2013 DBR Mock Draft - make picks here!

[JasonEvans]

By the way, just so you don't have to go back to page 1 to get it, here is where we are...

1. 1. Cleveland - theAlaskanBear - Otto Porter
   2. Orlando - coldriver10 - Nerlens Noel
   3. Washington - Li_Duke - Victor Oladipo
   4. Charlotte - Newton14 - Ben McLemore
   5. Phoenix - Bob Green - Alex Len
   6. New Orleans - brevity - Michael Carter-Williams
   7. Sacramento - em0526 - Trey Burke
   8. Detroit - tommy - Anthony Bennett
   9. Minnesota - Ichabod Drain - Shabazz Muhammed
   10. Portland - blev23 - Steven Adams
   11. Philadelphia - rhcpflea99 - CJ McCollum
   12. Oklahoma City - pfrduke - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
   13. Dallas - NSDukeFan - Cody Zeller
   14. Utah - HCheek37 - Shane Larkin
   15. Milwaukee - FerryFor50 - Kelly Olynyk
   16. Boston - flyingdutchdevil - Gorgui Dieng
   17. Atlanta - Jason Evans - Mason Plumlee
   18. Atlanta - Jason Evans - Dennis Schroeder
   19. Cleveland - theAlaskanBear - Rudy Gobert
   20. Chicago - CDu - Jamaal Franklin
   21. Utah - HCheek37 - Lucas Nogueira
   22. Brooklyn - JNort - Tim Hardaway, jr
   23. Indiana - luburch - Isaiah Canaan
   24. New York - NovaScotian - Tony Snell
   25. LA Clippers - ice-9 - Allen Crabbe
   26. Minnesota - Ichabod Drain - Jeff Withey
   27. Denver - Duvall
   28. San Antonio - mattman91
   29. Oklahoma City - pfrduke
   30. Phoenix - Bob Green
   
   
2. 
   
   -Jason "I am out until about 4 but will have my picks around then -- making great progress everyone!!" Evans

[brevity]

With the 15th pick, the Milwaukee Bucks select Kelly Olynyk, C, Gonzaga

The Bucks wanted to go with a shooting guard to replace Montae Ellis and perhaps JJ Redick, but with McLemore, Oladipo, Caldwell-Pope and Muhammad gone, there weren't a lot of SGs that warranted a pick here.

There are questions about Olynyk's strength and defense, but the Bucks have a young defensive stalwart in Larry Sanders, so Olynyk can move to the 3/4. Olynyk's offense will complement Sanders' shot blocking ability and rebounding.

8 hours later, and no word from the Celtics camp. Maybe they're trading the pick for the rights to hire coach Vinny Del Negro. Or will our Commissioner have to make three picks in a row?

[NSDukeFan]

8 hours later, and no word from the Celtics camp. Maybe they're trading the pick for the rights to hire coach Vinny Del Negro. Or will our Commissioner have to make three picks in a row?

Maybe the commissioner can step in and resolve where Chris Paul will play, again. (I also bet Jason has been chomping at the bit to make his own picks, hoping he doesn't have to make the one before,as well.)

[theAlaskanBear]

Maybe the commissioner can step in and resolve where Chris Paul will play, again. (I also bet Jason has been chomping at the bit to make his own picks, hoping he doesn't have to make the one before,as well.)

If he does make 3 picks in a row, and he selects my target for the 19th, I will be sure to yell, "It's rigged! Cheatin Commish!" And then sue him for a conflict of interests.

[JasonEvans]

If he does make 3 picks in a row, and he selects my target for the 19th, I will be sure to yell, "It's rigged! Cheatin Commish!" And then sue him for a conflict of interests.

Seeing as I am on deck, I will not make the pick for the Celtics myself. We are technically off the clock at this point so it will wait until morning. I am going to ask one of the other mods to make the pick if it has not been made by 10am tomorrow morning.

-Jason "sigh..." Evans

[brevity]

If he does make 3 picks in a row, and he selects my target for the 19th, I will be sure to yell, "It's rigged! Cheatin Commish!" And then sue him for a conflict of interests.

God hates Cleveland. David Stern and Jason Evans are neutral on the subject.

[flyingdutchdevil]

With the 16th pick, the Boston Celtics select Doc Rivers... I mean Gorgui Dieng.

[flyingdutchdevil]

First of all, sorry for the delay; got no excuse.

As for the analysis, lets face it: the Celts are getting gutted this year. Garnett and Pierce are most likely gone, Rivers - the coach - asked to leave, and all guards not named Rondo or Avery are ineffective. Speaking of Rondo, we all know he's gonna ask for a trade this season.

With Dieng, you get a good to great defensive player. A player who can rebound, defend, and alley oop. Essentially, a poor mans Tyson Chandler. He will never be a superstar (may not even be a starter), but he'll be a great role player with little to no drama. The Celts can rebuild through trades and the draft in the next few years, but with the 16th pick in a weak draft, Dieng is a solid choice.

[theAlaskanBear]

First of all, sorry for the delay; got no excuse.

As for the analysis, lets face it: the Celts are getting gutted this year. Garnett and Pierce are most likely gone, Rivers - the coach - asked to leave, and all guards not named Rondo or Avery are ineffective. Speaking of Rondo, we all know he's gonna ask for a trade this season.

With Dieng, you get a good to great defensive player. A player who can rebound, defend, and alley oop. Essentially, a poor mans Tyson Chandler. He will never be a superstar (may not even be a starter), but he'll be a great role player with little to no drama. The Celts can rebuild through trades and the draft in the next few years, but with the 16th pick in a weak draft, Dieng is a solid choice.

Great pick! This was my target!

[BD80]

Seeing as I am on deck, I will not make the pick for the Celtics myself. We are technically off the clock at this point so it will wait until morning. I am going to ask one of the other mods to make the pick if it has not been made by 10am tomorrow morning.

-Jason "sigh..." Evans

As a famous judge/sports enthusiast once said: "Well ... ? We're waiting!"

Sorry Jason. Couldn't resist. Been waiting to use that one for a while.

[JasonEvans]

Mason Plumlee, PF/C, Duke University

I always look for a player who slipped a bit, a kid who should have gone 5 or 6 picks ago and somehow lands in my lap. Well, the rest of you are doing a good job so I am having trouble finding that player this year. So, I went with a guy who is a sure-thing. Mason may be a senior, meaning the "potential" label has been stripped from his resume, but he was a darn good senior who showed ability to play in the post and be a consistent threat on both ends of the floor. You don't see much of that any more in college ball. He is also a player who appeared to improve, often significantly, every year he was in college. That proves he has a good work either and is coachable. I see no reason why he won't continue to improve against NBA players as well.

I don't expect Mason to come in an become an instant star in the league, but he can certainly provide productive minutes right away as a PF or C. He is strong enough and athletic enough to play either a half-court or an open-court game, which is rare. Coming from Duke, I know he will play strong defense from day one. I was impressed with his passing ability too and think he would work well with the similarly skilled (though more athletic and explosive) Al Horford.

-Jason "anyone want to criticize this pick?" Evans

[theAlaskanBear]

Mason Plumlee, PF/C, Duke University

I always look for a player who slipped a bit, a kid who should have gone 5 or 6 picks ago and somehow lands in my lap. Well, the rest of you are doing a good job so I am having trouble finding that player this year. So, I went with a guy who is a sure-thing. Mason may be a senior, meaning the "potential" label has been stripped from his resume, but he was a darn good senior who showed ability to play in the post and be a consistent threat on both ends of the floor. You don't see much of that any more in college ball. He is also a player who appeared to improve, often significantly, every year he was in college. That proves he has a good work either and is coachable. I see no reason why he won't continue to improve against NBA players as well.

I don't expect Mason to come in an become an instant star in the league, but he can certainly provide productive minutes right away as a PF or C. He is strong enough and athletic enough to play either a half-court or an open-court game, which is rare. Coming from Duke, I know he will play strong defense from day one. I was impressed with his passing ability too and think he would work well with the similarly skilled (though more athletic and explosive) Al Horford.

-Jason "anyone want to criticize this pick?" Evans

Actually Jason, could be a great pick -- with Josh Smith leaving...you can slide Horford to the 4 spot and have a very solid front court.

[JasonEvans]

Dennis Schroeder, PG, Germany

From his days in the Spurs front office, Danny Ferry knows the value of those hidden international gems. With 2 picks, you knew he would take one international kid.

I came close to picking one of the loooong kids with potential but no polish -- Giannis Adetokoubo or Lucas Nogueira -- but the fact that neither of them have played against even mildly difficult competition scares me and neither are close to ready to play in an NBA game. I came very close to taking Russian SF Sergey Karasev, who is a wonderful shooter and has played against top-flight European competition for several years (despite only being 19), but I don't think he is an elite athlete and he is not fast.

"You can't coach speed" is a common phrase in sports and that is what guided this pick. Schroeder is lightening-quick and has excellent handle with the ball. Even top NBA defenders will have trouble staying in front of him. He is a wonderful passer who loves to get his teammates involved. He's fabulous in the pick-and-roll game. His biggest weakness is his shooting. He's not a NBA 3-point shooter... yet. But at 19, he has time to develop his shot. We've seen over the years that players can learn to shoot. They can't learn to be faster, which is what Schroeder already brings to the table. Plus, he has played against decent-level European competition and succeeded so he seems ready for the next step.

Lastly, PG is probably the most important position in the NBA right now. The Hawks don't have an elite one and Chris Paul ain't coming here in free agency. So, if I am going to take a flier, let it be on a PG.

-Jason "many draft gurus expect the Hawks to take Karasev with this pick and believe they have promised him a pick... I would not be at all sad if the Hawks would up with him but I like Schroeder a little bit better" Evans

[theAlaskanBear]

While I believe the Cavs are likely to make a trade with some of their picks since they seem to have found no takers for the #1...

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

This was a tough decision. We wanted to target one of Gorgui Dieng, Mason Plumlee, Steven Adams, or Gobert. Dieng would have been the first choice for me here -- he is a two way player...defensively minded but with the potential to be a knockdown 10-15 jump shooter. Then Plumlee, because they are the most NBA ready guys -- seeing them disappear in the 3 picks us...

That said, Gobert is a nice fit for us -- With Varejao, Zeller, and Thompson on the front line, we don't need him to step in right away and start, this makes us more comfortable taking a 20 yr old who needs some polish.

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).

[ice-9]

First of all, sorry for the delay; got no excuse.

As for the analysis, lets face it: the Celts are getting gutted this year. Garnett and Pierce are most likely gone, Rivers - the coach - asked to leave, and all guards not named Rondo or Avery are ineffective. Speaking of Rondo, we all know he's gonna ask for a trade this season.

With Dieng, you get a good to great defensive player. A player who can rebound, defend, and alley oop. Essentially, a poor mans Tyson Chandler. He will never be a superstar (may not even be a starter), but he'll be a great role player with little to no drama. The Celts can rebuild through trades and the draft in the next few years, but with the 16th pick in a weak draft, Dieng is a solid choice.

Hmm I would have picked Plumlee here instead of Dieng. With Pierce gone, they will need more scoring, and while Dieng has a better jump shot Plumlee is more effective in the post. My guess is the Celts will try to play fast, and if that's the case Plumlee is a much better fit.

[theAlaskanBear]

Dennis Schroeder, PG, Germany

From his days in the Spurs front office, Danny Ferry knows the value of those hidden international gems. With 2 picks, you knew he would take one international kid.

I came close to picking one of the loooong kids with potential but no polish -- Giannis Adetokoubo or Lucas Nogueira -- but the fact that neither of them have played against even mildly difficult competition scares me and neither are close to ready to play in an NBA game. I came very close to taking Russian SF Sergey Karasev, who is a wonderful shooter and has played against top-flight European competition for several years (despite only being 19), but I don't think he is an elite athlete and he is not fast.

"You can't coach speed" is a common phrase in sports and that is what guided this pick. Schroeder is lightening-quick and has excellent handle with the ball. Even top NBA defenders will have trouble staying in front of him. He is a wonderful passer who loves to get his teammates involved. He's fabulous in the pick-and-roll game. His biggest weakness is his shooting. He's not a NBA 3-point shooter... yet. But at 19, he has time to develop his shot. We've seen over the years that players can learn to shoot. They can't learn to be faster, which is what Schroeder already brings to the table. Plus, he has played against decent-level European competition and succeeded so he seems ready for the next step.

Lastly, PG is probably the most important position in the NBA right now. The Hawks don't have an elite one and Chris Paul ain't coming here in free agency. So, if I am going to take a flier, let it be on a PG.

-Jason "many draft gurus expect the Hawks to take Karasev with this pick and believe they have promised him a pick... I would not be at all sad if the Hawks would up with him but I like Schroeder a little bit better" Evans

Schroeder also has a guarantee in the first round from someone, probably in the 14-20 range. People are really high on this kid -- he is athletic and has great vision. Definitely could be a Rubioesque PG, in that he creates with movement, not his own offensive ability, will definitely need to work on his shot.

[BD80]

Schroeder also has a guarantee in the first round from someone, probably in the 14-20 range. People are really high on this kid -- he is athletic and has great vision. Definitely could be a Rubioesque PG, in that he creates with movement, not his own offensive ability, will definitely need to work on his shot.

Did you say Rubenesque?

peter+paul+rubens+baroque++Flemish+painter+susana.jpg

Well, it worked for Charles Barkley.

[FerryFor50]

Did you say Rubenesque?

peter+paul+rubens+baroque++Flemish+painter+susana.jpg

Well, it worked for Charles Barkley.

Reubenesque?

lrg.1360603579.jpg

[flyingdutchdevil]

Hmm I would have picked Plumlee here instead of Dieng. With Pierce gone, they will need more scoring, and while Dieng has a better jump shot Plumlee is more effective in the post. My guess is the Celts will try to play fast, and if that's the case Plumlee is a much better fit.

Either player would have been effective and a good pick. However, I am focusing on defense and, given the gutting the Celts will probably do, be tanking next year. I view Dieng as a more important piece to the puzzle for a future contender than Plumlee. Don't get me wrong - I love Plumlee - but I think that Dieng's defense is better than Plumlee's offense.

[CDu]

Aside from simply getting healthy (with their three best players all currently on the mend), the Bulls have 3 needs as an organization: backup C (to take some of the weight off of Noah's shoulders), a second shot-creator, and a "3 and D" guy.

With the selections of Dieng, Plumlee, Adams, and Gobert, the Bulls' primary targets at the C spot were off the board. So that simplified the pick. We just didn't feel that any of the "3 and D" guys were worth a pick at #20. Hopefullly we can find a fit in the second round to fill one of our other needs, but with the 20th pick we've decided to go with Jamaal Franklin, SG out of San Diego State.

Franklin is, in many ways, a perfect fit for the Bulls. He's a scorer. He's a defender. He's a good rebounder for a guard. He has excellent size for the SG spot (6'4"-6'5" with a 6'11.25" wingspan and 8'7.5" standing reach). He is not afraid to create his own offense or set up others, and has shown the ability to score off the dribble. His incredible rebound rate for a wing speaks to his competitiveness. Frankly, we see him as our version of Paul George or Kawhi Leonard, minus a couple of inches in height. In a best-case scenario, his game has a bit of Dwyane Wade in him, too, though admittedly that is in an absolute best-case scenario.

The knock on Franklin is that he isn't a great shooter and isn't always the best decision-maker. But we're banking on the idea that the shooting can improve with coaching and practice, and that the decision making problems were a result of having to carry the offensive load for the Aztecs. In Chicago, he'll not be asked to do it all, but his ability to create his own shot will make him a valuable player off the bench next year and (hopefully) will serve him well in a transition to the starting lineup in the future.

Worst case? We see him as an athletic, aggressive defender who can hold his own against SG, some PG, and some SF defensively. That is a role that any team can use. And if he can improve his shooting touch (reports are he has looked really good in workouts for whatever that's worth) and decision-making, he's a potential diamond in the rough.