What's everybody's favorite part about college? The grades, right? Right. That's why every time after these collegiate scholars leave their respective universities, we journalists like to send them off with a nice parting gift of draft grades for the teams that they will be joining (/bleacherreport'd).

But after attending the draft and reading through dozens of A's, B's, and F's, I decided to take it in a different direction. To see just what in carnation I'm talking about, you will have to get up to get down and hit that jump.

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[Note by Scott Schroeder, 06/26/10 12:57 AM CDT ]  Check below the jump - lots of Summer League invites out already that I found for you.

Thursday night's NBA Draft featured what was probably the most ridiculous second round anyone could have ever predicted.  Not only were there players that were picked way too high (what up, Andy Rautins) or way too low (sorry about lupus or whatever you have, Solomon Alabi), but it was just a really confusing second round.

I mean, seriously, what's a Ryan Reid (a linebacker that plays basketball, apparently).

Anyway, let's get to the title of this post - expanding to a third round.  Does it sound ridiculous due to all of the penny-pinching teams are currently involved in anyway? As we sit half-hungover this morning from overdosing on draft coverage over the past month, it does - yes.   But let's pretend the third round picks would just be used a la baseball - straight to the D-League, but the team that drafts a player gets to keep their rights.

Now it makes sense, baby.

But Scott, you're ridiculous! There aren't nearly enough players that would make 30 more draft picks worth the trouble of us listening to that awkward guy talk about socks and blisters with Derrick Favors!  Oh but there are, young child, and a third round would make those "eh, he's barely average right now but maybe he will be great someday" picks make more sense while proven players could fill the second round.

After the jump I've listed the players I wouldn't have been shocked to be drafted (like I was when Ryan Reid was drafted) that will more than likely get a chance at a Vegas Summer League team.  Notice there's more than 30 and it doesn't include European players (due to my assumption that they probably won't come over for Summer League, not because they wouldn't be drafted).

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Latavious Williams, the first ever high school player ever to be drafted from high school into the NBA Development League, took one step closer to his goal Thursday night when the Miami Heat selected him with the 48th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.

AOL Fanhouse's Sam Amick reports that Williams was then acquired by the Tulsa 66ers NBA-affiliate Oklahoma City Thunder.

The 21-year-old Williams averaged 11.3 points and 8.0 rebounds for the Tulsa 66ers in the D-League playoffs after putting 7.7 points and 7.7 boards during the regular season - showing he improved considerably over the course of the season

Williams didn't seem like he was ready to play at even a D-League level at the beginning of the season (by nearly all accounts, he wasn't), but he improved quite a bit when playing time increased in January through the D-League playoffs in April.

While it has been widely speculated that he can play both forward positions, he has a lot to work onto become more than an "energy forward" in the NBA. 

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I planned to do this after the draft, but then I wouldn't be able to gloat about it - so we'll do it live, damn it.

First, a shout out to the two D-League prospects:

Latavious Williams, PF, Tulsa 66ers

This is going to surprise/disappoint a lot of my fellow D-League aficionados, but I'm not in love with Williams in the NBA this year - and I've watched him play more than almost anyone other than Tulsa coach Nate Tibbetts.

Williams didn't seem like he was ready to play at even a D-League level at the beginning of the season (by nearly all accounts, he wasn't), but he seemed to get better and better from when his playing time increased in January through the D-League playoffs in April.

While it was widely speculated that he can play both forward positions, he has a lot to work onto become more than an "energy forward" in the league.  Even though his mid-range jumper did improve over the course of the season, he still hasn't shown the ability to put the ball on the floor from the wing, nor is he able to shoot off of the dribble. 

I think that his body was actually the main reason it was suggested he can play at the small forward, but he seemed to put good weight on from the highlights I'd seen from high school and is probably more like 215 than 195 currently (with room to grow).

Either way, he's currently a combo-forward only because he hasn't developed the all-around abilities to excel at either position in the NBA.  Currently, I project him as a power forward if only because that's where he's more suited to play defense.

If he's able to bring it every night (and notice I have some questions since I used the if qualifier), he's worth at least a late round draft pick this year with his combination of athleticism, rebounding and the ability he's already shown to learn and play in an NBA system against near-NBA players (as opposed to like college players).

Even though Williams had some of the better coaches helping him progress this season, he'll need to put in good work over the Summer to develop his major deficiencies (go-to post moves, being able to put the ball on the floor) so that he can definitely be a high-energy 8^th man for an NBA team (that's not necessarily a ringing endorsement, I guess).

As is, he's a 21-year-old raw athlete (think the type of high school athlete that colleges recruit and assign a position later) with some pretty freakish athleticism and a penchant for tip-dunks.

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Tonight is the 2010 NBA Draft, the day we've all been looking forward to since the Rio Grande Valley Vipers won the D-League championship (or sometime between then and now, I guess).

Anyway, I've decided to make this an open thread in hopes that people stick around at RU to talk about the draft as it happens.  If no one joins me, however, I'll sneak over to Hardwood Paroxysm to enjoy the festivities.

Until then, though, I'll throw all of the juicy Twitter tidbits in here so we don't end up with 25 fan shots!

Before we get started, feel free to read TAFKAMB's thoughts on Media Day!

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To check out part one of my Media Day tomfoolery, head on over to Liberty Ballers and read this. If you're lazy (and you know you are), I'll sum up with some convenient bullet points that help alleviate the problems I have with my transitions.

• I rode in an elevator with Evan Turner all by ourselves -- *exclusive interview*
• Evan said things that made me swoon like your girlfriend('s younger sister) at a Justin Bieber concert.
• Me and P&T's Seth Rosenthal may or may not have cuddled.

We pick up this jolly tale as I walked away from Evan Turner's table after 15 minutes of cold, hard interview (watch my hand leave the frame at :31). Now a free bird, I could talk to whomever I wanted. I scanned the room and looked for my next target. In continuing with my child-like narrative, here's a picture of the room. *Holds it up to the class* *Oohs and Ahhs*

After the jump, read some non-elevator, non-exclusive interview quotes from a buncha dudes I talked to yesterday.

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Andrew Sharp originally posted this at SB Nation, but I figured I'd cross-post it here to get everything in one place after working so hard on this for the past two weeks.

Mock drafts, over the years, have often turned out to be exercises in futility, no matter the sport. Even the most seasoned professional journalists, the type who can sniff out a lie and sneak a peek at a closed workout, get these things wrong on an annual basis. ... and that's before factoring the inevitable draft-day deals.

That's what makes the SB Nation NBA Mock Draft a treat. It's a labor of love orchestrated by Scott Schroeder, the editor at Ridiculous Upside and an SBNation.com contributor, who cajoles, corrals and threatens our NBA team bloggers into selecting players for the franchises they write about.

And rather than getting the "best player available" talk or the canned "he fills an immediate need" analysis you've surely already read by now, instead you get rationalizations, explanations and early-form love letters. Here in the SB Nation Mock Draft, it's okay to reach for a role player who can't score in the lottery. And why not compare a 23-year-old rookie to Scottie Pippen with a better handle?

So here's our best guess at the first round (or so) of the 2010 NBA Draft. Be sure to let us know how you think we did, and for full explanations of every draft pick, click on the name of the draftee.

Let's get this started!

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The 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft is finally over after each SB Nation blogger making selections for their respective teams in the first round.  Mike Prada from Bullets Forever, SB Nation's Washington Wizards blog, checks in to make the last first round selection in this year's mock.

With the thirtieth overall pick in the 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft, the Washington Wizards will select Trevor Booker, power forward, Clemson Tigers.

Prada explains: They've desperately needed a second-unit player that can score points in the post for years now, and Booker fills that void even if he is a bit undersized.

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