draft Mayo at any point. That's not the type of person I want in my organization. Short-cuts are for people that put themselves ahead of the team.

And for those that think, the scandal has not affected him, I will remind you that he was once considered to be a potential first overall pick. Those days are long gone and do not fool yourself into believing it does not have anything to do with how he has conducted himself. Teams like the Bulls and Heat are just to savvy to tell you that.


2008 NBA Draft Coverage

Expect the Chicago Bulls to take Derrick Rose over Michael Beasley

ShotsHeard top three draft values, hold the Mayo

Best and worst selections