2011 NBA Mock Draft - Draft Lottery Edition

Now we know why teams like to top 3 protect their picks. When the Clippers traded their first round pick to get out from Baron Davis contract, it was an afterthought that it would wind up first overall. But here we are. Anyways, enjoy.

-------------------

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Los Angeles Clippers) - PG Kyrie Irving, Fr, Duke. An interesting scenario is the Cavs taking Derrick Williams here then either Brandon Knight or Kemba Walker at 4. Interesting, but one I disagree with. I think Irving is a much much better prospect then those two. Really not even in the same ballpark. The Cavaliers seem to agree, as it is believed they "prayed" for the top pick to land the Duke star.

2. Minnesota Timberwolves - C Enes Kanter, Turkey. Check out my previous mock draft for the reasons I thought the Wolves would take Kanter over anybody. Why change that thought process now? I won't until they give me a reason to, such as trading Michael Beasley. This pick could very well be moved for some veteran help, and I think that would be a good idea. David Kahn would probably be asking for way too much though. Especially considering he managed to turn a couple of mediocre role players into a top 5 pick a couple years ago.

3. Utah Jazz (from New Jersey Nets) - SF/PF Derrick Williams, So, Arizona. The Jazz could not be happier if this scenario plays out. They will now be able to field a front court of three power fowards, all who have different games. Match up problems galore on offense. Plus you have Derrick Favors coming off the bench. If Williams ends up going second overall, I would put Kanter here. Like Favors, he will be able to learn behind some solid veterans and take over when Al Jefferson moves on.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers - SG Alec Burks, So, Colorado. Whaaaat? Alec Burks fourth overall? You're just trying to be different for the sake of being different! No one even reads your blog! You're fat! First of all, you have to remember how bad this draft is. You have Irving, Williams, and a bunch of projects and foreigners. The Cavs probably want to win now, since the owner guaranteed a championship before one of the four teams still playing today. So that excludes the foreign big men. They just took a point guard, so this pick comes down to Burks or Kawhi Leonard. I picked Burks because I think he is a bit more seasoned, and could contribute more right away. They could go either direction here.

5. Toronto Raptors - SF Kawhi Leonard, So, San Diego St. The Raptors would probably like to get their hands on Kanter, but he is gone. Management has decided to draft American born players the last couple of years and it has paid off, as DeMar DeRozan and Ed Davis look like they could be a big part of the teams future. They go that route again with Leonard. He is a project, but he could be worked into the rotation slowly like DeRozan and Davis were. The Raptors are becoming a tougher team with their draft picks, and that trend continues here.

6. Washington Wizards - PF/C Jonas Valanciunas, Lithuania. The Wizards would love to get Leonard but he's gone. They are stuck here, as they don't need Walker or Knight. So they go with best player available. From what I have read, I am a Valanciunas fan. He's not the typical soft Euro. He's a banger who could grow into a legit 7 foot. But he does have a potential ugly buyout that could keep him overseas for a few years. If it wasn't for that I would put him #2 to Minnesota. But Kahn wouldn't want to go through that process again. The Wizards might as well go this route, because no one available would provide immediate help.

7. Sacramento Kings - PG Kemba Walker, Jr, Connecticut. In this scanario, the Kings have their choice of point guards. I don't know if either Walker or Knight is a great fit next to Tyreke Evans, but it would probably be a good idea to take one of them. I picked Walker because maybe he will put a couple more fans in the seats as the team tries to stay in Sacramento. Plus, after the problems the team has had with DeMarcus Cousins, it would probably be nice to add a player who works his ass off and has won something in college to the roster.

8. Detroit Pistons - PG Brandon Knight, Fr, Kentucky. Brandon Knight is worth taking in the top 10 due to talent alone. He showed what he could be capable of during the NCAA tournament. I don't think he's worth a top five pick though, at least now. He still has so much to learn about the point guard position, as his bad assist to turnover ratio showed. Unfortunately for him he goes to a team that is rotten to the center right now. Stuckey is just one of the players who the team would probably like to get rid of. He is the only one who doesn't have a bad contract stretched for a few more years, so they could opt to go for his replacement. The Pistons pretty much need to go best player available the next few years and hope they don't get ruined by the "leaders" who helped the Pistons win a title so many years ago. Oh..and as I always mention when I talk about the Pistons, Joe Dumars is a terrible GM and always has been.

9. Charlotte Bobcats - PF Marcus Morris, Jr, Kansas. Seemingly every year since their inception, the Bobcats have taken productive college players with low ceilings with their first round picks. It hasn't worked out very well, but until I see something different, I'm going to continue to roll with that trend. Morris is a bit undersized for the power forward position but has a nice all around offensive game, and a good basketball IQ. Unlike other coaches, Paul Silas should actually give him playing time right away.

10. Milwaukee Bucks - SF/PF Jan Vesely, Czech Republic. Vesely is a high flyer who doesn't really know how to play the game of basketball yet. The Bucks are a team full of mediocre role players. They can afford to take the risk. The last time the Bucks picked 10th overall, they got an explosive talent with Brandon Jennings. They need more of this, as Jennings and Bogut are not enough.

11. Golden St. Warriors - SF Chris Singleton, Jr, Florida St. I never know what direction the Warriors will go in. They could opt for Jimmer Fredette as they plan to assemble the worst defensive backcourt in NBA history. Or they could actually try to improve on that side of the ball for once. Singleton is the best on the ball defender in the draft, and could get some minutes right away defending the other teams best offensive threat.

12. Utah Jazz - PF Donatas Motiejunas, Lithuania. The Jazz would be pretty deep on the front court if they landed Williams, but they seem to be acquiring talent at this point. Motiejunas would be a good project to add to the roster. You simply cannot discount Fredette here, however. He is white and a BYU Cougar.

13. Phoenix Suns - PF/C Bismack Biyombo, Congo. Everyone seems to be pegging Jimmer Fredette to the Suns here, but I just don't know why. They have Aaron Brooks as a cheap solid backup to Steve Nash. The Suns have quite the collection of soft big men. I am not sold on Biyombo at all. Any time you are compared to Ben Wallace, that is just a very nice way of saying you can't play offense at all. But offense is not a problem for the Suns. They could use a beast flying in to grab some rebounds and block some shots.

14. Houston Rockets - PG/SG Jimmer Fredette, Sr, BYU. Beats me. The Rockets have several young big men, so I think you could scratch that off the list. That leaves the best available wing player. Fredette is a very undersized shooter who can't play any defense, but he would be a nice backup on this team. He could have an Eddie House career.

15. Indiana Pacers - PG/SG Josh Selby, Fr, Kansas. I think Selby is going to rise as the workouts go on, and could even top out as a lottery pick. Some players are just better in the NBA then they are in college. Selby would be best used as instant offense off the bench. The Pacers could use just that.

16. Philadelphia 76ers - PF Tristan Thompson, Fr, Texas. The Sixers are pretty deep, and Doug Collins often has little use for rookies. It took the #2 overall pick most of the season to find any type of groove. Thompson is a project right now who could gain some experience being buried at the very end of the bench, I suppose.

17. New York Knicks - PF Kenneth Faried, Sr, Morehead St.
Faried does have his drawbacks, but he is perhaps the best rebounder in NCAA history. He would be a good fit as an energy player off the bench for the Knicks. But this is the same team that buried Anthony Randolph on the bench and essentially traded Corey Brewer for Jared Jeffries, so who knows what they are going to do.

18. Washington Wizards (from Atlanta Hawks) - SF Jordan Hamilton, So, Texas. This would be a pretty nice pick for the Wizards. They have a big hole at small forward. Hamilton isn't really ready to be a big time NBA contributor, but he is one of the best scorers in the draft. The Wizards would be fun to watch on offense with him, John Wall and Jordan Crawford.

19. Charlotte Bobcats (from New Orleans Hornets) - SG Marshon Brooks, Sr, Providence.
Read what I said about the Bobcats last pick. Along with everything else, Charlotte could really use some scoring punch off the bench. Brooks is more then just a college ball hog. He put up huge numbers with great efficiency.

20. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Memphis Grizzlies) - SG Klay Thompson, Jr, Washington St. The Wolves are not 3 deep with mediocre shooting guards yet, so they go with Thompson. But seriously, they could use some back court scoring. Wesley Johnson was a disappointment when asked to play shooting guard. He is not a shooter. However, Thompson is.

21. Portland Trail Blazers - PF/C Jordan Williams, So, Maryland. Injuries decimated the Blazers front court depth. They would do well to draft some insurance here. The man who drove Gary Williams to retirement has solid skills. If he can keep from turning into Sean May, he could have a decent NBA career.

22. Denver Nuggets - SF Tyler Honeycutt, So, UCLA. Bruins usually fare better in the NBA then they do in college, and Honeycutt could be no exception. He needs to add strength, as even Kevin Durant would be able to bench press him, but he does a lot of good things on the court. Could be a solid contributor for a Nuggets team that will lose a lot this off season.

23. Houston Rockets (from Orlando Magic) - SF/PF Nikola Mirotic, Croatia. The Rockets really don't have room on the roster to add two first round rookies, so they take the the stash with lottery talent but a huge buyout.

24. Oklahoma City Thunder - PF Markieff Morris, Jr, Kansas. The Thunder don't really have room on the roster for another youngster. I would have them taking a foreigner to stash for a while, but with Morris falling this far, they can't pass up on him.

25. Boston Celtics - SF/PF Tobias Harris, Fr, Tennessee. The Celtics snatch up a freshman who falls because he doesn't do one thing really well. He is compared to Shane Battier as a solid all around player. He could crack the Celtics rotation immediately.

26. Dallas Mavericks - PF Justin Harper, Sr, Richmond. Harper is a bit like Dirk Nowitzki is that he is a near 7 footer who has 3 point range. He is not much of a rebounder or defender, but it a solid scorer who will provide front court depth.

27. New Jersey Nets (from Los Angeles Lakers) - PF/C Jeremy Tyler, USA. Tyler's life choices have spelled disaster for his once promising career, but I think after workouts he will find his way into round one. One consistent in the draft is teams draft size. He is nowhere near ready to play and probably won't be for a few years.

28. Chicago Bulls (from Miami Heat) - PG/SG Nolan Smith, Sr, Duke. Smith had a great senior season for the Blue Devils. He is undersized and lacks a true position, but can shoot the mid range jumper and play defense. At worst, he will provide competition with CJ Watson for Derrick Rose's backup.

29. San Antonio Spurs - PF Jon Leuer, Sr, Wisconsin. If Matt Bonner can make an NBA career for himself, so can Leuer.

30. Chicago Bulls - PF/C Lucas Nogueira, Brazil.
The Bulls probably won't have room for two rookies on the roster. Playoff teams taking these overseas guys means that there will be some value in round 2, as always the case.

Round 2


31. Miami Heat - PG Reggie Jackson, Jr, Boston College
32. Cleveland Cavaliers - PF Trey Thompkins, Jr, Georgia
33. Detroit Pistons - PF JaJuan Johnson, Sr, Purdue
34. Washington Wizards - PG/SG Malcolm Lee, Jr, UCLA
35. Sacramento Kings - SF Kyle Singler, Sr, Duke
36. New Jersey Nets - PF Nikola Vucevic, Jr, USC
37. Los Angeles Clippers - SF Davis Bertans, Latvia
38. Houston Rockets - PG Darius Morris, So, Michigan
39. Charlotte Bobcats - PG/SG Charles Jenkins, Sr, Hofstra
40. Milwaukee Bucks - SF Chandler Parsons, Sr, Florida
41. Los Angeles Lakers - PG Norris Cole, Sr, Cleveland St.
42. Indiana Pacers - C Keith Benson, Sr, Oakland
43. Golden St. Warriors - SG Travis Leslie, Jr, Georgia
44. Chicago Bulls - SF Jimmy Butler, Sr, Marquette
45. New Orleans Hornets - SF Jereme Richmond, Fr, Illinois
46. Los Angeles Lakers - C Michael Dunigan, USA
47. Los Angeles Clippers - SF/PF malcolm Thomas, Sr, San Diego St.
48. Atlanta Hawks - PG Cory Joseph, Fr, Texas
49. Memphis Grizzlies - PG Shelvin Mack, Jr, Butler
50. Philadelphia 76ers - PF Willie Reed, Jr, St. Louis
51. Portland Trail Blazers - PF Joffrey Lauvergne, France
52. Denver Nuggets - SG E'Twaun Moore, Sr, Purdue
53. Orlando Magic - PF/C Greg Smith, So, Fresno St.
54. Cleveland Cavaliers - SG/SF Scotty Hopson, Jr, Tennessee
55. Boston Celtics - PG Isaiah Thomas, Jr, Washington
56. Los Angeles Lakers - C Giorgi Shermadini, Georgia (Country)
57. Dallas Mavericks - SG/SF Bojan Bogdanovic, Serbia
58. Los Angeles Lakers - PG Demetri McCamey, Sr, Illinois
59. San Antonio Spurs - PG/SG Andrew Goudelock, Sr, College of Charleston
60. Sacramento Kings - PG/SG Iman Shumpert, Jr, Georgia Tech

Jonathan Carrano

Phasellus facilisis convallis metus, ut imperdiet augue auctor nec. Duis at velit id augue lobortis porta. Sed varius, enim accumsan aliquam tincidunt, tortor urna vulputate quam, eget finibus urna est in augue.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

your a dumb fuck if you think JoeD is a bad GM but i do like the knight pick

Anonymous said...

Yeah, couldn't agree with trejuan more. Calling Joe Dumars a terrible GM (apparently more than once?) is pretty damn idiotic....