fgh

Jun 29 2009, 12:34 AM

Just randomly, how much of a fag does kobe look like in my sig

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Look ahead to 2010 NBA draft

The 2010 NBA draft won't suffer from the same dour appraisals as the 2009 draft. In fact, with so many top underclassmen opting not to enter their names in '09, next year's draft could be one of the strongest in years, with several potential superstars and plenty of depth, particularly in the lottery.

If the 2009 draft was a gold mine full of point guards, the 2010 draft is rich in power forwards, with 11 ranked among the top 30 players. Add in another five centers and you can call next year's draft "Revenge of the Bigs."

Unfortunately for the teams that weren't able to snag a point guard in this year's draft, next year's point guard haul is pretty bad. This year, 10 point guards went in the first round. For next year, we have only four point guards projected as first-rounders.

But overall, here's why the class appears to be stronger than usual:

1. High-quality college returnees

A surprisingly large number of talented players decided to skip the '09 draft and return to college.

North Carolina's Ed Davis, Georgetown's Greg Monroe, Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu, Oklahoma's Willie Warren, Kansas' Cole Aldrich, Ohio State's Evan Turner and Iowa State's Craig Brackins all had a chance to be lottery picks this year.

A few others, including Florida State's Solomon Alabi, West Virginia's Devin Ebanks, Kentucky's Patrick Patterson, Georgia Tech's Gani Lawal and Tulsa's Jerome Jordan likely would have been first-rounders had they decided to declare.

(Had players such as DaJuan Summers, Derrick Brown and Patrick Mills done the right thing and stayed in school, next year's draft class would be even deeper.)

In short, the prospective 2010 draft class is brimming with college players who look like they have a shot at being great.

2. Stronger freshmen class

In 2007, a record six freshmen -- Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Mike Conley, Brandan Wright, Spencer Hawes and Thaddeus Young -- were drafted in the lottery.

In 2008, seven freshmen -- Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, Kevin Love, Eric Gordon, Jerryd Bayless and Anthony Randolph -- went in the lottery.

In 2009, just two college freshmen -- Tyreke Evans and DeMar DeRozan -- were drafted in the lottery, a huge drop.

For 2010, I'm projecting four incoming freshmen as lottery picks -- Kentucky's John Wall, Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors, North Carolina's John Henson and Kansas' Xavier Henry.

Several other freshmen, including Kentucky's DeMarcus Cousins, Texas' Avery Bradley and Florida's Kenny Boynton Jr., are possible first-rounders, though most scouts think they really need at least two years at the college level.

3. Pretty good international crop

Ricky Rubio was one of the faces of the 2009 draft, and the hottest international guard prospect ever. But besides Rubio, the international class was subpar. In the end, five international players went in the first round: Rubio, Victor Claver, Omri Casspi, Rodrigue Beaubois and Christian Eyenga. And only two of that group -- Rubio and Casspi -- are expected to play in the NBA next season.

In 2010, the talent is similar, with one potential star and several other interesting prospects. Lithuanian big man Donatas Motiejunas looks like a strong contender for the lottery. Czech big man Jan Vesely, Czech swingman Tomas Satoransky and Russian guard Alexey Shved all could be first-rounders.

On the whole, the 2010 draft class will probably be even better than it looks now. Some players whom we're not talking about yet will rise; they always do. Russell Westbrook, for example, wasn't in my top 50 two years ago. Ditto for Anthony Randolph.

As the Nike and ABCD camps and international tournaments get underway, look for further reports, including my stock watch.