Clarity in a fog of NBA Draft predictions

June 23, 12:30 AMCollege Sports ExaminerJacob Osterhout

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Griffin is the only sure thing in the draft.

With the NBA Draft on Thursday, I just don't know what to think anymore. Trying to predict which team will pick which player is like trying to figure out who Derek Jeter is currently dating.

So I've selected five mock drafts below to see if I can bring some clarity to this fast approaching clown show.

The only thing that all the analysts below can agree on is that Blake Griffin is going 1st. This is more certain than global warming.

After Griffin, most have Hasheem Thabeet going 2nd or 3rd, but Ian Thomsen at SI.com has the big man all the way back at the sixth pick. That would be a steal.

In all mock drafts, Ricky Rubio gets draft somewhere between second and fourth.

Does DraftExpress know something nobody else does? They have got Harden going 2nd!

Popular pairings are to send James Harden to the Washington with the 5th pick, Stephen Curry to New York with the 8th pick, Gerald Henderson to Charlotte with the 12th pick, Ty Lawson to Philadelphia with the 17th pick and Tyler Hansbrough to Utah with the 20th pick.

There's a lot of disagreement about Terrence Williams and Earl Clark. Williams is going as high as the 11th pick, and as low as 24th. Clark is ranging between 11th and 19th.

Four out of five of the mock drafts below predict B.J. Mullens going between 18 and 23, except for NBA FanHouse, which has him going at 15. That seems high for a kid who needs two more years of college ball.

NBA FanHouse also doesn't have Jeff Teague being drafted in the first round and Patrick Mills, who is not mentioned in any other first round drafts, hopping up to 19th, which is strange considering Ian Thomsen has Teague going 14th. I can't imagine Teague falling into the second round, or Mills sneaking into the first round.

Surprising picks include Chad Ford having DaJuan Summers going to Portland with the 24th pick, Ian Thomsen having Josh Heytvelt going to Memphis with the 27th pick, Yahoo! having Marcus Thornton go to New Orleans with the 21st pick, and NBA FanHouse having Jeff Pendergraph going to Oklahoma City with the 25th pick.

Okay, enough of my blathering, here's a round-up of when and where the experts predict the talent will go in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Chad Ford at ESPN.com:

1. Blake Griffin - L.A. Clippers
2. Hasheem Thabeet - Memphis Grizzlies
3. Ricky Rubio - Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Tyreke Evans - Sacramento Kings
5. James Harden - Washington Wizards
6. Stephen Curry - Minnesota Timberwolves
7. Jordan Hill - Golden State Warriors
8. Brandon Jennings - New York Knicks
9. DeMar DeRozan - Toronto Raptors
10. Jrue Holiday - Milwaukee Bucks
11. Jonny Flynn - New Jersey Nets
12. Terrence Williams - Charlotte Bobcats
13. DeJuan Blair - Indiana Pacers
14. Gerald Henderson - Phoenix Suns
15. Earl Clark - Detroit Pistons
16. James Johnson - Chicago Bulls
17. Ty Lawson - Philadelphia 76ers
18. B.J. Mullens - Minnesota Timberwolves
19. Jeff Teague - Atlanta Hawks
20. Tyler Hansbrough - Utah Jazz
21. Sam Young - New Orleans Hornets
22. Eric Maynor - Dallas Mavericks
23. Austin Daye - Sacramento Kings
24. DaJuan Summers - Portland Trailblazers
25. Chase Budinger - Oklahoma City Thunder
26. Toney Douglas - Chicago Bulls
27. Omri Casspi - Memphis Grizzlies
28. Jonas Jerebko - Minnesota Timberwolves
29. Darren Collison - Los Angeles Lakers
30. Derrick Brown - Cleveland Cavaliers

Draft Express:

1. Blake Griffin - L.A. Clippers
2. James Harden - Memphis Grizzlies
3. Hasheem Thabeet - Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Ricky Rubio - Sacramento Kings
5. Jordan Hill - Washington Wizards
6. Tyreke Evans - Minnesota Timberwolves
7. Stephen Curry - Golden State Warriors
8. Jrue Holiday - New York Knicks
9. DeMar DeRozan - Toronto Raptors
10. Jonny Flynn  - Milwaukee Bucks
11. Terrence Williams- New Jersey Nets
12. Gerald Henderson - Charlotte Bobcats
13. Brandon Jennings  - Indiana Pacers
14. James Johnson - Phoenix Suns
15. Earl Clark - Detroit Pistons
16. DeJuan Blair - Chicago Bulls
17. Ty Lawson - Philadelphia 76ers
18. B.J. Mullens - Minnesota Timberwolves
19. Jeff Teague - Atlanta Hawks
20. Tyler Hansbrough - Utah Jazz
21. Austin Daye  - New Orleans Hornets
22. Eric Maynor - Dallas Mavericks
23. Sam Young - Sacramento Kings
24. Darren Collison  - Portland Trailblazers
25. Chase Budinger - Oklahoma City Thunder
26. Omri Casspi  - Chicago Bulls
27. Nick Calathes - Memphis Grizzlies
28. Wayne Ellington - Minnesota Timberwolves
29. Jonas Jerebko - Los Angeles Lakers
30. Rodrigue Beaubois - Cleveland Cavaliers

Ian Thomsen at SI.com:

1. Blake Griffin - L.A. Clippers
2. Tyreke Evans - Memphis Grizzlies
3. Ricky Rubio - Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Jonny Flynn- Sacramento Kings
5. James Harden - Washington Wizards
6. Hasheem Thabeet - Minnesota Timberwolves
7. DeMar DeRozan - Golden State Warriors
8. Stephen Curry - New York Knicks
9. Jordan Hill - Toronto Raptors
10. DeJuan Blair - Milwaukee Bucks
11. Jrue Holiday - New Jersey Nets
12. Gerald Henderson - Charlotte Bobcats
13. Brandon Jennings - Indiana Pacers
14. Jeff Teague - Phoenix Suns
15. James Johnson - Detroit Pistons
16. Ty Lawson - Chicago Bulls
17. Austin Daye - Philadelphia 76ers
18. Eric Maynor - Minnesota Timberwolves
19. Earl Clark - Atlanta Hawks
20. Omri Casspi - Utah Jazz
21. Tyler Hansbrough - New Orleans Hornets
22. Sam Young - Dallas Mavericks
23. B.J. Mullens - Sacramento Kings
24. Terrence Williams - Portland Trailblazers
25. Rodrigue Beaubois - Oklahoma City Thunder
26. Wayne Ellington - Chicago Bulls
27. Josh Heytvelt - Memphis Grizzlies
28. Nick Calathes - Minnesota Timberwolves
29. Jonas Jerebko - Los Angeles Lakers
30. Chase Budinger - Cleveland Cavaliers

Sports Xchange at Yahoo! Sports:

1. Blake Griffin - L.A. Clippers
2. Ricky Rubio - Memphis Grizzlies
3. Hasheem Thabeet - Oklahoma City Thunder
4. James Harden- Sacramento Kings
5. Jordan Hill - Washington Wizards
6. Tyreke Evans - Minnesota
7. DeMar DeRozan - Golden State Warriors
8. Stephen Curry - New York Knicks
9. Jonny Flynn - Toronto Raptors
10. Jrue Holiday - Milwaukee Bucks
11. Earl Clark - New Jersey Nets
12. Gerald Henderson - Charlotte Bobcats
13. Brandon Jennings - Indiana Pacers
14. James Johnson - Phoenix Suns
15. Ty Lawson - Detroit Pistons
16. Terrence Williams - Chicago Bulls
17. DeJuan Blair - Philadelphia 76ers
18. Eric Maynor - Minnesota Timberwolves
19. Jeff Teague - Atlanta Hawks
20. Tyler Hansbrough - Utah Jazz
21. Marcus Thornton - New Orleans Hornets
22. B.J. Mullens - Dallas Mavericks
23. Darren Collison - Sacramento Kings
24. Gani Lawal - Portland Trailblazers
25. Chase Budinger - Oklahoma City Thunder
26. Austin Daye - Chicago Bulls
27. Sam Young - Memphis Grizzlies
28. DaJuan Summers - Minnesota Timberwolves
29. Nick Calathes - Los Angeles Lakers
30. Wayne Ellington - Cleveland Cavaliers

Tom Ziller at NBA FanHouse:

1. Blake Griffin - L.A. Clippers
2. Hasheem Thabeet - Memphis Grizzlies
3. Ricky Rubio - Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Jonny Flynn - Sacramento Kings
5. James Harden - Washington Wizards
6. Brandon Jennings - Minnesota
7. Jordan Hill - Golden State Warriors
8. Stephen Curry - New York Knicks
9. Tyreke Evans - Toronto Raptors
10. Jrue Holiday - Milwaukee Bucks
11. DaJuan Blair - New Jersey Nets
12. Gerald Henderson - Charlotte Bobcats
13. DeMar DeRozan - Indiana Pacers
14. Earl Clark - Phoenix Suns
15. B.J. Mullens - Detroit Pistons
16. Terrence Williams - Chicago Bulls
17. Ty Lawson - Philadelphia 76ers
18. James Johnson - Minnesota Timberwolves
19. Patrick Mills - Atlanta Hawks
20. Tyler Hansbrough - Utah Jazz
21. Eric Maynor - New Orleans Hornets
22. Chase Budinger - Dallas Mavericks
23. Derrick Brown - Sacramento Kings
24. Omri Casspi - Portland Trailblazers
25. Jeff Pendergraph - Oklahoma City Thunder
26. Austin Daye - Chicago Bulls
27. Danny Green - Memphis Grizzlies
28. Wayne Ellington - Minnesota Timberwolves
29. Nick Calathes - Los Angeles Lakers
30. Sam Young - Cleveland Cavaliers