2013 DBR Mock Draft - make picks here!

[luburch]

Mbakwe may be a little undersized at the PF spot but he has a 7'4" wingspan and is an aggressive and tenacious rebounder. He will grab boards all day, block a couple shots, and make the shots he's capable of. Someone with a 7'4" wingspan and a mans body can make a living in the NBA. I honestly think he has an extremely high probability of becoming a rotation player early on, much more than some taken in the second round. Plus he's a hometown guy.

Did I mention he's 6'8" with a 7'4" wingspan!!!

I considered Mbakwe as well, but his injury history and age scared me a little. However, with a second round pick it's a good gamble to take.

[tommy]

Good picks, I only wish the 'Stons do so well.

Does your trivia Q take us back to the coaching days of Dickie V? I think he had hair back then.

As for the players, was one Terry Tyler? Mercy, this is a long-shot, the only other Titan I remember was John Long.

Ding ding ding. Excellent! That's when we first shoulda been onto the myopia monster that is Dick Vitale. U of D coach gets hired by the Pistons and in his first draft selects not one but two of his own players from his college team onto his pro team. Both turned out to be ok but sheesh! Expand your horizons Dickie!

Now, for extra credit, who is the only U of D player drafted by the Pistons since Tyler and Long???

[JasonEvans]

With their fourth and final pick Minnesota selects Trevor Mbakwe, PF, Minnesota

Not
so
fast...

It was not your pick. San Antonio (Mattman) gets to pick first. We shall see if he decides to take Trevor. If not, your pick of him will stand.

-Jason "home stretch, guys! We are almost there!!" Evans

[Ichabod Drain]

Not
so
fast...

It was not your pick. San Antonio (Mattman) gets to pick first. We shall see if he decides to take Trevor. If not, your pick of him will stand.

-Jason "home stretch, guys! We are almost there!!" Evans

Ah, my mistake, could of swore it had me listed after Bob.

[mattman91]

Sorry for the delay guys.

The Mock Spurs select Peyton Siva from UL.

Between Erick Green and Peyton Siva, we feel one of these guys will be a solid rotation player in the league, if not starters.

Siva is a winner and a leader, and boy is he fast. Couldn't believe nobody picked this guy up yet

[CDu]

Lo and behold, I think we're actually going to finish this thing before the actual draft starts! Woohoo!

[JasonEvans]

Ichabod Drain's pick of Trevor Mbwebwkweke stands. We only await Chicago95 to finish this thing. He tells me his pick should be in within the next hour or so.

-Jason "anyone want to give some of us draft grades?" Evans

[Chicago 1995]

Lots of ways the Grizz could go here. They might take a second, more raw, Euro that they can stash and hope develops down the road.

Nemanja Nedovic is a guy they might consider in that role. He's a taller PG -- 6-4 -- but he's still learning to harness his impressive athleticism. He's not a great shooter and doesn't get to the line, but his size and athelticism are interesting. I'm not too enamored with any of the other Euro bigs.

Memphis could look at Dwayne Dedmon here. He's a 6-11 kid with great athleticism and a ton of upside because of it. But he's never actually shown that he can play the game at a high level. He's a very good rebounder and he can run the floor. That might get him second unit minutes eventually, but he seems like a big risk with a minimal chance for much reward.

Memphis could look at the local (college) kid DJ Stephens. I don't know that he had a position in the NBA, but I know the kid works his a** off, has been reported to be a good teammate and leader. And if you never saw Memphis play, Stephens is one of the most impressive leapers I've ever seen at the college level. He measured a 46" max vertical and he's fast. But he's only 6-5, 200 and he played the 4 in college, so he's got limited experience defending on the wing, and he's got no offensive game really at all. But he can jump and he plays hard.

Memphis could look at any of a host of wings that are available. I mentioned earlier considering Brandon Paul, and he's obviously still in the mix. Paul's also a strong leader and a guy that plays hard. Paul was one of the best defenders in the Big 10 the last two years, and he's capable of scoring in bunches. Ask Gonzaga or Ohio State. His offense, though, never found that consistency, and he's pretty limited with his dribble and he shouldn't be with his athleticism. Vander Blue is also a consideration here. Pretty similar player to Paul and he comes from a Marquette program that puts out tough guys that are pretty ready for the NBA physically. Blue's not the shooter Paul is. Mike Snaer is another guy that I kind of lump in with Paul and Blue. I don't think Snaer is the athlete those two are though. Rodney Williams is a guy I liked in college, but I don't think he's skilled enough to play in the NBA.

BJ Young is a talented kid from Arkansas, but he's got character issues and he really didn't get any better from year 1 to year 2 in Arkansas. Phil Pressey can be absolutely electric, but he lost his way last year at Missouri, trying to do too much. He's smaller than he's listed, I think, and he's not a physically tough as Pierre Jackson. DJ Cooper was a very good college player, but I don't know that he has NBA level athelticism for his size.

In the end, I'm going to go with a known quantity, rather than a Euro, and take Brandon Paul. Paul can knock down jumpers -- something Memphis needs -- and he'll defend on a second unit. It was down to him and Vander Blue, and Paul's shooting (and that I'm an Illinois guy, too) won out in the end over Blue, who I think and think will make a team next year.

[roywhite]

Ichabod Drain's pick of Trevor Mbwebwkweke stands. We only await Chicago95 to finish this thing. He tells me his pick should be in within the next hour or so.

-Jason "anyone want to give some of us draft grades?" Evans

The picks were very interesting...generally well-considered and well supported.
The commissioner showed an admirable amount of patience with a long process.
Unfortunately, some GM's were on the clock a bit too long, so the pace of action was slow at times.

A very worthwhile and entertaining feature of the board overall. Thanks much to Jason and the other mods who oversaw the process.

[brevity]

-Jason "anyone want to give some of us draft grades?" Evans

Mock draft grades? Oh boy. You won't see any from me -- I can't pretend to know enough to evaluate -- but I'd be interested to hear from others.

I want to thank theAlaskanBear for setting the tone for the rest of us. Picking Otto Porter #1, even in a mock situation, took guts, and required a thoughtful (and mock job-preserving) explanation. We got that and more. And from then on we got a series of picks that really took a look at team needs and player evaluations. Some were long, some were short, but none were careless. I especially liked the posts that weighed the merits of a few named players before deciding on one. I know it's only a mock insider perspective, but we won't get that in the real draft.

I appreciate the collective hustle (of GMs and mods) to get the second round finished so quickly. I was anxious upthread because I felt the second round would take a lot longer than the first, when the novelty had worn off and the player selection was a little less exciting. But I am glad to be wrong.

Finally, a stat: this entire thread used the word "wingspan" a total of nine times (and three were in reference to Trevor Mbakwe). In the real draft, how much time will pass before that word is uttered nine times? I put the over/under at 5 minutes, and that's with Jay Bilas on his best behavior.

[matt1]

I was hoping that all three of our seniors would be drafted in this mock draft. Ultimately, however, I just hope that all three make it in the pros.

[mattman91]

I was hoping that all three of our seniors would be drafted in this mock draft. Ultimately, however, I just hope that all three make it in the pros.

The Mock Spurs sign undrafted free agent Seth Curry to 1 year deal.

[awhom111]

Here is the list of the actual draft followed by where they went in our mock draft and then the difference (positive means we drafted them higher, negative means we drafted them lower, U means we did not draft them, and O means they were not drafted in reality):
Anthony Bennett 1 8 -7
Victor Oladipo 2 3 -1
Otto Porter 3 1 2
Cody Zeller 4 9 -5
Alex Len 5 5 0
Nerlens Noel 6 2 4
Ben McLemore 7 4 3
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 8 12 -4
Trey Burke 9 7 2
C.J. McCollum 10 11 -1
Michael Carter-Williams 11 6 5
Steven Adams 12 10 2
Kelly Olynyk 13 15 -2
Shabazz Muhammad 14 9 5
Giannis Antetokounmpo 15 32 -17
Lucas Nogueira 16 21 -5
Dennis Schroder 17 18 -1
Shane Larkin 18 14 4
Sergey Karasev 19 29 -10
Tony Snell 20 24 -4
Gorgui Dieng 21 16 5
Mason Plumlee 22 17 5
Solomon Hill 23 57 -34
Tim Hardaway Jr. 24 22 2
Reggie Bullock 25 27 -2
Andre Roberson 26 46 -20
Rudy Gobert 27 19 8
Livio Jean-Charles 28 33 -5
Archie Goodwin 29 47 -18
Nemanja Nedovic 30 U U
Allen Crabbe 31 25 6
Alex Abrines 32 48 -16
Carrick Felix 33 51 -18
Isaiah Canaan 34 23 11
Glen Rice Jr. 35 30 5
Ray McCallum 36 56 -20
Tony Mitchell 37 34 3
Nate Wolters 38 43 -5
Jeff Withey 39 26 13
Grant Jerrett 40 54 -14
Jamaal Franklin 41 20 21
Pierre Jackson 42 44 -2
Ricky Ledo 43 35 8
Mike Muscala 44 31 13
Marko Todorovic 45 53 -8
Erick Green 46 28 18
Raul Neto 47 U U
Ryan Kelly 48 36 12
Erik Murphy 49 40 9
James Ennis 50 45 5
Romero Osby 51 U U
Lorenzo Brown 52 50 2
Colton Iverson 53 49 4
Arsalan Kazemi 54 U U
Joffrey Lauvergne 55 U U
Peyton Siva 56 58 -2
Alex Oriakhi 57 U U
Deshaun Thomas 58 39 19
Bojan Dubljevic 59 55 4
Jannis Timma 60 U U
Kenny Kadji U 37 O
C.J. Leslie U 38 O
James Southerland U 41 O
Jackie Carmichael U 42 O
Myck Kabongo U 52 O
Trevor Mbakwe U 59 O
Brandon Paul U 60 O

Here is the sorted order of the players we drafted higher than their actual draft position:
Jamaal Franklin 21
Deshaun Thomas 19
Erick Green 18
Jeff Withey 13
Mike Muscala 13
Ryan Kelly 12
Isaiah Canaan 11
Erik Murphy 9
Rudy Gobert 8
Ricky Ledo 8
Allen Crabbe 6
Michael Carter-Williams 5
Shabazz Muhammad 5
Gorgui Dieng 5
Mason Plumlee 5
Glen Rice Jr. 5
James Ennis 5
Nerlens Noel 4
Shane Larkin 4
Colton Iverson 4
Bojan Dubljevic 4
Ben McLemore 3
Tony Mitchell 3
Otto Porter 2
Trey Burke 2
Steven Adams 2
Tim Hardaway Jr. 2
Lorenzo Brown 2

Here is the one guy whose mock draft position matched his actual draft position:
Alex Len 0

Here is the sorted list of players we drafted lower than their actual draft position:
Victor Oladipo -1
C.J. McCollum -1
Dennis Schroder -1
Kelly Olynyk -2
Reggie Bullock -2
Pierre Jackson -2
Peyton Siva -2
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope -4
Tony Snell -4
Cody Zeller -5
Lucas Nogueira -5
Livio Jean-Charles -5
Nate Wolters -5
Anthony Bennett -7
Marko Todorovic -8
Sergey Karasev -10
Grant Jerrett -14
Alex Abrines -16
Giannis Antetokounmpo -17
Archie Goodwin -18
Carrick Felix -18
Andre Roberson -20
Ray McCallum -20
Solomon Hill -34

We did not draft these players:
Nemanja Nedovic 30
Raul Neto 47
Romero Osby 51
Arsalan Kazemi 54
Joffrey Lauvergne 55
Alex Oriakhi 57
Jannis Timma 60

We drafted these players but they went undrafted:
Kenny Kadji 37
C.J. Leslie 38
James Southerland 41
Jackie Carmichael 42
Myck Kabongo 52
Trevor Mbakwe 59
Brandon Paul 60

[Bob Green]

-Jason "anyone want to give some of us draft grades?" Evans

Can we grade ourselves?

Here is the one guy whose mock draft position matched his actual draft position:
Alex Len 0

Here is the sorted list of players we drafted lower than their actual draft position:
Solomon Hill -34

Seeing as I nailed the Phoenix Suns first pick and stole Solomon Hill 34 picks after he was actually drafted, I give myself an A.

Bob "I'm just a humble man" Green

[brevity]

Yesterday was Father's Day, and I'm reminded of the best father I know, Don Draper. He said to let go of any present negativity: "This never happened. It will shock you how much it never happened." He also advised us of the importance of actively moving on: "If you don't like what is being said, then change the conversation."

Here in New Orleans, the days of the Hornets are over. We are the Pelicans now. We must ignore history and start anew. What could possibly go wrong?

Some teams draft based on need. Others seek out the best available player. Because we are the Pelicans, and we have the roster we have... chances are we need the best available player. In this draft, at this position, there is a good argument to be made for almost anyone. This means two things: the right words will convince the fans we made the right selection, and there's no way this mock GM is going to lose his mock job.

The #6 pick is the only pick we have in the draft. Conventional wisdom suggests that we want a small forward who is primarily a defensive asset while not being a scoring liability. Otto Porter would have made an excellent fit, but he has already been selected, and other prospects at that position (read: Anthony Bennett) do not look as tantalizing. So we look elsewhere.

I've looked at the roster and taken into account players we may lose by free agency. Right now, in terms of personnel, I think our frontcourt is in slightly better shape than our backcourt. And so I decided to select the best available guard prospect.

It came down to a pair of point guards, Trey Burke and Michael Carter-Williams. I like them both, and each would address different team needs, but the tale of the tape from the official NBA combine measurements provides me with a definite lean: Michael Carter-Williams. Sure, he's a leader with great court vision, blah blah blah, but he also forces turnovers, a glaring weakness for the Pelicans (27th in the league). Is that just a Syracuse thing? Hmm, I think I'll have our coach Monty Williams talk to Jim Boeheim about that in USA Basketball this summer, when he's not picking Coach K's brain about how to salvage Austin Rivers' development.

Speaking of "a definite lean," I'm sure you've noticed our pick is a bit on the skinny side. Well, you can't coach height, but in New Orleans you CAN coach weight. I count at least 7 po-boy sandwich shops within a mile of the arena. He'll be just fine.

So... I know it's early, and I was picking for the Pelicans, but did I win the mock draft?

Sixers 114, Heat 110
Michael Carter-Williams: 22 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, 9 steals (NBA debut record)

[Turk]

Sure, you win the mock draft, and since the Sixers just beat the defending champs, they win the mock playoffs.

Seriously, nice start by MCW but we'll know more by the end of next week. The young'un gets to go against DRose, John Wall twice, and Kyrie twice.

I will have to check the schedule and see how many Sixers home games are against teams coming off back-to-backs. Between that and all the other tanking teams in the league, I am guessing they will not make a serious run at a single digit win total for the entire season, alas, but I think they'll wind up with fewer than 20. Riggin for Wiggins!

[theAlaskanBear]

With two seasons under the belt for the 2013 draft class, we can get a little better handle on it. First of all, I was wrong in regards to the Noel/Porter debate. That said, I still had a better pick than real Cleveland and Anthony Bennett Noel's defense translates to the NBA, something I questioned. His offense is about what I expected, 42% from the field, only 9ppg on a team that likes to play fast and has no real star. He will be a great tandem big man, if they can place him beside an accomplished scorer. Playing next to someone like Towns or Okafor would be ideal for Noel, as he can switch onto PF defensively and let the other big create space offensively for putbacks, cutting, and interior passes.

Fortunately for me, I picked Rudy "Stifle Tower" Gobert, which may have saved my job after flubbing the #1 pick. Mike Muscala ended up being a serviceable player for the second round as well.

With the 19th pick in the 2013 draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select Rudy Gobert.

Gobert is truly unique physically -- his 7'8.5'' wingspan and a 9'7'' standing reach give him the potential to have an enormous defensive impact. He really impressed with his defense at the combine. He is an active defender, great at hedging on pick-and-rolls, blocking and altering shots, and has tremendous hands with a soft touch. Offensively he is a work in progress. He will not wow anyone athletically, but he is very agile and active. Most of his offense comes from pick and rolls and lobs, which makes him a great partner for an Irving/Waiters back court. He does shoot 70+ % from the FT line, so we think he has some hidden offensive talents. We also believe he will thrive under NBA coaches and trainers (many point to the departure of Erman Kunter from Cholet to Besiktas as retarding his growth this past season).

Here is a list of the individual seasons (so each rookie will have two if they played two) for all the players who debuted in 2013-14. What surprises you?

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...t=&order_by=ws

[gwlaw99]

Playing next to someone like Towns or Okafor would be ideal for Noel, as he can switch onto PF defensively and let the other big create space offensively for putbacks, cutting, and interior passes. ]

You realize the Sixers have Joel Embiid. I doubt they are drafting another big unless Hinkie decides to make some trades.

[pfrduke]

With two seasons under the belt for the 2013 draft class, we can get a little better handle on it. First of all, I was wrong in regards to the Noel/Porter debate. That said, I still had a better pick than real Cleveland and Anthony Bennett Noel's defense translates to the NBA, something I questioned. His offense is about what I expected, 42% from the field, only 9ppg on a team that likes to play fast and has no real star. He will be a great tandem big man, if they can place him beside an accomplished scorer. Playing next to someone like Towns or Okafor would be ideal for Noel, as he can switch onto PF defensively and let the other big create space offensively for putbacks, cutting, and interior passes.

Fortunately for me, I picked Rudy "Stifle Tower" Gobert, which may have saved my job after flubbing the #1 pick. Mike Muscala ended up being a serviceable player for the second round as well.


Here is a list of the individual seasons (so each rookie will have two if they played two) for all the players who debuted in 2013-14. What surprises you?

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...t=&order_by=ws

Greek Freak at #32 of our draft (to the Thunder, no less) would have been the steal. Giannis on OKC playing his plastic man routine next to Westbrook and Durant would have been something.

[JNort]

Seems to me that after 2 years this draft is looking very weak. I like the 4 year rule on judging a class though.