Kings eCLIPPsed in NBA Lottery

Entering the NBA lottery with only a 17 percent chance of winning the first overall pick, the Los Angeles Clippers bypassed both the Sacramento Kings and the Washington Wizards to take the lead in the Blake Griffin sweepstakes. 

The Sacramento Kings, who had the best odds at winning the first overall selection, fell to fourth.  The team with the best odds has not received the top pick since the Orlando Magic did in 2004.  

The Memphis Grizzlies moved up from the sixth spot to the second, displacing the Washington Wizards who fell to fifth.  The third selection will belong to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who moved up from fourth. 

Rounding out the top 10 are the Minnesota Timberwolves who will select sixth, followed by the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, and Milwaukee Bucks. The NBA draft will be held on June 25.

O'Neill's Mock Draft:

1)  Los Angeles Clippers:  Blake Griffin

While Blake Griffin deserves to be the number one overall selection, he doesn’t fit into the Clippers lineup the way he would have with every other team.  The Clippers already have dominant big men in Chris Kaman, Marcus Camby and Zach Randolph.

Expect the Clippers to either select Griffin and trade him away, or trade down the top pick in order to select someone more compatible with their franchise.

2)  Memphis Grizzlies:  Ricky Rubio

With Mike Conley not living up to his hype as a point guard, expect the Grizzlies to select Rubio, a foreign-born point guard with even more upside than Conley.  The Grizzlies have established scorers in Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo, as well as promising big men in Hakim Warrick and Marc Gasol. 

The Grizzlies will select Rubio to address the team’s most glaring weakness.   

3)  Oklahoma City Thunder:  James Harden

Thabo Sefolosha, the Thunder's starting shooting guard last season, averaged less than six points.  Look for the Thunder to upgrade by selecting James Harden, a proven scorer from Arizona State.  Alongside young stars Jeff Green and Kevin Durant, Harden would give the Thunder another promising young player.

4)  Sacramento Kings:  Stephen Curry

Short and sweet:  The Kings desperately need a point guard.  With Rubio likely off the board, look for the Kings to go after a proven scorer and developing point guard in Stephon Curry. 

Curry would play alongside Kevin Martin, giving the Kings one of the better scoring backcourts in the league.  The Kings could could also go after Ty Lauson with this pick. 

5)  Washington Wizards:  Hasheem Thabeet

Other than Brendan Haywood, who played all of six games last season, the Wizards desperately need a solid big man.  Haywood is injury prone and approaching 30 years old.  Thabeet would give the Wizards a reliable big man capable of anchoring down the paint.