The Age Limit, Year 1
While it's early to tell, right now Chad Ford, just in his NBA lottery, is predicting 8 of the top 14 picks to be freshman: Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Brendan Wright, Spencer Hawes, Thaddeus Young, Chase Buddinger, Darrell Arthur, and Brook Lopez.
So what did the one year get for these young men? Kevin Durant was helped the most as people got to see just how good he really is. He's been able to leapfrog Greg Oden on many people's draft boards. Oden, who would have been the consensus #1 in last year's draft, injured his hand and has possibliy lost the #1 pick. The injury has forced him to work on his off-hand but I don't think there's been too much improvement that we wouldn't have seen had he been on the Raptors this year. Both Oden and Durant were men amongst boys and obviously were ready to start their NBA careers.
The rest of the youngsters probably won't fare much better than the average straight from high schoolers did in their second year. Brandan Wright has put on ten pounds but is still needs to work on his game. Likely the third pick in the draft, he's unlikely to be ready to deliver from day 1. Spencer Hawes has a more developed game but also has issues with athleticism that aren't going away no matter how many credits he took this semester. Neither he, Brook Lopez, nor Hasheem Thabeet have really shown enough to make you think they are sure-fire pros. Then again, nobody's pointing at their flaws and saying they aren't potential lotto picks so it might be best to come out now before getting exposed. Chase Buddinger, Darrell Arthur, and Thad Young have been solid and at times, disappointing. Arthur is more ready than originally thought but still probably won't be ready for minutes in the NBA on opening night. The one year in college has helped scouts get more familiar with the frosh but whether they can make it in the pros or not is still as big of a crap shoot as before.
Another possible monkey-wrench in this draft is at point guard. D.J. Augustin has declared that he won't be declaring for the draft, but it's hard to argue against him leaving school. More strength could always help but Augustin is already being called a lottery pick by some and in a draft that seems void of point prospects aside from Acie Law it would make sense to come out this year rather than wait a year when point guards OJ Mayo and Derrick Rose are being touted as two of the top five picks. If Augustin stay in Austin, someone else (Conley, Crittenton, Lawson) might leave before being "ready" so they can strike while the iron's hot. While staying in could help, the risks: injury, coming out in a PG loaded draft, or becoming the next Chris Thomas (supposed lotto pick who tanked after not leaving school his sophomore year) are daunting.
The big loser of the group, however, is Bill Walker. Walker was fighting to be eligible for this year's draft and started playing at Kansas State in the second semester however he tore up his knee and needs 6 - 8 months to rehab. Whether he'll get his athleticism back in full is anyone's guess. Also struggling was Paul Harris, who came into school as a man who could play many positions and is now looking like a player who doesn't fit any spot. At 6'4, he's going to desperately need to learn to play the point because his shot (69% FT, 1 - 19 from college 3) isn't going to cut it at the 2 or 3. 5 star recruit and ironically named Derrick Caracter might be better off leaving, in spite of a mediocre season, since he is on thin ice and might not want to risk getting back into Rick Pitino's doghouse or suspended again.
As for the non-freshman in the draft, there are more question marks around them than the freshman. Staying in school hasn't exactly helped many "can't miss" prospect; the Florida trio of Noah, Horford, and Brewer hasn't lived up to the hype this season and preseason lotto locks like Josh McRoberts and Marcus Williams didn't do much to get any NBA teams excited about adding their names to their rosters. Guys like Al Thornton and Alando Tucker have moved up but where they rank is anyone's guess. Meanwhile, Nick Fazekas, Aaron Afflalo, Aaron Gray and others have stayed in and seen their games and their stock stay the same.
And then there's the first non-high school rookie class. The 2006 draft looks like one of the worst in recent memory as very few, if any, of the players were ready to make a big impact on a team in their first year. And despite not having any straight-from-high-schoolers, the draft is littered with projects and guys whose games suddenly don't seem to be what teams expected.
So in the end, the age limit hasn't really helped anyone save for Boston, Memphis, Philly, and Milwaukee who've all fallen on hard times and have a shot at an elite level player at the head of this draft while the Raptors, Bulls, Bobcats, Blazers and Hawks had to settle for a watered-down class.
This draft, we traded a 2007 first round pick of Cleveland's for Rajon Rondo.
We had traded Jiri Welsch to get that Cleveland pick which we swapped to Phoenix for Rajon Rondo.
And it was Antoine Walker who was traded for, amongst others, Jiri Welsch who was then traded to Cleveland for the 2007 pick that we traded to Phoenix in order to get Rajon Rondo.
HOWEVER, the only reason Phoenix HAD that pick was because we traded them Joe Johnson, who they later traded to Atlanta for, amongst others, the pick that we got for Jiri Welsch who we had once acquired in a trade for Antoine Walker.
THAT BEING SAID, the only reason Atlanta had the pick that we got for Jiri Welsch, who we had once acquired for Antoine Walker was because we traded it, along with Gary Payton, for Antoine Walker who Atlanta had gotten from Dallas who acquired Antoine Walker from us in a deal that included, amongst others, Jiri Welsch who we then dealt to Cleveland to get the pick that we later dealt to get Rajon Rondo.
AND IN THE END, we had the pick because when Gary Payton was traded to us and didn't report, the deal was changed and the Lakers gave us the first round pick which we then traded along with Gary Payton for Antoine Walker who Atlanta had gotten from Dallas who got Antoine Walker from us in a deal that included, amongst others, Jiri Welsch who we then dealt to Cleveland to get the pick that we later dealt to get Rajon Rondo.
All of this being said, if Cleveland was to ever somehow reacquire that pick , I think the universe could collapse.
- We swing a three team deal with Atlanta and the Lakers 
Unbelievably and undoubtably unwittingly, Chad Ford has admitted that he has no idea what is going on in the new NBA draft. He claims that nobody has a lock on the draft and that there are various scenarios that could play out. He then questions whether the reader would question his assertion that he is completely ignorant and states, "Don't believe me? Here are some scenarios that could play out on draft night." He then lists seven different scenarios. It should be noted, only two of those scenarios don't incluide the promise to which he's pinning his waning credibility, the Atlanta Hawks taking Shelden Williams.
For the record (or records as it is), Chad Ford says the Celtics could be drafting Rudy Gay or Marcus Williams or Rajon Rondo or Patrick O'Bryant or LaMarcus Aldridge or Randy Foye. While Rudy Gay is who he has us getting in his "official mock draft", Marcus Williams appears at #7 in two of Ford's scenarios. Oh, and if you go over to Celticsblog.com you'll see that Chad Ford dropped the names Cedric Simmons and Ronnie Brewer to the moderator Jeff. So basically, the Celtics might take one of about ten guys in the draft.
This, my friends, is the type of Insider information that only the world's leading sports network can deliver.
Randy Foye? The critics immediate cry would be that he isn't a true PG. In fact, his teammate Kyle Lowry is more of a pure PG. Those who like Foye (Foye Toys?) will immediately point out that, sticking to the 2001 comparison, the issues people levy against Foye were the same that they levied against Arenas. While Foye might not be an ideal PG, he fits two of the most important factors which allow players to overcome this: he's got a great attitude and is a strong leader. If you don't mind not having a true PG, then Randy is likely your first choice and a reasonable selection at #7.
Marcus Williams? The best pure point guard right now. "Right now" being the operative term because he the Jamaal Tinsley of the draft; what you see is what you get. He has a lower ceiling than many of the other prospects but the fact remains that his current ceiling is something many of these other guys may never reach. He would be the sure thing point guard of the draft (even moreso than Foye) if it weren't for questions about his attitude. He had a spotty record when it came to off-the-court decision making (the laptop fencing, the inability to stay academically eligible) and his workouts so far have been underwhelming. While the current workouts don't highlight his strengths, he hasn't helped himself by showing up out of shape. If the character issues don't bother you, Marcus is the most likely to help from day one, which is something Danny, and many Celtics fans, would love to see out of their draft pick.
Ronnie Brewer? Ronnie's not a point guard. He can handle the position but he's a Dee Brown type point man; someone you can be handle the position but isn't going to stop anyone in the front office from looking for a real PG. 
Rajon Rondo? With his elite athleticism and pure point guard skills, Rondo has the highest ceiling of any PG in the draft. He could easily become a Tony Parker type PG. The problem, unfortunately, is that he also could be Omar Cook. Rondo is a roll of the dice. His playmaking skills are undervalued but that's because they are underdevloped. Kentucky used his more as a slasher, almost a two guard, rather than letting him run the show. He is a true pass-first point guard which is good but he's also a pass-second point guard too because his jumper is beyond lacking. Some people have said he struggles with his shot because of his large hands but that is more of a problem than an excuse because it means that his shot is a physical issue and not something that he can easily fix. Rondo is a reach at seven but would make a decent investment if we trade down. He is a couple years away from consistent minutes but when he finally gets those minutes, it could be special.
Sergio Rodriguez? The Spanish Magician isn't the athlete that Rondo is but is a more complete offensive players. The other end of the floor isn't so kind to him though. Sergio makes Steve Nash look competent on the defensive end and would likely need a year to work on his defense before he could really get minutes. While some people compare his game to Nash or Jason Williams, he could also be Sasha Vujacic or better shooting Doug Gottlieb. Sergio would be another candidate at around #15 but he also isn't someone who is going to help out any time soon.
Sleepers? Are there any second round picks who could surprise and become stars in this draft? Daniel Gibson was a supposed top 3 choice heading into the college season but his selfish and uninspiring play now has him as a second rounder. His decision making was horrific at times. The kid definitely can play the game but he needs a complete on-court attitude adjustment if he wants to make the NBA. Darius Washington is another super-athlete with point guard skills who seems a little too in love with either his own game or the sound of the ball hitting the floor. Like Gibson, Washington dribbles entirely too much and needs to realize his role in the offense. A lot of his weakness are things he just needs to work on but that always prompts the question, why the heck isn't he working on them? Coming into workouts too heavy hasn't exactly helped ease people's anxieties that he might be a player that never truly gets it. Will Blalock and Dee Brown are two seniors who could step in off the bench this season for someone. I'm not sure either will ever become a starter in the league but they both have the ability to stick in the league and be great contributors.
With the #7 we most certainly can take someone who could help us at the point. Rondo and Rodriguez are two gambles that we may want to look at if we trade down while Williams and Foye are the two "safest" picks. That being said, the biggest assist Foye and Williams could give the Celtics is if they go in the top six as that would allow one of the top prospects in the draft to fall to us.