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The success-starved Los Angeles Clippers laid the foundations for a return to the play-offs by selecting gifted power forward Blake Griffin with the number one overall choice in the NBA Draft.

Connecticut's shot-blocking center Hasheem Thabeet was taken by Memphis with the second pick, before Arizona State shooting guard James Harden was grabbed by Oklahoma City.

Sacramento took Memphis shooting guard Tyreke Evans at number four and then Minnesota selected Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio with one of its four picks in the opening round.

The Clippers have made the playoffs just once in the last 12 years and see Blake as the cornerstone of their rebuilding effort.

"When nobody expects you to do something, you have time to work and you have time to build," Griffin said.

"Hopefully that's what we'll do, and hopefully over the next year or two years, whatever it is, make playoff pushes and become a team that is regularly in the postseason."

At 6'10" and 250lb, Griffin dominated the paint at both ends of the floor for the University of Oklahoma over the last two years.

A 20-year-old Oklahoma City native, Griffin averaged 22.7 points and 14.4 rebounds last season for the Sooners and was the consensus collegiate Player of the Year.

"It's definitely going to take time and it's not all about me," Griffin added. "I feel like they have a great group of players that can do it, and I'm happy to be a part of that."

Minnesota traded up with the Washington Wizards to get the fifth pick and their selection of the 18-year-old Rubio drew cheers from the crowd at Madison Square Garden's WaMu Theater.

Whether Rubio remains with the Timberwolves remains to be seen since his Spanish club, DKV Joventut, wants a $6.6 million buyout to allow the teen to jump to the NBA.

Often compared to Hall of Famer Pete Maravich for his floppy hair and flashy court sense, the shooting ability of the 6'4", 180lb Rubio has been a nagging question mark.

Rubio was on the Spanish team that won the silver medal in the Beijing Olympics, losing to the NBA-stocked United States 118-107 in the championship game.

"It helped me a lot because I played against the best players in the NBA, so that means that I can play here," said Rubio, who has been playing professionally since the age of 14.

Rubio was one of three point guards taken by Minnesota in the opening round, the Timberwolves also snapping up Jonny Flynn of Syracuse at number six and North Carolina's Ty Lawson with the 18th pick.

The rights to Lawson, however, were later traded to Denver for a future first-round pick.

Davidson guard Stephen Curry, the son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, went to Golden State with the seventh pick, while 2008 collegiate Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina was picked by Indiana at number 13.

Twenty-one-year-old forward Omri Casspi was taken by Sacramento with the 23rd pick, becoming the first Israeli ever drafted in the first round.

All the first-round picks:

1 Los Angeles Clippers/Blake Griffin, Oklahoma

2 Memphis Grizzlies/Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut

3 Oklahoma City Thunder/James Harden, Arizona State

4 Sacramento Kings/Tyreke Evans, Memphis

5 Minnesota Timberwolves (from Washington)/Ricky Rubio, Spain

6 Minnesota Timberwolves/Jonny Flynn, Syracuse

7 Golden State Warriors/Stephen Curry, Davidson

8 New York Knicks/Jordan Hill, Arizona

9 Toronto Raptors/DeMar DeRozan, Southern California

10 Milwaukee Bucks/Brandon Jennings, Italy

11 New Jersey Nets/Terrence Williams, Louisville

12 Charlotte Bobcats/Gerald Henderson, Duke

13 Indiana Pacers/Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina

14 Phoenix Suns/Earl Clark, Louisville

15 Detroit Pistons/Austin Daye, Gonzaga

16 Chicago Bulls/James Johnson, Wake Forest

17 Philadelphia 76ers/Jrue Holiday, UCLA

18 Minnesota Timberwolves (from Miami)/Ty Lawson, North Carolina (rights traded to Denver for future first-round draft choice)

19 Atlanta Hawks/Jeff Teague, Wake Forest

20 Utah Jazz/Eric Maynor, Virginia Commonwealth

21 New Orleans Hornets/Darren Collison, UCLA

22 Portland Trailblazers (from Dallas)/Victor Claver, Spain

23 Sacramento Kings (from Houston)/Omri Casspi,Israel

24 Dallas Mavericks (from Portland)/B.J. Mullens, Ohio State (rights traded to Oklahoma City for rights to number 25 pick Beaubois and future second-round pick)

25 Oklahoma City Thunder (from San Antonio)/Rodrigue Beaubois, France (rights traded to Dallas)

26 Chicago Bulls (from Denver via Oklahoma City)/Taj Gibson, South California

27 Memphis Grizzlies (from Orlando)/DeMarre Carroll, Missouri

28 Minnesota Timberwolves (from Boston)/Wayne Ellington, North Carolina

29 Los Angeles Lakers/Toney Douglas, Florida State (rights traded to New York for future second-round pick and cash considerations)

30 Cleveland Cavaliers/Christian Eyenga, Congo

Reuters