Stars lacking but depth apparent in Thursday's NBA Draft

While the experts don't believe the 2009 NBA Draft class is up to the quality of past years, that doesn't mean teams in need of immediate help are out of luck.Especially those teams needing point guards.

"I just don't think there are a lot of truly great players in the draft, but there are a lot of good pieces that you can get," says ESPN analyst Jay Bilas. "I can't remember a draft where you look at a kid and say, 'He could go between 10 and 22.' We've got that this year."

Says New Jersey Nets president Rod Thorn: "Most of the players have some questions about them. Even the ones that are going to go really high, there are some questions… more so than in a normal year."

Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin will be the No. 1 pick. Behind him are no great players, but a lot of solid ones.

"This is one of the strongest point guard classes I've seen," says Washington Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld. "Half the lottery picks could be point guards."

Do you want someone with Pete Maravich-like passing flash? Then Spaniard Ricky Rubio is your man. Want a great leader and competitor and not worried about size? Then you'll love Jonny Flynn. Want a linebacker who can bull into the lane and has a huge upside? Tyreke Evans fits the bill. Want a pure shooter with NBA bloodlines? Stephen Curry is lights out.

The list goes on. Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Jeff Teague, Nick Calathes, Darren Collison and Jack McClinton are all projected to go in the first round of Hoopsworld.com's mock draft.

"Any one of 11 point guards could go in the top 35 picks," says ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla.

Curry is one of the most interesting players in this draft. In a recent chat that took place before the Wizards traded the No. 5 pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves, TNT's David Aldridge said, "Whoever gets to that 5th pick is going to take Curry."

And yes, the Wolves need guards after trading Randy Foye and Mike Miller to the Wizards.

ESPN analyst Jalen Rose wonders, however, if Curry could be a defensive liability.

"Versatility, that's what I look for in players now," Rose says. "Who are the one-dimensional players? Look at last year's top guards, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook. I can't see smaller players like Stephen Curry guarding them. Rose and Westbrook are point guards contesting shots at the rim."

But there is no mistaking Curry's offensive talents and his outstanding character. Or missing the fact that his father, Dell Curry, played in the NBA for 16 years.

Other guards could blossom into good players. Of Tyreke Evans, Fraschilla says: "He could end up being the best player in this draft five years from now."

And Collison, he says, "is probably going to play in the league for 10 years. .. I was never a big fan of his. But when you watch him more and more, he's a great defender, makes open shots and can run a halfcourt offense."

Even the best point guard in the class, Rubio, has detractors. He's only 18, and at 6-3, 180, he has the same size issues as Curry. Plus his jump shot, at this point, is suspect.

"We all feel it is a weak draft," Fraschilla says. "So that guys taken in the 20's and 30's could end up being very good players."