Amid lots of debate, Chris Douglas-Roberts took the 18th and final spot on the draft board.  I do understand the disagreement.  CDR seemingly duplicates Nick Young, and there's a legit argument that we can't afford to take the luxury of selecting CDR when we have bigger (literally and figuratively) needs.  Frankly, I'm surprised by the widespread support of CDR here, but the masses win.

I did vote for CDR, though, so I have to explain myself.  To me, CDR probably should be a lottery pick.  He was arguably the very best player on arguably the very best team throughout the season (though they didn't win the championship).  Yes, you could argue he was better than Derrick Rose, the projected #1 pick in this draft.  Moreover, Rose certainly didn't make CDR, as CDR was quite good even before Rose got there.

Tons of teams before us should be drafting him, in my opinion.  Philadelphia could use a shooting guard upgrade, and CDR fits their get-a-ton-of-athletes-and-turn-them-loose philosophy.  Toronto could use a true perimeter scorer to go with Chris Bosh.  Golden State could always use a one-on-one type who creates mismatches.  Portland could unleash him with Brandon Roy in a devastatingly big backcourt.  Hell, even the Clippers, who pick 7, need a shooting guard, and CDR was arguably just as good as Eric Gordon this year (albeit a little older). 

It's true, though, he doesn't really fit in D.C.  His game is a lot like Nick Young's, and Young's development is one of the keys to our team reaching the next level.  He's probably not big enough to play the 3 either, and his style might not be ideal for the Princeton.  Those are legitimate problems, and I doubt it makes sense to pick CDR on this team.

But the best-player-available motto I've been championing basically requires me to pick CDR.  I'm that dead-set that he's the best guy left on the board. 

Then again, I also believe that, if we use a tier system like so many NBA teams, 17 represents the end of one tier, and 18 represents the beginning of another.  That means that while CDR might be 18, I could justify (maybe) picking whoever is 19 or 20 based on our needs.  Maybe.  For example, I could justify Hickson over CDR, or maybe even Koufos or Donte Greene over CDR.  Maybe. 

More importantly, if all 17 of those guys are off the board, I think Ernie should look to trade down.  We can get someone like Hickson or Richard Hendrix if we move from 18 to the end of the first round, and it'll be better value.  I'd rather do that then take CDR at 18.

Anyway, here's our final board. 

1. Derrick Rose
2. Michael Beasley
3. O.J. Mayo
4. Jerryd Bayless
5. Kevin Love
6. Brook Lopez
7. Eric Gordon
8. Russell Westbrook
9. Joe Alexander
10. D.J. Augustin
11. Danillo Gallinari
12. Anthony Randolph
13. Brandon Rush
14. Marreese Speights
15. Darrell Arthur
16. Roy Hibbert
17. Mario Chalmers
18. Chris Douglas-Roberts

So now, this is the thread to rank whoever's left.  I'm going to provide a few names, but feel free to rank as many or as few as you'd like. 

• Alexis Ajinca
• Ryan Anderson
• Nicholas Batum
• Donte Greene
• DeVon Hardin
• Richard Hendrix
• J.J. Hickson
• Serge Ibaka
• DeAndre Jordan
• Kosta Koufos
• Courtney Lee
• Robin Lopez
• JaVale McGee
• Jason Thompson
• Bill Walker
• Kyle Weaver
• D.J. White