Five storylines to follow as Draft night unfolds

NEW YORK -- For a few hours Thursday night, NBA Nation is glued to the proceedings at the WaMu Theater. The 2009 Draft may not end up rivaling the heralded Class of 2003 or '84 or '96 or even '70, but the career of a future All-Star or MVP may be born by the time David Stern and Adam Silver finish reading off those 60 names.

Two-time MVP Steve Nash, after all, was the 15th pick in '96.

And with respect to those 60 names and their unique stories, this Draft has its own storylines. Here are just five to follow as the night unfolds:

1. Memphis holds the key.
The Grizzles are in an enviable or unenviable position, depending on perspective, as the team with the second pick. Unlike the Greg Oden-Kevin Durant debate of two years ago, this is a Draft with an obvious No. 1 in Blake Griffin and no clear cut No. 2. The two players most often mentioned as runner-ups to Griffin -- Ricky Rubio and Hasheem Thabeet -- aren't beating down the door to FedEx Forum. The Grizz could take the local route in Memphis product Tyreke Evans, but drafting the one-and-done guard that high may not be the best use of second selection. The more prudent route could be trading down to add picks and/or players. Memphis' roster needs plenty of help, so general manager Chris Wallace may decide that strength in numbers is the way to go.

2. Minnesota has the ammo.
New general manager David Kahn has four picks in the first round, including the fifth and sixth selections, and two second-rounders to play with as he goes about restocking the Timberwolves. Trading away Randy Foye and Mike Miller -- two of Minnesota's top six scorers last season -- netted the No. 5 choice from Washington and plenty of roster openings. No one expects Kahn to keep all those picks, so naturally another deal is likely in the works. The Wolves like Rubio and a move up to No. 2 makes the most sense, though Oklahoma City's third pick could also be a target.

3. Point guards are all the rage.
While the Draft is largely considered weak, the crop of playmakers may be the deepest in years. Rubio leads the charge, but he's hardly the only coveted floor general. Evans (Memphis), Stephen Curry (Davidson), Jrue Holiday (UCLA), Jonny Flynn (Syracuse) and Brandon Jennings (Virtus Roma) all appear to be lottery picks. Jennings could also emerge from the Draft as a trendsetter. Instead of going to college for a year, Jennings went overseas after high school. How high he goes and how he does this season will be scrutinized. Point-guard value isn't limited to the lottery. The bottom half of the first round and beyond has a number of guys with the potential to be in rotations as rookies, including Ty Lawson (North Carolina), Jeff Teague (Wake Forest), Patty Mills (St. Mary's) and Eric Maynor (VCU).

4. Ah, the Knicks.
There's no faster grade than the yea-or-nay response from the rowdy hometown fans at MSG. Curry wants to play in New York, and the Davidson product and NCAA scoring leader seems to be a perfect fit for Mike D'Antoni's seven-seconds-or-less attack. The question is whether Curry is still on the board at No. 8. Some mocks have the 6-foot-3 scoring point going as high as third. If he's gone or if the Knicks don't move up, the pickings aren't exactly bare at eight. Players such as Evans, Holiday and Jordan Hill could still be on the board. Whatever the crowd reaction, it's too bad Knicks fans don't have Isiah Thomas to boo.

5. What happens at the end of the first and into the second round?
The picks in the 20-30 range generally belong to playoff teams that often have limited time and/or roster openings available for unproven talents. Often, these squads draft young/promising international players and keep them overseas. This allows for extra seasoning, with the added bonus of not having to pay a rookie salary for the time being. Since teams often use the draft-and-stash approach at the end of the first round, several first-round talents slip into the unguaranteed waters of the second round. Think Carlos Boozer and Gilbert Arenas. (Check out Fran Blinebury's story on second-round gems) Look for the Blazers to make some noise in the second round with three picks between 33 and 55.

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