Happy NBA Draft morning, y'all.  It's like Christmas, only we don't get presents.

Actually, we do get presents, but they come in the form of handy 140-character Tweets that report everything under the sun.  The presents we've been getting this week aren't as sweet as the morning I woke up with a neatly-wrapped Furby, but at least they're giving us somethin' to talk about.

I did my best to round up at least one interesting rumor for every team after the jump.  I'll probably be sleeping when this posts, though, so let's use it as an open thread throughout the day - dump every new, juicy tidbit under the sun in the comments (including those that I missed) and then, when the draft is over, we can see who we can trust next year.

And yes, this is worthwhile - don't you ever like to go back wonder if things ever had a chance?

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The 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft is still(!) underway, with each SB Nation blogger making selections for their respective teams.  Ben Q Rock from Orlando Pinstriped Post, SB Nation's Orlando Magic blog, checks in to make the second-to-last first round selection in this year's mock.

With the twenty-ninth overall pick in the 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft, the Orlando Magic will select Greivis Vasquez, point guard, Maryland Terrapins.

BQR explains: I investigated Vasquez's strengths and weaknesses, and how they relate to the Magic, in greater detail in this post.

Essentially, Vasquez fits the Magic's biggest positional need--Jameer Nelson is the only point guard the Magic have under contract for next season--and has the skills to be a good fit. Sure, there are red flags, such as the turnovers, lackluster individual defense, and prior track record of tall point guards in the NBA. However, Vasquez's ability to run an offense seems genuine, and interesting. Additionally, his willingness to take big shots could be a plus, especially with an expert coach like Stan Van Gundy on hand to help his at-times iffy shot-selection in those situations.

Though I prefer Quincy Pondexter in this spot, he's off the board. Yet Vasquez is not a terrible consolation prize. He has a chance to make a solid, immediate contribution to the Magic.

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The 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft is still(!) underway, with each SB Nation blogger making selections for their respective teams.  Straight Outta Vancouver, SB Nation's Memphis Grizzlies blog, checks in (again) to make the twenty-eighth overall selection in this year's mock.

With the twenty-eigth overall pick in the 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft, the Memphis Grizzlies will select Terrico White, guard, Ole Miss Rebels.

djturtleface explains:  Lots of Tigers fans won't be happy with me, but I've got to grab local high school legend Terrico White over collegiate star Elliot Williams. Theoretically they're both filling the same position -- backup point guard -- so it should be best player available. If it were that simple, I'm probably taking the lefty slasher Williams.
It's not that simple, though, because Memphis has the very particular problem of a criminally undersized backcourt. Mike Conley is barely big or tough enough to cover Earl Boykins, and O.J. Mayo gets punished by increasingly taller and taller wings at shooting guard. Adding Elliot Williams doesn't change much, but Terrico White's lanky 6'5" frame and 6'9" wingspan should get in front of guys like Stephen Jackson and Kobe Bryant while OJAM bullies smaller true points.

Offensively the Grizz would be lucky to get much of anything out of White since he won't be shooting threes for at least a few years, avoids risky plays, and hates getting into contact. Fortunately he's only got to live up to the legacy of Marcus Williams, so it would be pretty difficult not to provide an upgrade on both ends of the court. And if there's any player this late in the draft likely to adjust well to a fast-break NBA offense, it's probably Terrico and his 40 inch vertical.

At 28 and with two picks already under their belt, the Grizz can afford to dream big.

Terrico White fits the location, fits the system, and should help the existing core -- not bad for a Memphis boy.

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The 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft is still(!) underway, with each SB Nation blogger making selections for their respective teams.  Community member Kid Chocolate from NetsDaily, SB Nation's New Jersey Nets blog, checks in to make the twenty-seventh overall selection in this year's mock.

With the twenty-sixth overall pick in the 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder will select Willie Warren, guard, Oklahoma Sooners.

Kid Chocolate explains: He had a down year, but Warren was considered a lottery pick a year ago.

At this range in the draft, odds are you're just getting a rotation player, so why not go for a guy who has the most potential? Last year Oklahoma had a lot of problems and chemistry issues, and I wouldn't be surprised if those were the cause of the dip in Warren's production. He could return to that lottery pick form he had as a freshman.

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The 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft is still(!) underway, with each SB Nation blogger making selections for their respective teams. Welcome To Loud City, SB Nation's Oklahoma City Thunder blog, checks in to make the twenty-sixth overall selection in this year's mock.

With the twenty-sixth overall pick in the 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder will select Gani Lawal, forward-center, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

WTLC explains: Gani Lawal is probably the best big man prospect remaining, and that's exactly what the Thunder need at this point.

Sure, we could have drafted another guard, but right now we have Sefolosha, Harden, Westbrook, and Maynor, all of whom are long term solutions at their respective positions. Anyone who could push them out of their spot in the rotation wouldn't come late in the first round. That being said, our future at the Center position is extremely uncertain, as neither Collison or Krstic are seen as long term solutions. We have B.J. Mullens and D.J. White, but both of them have yet to show anything on an NBA level, even if both have good D-League numbers. Serge Ibaka is definitely a long term solution there, but he is alone in that respect.

Now, of course, that's a good case as to why you'd draft Kevin Seraphin at 21, as the Thunder already did in this mock draft. But why go with Lawal when the Thunder would now have 7 players at Center and Power Forward?

Well, for one thing, Lawal is insurance for Seraphin. There's a good possibility Seraphin will stay overseas for one or two more years, and the Thunder will want someone to work on now, just in case. Another reason to draft Lawal at this point is because he's more of a PF/SF, meaning that he could slide down to the Small Forward slot and back up Kevin Durant. Even if it is just a few minutes of mop-up duty.

Personality-wise, he fits in perfectly. As noted in our preview of him, he is a highly disciplined player who gave opposing college teams fits. He is also used to playing in a more up-tempo offense, as the Thunder like to do sometimes. And who could argue about his work ethic? His stats improved every single year, and not because of more minutes or touches.

All in all, Gani Lawal is the safe pick. He's not going to be a breakout star, but he stands a darn good chance of becoming a productive NBA player. And if he isn't, it won't be because of something like attitude or lack of hard work. That's exactly what the Thunder want.

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The 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft is still(!) underway, with each SB Nation blogger making selections for their respective teams. Straight Outta Vancouver, SB Nation's Memphis Grizzlies blog, checks in to make the twenty-fifth overall selection (and second for the Grizzlies) in this year's mock.

With the twenty-fifth overall pick in the 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft, the Memphis Grizzlies will select Quincy Pondexter, forward, Washington Huskies.

djturtleface explains:No Luke Babbitt? No Paul George? Not even Damion James or James Anderson are left on the board? After drafting grabbing the sliding Ed Davis, the Grizzlies need to pick up a swingman to get Sam Young out of the rotation, but none of their top options are left at this point in the draft.

I think the Grizz turn to Quincy Pondexter then, who scouts might be criminally underrating. DraftExpress.com found that Pondexter is one of top 5 most efficient small forwards in almost every facet of the game, and Dexter proved to be especially good at both mid-range jumpers and finishing at the hoop.

You've also got to love Pondexter's growth -- the kid has improved noticeably every single year of college. Many draftees supposedly have unlimited upside, but if they don't work to improve, what good does it do? Quincy went from a raw athlete to proficient, seasoned scorer in 4 years. His free throw shooting bumped up 14%, which takes a lot of boring shots late after practice. He might not be able to shoot NBA threes off the bat, but if there's anyone I trust to work hard to learn how it's Dexter.

This deep in the draft, you're looking for hard-workers who can step in and fill an immediate need. Quincy Pondexter gives us both those and a fantastic name. What more could we expect to find at number 25?

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The 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft is still(!) underway, with each SB Nation blogger making selections for their respective teams.  THHB and Kris Willis from Peachtree Hoops, SB Nation's Atlanta Hawks blog, checks in to make the twenty-fourth overall selection in this year's mock.

With the twenty-fourth overall pick in the 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft, the Atlanta Hawks will select Damion James, forward, Texas Longhorns.

Peachtree Hoops explains: It doesn't register on the Wow-O-Meter, but the Peachtree Hoops philosophy is to grab the best player available. We were hopeful that a few bigs would fall further (Whiteside, in particular) and we did look long at the Wildcat project, Daniel Orton, but went with the best player we felt was left on the board as well as a guy that can help the Hawks immediately in Damion James.

James brings more NBA ready game to the Hawks than the players left, is able to score inside and out which, presumably, makes him a good fit in Larry Drew's new offense. He's likely a better fit behind Marvin Williams at the 3 than Maurice Evans, but may be duplicating things should Josh Childress decide to play out his qualifier. In any case, James is the best player left on the board, and we're happy to add him to our playoff rotation.

It's not a huge upside pick like Orton might have been, but a safe bet. Spread the word! Feel the safeness!

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The 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft is still(!) underway, with each SB Nation blogger making selections for their respective teams.  Stop-N-Pop from Canis Hoopus, SB Nation's Minnesota Timberwolves blog, checks in to make the twenty-third overall selection (and THIRD for his team - James Anderson, DeMarcus Cousins the other two) in this year's mock.

With the twenty-third overall pick in the 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves will select Jordan Crawford, shooting guard, Xavier Musketeers.

SnP explains: Really?  We get DMC, James Anderson, and Jordan Crawford?

I really doubt that the Wolves keep their late round picks, but if they do, keep an eye out for guys like Lance

Stephenson, Charles Garcia, or Jordan Crawford. 

New Wolves Assistant GM Tony Ronzone loves to talk about tough players (both in mind and body) and both Crawford and Stephenson got this designation along with being invited back for a second workout with the team.  The Wolves are clearly in the market for a big shooting guard/wing player (or two...or three) who can put the ball in the basket and Crawford fits the bill. 

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