Editors Note: This Mock Draft was updated from the Mock Draft posted yesterday due to the imminent trade between the Portland Trailblazers and the New Orleans Hornets. The Hornets will send the 27th pick to the Blazers for cash considerations (usually means $3 million).

1. Chicago Bulls - Derrick Rose, PG, Memphis
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
C, PF	G, G/F	Over the Cap w/ RFA	Gordon (R), Deng (R), Duhon

The Reason - The workouts are over, the players have been interviewed and there's nothing left to do but pick and second guess yourself until opening night. The Bulls will go with the quiet confidence and leadership of Derrick Rose over the boisterous scoring of Michael Beasley. It will be the right pick and one that will give them the best chance at returning to a championship contending team. With Rose, they have their leader for the next 15 years. He wants to be there more than Beasley. Beasley is nice to sell advertising but not necessarily to get titles.

2. Miami Heat - Michael Beasley, PF, Kansas State
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
PG, C, G	None. They're awful	$2 million under w/o RFA	J. Williams, R. Davis, Mourning

The Reason - First there were rampant rumors of the Heat trading up to get Rose. Now if he's off the board, there are rampant rumors to trade down. Most likely to Seattle, Milwaukee, the Clippers or New York. Pat Riley isn't sold on having to get Michael Beasley for the next 10 years (6 of those probably at a max salary) and would much rather end up with someone like O.J. Mayo or Jerryd Bayless. However if they can't get a deal to their liking, they'll settle for arguably the best prospect in the draft.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves - O.J. Mayo, SG, USC
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
PG, C, G/F	PF, SG	No Cap Room	Telfair (R), Doleac, Snyder (R)

The Reason - Mayo worked out for the Timberwolves and interviewed with the team for about an hour in setting the story straight on the whole benefits fiasco that Mayo is allegedly involved with. The Wolves came away impressed by his maturity, skill set and athleticism. He doesn't exactly fill a need here (anyone remember Randy Foye?) but the Wolves are praying that they can put 2 6'4" combo guards next to each other and have them benefit from having Al Jefferson in the post. Mayo is easily the best player available and may actually be the best all around player in this class.

4. Seattle Supersonics - Russell Westbrook, G, UCLA
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
PG, C, SG	F, SF	$5 million under	Wilkins (PO), Swift (R), Elson, Gelabale

The Reason - The Sonics have seen Russell Westbrook work out and if they can't find a favorable deal to move down in the draft and still draft him, they have no problem taking him with the fourth pick in this draft. He has tons of potential and may end up making it a 3-horse race for who the best guard in this draft is 10 years from now. He won't be pressured to win now in Seattle/Oklahoma City and he'll prosper from that lack of pressure early in his career.

5. Memphis Grizzlies - Kevin Love, PF, UCLA
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
SG, PF, C	SF, PG	$12 million under	Kwame Brown, Juan Carlos Navarro

The Reason - Love is still the pick here right now but that's because a deal of Mike Conley and the #5 pick could go to the Heat for the #2 pick (Michael Beasley) and Daequan Cook. Love fits in perfectly with the Heat and if the deal goes down, it would be a huge coup for Pat Riley. Even if the deal doesn't go through, Kevin Love is the best big man available and he fills a big need for the Grizzlies. He won't be the great low post scorer that they're hoping for, but he'll definitely be an All Star big man to anchor the inside.

6. New York Knicks - Jerryd Bayless, PG, Arizona
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
PF, C, PG	SF, SG	Way the F Over	Fred Jones, Dan Dickau, R. Morris

The Reason - The Knicks would love to move up to grab either OJ Mayo or Russell Westbrook but if they can't get a deal done to accomplish that then they'll definitely settle for someone like Bayless. He's a great point guard talent that may end up being more Gilbert Arenas than anything. He has a great feel for scoring and can create plenty of plays for his teammates. That fits in nicely to Mike D'Antoni's system and will allow them to build the team around Bayless' strengths.

7. Los Angeles Clippers - Eric Gordon, SG, Indiana
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
PG, SG, SF	PF, C	$3 million under w/ RFA	E. Brand (PO), Maggette (PO), Livingston (R)

The Reason - Gordon has impressed in workouts and may end up moving up in the draft. But if he's available at #7, the Clippers won't think about taking anybody else. Gordon has the potential to be an All-Star guard and may actually be the best guard in this draft class. He is a great scorer, a good rebounder, and a solid defender. Some GMs are scared by his height (6'4") but he plays above the rim and erases that disadvantage with his athleticism.

8. Milwaukee Bucks - Joe Alexander, F, West Virginia
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
C, PF, PG	SG, G/F	No cap room	Voskuhl, M. Ruffin, R. Ivey, A. Storey, D. Noel

The Reason - Much to my surprise, Joe Alexander is being regarded as a top-10 pick in this draft. Milwaukee looks like they'll select him with the #8 pick because his athleticism is so amazing. Personally, I think this is a mistake but you can also make the argument of who is good enough to be selected at this point in the draft? This isn't a deep draft so if you can grab a guy that you're sure is a starter in this league then you have to take him, even if it's "too early."

9. Charlotte Bobcats - DeAndre Jordan, C, Texas A&M
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
PG, PF, SG	C, SF	$13 million under w/ RFA	Okafor (R), D. Anderson, McInnis, Boykins

The Reason - With Kevin Love off the board, the Bobcats will have to make a decision between Brook Lopez and DeAndre Jordan. Lopez is a known commodity. He's a good scoring big man with solid fundamentals who will be a guaranteed 14 and 8 his whole career. But Jordan is a wild card who could either be the next Duane Causewell or the next Andrew Bynum. The Bobcats will go with the better upside in this case. Jordan should at worst end up being a good defender and putting him alongside Emeka Okafor gives you a lot of size and shot blocking ability in the paint.

10. New Jersey Nets - Danillo Gallinari, SF, Italy
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
C, PF, SG	SF, PG	No Cap Room	Swift (PO), Magloire, Nachbar, Diop, Krstic (R)

The Reason - Gallinari was smart to stay in this draft because his workouts have netted him a top-10 pick. The Nets love this guy and will take him despite the fact that he doesn't really fit in and will probably never be an All Star caliber player. Gallinari is a good role player who can find the open man and knock down perimeter shots, but they already have a better player with Richard Jefferson. Could grabbing the Italian kid mean that Jefferson is on his way out? Possibly to Portland? This pick has to signify future moves.

11. Indiana Pacers - D.J. Augustin, PG, Texas
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
SG, PG, C	SF, PF	No Cap Room	Foster (PO), Harrison (R), Rush, Greene

The Reason - This still hasn't changed. Unless one of the guards from the top-10 falls out of the top-10, Augustin is the most logical pick here. No more further analysis needed.

12. Sacramento Kings - Darrell Arthur, PF, Kansas
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
PG, PF	SF, C, SG	No Cap Room	Artest (PO), Lue, Wright, A. Johnson, Udrih

The Reason - Arthur is a solid pick here and will allow the Kings to put out a nice young front court with the potential to be very good. Arthur spreads the floor well with his jumper, has great hands, and can rebound the ball well. He compliments last year's lottery selection, Spencer Hawes, nicely and will allow both of them to play high or low in the post. Arthur's versatility gives the Kings a lot of options with their lineup, which Reggie Theus loves to use.

13. Portland Trailblazers - Brandon Rush, SG, Kansas
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
SG, SF	PG, PF, C	No Cap Room	James Jones (PO), Von Wafer

The Reason - If Alexander or Gallinari fall here then it's a no brainer that the Blazers take one of those guys. But Rush isn't a bad fall back option. Rush's knee history is a bit of a concern, but the Blazers are deep and young enough to take the risk. Rush can play both the 2 and the 3 and allows them to use their versatility and play Brandon Roy anywhere they want. Rush will knock down open jumpers and shots off the bounce. His scoring will be a great addition to the best young team in basketball.

14. Golden State Warriors - Brook Lopez, C, Stanford
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
PG, C, SG, PF	SF	$8 million with RFA	Pietrus, Barnes, Biedrins (R), O'Bryant, Ellis, Croshere, Azuibuike, Davis (PO)

The Reason - Brook Lopez is probably too good to fall any farther in the draft and with the Warriors desperately needing a post presence, they'll gladly take the local guy. He's exactly what they need in low post scoring and he runs well enough to allow them to go big with a lineup of Lopez, Biedrins, Harrington, Jackson, and Baron Davis at times. The Warriors need some half court offense and can't just rely on Baron Davis to create everything. There has to be some inside-out game.

15. Phoenix Suns (via Atlanta) - Donte Greene, SF, Syracuse
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
PG, SF, PF/C	SG	No Cap Room	Grant Hill (PO), Piatkowski, Skinner, Giricek

The Reason - After the Shaq trade, the Suns badly missed Shawn Marion at times throughout the season and playoffs. With the selection of Greene here, they potentially get someone that can do the things that Shawn did. Greene has all of the same skills and is better at creating his own shot. Greene would be a top-10 pick in next year's draft so the Suns have to feel good about getting him here if they don't try to move up for Brandon Rush.

16. Philadelphia 76ers - Kostas Koufos, C, Ohio State
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
PG, SG	F, PF, C	$20 million under w/ RFA	Iguodala (R), L. Williams, Ollie, Randolph

The Reason - Koufos has been a workout wonder so far and has really improved his draft stock. He gives them a scoring big man to go along with Samuel Dalembert. The main problem is Koufos' defense and rebounding. He needs to improve in both aspects of the game if he wants to be a full time starter for years to come. But if the pre-draft workouts are any indication, then he's going to be just fine in those fields of the game.

17. Toronto Raptors - Robin Lopez, C, Stanford
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
C, PG	SF, SG, PF	No Cap Room	Calderon, Brezec, Delfino (R)

The Reason - Here's an alarming fact about Robin Lopez last year besides the fact that he and his brother are obsessed with Disney : he only averaged 5 rebounds per game last season. That's way too low for a man of his size and draft stature. I still believe that he's a very good defender and will be so in the NBA, but if he can't rebound effectively then this is a bad pick here for the Raptors. They need something inside with the loss of Garbajosa.

18. Washington Wizards - Anthony Randolph, PF, LSU
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
PG, PF, C	SF, SG	$5 million under w/o PO	Jamison, Arenas (PO), Mason

The Reason - Anthony Randolph could go as high as #6 to the Knicks or he could fall here or perhaps even lower. He's an enigma because his skills aren't very sharp but he's all kinds of athletic. He could end up being another Shawn Marion or he could end up being another Stromile Swift. He falls here because his workouts weren't great and he should have probably stayed in college another year.

19. Cleveland Cavaliers - Alexis Ajinca, PF, France
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
PG, SG, PF	SF, C	No Cap Room	Devin Brown, Daniel Gibson

The Reason - Ajinca is another big man that hasn't historically rebounded very well but he had great workouts before the draft. He can score from anywhere within 20 feet of the rim. But he's not as tough as some people would like and he reminds me of a very poor man's version of LaMarcus Aldridge. If Ajinca can't get used to the contact of the NBA, expect him to be back in Europe before he's 30 years old.

20. Denver Nuggets - Mario Chalmers, PG, Kansas
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
PG, SG	SF, PF, C	No Cap Room	E. Najera, J.R. Smith (R), A. Carter, Y. Diawara

The Reason - Chalmers could go as high as #12 to the Kings, but him falling to the Nuggets at #20 is a blessing. He's the best all around point guard in the draft but he doesn't have great room for improvement. He'll get smarter with more experience but he's probably maxed out his skill level. He's still a perfect fit for the Nuggets and will bring some stability to the offense in Denver.

21. New Jersey Nets (via Dallas) - Marreese Speights, C, Florida
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
C, PF, SG	SF, PG	No Cap Room	Swift (PO), Magloire, Nachbar, Diop, Krstic (R)

The Reason - Speights is a big time project but he's good and athletic enough to take a chance anywhere from the late lottery to the rest of the draft. He fills a big need in New Jersey here and allows them to have a very good and young front court with Josh Boone and Sean Williams. His selection could mark the end of the Nenad Krstic experiment.

22. Orlando Magic - Courtney Lee, SG, Western Kentucky
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
C, PF, SG, PG	SF	$1 million under	Carlos Arroyo, Garrity, Dooling, Evans

The Reason - Courtney Lee has been my sleeper of the draft and I think he's one of the top-10 players in this draft. He falls here because he's a couple inches too short for the typical NBA shooting guard and he went to a small program. Fortunately for him, he's a pure scorer and has an NBA body so he'll be able to take the Magic's starting shooting guard spot immediately.

23. Utah Jazz - JaVale McGee, C, Nevada
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
C, SG, PG	SF, PF	No Cap Room	C.J. Miles

The Reason - McGee is an intriguing big man project that could either be the All Star version of Jamaal Magloire or the New Jersey Nets version of Jamaal Magloire. With Boozer and Okur's contracts coming up soon, he's a nice talent to try to cultivate in Utah.

24. Seattle Supersonics (via Phoenix) - Serge Ibaka, PF, Congo
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
PG, C, SG	F, SF	$5 million under	Wilkins (PO), Swift (R), Elson, Gelabale

The Reason - Ibaka is not a short term solution to any need. He's very raw and is about 4 or 5 years away from contributing in this league. However, when those 4 or 5 years are up, he coudl very easily be the next David West. He's a great low-post scorer and the Sonics could desperately need his athleticism in the front court next decade.

25. Houston Rockets - Nathan Jawai, PF, Australia
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
PF, C, SF	SG, PG	No Cap Room	Chuck Hayes, Mutombo, G. Green

The Reason - Jawaiiis an international project and probably won't come over to the NBA for a couple of years, but he's a large man that has a lot of scoring ability. He's just inexperienced. He's probably more of a center in this small league, but putting him next to Yao Ming in a couple of years is going to be unfair. Jawai is a sleeper for sure but won't be around for a few years.

26. San Antonio Spurs - Ante Tomic, C, Croatia
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
PG, SG, SF	C, PF	No Cap Room	K. Thomas, Horry, Finley, Stoudamire

The Reason - Tomic is a classic Spurs first round pick. Take a Euro big man in the end of the first round, keep him in Europe for a few years and bring him over when he's ready to contribute on a championship level. Tomic isn't going to be an All Star but he'll be a fantastic young player when Tim Duncan is at the end of his line.

Updated - 27. Portland Trailblazer (via Hornets) - Nicolas Batum, SF, France
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
PG, SG, C	SF, PF	No Cap Room	Bonzi Wells, Pargo (PO), Ely

The Reason - The Blazers have purchased this draft pick from the Hornets in order to ensure that they get Batum. Until Batum's concerns about his heart (physically not mentally) in a previous workout, the Blazers apparently were going to take him with the 13th pick. Now that everything has been cleared for Nicolas to play again, GM Kevin Pritchard was happy to purchase the pick and end up with a guy that they're very high on.

28. Memphis Grizzlies (via Lakers) - J.J. Hickson, PF, NC State
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
SG, PF, C	SF, PG	$12 million under	Kwame Brown, Juan Carlos Navarro

The Reason - J.J. Hickson has a lot to work on but can provide good scoring in the post and athleticism on the boards. The Grizzlies have a weak core of big men and if they can replenish that in the draft then they've walked away successfully.

Updated - 29. Detroit Pistons - Chris Douglas-Roberts, SG, Memphis
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
C, SF	PF, PG, SG	No Cap Room	Dixon, Hunter, Herrmann, Ratliff

The Reason - CDR is not a starter in this league by any means, but off the bench he could be what Ron Mercer should have been. He's a natural scorer that can provide a spark off the bench in a similar way that Bobby Jackson does. The Pistons will love having his scoring off the bench and putting him on the same team as Richard Hamilton could really turn him from a good scorer to a great scorer in this league.

30. Boston Celtics - Jamont Gordon, SG, Mississippi State
Team Needs	Team Surplus	Cap Situation	Key Free Agents
PG, SG, C	PF, SF	No Cap Room	Posey (PO), T. Allen (R), Pollard, P.J. Brown, Cassell

The Reason - Another sleeper at the guard position. Jamont Gordon can play both guard positions and is nearly impossible to stop when he attacks the basket. He's a consistent three-point jumper away from being the next Rodney Stuckey and would be a great addition to back up Ray Allen next season.

2nd Round Mock Draft

31. Minnesota - Bill Walker, SF, Kansas State	32. Seattle - Kyle Weaver, PG/SG, Wisconsin
33. Portland - Jason Thompson, PF, Rider - Updated	34. Minnesota - Roy Hibbert, C, Georgetown
35. LA Clippers - Davon Jefferson, SF, USC	36. Portland - D.J. White, PF, Indiana
37. Milwaukee - Devon Hardin, C, Cal-Berkeley	38. Charlotte - Ryan Anderson, PF, Cal-Berkeley
39. Chicago - Trent Plaisted, C, BYU	40. New Jersey - J.R. Giddens, SG, New Mexico
41. Indiana - Omer Asik, C, Turkey	42. Sacramento - Damjan Rudez, SF, Croatia
43. Sacramento - Nikola Pekovic, C, Serbia	44. Utah - Anton Ponkrashov, PG, Russia
45. San Antonio - George Hill, PG, IUPUI	46. Seattle - Goran Dragic, PG, Slovenia
47. Washington - Richard Hendrix, PF, Alabama	48. Phoenix - Sasha Kaun, C, Kansas
49. Golden State- Josh Duncan, SF, Xavier	50. Seattle - Bryce Taylor, SG, Oregon
51. Dallas - Joey Dorsey, PF, Memphis	52. Miami - Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, SF, UCLA
53. Utah - Sonny Weems, SG Alabama	54. Houston - Malik Hairston, SG, Oregon
55. Portland - Mantas Kalnietis, PG, Lithuania	56. Seattle - Semih Erden, C, Turkey
57. San Antonio - Sean Singletary, PG, Virginia	58. LA Lakers - Darnell Jackson, PF, Kansas
59. Detroit - C.J. Giles, C, Oregon State	60. Boston - Shan Foster, SG, Vanderbilt