Thread: Chad Forde: MKG or Harrison Barnes, who goes first in the NBA Draft?

ESPN's Chad Ford looks at the NBA draft boards and wonders who will be the first wing man to go on draft night? Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has been building buzz while Harrison Barnes' stock is not quite as high as it might have been entering the season. Here is what Chad had to say.

As we've noted before, Kidd-Gilchrist is in direct contention with Barnes for the distinction of the top wing off the board. Barnes continues to prove he can put the ball in the basket. He had 27 points against Virginia Tech and 23 versus Georgia Tech in the past week. Barnes' 3-point shooting remains a sizzling 45 percent for the season. Though his rebounding and assist numbers continue to be weak, Barnes looks more and more like a sure thing with his scoring ability.

Kidd-Gilchrist goes the opposite way. His shooting and scoring numbers don't wow scouts, but he does all the other little things that Barnes doesn't to put his team over the top. The two have gone head-to-head both in high school and earlier this year in Kentucky, and Kidd-Gilchrist looked better. It will be interesting to see whether they'll agree to workouts against each other during the draft process.

I may be biased but to me this is a no brainer. Barnes' game consists of nothing more that mid-range jumpers and Kidd-Gilchrist offers SOOOOO much more. On draft night, Kentucky will be represented by the top two picks in the draft and 3 of the top 10. (Davis, Kidd-Gilchrist, and Jones) You heard it here...

For the rest of Ford's look at the top prospects for the NBA Draft, click here. (pay link)