2011 NBA Draft Top 10 Picks

With the NBA draft approaching on Thursday, I was wondering who everyone thought would be drafted in the top 10.

The 2011 Draft isn't going to be as stacked as everyone thought at the beginning of the year, since players like Jared Sullinger, Harrison Barnes, Terrence Jones, Perry Jones, etc. decided to come back for another year of school. The draft class does, however, have some very talented players who could make some noise in their first year and years to come.

My top 10 picks for this years draft would be (assuming no trades happen):

1. Cleveland Cavaliers = Derrick Williams (Arizona) - Even though it will probably be Kyrie Irving taken with this pick, I see better fit for Derrick Williams for the Cav's. The Cav's already have Baron Davis and Ramon Sessions at PG and if anything the Cav's could possibly get either Brandon Knight or Kemba Walker with the 4th pick. Derrick though is a very talented and versatile player. He is a great finisher around the basket and has great hands, too. Also this year he showed us he could shoot the ball better than what people expected. The only downfall to him is that he will probably have to play SF in the NBA.

2. Minnesota Timberwolves = Kyrie Irving (Duke) - The Timberwolves and Cav's are alike with having more than 1 pretty good PG on the team. The Timberwolves having: Jonny Flynn (which was hurt for some of this year), Luke Ridnour (who has improved throughout his years but I dont see him as a starting PG), and the newly acquired Ricky Rubio (who has potential, but may be a better player overseas than in the NBA). Kyrie has the talent and the athleticism to be a great player right away in the NBA.

3. Utah Jazz = Brandon Knight (Kentucky) - I here would either take Enes Kanter or Knight. The Jazz's big men (Jefferson, Millsap, Okur, and Favors) are better right now than the guards they have. The Jazz's best guard is obviously Devin Harris and then there second best guard would probably be Raja Bell (who is mainly out there for defense). The addition of Knight would provide scoring and also pressure off of Harris to make plays for his teammates when the shot clock is running down. He will have to learn how to play in Utah's 4 out 1 in motion offense.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers = Enes Kanter (Kentucky/Turkey) - I think Kanter here would be the best pick because the Cav's lack scoring down low in the post. Varejao is a great energy player but not much of a scorer, while Kanter is. Even though we didn't get to see him play this year, he proved himself when he played against the U.S. Jr. National team last year. He scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in only 24 minutes. He was playing against the likes of Jared Sullinger, Terrence Jones, and Harrison Barnes in that game. I would like to see Alec Burks move up to this pick but that is highly doubtful.

5. Toronto Raptors = Jan Vesely (Czech Republic) - Vesely is very athletic and can finish with some pretty nasty dunks at the rim. He also though can stretch the defense and shoot the long ball. The main question with him is whether the team he gets drafted to will have him play SF or PF. I would also consider Kawhi Leonard and Chris Singleton here and even possibly Jordan Hamilton (mainly because Hamilton is a born scorer) because the Raptors need help at SF.

6. Washington Wizards = Kawhi Leonard (San Diego State) - Kawhi has a lot of potential and is a very athletic player. He is really good at attacking the basket and he is an even better rebounder. He is very versatile on defense because of the different positions he can guard. The main thing he will need to work on the most though is his jump shot.

7. Sacramento Kings = Jordan Hamilton (Texas) - Jordan has a lot of upside and is one of the best shooters in the draft. He is a great scorer and he is a pretty average defender. I personally like him better than Singleton (mainly because all I see out of Singleton is a defender), but that's just me. He needs to work on his shot selection though.

8. Detroit Pistons = Tristan Thompson (Texas) - Tristan is great at going after the ball and getting the rebound. He is good at running the floor and has great athleticism to make some plays on both sides of the court. I actually would probably pick Kemba Walker here, but it would depend on if Rodney Stuckey re-signs with the team or not.

9. Charlotte Bobcats = Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania) - Jonas has a lot of potential and has great rebounding instincts. He needs to improve on his low post offense, though. I'm mainly picking Jonas here because Charlotte needs help at the Center position and he would be the next best pick behind Kanter (some even say he is better than Kanter).

10. Milwaukee Bucks = Kemba Walker (Connecticut) - Kemba is one fun guy to watch with a basketball in his hands. He is so quick and great at getting to the basket. He is able to make plays not only for himself but also for his teammates. The Bucks need a backup PG and Kemba would get to learn behind one of the great young guards (Brandon Jennings) in the league.