ESPN is assessing each teams draft day needs. I just listed the top 5 since the article is pretty long: Draft-day needs By Peter May Special to ESPN.com With the draft lottery over and just four teams still playing, ESPN.com's Peter May takes a look at what each team will be looking for on draft night. 1. Houston Draft Needs: Center, small forward Top Candidates (No. 1): Yao Ming, Drew Gooden, Michael Dunleavy, trade Top Candidates (No. 15): Frank Williams, Kareem Rush, Amare Stoudemire The Skinny: The surprise winners of the lottery have a real need for a center and a center will be available at the No. 1 position. If it were strictly a basketball decision, the Rockets would already have a uniform ready for Chinese big man Yao Ming. But it's not. There's a lot of red (pardon the pun) tape to be unraveled and we already know Yao is unlikely to be available to any NBA team until after training camp has opened. Houston has to decide if the wait and the hassle are worth it. China wants this guy in the NBA. What better place for him than on a team with a great backcourt? There is a chance the Rockets could move the pick and, in so doing, try to resolve their power-forward logjam. They've either got to do that or try and make Eddie Griffin a small forward because Mo Taylor and Kenny Thomas are both four-men. Houston also has the Raptors' No. 1 pick as well. It has no real marquee free agents (Kevin Willis, Walt Williams) and, with a new arena on the way, would be well advised to make a splash. 2. Chicago Draft Needs: Point guard, depth everywhere Top Candidates: Jay Williams, Yao Ming, Michael Dunleavy The Skinny: Do you think Jerry Krause was the single happiest man to emerge from the lottery on Sunday? He didn't get the No. 1 pick, which would have meant he'd have to pass on Yao because the Bulls are already invested (sort of) in Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler. And, unless Houston trades the pick, then Krause will get the guy he really wants, Duke point guard Jay Williams. That would mean considering moving Jamal Crawford, and there are more than a few teams who'd bite at that bone. (One of them is Washington, run by Krause's good buddy, Michael Jordan.) But the dynamic Williams would be a perfect fit in Chicago and could help the kiddies grow while also satisfying the voracious shot appetite of Jalen Rose. We can't see the summer go by, however, without Krause making some sort of deal. It may or may not be draft-contingent. But he does have an abundance of power forwards and one of Chicago's real needs is a scorer of some reliability. Rose can score; he just is the swingman's version of Nick Van Exel in terms of reliability. We're bound to hear Wally Szczerbiak's name come up, as it did last summer. The only free agent Krause needs to worry about is Travis Best, who still would be a valuable re-sign, especially to help school Williams. 3. Golden State Draft Needs: Point guard, power forward, center Top Candidates: Jay Williams, Yao Ming, Michael Dunleavy The Skinny: If Krause was the cat on Lottery Day, Warriors GM Garry St. Jean was the canary. The player he covets, Williams, won't be there at No. 3 and he knows it. And he doesn't need another small forward, shooting guard, or big man. He needs a point guard and has needed one for a while. Time to pick up the phone and call Carroll Dawson in Houston and work a deal for a pick swap. The Rockets can reasonably expect to still see Yao at No. 3 -- we can't see Krause taking him with the big people he already has, but, then again, you never know with the man some call The Sleuth. St. Jean has talent and bodies at most every position to offer up, including center, with both Erick Dampier and Adonal Foyle. Would Houston take one of those, or someone else off the Warriors' roster, and swap picks? That's Golden State's best hope. The Warriors can't stand up and say that Gilbert Arenas is their man. Not, at least, without a laugh track. But he might make a nice third guard. Dampier is serviceable in the middle; remember, Golden State led the league in rebounding. They need someone to run their offense, get players good shots, and have shooters who can make them. They have scorers in Antawn Jamison, Jason Richardson and even the blossoming Troy Murphy. They need Williams. The Warriors have no free agents of concern, but they do have to make a decision on Larry Hughes, who hasn't panned out as hoped. The small guard who was drafted ahead of both Paul Pierce and Dirk Nowitzki will be moved this summer because he doesn't want to hang around and the Warriors don't want him hanging around. He might bring a veteran, which is something the Warriors also want. 4. Memphis Draft Needs: Center, depth everywhere Top Candidates: Caron Butler, Michael Dunleavy, Drew Gooden The Skinny: New hoop el jefe Jerry West at least managed to keep the No. 1 pick, which might have gone to the Pistons. What does he need? You name it. The foundation is there, if raw, with Pau Gasol and Shane Battier. Lorenzen Wright is decent and Stromile Swift showed signs of improvement. West will likely have his pick of the best bruisers in the draft, someone like Drew Gooden from Kansas or even Chris Wilcox from Maryland. There will be talk of reuniting Mike Dunleavy with Battier and that's a possibility as well because many think Dunleavy can play shooting guard in the league. Another possibility is local (for a year, anyway) phenom DaJuan Wagner, who would alleviate some of the concern over Michael Dickerson's health issues. Wagner can also play the point in a crunch and is a legitimate scorer, which is something coach Sidney Lowe says he needs in a big way. But, as long as the Grizzlies remain in the Western Conference, they are going to need someone to man the middle. Unless Yao falls to four, West won't likely take someone like Curtis Borchardt that high. He'll make do with Wright and even Ike Austin. The only free agent of note is Grant Long, who wouldn't appear to be either a top priority or, if need be, a difficulty to re-sign. West hasn't had a pick this high since he drafted James Worthy with the No. 1 pick in 1982. He would like to go higher than No. 4, but my have to settle for what settles. 5. Denver Draft Needs: Athletic guard, center, big small forward Top Candidates: Michael Dunleavy, Drew Gooden, Caron Butler The Skinny: Where to start? How about with a match? New GM Kiki Vandeweghe needs a coach, don't forget. Then, he could draft anyone and it would be an upgrade over what he currently has with the possible exceptions of Antonio McDyess and Juwan Howard, who basically play the same position anyway. The Nuggets are prepared to suffer through another horrible season anyway; they will then have plenty of cap room and maneuverability next summer. In the meantime, get ready for another 20-62 campaign. The Nuggets could use a point guard, but, at No. 5, Jason, er, Jay Williams will be long gone and no one else, unless you count Wagner, is good enough to go that high. Tim Hardaway doesn't appear likely to be back; Denver can buy him out and they'd be foolish not to do so. We can't see Mike Dunleavy leaving a better situation at Duke to play there. Someone like UConn's Caron Butler might fit here, especially since Denver still doesn't know how good (or bad) James Posey really is. The Nuggets also have two free agents who play the swing position in Cal Cheaney and Voshon Lenard and, the guess is, that Kiki will give them one-way limo fare to the airport and wish them well. This is a pretty awful team and one lottery pick isn't going to change anything. The Nuggets just have to be grateful the Celtics' took their No. 1 last year (when it was No. 11) when they could have waited until this year (or even next year.) Otherwise, it would be even more depressing than it already is. http://sports.espn.go.com/nbadraft/story?id=1386095
