Never to Early to Talk About the 2009 Draft.

College basketball is in conference play and NBA is getting in playoff push mode. So which am I looking more forward to? Neither, the NBA Draft is what I'm looking forward to and the one major question in this, like all, NBA drafts that may have a different answer this year compared to others.

What types of players will takeover this draft? one and done players, international players, college stars, or a balanced draft?

I believe this will be the first draft in a while that will be balanced. Like always, there are some very talented one year players such as Georgetown forward Greg Monroe, UCLA guard Jrue Holiday, USC guard DeMar DeRozan, and Wake Forest forward Al-Farouq Aminu. All extremely talented but none on the level of Michael Beasley or Greg Oden.

International players always seem to make their presence felt in the drafts, but this year there are two who can step in and make a sudden impact. First, Brandon Jennings of Italy but better known for his days at Oak Hill Academy. Due to academic issues he was not able to attend Arizona as originally planned so Jennings headed overseas and is eligible for the 2009 NBA Draft.

The second player is Ricky Rubio of Spain. Maybe the most talented player in the draft, Rubio has potential to be a very special point guard in the NBA. In my opinion, Rubio is a better point guard then Derrick Rose and Mike Conley Jr., the top point guards taken in the last two drafts respectively. 

Rubio isn't the fastest or most athletic player, but has the basketball IQ and poise of an NBA veteran. 

Finally, the current stars that you hear and read all about in college basketball. UConn junior center Hasheem Thabeet, Arizona State sophomore guard James Harden, Arizona junior forward Jordan Hill, Wake Forest sophomore guard Jeff Teague, and Davidson junior guard Stephen Curry all should be lottery picks in this year's draft and all are in their second or third year of playing NCAA college basketball.

The big name and possible first overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft is Oklahoma sophomore forward Blake Griffin. Griffin has the strength, athleticism, rebounding, and scoring ability that is becoming a must in all NBA big men.

When it’s all said and done, this year's NBA Draft will be a deep and talented one. Picks one through 60 could all help their respective teams during the 2009-10 season. The real question is where will the draft rank with past drafts? Is there star power like year's past? We will just have to wait and see.