To atone for missing our scheduled live-blog of the draft lottery, we’re going to take an early gander at what the non-playoff teams are likely to do on June 28.

Sure, there’s playoff ball left to be played, and free agent decisions to ponder, but these kinds of things are fun. We’ll all look back on it in a month and have a good hearty chuckle.

As we stated earlier, the Raptors are sitting pretty (only an 8% chance of getting the No. 1 pick entering this evening), with their choice of LaMarcus Aldridge (Texas) or Tyrus Thomas (LSU) to patrol the lane alongside All-Star Chris Bosh. Or will they look elsewhere? A foreigner? Adam Morrison? Brandon Roy? (Sam Smith at the Chicago Tribune generated the quote of the week: “Do you know what they call trash-talking slow white guys in the NBA? Dinner.” It was in reference to Morrison.)

The player most likely to muddle the draft over the next month is Italy’s Andrea Bargnani. Three weeks ago, we would have said that Bargnani – a 20-year-old 7-footer with Dirk-like skills – was a top-10 pick, but now that the Raptors and new president Bryan Colangelo are owners of the top pick, the following names must be taken into consideration: Leandro Barbosa (Brazil), Nikoloz Tskitishvili (Georgia, Europe), and Boris Diaw (France). These are the players BC believes in – foreigners. And this is how he built his last team, the Suns.

With that in mind …

1. Toronto – Andrea Bargnani (PF, Italy). The way Dirk has morphed from 3-point gunner to consummate team player bodes very, very well for Bargnani.
2. Chicago (from New York) – Tyrus Thomas (PF, LSU) and Tyson Chandler will form a nasty defensive tandem inside for years to come.
3. Charlotte – The worst shooting team in the league gets instant offense in Adam Morrison, SF, Gonzaga.
4. Portland – This team needs a mature, offensive-minded local to generate interest. Enter Brandon Roy (SG, Washington). There will be holes in the middle to fill, but this will probably be the worst team in the league next year, so wait for Greg Oden.
5. Atlanta – Marcus Williams (PG, Connecticut) will be the best point guard this team has seen since Doc Rivers.
6. Minnesota – It seems impossible that LaMarcus Aldridge (C, Texas) could plummet this far, but Kevin Garnett’s due for some luck.
7. Boston – Another surprise: Randy Foye (G, Villanova). We absolutely love this kid. He’s talented and tenacious. Paul Pierce will love him, too. And Foye will be a better pro than Rajon Rondo.
8. Houston – But Rondo’s (PG, Kentucky) not that bad … he falls here to hapless Houston.
9. Golden State – Desperately seeking defense, but instead Chris Mullin gets Baron and J-Rich more offensive help in the form of Rudy Gay (SF, Connecticut). Mike Dunleavy, enjoy the bench.
10. Seattle – The worst defensive team in the NBA selects between seasoned Hilton Armstrong (C, Connecticut) and potential-laden Patrick O’Bryant (C, Bradley). We guess O’Bryant is the pick.
11. Orlando – JJ Redick (SG, Duke) will be a hit with the ladies at City Walk. And Darko and Dwight will like him, too.
12. New Orleans – UConn’s Armstrong gets the nod over Duke’s Shelden Williams – in fact, it’s a no-brainer.
13. Philadelphia – AI and AI would have loved Foye the local to fall here … is Kyle Lowry (PG, Villanova) too much of a reach? Probably. Jordan Farmar (PG, UCLA)? Ditto. Despite all the money sunk into C-Webb, perhaps Cedric Simmons (PF, NC State)? Why not. This team needs toughness inside.
14. Utah – Quincy Douby, SG, Rutgers. When he wows with his range in workouts, you’ll know what we were talking about.
15. New Orleans (from Milwaukee) – Needing a SG or SF, the options are many: Ronnie Brewer (SF, Arkansas), Rodney Carney (SF, Memphis), Mardy Collins (SG, Temple). We’re partial to Carney, so that’s our guy here.

Over the next month, besides keeping an eye on Bargnani, players that could fluctuate the most: Douby (up), Simmons (up), Gay (up or down, depending on his mood), Redick (down), Shelden Williams (down), and Richard Roby (SG, Colorado).

The biggest difference between the NBA draft and the NFL draft? Most of the players mentioned above will actually have an immediate impact with the club that selects them.

Raptors claim No. 1 pick for June’s NBA draft (ESPN.com)
A new draft age: Bulls see kids, sigh (Chicago Tribune)
Doyel’s Dribbles (Sportsline)