The NBA Draft Awards Are Here

The NBA Draft is over. It’s now time to hand out superlatives to the deserving members of the ‘09 Class. Brace yourself fellas, you might now want some of these titles, but guess what? You’re getting them anyway. Here are The Herd’s Word Top Ten NBA Draft Awards:

NBA Draft Awards And Predictions
2010 Rookie of the Year
Blake Griffin, Clippers - The offense is going to run through Griffin and Eric Gordon. He’ll have plenty of opportunities to score and points get you the award. Runner Up: James Harden, Thunder Harden is going to give Oklahoma City a whole new dynamic in their offense. While he won’t be given the credit for their improvement, Kevin Durant will, OKC’s record will be a direct reflection on him.

First Lottery Pick To Make An All-Star Appearance
Ricky Rubio, Minnesota - He’ll be an All-Star based on his popularity. If the NBA opens up voting in Spain, we might be looking at the starting point guard for the West squad next year. His flair will make him a highlight reel waiting to happen and the SportsCenter generation will love him. Runner Up: Stephen Curry, Golden State The rumor is that Curry will be part of a trade that sends Amare Stoudemire to Golden State and Curry to Phoenix. While Steve Kerr rebuilds the franchise, Curry might become a fan favorite and rock the western vote.

First Lottery Pick To Win A Championship
Jordan Hill, Knicks - If LeBron comes to New York next summer, they will be instant contenders. We don’t know how likely it is to happen but I like the chances of that over any of the other teams in the lottery winning a title in the next ten years. Runner Up: Tyler Hansborough, Pacers Once the league sees that Hansborough’s intensity translates to the NBA he’ll be coveted by good teams looking to get more physical and scrappy. He’ll never win one in Indy but he’ll have a ring before it’s all said and done.

All-Time Leading Scorer From The 2009 Draft
James Harden, Thunder - He will be a 20-point scorer in this league for a long time. While Griffin also has the capability to put up big scoring numbers, the teams he plays on will be better off if he doesn’t. Harden will also have the longest career. Runner Up: Tyreke Evans, Sacramento The ball will be in his hands from day one. When you are a “shoot first” point guard that means you have total control of how many shots you take during a game. I love the new terms they’ve come up with for “Ball Hog”.

Richest Player Ten Years From Now
Ricky Rubio, T-Wolves - First of all he’ll have a jump start on the rest of the class because he is only 18-years old. He’ll be able to sign his first free agent contract at the age of 24 and teams will probably be giving him the max. He’s also the most marketable player because of his boy band looks and European style. If Minny is smart and trades him to someone in a major market, we could be seeing the birth of a media monster. Runner Up: Hasheem Thabeet, Grizzlies If he develops any sort of offensive game, he’ll be cashing fat checks in this league for the next 15 years. Dikembe Mutumbo didn’t average 10 points for his career but he made $114 million off his ability to change the game defensively.

First Lottery Pick To Be Out Of The League
Brandon Jennings, Bucks - Yeah, he’s a Buck but he’s also a-buck-sixty-five with five pound weights in each pocket. He’s going to have a hard time with the physical demands of the NBA and unless he’s Allen Iverson, nobody likes a 6′1″ guard who looks to create his own shot before his teammates. There will be at least seven other point guards in this draft that will be better than him at the end of the day. Runner Up: Jordan Hill, Knicks When the breakdown of his game came up on the screen during the Draft, it talked about his lack of strength, low basketball IQ, inability to create his own shots and his lack of low post moves. Sounds like the next Luke Jackson to me.

Best Bargain
DeJuan Blair, Spurs - The Spurs, to the surprise of nobody, did a fantastic job of filling a void in their frontcourt and they did so with the 37th pick in the Draft. After the 8th pick in this Draft, teams should have been looking to fill voids on their roster and ditch the “potential” prospects. It’s not worth it and sets your team back. Imagine Blair flipping Lakers C Andrew Bynum over his back like he did Thabeet this year? How’s that for setting the tone! Runner Up: Chase Budinger, Rockets He’s got super hops, can shoot and has a high basketball IQ. Both of these guys will last longer than most of the players in the first round and will have the luxury of signing their first free agent contracts faster.

Best European Not Named Rubio
Rodrigue Beaubois, Mavericks - He’s got a huge wingspan and he’ll be developing over in Europe until Dallas needs him to relieve Jason Kidd at the point. So you don’t have to pay him and he’s getting better without taking up a roster spot. Runner Up: Victor Claver, Blazers He’s another guy who will be off the books until Portland needs him. It won’t be this year because the Blazers are loaded with young wing players. Once they use a few of them to get a veteran scorer, Claver will be ready to go.

Player Who Will Have The Least Amount Of Trouble With The Ladies
Ricky Rubio, Minnesota - Wherever he ends up, older women are going to be all over the kid from Spain with the fresh face, floppy hair and Euro style. If he ends up in a big city, this kid could actually become a paparazzi target and the NBA’s version of Joe Namath. Runner Up: Blake Griffin, Clippers The mixed race, jacked up physical specimen isn’t going to have a problem finding a date in L.A. He’s quiet too, which gives him a mysterious side that the ladies love. This wasn’t the best Draft in terms of talent but it was even worse in terms of suave looking dudes. A lot of ugly cats came in this litter.

Player Most Likely To Be The Next Twitter Star
James Harden, Thunder - Judging by his flashy suit complete with a bow tie, Harden seems to be a pretty hip dude. Twitter should get a kick out of his “I wish Kevin Durant would start eating more so I can take some outside shots once in a while too,” tweets. Runner Up: Toney Douglas, Knicks Everyone is waiting for the tweet, “So you’re telling me I could be playing for the Lakers and living in L.A. right now? Thanks a lot Donnie Walsh, you’ve made my NBA dreams a nightmare.” Just get it over with.