Okay try number 2! I had finished the entire Mock Draft that I was doing for today's post, was trying to format it better for readers and I made a few wrong clicks and poof gone! So here is my best recreation of what was a very good mock draft! Please let me know what you think, comment away and check back Friday morning to see how well I did!
2. Minnesota Timberwolves: So since Irving is gone and they don't have to make a move (Rubio makes Irving unnecessary for them) the T-Wolves have been debating whether to trade the pick or to take Derrick Williams from University of Arizona. Phoenix is enamored with Williams and recent rumors have been swirling that Steve Nash has been offered up for the 2nd pick but more realistically Marcin Gortat and the 13th pick could be had. The T-Wolves have tried to get JaVale McGee from the Wizards but that seems to be a farfetched idea. So unless the T-Wolves trade it away, I bet they take Derrick Williams to be a 3/4 swing guy who can replace Michael Beasley when he gets to be too expensive or too annoying.
3. Utah Jazz (From New Jersey Nets): Irving was their first love but we all know how Utah feels about big point guards. So this pick is fairly obvious, the Jazz will select Brandon Knight from University of Kentucky who will be a good replacement for Deron Williams but will have to learn on the job as he seems very shaky with decision-making at the moment.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Their 2nd pick and since they took Irving, this pick fell right into place. They will select the 19 year old Turkish Center Enes Kanter. Kanter is a rather unkown entity since he was ineligible to play at Kentucky last year and has only played in 2 all-star kinds of games. Still the duo of Irving-Kanter for years to come will make Cleveland rejoice, not riot.
5. Toronto Raptors: GM Brian Colangelo loves international players (Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon) but I think new coach Dwane Casey will overrule this time and the Raptors will go defensive with Kawhi Leonard from San Diego State. Leonard has the biggest hands in the draft and can really get at it defensively with a high motor and excellent length for the SF position.
6. Washington Wizards: Jon Wall to JaVale McGee was a great Alley-Oop combo last year, next year it will be Wall to Vesely as the Wizards will select 21 year old Czech Republic PF Jan Vesely. Vesely is unlike most Europeans, he has a high motor, is extremely athletic (can jump out of the gym) and showboats by pounding his chest and back pedaling with a swagger after a made 3. He is exactly the player the Wiz need and can really energize that franchise.
7. Sacramento Kings: A back-court of Jimmer Fredette and Tyreke Evans sure would be entertaining but it would provide no height and no defense. Also Jimmer at 7 seems a tad high even for him. I think the Kings still go guard but with a little more athletic one with UConn's Kemba Walker who is shorter than Jimmer but much quicker and defensively gifted.
8. Detroit Pistons: One name- BISMACK BIYOMBO! The best name in the draft and the best athlete in the draft belong to Biyombo who became the first player to ever register a triple-double at the Nike Hoops Summit with double digit points, rebounds and blocks in a game. The kid has long arms and is already lightyears ahead of most people on the defensive end and has shown some aptitude for scoring as well. He is a new Ben Wallace with a much higher ceiling.
9. Charlotte Bobcats: Oh Michael Jordan what will you do? Who should he take? Jimmer Fredette. But he can't since he whiffed so bad on the Adam Morrison pick a few years ago. So instead he will try to get an athletic, big power forward. A few names mentioned are Chris Singleton, Jonas Valaciunas and Tristan Thompson. Jordan doesn't really value character as much as most GMs do so I bet he takes the highest ceiling here, which is Thompson. Tristan Thompson is an athletic big man but must get out of his own way before he really succeeds.
10. Milwaukee Bucks: The Bucks need a shooter, Michael Redd is always hurt, and Brandon Jennings wears down easily when it is all on his shoulders. So the two names buzzing around are Alec Burks from Colorado and Klay Thompson from Washington State. I think Milwaukee goes with the purer shooter in Burks here.
11. Golden State Warriors: The Warriors are in the same place as the Bucks, in need of a big, perimeter shooter to fill holes. Since Burks is gone, Thompson is the obvious choice. He stays closer to home and gets to play for Mark Jackson.
12. Utah Jazz: 2nd pick of the draft for the Jazz and they filled their PG need, now they will look for a SG or a SF/PF. Kirilenko is washed up and a FA so the logical choice here is Florida State's Chris Singleton who can be a versatile defender and a great character guy. But I mean can Utah pass up Jimmer? I think not.... choice JIMMER!! The legacy of the Jimmer will grow and Salt Lake City can rest easy.
13. Phoenix Suns: If they don't end up trading up with Minnesota, I think they look to shore up the PF position. Best choice here is the talented Marcus Morris from Kansas who can rebound and score with his back to the basket or facing up. He can replace Channing Frye as the perimeter and mid-range threat.
14. Houston Rockets: GM Daryl Morey loves acquiring assets, now he is trying to package a few up. (Yao, Brad Miller, Scola, Budinger, Lee, Lowry, Dragic to name a few are all available) While I don't think he can get the deal he wants right now he will look to add a talented player. And the best available is Jonas Valanciunas, the 19 year old Lithuanian PF who is a top 5 talent but since he won't be able to play in the NBA next year due to his Euroleague contract he is a nice player to sock away.
15. Indiana Pacers: Being coachless always hurts a team when it prepares for a draft. But luckily the Pacers have a good young center (Hibbert), a good young point guard (Collison) and a young go-to scoring wing player (Granger) to build around. I think they will be looking for a shooting guard or a power forward to slide in. If Utah doesn't pick Jimmer, Indiana will and he would fit in great but since in this mock he's off the board, the Pacers will add an athletic big guy who wowed everyone in the NCAA tournament in 6'9" PF Kenneth Faried from Morehead State.
16. Philadelphia 76ers: The Sixers love both Texas big guys, Thompson and Jordan Hamilton. Since Thompson is gone, the Sixers will select Jordan Hamilton who is a 6'9" SF. Hamilton can score and defend 1 on 1 but is a little slow. Could be a replacement for Iguodala.
17. New York Knicks: The enigma that is the Knicks! Oh what will they do? The Jimmer rumors seem farfetched although D'Antoni does love shooters, but I think the Knicks either get a big guy or a defensive minded shooting guard. The choice should be Iman Shumpert from Georgia Tech who is an excellent defender who can hit the long ball too. Other possible choices were Josh Selby and Trey Thompkins. Shumpert isn't a flashy choice but he will get the job done.
18. Washington Wizards (From Atlanta Hawks): I wouldn't be surprised if the Wiz try to trade out of this pick but if they do keep it, look for them to take another big guy in Markieff Morris from Kansas. While Vesely is a leaper and offensive powerhouse, Morris is a defensive minded player who can rebound and hit the occasional shot.
19. Charlotte Bobcats (From New Orleans Hornets): Bobcats need size as we said before and MJ does like rebounders. Chris Singleton is out there still, so is Nikola Vucevic. I think Vucevic is the choice here and can be an immediate contributor. He is a 7 foot center from USC with nice skills but still raw.
20. Minnesota Timberwolves (From Memphis Grizzlies): Wouldn't be surprised if they try to move out of this pick either. But if they keep it 2 shooting guards of high capability are available in Providence's Marshon Brooks and Boston College's Reggie Jackson. Minn. likes Brooks' personality and size more (6'5" vs. Jackson's 6'3") so Brooks is the choice here.
21. Portland Trailblazers: The Blazers need a point guard and a center. No real stud PGs are available right now so the Blazers will look at Kenneth Faried but if he is gone like I think he will be, they will settle on Lithuanian 7 foot PF/C Donatas Motiejunas who will immediately help the oft-injured Greg Oden and Marcus Camby.
22. Denver Nuggets: This seems to be pretty clear, everyone says Denver takes Tennessee's 6'8" 18 year old SF Tobias Harris. I'd be surprised if anything else happens here at 22.
23. Houston Rockets (From Orlando Magic): They would have loved to pair the Lithuanians in Valanciunas and Motiejunas but since that is spoiled, they will look at Darius Morris from Michigan and Chris Singleton. Singleton has to be the pick here, he is a top 10 talent that has slipped to 23 because he is somewhere between a 3 and 4.
24. Oklahoma City Thunder: Who will the young/talented Thunder add? They are pretty thin up front so the options here are Tyler Honeycutt from UCLA, JuJuan Johnson from Purdue and Nikola Mirotic from Montenegro. GM Sam Presti does like international players, so I bet the choice here is Mirotic who is a 6'10" SF/PF. Downside is he is stuck in Europe for another 2-3 years with a bad contract.
25. Boston Celtics: My team! Celts need some PG/SG depth and a ton of PF depth. I would love them to take JuJuan Johnson or Honeycutt but it seems GM Danny Ainge is really enamored with 6'11" Jeremy Tyler. Tyler skipped out of his senior year of high school and college and played overseas in Israel and Japan so is somewhat of an unknown entity.
26. Dallas Mavericks: I'm sorry the World Champion Dallas Mavericks. Two choices here from what it looks like: Kansas guard Josh Selby or International forward Davis Bartens. Bartens will probably be the pick since he is a 6'10" 18 year old PF from Latvia who the Mavs can store overseas for a few years until they need him.
27. New Jersey Nets (From LA Lakers): The Nets need a scorer to help out Deron Williams badly and since Brook Lopez took 5 steps back a scoring off guard could be a huge help. Brooks is off the board but Jackson is there so the easy pick is Boston College's 6'3" PG/SG Reggie Jackson.
28. Chicago Bulls (From Miami Heat): The Bulls have 2 picks at the end of round 1 here and they are desperate for SG help. The lack of a SG and the horrible play from Boozer cost them the chance to play for the title this year. So what do they address here? I think they look to take Richmond PF Justin Harper who can hit the outside shot and also rebounds very well.
29. San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs have been very interesting to follow since they have apparently offered Tony Parker for a lottery pick. So if they even stay here in the draft, I would bet they take a SF/PF to give them some help down low and on the wing. The best choice here is UCLA's Tyler Honeycutt who can play SF/PF very well and while he is athletic still has toughness and strength to gain before he is an impact player.
30. Chicago Bulls: And the Bulls end round 1 with a SG pick, Josh Selby who a bunch of teams looked at seems to be the smart choice here. Could be a good running mate with Rose.
Check back tomorrow for comments/suggestions and Round 2's mock draft! Please let me know what you think!!
As a Cavs fan, I'll take Irving and Kanter, hope they suck one more year (while watching LeBitch struggle) and get Sullinger/Barnes/Jones/ Insert Kentucky Freshman here
ReplyDeleteHaha, yeah I could see that situation fold out for you. If you get Irving and Kanter, Barnes would be a great 3rd cog in that machine.
ReplyDelete