Here we go with round three.  Previous picks are in parentheses: 

Team A: Lamar Odom (LeBron, Billups)
Team B: Jason Richardson (Marion, Joe Johnson)
Team C: Mike Bibby (Stoudemire, Bryant)
Team D: Carmelo Anthony (Garnett, Kidd)
Team E: Michael Redd (Nowitzki, McGrady)
Team F: Brad Miller (Wade, J. O’Neal)
Team G: Boris Diaw (Brand, V. Carter)
Team H: Ron Artest (Arenas, Kirilenko)
Team I : Rashard Lewis (Ming, Paul)
Team J: Rasheed Wallace (Pierce, Nash)
Team K: Gerald Wallace (Allen, Duncan)
Team L: Stephon Marbury (Iverson, Bosh)

After the horrorfest that was round two in our mock draft, it looks like there are a lot more safe picks to be had here in round three.  I thought I’d discuss the whole best-player-available versus the drafting to fill a need strategy here because it really starts to come into play here in the third and fourth rounds.  This early in the draft, you shouldn’t be in a situation where you have to make a choice between the two.  If you draft smart, you should be able to fill your need without reaching for a pick.  Look at the position split here - we’ve got 2 point guards, 2 shooting guards, 5 small forwards, 2 power forwards and a center (with Diaw also sometimes qualifying at C).  So really, there’s something for everyone here.

Let’s pick an example – let’s look at Team D.  Picking Jason Kidd was a fine selection in the second round, but Kidd can be a major liability in points.  Most second rounders will crack 20 ppg easily, but Kidd will likely struggle to reach 15.  Melo fits here not just because he’s a great scorer but because his weaknesses – blocks, boards, and assists – and covered up nicely by Garnett and Kidd.  Redd would have been another nice choice here, for the same reasons.  But taking someone like Brad Miller or Mike Bibby in this situation just doesn’t make much sense.

Also, the glut of small forwards in this round is due to some good drafting in the second round.  Small forwards don’t really fill a need, they’re the just the best players.  Let’s look at Team K.  After taking Ray Allen in the first, let’s say he went with another guard in the second, like Steve Nash or Chris Paul, rather than Duncan.  Then he would be going into round three absolutely needing a big.    Gerald Wallace, while he provides some big-man stats, is both a major injury risk and doesn’t even qualify at PF.  It’s more likely that Team K would have been forced to reach a little bit for someone like Dwight Howard or Mehmet Okur in this spot because they needed a solid big-man presence, even though a calculated risk like Gerald Wallace is probably a better pick overall.

Not only is there a variety of positions to choose from throughout the round, but there’s a lot of parity amongst these picks.  If there’s a definitive tier drop here, it’s at pick 40, right between Miller and Diaw.  But before and after that it’s pretty muddled.

Tomorrow, Round 4.