2009 NBA Draft Analysis: Blake Griffin No. 1 Pick, Draft Remains Uncertain

The 2009 NBA Draft will take place Thursday night at Madison Square Garden as executives and fans embark on the new additions to their teams.

After years of contemplation over whom the top selection should be in the past couple of drafts, Griffin is undoubtedly the consensus this year. The Los Angeles Clippers will immediately start Griffin at the power forward position from day one.

After that, the draft becomes hazy as several teams determine what to do. UConn center Hasheem Thabeet and Spanish guard Ricky Rubio are considered the remaining players in the top three in several mock drafts, but it is unsure where they will get selected.

The Memphis Grizzlies, who have the No. 2 pick, have a point guard of the future in Mike Conley, Jr. and a center in Marc Gasol, plus teams are vying to move up to select Thabeet or Rubio. The Oklahoma City Thunder would love to have Thabeet, but it is almost certain that if Memphis keeps the pick, they will take him. Like Memphis, OKC has a point guard of the future in Russell Westbrook, so Rubio is the unlikely choice, but he may be the selection because he is the best player available.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are making the most moves. Coming into the draft with three first round picks, they traded for Washington's No. 5 on Tuesday, giving up Randy Foye and Mike Miller, for Darius Songaila, Etan Thomas and Oleksiy Pecherov. The Timberwolves will likely shop their No. 5 and No. 18 pick to move up to No. 2 or No. 3 for a chance at Thabeet or Rubio.

While most teams have one or two glaring holes in their roster, the New York Knicks need help at every position. Their No. 8 pick will be based on the best player available, but many people believe that their top choice is Davidson guard Stephen Curry, if he is available. There have also been rumors that they would also try to trade up to No. 2.

The deepest position in the draft is the point guard position as as many as five players are expected to be top 10 picks. Rubio is considered the most talented of the bunch, but they all offer different qualities. Syracuse point guard Jonny Flynn is the purest point guard in the draft, while Memphis guard Tyreke Evans is the most versatile with the capability of playing three positions.

UCLA guard Jrue Holiday is a combo guard with a nice shot and good size, while Italian pro Brandon Jennings is one of the most talented, but not considered to be able to step in right now. Curry is listed as a point guard, but there are questions about whether that is his true position and if is too small to be an NBA shooting guard. Wake Forest's Jeff Teague, VCU's Eric Maynor and UNC's Ty Lawson are also considered as first-round picks.

To see the complete order for the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft, please look below:

1. Los Angeles Clippers
2. Memphis Grizzlies
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Sacramento Kings
5. Minnesota Timberwolves
6. Minnesota Timberwolves
7. Golden State Warriors
8. New York Knicks
9. Toronto Raptors
10. Milwaukee Bucks
11. New Jersey Nets
12. Charlotte Bobcats
13. Indiana Pacers
14. Phoenix Suns
15. Detroit Pistons
16. Chicago Bulls
17. Philadelphia 76ers
18. Minnesota Timberwolves
19. Atlanta Hawks
20. Utah Jazz
21. New Orleans Hornets
22. Dallas Mavericks
23. Sacramento Kings
24. Portland Trail Blazers
25. Oklahoma City Thunder
26. Chicago Bulls
27. Memphis Grizzlies
28. Minnesota Timberwolves
29. Los Angeles Lakers
30. Cleveland Cavaliers

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