2010 NBA Draft: John Wall vs. Evan Turner...Let the Debate Begin

Sorry, Derrick Favors. No disrespect, but you just don't have the flash.

Sorry, DeMarcus Cousins. You're just too much of a head case.

Sorry, Al-Farouq Aminu. You have the best name in the draft, but not the best skills.

Sorry, Wes Johnson. I love your game, but you've been the third wheel on a romantic Valentine's date for two.

And sorry to the hundreds of others that will be eligible for the NBA Draft. This year, there are really only two names that America will be obsessing over:

John Wall and Evan Turner.

They were the two players that dominated the college basketball scene all season long.

They played at prestigious basketball programs that helped advance their claims as the two most NBA-ready prospects (and before you say that Ohio State isn't a prestigious basketball school, look up how many Final Fours they've been in and how many Big 10 championships they've won).

They play a position where the ball is in their hands a majority of the time, so they're more likely to get face time on SportsCenter or other national highlight reels.

And they both have attributes that leave NBA scouts frothing at the mouth: size, speed, athleticism, and (the key word for all draft prospects)...potential .

So naturally, the question becomes...Who's No. 1?

If a team is lucky enough to nab the top pick in the NBA Draft, it can alter the entire franchise, because the NBA as a league is characterized by their best players. Superstars become the face of their respective organization and teams are built around them. Look at the Cleveland Cavaliers with LeBron James.

Or the Orlando Magic with Dwight Howard.

Or the San Antonio Spurs with Tim Duncan.

And on the flip side, there's the Los Angeles Clippers with Michael Olowokandi, and the Washington Wizards with Kwame Brown. One wrong decision can send a franchise spiraling into mediocrity.

You don't want to be the GM who drafted Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan.

Or Raef LaFrentz ahead of Antawn Jamison or Vince Carter.

Or (it pains to me to say) Greg Oden instead of Kevin Durant.

But with Turner and Wall on the board, the team that selects second maybe should consider themselves as having the "No. 1B" pick instead of the "No. 1A."

There's arguments for each player to go first. Let's start with Wall.

At 6'4", Wall represents the next wave of point guards of the future. Don't underestimate height at a position that predominantly features shorter players—having a size advantage means consistently being able to see the entire court over your defender and provides easier scoring opportunities.

He is a natural point guard. I'll go as far as to say I'm pretty sure God created John Wall to be a point guard. On a team mostly full of freshman (and the upperclassmen weren't exactly playing at a high level the previous years), he constantly controlled the pace and flow of every game; he showed flashes of Chris Paul-like leadership and maturity.

His ball-handling abilities are exceptional, his jump shot is questionable but improving (he did shoot 32% from the three-point line), and he masterfully walks the line between facilitating with his teammates and dominating individually.

But the area where Wall has his most lopsided advantage is his speed in transition.

Have you ever seen this guy in the open court? Hands down, he runs the fastbreak better than anyone in the draft. I'm trying to think of someone to compare him to...maybe Tony Parker, only if Parker could viciously throw down dunks as well.

If you put him in a "seven seconds or less" offense like Mike D'Antoni's old Phoenix teams, look out. The sky's the limit.

Then there's Turner.

Standing at 6'7", Turner is hardly anything you'd expect at point guard. In fact, he never played the position until last summer.

But I think it's the position that will naturally suit him in the NBA. One of his biggest strengths is his playmaking abilities, the way he so easily and unselfishly sets up his teammates. When he has the ball in his hands, good things happen.

When it comes to ball-handling abilities, I came up with this phrase while trying to describe Turner's abilities: awkwardly efficient. It might not be pretty sometimes, but it's strangely effective. He rarely turns the ball over by dribbling too much; usually it's either trying to create his shot or setting up teammates.

The highlight of his game is dribble penetration. His ability to get to the paint is Rajon Rondo-esque. You can back off him, you can try and make him a jump shooter, you can send multiple guys at him...it doesn't matter. If Turner wants, he's getting into the lane and putting pressure on the defense.

And that's when he's at his best—getting into the paint and forcing the defense to collapse. From there, he's got a plethora of options. He can try to finish strong at the hoop (an area in which he excels).

He can set up teammates for open jumpers or lay-ups.

Or he can absorb contact and get to the foul line, where he is a solid free throw shooter, especially in clutch situations.

Whatever the right decision is, Turner is going to make it.

His jump shot leaves something to be desired, but it actually improved down the stretch considerably. He opened up his arsenal by the end of the season, hitting over 50% of his three-point attempts in March.

On paper, Turner and Wall are almost dead even. They're both pretty strong character guys that an NBA organization should be proud to show off.

But in the end (as it usually does in the NBA Draft), I think it'll come down to potential. And Wall just has a higher ceiling than Turner.

You know what you're going to get with E.T. Wall has the potential to be one of the best point guards in the league.

He has the potential to pave the way for a new path of point guards into the 2010s and 2020s.

He has the potential to become just a little bit better than Turner.

Upside, promise, potential, whatever you want to call it, it's the new face of the draft. That's why it's looking like Wall has the edge...for today, at least.

But I want to hear what you think, Bleacher Report Nation: Wall or Turner?