Derrick Rose with Jim Gray before NCAA Title Game

Here is my official 2008 NBA Mock Draft after many hours of research and spreadsheets. The NBA Draft will take place on June 26th at Madison Square Garden in New York City. I know many of you will agree on some of these picks and disagree on probably just as many. The NBA Draft is an unscientific process and hence these mocks are all the more a mere guessing game. Feel free to post your predictions or thoughts in the comments below. I will likely be updating this list in the comments as well.

1. Chicago Bulls - (PG) DERRICK ROSE - Memphis - The most exciting player in the draft. He very likely could follow in the footsteps of great, young point guards Chris Paul and Deron Williams and make the Bulls a favorite to win it all in the East again. Rose is extremely fast and is developing into a very solid shooter. He is extremely unselfish almost to a fault at times. He knows how to take over the end of a game and finish. He needs to work on his turnovers in traffic and on the break. In the end the Bulls will take Rose over Beasley because he is from Chicago and his character has never been questioned.

2. Miami Heat - (PF) MICHAEL BEASLEY - Kansas State - Very likely the most talented player in the draft. His actual height is a bit of a mystery but it shouldn’t matter in the NBA. He can hit 3 pointers and will be a steady double-double guy. Pat Riley has craved and desired Beasley for months. Lucky for Riley that the Bulls will pass on him to draft Rose. Beaz seems like a good guy but past issues are likely to hurt him just enough to land in South Beach.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves - (C) BROOK LOPEZ - Stanford - Big, tall, goofy…sounds a lot like Wolves GM Kevin McHale. That alone could lead McHale to draft Brook. The Wolves need a big man, perhaps Brook could be that guy but he is relatively soft by NBA standards.

4. Oklahoma City Sonics - (PG) JERRYD BAYLESS - Arizona - The best point guard after Rose in the draft and a perfect fit to play alongside Kevin Durant for the Seattle Oklahoma City Sonics.

5. Memphis Grizzlies - (SG) O.J. MAYO - USC - The Grizzlies really want to land O.J. not only for his on-the-court talent but also for his superstar factor. Hopefully Mayo will help the Grizz on the court and help put people in the stands as well. The city of Memphis could really embrace and fall in love with Mayo if he is still on the board here. If he is gone by this time then the Wolves nabbed him.

6. New York Knicks - (SF) DANILO GALLINARI - Italy - This 19-year old on the surface appears to be a European point-foward type of player in the mold of Scottie Pippen. The only thing is it might take him a couple of years to adjust to the NBA and the Knicks need help NOW!

7. Los Angeles Clippers - (PG) RUSSELL WESTBROOK - UCLA - I can see the Clippers going local with the UCLA point guard here. He had a great regular season but struggled during the NCAA tournament. The Clip-Joint could also go with sharp shooter Eric Gordon.

8. Milwaukee Bucks - (PF) KEVIN LOVE - UCLA - Can you imagine a whiter front line than Love and Aussie Andrew Bogut? Love is big, strong and has a high basketball IQ, which is something the Bucks could use a lot more of on the court. Some experts see the Bucks taking Gordon but as long as Michael Redd is on the team I don’t see that happening.

9. Charlotte Bobcats - (SG) ERIC GORDON - Indiana - Gordon seems like the type of player that new Bobcats coach Larry Brown could fall in love with. He is an amazing shooter with his only downside being his height. He will probably have to, at times, play a bit of the point in the NBA. Guys that can shoot can play a long time in the league.

10. New Jersey Nets - (PF) ANTHONY RANDOLPH - LSU - Anthony ideally needed another year in college. He is young, raw, and has a ton of untapped potential. He could go much higher than tenth but drafted LSU players in recent years have struggled or out right flopped in the NBA (see Stromile Swift, Tyrus Thomas).

11. Indiana Pacers - (PG) D.J. AUGUSTIN - Texas - The Pacers are in need of many parts including a good point guard. Speedy point guards that can shoot and score are the latest trend in the league. Augustin would likely work wonders to bring excitement to a very stagnant Pacers offense.

12. Sacramento Kings - (C) DeANDRE JORDAN - Texas A&M - Jordan is a 7 footer that is still raw with a high ceiling. Sacramento, in need several good players, would take Jordan at #12 regardless of need or want. It is likely he won’t slip this far though.

13. Portland Trailblazers - (SF) JOE ALEXANDER - West Virginia - He was on a couple of very good West Virginia teams. He is athletic, quick and is a really good shooter at 6′8″. Portland would love to add him to their lineup of Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, LaMarcus Aldridge and Martell Webster.

14. Golden State Warriors - (SF) DONTE GREEN - Syracuse - The Warriors could use an athletic big guy (6′10″) who can run the court, rebound and occasionally provide a bit of offense.

15. Phoenix Suns - (SF) CHASE BUNDINGER - Arizona - The Suns have grown into a team that says screw the draft by trading and in recent years selling their draft picks to the highest bidder. The Suns are growing older and probably missed their window to make the NBA Finals. Grabbing local college star Bundinger could help with keeping fans interested in the product on the court. Bundinger is extremely athletic and would be playing professional volleyball if the money wasn’t so great in the NBA. He is young and still developing. Again, don’t rule out Phoenix trading this pick.

16. Philadelphia 76ers - (PF) DARRELL ARTHUR - Kansas - Arthur is very lazy on the glass or he would go much higher than this. He played great in the NCAA National Championship game against Memphis and was key in Kansas winning the title. He could move up into the 10-14 range with good workouts prior to the draft.

17. Toronto Raptors - (SG) CHRIS DOUGLAS-ROBERTS - Memphis - CDR can flat out score and the Raptors are a team that needs more scoring options to play alongside Chris Bosh. CDR’s defense is probably a bit underrated as well. CDR is an unconventional scorer and would probably put up stat lines similar to those that Reggie Miller use to post. Brandon Rush could also make sense for the Raptors if they don’t go with an international player.

18. Washington Wizards - (PF) SERGE IBAKA - Congo - The Serge must be working. Ibaka is a 18-year old power forward from the Congo. He is 6′10″ and is still learning the game of basketball. He would fit in nicely with the Wizards and provide help on the boards.

19. Cleveland Cavaliers - (C) KOSTA KOUFOS - Ohio Sate - It will be hard for the Cavs to pass on Kosta with him being a local product. He is a 7-footer that has a decent touch outside the paint. He needs to beef up and work on his low post moves. He is likely not the answer to Cleveland’s scoring woes, but he could pay dividends down the road as he matures.

20. Denver Nuggets - (C) JaVALE McGEE - Nevada - JaV is 7′0″ but just a mere 237 pounds. He needs to hit the weight room and Fat Burger consistently. He is very fast for a seven footer. Hopefully he can maintain his quickness as he adds muscle to his wiry frame. The Nuggets would use him to slowly move in and replace the ancient Marcus Camby (who has showed that you can have a long NBA career without ever stepping foot inside a weight room).

21. New Jersey Nets - (SF) NICOLAS BATUM - France - The word about Batum is that he is an extraordinaire talent and could be a superstar in the NBA. On the other hand he has been a disappointment in the EuroLeague. Those in Europe are labeling him soft which tells you something. He is worth the gamble at this pick. He reminds me of the extremely lazy Boris Diaw.

22. Orlando Magic - (SG) BRANDON RUSH - Kansas - Some experts believe Rush will have a similar NBA career to Eddie Jones. Rush is a shut down defender who is very accurate from behind the three point line. He will from time to time disappear in the offense which might be more blessing than curse on a team behind the likes of all-star Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis.

23. Utah Jazz - (C) ROY HIBBERT - Georgetown - Roy is the perfect fit for a franchise that has employed such tall and slow centers as Greg Ostertag and Mark Eaton. Hibbert was extremely overrated in college. He rarely showed up in big games and he plays much smaller than his 7′2″ frame.

24. Oklahoma City Sonics - (SG) BILL WALKER - Kansas State - Walker is worth a shot a minute when he is on the floor and if its a big game he is good for missing a shot per minute. Walker is athletic, can score, and is starting to show that he is fully healed from his bum operated knee. He would be a good fit for the Sonics, especially being in Oklahoma City which is in the heart of Big 12 country.

25. Houston Rockets - (C) JASON THOMPSON - Rider - The word on Thompson is that he is very long and that is good in two professions: Porn and the NBA. Jason didn’t garner a ton of exposure at Rider or play against top notch competition that often. He will play the 4 in the NBA and can hit jumpers from 18-feet in. He could fit in nicely with the Rockets playing the weak side opposite Yao Ming.

26. San Antonio Spurs - (C) MARREESE SPEIGHTS - Florida - If Marreese was dedicated in the weight room and mentally he would likely be a top 12 pick. His reputation proceeds him though. He did have a very solid sophomore year at Florida. His spot in this draft will be predicated very much so on his individual team workouts.

27. New Orleans Hornets - (SG) COURTNEY LEE - Western Kentucky - Lee had such a great NCAA tournament for WKU that he might just land in the first round. Lee could possibly land with the Spurs as well. He is a shooter plain and simple. He is going to shoot 40% from 3 and 83% + from the free throw line. He is also 6′5″ which puts him higher on most boards above smaller shooting guards. He was above average on the boards for a guard in college and plays above average offense.

28. Memphis Grizzlies - (PF) J.J. HICKSON - N.C. State - The Grizzlies will be looking for a big powerful force with this pick if O.J. Mayo falls to them with the 5th pick in the draft. N.C. athletic director Lee Fowler use to work in fund raising at the University of Memphis and likely will try selling Hickson’s skills to Grizzlies G.M. Chris Wallace.

29. Detroit Pistons - (PF) NATHAN JAWAI - Australia - Joe Dumars had a very solid draft last year in landing Rodney Stuckey. Jawai is 6′10″ - 270 pounds and would be a force on the board and under the hoop.

30. Boston Celtics - (C) ROBIN LOPEZ - Stanford - If you thought Brook Lopez was a gamble then perhaps Robin Lopez shouldn’t even be on your board. The mere fact of him being Brook’s twin will probably be enough to get him selected in the first round. He is not as talented offensively as his brother but he is a solid defender and rebounder.

UPDATE: Live Blogging the 2008 NBA DRAFT