NBA Insider with Ken Berger

It’s that time of year again … time to make the mockery of the drafting process by allowing everyone with a keyboard to come up with a mock draft.

Since this figures to be the most chaotic NBA draft in recent memory, with numerous trades involving superstar veterans and premium picks under serious discussion, I’m going to spare you the trouble of reading my projections after the top 10. Several general managers have indicated that they don’t even know what their competitors will do from the fifth pick on down. In some cases, it’s so unpredictable that the execs don’t even know what they’ll do once we get into the teens.

A caveat: The Hawks (No. 3), Celtics (No. 5), and Bobcats (No. 8) are all deep into discussions to trade their lottery picks, and I expect at least one of those deals to be done by draft time Thursday night. But as things stand right now, here is how I expect the top 10 picks to go down:

1) Portland Trail Blazers: Greg Oden, C, Ohio State, 7-0, 257. Not exactly a no-brainer over Kevin Durant, but close.

2) Seattle SuperSonics: Kevin Durant, F, Texas, 6-10, 215. Once Oden is gone, this pick is a no-brainer.

3) Atlanta Hawks: Yi Jianlian, F, China, 7-0, 246. The Hawks draft the wrong guy year after year, so this pick should make Yi nervous.

4) Memphis Grizzlies: Al Horford, F, Florida, PF, 6-10, 246. First of three Gators going in the top 10.

5) Boston Celtics: Jeff Green, F, Georgetown, 6-10, 228. If Danny Ainge doesn’t trade the pick, Green will give the Celtics a versatile frontcourt player with great intangibles.

6) Milwaukee Bucks: Mike Conley, G, Ohio State, 6-1, 175. Though not a star, Conley is a complete guard who will complement another former Buckeye, Michael Redd.

7) Minnesota Timberwolves: Joakim Noah, F, Florida, 7-0, 223. A little unpolished, but the Poly Prep (Brooklyn) product would be a steal here.

8) Charlotte Bobcats: Corey Brewer, G, Florida, 6-8, 185. And Michael Jordan takes … a shooting guard! I still think he’s more likely to trade the pick.

9) Chicago Bulls (via Knicks): Spencer Hawes, C, Washington, 7-1, 244. With one of the many picks the Bulls got for Eddy Curry, they get a replacement for Eddy Curry.

10) Sacramento Kings: Brandan Wright, F, North Carolina, 6-9, 200. A finesse player whose stock has been falling due to unimpressive workouts, but he’s too talented to pass on here.