NBA fans love this time of year. No, not because of the Finals, but because of all the draft hype. All the pre-draft camp news, private workouts and crazy rumors bouncing around make it hard to stop reading espn.com, hoopshype.com and draftexpress.com, as well as all the other sources like team sites, player sites and local newspapers.

It's not just the draft stuff that's fun to read, it's all the other rumors too. Players like Kobe, Shawn Marion, Kevin Garnett, Zach Randolph, Vince Carter, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and plenty of others are mentioned in various trade rumors. Some are true, some aren't anywhere close to the truth.

As for the players in the draft, my top five is Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Mike Conley and Corey Brewer, in that order. I know Brandan Wright is up there on most boards, but he's not a lock and I think the five I mentioned are and he's already insisting on working out alone for teams, which isn't the mark of a great competitor. I also know Yi Jianlian is highly ranked, but don't believe in rating players I've never seen.

Some mid-first-round sleepers that might turn into superstars include: Jeff Green, Nick Young, Gabe Pruitt, Thaddeus Young and Rodney Stuckey. All are very skilled offensively and have a world of upside.

Bigger sleepers that probably won't go in the first round include: Glen Davis, Jared Dudley, Taurean Green, Curtis Sumpter, Bobby Brown and DaShaun Wood. Davis may be the most skilled post player in the draft and if his weight is under control, he's a monster in the paint. Dudley knows how to play, plays very hard and is a underrated shooter; he'll be in the league for 10 years. Green is a great shooter and poised at the point. Sumpter would be a lottery pick if he didn't blow out the same ACL twice, but he's still got all the heart. Brown is an ultra-smooth shooting guard with a beautiful shot and Wood is a speedster, who should catch on as a backup point with an uptempo team.

That's what I know. I'm actually going to the draft this year so it should be a great time. It's always interesting seeing who slips and who jumps up the draft board. I'm sure I'll write another blog from the draft with some of the interesting things I see.