LeBron, Kobe, Wade... An NBA draft without restrictions.

Tonight one of five or six players will be in contention for the number one pick, but none of them are exactly inspiring confidence as the next LeBron James or Tim Duncan. David Stern’s move to keep high school players out of the draft, coupled with Florida star Joakim Noah to stay in school has left the draft void of superstar power. So, instead of doing a tired old draft preview, we here at Achanceyougottatake Sports got to thinking about what would happen if every player in the league where open to being drafted. Given his phenomenal finals, would Dwayne Wade now merit the number one pick, or is LeBron still King? How many Spurs would be picked, or Suns? Does Atlanta GM Billy Knight mange to select another swingman? What about ageing stars, Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson, or Jason Kidd, do they get picked or do teams try to stay young? How about this years' actual draft class, are any of them taken? And finally, is it possible for Isaiah to add yet another shoot first point guard? Read away to see all these questions answered.

1) Toronto Raptors select… LeBron James – Wade was phenomenal in this years playoffs, but the King is still the obvious choice. Only 21, James brings more to the table with his play, marketability, and growth potential than anyone, even Wade.

2) Chicago Bulls select… Dwayne Wade – The Bulls desperately need a big, but there is no chance that they pass over an Illinois native who averaged 34.7 points in the NBA finals.

3) Charlotte Bobcats select… Dirk Nowitzki – This would be new owner Michael Jordan’s decision, so does he could go for a clone of himself (Kobe Bryant), a talented big (Kevin Garnett), or a two time MVP (Tim Duncan). Instead, MJ shocks everyone by going after a foreigner who doesn’t play great defense. Of course, that man is Dirk who led the NBA in PER this season and is still getting better.

4) Portland Trail Blazers select… Tim Duncan – Desperate to distance themselves from the Jail Blazers image, the Portland brass select Duncan, the two time MVP who comes with a perfect image and a quiet, polite demeanor.

5) Atlanta Hawks select… Kobe Bryant – Hawks GM Billy Knight seems incapable of selecting anything other than swingmen, but at least in Kobe he take a swingman who could actually drag this disparate assortment of parts to the playoffs.

6) Minnesota Timberwolves select… Kevin Garnett – The T-Wolves cannot believe their luck, as KG falls into their laps in the 6th spot. Owner Glenn Taylor lovingly drapes his arm around KG, whilst in the press room, Kevin McHale immediately starts denying rumors of Garnett’s impending trade.

7) Boston Celtics select… Chris Paul – In need of a point guard, the Celtics grab the best one available. Steve Nash might be better right now, but over the next decade nobody will be as good as Paul.

8) Houston Rockets select… Yao Ming – With a number of talented players still left on the board, the Rockets know that none of them can match the fiscal benefits of China’s biggest export.

9) Golden State select… Elton Brand – Golden State had real problems protecting the basket and scoring in the low post, Brand – fresh off his first playoff appearance – brings both of those elements to this long struggling franchise.

10) Seattle Supersonics select… Steve Nash – When the two time defending MVP is still available at ten, you snatch him up and ask questions later. The floppy haired one solidifies the Sonics point position, fits their up tempo style, and helps fill the seats with boatloads of Victoria fans coming down on the Clipper.

11) Orlando Magic select… Dwight Howard – The Magic have a good thing brewing with Howard, Jameer Nelson, and Darko Milicic. With nobody left on the board who blows them away, the Magic decide to stay the course.

12) New Orleans Hornets select… Chris Bosh – The young forward has been hidden in Toronto for three years now, but people who pay attention know that Bosh is on the precipice of being a truly great player.

13) Philadelphia 76ers select… Chauncey Billups – It’s time for the Sixers to move on from the Allen Iverson era and they start that by drafting a point guard who immediately provides a winning persona to this young team.

14) Utah Jazz select… Shawn Marion – Knowing that latter in the draft they are likely to lose do it all small forward Andrei Kirilenko, the Jazz take the preventative measure of replacing AK47 with Marion, who brings most of the same intangibles to the table, but with a little more athleticism.

15) New Orleans Hornets select… Tony Parker – Having selected a big with their first pick, the Hornets bring the precocious Frenchman to the Big Easy to replace the departed Paul.

16) Chicago Bulls select… Amare Stoudemire – The micro fracture surgery which kept Amare out of all but three games last season is the only reason he’s still around at this spot, but by all accounts he should come back as good as new and paired with Wade the Bulls slot themselves in as instant favorites for the next five years.

17) Indiana Pacers select… Pau Gasol – As current Pacers’ superstar Jermiane O’Neal sits tight lipped, brow furrowed in the audience, the Pacers select the bearded Spaniard to begin their rebuilding process.

18) Washington Wizards select… Jermaine O’Neal – The Wizards desperately need a big man and O’Neal is the best left on the board. His star is a little diminished, but at his best Jermaine plays solid defense, scores 22 points a night and grabs 10 rebounds. Even if he cannot be a leader, hard to argue with that type of production.

19) Sacramento Kings select… Carmelo Anthony – The Kings already have an extremely good small forward, but in case you’ve been trapped in a bunker the past two years, Ron Artest has to be considered a major liability. Taking Anthony gives the Kings both protection against Artest and a dynamic young offensive talent around which to build.

20) New York Knicks select… Gilbert Arenas – If Larry were still the coach, then the Knicks would probably select a defensive presence like Detroit’s Ben Wallace, but since he’s gone, Isaiah goes with his own gut instinct and takes another selfish shooting guard masquerading as a point guard.

21) Phoenix Suns select… Andrei Kirilenko – Lets be honest here, there is nobody left who can match the production of one of the Suns stolen today, let alone all three. So Phoenix takes Kirilenko, who at least brings a defensive intensity and the ability to play multiple positions.

22) New Jersey Nets select… Marcus Camby – The Nets, becoming confident that they will be able to retain their top three players, grab the rebounding and defensive presence they lacked all season.

23) New Jersey Nets select… Manu Ginobili – An amazing competitor who brings it on both sides of the court, Ginobili offers the Nets some protection against losing either Richard Jefferson or Vince Carter in the last seven picks.

24) Memphis Grizzlies select… Allen Iverson – With flagging attendance after another playoff sweep, the Griz know they need to nail this choice. Having shown an inability to score against Dallas, Memphis tabs AI. The Answer may be a little beaten up after 10 years in the league, but he still does two things: score and put bottoms in the seats.

25) Cleveland Cavaliers select… Paul Pierce – The Cavs lost the best player in the draft, so they replace him with the best player remaining. After suffering through a dispiriting 32-49 season, Cavs fans chant “MVP, MVP” at LeBron as he brings his first place Raptors to Cleveland for the season’s final game. Pissed off, Pierce lights up the King for 52 and saves the Cavs from another 50 loss season.

26) Los Angeles Lakers select… Shaquille O’Neal – Having grimly watched O’Neal hoist the trophy for Miami, Lakers owner Jerry Buss realizes what a horrendous mistake he made and tries to rectify it by reclaiming his larger than life superstar. Of course this isn’t the same O’Neal who won three championships for the Lakers and now he doesn’t have Wade or even Kobe.

27) Phoenix Suns select… Shaun Livingston – Only two years removed from being the first ever high school point guard selected, Livingston is still developing, but Mike D’Antoni knows he needs a great point to make his helter skelter system work.

28) Dallas Mavericks select… Andrea Bargnani – Having lost out on the current Dirk, the Mavs tab the young Itlalian forward who’s being dubbed, ‘the next Dirk.’

29) New York Knicks select… Tracy McGrady – Just as Isaiah was unconcerned about Eddy Curry’s heart, he’s equally unconcerned about Tracy McGrady’s back. This low in the draft it actually isn’t a bad gamble, because if healthy McGrady belongs in the top ten.

30) Portland Trail Blazers select…Adam Morrison – Having already grabbed Tim Duncan, the Blazers use the draft’s last pick to further cement their image reclamation by selecting Northwest legend ‘Stache,’ who brings an irascible attitude as well as the shooting ability to complement Duncan.