I decided to go with Harden, possibly controversially, for a number of reasons. The allure of Harden having a huge usage rate, gaining PG eligibility, running D'Antoni's uptempo system, playing in several high scoring games due to weak overall team defense, was too much to pass on. Combined that with his PG/SG eligibility, the projected spike in assists, how many more 3's he hits than Westbrook, his history of good health and the likely dip in value to Curry/Durant, there you have it.

I'm rolling with Step again and have no complaints

A few other points - I rarely come out on top when drafting beside Dave R, so hoping for a change of luck this year. Also a little disappointed to not nab one of the elite 3 PGs, but honestly that was a hope rather than expectation, and based on past drafting tendencies, I suspected Dave would not leave a PG on the board, especially Steph.

I knew my pick was going to be Durant or Towns. Win-win for either scenario. But I was hoping for Towns, because he is in a tier of his own at Center. As a rookie, he averaged 18.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.7 blocks. And shot 54.2% from the field, 81.1% from the free throw line and 34.1% from 3-point range. If he can improve on any of those numbers, I'm getting great value at #5.

In the first round you can't make mistakes, you must go safe and Leonard is a safe pick.

He can help across the board like James. James will want to get another Championship for CLE, so I think later in the season He'll be resting up.

At number 10 I was happy with Cousins. Hope to get 20-10, shouldn't kill me at the line. I had him as a solid #2 center if not 1B. Thought about Whiteside, had him last year, gonna miss those blocked shots.

Whiteside should be “the man” in Miami this year, with some projections approaching 20ppg, 15 reb, 3.5+ blocks, and 60+% FG.

Lillard undoubtedly will be the No. 1 option for Blazers. His FG% is down a bit partly due to him being the focus of the defense and hopefully not his shot selection. And that he is not necessarily a typical point guard means I have to find some more reliable assist source from someone else. Other than the above, I am very happy to have him on my team.

Other choice would have been Milsap.

Nearing my pick, I had Lowry, Wall, and Irving all ranked ahead of Kemba Walker ... but since they all vanished just before my turn ... I end up with Walker. He's had some knee issues previously, but got through last season healthy (81 GP), and had career-high averages of 20.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 three-pointers, to go with 5.2 assists per game. At age 26, he should be entering his prime, so hopefully he can improve some on those numbers.

I'm expecting an uptick in last years 14.3 ppg and 7.3 boards, to go along with those juicy 3's and blocks. He's also an excellent FT shooter.

If that holds and he can average a few more points, I think I got a bargain.

Finally, i really noted Bledsoe as the last top tier PG available, and wanted to avoid a scramble for one later. This puts me in a good position to spend my next 2 picks on the wealth of good big men still available usually in rounds 4 and 5.

I had Eric Bledsoe #1 in my queue, but he went at pick 3.04. It was hard to decide between Griffin (solid PF), Carmelo Anthony (SF is a fairly weak position), and Klay Thompson (and all those 3s). But I see some good SFs that should be available in round 5-6, and there are still plenty of 3s left on the board ... so I'm going with the big man, and hope he rebounds from an injury-plagued 2015-16 campaign.

Instead, I get the guy that I expected to get all along. Rondo is a bit of a wild card, in a new team situation with a new cast of characters. And he hasn’t been a model citizen the last few years. But if you throw out his woeful FT% (and I am), he should be a top tier point guard, with solid contributions in rebounds and steals and modest scoring.

Throw out his FT% and Jordan could be a first round pick. My big stats should be prodigious. Now I have to turn my attention to the guard/SF stats in the next few rounds.

Both Gasol brothers avg 3.5 AST, 1.5 BLK, so that's a plus.

Teague played well last season, when he averaged 15.7 points, 5.9 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game. He was losing playing time towards the end, but that doesn't appear to be a threat this year ... so comparable or better numbers are likely.

Oh, and this is mistake number 1 regarding lack of Centre eligibility!

Maybe this pick will turn out OK after all.

Last year he dealt with an injury that limited him to 56 games, hopefully his injury woes are behind him. I'm not expecting anything flashy, just 15 ppg, 3-4 boards, 6-7 dimes,, and 1.5 steals and treys.

Also, Centre eligibility mistake number 2!

Diirk gives me 3's from the PF slot, so that's a plus.

My last two picks of Lin and Bradley help to get me back in the assist-trey-steal game.

Centre eligibility mistake #3 - aaarrgghh! I'm on vacation but this is getting ridiculous...

I really wasn't thrilled with many of the Centers left, but Lopez seemingly has no one to battle for minutes in his new home in Chicago. Although not the prolific scorer his brother is, Robin averaged 10 points, 7.3 , 1.4 assists, and 1.6 blocks in 27 minutes last year, so an uptick in production seems reasonable with more playing time. He also won't kill my FT%

Gay should contribute 17-18 points, 6 boards, a trey per and 1.5 steals, while not hurting my %'s

That lead me to 'punt' on Holiday. Obviously, his personal situation is a grave one, and i wish him all the best. However, i also hope he can return at some point to play a large chunk of the season. I know from past experience how vital it can be to get that boost. Here's hoping to a swift resoloution to his personal matter, and a telling contribution to my squad.

Hopefully, Wes in in for a bounce back season and can contribute points steals and 3's

I'm looking for 3's and steals ( 1.5 per ) 12 points, and 6 boards a game, with decent shooting %'s

Okafor doesn’t necessarily bring the stat profile that I’m looking for at this point, but I thought the potential was good enough to warrant the pick, and helps to solidfy my expected strengths in rebounds, blocks, and FG%, while also adding better scoring potential that just about anyone else still available.

After Dec 1st last year Len averaged 10 ppg, 8 boards and a block per game, in 25 minutes. He should be able to carve out 25 minutes again this year, and I'll take those averages, and he won't kill my %'s

Evan will contribute some scoring ( 10 per game? ), but more importantly 4-5 boards and assists and a steal per. I'll take those at this point, especially being SG/SF eligible.

This pick was taken from a modest queue, and I must confess that as I write this rationale, I’m not entirely sold. But at worst, I hope to get respectable across-the-board production, and there is some upside if he can get back to a 30+ min/game role.

If I had taken a SG this time, it probably would have been Will Barton, but I couldn’t quite get comfortable with his playing time situation.

Sully won't possible contribute much more than the 10+ points and 8+ boards he averaged last year.

Lee is the starting SG for the Knicks, and has little competition for that spot, virtually assuring him of 30+ minutes. While not a great scorer, Lee is an efficient shooter, and knocks down his Ft's at 85%. I'm thinking 12 points, 1 steal and 1.5 3's per game, with few other counting stats thrown in

Bojan may or may not start for the Nets, but he should earn the majority of minutes at SG, regardless. He doesn’t bring much to my team other than scoring and treys, but those are the stats I need. As a 3rd year player, it would be great if he can build on last year’s 11.2ppg and 1.6 treys. In his last 4 preseason games, he averaged 12 pts in just 20 minutes/game, draining 2.2 treys/game (9/18). That’s a good foundation to build from.

He had a really poor 2015-16 season. I'm looking for a solid bounce-back and a bunch of 3s.

And kudos to Tosh on the Danny Green pick. I felt certain he would fall to me, and i would have gobbled him up in the 160s. Great pick.

MKG should be able to score 12 ppg, grab 6.5 boards while shooting respectable %'s

I guess that's acceptable for the 171st player taken

Can I start the Free Willy meme now! Seriously, there's a lot of potential here for Willy to get time, but he's more of a stash. No real expectations here, and he'll probably be the first guy I drop for the FA of the week.