2009 NBA Mock Draft: Picks 3-4

With the easier picks out of the way, it's time to get into the guessing game that is the remainder of the 2009 NBA Draft Lottery. Our 2009 NBA Mock Draft continues with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Sacramento Kings in spots three and four.

3. Thunder: James Harden, SG, Arizona State

It's time for the guards to start flying off the board, and the Thunder won't mind adding another scoring option like Harden. The sophomore averaged over 20 points a game at ASU and has good range and seems to do everything with ease. In addition to bringing more scoring, he can rebound, move the ball, and defend. He'll fit right in with a very youthful, up-and-coming Thunder squad.

4. Kings: Ricky Rubio, PG, Spain

The verdict is still out on Ricky Rubio, as it's anyone's guess how his game will translate in the NBA. Talk of him going to the Kings is heating up, and we have no reason to believe he'll land anywhere else. He showed off his quickness and basketball I.Q. in international play with Spain and can go a long way toward helping to revive the Kings franchise. European players are always harder to predict and Rubio needs to work on his shot, but he could bring a lot to the table for the team with the NBA's worst record last season.

That does it for this edition of our 2009 NBA Lottery Mock Draft. Make sure to check out the first two picks here, or check out all of our picks in the upper right hand column of the site.

If Only the Cavs Had a Super Bowl Prop Bet...

The Super Bowl has sort of gotten in the way of our picks lately (not the worse thing in some cases), but it's time for another Free NBA Pick. 

Cavs -14 over the Kings

The Cavs are 20-0 at home this season and are one of the best teams against the spread in the NBA this year. It comes as no suprise, then, that even when our Free NBA Picks were struggling, we are 4-0 when betting on the Cavs. 

In 2009, the Free NBA Picks are 3-1, so hopefully they have returned to form. 

Good luck and enjoy a break from Super Bowl prop bet coverage!

Another Big NBA Favorite

Our Free NBA Picks like another double digit favorite tonight as they try to improve on their record when we don't bet on the Cavaliers. 

Lakers -11 over the Kings

Good luck!

Top Two NBA Off-Season Moves

Last year our Free NBA Picks went 40-20, which is an impressive 67%. We must admit, that didn't happen by accident.

Our Free NBA Picks system is a complicated formula which ranks teams offensive and defensive performances and determines which spreads have the most value. But as much attention as we pay to the NBA regular season, we pay even more to the off-season. During this time, we get a real solid idea of which teams might surprise the league (and the bookies) in the upcoming season.

That said, here are our two biggest off-season moves that could turn teams around in the NBA.

1. Bucks steal Richard Jefferson from Nets

By getting rid of a bad contract (Bobby Simmons) and arguably a bad player (Yi Jianlian) and adding one of the top small forwards in the game, the Bucks have improved drastically and should be a force to reckon with in the weak Eastern Conference. Despite the addition, they are still likely to fly under the radar due to a horrible 2007-08 season, so there should be plenty of opportunities to win some bucks on the Bucks.

2. Artest the missing piece in Houston

Houston, we have a problem-child. But we also have an extremely talented player. The Kings were nearly forced to part ways with Artest, and the Rockets made a great low-risk, high-reward investment. With the addition of Artest, the Rockets have a big three comparable to the NBA champion Boston Celtics. Artest and Tracy McGrady, along with a healthy Yao Ming, should compete for a spot in the NBA Finals.

Small Lean in the NBA

We're not sure if we will make it a Free NBA Pick, but our system indicates a small lean on the Sacramento Kings +17 over the Los Angeles Lakers tonight.

Stay tuned.

UPDATE: After further calculating our figures, we have decided not to make this a Free NBA Pick. Although the Kings should have a slight advantage with the +17 spread, it is not nearly enough to make this a play. There are no picks for today.

Kings Make it Three in a Row!

The Kings beat the Blazers 103-86, covering the -2 spread with ease.

The Kings win tonight gives us our third consecutive Free NBA Pick victory, giving us a 37-19 record on the year, which is 66%.

As always, more picks to come, so if you haven't already, bookmark us and make us your betting advice destination. (And stocks, too... maybe... sometimes. Definitely sports betting, though.)

Kings the Free NBA Pick Tonight

We have one more Free NBA Pick tonight as we look for our third win in a row.

Sacramento Kings -2 over the Portland Trail Blazers

Good luck!

Seattle is the Pick

We also have one Free NBA Pick tonight:

Seattle +5.5 over Sacramento

The Free NBA Picks are 32-16 so far this season, hitting 67%.

Good luck!

Lakers and Suns Cover for 2-0 Day

Another day, another winner. Wait... make that two winners.

In our first Free NBA Pick, the Lakers fought back from a double-digit deficit against the Kings, using a 36-18 fourth quarter to put Sacramento in their place. Kobe Bryant scored 17 points in the deciding quarter, leading the Lakers to a 117-105 victory and covering the six point spread.

Then, about 20 minutes prior to tip-off, we added a Bonus Free NBA Pick, which ended up being a reward for the readers who check us out most often. We try to get these picks in as early as possible, but there was a lot of analysis to be done before we could determine the Suns a Free NBA Pick, and we posted it as soon as we could.

The Suns got on the Blazers early, leading 60-41 at the half, and although they let Portland get back in it, they still pulled out a 97-92 win to cover the two point spread.

When all was said and done, we ended up with a 2-0 day. Our Free NBA Picks remain insanely hot, hitting 10 of the last 11. Overall, they are now 24-10, which is roughly 71%.

We hope you were riding these picks with us today, but if you weren't, fear not, we'll have more free picks in the coming days. Get them while they're hot!

Bonus Free NBA Pick

After further research, we are adding a bonus Free NBA Pick. We rarely have more than one play, but we like the value of this pick.

Phoenix Suns -2 over the Portland Trailblazers

in addition to our previous pick

Los Angeles Lakers -6 over the Sacramento Kings

The Shaquille O'Neal trade the Suns made earlier this year will finally begin to look like a great decision tonight, as will betting on the Suns. We like both of these faves, so good luck and enjoy the rare two play night.

Lakers are the Pick Tonight

Our Free NBA Picks, as you can tell from our updated records post, are 22-10 and have won eight of nine, and we have another gem tonight.

Los Angeles Lakers -6 over the Sacramento Kings

We like Kobe Bryant and the Lakers to cover this one fairly easily tonight. Good luck!

Mavs and Kings Make it Seven Straight!

The Mavericks and Kings combined for 221 points tonight, a good 19 points above the over/under of 202.

The Mavs won the game 115 to 106, but there are more important numbers than the final score of the game. With the performance tonight, Jason Kidd's Mavs and Beno Udrih's Kings helped us win our seventh consecutive Free NBA Pick, improving our record to 21-9 on the year. For you math buffs out there, that's exactly 70% in the NBA this season.

If you haven't been following yet, what are you waiting for? We've proven ourselves as reliable and profitable, so make it your March resolution to start following Stock Lemon.

Mavs and Kings For Our Seventh Straight Win

Our Free NBA Picks have been absolutely on fire having won six straight, and we're leaping for our seventh consecutive NBA win tonight.

Dallas Mavericks/Sacramento Kings Over 202

Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs should get into a shootout with Brad Miller and the Kings tonight, and we love this over/under at just 202 points. The addition of Jason Kidd helps the Mavs push the ball up the court much faster than they have been, and the books haven't quite adjusted to their faster pace. Oh, and the Kings will score sometimes, too.

Our overall Free NBA Picks record is 20-9, which is about 69%, so make this pick with confidence. Good luck!

Two Free NBA Picks

The Free NBA Picks are 8-2 in the last ten, and tonight we have two of them.

New Orleans Hornets -2 over the Sacramento Kings

And our play of the day...

Los Angeles Clippers +7 over the Minnesota Timberwolves

We put two units on the play of the day, and one unit on any other computer picks. It's tempting to bet more since they're hitting 80%, but we'll stick to our guns. Good luck!