Following last night’s NBA Draft Lottery, ESPN college basketball analyst and Draft expert Jay Bilas and NBA Insider Chad Ford lend their perspectives on the upcoming NBA Draft, to be televised Thursday, June 23, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Radio, ESPN3.com and ESPN Mobile TV. Bilas identifies his 10 best available prospects and Ford offers his updated mock draft.
| Bilas’ Best Available | Ford’s Mock Draft |
| 1) Kyrie Irving, Duke | Cleveland – Kyrie Irving, Duke |
| 2) Derrick Williams, Arizona | Minnesota – Derrick Williams, Arizona |
| 3) Enes Kanter, Turkey | Utah – Brandon Knight, Kentucky |
| 4) Kemba Walker, UConn | Cleveland – Enes Kanter, Turkey |
| 5) Brandon Knight, Kentucky | Toronto – Jonas Valanciunas, Lithuania |
| 6) Tristan Thompson, Texas | Washington – Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State |
| 7) Jan Vesely, Czech Republic | Sacramento – Kemba Walker, UConn |
| 8) Jordan Hamilton, Texas | Detroit – Tristan Thompson, Texas |
| 9) Alec Burks, Colorado | Charlotte – Bismack Biyombo, Congo |
| 10) Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State | Milwaukee – Alec Burks, Colorado |
| Golden State – Jan Vesely, Czech Republic | |
| Utah – Chris Singleton, Florida State | |
| Phoenix – Jimmer Fredette, Brigham Young | |
| Houston – Marcus Morris, Kansas |
Bilas reflecting on the Draft Lottery:
“The line of the night came from Nick Gilbert when he said, “what’s not to like?’ That’s true for the Cavs with the first and fourth picks in the 2011 NBA Draft. This is not the strongest of the recent drafts, but there are quality prospects available that can help you win.”
Ford added: “It was a very good night for the Cavs. Two top four picks can really jump start the rebuilding process.”
ESPN.com NBA Draft Machine
ESPN.com’s NBA Draft Machine allows fans to become the GM for each franchise, selecting prospects for each lottery team and then comparing picks with the national consensus.
NBA Combine on ESPNU
ESPNU will televise the 2011 NBA Combine on Thursday, May 19, and Friday, May 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days. The two-day workouts will feature some of the top college and international prospects, including Kyrie Irving, Jimmer Fredette and Kemba Walker participating in basketball drills and strength and conditioning exercises for NBA executives, coaches and scouts. Coverage of the NBA Combine will be hosted by Ryen Russillo with analysts Len Elmore, Fran Fraschilla, Tom Penn and Chad Ford and reporter Andy Katz.
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