Well, since Part 1 and Part 2 of this Draft Do-Over were so popular, my editors asked me to just round out the rest of the first round. Remember that these picks are based on a combination of how well these guys have played this year and what the teams needs would be in this little re-draft alternate universe.
Now, onto the rest of the first round…
15. Detroit – Thaddeus Young (actual pick: Rodney Stuckey)
Giving 5 points and 3 rebounds a night over 31 games isn't what Philadelphia hoped for when they made him a lottery pick, but Detroit would take him here as he's probably the best of the rest, with plenty of room to grow.
16. Washington – Jason Smith (actual pick: Nick Young)
While Nick Young was a good pick for the Wizards' real draft, clearly the need for this team is some size, especially considering all the time Etan Thomas has missed this year. Smith's 5 points and 3.3 rebounds wouldn't save the world, but it definitely could've helped.
17. New Jersey – Aaron Gray (actual pick: Sean Williams)
Aside from Glen Davis, Chicago's Aaron Gray has been probably the league's most pleasant second-round surprise. New Jersey is another team that needs depth in the frontcourt, and at 7-feet tall with a great offensive skill set, Gray is exactly that.
18. Golden State – Rodney Stuckey (actual pick: Marco Belinelli)
Even though Stuckey missed a lot of the early part of the season with an injury, he's done a nice job filling up some buckets since returning. Were it not for the missed time, he may have gone earlier to Detroit in this false reality as well.
19. Lakers – Arron Afflalo (actual pick: Javaris Crittenton)
It was curious to see L.A. take another point guard in Crittenton, and now that Farmar and Fisher are splitting duties, the pick is just that much more questionable (though Crittenton is undeniably a great talent). A backup shooting guard like Afflalo probably would have been more useful in the here and now.
20. Philadelphia (from Miami) – Spencer Hawes (actual pick: Jason Smith)
If not Jason Smith, why not Spencer Hawes? While the young rookie out of Washington has seen only limited time this season, he's anxious to improve and has a lot of size and offensive moves that Philly would have the time to develop.
21. Miami (from Philadelphia) - Jared Dudley (actual pick: Daequan Cook)
Daequan Cook was a steal this late in the draft, and now that he's off the board at pick #7, the Heat will settle for Boston College's Jared Dudley. Adding just about 4 points and 3 rebounds a game, he is a contributor, albeit a small one.
22. Charlotte - Javaris Crittenton (actual pick: Jared Dudley)
With Brevin Knight heading to L.A. over the summer, the Bobcats could use a little depth at the point guard position. Sure, they scrapped together some guys to back up Ray Felton, but it never hurts to have a promising talent like Crittenton waiting in the wings, just in case other plans don't work out.
23. New York - Julian Wright (actual pick: Wilson Chandler)
Isiah Thomas usually likes sleeper picks, but if top talent Julian Wright were still available this late, passing up on him would be the surprise (of course, Zeke did that with Marcus Williams and Renaldo Balkman in 2006, so anything's possible). In truth, Wright probably would've benefited from an extra year of college, but the Knicks would be happy to help him learn the ropes in the NBA instead.
24. Portland (from Phoenix) - Chris Richard (actual pick: Rudy Fernandez)
The least noteworthy of the Florida Gators in the '07 draft, Richard quietly is having a nice year in Minnesota. With the Blazers going Durant instead of Oden with the number one pick, they'll need some depth in the frontcourt, and Richard's a big enough body to be effective behind LaMarcus Aldridge.
25. Utah - CJ Watson (actual pick: Morris Almond)
Losing Derek Fisher wasn't easy, and though Utah was able to round up a couple of journeymen point guards, a guy like CJ Watson would've been an interesting project. While he'd probably spend some time in the D-League, it's not totally inconceivable to see him pass up Jason Hart or Ronnie Price on the depth chart.
26. Houston - Carl Landry (actual pick: Aaron Brooks)
Funny how Landry ended up with the Rockets, anyways, though not this early in the draft. The young man needs some time to develop, but the Rockets like him—so why not draft him?
27. Detroit - Mario West (actual pick: Arron Afflalo)
West didn't even get drafted last June, but his play for Atlanta early this season has been commendable. He hasn't seen a ton of minutes, but he's played in almost every game and has shown that he can be an affable role player in the NBA.
28. San Antonio – Kyrylo Fesenko (actual pick: Tiago Splitter)
What would a draft be if the Spurs didn't take a center from another country? Fesenko needs some D-League time, but he's exactly the kind of project San Antonio loves.
29. Phoenix - Brandan Wright (actual pick: Alando Tucker)
Too many people predicted a poor rookie year from Brandan Wright, and so far he's been less than impressive. Still, with the constant Amare Stoudemire trade rumors, having a similarly huge feller as plan B certainly couldn't hurt anything.
30. Portland (from Philadelphia) – Marco Belinelli (actual pick: Petteri Koponen)
Despite the fact that Belinelli went crazy in the scoring column at summer leagues, he hasn't really gotten a shot in Golden State. That could've been different in Portland.
