The Best 1st Round Pickups of the 2009 NBA Draft

Each year of the NBA's annual draft, the 30 selections of the first round are a sight to see by millions hoping to strike gold. Teams look to the latest prospects looking to breakthrough and earn a living among the world's elite basketball players. For many teams, their respective selections not only secure a general manager or a president's job for the following season, they also ensure hope for the future of the franchise and sometimes can provide the firepower needed to make a team jump up a level or two in wins (and increase revenue from ticket sales). Here are the very best selections that took place in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft:

James Harden to the Oklahoma City Thunder

Already set at point guard, small forward, center, and in some respects, at power forward, the Thunder felt a need to increase their scoring and firepower from the off-guard position, and the selection of Harden made it a near-no-brainer pick. Having moved future superstar Kevin Durant back to his more comfy spot at the 3 and Thabo Sefolosha being a sufficient, though somewhat limited offensive player at the 2, Harden's overall body of work as a long-range shooter, competent ball-handler and passer, and able slasher makes him a great compliment to not only Durant, but to converted point guard Russell Westbrook. A player of Harden's ability and build allows for the Thunder be defensively threatening on the perimeter with their size, as Westbrook, Harden and Durant's heights being 6'4", 6'5" and 6'10" create particular matchup issues at the point and small forward positions. Sefolosha can now come in as a more defensive-minded reserve (i.e. Mickael Pietrus), while Westbrook can exploit certain guard matchups as a shooter and slasher himself, and Durant can have another assured scoring threat on the floor as teams may double-team to prevent his own firestreaks. The selection of Harden helps solidfy a team already on the rise, and will look to only wreak havoc on the rest of the NBA.

Stephen Curry to the Golden State Warriors

Despite the "unofficial" demands from Monta Ellis for Golden State not to draft a point guard, a position that he seeks to claim in full, the Warriors decided to draft the best player available-it just so happened to be the combo guard Curry from Davidson College, who devastated the majority of the NCAA in the past two years. The son of former Charlotte Hornet and Toronto Raptor (as well as brief Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cav) Dell Curry, the younger gives the Warriors a great amount of versatility, scoring, and much-needed leadership and poise on a team that has had those very voids in the past fifteen years. Both being 6'3", the starting backcourt of Curry and Ellis allows for a distinct amount of leeway for the guards to use quickness (Ellis) or guile (Curry) to set up for a score, as Curry (as well as Ellis) are talented shooters/ball-handlers. The acquisition of the former Davidson guard also makes any backcourt union of Curry with any other of his guard-playing teammates a lineup that either always has a point guard or shooting guard on the floor, as Curry is great at both spots.

Ty Lawson to the Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets enjoyed a surprising move in the NBA as a major player among the elite teams of the league, and Chauncey Billups was the primary reason for that very success; unfortunately, the Nuggets lacked a very strong component among the bench that kept them from being even more deadly-a fresh, fast, strong point guard. Lawson being a Nugget particularly affords Billups some extra rest time, which is necessary for him to acquire as he ages and the Nuggets continue to advance through future playoff rounds. Having championship pedigree and outstanding natural ability on the hardwood, Lawson's speed and ball distribution will allow for more transition scoring and offer more opportunities for both Carmelo Anthony and Billups to be scorers, even while Lawson plays with them on occasion. If anything, Lawson could help Denver contend for another 2-3 years for an NBA championship, if he lives up to his game-changing abilities.