It's a UNC frosh and three Gators after Oden, Durant

I'm still trying to get over the shock of watching the three teams with the best chance in the Greg Oden Lottery ending up fourth (Memphis), fifth (Boston) and sixth (Milwaukee). I know they say life isn't fair, but the shocked looks on the faces of Jerry West, Tom Heinsohn and Larry Harris in Secaucus, N.J., on Tuesday night told the whole story.

There are some fine players to be chosen after Oden and Kevin Durant, but if you are a fan of one of those three ill-fated franchises, it's a bitter pill to accept that with the opening of a few envelopes, the rebuilding plans of those teams went back to being measured in terms of years, rather than moments.

This early mock draft is merely an educated guess of how things might go on June 28. The lottery clarified a few things, but the surprising results at the top also forced some new thinking on how the top 10 picks may shake out.

The NBA predraft camp, slated for Orlando from May 29 to June 4, will provide a further reshuffling of the prospects, as will the team workouts that follow it and continue right up until the draft. Also remember that early-entry candidates have until June 18 to withdraw from the draft.

Chris Ekstrand's Mock Draft Pick Team Pos. Player School/ Team Class Ht. Wt. 1 C Greg Oden Ohio State Fr. 7-0 245 Elite NBA teams have a rotation of at least three quality big men. With Oden, Zach Randolph and LaMarcus Aldridge, the Blazers have arrived. It's amazing how far Portland has come in two years: top rookie Brandon Roy and Aldridge last year and now Oden. With that core in place, Oden can concentrate his energies on defensive rebounding and shot-blocking. 2 F Kevin Durant Texas Fr. 6-9 215 Staying with the Sonics just got a little more attractive for Rashard Lewis, who intends to test the free-agent market. With Durant joining Ray Allen and Lewis, the Sonics would be able to simply outscore some teams. It will be interesting to see if this stroke of good fortune is enough to keep the team in Seattle. 3 F Brandan Wright North Carolina Fr. 6-9 210 The calendar might say May, but it's Groundhog Day for Hawks GM Billy Knight, who seems to draft one talented wing forward after another with no elite point guard to guide them. Knight's "forward" plan has had mixed results, but now, something has got to give. The presence of Wright (or Al Horford) could allow Knight to wheel and deal and finally bring an elite point guard to Atlanta. 4 F Al Horford Florida Jr. 6-10 245 The sculpted Gator possesses good footwork in the low post, and he developed into a good interior passer while teaming with Joakim Noah. Horford's rebounding contributions are even more vital, since his abilities there will take some of that burden away from Pau Gasol. Horford, a tireless worker, is one of the most NBA-ready players in this draft. 5 F Corey Brewer Florida Jr. 6-9 185 Celtics director of basketball operations Danny Ainge understands offense, and he's unlikely to pass up a player with Brewer's expansive offensive repertoire and vast potential. Brewer is a quick, rangy player who should be able to contribute right away on both ends of the court. The potential is there for Brewer to become a major offensive force one day. 6 F Joakim Noah Florida Jr. 6-11 230 Milwaukee was near the bottom of the league in all the major defensive categories this season. Noah can block shots, is very quick to rebound and already has a great knack for help defense. His lack of a well-rounded offensive game won't matter much on a team loaded with scorers, and his energy and enthusiasm should boost this often moribund team. 7 G Mike Conley Jr. Ohio State Fr. 6-1 180 Since Stephon Marbury left town, the Wolves have needed a point guard who could push the tempo and create a few easy baskets to take some pressure off Kevin Garnett. Conley is not only super quick and a nifty passer but he also thinks pass first, unlike recent Minnesota point guards (Mike James, Sam Cassell). The Wolves don't want to hear about the future; they need results now. 8 F Jeff Green Georgetown Jr. 6-8 225 With its tiny backcourt and defensive deficiencies, Charlotte needs a defensive-minded small forward to pair with or replace Gerald Wallace (a free agent) and protect Emeka Okafor from getting in foul trouble. On the other end, Green is a smart player and unselfish passer who can score when needed. He is the type of fundamentally sound player this team needs to add to its nucleus. 9 F Yi Jianlian Guandong Southern Tigers (China) -- 6-11 240 GM John Paxson has built a strong track record in the draft in just a few years. With a strong core group in place, Paxson needs a low-post scorer, but if one isn't available in the draft, he'll pick a player who fits well into the Bulls' team concept. The Bulls will have to use a lot of patience in getting Yi up to speed defensively, but his obvious offensive attributes make him a low-risk pick. 10 F Julian Wright Kansas So. 6-8 218 Geoff Petrie has a sizable rebuilding job ahead of him, so he'll take the long view on Wright, a player with obvious athletic attributes and a huge helping of potential. Wright has demonstrated a strong understanding of how to play unselfishly, a characteristic that Petrie prizes more than most GMs. In time, Wright's body will fill out and enable him to score down low. For now, his versatility and rebounding are strengths. 11 G/F Nick Young USC Jr. 6-6 195 Say what you like about Billy Knight's relentless drafting of athletic swingmen, but he hasn't had too many misses with athletic players like Josh Smith, Josh Childress, Boris Diaw and Marvin Williams. Knight must address the point-guard problem, and he may use this pick to do it. If not, Young is a fantastic athlete who can get to the basket and score. He'll fit right in. 12 F Al Thornton Florida State Sr. 6-8 220 This pick comes under the heading of "best available athlete." The 76ers have bigger needs than a perimter-oriented forward, but Thornton is a value pick. He is a polished one-on-one scorer and high-effort player who should play well off Andre Iguodala. Thornton is a prototype small forward who has perimeter shooting ability and can also get to the basket and finish. 13 G Acie Law Texas A&M Sr. 6-3 175 It probably isn't Law's fondest wish to go to a team that already has a young star point guard, but the Hornets have an understandable desire to limit the huge minutes that Chris Paul has played in his first two seasons. In addition to giving the Hornets protection in case Paul is injured again, Law is a capable scorer who can also play off the ball as a shooting guard. 14 G Brandon Rush Kansas So. 6-6 207 The Clippers desperately need a big guard to spell Cuttino Mobley, who struggled this season. Rush is a good defender with the size to slow bigger guards while offering an unselfish quality needed on a team that has both Mobley and Corey Maggette. It's not that Rush can't score, because he can, but he offers other attributes in areas where the team is sorely lacking. (Editor's note: Kanas announced May 25 that Rush would return for his junior season.) 15 C Spencer Hawes Washington Fr. 6-11 235 Chris Webber will probably play another two or three seasons, and Hawes would benefit enormously from playing behind a center who uses his great hands and passing ability rather than athleticism to get it done. Hawes has some of those same abilities, and Joe Dumars can plan for the future while still chasing championships in the present. Mock Draft Continued