FanHouse SergeIbaka

The first domestic fan of Serge Ibaka I knew -- FanHouse alumnus Shoals of The Sporting Blog and FreeDarko -- picks up a somewhat funny but ultimately smart request from Ibaka and his agent Justin Zanek, which appeared on DraftExpress.

Basically, Ibaka has a deal to make some good bread in Spain for a few years, more than a set-in-stone rookie scale outside the lottery would pay him. There's no salary scale for second rounders, so the team which owns his rights could theoretically pay enough in a few years to make the transatlantic journey worthwhile for Ibaka.

Ibaka's not alone, though. Turkish big man Omer Asik -- who could be phenomenal in the right system -- either has signed or is about to sign a massive deal in his native country, and shouldn't be picked before #31 either. Nikola Pekovic of Serbia, Ante Tomic of Croatia, and Goran Dragic of Slovenia -- all lesser prospects, but good enough to be drafted -- are in similar situations.

It wouldn't be surprising to see all five of these internationals go within the first 10 picks of the second round. While the Euro Revolution has stalled, there should be enough of Luis Scola bump to lead some teams with full rosters to lock up these prospects' rights.

Crystal Ballin' takes a team-by-team look at what should, could, and probably will happen in the June 26th NBA Draft.

The locals thirst for a roster explosion. At least 26 other fan bases would trade for this roster in a second. The NBA: Where 'The Grass is Greener' Happens!

Picks: #29, #59.

Needs: Depending on the depth of Joe Dumars' detonation, depth requirements could pop up all over. In particular, the land behind Tayshaun Prince is a bit dry.

Best case scenario: Assuming Amir Johnson plays power forwards in days ahead, a smaller forward like Ryan Anderson (who has a touch of 'Sheed, at least on offense), J.J. Hickson, or Jason Thompson would look good in Pistons blue. At the end of the draft, a defensive-minded combo like DeMarcus Nelson could potentially pay dividends.

With the NBA Draft coming up on Thursday night, FanHouse's Tom Ziller took a friend's advice and unilaterally decided what teams ought to do in the first round. Think of it as a shorter version of our ongoing Crystal Ballin' series.

1. Chicago -- Michael Beasley, Kansas State. Fan consensus would have the point guard from Memphis here, and it looks like John Paxson will swing that way, too. It looks like a whole lot of Chris Paul-induced "pure point" fervor to me. Beasley, though, is the rare unassailable post presence who also boasts great perimeter skills and extraordinary tenacity on the court. With a team so desperate for points on something other than jump shots, Beasley fits right in.

2. Miami -- Derrick Rose, Memphis. The Heat, on the other hand, has some firepower in the paint, between Dwyane Wade's irrepressible slashing and the alternating efforts of Shawn Marion and Udonis Haslem. But Wade needs help running the show. Rose would provide the right engine to push Miami's offensive abilities while offering some backcourt defensive support.

3. Minnesota -- Brook Lopez, Stanford. Like any other basketball aesthete, I have cracked some Brook Lopez jokes. But behind the Cheetah Girls t-shirts, he's a good prospect. The biggest thing he can offer Minnesota in some interior anchorage on defense. Al Jefferson got abused routinely in the paint last season, with nary a partner to help stunt the opponent. Lopez immediately fortifies the effort, maybe not creating a good defense by himself, but at least helping out. Oh, and he can score too.

27 more picks of questionable logic after the jump.

Crystal Ballin' takes a team-by-team look at what should, could, and probably will happen in the June 26th NBA Draft.

There are only a few NBA teams you can unequivocally count out for the 2008-09 season at this point. Memphis is no lower than #2 (what up, Seattle!) on that list.

Picks: #5, #28

Needs: Bigs, bigs, and bigs. Another two-guard to replace Juan Carlos Navarro and (eventually) Mike Miller would be nice, too.

Best case scenario: In Chris Wallace's dreams, Memphis works out a deal to land Michael Beasley ... without giving up Mike Conley. Conley, Rudy Gay and Beasley would look the fetus of awesome. Landing a magician like Chris Douglas-Roberts at #28 could be heaven.

Crystal Ballin' takes a team-by-team look at what should, could, and probably will happen in the June 26th NBA Draft.

The Rockets had a nice 22-game win streak to hang their hats on in 2008, but that was about it. The injury to Yao really wrecked the team's chances of advancing deep into the playoffs (or even past the first round). If the team can add some athleticism and boost their bench a bit, they could be contenders in 2009.

Picks: #25, #54.

Needs: Not to have the Chinese government force their All-Star center to shut it down mid-season to make sure he's ready for the Olympics. That, and some size to back up said center when he does play. I know it seems like Dikembe Mutombo might just play forever. But I promise you, Rockets fans: he won't.

Best case scenario: Chris Douglas-Roberts would be a nice player to get here, but if the fans were drafting, I don't think he'd be available.