| CNNSI.com Mock NBA Draft: First Round |
| Pick |
Team |
| 1 |  | New Jersey -- Kenyon Martin, PF, Cincinnati |
| It was easier to project Chris Mihm back when Nets management was still in flux. But Rod Thorn has witnessed too many drafts firsthand to let Martin slip away. |
2 |  | Vancouver -- Stromile Swift, PF, LSU |
| No player has impressed more in individual workouts. Vancouver needs an athletic big man, and -- shocker -- this lottery pick won't cry when Vancouver calls his name. |
3 |  | L.A. Clippers -- Marcus Fizer, PF, Iowa State |
| With free-agent Maurice Taylor all but out the door, L.A. must get its hands on another talented power forward.
|
4 |  | Chicago -- Darius Miles, SF, East St. Louis
|
| Do we actually expect Jerry Krause to pass up his center for "Mini KG"? No. But either Mihm or Joel Przybilla will still be available at 7; Miles might not. |
5 |  | Orlando -- Chris Mihm, C, Texas |
| Scouts have their reservations about the 7-footer, but, with three picks, the Magic can afford to take a chance. |
6 |  | Atlanta -- Mike Miller, SF, Florida |
| The Hawks are high on Miller because of his ball-handling skills and his fearlessness in the paint. And he's the safest small-forward gamble in the draft. |
7 | | Chicago -- Joel Przybilla, C, Minnesota |
| Like we said at No. 4, the Bulls can wait till No. 7 to get their center. The other intriguing option is Mateen Cleaves, but this draft is deep on point guards and the Bulls have four more picks.
|
8 |  | Cleveland -- DerMarr Johnson, SG, Cincinnati |
| The 6-foot-9 Lamar Odom replica is young and raw but proving to be too talented to pass up. |
9 |  | Houston -- Jerome Moiso, C, UCLA |
| This guy named Charles retired last year and Hakeem can't be far behind. Fortunately, Moiso is a big man with the ability to help at both the 4 and the 5. |
10 | | Orlando -- Courtney Alexander, SG, Fresno St.
|
| Some question his perceived selfishness, but Alexander is the best pure shooter in the draft and Ron Mercer is likely to go elsewhere.
|
11 |  | Boston -- Erick Barkley, PG, St. John's |
| The Celts have said they'd like to get a point guard out of this draft, and Rick Pitino likes Barkley's defense and shooting ability.
|
12 |  | Dallas -- Olumide Oyedeji, PF, Nigeria |
| Don Nelson's son Donnie, maven of the foreign courts, has been to Nigeria to scout and visit his latest project.
|
13 | | Orlando -- Jamal Crawford, G, Michigan |
| Crawford's stock has sky-rocketed since the pre-draft camps, and the Magic would love to add the versatile guard to their youth movement. |
14 |  | Detroit -- Morris Peterson, SF, Michigan St.
|
| One way or another, a Spartan or Wolverine will be playing in Detroit. As it stands, if Grant Hill is indeed Big Apple-bound, Mo Pete could step in at the wing. |
15 |  | Milwaukee -- Iakovos Tsakalidis, C, Greece |
| He's technically
obligated to play for four more years for his Greek team, but someone's still expected to take a chance. George Karl could be that desperate for an inside presence. |
16 |  | Sacramento -- Quentin Richardson, SG, DePaul |
| Nick Anderson didn't exactly live up to the Kings' expectations, and Q could give them another option at two-guard.
|
17 |  | Seattle -- Etan Thomas, PF, Syracuse |
| Seattle, which has exhausted its share of disappointing big men since Shawn Kemp left, will be pleasantly surprised to see Thomas slip.
|
18 | | L.A. Clippers -- Mateen Cleaves, PG, Michigan St. |
| Your mission, Clippers, if you choose to accept it, is to not blow it by passing up Cleaves for trendier picks Keyon Dooling and Speedy Claxton. In other words, mission impossible. |
19 |  | Charlotte -- Chris Carrawell, SG, Duke |
| Charlotte -- and the rest of the state -- loves Carrawell. He loves them back. Eddie Jones is likely leaving. Make it happen. |
20 |  | Philadelphia -- Desmond Mason, SF, Oklahoma St. |
| The Toni Kukoc experiment didn't work out quite the way Larry Brown had it planned, and Allen Iverson needs someone to take the scoring pressure off him.
|
21 |  | Toronto -- Keyon Dooling, PG, Missouri |
| Toronto needs to draft a young point guard so that new coach Lenny Wilkens will have someone to not play.
|
22 |  | New York -- Donnell Harvey, PF, Florida |
| Harvey had a puzzling Chicago experience -- pulling down many boards but disappointing scouts. He's proved he can rebound, though, so the Knicks will take him. |
23 |  | Utah -- DeShawn Stevenson, SG, Fresno, Calif. (HS) |
| With Jeff Hornacek retired and John Stockton getting up there, Utah knows it needs to start restocking its backcourt. Stevenson is a worthwhile gamble. |
24 | | Chicago -- Speedy Claxton, PG, Hofstra |
| "Point" is the operative word. If not Claxton, Khalid El-Amin showed up in Chicago looking fit and, dare we say, trim. |
25 |  | Phoenix -- Mamadou N'diaye, C, Auburn |
| With the bulk of the scoring coming from their star-laden backcourt, the Suns need to focus on rebounding and defense.
|
26 |  | Denver -- Hanno Mottola, SF, Utah |
| Sources say Mottola is the reason the Nuggets pulled the trigger on the deal with Utah. |
27 |  | Indiana -- Jamaal Magloire, C, Kentucky |
| With Rik Smits thinking retirement, the Pacers are looking for a well-rounded big man who can help out Dale Davis. |
28 |  | Portland -- Soumaila Samake, C, Cincinnati (IBL) |
| It's anyone's guess what position the 10-deep Blazers will go after. Finding the next Arvydas Sabonis may be as logical a move as any.
|
29 |  | L.A. Lakers -- Mark Madsen, PF, Stanford |
| The Lakers didn't appear to have too many holes, but A.C. "Ironman" Green won't be around forever and Madsen is a gritty rebounder.
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