NBA Draft: How the 2010 Top 10 Should Have Gone

I hate clichés so I am not going to mention hindsight.  Or perfect 20/20 vision.  Or the grotesque marriage of the two.

Hindsight is one of those words that really only exists to perform in the phrase I am not going to write.  It is a limited word.  Overrated.  One dimensional.  It is the Ben Gordon of words.

So I am not going to use it now or ever, but I will look back on the 2010 NBA draft to see how things might change now that we are privy to a year's worth of evidence. 

A few guys jumped up, a few fell back, some teams benefited and teams like the Pistons have every bit as much reason to hate the H-word as me.  Here's the revamped top ten.

10. Gordon Hayward

No. 10  Indiana Pacers take Gordon Hayward

The obvious sentimental pick in this draft was for the Pacers to get their hometown hero, but Utah swooped in on him and took the edge in their battle to see who can have the whitest team. 

Sorry Utah, I am righting this wrong, Hayward just looks like a Hoosier.

9. Paul George (Larry David)

No. 9 The Utah Jazz take Paul George

The Jazz probably would have just stuck with Hayward but it is more interesting this way, and who can pass on a guy with two first names? 

Paul George is an official member of the Larry David "Guys with Two First Names" club that I just invented.

8. Al-Farouq Aminu

No. 8 Al-Farouq Aminu to the LA Clippers

There are two teams that I cannot speculate about because to do so accurately would be to admit stupidity or insanity. 

So the Clippers and Timberwolves are staying the same, sorry if that is boring, but I don't want to go into those dark minds.

The Clippers might have just traded this pick for something shiny if given another chance, so Aminu isn't so bad in retrospect.

7. Pistons Get Screwed

No. 7 Pistons take Evan Turner 

There is no way Monroe falls this far if we did it again, so no team loses more by rethinking this draft than the Pistons, who lucked out when Monroe fell into their laps at No. 7. 

Monroe may end up being the second or third best player in this draft and seems like a solid citizen.

Turner wasn't spectacular for the 76ers but he showed promise and the Pistons need a small forward since Tayshaun is departing.  

This also would have helped the Pistons with their goal of fielding a team comprised entirely of combo-2 guards. I am glad everyone overlooked Monroe the first time around.

6. Insert Favors Pun Here

No. 6 Derrick Favors to Golden State

I actually like this pick.  Favors would have been great on Golden State; right now the guy is just a raw athlete. Playing an up tempo style on a team where he doesn't have to score would have been perfect.

Not sure what to make of Favors yet, but he definitely has an NBA body (as opposed to some other kind of body) and a ton of potential.

5. Sorry Kings

No. 5 Ed Davis to the Kings 

I really like this pick as well even if the Kings fans just threw up in their mouths. Davis made the biggest leap of anyone on this list after his solid rookie season for the terrible Raptors.

Cousins has the chance to be a transcendent force in the NBA but it is going to be hard to have three ballhogs on one team. 

Davis is going to be a double-double machine over his career, and you don’t have to run any plays for him. 

With Cousins, Tyreke Evans and now Jimmer I am not sure how there are going to be enough shots to go around. 

I would love to see the three of them hang out in a strip club though.  I hear Jimmer likes to make it rain.

4. KAAAAAAAAAAAHN!

No. 4 T’Wolves take Wesley Johnson 

They needed a wingman and Johnson hasn't been terrible, so let’s just leave him here. 

Like I said, I don't want to try to think like Kahn, it's like Agent Starling going down the rabbit hole with Hannibal Lecter.  You don't ever come back fully from that.

If Kahn had a chance to do it again he'd probably just take another point guard.

3. New Jersey's Nightmare

No. 3 New Jersey takes Greg Monroe

Monroe was the surprise player of the 2010 draft and would definitely leap into the top 3 if we did it again, so let's not.

New Jersey took Favors who was featured in a huge (and really stupid) package that brought Deron Williams so I guess it wasn’t a complete loss. 

Wait, yes it was, since Williams is now on a plane for Turkey and probably won’t play for New Jersey if and when he comes back.

So to recap, New Jersey traded Favors, two first-round picks, Devin Harris and $3 million for a guy who their own GM admits they can't resign. 

That may have been one of the worst trades of all time. 

They are going to have to throw the bank at Williams and even then he will probably leave.  If they had to do it over they’d just take Monroe.

2. Philly Blew It

No. 2  Philadelphia 76ers take DeMarcus Cousins

No team wishes this list was reality more than the 76ers who were the big screw ups in the 2010 draft.

They should have just taken Cousins the first time around, but were scared away by his apparent mental instability. 

Turner is a decent player and showed some real potential last year but Cousins could be the best big man in the league at some point. 

You don’t pass on this kind of billion dollar talent, even if it is attached to Cousin’s ten cent brain.

1. Another Brick in The....Something Something

No. 1  The Wizards select John Wall 

Nothing changes here. Wall was considered the best talent in the draft and he didn’t disappoint.  He is one of the best young point guards in the NBA and is going to get a whole lot better.

This is the Golden Age of point guards, I am not sure if Wall will ever be the best one, but he was the best player in this draft and still is.