NBA Draft Recap and Draft Grades

Well my first try at a mock draft for the NBA Draft didn't go over so well... looks like I got 5 correct. Now had I redone the mock even the day of, I would have been closer to 12-15 correct. Coulda, shoulda woulda, I know but oh well there is always next year. Let's break it down to close out the 2010-2011 NBA season. 

The Cavs took Kyrie Irving like everyone expected, no surprises there and the T'wolves followed suit by grabbing Derrick Williams at number 2. Then the Jazz mixed things up a little and took Turkish Center Enes Kanter (not the PG they needed). While Kanter is a great prospect, the Jazz have a logjam up front with fellow Turk Mehmet Okur, Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap. Then it REALLY got interesting with the Cavs 2nd pick of the draft when they selected forward Tristan Thompson from Texas. This came out of nowhere are many people were outraged thinking that they would take Jonas Valanciunas here but instead took the troubled Canadian born teen who shoots 49% from the free throw line. Upside here though is he can rebound and has great length down low with a soft touch around the rim. 

The Raptors jumped at the opportunity to take Valanciunas at 5 since Colangelo loves international players this came to no ones surprise but the Raptors need help now, and Jonas won't be available until at least next year due to a bad Euroleague contract. The Wizards did just what I thought they would at 6 taking the athletic 20 year old from the Czech Republic, Jan Vesely. The Kings then drafted Bismack Biyombo but this pick was part of a 3 team, 8 player trade with Biyombo ending up in Charlotte. The Pistons took the best player available and filled a nice guard need with Kentucky's Brandon Knight. Bobcats at 9 took Kemba Walker who will immediately step into a big-time scoring void that was left when they traded Stephen Jackson earlier in the day to Milwaukee. And part of that trade happened at number 10 when the Bucks selected BYU's Jimmer Fredette for the Kings. 

11th overall was another hit for me, the Warriors took Mychal Thompson's kid Klay from Washington State to fill a SG/SF void. At 12 the Jazz had another pick and this time got a guard who can score the ball in Colorado's Alec Burks. Then a great thing happened at 13, the Suns took Markieff Morris (I had them taking Marcus) followed by the Rockets taking Marcus Morris at 14. Got to love how the twins went back to back. The Pacers selected Kawhi Leonard at 15 but immediately traded him and 2nd round pick Davis Bertans to San Antonio for George Hill. 

           

At 16 the 76ers took a big man they desperately needed in Nikola Vucevic, a 7 footer from USC. I nailed the Knicks selection right on too when they selected defensive minded guard Iman Shumpert from Georgia Tech. Tons of boos on this pick, even Spike Lee had issues defending the pick when interviewed, all he kept saying was defense and we need defense. At 18 the Wizards took their 2nd pick, Chris Singleton from Florida State to give them two athletic guys to fill the 3 and 4 positions. The Bobcats took Tobias Harris for the Bucks here as part of that SJax trade which I had mentioned earlier. And at 20 the T'Wolves took Donatas Motiejunas who was then traded to Houston with Jonny Flynn for Brad Miller and other players they would trade later on. 

21st was the Trailblazers pick and since they had decided to trade Andre Miller and others for Raymond Felton earlier, they chose Duke PG Nolan Smith. The Nuggets who always love high motor guys took the guy with the highest in the draft with Kenneth Faried at 22 overall. Best rebounder in college basketball of ALL TIME. At 23 Rockets took Nikola Mirotic but he was traded to Minnesota then to Chicago. The Thunder surprised a lot of people when they took SG Reggie Jackson from Boston College at 24 since he did not workout for a single team in preparation for the draft. And at 25 my Celtics finally picked and took Providence's guard Marshon Brooks but traded him immediately to the Nets for the 27th pick and a 2nd rounder in 2014.

26th was the World Champion Mavericks who took Jordan Hamilton from Texas but traded him to Denver as part of the Felton/Miller deal and received Rudy Fernandez in return. 27th was the Nets pick for the Celtics and they took the talented PF from Purdue, JaJuan Johnson. (Celtics also took Purdue SG E'twuan Moore with their 2nd round pick) Bulls took Norris Cole at 28 but traded him to Minnesota who traded him to Miami. 29th the Spurs took their George Hill replacement in Texas' Cory Joseph. And to finish off the first round the Bulls took the best story in the draft, Marquette's Jimmy Butler who has gone from homeless to NBA first round pick. 

Overall a very entertaining draft, lots of trades, twitter was a blast to follow as the trades were being reported much faster there than on ESPN. So here are the team grades: 

A+'s: None
A's: Minnesota, Washington, Utah, Sacramento
A-'s: Boston, Dallas, Detroit
B+'s: Cleveland, Indiana, Memphis, Milwaukee, New Jersey, Miami, Chicago, San Antonio
B's: Toronto, Oklahoma City, Golden State, Denver, Charlotte
B-'s: Houston, LA Lakers, New York
C+'s: Orlando, Phoenix, Portland
C's: Philadelphia
C-'s: LA Clippers, New Orleans, Atlanta
D's: None
F's: None

NBA Draft tonight! Mock Draft of the 2nd Round

So as promised yesterday, here is my Mock Draft of the 2nd Round of the 2011 NBA Draft. I have always loved draft times, playing with the draft machine and trade machine on ESPN.com and just chatting with random people (this year more on twitter) about what teams should do or what they will do. And apparently a lot of people also feel this way since yesterday was the biggest traffic volume to my blog since its inception, so for that, I thank you all. Without further ado here is Round 2!

31. Miami Heat (From Minnesota Timberwolves): First pick of the draft for the runner-ups from this season. I've heard they are hoping Reggie Jackson or Marshon Brooks falls out of the first round but more than likely they both do not so the pick here should be a scoring forward. My favorite left, JaJuan Johnson of Purdue, big guy who can step out and nail a 20 footer.

32. Cleveland Cavaliers: In the ideal draft like what I had predicted, the Cavs grab Irving and Kanter with #1 and #4 overall. With that being said they still have a need for a swingman and the best SF on the board, one who many have going to the Celtics, is Chandler Parsons from Florida. It's possible they go with a big guy here too like Jon Leuer but I doubt it. Parsons is the pick.

33. Detroit Pistons (From Toronto Raptors): In my mock I had the Pistons taking the athletic big man Biyombo with their first pick, they also have a big hole at the point guard position (Stuckey is not a true PG) and there are a bunch of capable guys to fill that role. Shelvin Mack from Butler is out there, Norris Cole from Cleveland State, Malcolm Lee from UCLA to name a few but I think Detroit goes with the most athletic one, and that is the explosive Norris Cole who wowed America earlier in the year by posting 41 points, 20 rebounds and 9 assists in a game as a PG.

34. Washington Wizards: They took Vesely and Mk. Morris with their first two picks so I wouldn't be surprised if they go guard here but that does seem to be the strength of their team with no true backup for JaVale McGee. Jordan Williams from Maryland is a big tough guy who can rebound, but can they pass up a guy like Nolan Smith to be a back-court partner with Wall/Crawford? I don't think so, Smith is the pick from Duke.

35. Sacramento Kings: I had the Kings take an athletic PG/SG to help out Evans in the first round, now they need some big body help with the unknown of Samuel Dalembert returning or not. If Tyler evades the first round he would be the pick but I think they'll a smart guy in Jon Leuer from Wisconsin as a scoring PF who can play some SF too.

36. New Jersey Nets: Nets took Reggie Jackson with their first pick, now they need some help at the 3 since overpaying Travis Outlaw by about 30 million didn't workout, the best SF available is Bojan Bogdanovic who is an accomplished scorer in the Euroleague but it is questionable if he is coming over this year or next year. Either way he is a great value pick here in the 2nd round.

37. Los Angeles Clippers (From Detroit Pistons): First pick of the draft for the Clippers. What is their real need? Probably another guard or a small forward. If Selby falls he is their guy but if he doesn't, I'd bet they take Darius Morris or hometown guy Malcolm Lee. They are very similar so I think the Clips take the hometown guy in Lee from UCLA.

38. Houston Rockets (From Los Angeles Clippers): The Rockets took an asset pick with Valanciunas and a SF/PF guy in Singleton in the first round and now in the 2nd they have always been impressed with Michigan PG Darius Morris so he is the obvious pick here.

39. Charlotte Bobcats: Thompson and Vucevic in the first round for size, now in the 2nd round they really need a backup for DJ Augustin. A run on PGs puts them at a bit of a disadvantage, but Shelvin Mack and Charles Jenkins from Hofstra are two options here. I bet they take Jenkins who is more of a combo guard than Mack and can really light it up from deep.

40. Milwaukee Bucks: They have a few spots needed to fill and one of those is backup center to Andrew Bogut. Bogut is injury prone but could be a good teacher to a young guy like Jordan Williams. Williams is raw but has good size and can rebound with a tenacity more than some.

41. Los Angeles Lakers (From Golden State From New Jersey): Lakers need an heir apparent to Derek Fisher BAD and they are just so lucky enough to have Shelvin Mack (one of the best leaders in the draft) available to them. This is an easy pick and will instantly improve the back-court of Fisher/Blake.

42. Indiana Pacers: They still need a SG after grabbing Faried in the first round. Most of the good ones are gone but another shooter and a guy who can create off the dribble like Kyle Singler from Duke would be a perfect fit. Plus he's white and we know Indiana loves the white guys.

43. Chicago Bulls (From Utah Jazz): Bulls grabbed a scoring PF and a SG project in Harper and Selby respectively, now you would assume they would just keep stockpiling shooters. Jimmy Butler from Marquette is a great fit here. Surprised no one else really loves him, the guy can score and play the 2 or 3 very well. Easy pick with Butler.

44. Golden State Warriors (From Phoenix Suns From Chicago Bulls): Mark Jackson is a guard guy but he has a log-jam back there and needs some front-court help. Trey Thompkins from Georgia is a good low-post scorer who just needs a kick in the butt to get in shape and Jack is the guy who can provide said kick.

45. New Orleans (From Philadelphia): Hornets have a whole bunch of needs and none of them can really be filled here in the 2nd round. So my best bet is they take a guy with a lot of promise and hope he pays off. If anything from the playoffs showed us how well a good coach can help out an average center like Aaron Gray, the Hornets will take another guy who has the body and size just not the skills in Greg Smith from Fresno State. Smith is 6'10" with a 8'1" reach and a 7'3'' wingspan.

46. Los Angeles Lakers (From New York Knicks): Lakers have been floating Odom, Gasol, Bynum, Artest trade rumors around so they certainly are in need for a SF/PF/C or a combination guy. There are a few guys available like Keith Benson from Oakland or Malcolm Thomas from San Diego State. I think they'll take Thomas who has a higher motor and is more athletic at the SF/PF position.

47. Los Angeles Clippers ( From Houston Rockets): Clippers don't really need a big guy right now but how can they pass up a talented big guy who could be a top 10 pick in a later draft. Georgian big guy Giorgi Shermadini is the choice here... he could end up being a bust and never come over or he could be a huge asset down the road.

48. Atlanta Hawks: Hawks love athletic guards, and a hometown guy certainly will help out their attendance woes. Travis Leslie is the guy here, the 6'4" leaper could really be great if he can learn to shoot the ball.

49. Memphis Grizzlies: The Griz showed a ton of heart and took a great leap forward in the playoffs this year by knocking off the top seeded Spurs. Rudy Gay might be on the move but still their biggest weakness is a backup point guard and shooting guard. Texas guard Cory Joseph could be the guy here, a bit of a project but so was Mike Conley and he turned out pretty good. Other options are Diante Garrett from Iowa State or E'Twaun Moore from Purdue, but I think Joseph is more rewarding for the Griz.

50. Philadelphia 76ers (From New Orleans): Sixers have taken Jordan Hamilton to shore up the SF position now they need some help for the aging Elton Brand. Best choice here is the defensive big man from Oakland, Keith Benson.

51. Portland Trailblazers: Blazers got another center to help out the injured front court, now they need a replacement for Andre Miller's aging body. Best point guard option left available is Iowa State's Diante Garrett whom teams are very impressed with after workouts would be a nice project for them to mold.

52. Detroit Pistons: Pistons really need some scorers and with Ben Gordon apparently available that really stretches their need. E'Twuan Moore is a good choice but Scotty Hopson from Tennessee is a dynamo athlete who can score in bunches. Only issue is Hopson's consistency and late in the 2nd round, it is worth a chance.

53. Orlando Magic: Finally get to make their first selection and get gifted a scoring machine in E'Twuan Moore. Can't ask for more this late in the 2nd round.

54. Cleveland Cavaliers (From Oklahoma City Thunder From Miami Heat): The draft really gets weak here, more projects and less actual players. Jereme Richmond from Illinois is a good project that could be the answer a few years down the road at SF for the Cavs.

55. Boston Celtics: Celts have a ton of options to go with in this draft, a thousand question marks surround everyone this late, none so more than Jamine Peterson but lets face it, the Celts are a team that can take a bad egg and turn him good with Doc Rivers at the helm and great vets like Allen, Garnett and Pierce running the team. A center option would be nice but none really stick out.

56. Los Angeles Lakers: They took a PG already but they really need 2 since Blake is just awful. Brad Wanamaker is a tough guard from Pittsburgh who can score while Julyan Stone from UTEP is more of a combo guard. My guess is Wanamaker since Mike Brown loves defense.

57. Dallas Mavericks: Your guess is as good as mine... my guess is Julyan Stone here, can never have too many combo guard shooters on a team.

58. Los Angeles Lakers (From Miami Heat): DeAndre Liggins would be an excellent value pick here, the kid can score in bunches and is very good off the dribble. He is also an excellent on ball defender for a few positions.

59. San Antonio Spurs: Spurs need some big guys like I had said yesterday, Michael Dunigan is a 7 footer from Oregon who dominated the Estonian League apparently? How great of an accomplishment that is is still yet to be seen. But hey, he can score and rebound, Duncan can straighten him out.

60. Sacramento Kings (From Chicago Bulls From Milwaukee Bucks): Last but not least, the Kings end the draft by taking a pure shooter from a small school in Andrew Goudelock from College of Charleston. As I said before can never have too many scorers.

Thanks again for reading my blog and the 2nd round mock draft... I look forward to seeing how well I do tonight when the picks are announced. Comment away!

My Mock Draft of Round 1 of the NBA Draft

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!

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (From LA Clippers): Everyone says this is a lock, Kyrie Irving is the number 1 pick, but don't be too sure. The Cavs could force the T-Wolves and Jazz hands at 2 and 3 if they surprise everyone and take Derrick Williams number 1. But realistically, I'd put money on the fact that the Cavs take their point guard for the next 5-7 years in Kyrie Irving from Duke University.

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!!