NBA D-League  Prospect Watch  

The 2009 NBA D-League Draft is set to take place tomorrow, with all 16 teams drafting a total of eight players. Now that the returning and allocation players are out of the way, we are left with some of the top prospects to be selected tomorrow night. In honor of the number of players that will go in the first round, here are 16 of the top players (in my opinion) who are available tomorrow. The Albuquerque Thunderbirds are currently on the clock and will make the first selection.

Antonio Anderson: The 6-6 Anderson was a defensive terror for the Memphis Tigers over the last four years, garnering Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year honors for the 2008-09 season. Anderson comes into the draft after playing with the Charlotte Bobcats over the preseason. He could be one of the league's top all-around players as he can play multiple positions and his college numbers demonstrate that he can score, rebound and pass equally well.

Pat Carroll: The 6-5 Carroll brings some strong bloodlines to the NBA D-League as his brother Matt was the league's MVP in 2004-05. Carroll, who spent last season in Spain, is a deadly-accurate three-point shooter who has good size for the shooting guard position.  The former St. Joseph's star has consistently knocked down three-pointers at around 40% in the top European leagues so he should be one of the NBA D-League's top outside shooters.

JamesOn Curry: Curry is a former NBA player who has seen some time in the NBA D-League both on assignment and as a free agent, playing in two different seasons with the Iowa Energy. The 6-4 Curry has demonstrated that he can be a big-time scorer in the NBA D-League, posting 20.2 points on assignment in 2007-08. He joined Iowa late last season and helped them win the Central Division title.

Desmon Farmer: Farmer is one of the most prolific scorers in NBA D-League history, as he entered last season as the league's all-time career leader in points before being overtaken by Will Conroy. The 6-5 guard was last seen in the NBA D-League in 2007-08, where he lit up the scoreboard with 24.7 points per game in Rio Grande Valley. Last season Farmer started the season with the Spurs before moving on to teams in Russia and Croatia. He is a top call-up candidate as a veteran guard with NBA experience.

Reece Gaines: The 6-6 Gaines is a former first round pick of Orlando, taken 15th overall in the 2003 NBA Draft. He has played in Italy for the past three seasons after last playing in the NBA for the Bucks in the 2005-06 season. He averaged 10.6 points in 34 games last season for Angelico Biella.

Orien Greene: A 6-4 guard, Greene is best know for playing for the Boston Celtics during the 2005-06 season, appearing in 80 games. Since being waived by Sacramento in early 2007, he has bounced around between Isreal, Australia, and Holland where he won a league title with MyGuide Amsterdam in 2008-09.

Paul Harris: Harris was a top-high school recruit and earned All-BIG EAST honors during his three-year tenure at Syracuse. The 6-5 Harris is a bit undersized for an NBA forward, but his outstanding athletic ability should help make him a top player in the NBA D-League. Harris was with the Utah Jazz in training camp but was hampered by injury and should now be raring to go for whatever team selects him on Thursday.

Yaroslav Korelev: Korolev has intriguing skills packed into a 6-9 frame, but never seemed to mesh with the Clippers after they selected him with the 12th overall pick in the 2005 Draft. After falling out of the NBA, Korolev returned to his native Russia and saw little action with Dynamo Moscow. He also played for the Knicks in Las Vegas at the Summer League. A trip to the NBA D-League could be the best chance for Korolev to get a lot of playing time and show the skills that made him a first-round draft pick.

Scooter McFadgon: McFadgon is a well-know quantity in the NBA D-League after spending a season with the Bakersfield Jam, where he scored 17.8 points during the 2007-08 season. The 6-5 guard spent the last season spanning the globe, playing for teams in Ukraine, Cyprus, Chile, and the Philippines.  McFadgon had some huge scoring games during his tenure in Bakersfield and should light up the scoreboard again this season.

Carlos Powell: Powell could be a possible first pick after going second in the 2007 NBA D-League Draft to the Dakota Wizards. All he did that season was earn 22.5 points and 6.4 rebounds while leading the Wizards to a Central Division title. Powell took his game to Korea last season and excelled to the tune of 25.6 points per game, and then played for the Phoenix Suns in the preseason. He should be a top pick once again and will be a legit call-up candidate this season.

Mustafa Shakur: Shakur is well-known after serving as the starting point guard for Arizona over his three-year career that ended in 2007. Not drafted by an NBA team, the 6-3 Shakur has spent the last two seasons in Europe, most recently in Spain and Greece last season.

Amara Sy: Sy is a veteran of international basketball and enters his 10th pro season. The 6-8 forward from France posted 12.3 points for Lyon last season and has also appeared for various French National Teams during his career. He will look to follow in the footsteps of countryman Ian Mahinmi, who earned first team All NBA D-League honors on assignment from the Spurs in 2007-08.

Donell Taylor: Donell Taylor will use the NBA D-League route to seek a return to the NBA, where he played for the Washington Wizards between 2006 and 2008. The 6-6 guard was most recently seen in Greece, where he averaged 12.9 points for the 2008-09 season. His twin brother Ronell represented the Idaho Stampede in the first NBA D-League All-Star Game in 2007 in Las Vegas.

Deron Washington: Deron Washington is a 6-7 guard from Virginia Tech who was selected 59th overall by the Pistons in the 2008 NBA Draft. He spent last season overseas in Israel after not making the Pistons in the preseason. Washington can play both shooting guard and small forward and displayed great rebounding ability last season, pulling down 7.0 boards to go with his 14.8 points in Israel.

Latavious Williams: Williams is an intriguing prospect as he will head to the NBA D-League from the high school ranks. A 6-8 forward highly pursued by top college programs, Williams originally committed to Memphis but elected to go pro instead and will put his name into the draft pool. As he is under the NBA age limit he will not be eligible for a GATORADE Call-Up this season.

Martin Zeno: A 6-5 guard, Zeno played in Cyprus last season after wrapping up a very successful career at Texas Tech, where he scored in double figures in all four seasons. He averaged 14.3 points at the Portsmouth Invitational in 2008 but was not drafted by an NBA team and his sole NBA experience came in the 2008 Summer League with the Lakers.