Mock NBA Draft
Just like the NFL Draft post your picks below and I will update them as regularly as possible. Since we are starting this so late in the game let’s try and keep analysis brief and to the point. This time around if a team has multiple picks only one GM will select for them. With that said here is the order:
1) Portland-Wells- Greg Oden, C, Ohio State
2) Seattle-Yetti-Kevin Durant, SF, Texas
3) Atlanta-Dean-Mike Conley Jr., PG, Ohio State
4) Memphis-Joe-Al Horford, PF, Florida
5) Boston-Danks-Corey Brewer, SF, Florida
6) Milwaukee-Jon-Brandan Wright, PF, North Carolina
7) Minnesota-Haver-Spencer Hawes, C, Washington
Charlotte-Raible-Joakim Noah, PF/C, Florida
9) Chicago-Joe-Yi Jianlian, Chinaman, China
10) Sacramento-Wells-Julian Wright, SF, Kansas
11) Atlanta-Dean-Jeff Green, SF, Georgetown
12) Philadelphia-Yetti-Al Thornton, SF, Florida St
13) New Orleans-Raible-Thaddeus Young, SF, Georgia Tech
14) LA Clippers-Wells-Nick Young, SG, USC
15) Detroit-Jon-Acie Law IV, PG, Texas A & M
16) Washington-Raible-Jason Smith, PF, Colorado St
17) New Jersey-Joe-Sean Williams, PF/C, Boston College
18) Golden State-Haver-Javaris Crittendon, PG, Georgia Tech
19) LA Lakers-Dean-Gabe Pruitt, PG, USC
20) Miami-Jon-Derrick Byars, SG/SF, Vanderbilt
21) Philadelphia-Bcat-Rodney Stuckey, SG, Eastern Washington
22) Charlotte-Raible-Morris Almond, SG, Rice
23) New York-Hoss-Daequan Cook, SG, Ohio St
24) Phoenix-Haver-Marcus Williams, SG/SF, Arizona
25) Utah-Dean-Aaron Afflalo, SG, UCLA
26) Houston-Haver-Glen Davis, PF, LSU
27) Detroit-Jon-Tiago Splitter, PF, Brazil
28) San Antonio-Wells- Alando Tucker, SF, Wisconsin
29) Phoenix-Haver-Josh McRoberts, PF, Duke
30) Philadelphia-Bcat-Al Traore, PF, France
Seattle – Aaron Gray – C – Pittsburgh
kidding…
DURANT
Jeff
June 20, 2007
Atlanta- CONLEY
The Hawks could have a backcourt of Chris Paul and Brandon Roy right now. Although I’d usually go with a dominant big man here the Hawks can’t pass on another young point guard when their team needs structure. For what it’s worth I’d trade as many of those projects as I could for more stable young players, even at the cost of talent.
thegreatawakening
June 20, 2007
They need a few position players here, but have some young talent to go along with their franchise player in Pau Gasol. They lack a PG and a true, physical PF. With Mike Conley gone and with a few good big men here to choose from, they grizz are going to take:
Al Horford, PF Florida. 6′10, 245lbs
They could always test the market for a trade w/either warrick and/or gay or even mike miller and try to get a nice PG. Or use them all in a BIG lineup. Horford’s all-around skills and basketball smarts make him impossible to pass up here.
JD
June 20, 2007
Well,
The best thing for the Celts to do is dump this pick ASAP. There is nothing in the draft that could help this team right away not named Oden or Durant. Both the Garnett deal and the Marion deal should be looked at very closely. If you can pull either of those off you do it. But since we don’t do trades, I’ll make a worthless pick for the C’s.
Cory Brewer, SG-SF, Florida
Ainge likes this guy the most. It would also be pointless to draft a PF with the young Al Jefferson emerging last year. Brewer can step in for Pierce, if Paul is shown the door. But, once again…don’t expect the Celts to draft this pick. They may just trade down to draft Noah or some other shlep. Later.
wvudanks
June 21, 2007
The Bucks would have loved a shot at Conley here, but he’s gone. Charlie V. might be best suited for 25-30 mins per game off the bench doing a little bit of everything. With this pick, the Bucks decide to take who they hope can be a force inside with Bogut for a long time…
Brandon Wright – PF – UNC
DWade
June 21, 2007
Twolves. KG is pissin me off right now but I’m Kevin McHale and after I finish my up and under drills I’ll make my pick. As I’m pump faking and ducking under I’m thinking of what I should do here. Green and Yi are tempting but I want a big man. That leaves me with Joakim Noah and Spencer Hawes. I love the intangibles Joakim brings to the table. He’s a fierce competitor that would fit great next to KG. With Foye, McCants, and Davis we have some scorers on the perimeter and Joakim can just be Joakim. However, Spencer Hawes is white and more like me. Therefore……
Spencer Hawes – C- Washington
Haver
June 22, 2007
With Oden, Durant, Conley, Horford, Brewer, Wright, and Hawes off the board, the Charlotte Bobcats (still not as good or as cool as the Charlotte Hornets, by the way) take:
Joakim Noah, Florida, 6-11, Junior
After finishing in 4th place in the Southeast Division, the Bobcats take the most exciting player left on the board. Love him or hate him, Noah catches as many headlines as anyone. For a franchise that has yet to seriously contend, I think they’ll take all of the help that they can get. Joakim is a proven winner, and his enthusiasm for the game is what the Bobcats are hoping they’ll get here at #8.
Raible
June 22, 2007
With the 9th pick, the Bulls have plenty of options and directions they could go, but don’t actually need a whole lot. It’s a tough call whether to draft Yi Jianlian, Julian Wright and Jeff Green avaliable, its a toss up. However, in the end, the Chicago Bulls will be selecting…
Yi Jianlian 6′10, China
Heres my thought process on this: The bulls could easily select Julian Wright or Jeff Green, both who would be excellent players and fit well into their system. However, they are starting to fill up at the sf/pf position w/deng, nocioni and tyrus thomas. Adding one more guy might just make to much of a cluster fuck. If it takes Jianlian 1-3 yrs to develop, with the young team the bulls have, he can come in just as ben wallace’s contact is expiring and take over center position.
Here you are giving the young guys like Tyrus Thomas and Luol Deng more of a chance to develop and emerge into top players. Imagine in 3 yrs their lineup is
PG: Kirk Hinrich
SG: Ben Gordon
SF: Luol Deng
PF: Tyrus Thomas
C: Yi Jianlian
Now this is all praying to god that jianlian becomes a yao ming type player, not a Wang ZiZi or any other chinamen bust in the NBA.
JD
June 22, 2007
Wells is busy but he selects Julian Wright for his Sacramento Kings. I’m thinking he’ll post all of these on the front page when he has a chance and we can comment on them.
Haver
June 22, 2007
Dean is out and wants me to announce his pick. With the Atlanta Hawks 2nd first round pick, Dean selects Jeff Green, SF, Georgetown.
Dean, “Green’s available? Can u post that he’s my pick and he’s dwade/broy?”
Me-”What does that mean?”
Dean-”My thoughts are art. Like all art, it is open to the readers interpretation.”
Haver
June 23, 2007
Yetti says, “Take Al Thornton for the Sixers for me. They might need a power forward more but looks like a big group of them will be available when I pick next at 21. Law IV would be nice here but Thornton is the top ranked player on my Excel spreadsheet.”
Haver
June 23, 2007
The Hornets are clearly my favorite team, so it gives me great pleasure to make this pick. My team has yet to make the Playoffs since their move to the Western Conference. Despite a valiant effort last season, the boys still fell short at the end. New Orleans will once again be the permanent home for the Bees this year now that the city has recovered from that whore Katrina. With Chris Paul, David West, and Tyson Chandler already in place, this is a huge pick for the Hornets. Desmond Mason is a free agent and Peja Stojakovic is always a question mark, so I think the Hornets need to address the “swingman” position.
A few weeks ago, I was all set for my team to take Nick Young from USC. But Thaddeus Young, he of Georgia Tech, worked out for the Hornets and impressed the living hell out of Byron Scott. Plus, I feel like the Hornets could be getting a steal with T. Young at #13, something that Haver has been quck to point out. I still like Scott as a coach and trust his judgment, so I am selecting:
Thaddeus Young, Georgia Tech, 6-8, Freshman
Raible
June 23, 2007
Wells, who was delayed slightly with his pick because Amani Toomer called him, decides to go with Nick Young. He said he wanted one of the 3 SF’s that just went and then immediately thought of PG’s Acie Law IV and Jarvis Crittendon for the Clips. But then started to think that Maggette could be gone soon and the Clips basically need the best player available. On the top of the Matt Wells draft board (available for 59.95 on Mattwells.com) lies…….
Nick Young, SG, USC
Haver
June 23, 2007
The Pistons need backcourt depth. Especially with the possibility that Billups leaves via free agency. With Wells stealing Nick Young from Joe Dumars’ grasp, he quickly regroups and selects a PG who fits the Pistons mold;
Acie Law the 112th.
This also gives the Detroit the ability to let Billups go and allocate that money for another FA this year or next.
DWade
June 23, 2007
With Gilbert Arenas announcing that he’d option out of his contract at the end of this year, this pick became a little bit messier. Arenas, much like Kobe, wants to be on a contender now. He feels like putting a little bit of pressure on the Wizards will force them to make those moves. If that’s the road the Wizards want to go down, then they should take the best player available, especially if that player has some size. With that in mind, the Wizards select:
Jason Smith, Colorado State, 7-0, Junior
Raible
June 23, 2007
Since it looks like we’re too far ahead to start having individual posts for each pick I’m gonna try to go back and comment on the first 10 picks of the first round.
1. and 2. Oden and Durant are almost not worth mentioning. The draft starts at #3.
3. Dean selects Conley and fulfills their biggest need. However lookin at the way the draft unfolds and the Hawks having about 5 SF’s to choose from at #11 I think the Hawks should take Horford at 3. Always seems like the Hawks have depth at the 2, 3 and 4 position but really with Al Harrington leaving a year ago the depth is mainly at the SG and SF positions. Shelden Williams can be an undersized center and form a nice duo with Zaza. That really leaves only Marvin Williams at PF. Not only is he unproven but he’s a SF/PF tweener anyway. The Hawks can then look at Law IV and Crittendon at #11.
4. Love Horford to the Grizzlies but tryin to think what I’d like if he was gone. A lot of rumors point towards Joakim Noah or Mike Conley. While Brandan Wright has been rated higher than Joakim for a long time it’d be like taking Anderson Varejao over Drew Gooden, something I think the Cavs would do. Already having a star big man in Gasol, I like the things Joakim brings to the table to compliment Pau. As for Conley, you can’t not take him because you have Kyle Lowry and I think he also makes sense. I LOVE Corey Brewer but i think with Miller, Gay, and Warrick; while Brewer wouldnt be a bad pick for any team, the Grizzlies most likely will pass.
5. Celtics can do a lot here and Brewer is as good as any. I’ve said it before and while I understand Celts fans might rather get a veteran than another youngster, this is the 5th pick in a loaded draft. Brewer beside Pierce now and Green later is great. Joakim next to Al Jefferson is fantastic. Yi to provide a different look to the team would be nice. Brandan Wright’s star potential wouldn’t be too shabby and neither would drafting Conley, for the same reasons as above just substitute Rondo for Lowry.
6. Love a Bogut, Wright, and Villenueva combo. A positionless frontcourt. Could also go with their favorite available small forward or Conley, if available, and not worry about resigning Mo Williams.
7. Hawes was my pick and i already gave my reasoning. Hawes is still white.
8. Bobcats seem to have all of the role players in place and should take someone with star potential, which is the exact opposite of Joakim. However, you can’t pencil Sean May into the starting lineup for the next 10 years just yet and the defensive prowess a frontcourt of Emeka, Joakim and Gerald Wallace (if re-signed) possesses is outstanding. This team needs Adam Morrison to turn into a Reggie Miller like player to take the next step, as it has all other pieces in place with the addition of Joakim.
9. I think the Bulls gotta be lookin at Hawes, Joakim and Yi and only Yi was remaining. That lineup of the future provided by Dellafave really does look top notch. One thing I was thinking about here is IF the Bulls really want to go after Kobe they might have to include Luol Deng, something they don’t want to do and I wouldn’t want to either. However, look at what’s available right now in the draft. Could they take a Green, Julian Wright, Thornton, or Thaddeus and then not mind including Kobe into a deal? Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, PJ Brown and a future first rounder for Kobe.
Compare Joey’s lineup to this….
PG Hinrich
SG Kobe
SF Jeff Green
PF Tyrus Thomas
C Ben Wallace
Might sacrifice the future a little bit, but you trade for arguably the best player in the game at age 28, still have young talent in Hinrich, Tyrus, Jeff Green and Sefolosha and might immediately be the Eastern Conference front runner with a few more backup big men.
10. Kings need anything and everything and take possibly the most talented player available. I’d really like to see this team trade Artest and Bibby and start all over and I know Wells agrees.
Haver
June 23, 2007
NJ Nets are gonna take……
Sean Williams, 6′9 BC
A lot of off court troubles, but i think the nets can afford to take a chance on him. He’s a great defensive player and a shot-blocking machine. Not knowing the futures of both kidd and carter, i think the nets have to secure a solid future with guys like him, boone, marcus williams, rj, kristic.
JD
June 24, 2007
RE: BULLS,
The only thing better than doing a Kobe deal would be doing the Kobe deal and also getting Jeff Green. Green could take a little ball-handling pressure off of Hinrich and allow him to focus a little more on offense.
thegreatawakening
June 24, 2007
Wells gave me the go ahead to pick for the Warriors. A big man that can run would be my top choice but no trade up for Yi or Noah was possible and Jason Smith came off the board a few picks ago. They already have guys like Adonal Foyle and Patrick O’Bryant sitting on their bench so they don’t need just simply another big man. I think Nellie hits up his strengths here and just adds to the mix. If one of the top SF’s fall he could grab him here. Stuckey also got a look because he seems like an athletic scorer. However, in the end, the Golden State Warriors select Javaris Crittendon. Baron Davis was unreal last year but is injury prone. Crittendon would give them a young guy to develop at PG and could play beside Baron or beside Monta Ellis. He’s a tall PG that could provide mismatches and numerous options, something Nellie seems to love.
When I texted Wells that I was leaning towards Crittendon he said, “That was prob my top choice.” I responded, “The fn man.”
Javaris Crittendon, 6′5″ PG, Georgia Tech
Haver
June 24, 2007
The LA Lakers trade Andrew Bynum to the Atlanta Hawks for Jeff Green………..okay I’m told that’s not reasonable…….how bout Bynum/Farmar for Conley/Green??……….just kidding, the Lakers take……….
Gabe Pruitt
thegreatawakening
June 24, 2007
Miami needs to hit with this pick. They don’t have much in the way of tradeable assets or cap room. They need a young PG in the worst way, but Crittendon and Pruitt were just taken. The Heat decide to take the best overall player left on thier board…
Derrick Byars – SG/SF – Vandy
The hope here is that he’s able to contribute early on at the 3 position and spell Wade at times at the 2
DWade
June 24, 2007
Yetti doesn’t care about this. The Cat will take over for Yetti and draft the remaining two picks for the Sixers. Not only does this get The Cat involved, but it will give one more thing for Hoss to talk to him about Monday morning on AIM.
Haver
June 24, 2007
76ers will Take Rodney Stuckey. In need of a scorer, this guy can feel it up. Can play the point or off guard. Solid player. Only downfall is he is a lil too small for shooting guard.
dacat
June 25, 2007
In need of some offense, Charlotte selects:
Morris Almond, Rice, 6-6, Senior
Haver brought up a valid point to me the other day that this pick, and perhaps the Bobcats’ first pick, could depend on what happens with Gerald Wallace. Nevertheless, the Cats clearly need some scoring help. Almond scored at will in college while playing for a bad team, so it seems like he would make a good selection here for the Bobcats.
Raible
June 25, 2007
Knicks
Daequan Cook
SG, 6′6″, 203 lbs.
A pure shooter both mid and long range -even with a hand in his face. Lee and Fyre don’t have the range; therefore Cook is a player that Marburry could drive and dish the ball out to, and drain the 3. Cook will compliment the Knicks offense with his shooting ability and allieviate the double team that Curry draws. Cook needs to work on ball-handling but is a solid pick at 22. FYI Cook is rumored to be the first athlete to endorse ‘Starburry’ sneaker an clothing line.
hoss16
June 25, 2007
Hoss took Daequan Cook, SG, Ohio St, earlier and thought he submitted something. Don’t know what happened but maybe we’ll be blessed with his great thoughts later. We’ll move on to the Suns for now.
Phoenix needs more size and toughness. The Suns must play to their strengths and grab a big man with athleticism that fits into their style of play and improve on what they already do so well. I think the underrated piece of the puzzle they are missing is that athletic 2/3 combo. Barbosa is a 1/2. Raja Bell is an undersized 2. Diaw and Marion are both 3/4’s. Adding a versatile swingman would give them a dimension they are lacking. Derrick Byars would have been a nice fit but was taken a few selections ago. No big man is jumping out for Steve Kerr right now but a player from a college he’s quite familiar with is.
Marcus Williams, 6′7, SG/SF, Arizona.
Williams will feel quite at home in Phoenix and is exactly the type of player I’m looking for. I love taking a player like Williams this late in the draft that would have been a potential lottery pick with one more year in college. He’s not a blazing athlete but can easily play the 2 and 3 off the bench for the Suns, giving them more versatility than ever.
Haver
June 25, 2007
A couple guys I might have considered here are gone. I think Sean Williams would be a good shot blocker off the bench to help out the big men on D. Byars and Almond wouldn;t be bad either.
The Jazz consider a few different successful college players here. Glen Davis is fat and jolly and has been mentioned with the Jazz in a couple places, but I don’t think he’s really what they want here. Reyshawn Terry and Alando Tucker could come in as solid role players with big game experience here, and I was prepared to take either if the rest of my list evaporated. Maybe they’ll make it to the 2nd round, as will my personal favorite in the draft, Jared Dudley.
Dudley was described somewhere as a poor-man’s Shane Battier, and I like the sound of that for the Jazz. His three-point shooting might not translate to the NBA which hurts his cause somewhat with the Jazz. But I’d love to land the guy in Utah. His ugliness and scrapiness would fit right in.
I’m reading the Sporting News mock draft right now which has lots of player comparisons that I like. They give the Jazz Marco Bellinelli, but they also mention Rudy Fernandez in the same breath as Ginobli, and I’m starting to think the Jazz are in pretty good shape to get a shooting guard in this draft, whether it falls like this or not.
Haver brought up what a great fit Raja Bell would be for Utah, and the fact that they let him get away, not too long ago. I of course try to forget this, as I consider players like Bell, Battier, and Bowen elite players, only a tier below the great all-around players like Wade and Roy. Anyway, the Sporting News, along with the other publications I checked out, didn;t have Aaron Afflalo going in the first round. But they did describe him as a shorter Raja Bell. I like the sound of that, and I also like mid-range, pull-up jumpers.
Will the Jazz actually take Afflalo here? I don’t know.
Is he considered a reach by lots of people? I don’t care.
Aaron Afflalo, Pull-Up Jump-Shooter/On-Ball Defender, UCLA
thegreatawakening
June 26, 2007
Ahhh the Houston Rockets. Finally the time has come where I select for my beloved Rockets. I feel like they are set up so beautifully with a star scorer and big man; the perfect role player in Shane Battier. So close….but yet so far. Houston could use an upgrade at point guard but with the acquisition of Mike James they need to trade a point guard or two away before they add another one. It was Juwan Howard that was sent in return for James and leaves only Chuck Hayes at power forward, making the 4 spot an immediate need.
Jason Smith and Sean Williams have gone recently and both would have to be considered. Smith would combine with Yao for a massive duo and also provides athleticism. Really intrigued with Williams, getting someone completely opposite of Yao and providing instant toughness and defense while not having to worry about scoring. It appears as if the top 3 pf’s available are Tiago Splitter, Nick Fazekas and Big Baby Davis.
Splitter seems like he could be a great fit next to Yao but the Rockets need help now and can’t afford to wait a year for Splitter in love they’re in love with him and no one else. They traded away Rudy Gay last year and don’t have a 2nd round pick this year. They need immediate youth.
Rumors point to the Rockets new GM Daryl Morey loving Nick Fazekas. Too many negatives for me to really enjoy this. He’s unathletic and so is Yao and he’s a lot like last year’s 2nd round pick Steve Novak. However I’ll try to look at the positives and hope for the best if he’s the selection. Great outside shooter, averaged 10+ RPB his final two seasons, and perhaps is tougher than he looks ala Kevin McHale. However, I’m not Daryl Morey and Fazekas isn’t my pick.
My pick is…….Glen “Big Baby” Davis, PF, LSU
Maybe I’m partial to big black widebodies but I’m a huge (no pun intended) fan of Big Baby. At first glance one might think he’s “fat and jolly” as Dean mentioned above but I disagree. Davis was measured at 12% body fat and also was taller than most people predicted. He’s a big solid ball of mass. I love the way a man of his size can handle the ball, pass, and shoot out to the college 3 point line. Now he is a little undersized for PF so I think the former high school halfback needs the right fit to succeed. Lining next to Yao Ming will help any power forward, somewhat like Shaquille O’Neal has done for Udonis Haslem.
The Houston Rockets will draft Glen Davis and go undefeated in 2007-2008.
Haver
June 26, 2007
Pistons take the best big man left on thier board. He’s a wildcard but supposedly has an NBA ready defensive game.
Detroit takes…
Tiago Splitter – Brazil
DWade
June 26, 2007
There’s two things you have to look at when breaking down the Spurs:
1. They are the Champs for a reason: They are that good
2. They are not getting any younger.
I love them picking up Tucker here because he is a proven Collegiate player that can attack the rim or beat you with the jumper. Manu, Bowen, Finley and Big Shot Bob are all getting up there in years so Tucker could slide right in without having the pressure to perform.
San Antonio Spurs select:
Alando Tucker, SF, Wisconsin
Wells
June 26, 2007
Once again Jonny “Dwade” Frank stole my pick. I ended up liking Marcus Williams more than Derrick Byars and hope I can have similar results with Phoenix’s second 1st round pick of 2007. I think Splitter would be a nice fit for a team with multiple first round picks but apparently so did Jon. Fazekas and a guy I forgot to mention for the Rockets, Josh McBoberts (not a misspelling) are about the two best big men left. Maybe you can throw Little Gasol into the mix. The last thing the Suns should do is take a big man just to take a big man. McBoberts is probably the best fit of the three and part of me does think that he has a great all-around game to play a supporting role. He can handle the ball, shoot, pass and run. With a little strength he could be like a David Lee that can pass. However, he’s such a girl I wonder if he’ll ever be able to add strength. But it’s the Phoenix Suns. Everyone on their roster seems to exceed expecations. If there was an aggressive 3/4 type of player that would fit perfectly I wouldn’t have been able to pass him up. But I really didn’t see that player out there. Maybe Carl Landry but I couldn’t pull the trigger. McBoberts was expected to be the man at Duke and failed to live up those lofty standards. But in Phoenix he’ll be far from the first option. Like Williams, McBoberts is a sophomore that could have found himself in the lottery with another year in school. Plus his mom is so hot! MILF!!!!!!!!!
Josh McBoberts, PF/Vagina, Duke
Haver
June 27, 2007
I’m at a weird computer, but I have a couple things to say.
1. I like Tucker on the Spurs becuase he is a winner, and they are winners. BUT, I prefer Jared Dudley. Mark my words, you motherfuckers, Dudley will join Jeff Green, Acie Law, and Aaron Afflalo as big time pimps that will turn out the stylkish pussies of the NBA like Dwayne Wade and Brandon Roy before them. But, Alando Tucker should be on that list as well so I can;’really complain.
2. Demetris Nichols played in the Big Yeast and can shoot. I think there is a spot for him on a contender. If he can slip late in round two I think he can help a terrific team in the dagger department. Daggers are important.
3. Let’s do a 3rd round
Tim
June 27, 2007
the sixers will take:
Ali Traore – Paris, France.
Huge upside. Can have a Boris Diaw impact with is all around game. Unfortunately he could develop the same work ethic though.
dacat
June 27, 2007
I tried to post last night but it didn’t work.
Here’s my thoughts:
1. I like Tucker to San Ant, he’s a winner and the Spurs are winners. But I like Jared Dudley more. Mark my words, you motherfuckers, Dudley will join fellow pimps Jeff Green, Acie Law, and Aaron Afflalo in turning out the too-cool-for-school new generation of NBA pussies like Dwayne Wade and Brandon Roy before them. But Tucker is a winner too so it’s all good.
2. In general I think Oden, Durant, Dwight Howard and others will transform the league from a national joke run by the likes are Marbury and Miles into t respectable, gentlemanly organization.
3. Demetris Nichols played in the Big East and can nail threes. I hope he ends up going to a contender in round two, because I think he can help out in the dagger department. Daggers are huge.
Bye.
thegreatawakening
June 27, 2007
OK, I’m bored at work today and don’t feel like doing actual work, so I am gonna throw out my own, personal, Mock Draft for your viewing pleasure. And, for Tim Dean, I will include the following quote:
“…you see, it’s not the blood you spill that gets you what you want, it’s the blood you share. Your family. Your friendships. Your community. These are the most valuable things a man can have.”
1. Portland – Greg Oden
2. Seattle – Kevin Durant
3. Atlanta – Al Horford
4. Memphis – Mike Conley Jr.
5. Boston – Yi Jianlian
6. Milwaukee – Corey Brewer
7. Minnesota – Brandan Wright
8. Charlotte – Joakim Noah
9. Chicago – Spencer Hawes
10. Sacramento – Jeff Green
11. Atlanta – Acie Law
12. Philadelphia – Julian Wright
13. New Orleans – Thaddeus Young
14. L.A. Clippers – Javaris Crittenton
15. Detroit – Rodney Stuckey
16. Washington – Jason Smith
17. New Jersey – Sean Williams
18. Golden State – Al Thornton
19. L.A. Lakers – Nick Young
20. Miami – Derrick Byars
21. Philadelphia – Tiago Splitter
22. Charlotte – Morris Almond
23. New York – Wilson Chandler
24. Phoenix – Marco Belinelli
25. Utah – Rudy Fernandez
26. Houston – Glen Davis
27. Detroit – Josh McRoberts
28. San Antonio – Jared Dudley
29. Phoenix – Petteri Koponen
30. Philadelphia – Taurean Green
Raible
June 28, 2007
“A man does what he must – in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures – and that is the basis of all human morality.”
thegreatawakening
June 28, 2007
“I don’t drink brass monkey, like to be funky, Nickname Eazy-E your 8 ball junkie.”
Raible
June 28, 2007
NBA Draft Analysis…
Winners:
Portland: The complete overhaul in Portland has taken place as Greg Oden, Channing Frye, Steve Francis, Josh McRoberts, and Taurean Green come in while Zach Randolph and two bums leave town. With a few International guys to leave overseas as well, it is apparent that the Blazers clearly have a plan in place.
Seattle: Much like Portland, I like the rebuilding project that is going on in Seattle, too, as the team is set to move forward with Kevin Durant and Jeff Green leading the way. For what it’s worth, the Sonics add Wally World, too, and have not ruled out re-signing Rashard Lewis; I don’t think that the 2,3, and 4 are gonna be an issue for whoever the new coach of the Sonics is going to be.
Atlanta: Contrary to what Jay Bilas might think, I like what Atlanta did in selecting Al Horford and Acie Law. The time is now for the Hawks, who seem to have a bunch of nice pieces in place. Somewhere, The Cat is smiling.
Boston: Many of the “experts” didn’t like it, but I loved the trade the Celtics made in bringing Ray Allen into town. Boston is a legit contender to win the Eastern Conference next year (yes, you read that right) with the addition of Sweet Baby Ray to Paul Pierce, Al Jefferson, and the slew of young talent that Danny Ainge has assembled. To add Allen and Big Baby Davis at the expense of Jeff Green, Delonte West, and Wally World, I feel the trade was well worth it!
Golden State: I think adding Brandan Wright was a major coup for the Warriors, who still have a ton of wing players that they can plug in for the departing J-Rich (with that being said, I am not against the trade for the Bobcats, who clearly need some kind of scorer to pair with all of their great role players). Adding ‘Nelli to Nellie’s bunch was a sweet move, too, if for no other reason than the irony.
Losers:
Houston: The look on Haver’s face when David Stern said the name “Aaron Brooks” said it all. The Rockets, who just traded PF Juwan Howard for PG Mike James, were in clear need of frontcourt help, yet elected to strengthen their PG depth. Haver’s summary: “You know it’s bad when I am more excited about Brad Newley.”
Phoenix: The Suns desperately need to add some depth to their team, and while Tucker and Strawberry could turn out to be a couple of nice finds, I don’t understand why Phoenix refuses to inject any youth into their team, opting to sell players as opposed to stockpiling some talent.
Sacramento: Although Wells loved the pick (and what Wells says is pretty much the TRUTH), I didn’t like this pick for the Kings. Clearly in a rebuilding mode, I feel like Sac-Town ended up taking a guy who was overly unimpressive, at least to me, during his only college season. The Kings need some talent, and with guys like Thaddeus Young, Julian Wright, and Al Thornton still on the board, I feel like Hawes was a poor pick.
To Be Determined:
New Orleans: My beloved Hornets had 10 players under contract heading into the Draft: Peja, West, Chandler, Jackson, Paul, Butler, Macijauskas, Armstrong, Simmons, and Vinicius. What this shows me is that we have a great PG, a solid PF, and a solid C. We need our starting SF to bounce back, we have some nice young bodies in the frontcourt, and a couple of saavy veteran backups i Butler and Jackson. Nowhere on that list, however, is there a SG as both Desmond Mason and Devin Brown are free agents as of Sunday.
Coming into the Draft, it looked like the Hornets would wind up with one of the Youngs (Thaddeus or Nick) or Thornton; Julian Wright, meanwhile, was thought to be gone by the time the Hornets picked. Well, lo and behold, it was the choice between Wright and Nick Young that the Hornets stared in the face, with Wright being the most talented player on the board but Young filling the best need.
Wright was billed as a potential top-5 pick when he entered the draft, so I can’t be too upset with the pick. While I am extremely worried about our SG position, Haver brought up a good point that maybe Peja just slides to SG on offense while Wright guards the other team’s 2. If the Hornets are unable to re-sign Desmond Mason, then Wright should provide some insurance.
Adam Haluska, meanwhile, may be able to provide some toughness and scoring (I can’t believe Derrick Byars was almost there for the taking in the 2nd round), but all in all, he pretty much does nothing for me.
Some notes from this morning’s Times-Picayune:
-This wasn’t supposed to happen. The Hornets had the 13th pick in Thursday night’s NBA draft, and Kansas forward Julian Wright was sixth on their draft board.
-Wright, 20, is a talented athlete whose speed and passing ability is expected to fit in nicely with Scott’s fast-paced offense. The Hornets’ brass suggested Wright will primarily play small forward, but he has the ability to dabble with power forward or even shooting guard.
-Going into Thursday’s draft, the Hornets desired a shooter. They still do. Wright is not known for his outside shot, unlike Southern Cal’s Nick Young, another player the Hornets considered for their pick.
-But there was no chance the Hornets would bypass a talent like Wright, even though Young fit the mold they desired; Young went 16th to the Washington Wizards.
-The Hornets will likely reinvent their small forward position next month, assuming they cannot resign last season’s starter Desmond Mason. The Hornets might be able to sign a player in free agency, but Wright helps fill the gap instantly.
-Scott compared Wright’s game to “a poor man’s Magic Johnson;” others compare Wright’s game to that of Boris Diaw, the versatile Phoenix Suns forward.
-Scott also said Wright’s ball-handling, passing and rebounding could potentially make him a better player than Mason.
Raible
June 29, 2007
The real winners were Haver and Raible after continuing a tradition unlike any other, devouring a perfectly constructed and cooked Boboli.
-Not enough good things can be said about Portland. Just look at their roster
PG Jack, Rodriguez, T Green
SG Roy, Webster
SF Outlaw, Miles
PF Aldridge, Frye, McBoberts
C Oden, Przybilla
Plus three more 1st rounders overseas from the 06 and 07 drafts in Joel Freeland, Rudy Fernandez and Petteri Koponen. Steve Francis and Raef LaFrentz are also on their roster but if you exclude them the average age of the 15 others is an astounding 22.2 years old. They are building a dynasty.
-Another team I think you have to consider a winner when looking at their overall squad is the New York Knicks. While it was a great move for Portland to get rid of Zach Randolph, New York could care less about character and got a 20 and 10 guy for half the value. It’s almost painful to say but their roster is really shaping up. Still a few too many but it’s a nice mix of players.
PG Marbury, N Robinson, Dickau
SG Crawford, Mardy Collins, Q Rich, F Jones
SF Jeffries, Balkman
PF Randolph, Lee, Chandler, Rose
C Curry, J James, R Morris
-Clippers. The West will be tougher than ever to make the playoffs but the Clippers are just a year off of looking like one of the hottest up and coming teams in the NBA. With Shaun Livingston’s career and Corey Maggette’s status as a Clipper both in doubt, LA needed to add some youth that provides a punch to the roster, depth and flexibility. Al Thornton can step in and play immediately and Jared Jordan is as pure of a point guard in the entire draft.
-Spurs had such a spursish draft. Their roster is basically set so they take Tiago Splitter in the first. Just when you forget about him he’ll be 26-years-old and ready to replace Oberto and Elson. In the 2nd round the Spurs take a versatile player with a high upside in Marcus Williams.
-Jazz needed a 2 or a 3 and grabbed a seemingly perfect fit in Morris Almond in the first. In the 2nd round they traded for Kyrylo Fesenko. Much like the Spurs the Jazz’s roster is pretty much full. Fesenko is a 7 footer that’s talked highly about and can be kept overseas for a few seasons before making an impact.
-I like what the Wizards did. As badly as they needed size the area they were picking seemed like a total crapshoot in terms of forwards/centers. Instead of forcing a big they took Nick Young. Their starting SG was DeShawn Stevenson and Young could be an immediate upgrade. Dominic McGuire is an athletic and aggressive 3/4 that could help off the bench. In my opinion the Wizards should take a page out of some Western Conference teams and lineup Arenas, Young, Caron, Jamison and Hayes/McGuire/Blatche and score 120 points a game. Last year’s first rounder Oleksiy Pecherov could help their big man woes anyway.
-I found it hilarious that the bottom of the screen said Dallas Mavericks needed an athlete and they took Nick Fazekas. While on the Mavs I’m really hoping Reyshawn Terry can take over for Stackhouse and/or Devean George.
-Thought the Sixers had a quietly effective draft. While Thaddeus Young seemed like a surprise, was he a surprise for any other reason than most lists you saw had him below Julian and Thornton? I think Thaddeus has the most star potential of those 3 players and the Sixers need stars. They got an athletic big man in Jason Smith later in the 1st and then traded down in the 2nd to get Derrick Byars. They also traded for Herbert Hill in the 2nd. 4 real nice pieces.
-I really like Julian Wright to the Hornets.
-I also dislike the Suns constantly trading/giving their pick away but I feel like there HAS to be a reason. You constantly hear about them trading Marion for
below value or Diaw/Barbosa. Perhaps getting 3 million from Paul Allen and not having to pay a second 1st rounder means they won’t have to do those things. I do feel they made the most of their two selections in Alando Tucker and DJ Strawberry.
-I had a quick orgasm when it seemed possible for the Bobcats to line up Felton, May, BWright and Vince Carter together.
-Loved Bwright on Charlotte but also love the fit on Golden State. Also like Belinelli. But even in the second round, Stephen Lasme seems like he could be a perfect fit. Nellie could care less about playing an undersized big man and the 6′7 Lasme led the nation in blocks and can run the floor like a guard. I like that combo on Golden State. I think getting rid of JRich’s contract is a major plus but I will be interested in seeing what they do in the offseason. Of all of their swingmen that had big seasons JRich seemed like the one legit good player. Not only could they be expecting a lot out of Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson, Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus and Belinelli but Barnes and Pietrus are free agents. Another thing to watch is that the Warriors could be a major player in the KG sweepstakes.
-I as well loved the Celts draft. Adding Ray Allen for Wally as an incredible move. I see it as one last effort to make a run in the Paul Pierce era. Gabe Pruitt replaces Delonte. Big Baby will obviously be better than anyone they could have drafted at #5. Ha, no in all seriousness, while I think Boston could have added a great piece at #5, I feel because they have Rondo, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Gomes, a few more young guys and the two new second rounders they have enough youth on the team that it’s not too big of a deal. I don’t care if Ray Allen regresses a little, he averaged 25 ppg last year. Was that even mentioned once last night? I feel with good health, youth development and a little luck the Celtics could be as good as Raible said in his post.
-It doesn’t get any better than Joakim on the Bulls.
-Like the Hawes pick or not, it BETTER start a complete overhaul of the Kings. Brad Miller, Ron Artest and Mike Bibby should all be traded this offseason. I’d go for cap space and future picks and be completely confident that 5 steps backwards can lead to 20 forwards.
-I still can’t believe the Rockets. I HAVE to think positive and try the “wait and see tactic” to see what other moves they make. If they trade Alston and/or Head my opinions could change. But even in general, Aaron Brooks? He better be a damn energetic sparkplug. I was very happy to wake up and see they traded for Carl Landry. Landry was the 5th best athlete at the draft and any PF is better beside a bigtime center. The upsetting part is Big Baby was still on the board at the time. And so many good things to say about Brad Newley. Wait, no there aren’t. The West will be so competitive and the Rockets appear to be targeting the 2008 Lottery. Most likely for a Point Guard.
-Anyone that thinks Durant should have gone first ask yourself this. How many Small Forwards drafted after 11th would you be comfortable plugging into your lineup? How many Centers? (They’re both gonna be so damn good, though)
-Cleveland, way to give yourselves a chance to add the perfect pieces around LeBron with NO PICKS.
-Can’t wait til 2008 Draft!
Haver
June 30, 2007
Raible’s mock draft was sweet for the first four picks.
Once again the analysis was huge. Not much I can add that hasn’t been said.
How sweet was it that the Cat got involved?
In all seriousness, I agree the Kings HAVE to clean house, and that when you look at the bigger picture Spencer Hawes may not be the best player to take at that spot. However, I love the versatile big man and I think Hawes could fit right along the lines of Vlade and Brad Miller.
People often forget that these guys weren’t necessarily the stars for the Kings, but a prefect complement. Now maybe with the 10th pick, you don’t need a complimentary player, but you have to look at the full scope of things and like Haver said, I wouldn’t mind having a lottery pick next year.
Two things that disappoint me about the organization though, were that they didn’t move anyone to acquire some picks and they hired Reggie Theus. Call me crazy, but I think the Kings will be in the market for a new HC sooner rather than later.
I will have some Kings overhaul thoughts on the NBA page soon enough…
Congrats to Joe for being the only one to get a 1st rd pick not named durant or oden right.
Wells
July 2, 2007