1. T.J. Ford, Texas The line: 6-0, 162, Sophomore The skinny: Ford's stock got a huge boost when he measured 6-foot-0 and 1/4 in Chicago. He's widely regarded as the top point guard in college hoops. He may be the fastest player in basketball, pro or college. Has an uncanny ability to see the floor and deliver it with laser-like accuracy. Call it a kind of point guard sixth sense -- the same stuff that fuels Jason Kidd's mojo. His only real weakness is his size and lack of a consistent jumper. Still, at a recent workout for the Raptors, he was hitting every shot. He's not for everybody, but there's almost no way he falls out of the Top 10. Look for him to go as high as No. 4 to the Raptors. He won't slip past the Bucks at No. 8. 2. Kirk Hinrich, Kansas The line: 6-4, 186, Senior The skinny: Hinrich is pulling away from the competition as the second-best point guard in the draft. Hinrich's workout reviews have been solid to stellar everywhere he's gone. Hinrich worked out better than any other point guard they've had in. If the Bucks pick a point guard at No. 8, and T.J. Ford already is off the board, it looks like Hinrich is the guy. Hinrich has the size, floor vision, ball handling, unselfishness and long-range jumper that scouts beg for in a point guard. While some worry about his strength and lateral quickness, most teams feel he's go as high as No. 8 to the Bucks and no lower than No. 15 to the Magic. 3. Reece Gaines, Louisville The line: 6-6, 205, Senior The skinny: He's 6-6, has legitimate point-guard skills, is a great athlete and has developed into a legit 3-point marksman. Several scouts used words like "slick" and "savvy" to describe his play. If teams are convinced he can be a full-time point guard in the pros, he's got a great shot at the late lottery. If they think he's a combo guard, he's looking at a mid-to-late first-round selection. Right now he could go as high as No. 10 to the Wizards and should slip no lower than No. 15 to the Magic. 4. Leandrinho Barbosa, Brazil* The line: 6-4, 220, 20 years old The skinny: Barbosa's had several strong workouts over the past few weeks. Teams are amazed by his speed, explosiveness, lateral quickness and 6-foot-10 wingspan. A couple of issues are holding him back. How quickly can Barbosa learn English? That's the biggest question in most scouts' minds. One Western Conference coach told me he loves Barbosa, but he's afraid to draft him early because of the language barrier. Your point guard must be able to communicate with the coach and his teammates. His agent has him in English lessons for two hours a day; he better make it four. A few teams are also worried about an unorthodox jump shot. It goes in, but his slow release makes it easier to block. He's considered a one-year project, but he'll probably go anywhere from No. 14 to Seattle down to No. 21 to Atlanta. 5. Luke Ridnour, Oregon The line: 6-2, 167, Junior The skinny: Ridnour has gotten some pretty mixed reviews over the past week. While teams like his shooting touch and his innate feel for the game, concerns about his quickness, toughness and ability to play defense in the NBA are lowering his stock a bit. Two teams that have worked him out claim they like him, but don't project him to be much more than a back-up point in the NBA -- especially for the first two or three years. Of course, that's what they said about Steve Nash in 1996. He'll go as high as the Warriors at No. 11 or he could slip all the way to No. 20 to the Celtics. 6. Marcus Banks, UNLV The line: 6-2, 200, Senior The skinny: Think a poor man's Baron Davis. Banks already has an NBA body and an NBA-type game. He's strong, can get to the basket at will and already plays solid defense. He's got great court vision and can really run the break. However, he has issues. He's an inconsistent shooter from the perimeter, is turnover prone and scouts fear he's closer to 6-0 than 6-2. His strong workout in Boston has led many to believe he'll be taken there. He could go as high as Boston at No. 16 or slip all the way to San Antonio at No. 28. 7. Zoran Planinic, Croatia* The line: 6-7, 215, 21 years old The skinny: Planinic wowed teams like the Nets, Spurs, Sonics and Bucks in individual workouts. His surprising athleticism, lethal outside shot and knack for finding the open man have teams scrambling to get him in for a closer look. When you're 6-foot-8 and considered a "pure" point guard, teams are going to notice. It's not inconceivable Planinic could work his way up to No. 14 to the Sonics, but it's more likely that, with more strong performances, he'll end up at No. 22 to the Nets or No. 28 to the Spurs. There's still a possibility that he slips into the second round. 8. Jameer Nelson, St. Joseph's* The line: 6-0, 190, Junior The skinny: Nelson helped himself in the Chicago camp, but did he help himself enough to make it into the first round? He's already got an NBA body, can take his guy off the dribble at will and is an excellent rebounder for someone his size. But he's still just 5-foot-11 without shoes. He'd be much better off returning to school and coming out next season when things aren't quite so crowded. 9. Chris Thomas, Notre Dame The line: 6-1, 182, Sophmore The skinny: He's a true point guard, but his size and lack of strength are scaring teams away. The word in Chicago was Thomas would stay in the draft no matter what. Early predictions by some that he was a mid-first-rounder appear to be way off. Someone like New Jersey or Minnesota could gamble on him in the first round. More likely, he'll be an early second-round pick. 10. Troy Bell, Boston College The line: 6-2, 183, Senior The skinny: No one helped his stock more in Chicago than Bell. He shot the ball well, proved he was capable of running the point and excelled at most of the physical tests teams ran him through. Right now he's projecting as a Bobby Jackson-type instant scorer off the bench. Will that be enough to get him into the first round? Bell caught the Lakers' eye at No. 24, and Minnesota will take a long look at No. 26, but most likely, he's now an early second-rounder. 11. Maurice Williams, Alabama* The line: 6-1, 183, Sophmore The skinny: Williams is a slick point guard with all of the requisite tools. He has superb handles and a killer crossover that helps him get the ball to the basket. He loves to drive and dish and is also solid running the pick and roll. He plays in control and has a nice mid-range game. He's also a strong floor leader. He does have his flaws, however. He gets abused at times on the defensive end. He has the strength and size to be a good defender, but hasn't shown the effort. He isn't a great athlete. He's quick, but not explosive. He needs to work on his jumper, especially his 3-ball. After just a so-so performance in Chicago, expect Williams to drop out of the draft and return to school. If he doesn't, he's a second rounder. 12. Paccelis Morlende, France* The line: 6-3, 190, 21 years old The skinny: The next Tony Parker? Morlende was actually once ranked higher than Parker in France. He's a great athlete with good size for a point guard. However, he doesn't have Parker's "knack" for running the point. Still, he's intriguing and the reviews from the few workouts he's done are positive. Right now, it looks like Morlende is stuck in Round 2. 13. Kristaps Volters, Latvia The line: 6-2, 185, 22 years old The skinny: When NBA scouts start traveling to Latvia, you know there's something to his game. Volters could be this year's Milos Vujanic. He's an electric point guard that zooms up and down the floor and is lethal from long range. His dad was a legendary coach on the Russian national team. He's fallen off the radar screen a bit because of where he plays, but lately he's gotten a lot of attention from scouts. He's a second rounder. 14. Marcus Hatten, St. Johns The line: 6-2, 163, Senior The skinny: Size. Size. Size. If he were 6-foot-5, he'd be a lottery pick. He's an explosive scorer who can absolutely dominate a game when he gets it going. But is he a point guard? His underwhelming performance in Chicago didn't help anything. He's stuck in the second round. 15. Jermaine Boyette, Weber State The line: 6-2, 187, Senior The skinny: Boyette was a dominant scorer in both the PIT and the Chicago pre-draft camp, but teams still wonder if he can handle point guard duties in the NBA. Someone will take a chance on him in round two. Others to watch: Steve Blake, Maryland; Brandin Knight, Pittsburgh; Jason Gardner, Arizona; Julius Barnes, Stanford; Derrick Zimmerman, Mississippi State --

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