The 2009 NBA Draft: A Look From Afar.

(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Tomorrow, a select bunch of the world's basketball talent will cash in on a whole mess of money.  The annual NBA draft is taking place in New York and for a few guys it will be a nervous wait to see who will be the top five picks.

It's hard to get a bead on everyone from here in Australia but here's my five cents worth on this year's draft.

Oklahoma's beastman Blake Griffin seems like a lock for the top spot but there are a number of others sniffing around for the big money as well.  Spain's wild-eyed boy wonder, Ricky Rubio, has the whole world talking, and not just about whether he knows any English.  He has been playing Pro-ball in Spain since he was 14.

There is also the man whose name means "Destroyer of Evil", Hasheem Thabeet. Looks like he should go to the Knicks because their current list is evil and needs fixing. More than likely he will go to Memphis which also needs all the help it can get.

But then comes the March of The Guards.  There are only about 50 guards trying for about 15 spots, but then again some teams might need more so there could be as many as 25 spots open.  But seriously, there are so many very similar guards out there that not even the most arrogant "draft expert" could begin to say with certainty what order these guys will go in.

Among the contenders are James Harden, Tyreke Evans, Stephen Curry, the always crazy Jonny Flynn (just ask him, he will tell you), Gerald Henderson and a cast of thousands.  I would have included Australian and all round good bloke Patty Mills to the list but for some reason he has slipped down the order a bit.

His stock rose after his Olympics performance, but I guess his college season with St Mary's wasn't good enough.  He still has the goods though and I think people forget he broke his wrist halfway through the season which derailed his and his team's run at the NCAA tourney.

But it's not all about the guards though; there are other positions...just not many good players to fill them.  Arizona's Jordan Hill is one of them but his defensive skills are questionable (read: non-existent).  Hate magnet Tyler Hansbrough could be exactly the same as JJ Redick, college wonder and pro blunder (although to be fair to JJ, he has found his feet now).

Earl Clark and DeJuan Blair both look like tweeners and might struggle to find a spot if picked up by the wrong team. Add James Johnson too that list along with Terrence Williams.  A legitimate bigman is BJ Mullens from Ohio State.  He is young and raw but we've seen kids like this before that have come in and made an impact straight away.

There are a lot of guys around the 15th to 45th spots who could go absolutely anywhere so it should be an interesting night, albeit a long one, as many a pick will be debated long and hard amongst the people charged with making the decisions for each team.  I look forward to it.

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