You know the cliche- hindsight is 20/20. It's pretty easy to analyze a situation after the fact and say what someone should have done, right? Well, here's how the lottery might play out if GMs knew then what they know now:
1. Chicago- They'd still take Derrick Rose. He's been everything they expected him to be and still has enormous potential for growth.
2. Miami- OJ Mayo over Michael Beasley, guaranteed. Riley really wanted to take Mayo at the time but didn't have the cajones. Next time, trust your instincts, Pat.
3. Minnesota- Instead of the ill-fated Mayo for Kevin Love swap, they probably end up with Russell Westbrook.
4. Seattle/OKC- Westbrook's off the board so they nab Eric Gordon.
5. Memphis- The Beasley slide stops here.
6. New York- With that huge hole in the middle, think D'Antoni would rather have Brook Lopez than Danilo Gallinari? Me, too.
7. LA Clips- Mario Chalmers, who dropped all the way to the second round, barely edges out Jerryd Bayless.
8. Milwaukee- Bayless instead of Joe Alexander.
9. Charlotte- Kevin Love by a nose over DJ Augustin.
10. New Jersey- Augustin
11. Indiana- If you recall, they took Bayless here and traded him to Portland for Brandon Rush and chump change. This time around it's JaVale McGee.
12. Sacramento- Brandon Rush over Jason Thompson.
13. Portland- DeAndre Jordan, who's come on as of late, gets the nod over Joe Alexander, who's plummeting fast.
14. Golden State- Alexander finally has a home, taking the place of Anthony Randolph.
This list will almost certainly look different in a few years when some of the raw 'projects' pan out. Jermaine O'Neal is a good example of a player who took several years to even show a pulse. Gilbert Arenas toiled on the bench for Golden State before flourishing in Washington. So there's hope for Alexis Ajinca and Nathan Jawai yet. Well, maybe not.
On a side note, think about how many millions of dollars Chalmers smoked away in that hotel room session at the draft combine. Hope it was good weed, at least. Damn.
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