The first DH expanded NBA mock draft

With more room to work with on the blog this year, it's a good time to institute the Daily Herald's first NBA expanded mock draft. The real one is approaching quickly on June 25.

These picks are based somewhat on predicting what could happen, but also include my personal recommendations. Keep in mind that while plenty of highlights are available on YouTube of these guys, there aren't as many lowlights out there.

1. Los Angeles Clippers - Blake Griffin, 6-10, F, Oklahoma.
This is a no-doubter. With his explosiveness and shooting touch, Griffin could end up bringing an offensive game similar to Amare Stoudemire.

2. Memphis Grizzlies - Hasheem Thabeet, 7-2, C, Connecticut.
No one expects Thabeet to become a big scorer in the NBA, but he should provide plenty of interior defense, which is still vitally important. It's conceivable the Grizzlies could take Ricky Rubio here as trade bait. Adding Thabeet could give Memphis the luxury of shopping Darko Milicic, whose trade value might be greater than his court value.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder - Tyreke Evans, 6-5, G, Memphis.
This might be the toughest decision of the first round. A guard to play alongside Russell Westbrook makes the most sense, but which one? If the Thunder is not sold on Westbrook as a point guard, it should make the move now and take Rubio or Syracuse's Jonny Flynn here. If OKC is committed to Westbrook playing the point - which seems to be the case -- then Evans is an intriguing choice. He should be able to handle either guard position and attacks the basket well; sort of like Brandon Roy, but a couple inches shorter. Evans was consistent as a freshman at Memphis, averaging 17.1 points. His outside shooting wasn't great, but should improve.

4. Sacramento Kings - Ricky Rubio, 6-3, PG, DKV Joventut.
Most scouts seem to think Rubio will be special, which makes him an enormous upgrade at point guard over Beno Udrih. Rubio is reportedly suing his Spanish team, DKV Joventut, claiming his $6 million contract buyout is exorbitant. If that suit doesn't go well, he might not play in the NBA next season.

5. Washington Wizards -- Jordan Hill, 6-10, F, Arizona.
I get the feeling this guy might have been chosen 12th or 13th in a stronger draft. But Hill appears to be a competent big man with good scoring skills (18.3 points last season). He'd give the Wizards some depth on the inside, which might help facilitate a trade to jettison one of their higher-priced pieces.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves - Stephen Curry, 6-3, SG, Davidson.
The Timberwolves could use someone to complement Randy Foye in the backcourt and help open the inside for Al Jefferson and Kevin Love. The high-scoring Curry seems to be an ideal candidate. There has also been talk the T-Wolves are trying to trade up to get Thabeet.

7. Golden State Warriors - James Harden, 6-5, SG, Arizona State.
Maybe I'm missing something, but Harden seems to be more of a streak shooter than a top-notch two-guard. Flynn would be an interesting pick here, but he’d create an awfully small backcourt with Monta Ellis. Demar DeRozan would fit well into the Warriors' fast-paced system, if they don't mind asking Corey Maggette to take a seat. Then again, a high-scoring team needs 3-point shooters, so Harden works for the Warriors.

8. New York Knicks -- Jonny Flynn, 6-1, G, Syracuse.
The Knicks should be ecstatic if Flynn drops this far. After all, the Chris Duhon era can't last forever. Flynn might be the best athlete in this draft. He's an electrifying point guard, similar in some ways to Derrick Rose, but not nearly as tall.

9. Toronto Raptors - Demar DeRozan, 6-7, F, USC.
Smooth and athletic, DeRozan produced some nice highlights during his freshman season with Tim Floyd at USC and might turn into the bargain of this draft. So far, his shooting range is non-existent. He made just 6 baskets from 3-point range last year.

10. Milwaukee Bucks - Ty Lawson, 6-1, PG, North Carolina.
The Bucks' payroll is already too high, so drafting a point guard instead of re-signing free agent Ramon Sessions could be a logical business decision. The best one left on the board figures to be Lawson, though an argument could be made for Jeff Teague or Eric Maynor.

11. New Jersey Nets - James Johnson, 6-8, F, Wake Forest.
Johnson was inconsistent last season, but is a talented athlete who could probably play either forward spot. That makes him a potential upgrade for both Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons.

12. Charlotte Bobcats - Gerald Henderson, 6-5, SG, Duke.
The Bobcats could use a taller two guard to play next to D.J. Augustin, since Raymond Felton seems to be on his way out and Raja Bell has seen better days.

13. Indiana Pacers - Earl Clark, 6-10, PF, Louisville.
The Pacers already have too many perimeter players and Clark might be able to bring some athleticism to their inside game. Another option is to try again at point guard and end the T.J. Ford/Jarrett Jack platoon.

14. Phoenix Suns - Chase Budinger, 6-7, SF, Arizona.
The Suns could use someone who can run the court to play on the front line and there aren’t many to choose from. Budinger was one of the best athletes at the predraft camp and would bring some sorely needed fresh legs to the Suns' lineup, which will need a complete overhaul soon.

15. Detroit Pistons - B.J. Mullens, 7-1, C, Ohio State.
The Pistons need reinforcements inside, since it's possible both Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess will depart as free agents. Mullens was a big-time high school prospect, but didn't accomplish much as a college freshman, so he's a risky pick. Austin Daye might be a bolder choice. A skinny 6-11 with a nice shooting touch, Daye's best-case projection is sort of a Tayshaun Prince meets Rasheed.

16. BULLS - Terrence Williams, 6-6, SG, Louisville.
This pick makes sense for the Bulls because they may be without either Ben Gordon or Kirk Hinrich when next season starts. Williams doesn't figure to be a big scorer, but was a good passer and defender in college, as well as the leader of a Louisville squad that won the Big East title.

17. Philadelphia 76ers - Jeff Teague, 6-1, G, Wake Forest.
Andre Miller is a free agent, so this is a good time to draft a replacement. Teague can score and produced a surprising number of monster dunks for someone his size.

18. Minnesota (from Miami) - Austin Daye, 6-10, PF, Gonzaga.
Skilled but scrawny describes Daye. He'll be something of a project, but his long arms could eventually help Minnesota's sorry interior defense.

19. Atlanta Hawks - Jrue Holiday, 6-4, G, UCLA
This is another player who is tough to project. Holiday sees himself as a point guard and was a high school star, but he played off the ball at UCLA because Darren Collison stayed in school for his senior year. As a result, Holiday averaged just 8.5 points during his lone college season.

20. Utah Jazz - Eric Maynor, 6-3, G, VCU.
Best remembered for his game-winning jumper against Duke in the NCAA Tournament a couple years ago, Maynor could probably find fill-in time at both guard spots in Utah.

21. New Orleans Hornets - Sam Young, 6-6, SF, Pittsburgh.
The Hornets could use another big man, but with so few in this draft, they might as well try for a reliable scorer.

22. Dallas Mavericks - DeJuan Blair, 6-7, PF, Pittsburgh.
Because of his size, Blair is more likely to be an interesting backup than a first option at power forward. But the Mavs could use a little more power in the paint.

23. Sacramento (from Houston) - Taj Gibson, 6-10, PF, USC.
The Kings definitely need help inside after saying goodbye to Brad Miller and Mikki Moore last February.

24. Portland Trail Blazers - Brandon Jennings, 6-1, PG, Lottomatica Roma.
Jennings is the Southern California native who signed with Arizona, then decided to spend last season in Italy. He's very quick and played against good competition in the Euroleague. But it's tough to tell how much he learned about running a team and he figures to be erratic early in his career.

25. Oklahoma City (from San Antonio) - Tyler Hansbrough, 6-9, PF, North Carolina.
The Thunder have some young talent, but not many power players. Hansbrough could handle that job.

26. BULLS (from Denver via OKC) - Omri Casspi, 6-9, F, Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Likely to become the first Israeli to play in the NBA, Casspi has an interesting set of skills. His best chance at success is probably as a perimeter shooting power forward.

I think I'll stop here, since the last four picks of the first round are often used on obscure Europeans that teams hope will stay overseas and off their payroll for a few years. And I promise not to alter this post in any way if these projections seem ridiculous after the real draft.