What if the Wizards trade up into the late 1st round; or keep their 32nd pick and draft a player. I've expanded  my write up to include prospects from mid-20 picks through late 30's.

Ok - so here's the next batch - adjusted to account for the Wednesday trade. I've include only big men...

Ok - so I cheated. I kept Hansborough..... (I really think he could help the Wizards this year)

Tyler Hansborough - 6'9" 230 PF (20,12,20)
There's been talk about Hansborough going in the top 15, but I don't think he belongs there. In this draft, he's probably a Low to Mid-20's pick. If the Wizards trade down in the draft, he may be available. If he slips past Utah at 20, he may free-fall into the high 30's, and they could get him with the 2nd Round pick.

There were those who were worried that Hansborough was too short to play PF in the NBA, he measured out bigger than most people thought at the NBA Combine in Chicago. At 6'8.5" without shoes, and 6'9.5" with shoes, he'll do fine. He's got a 6'11.5" wingspan and a 8'10" standing reach. He's also a better athlete than originally thought. He's a tough, physical player that likes to throw his body around in the paint - but he can step out and stroke the mid-range jumper too. He shows good form and excellent touch on his jumper. He's also a very good Free Throw shooter. Hansborough has been a very good rebounder throughout his College career - relying upon fundamentals (position, blocking out) rather than athleticism. Those skills should translate well to the NBA.

Hansborough is a Senior, and therefore very experienced. He's fundamentally sound and has all the intangibles (High Basketball IQ, good work ethic, agressive, competitive, has a winning mentality from a winning program). He should be able to step in and help a team right away. His experience is also partially considered one of his weaknesses. There's not much upside here. What you see from Hansborough his first NBA practice will be what you'll get for the most part. There are questions whether he can defend NBA Power Forwards. He also needs to work on his ball handling - and his decision making when passing out of double-teams.

All-in-all, Hansborough will be a solid, if not spectacular Pro.



Josh Heytvelt - 6'11" 260 PF (39, ??,42)
Another Senior. Unfortunately, Hytvelt is not as experienced as some of the other Seniors in this draft because he has had foot injuries and off-court issues. I only saw 3 Gonzaga games, so my knowledge base on Hytvelt is limited. What struck me was that I expected to see this big lumbering guy, but instead I saw a very athletic player. He can get up with the best of them (34 inch vertical); combined that with his excellent length (9'0" standing reach) and the tools are there. Heytvelt showed a nice touch from mid-range and the ability to finish strong around the basket - usually with a forceful dunk. Hytvelt looked to be a pretty good rebounder. He didn't block any shots while I was watching, but I would think he has that ability, based on his leaping ability and length.

He's not much of a passer, having difficulties passing out of double-teams; and had trouble sometimes keeping his man from backing him down. Didn't seem to be a very good defender. He needs to work on his advanced post moves... as the only thing I saw him do consistently was a turn around jumper.

Hytvelt has some upside, especially if he can continue to regain the athleticism he lost after the injuries in his Sophomore year.




Jon Brockman - 6'8" 255 PF (39,53,36)
Wide body. Strong. Double-double machine in College.
Blue-collar work ethic. I'd love to see him going up against Blatche every day in practice. Jon would show Andray what it's like to work hard. Only 6'7" without shoes, and with a pathetic 6'7" wingspan, Jon comes up short on the Physical and athletic scale. He can't make up for it with talent, so he just out-works everyone else. That tremendous work ethic is good enough to allow a poor athlete with little natural talent to make it all the way to the NBA. He WILL be drafted by someone; and I would not be surprised if he has a long and productive career.. (Jerry Sloan would love this guy).




Jeff Pendergraph - 6'10" 240 PF (40,40,34)
Like the other big men in the 2nd round of this year's draft, Jeff Pendergraph is big and experienced. Another Senior that played for a full 4 years. He's got good size for the PF position; but only average athleticism.

Pendergraph is a very efficient Offensive player, shooting 66% in his Senior year. A decent but not stellar rebounder, he'll also block the occasional shot. He finishes extremely well around the basket, and he sets great screens. Good at the pick-and-roll game, but needs work on his shot to play the pick-and-pop. Actually, he needs a lot of work on his face up game overall. Like most of the rest of the Seniors, there's not a lot of upside for Pendergraph.







Vladimir Veremeenko - 6'10" 240 PF (Unics Kazan)
Remember him? Veremeenko was drafted by the Wizards in the 2nd Round in 2006; the Same draft that saw the Wizards take Pecherov with the 1st Round selection. He looked lost last year in Summer League... and ended up going back to Europe. Perhaps one of the potential fixes for the Wizard's unbalanced roster is to bring Veremeenko over for the Rookie minimum salary; just as an insurance policy against injury. If he's still a bit raw, they could ship him off to the D-League Wizards for seasoning and additional Coaching.

Vladimir Veremeenko was playing for Khimki in the EuroLeague, and was trapped behind some veteran big men on that team. This year, he moved to the Unics club for the 2008-09 season, and earned the starting Power Forward job. He apparently relished the additional responsibility, as well as the added playing time. Veremeenko averaged 12 points, while making 61% of his 2-point shots and 45.5% of his 3-point shots. In addition he averaged 8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game; while helping his team make the final 16 of the EuroLeague playoffs.

Good size and frame for the PF position. Excellent skills (ball handling, shooting, passing). Has the frame to add bulk and strength. Excellent mid-range shooter. Excellent fundamental rebounder. Has improved his athleticism since the Wizard's drafted him. This guy is NOT just another soft Euro player - he likes to mix it up inside.