DBR Mock Draft - MAKE PICKS HERE!!

[JasonEvans]

The draft is now on!!

Make your pick in this thread and please post some kind of explanation for what you did. There are NO TRADES ALLOWED (which hurts me because the Hawks are desperate to trade down about 3 picks).

As mentioned elsewhere, please make picks in a timely fashion. Between 8am ET and 6pm ET you will be "on the clock" and expected to make your pick within 2 hours. If you take longer than 2 hours... well, don't make me go there.

Thanks, and enjoy!!!

Here is the draft order:



Portland - thebur SELECTED - Greg Oden, Ohio State
Seattle - pfrduke SELECTED - Kevin Durant, Texas
Atlanta - Jason Evans SELECTED - Mike Conley Jr., Ohio State
Memphis - Bob Green SELECTED - Al Horford, Florida
Boston - VaDukie SELECTED - Yi Jianlian, People's Republic of China
Milwaukee - phaedrus SELECTED - Corey Brewer, Florida
Minnesota - mr. synellinden SELECTED - Brandan Wright, UNC
Charlotte - feldspar SELECTED - Joakim Noah, Florida
Chicago - duketaylor SELECTED - Spencer Hawes, Washington
Sacramento - merry SELECTED - Jeff Green, Georgetown
Atlanta - Jason Evans SELECTED - Al Thornton, Florida State
Philadelphia - ivDuke SELECTED - Julian Wright, Kansas
New Orleans - rtnorthrup SELECTED - Nick Young, USC
LA Clippers - Clipsfan SELECTED - Acie Law, Texas A&M
Detroit -BD80 SELECTED - Javaris Crittendon, Georgia Tech
Washington -JB Duke SELECTED - Marc Gasol, Spain
New Jersey -ACCfanfrom1970 SELECTED - Sean Williams, BC
Golden St. -SilkyJ SELECTED - Jason Smith, Colorado State
LA Lakers - MulletMan SELECTED - Marco Belinelli, Italy
Miami - Duke09 SELECTED - Thaddeus Young, Georgia Tech
Philadelphia - ivDuke SELECTED - Josh McRoberts, Duke
Charlotte - feldspar SELECTED - Aaron Afflalo, UCLA
New York - duke24/7 SELECTED - Wilson Chandler, DePaul
Phoenix - Dukerati SELECTED - Rudy Fernandez, Spain
Utah - Troublemaker SELECTED - Morris Almond, Rice
Houston - MrBisonDevil SELECTED - Glen Davis, LSU
Detroit - BD80 SELECTED - Rodney Stuckey, Eastern Washington
San Antonio - MarineTwinsDad SELECTED - Derrick Byars, Vanderbilt
Phoenix - Dukerati SELECTED - Tiago Splitter, Brazil
Philadelphia - ivDuke SELECTED - Jared Dudley, Boston College
Seattle - pfrduke SELECTED - Petteri Koponen, Finland
Boston - VaDukie SELECTED - Alando Tucker, Wisconsin
San Antonio - MarineTwinsDad SELECTED - Dominic McGuire, Fresno State
Dallas - kydevil SELECTED - Kyle Visser, Wake Forest
Seattle - pfrduke SELECTED - Nick Fazekas, Nevada
Golden St. - SilkyJ SELECTED - Gabe Pruitt, Southern California
Portland - thebur SELECTED - Aaron Brooks, Oregon
Philadelphia - ivDuke SELECTED - Daequan Cook, Ohio State
Miami - Duke09 SELECTED - Ramon Sessions, Nevada
LA Lakers - MulletMan SELECTED - Aaron Grey, Pittsburgh
Minnesota - mr. synellinden SELECTED - Kyrylo Fesenko, Ukraine
Portland - thebur SELECTED - Demetris Nichols, Syracuse
New Orleans - rtnorthrup SELECTED - Marcus Williams, Arizonia
Orlando - mike88 SELECTED - Zabian Dowdell, Va Tech
LA Clippers - Clipsfan SELECTED - Reyshawn Terry, UNC
Golden St. - SilkyJ SELECTED - Mario Boggan, Oklahoma State
Washington - JB Duke SELECTED - D.J. Strawberry, Maryland
LA Lakers - MulletMan SELECTED - Taurean Green, Florida
Chicago - duketaylor SELECTED - Jared Jordan, Marist
Dallas - kydevil SELECTED - JamesOn Curry, Oklahoma State
Chicago - duketaylor SELECTED - Stephane Lasme, UMass
Portland - thebur SELECTED - Giorgos Printezis, Greece
Portland - thebur SELECTED - JeMarreo Davidson, Alabama
Orlando - mike88 SELECTED - Trey Johnson, Jackson State
Utah - Troublemaker SELECTED - Renaldas Seibutis, Lithuania
Milwaukee - phaedrus SELECTED - Carl Landry, Purdue
Detroit - BD80 SELECTED - Ali Traore, France
San Antonio - MarineTwinsDad SELECTED - Brad Newley, Australia
Phoenix - Dukerati SELECTED - Zoran Erseq, Serbia
Dallas - kydevil

[JasonEvans]

With the first pick in the DBR Mock Draft, Portland selects Greg Oden, C, The Ohio State University.

I will let TheBur explain this pick-- though I think it is quite obvious.

-Jason "c'mon people-- lets get this moving!!" Evans

[pfrduke]

The Seattle SuperSonics are ecstatic at the opportunity to host the Kevin Durant Experience.

Visualize.

http://www.supersonicsoul.com/uploaded_images/visualize_kevin_durant-782884.jpg

[JasonEvans]

With the third pick the Hawks are taking Mike Conley, Jr-- PG from TOSU.

Explanation soon..

[rtnorthrup]

Jason,

I agree with you, but I dont think the Hawks will be that smart. I hope you are correct though. I think he has a chance to be an all-star point guard for many years.

[mr. synellinden]

With the third pick the Hawks are taking Mike Conley, Jr-- PG from TOSU.

Explanation soon..

Explanation - fine, justification, no. I don't think there needs to be any justification for taking the best player available at the position of greatest need - even if there's a possibility of getting him at 11. I agree - I hope the Hawks are that smart if they can't pull off a trade.

I LOVE Conley and think he will be a star player in the league.

Five or six years from now we may be talking about a golden age of point guards in the NBA with Parker, Williams, Paul, Conley, Gordon and Rose, Mayo and Collison leading the way.

[hedgehog]

I think Marvin Williams over Chris Paul should be explanation enough. ;)

[ivduke]

Whose Bob going to select for Memphis??

Horford?
Yi Jianlian??
Brandon Wright??

[mr. synellinden]

Bob,

What if I told you that with the fourth pick in the draft you'd be able to select Al Horford from the University of Florida? Is that something you might be interested in?

[JasonEvans]

Bob told me he might have trouble making this pick because of time zones. He sent me an email asking me to do the following for him...

Memphis takes Al Horford, Florida PF.

More coming soon...

[JasonEvans]

With the third pick the Hawks are taking Mike Conley, Jr-- PG from TOSU.

Explanation soon..

I know many folks on the board agree with this pick, but it is not what the Hawks are likely to do nor is it what most mock drafts are forecasting.

The Hawks are probably going to take Al Horford, who is ready to help them right away (they think) and both Billy Knight and Mike Williams know they need help right away if they are to keep their jobs. Frankly, the fact that either of them still have a job is a miracle and testament to the poor judgement of the group of quarrelling children who own this team.

I did not take Horford because I think the Hawks are actually pretty solid at PF with Josh Smith able to play there (thanks to his sick leaping ability) and Shelden too (if the Hawks would give him some playing time). I think Horford will be a fine pro, but he is clearly not what the Hawks need.

I went for Conley even though in reality I would have tried to trade down several spots to still get him. I love his ability to get to the basket and break down the defense. We saw how great Tony Parker as at this and while I am not convinced Conley can be another Parker, I don't think it is outside the realm of possibility. Plus, as everyone on the planet knows, the Hawks need a PG badly. Conleys jumpshot is not NBA ready nor is his body NBA ready. He is going to get muscled around a fair amount but he is young and will get a lot stronger and better. I think he can improve his jumpshot too and has shown flashes of good touch.

To me, this pick, even though it is not what the mock drafts say, is a no brainer. I also think the notion that Conley would still be on the board at #11 to be a joke. The other PGs who would be available at #11, Crittendon and Law, are not in Conley's class in terms of NBA impact and potention, I think. The Hawks needed a starter from this pick. I think they just got one.

-Jason "in real life, the Hawks are taking Horford or Wright-- but I am smarter than real life" Evans

[phaedrus]

note that finals mvp tony parker also doesn't have an NBA ready jumpshot.

[Clipsfan]

note that finals mvp tony parker also doesn't have an NBA ready jumpshot.

I think it was fair to say that a couple years ago, at this point he does have an NBA ready jump shot, although he doesn't take many 3s. He did still shoot 40% on 3s, and really knocks down the 18 footer now.

[SilkyJ]

I did not take Horford because I think the Hawks are actually pretty solid at PF with Josh Smith able to play there (thanks to his sick leaping ability) and Shelden too (if the Hawks would give him some playing time). I think Horford will be a fine pro, but he is clearly not what the Hawks need.


Exactly. What does Horford bring that Sheld doesn't? They are similar sizes, similar length, similar abilities, and both bring hard work and rebounding. Both can score a decent amount, but neither is a huge offensive threat...it would be a waste to draft horford unless they are going to trade either him or sheld, or are thinking about playing them both as 4/5s...

[phaedrus]

Maybe you're right, but it still looked shaky to me during the Finals. Let's just say he's not a sharpshooter.

[kydevil]

I think it was fair to say that a couple years ago, at this point he does have an NBA ready jump shot, although he doesn't take many 3s. He did still shoot 40% on 3s, and really knocks down the 18 footer now.

I agree with the 18 footer, Parker can knock that down as good as anyone. However, when it comes to shooting the 3 ball he is just very cautious. That to me shows that he lacks the confidence in his 3 point shooting ability. Not saying he is a poor 3 pt shooter he just can't knock it down consistently.

[JBDuke]

Boston and VaDukie on the clock, yes?

[VaDukie]

the Boston Celtics select YI JIANLIAN.

[Dukerati]

What position is Yi going to play? The 3? I thought for sure Brewer was going in this spot as his game appears to complement Pierce and Jefferson...

[phaedrus]

With the 6th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks scoff at selecting a Tar Heel and pick Corey Brewer.

[kydevil]

With the 6th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks scoff at selecting a Tar Heel and pick Corey Brewer.

Nice pick he could help take some of the load away from Redd.

[VaDukie]

What position is Yi going to play? The 3? I thought for sure Brewer was going in this spot as his game appears to complement Pierce and Jefferson...

Yi has the most potential. Brewer made it a tough call.

[mr. synellinden]

I know many folks on the board agree with this pick, but it is not what the Hawks are likely to do nor is it what most mock drafts are forecasting.

The Hawks are probably going to take Al Horford, who is ready to help them right away (they think) and both Billy Knight and Mike Williams know they need help right away if they are to keep their jobs. Frankly, the fact that either of them still have a job is a miracle and testament to the poor judgement of the group of quarrelling children who own this team.

I did not take Horford because I think the Hawks are actually pretty solid at PF with Josh Smith able to play there (thanks to his sick leaping ability) and Shelden too (if the Hawks would give him some playing time). I think Horford will be a fine pro, but he is clearly not what the Hawks need.

I went for Conley even though in reality I would have tried to trade down several spots to still get him. I love his ability to get to the basket and break down the defense. We saw how great Tony Parker as at this and while I am not convinced Conley can be another Parker, I don't think it is outside the realm of possibility. Plus, as everyone on the planet knows, the Hawks need a PG badly. Conleys jumpshot is not NBA ready nor is his body NBA ready. He is going to get muscled around a fair amount but he is young and will get a lot stronger and better. I think he can improve his jumpshot too and has shown flashes of good touch.

To me, this pick, even though it is not what the mock drafts say, is a no brainer. I also think the notion that Conley would still be on the board at #11 to be a joke. The other PGs who would be available at #11, Crittendon and Law, are not in Conley's class in terms of NBA impact and potention, I think. The Hawks needed a starter from this pick. I think they just got one.

-Jason "in real life, the Hawks are taking Horford or Wright-- but I am smarter than real life" Evans


He thinks the Hawks should take Horford: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070620

[mr. synellinden]

... The Minnesota Timberwolves select Brandan Wright, UNC

I will offer my thought process in a later post, but all of the talk about a possible KG trade makes it very hard to know who the right pick would be for Minny. Since I think they will trade him, I went with Wright.

In brief, I decided between Green, Noah, Wright and Hawes. If I didn't hate UNC so much I probably wouldn't have debated at all. I think Wright is currently the best player on the board (even though I really like Green's all around game and think Noah has the kind of intangibles to help win playoff games). I think McHale has been targeting Hawes but that is with the assumption that Wright was already taken. With him still on the board, I'd bet McHale jumps after Wright.

[phaedrus]

Bill Simmons also baselessly declares that Oden has a ceiling and Durant does not, and that picking Oden over Durant implies a lack of testicles, then advocates that the Sonics make deals to have three natural small forwards (Lewis, Durant, Maggette) on the roster. He's clearly on top of things.

[oso diablo]

... The Minnesota Timberwolves select Brandan Wright, UNC

steal. I think he's the 2nd or 3rd best talent in the draft.

[rtnorthrup]

Jason,

Can you edit your original post (the draft order) to keep up with who has been taken, its not that big of a deal now, but 10-15 picks from now it will make it easier.

[phaedrus]

Nice pick he could help take some of the load away from Redd.

I actually picked Brewer for his defense.

It was between Brewer, Green, Noah, and Wright. Wright was eliminated for obvious reasons. The Bucks are decent offensively but terrible defensively, so I eliminated Green because he's not quite as well-known as the other two defensively. So it was between Brewer and Noah. Then I figured, while a shotblocker like Noah would be nice, he contributes nothing offensively plus I like the potential of a Bogut/Villanueva frontcourt.

Brewer gives the Bucks instant help on the perimeter defensively, loads of potential offensively, and flexibility as he can probably play the 2, 3, and even the 4 if he gains some muscle.

[thebur]

Jason, thanks for making that pick, didn't know what time we would start and got caught up at work.

In the decision to draft Oden rather than Durant, it came down to rings. I think Durant has the possibility of being the kind of star a small market team like Portland would want, a guy who can do it on his own so to speak, and will keep your team near the top of your division and in the playoffs annually. Oden is more of the traditional post, who will need some quality backcourt to help him score, which seems tougher as it can be hard to get a "second guy" in a small market.

However, I would propose that Oden makes his teammates much better via the attention he commands, and especially with his defensive presence in the paint. If you look at the championship teams in NBA history, over 80% had a dominant post player. From Duncan, to Laimbeer, to Abdul-Jabbar, to Wilt, to Moses, to Walton, the cornerstone was a true big who made a huge impact, particularly in shot blocking.

I pick Oden because I think I can secure (and have one or two in a combination of two of the three upcoming stars I expect them to resign, Roy, Aldridge, and Webster) at least enough talent to guarantee a championship or six before it is all said and done. Also, I still have the value of Zach Randolph that I could use for a sign and trade for a veteran like a Cassell (not anymore just in that way the clips brought him in 2 years ago) who could be Grant Hill, or could be Jamal Crawford or another talented vet who can distribute the ball. I still think Randolph has a lot of value on the trade market, his scoring and rebounding have enough value to almost outweigh his baggage. I as the Portland GM, have no interest in carrying that baggage for him.

[mr. synellinden]

Bill Simmons also baselessly declares that Oden has a ceiling and Durant does not, and that picking Oden over Durant implies a lack of testicles, then advocates that the Sonics make deals to have three natural small forwards (Lewis, Durant, Maggette) on the roster. He's clearly on top of things.

I AGREE.

I usually agree with Simmons's "common sense" opinions but I disagree with a lot of what he's written there - most notably the Conley - Horford discussion. He makes this comment:

"As good as Conley could be some day, under-20 point guards always take time to develop ...

Really, what about Chris Paul?

Chris Paul was 20 when his rookie season started and so will be Conley (they are essentially 5 months apart in that respect). And what about Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson - each of them were 20 when their nba career started.

I think Conley is absolutely the right pick for the Hawks.

[Clipsfan]

I AGREE.

I usually agree with Simmons's "common sense" opinions but I disagree with a lot of what he's written there - most notably the Conley - Horford discussion. He makes this comment:

"As good as Conley could be some day, under-20 point guards always take time to develop ...

Really, what about Chris Paul?

Chris Paul was 20 when his rookie season started and so will be Conley (they are essentially 5 months apart in that respect). And what about Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson - each of them were 20 when their nba career started.

I think Conley is absolutely the right pick for the Hawks.

I guess that the question should be how quickly the Hawks need to turn around at this point. The odds are that the draft will be completely loaded with PGs next year, many of whom may be significantly better than Conley (I know that he's good, but I'm not as sold on him as a future superstar largely due to only seeing a few college games). But next year the draft should at least include Mayo, Rose, Collison, Lawson, Augustine etc., making it easy to pick up a PG. Maybe you write off another year (I mean, you've already done that a couple times) and hope for one of the super-stud PGs next year.

[SilkyJ]

I guess that the question should be how quickly the Hawks need to turn around at this point. The odds are that the draft will be completely loaded with PGs next year, many of whom may be significantly better than Conley (I know that he's good, but I'm not as sold on him as a future superstar largely due to only seeing a few college games). But next year the draft should at least include Mayo, Rose, Collison, Lawson, Augustine etc., making it easy to pick up a PG. Maybe you write off another year (I mean, you've already done that a couple times) and hope for one of the super-stud PGs next year.

Not a bad argument at all, and don't forget that no one has ever seen him play without Oden for the past 5 or 6 years, besides a few throwaway games in the beginning of last year

[rtnorthrup]

I guess the good news is that it will be impossible for the Hawks to screw up, unless they take a 19 year old Chinese kid who most people have only seen workout videos.

I think the Tony Parker comparisons with Conley are pretty good. Parker has really improved his shot the last couple of years, but his strength is his speed and being able to get into the lane. Nobody in the college game did a better job of getting end-to-end better than Conley. Yes, next years draft is SUPPOSEDLY, loaded with PG's, but nobody has seen most of them play a single college game.

That said, I think Horford has a real chance to become the next Boozer. Horford is very polished for a big man coming out of college. He is better offensively than Shel. I dont think Shel will ever be a big time scorer in the pros. Horford can be an 18 ppg guy.

Either way, the Hawks will get a player that improves their team. If they go Horford at 3 then they can look at Acie Law or Crittenden at 11, if they go Conley, they can look for a wing at 11 (Thornton, Thad Young, Jeff Green).

[feldspar]

With the 8th pick in the DBR Mock Draft, the Charlotte Bobcats select the ever-annoying Joakim Noah of the Florida Gators.




AAAHHHH!!!!! Mommy, I'm scared....

http://www.espn.go.com/media/ncb/2006/0403/photo/a_noah_275.jpg

[mr. synellinden]

I guess that the question should be how quickly the Hawks need to turn around at this point. The odds are that the draft will be completely loaded with PGs next year, many of whom may be significantly better than Conley (I know that he's good, but I'm not as sold on him as a future superstar largely due to only seeing a few college games). But next year the draft should at least include Mayo, Rose, Collison, Lawson, Augustine etc., making it easy to pick up a PG. Maybe you write off another year (I mean, you've already done that a couple times) and hope for one of the super-stud PGs next year.

Okay, but how are you going to be sold on Mayo, Rose, Gordon being a superstar at this point next year? These days you rarely have more than two years of college to go on and in a lot of cases, one year is a good amount of evidence. Are we really going to question how good Conley is because he played with a great center most of the season? If so, couldn't we question how good Lawson really is having played with a great front line this season, or DJ Augustin who played with Durant all season?

I think from the Hawks perspective, the problem is that outside of Oden and Durant, there does not seem to be a player on the board who would be a clear upgrade over an existing player - and Conley would be. Unless you think Horford is so much of an upgrade over Shelden, why would you take him when you can take Conley? (and my opinion is that Conley will be a star player which is obviously influencing my perspective on this). They are set at the wings with Smith and Johnson. They already have Marv and Shelden at F. Do they really need a Horford or a Brewer?

[hedgehog]

Okay, but how are you going to be sold on Mayo, Rose, Gordon being a superstar at this point next year?

I am sure all three will come out next year and the Hawks will definitely be in a place to draft them. I mean, look how Ty Lawson and Ray Felton came out after their freshmen years... umm never mind. Well, look how Boston tanked and won the lottery so they were in position to take Oden or Durant... oops never mind. Ok, so maybe this Mike Conley is a good pick after all for the Hawks....

[duketaylor]

Spencer Hawes from Washington.

i'm picking for my dad, but he'll be home later to expand on it.

[Bob Green]

Bob told me he might have trouble making this pick because of time zones. He sent me an email asking me to do the following for him...

Memphis takes Al Horford, Florida PF.

More coming soon...

Thanks Jason! It is now 0515 Thursday morning in Japan and I've finished sleeping. I selected Al Horford for his strength and inside play. He will be able to contribute immediately. IMO, he has more upside than Noah (who benefitted from the great players around him) and Wright (too skinny).

Had the Hawks taken Horford, I would've selected Jeff Green.

Bob Green
Yokosuka, Japan

[bhd28]

Thanks Jason! It is now 0515 Thursday morning in Japan and I've finished sleeping. I selected Al Horford for his strength and inside play. He will be able to contribute immediately. IMO, he has more upside than Noah (who benefitted from the great players around him) and Wright (too skinny).

Had the Hawks taken Horford, I would've selected Jeff Green.

Bob Green
Yokosuka, Japan

0515??!? I got up at 5:15 once... went home and went back to bed. Just kidding, but I do admire you morning people. Good pick with Horford. Memphis needs some toughness down low.

[merry]

Sacramento takes Jeff Green of Georgetown at #10.

I was all set to be an ACC homer ands take Thornton but with Green still out there I changed my mind at the last minute. I'm still not sure this is the right choice...only time will tell!

[rtnorthrup]

Merry,

I think that is the right pick. That will free them up to get rid of Artest. Green is ready to play now, although he is not quite the defender Artest is, he is probably the best defender available.

Sacramento is a mess, they need to move Bibby and Artest, but im not sure they can get any takers.

[JasonEvans]

With 2 picks before my 2nd first rounder, I had 2 really desireable guys left on my board. SAdly, both Hawes and Green went with the next 2 picks. Grrrr. I really wanted Hawes, who I think may be a pretty decent NBA big man one day.

Faced with a tough decision right now. There is a piece of me that wants to take Crittendon, just to let him and Conley battle it out at the PG and may the best man win. I can't decide if that would be crazy smart or just crazy.

So, the Hawks are going for the best player on the board, Al Thornton.

[SilkyJ]

Faced with a tough decision right now. There is a piece of me that wants to take Crittendon, just to let him and Conley battle it out at the PG and may the best man win. I can't decide if that would be crazy smart or just crazy.

So, the Hawks are going for the best player on the board, Al Thornton.

It would be just crazy.

If I was you my thinking would be that "we have enough wing players and versaility" meaning enough people that can play 4/5, 3/4, 2/3, etc. and that Joe Johnson had to carry too much of the scoring load so I would look for scoring and particular someone to back up Joe Johnson. I would have taken Nick Young or Rodney Stuckey. But I like the pick nonetheless as Thornton can score, defend, and maybe even play some 2...

[rtnorthrup]

Jason,

Any thought to Julian Wright there?

[pfrduke]

With 2 picks before my 2nd first rounder, I had 2 really desireable guys left on my board. SAdly, both Hawes and Green went with the next 2 picks. Grrrr. I really wanted Hawes, who I think may be a pretty decent NBA big man one day.

Faced with a tough decision right now. There is a piece of me that wants to take Crittendon, just to let him and Conley battle it out at the PG and may the best man win. I can't decide if that would be crazy smart or just crazy.

So, the Hawks are going for the best player on the board, Al Thornton.

This raises an interesting question for the Hawks' draft strategy (assuming they actually formulate a strategy). Would you rather have Al Horford and Acie Law (or Conley, if he somehow makes it to 11, which is what nbadraft.net is currently forecasting), or Conley and either Al Thornton, Julian Wright, or one of the Youngs (Thaddeus/Nick)? I think a solid argument could be made for the former - Horford is a huge upgrade over Zaza Pachulia and Lorenzen Wright, and Law is one heck of a point guard.

Drafting Horford could result in the following rotation

PG - Law IV/Claxton
SG - Johnson/Stoudamire
SF - Smith/Childress
PF - Williamses (Marv, Shel)
C - Horford/Pachulia

Drafting Conley gets you this

PG - Conley/Claxton
SG - Johnson/N. Young*
SF - Smith/Childress/Thornton*, Wright*, T. Young*
PF - Williamses
C - Pachulia/Wright

*= obviously the Hawks can only draft one of these guys.

The second solution keeps you overloaded at the wings without materially upgrading your other major hole (center). The first gets you the second-best point-guard in the draft and the second-best post-player, without adding yet another interchangeable part at the wing.

[mr. synellinden]

... The Minnesota Timberwolves select Brandan Wright, UNC

I will offer my thought process in a later post, but all of the talk about a possible KG trade makes it very hard to know who the right pick would be for Minny. Since I think they will trade him, I went with Wright.

In brief, I decided between Green, Noah, Wright and Hawes. If I didn't hate UNC so much I probably wouldn't have debated at all. I think Wright is currently the best player on the board (even though I really like Green's all around game and think Noah has the kind of intangibles to help win playoff games). I think McHale has been targeting Hawes but that is with the assumption that Wright was already taken. With him still on the board, I'd bet McHale jumps after Wright.

All joking about UNC aside, I really debated between Green, Hawes, Noah and Wright, all of whom I think will be excellent NBA players. In fact, debating this at #7 made me realize what a deep draft this is.

I first ruled out Noah because I think Wright and Green are better all around players. I then compared Wright and Green. I went back and forth for a while. First I thought about how Green outplayed Wright in the regional final. Then I thought about some of the monster games Wright had this year and remembered how I thought he would be a star in the NBA. I love Green's defense and how he plays on the perimeter and on the inside. But I also think Wright is very good defensively - blocking shots and disrupting passing lanes. And I think he will be even better when he gets stronger.

It may be because I watched him more frequently, but I think Wright is a unique player with an NBA style game. I think his career will fall somewhere between Tayshaun Prince and Chris Webber. And with 20 pounds of muscle, I think there is a better chance it will be on the Webber side. I decided he was a better prospect than Green.

Which left Hawes, who had a very impressive freshman season. He is legit 7 feet, pretty athletic for his size, runs the court well, can pass, and knows he is a back to the basket player and doesn't shy away from that. You simply can't teach 7 feet and it's very hard to find talented centers in the NBA. And the Wolves desperately need a center. So I debated between Hawes and Wright for a while. And I really almost typed Hawes as my pick but I couldn't pass on Wright because my gut tells me he is an All Star talent who will contribute on both ends of the court. I don't think Hawes is the same talent, and as much as the Wolves need a center I couldn't take him over Wright.

[JasonEvans]

This raises an interesting question for the Hawks' draft strategy (assuming they actually formulate a strategy). Would you rather have Al Horford and Acie Law (or Conley, if he somehow makes it to 11, which is what nbadraft.net is currently forecasting), or Conley and either Al Thornton, Julian Wright, or one of the Youngs (Thaddeus/Nick)? I think a solid argument could be made for the former - Horford is a huge upgrade over Zaza Pachulia and Lorenzen Wright, and Law is one heck of a point guard.

Drafting Horford could result in the following rotation

PG - Law IV/Claxton
SG - Johnson/Stoudamire
SF - Smith/Childress
PF - Williamses (Marv, Shel)
C - Horford/Pachulia

Drafting Conley gets you this

PG - Conley/Claxton
SG - Johnson/N. Young*
SF - Smith/Childress/Thornton*, Wright*, T. Young*
PF - Williamses
C - Pachulia/Wright

*= obviously the Hawks can only draft one of these guys.

The second solution keeps you overloaded at the wings without materially upgrading your other major hole (center). The first gets you the second-best point-guard in the draft and the second-best post-player, without adding yet another interchangeable part at the wing.

You make some good points but I think taking a backup for Johnson makes littel sense seeing as Johnson is going to play about 40 minutes per game for the Hawks and I'd like someone who is going to get me more than 8 minutes per game with the 11th pick. I think Thornton gives me great flexibility because he can play a lot of positions and has NBA strength so he can help right away.

Finally, at #11 you just take the best player on the board. That is what I think I did. After going for a position pick at #3, I had to take BPA at #11.

I must say though, all this analysis makes it clear to me that the Hawks must make a deal. MUST!! The only way this draft works for them is if Conley is somehow still on the board at #11 or if they decide that Law or Crittendon are as good as Conley.

--Jason "how is it possible for a team to have the #3 and #11 and have nothing good happen at either pick?" Evans

[JBDuke]

If I'm keeping up, we're up to pick #12 - Philadelphia, to be selected by GM ivDuke

[pfrduke]

You make some good points but I think taking a backup for Johnson makes littel sense seeing as Johnson is going to play about 40 minutes per game for the Hawks and I'd like someone who is going to get me more than 8 minutes per game with the 11th pick. I think Thornton gives me great flexibility because he can play a lot of positions and has NBA strength so he can help right away.

Finally, at #11 you just take the best player on the board. That is what I think I did. After going for a position pick at #3, I had to take BPA at #11.

I must say though, all this analysis makes it clear to me that the Hawks must make a deal. MUST!! The only way this draft works for them is if Conley is somehow still on the board at #11 or if they decide that Law or Crittendon are as good as Conley.

--Jason "how is it possible for a team to have the #3 and #11 and have nothing good happen at either pick?" Evans

I in no way disagree with the selection of Thornton at 11 - I think he's better right away than Wright and T. Young, and arguably a better fit, given the roster, than N. Young. I guess my comment goes more to the pick at #3 (or looking at both picks as a tandem, in light of the existing roster). Would you rather the Hawks walk away from the draft with Conley/Thornton, or Horford/Law IV? I think Horford/Law IV does more collectively to improve the Hawks than Conley/Thornton. Where does Thornton get minutes? As you rightly point out, Johnson will play 40. Conley and Claxton will split 48 minutes at point. That leaves 152 minutes to be shared among Josh Smith (should be over 30), Childress, Marvin Williams, Shel, Pachulia, and Thornton. Is 10 minutes of Al Thornton + Mike Conley better than 30 minutes/game a piece for Horford and Law? I say no. But that's just me.

[SilkyJ]

I in no way disagree with the selection of Thornton at 11 - I think he's better right away than Wright and T. Young, and arguably a better fit, given the roster, than N. Young. I guess my comment goes more to the pick at #3 (or looking at both picks as a tandem, in light of the existing roster). Would you rather the Hawks walk away from the draft with Conley/Thornton, or Horford/Law IV? I think Horford/Law IV does more collectively to improve the Hawks than Conley/Thornton. Where does Thornton get minutes? As you rightly point out, Johnson will play 40. Conley and Claxton will split 48 minutes at point. That leaves 152 minutes to be shared among Josh Smith (should be over 30), Childress, Marvin Williams, Shel, Pachulia, and Thornton. Is 10 minutes of Al Thornton + Mike Conley better than 30 minutes/game a piece for Horford and Law? I say no. But that's just me.

I think Jason may have been responding more to me as I was advocating getting a tall SG who could back up Joe Johnson...which is kinda what Thornton is actually....like i said i like the pick, and its def a tough one...

[Pistonsfan13]

ive seen a countless number of mock drafts for the 2007 draft, and ive seen in about 20 of the 30 drafts ive looked at,

Hawks:
#3=Mike Conley Jr.
#11=Acie Law IV

now those just dont make sense, and i totally agree with your points pfrduke


on another topic, what do you think the pistons should do with the #15 and # 27 picks. i heard on ESPN, that the pistons and the hawks will be active on draft day, possible trading <UNC SCUM HERE> (catch my drift?)and the #15 to the hawks for the #11 draft pick. if the pistons and hawks were to do that, why would the pistons move up to the #11, and for whom?

[pfrduke]

Responding to myself... I should clarify that drafting Conley in no way guarantees that a wing will be the best available player at #11. There's a possibility that Hawes or Noah could fall to the Hawks in that spot, giving them both a point and a big man in the draft. A Conley/Hawes combo would be an excellent draft (ditto a Conley/Noah combo) and would likely be a push with a Horford/Law IV combo. I guess if I'm the Hawks, and I have 2 picks in the top 11, I want to walk away with both a point guard and a big man that can help right away.


on another topic, what do you think the pistons should do with the #15 and # 27 picks. i heard on ESPN, that the pistons and the hawks will be active on draft day, possible trading <UNC SCUM HERE> (catch my drift?)and the #15 to the hawks for the #11 draft pick. if the pistons and hawks were to do that, why would the pistons move up to the #11, and for whom?

As to a possible trade for Sheed and the #15, a) you have to make that deal if you're the Hawks, b) that's a high price to pay for the Pistons to move up 4 spots. I know there's a pretty big natural break right around pick #13 or 14, but still, losing Sheed and a first round draft pick for four spots... seems like an awful lot. If this trade were to happen, it wouldn't happen until Atlanta was on the clock at #11 - there would have to be a player there that Detroit felt like it had to have. Now, Sheed and the #15 for Atlanta's #3... that might be something for the Pistons to think about (and a less obvious deal for the Hawks to jump on).

[Pistonsfan13]

As to a possible trade for Sheed and the #15, a) you have to make that deal if you're the Hawks, b) that's a high price to pay for the Pistons to move up 4 spots. I know there's a pretty big natural break right around pick #13 or 14, but still, losing Sheed and a first round draft pick for four spots... seems like an awful lot. If this trade were to happen, it wouldn't happen until Atlanta was on the clock at #11 - there would have to be a player there that Detroit felt like it had to have. Now, Sheed and the #15 for Atlanta's #3... that might be something for the Pistons to think about (and a less obvious deal for the Hawks to jump on).

seeing that Atlanta has failed in the last few drafts, they will probably be more cautious as to trade their #3 pick. if they do, then that is good for detroit, but i think that ATL can get more talent out of the draft than they can get from sheed. But if the Hawks accept the Sheed + 15 for the 3, whom do you think they choose? (and why)

[pfrduke]

seeing that Atlanta has failed in the last few drafts, they will probably be more cautious as to trade their #3 pick. if they do, then that is good for detroit, but i think that ATL can get more talent out of the draft than they can get from sheed. But if the Hawks accept the Sheed + 15 for the 3, whom do you think they choose? (and why)

I would think the Pistons would love to get their hands on Horford (by the way, can you tell I'm high on Horford's prospects as an NBA player?). The Pistons' forwards this year were collectively older than Methuselah, and if Sheed is dealt, that leaves them with only Nazr Mohammed and Jason Maxiell under contract in the post (and McDyess, if he exercises his option).

But you're right, Atlanta would be much more hesitant to give up the #3 than the #11.

[Clipsfan]

I have both a question and a comment. The question first: How do the rules work for matching up salaries when draft picks are involved? I know that normally the salaries need to be within 20% of each other total, with some other rules attached, but I have no idea what really happens when draft picks are part of the equation. Would a trade that solely had Sheed (and his large salary) and the #15 for #11 even be legal?

Second, if that is legal, could the Pistons be trying to drop some salary cap to keep Billups? I don't know their exact situation off the top of my head, but I do think that they will have some trouble matching the open market offers for Billups (even with Billups hurting his own value through poor play against the Cavs).

[merry]

You guys are spending way more effort and thought on the Hawks than the management of the team does.

[pfrduke]

I have both a question and a comment. The question first: How do the rules work for matching up salaries when draft picks are involved? I know that normally the salaries need to be within 20% of each other total, with some other rules attached, but I have no idea what really happens when draft picks are part of the equation. Would a trade that solely had Sheed (and his large salary) and the #15 for #11 even be legal?

Second, if that is legal, could the Pistons be trying to drop some salary cap to keep Billups? I don't know their exact situation off the top of my head, but I do think that they will have some trouble matching the open market offers for Billups (even with Billups hurting his own value through poor play against the Cavs).

Excellent point. The short answer is no, it wouldn't. The Hawks would need to add 2 players (possibly Zaza Pachulia and either Tyronn Lue or Lorenzen Wright (both with expiring contracts)) to make the money work. According to ESPN's trade generator, Sheed for Pachulia and Lue would work (the trade generator doesn't have the draft picks included). As for the draft picks, I think they get factored in only if they happen after the pick is made, but I'm really not sure. So that's really the trade - Wallace and the #15 for Lue, Pachulia, and the #11.

The Pistons may have trouble getting the financial room to re-sign Billups. They'd really need McDyess to decline to exercise his player option.

[Clipsfan]

Thanks for the answer, that's what I thought but I wasn't quite sure how the draft picks might be valued. I assumed that would just be too large of a loophole otherwise.

Good luck getting someone to decline the chance to make a bunch of money...

[Clipsfan]

On another note, given the very long delay so far between the 11th and 12th picks, I don't have high hopes that we'll reach the 14th pick tonight. Just as a quick mention for tomorrow, I live on the West coast and so will be making the 14th pick on west coast time.

[VaDukie]

You guys are spending way more effort and thought on the Hawks than the management of the team does.

I'm not sure if that's supposed to be making fun of the board or the Hawks :)

[duketaylor]

Thanks to Kels for making the selection for me; she's a bigger Bulls fan than me. She was all for a big and my buddies at I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this. are high on Hawes and thought he'd be a great pick. They've seen him play many times and are cool with my taking him with the 9th pick. I've never seen him play, but I do trust their opinion.

[JasonEvans]

I'm not sure if that's supposed to be making fun of the board or the Hawks :)

It was making fun of the Hawks-- and it was an excellent joke.

As for the discussion about what the Hawks do with their picks, the thing that is missing is that I think there is a large gulf between Conley and Law or Crittendon. I went for Conley early--waaay early-- because I had to have a PG and getting Law or Crit at #11 did not solve my need. I am not sure either of those guys are ever NBA starters at PG and I am very skeptical that either of them will ever be potential all-stars. Conley, OTOH, seems like he could be a major stud someday-- very much like Tony Parker.

That is why I reached for him.

-Jason "the person with the #12 pick told me he would be out of town-- anyone who wants can pick #12 now-- pick anyone on the board. First pick is the official pick but please try to be honest in your pick" Evans

[ivduke]

Julian wright

Simply because he is the best available player at this point...

[JBDuke]

If I'm keeping up, we're up to pick #12 - Philadelphia, to be selected by GM ivDuke

Now on the clock - rtnorthrup picking for the New Orleans Hornets at #13....

[pfrduke]

As for the discussion about what the Hawks do with their picks, the thing that is missing is that I think there is a large gulf between Conley and Law or Crittendon. I went for Conley early--waaay early-- because I had to have a PG and getting Law or Crit at #11 did not solve my need. I am not sure either of those guys are ever NBA starters at PG and I am very skeptical that either of them will ever be potential all-stars. Conley, OTOH, seems like he could be a major stud someday-- very much like Tony Parker.

I'm with you on Crittenton, but not on Law. I'll agree that Law has a lower ceiling than Conley. But I don't see the gulf quite so wide. He could easily have a John Starks kind of career. nbadraft.net lists his comp as Chauncey Billups - I'm not sure he'll be as good as Billups, but their profiles are similar - neither's really a natural distributor, but each is enough of a threat with the ball to do damage at the point. Considering the talent that would be surrounding him (Johnson, Smith, Williamses, Horford), I think a John Starks/poor man's Chauncey Billups would be a great solution at the point.

[SilkyJ]

Jason,

Any chance you can post the draft order list with the players who have been picked listed by their teams so we know what we're workin with tmrw?

silky "thanks, jason" j

[JBDuke]

Jason,

Any chance you can post the draft order list with the players who have been picked listed by their teams so we know what we're workin with tmrw?

silky "thanks, jason" j

Look at Jason's message that started the thread - I've been updating it as the picks come out.

[rtnorthrup]

Nick Young (USC)

I have seen a lot of Mock Drafts that have the Hornets taking Thad Young from GA Tech. N.O. does have Peja and whether they want to play him at the two guard or small forward slot makes a big difference. Nick shot over 40% from three and is a polished scorer. Thad is young, and disappeared in big games last year, namely against Duke.

All in all, I went with the NBA ready player to put along side Chris Paul.

[Clipsfan]

Acie Law. They need a PG badly and I think that Law IV fits the bill best. I know that the mock drafts have a lot of other choices out there, but most of those are based upon potential trades. Assuming no trades, this is probably the best pick here. They need someone who is not afraid to take a big shot.

[Dukerati]

Does this mean the Clips are giving up on Livingston?

[rtnorthrup]

After that knee injury, one has to wonder if he will ever make it back to the league, much less if he will be productive.

Not to mention that Sam Cassell is about 150 years old.

[Clipsfan]

Does this mean the Clips are giving up on Livingston?

From what I've heard, I don't think that he's coming back from that injury any time soon. Not only that, but there is a decent chance that he'll never come back (I'm sure you saw footage?) That was just nasty. If nothing else, they need to compete this coming year, and Law is closer to NBA ready than someone like Crittendon, who may be better in the long term. Cassell is just getting old, and Ewing wasn't cutting it as the backup.

[BD80]

With the 15th pick, the Detroit Pistons select Javaris Crittendon

Javaris struggled some as a Freshman and I doubt he will be an immediate contributor at the next level. However, I think the Pistons have to look for the potential all-stars rather than role players. JC has the skill set and athleticism to be a star, and from reports has the attitude and work ethic to make it happen. The Pistons also need help behind Tayshaun Prince, who plays way too many minutes, and Javaris may get some minutes there if he can defend the wing. Grant Hill might moot this issue.

I would love for the Pistons to be able to move up a few picks to get Conley. With the new defenses, I think it is more important than ever to have a point that can initiate offense with quick dribble penetration. It is also important to have a point with quick enough feet to stop dribble penetration. Conley is that kind of athlete, but he may be overvalued in this draft relative to some very talented wing and post players.

Although the few point guards are being inflated in value, I consider Acie Law to be a pick like Tayshaun Prince, he doesn’t look pretty, but he gets it done. I was hoping Acie fell to 15. I think he would fit in with the Pistons mentality. Point guard is a priority for the Pistons, as a back up and as a potential replacement for Billups, whose value has peaked. I don’t think he will perform well once he receives his big contract. I would rather move Chauncey now in a sign and trade, and would even take Kobe, who is a selfish prick but does play hard.

Most mock drafts have the Pistons taking Rodney Stuckey from Eastern Washington at 15, there is even talk that there is a guarantee. I don’t see Joe Dumars taking a sophomore from a lower conference who doesn’t have great athleticism. Oh wait, Joe D was a 6’3” combo guard from a lower conference who could penetrate, create his own shot and play lock down defense. Apparently Stuckey was a stud in high school but didn’t have the grades for a bigger school, but I don’t remember him being a big time recruit.

[Clipsfan]

It looks like someone else agreed with my thoughts :) Also, to reiterate something I said in my initial post, I think that the situation will be completely different on draft day. There are too many rumors out there surrounding the Clips for me to think that they won't do at least something by the 14th pick in the draft.

[SilkyJ]

Jb - 1.5 hours....Quit sunbathing in front of the chapel and make ur pick already!

[JBDuke]

With the 16th pick in the 2007 NBA draft, the Washington Wizards select.....

Marc Gasol, Spain

More to come later...

[Clipsfan]

With the 16th pick in the 2007 NBA draft, the Washington Wizards select.....

Marc Gasol, Spain

More to come later...

Very interesting pick...Why do you make us have to wait for the rationale?? I'm interested in your thoughts on it.

Btw, I think this is the sort of moment where if you've got a bunch of guys in a room one of them makes a wisecrack about how you stole their second round pick or something :)

[SilkyJ]

ACC Fan - 1.5 hours and counting

silky "call me jason" j

[SilkyJ]

ACC Fan - 1.5 hours and counting

silky "call me jason" j

ACC Fan - Time's up and I want to get my pick done so I can leave work and get to boozin', and Jason/JB are clearly not enforcing the rules right now because they probably have real work to do (I don't)

With the 17th pick in the draft, the New Jersey Nets Select Sean Williams. Vince Carter now has a protege.

Explanation: They need frontcourt help particularly on Defense.

Golden St (My pick) to follow shortly

[BD80]

From 4:00 PM yesterday to 4:30 today we have made only 5 picks! If your pick is coming up and you can't be around, I'm certain Jason would enter your pick if you list your top 4 or 5 choices of the players remaining. I will volunteer if Jason can't. Just email.

[SilkyJ]

So Stephen Jackson will make the selection, and fearing for his job security, he chooses to pass over the best player left on the board: Thaddeus Young, for Jason Smith, CSU.

Explanation: The pieces are here for this team, clearly. Backcourt is solid (assuming BD stays healthy) with BD, J-Rich, and Monta Ellis and Matt Barnes coming off the Bench. Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes are both capable of playing the 2/3 and Nellie apparently really likes Biedrins at the 5 and Pietrus can provide energy off the bench. Nellie does NOT like Al Harrington. So this team needs a legit 4, and Jason Smith is a Nellie Ball type guy who can face the basket, and he can also play the 5 in a small ball lineup. He provides rebounding and post-defense, and once they put a little meat on his bones he will be even better in those areas. Also, they can now put Harrington on the trading block and see if they can't get one more key piece to make a championship run.

[SilkyJ]

From 4:00 PM yesterday to 4:30 today we have made only 5 picks! If your pick is coming up and you can't be around, I'm certain Jason would enter your pick if you list your top 4 or 5 choices of the players remaining. I will volunteer if Jason can't. Just email.

In the last 10 minutes we (I) made 2 picks. Done and done.

[JBDuke]

Very interesting pick...Why do you make us have to wait for the rationale?? I'm interested in your thoughts on it.

Btw, I think this is the sort of moment where if you've got a bunch of guys in a room one of them makes a wisecrack about how you stole their second round pick or something :)

Well, there are a few reasons. First, since we can't make trades and such, I don't like the idea of picking the best talent on the board at the time. What good does drafting, say, Rodney Stuckey or Derrick Byars or Thaddeous Young do for me if I've already got players with their skills and if I can't trade them away for something I need? So, I decided to try and meet my team's most glaring need. For the Wizards, I think that need is a legit post presence.

The Wizards are loaded with perimeter talent, and they've got a nice set of forwards, too, including a couple of power forwards that rebound fairly well. But where they get exposed is in the middle. For the last couple of years, Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas have been splitting those minutes. Haywood has the body and the skills for the job, but he's a complete flake. One game in ten, he'll show you enough promise to think that if you could just get that kind of effort out of him consistently, you'd have exactly what your team needs. Nine games out of ten, you look at his stat line and wonder how somebody so big can make such little impact. He's been doing this since his days at Carolina, and has resisted the combined efforts of collegiate and pro coaching staffs to get his head out of his amply-sized posterior for about a decade now. Somehow, I don't think he's going to be the answer I need.

Thomas has lots of heart, but he lacks the size and the skills to excel. I like his effort, and he eventually won the starting job at the end of the season, mostly I think because of Haywood's flighty nature and for the fact that you can at least count on Etan to come in and play hard. If I could transplant Etan's heart and mind into Brendan's body, I might have the center I need.

On top of that, they can't seem to get along - both think they should start and tend to sulk when they don't - especially Haywood. They bicker regularly and even fight occasionally. It has become a locker room problem that I, as GM, won't put up with for another season. One of them is gone - preferably Haywood. (Two Carolina guys on one squad is too many, anyway, and I'd much rather keep Jamison.) Anyone have any trade offers? ;-)

Other players that see post time for the Wiz: Michael Ruffin and Calvin Booth. Andray Blatche and Darius Songaila also play there occasionally, but really are more suited to PF.

I'm pretty much set at the other four positions on the floor, with Arenas, Stevenson, Butler, and Jamison. I've got a decent second string with Antonio Daniels, Donell Taylor (or Roger Mason), Jarvis Hayes, Darius Songaila, and Etan as my backup center, assuming I can find a starter. I'm still trying to bring Blatche along to be a poor man's Kevin Garnett (hey, I can dream!), and I also have Oleksiy Pecherov, last year's first rounder, who may be ready to stay in the US this year. But neither of them is going to be the low post presence I need... (btw, I also have the rights to Navarro, a big time scoring guard in the European leagues, but he's not going to fill my doughnut hole, either).

So, what do I need from a center? Well, I don't need a lot of scoring, that's for sure. If I got 6-10 pts a game, that'd be plenty. But I'd sure like someone that could get me, say 9-10 boards a game, along with a couple of blocks and/or steals. Someone big enough to be a threat. If we could trade, I'd love to get someone like, say Dampier or Mohammed or Chandler or Haslem.

So, what's available in the draft? At this point, the best talents I could find that could play center in the NBA were: Jason Smith, Tiago Splitter, Sean Williams, Nick Fazekas, Kyrylo Fesenko, Glen Davis, Aaron Gray, and Marc Gasol. I weeded out the ones like Fazekas, who seem to want to be like Okur and drift out to the three point line all the time (I want someone anchored to the low post - I got all the perimeter shooters I need...). I also threw out those that were really projects, as I'm carrying a couple of those already, and I feel like I don't have too many more years that I can wait, since I have to try to keep my big three together as the core of my team. I thought about Davis and Gray and Williams, but after seeing them play the last couple of years, I just don't see them as the solution. Fesenko was probably the one I thought about the most, but I liked what I read about Gasol, so I went with him.

I may get bitten by picking some European guy that I've never seen play and have only read a couple of articles about, and maybe I should have just taken Stuckey and hoped he'd find a spot on my second team. But the draft is the time for fans to dream, so I'm dreaming that I just picked a guy that could turn out to be the missing piece to a team that can contend with the best of the East.

[JBDuke]

We're up to the Lakers at #19....

[rtnorthrup]

What kills me is that you have so many teams at the top of the draft that need to make dramatic changes to their roster: Atlanta, Boston, Minnesota, Clippers, Memphis, Washington and yet I bet that we will see a pretty straightforward draft.

In taking Gasol, are you assuming that Wash resigns Arenas and holds onto Jamison?

[Clipsfan]

JB - Thanks for the long explanation, your thoughts make sense (although given that Gasol is a second rounder on a lot of mock drafts, I was surprised to see him). I know that Sean Williams may have huge issues with his approach, but if you're looking for a starting center doesn't he have a lot more talent than Gasol? Especially if your keys are rebounds and blocking shots?

[MulletMan]

Marco Belinelli, SG from Italy.

I can't lie. I had planned to take Jason Smith here as I feel he is the perfect player to play in the triangle offense at the five a la Bill Cartwright.

However, let's look at this as a blessing in disguise. We're going to trade Kobe, and we'll try to get a strong post player in return or draft someone later to fill that spot. What we will be in desperate need of is a scorer to take some of the load off of Odom and help in the back court. ENTER MARCO! Besides, tell me the celebs courtside won't love this kid!

http://nbadraft.net/admincp/library/players/small/marco-belinelli-hd.jpg

Six months before Jessica Simpson is tappin' that...

(Sorry for stopping the draft by not checking in. My bad.)

[Dukerati]

I'm pretty much set at the other four positions on the floor, with Arenas, Stevenson, Butler, and Jamison

Having watched many Wizards games in the past year, I do not think you can say that the Wizards are "set" with Stevenson at the two. He's too inconsistent of a shooter and lacks the length to guard the elite shooting guards in the league. I am not necessarily disagreeing with your draft pick as the Wizards could use a lot of interior help but I think the 2-guard is a position that needs to be addressed if the Wizards want to take the next step.

[Duke09]

Thaddeus Young. Best player available. After close inspection, the draft yielded no 30-something veterans that would fit in well with the team. I don't think there is any way in hell Young is actually at this pick some the real draft.

Could be a great running mate with Wade as a Scottie Pippin type wingman. You generally can't find someone so young and so athletic at this point in the draft. If he wasn't available, I was looking at big guards that could play some defense like byars, cook, and stuckey.

[JBDuke]

ivDuke is on the road, and sent instructions for whom he wanted to select, so -

With the 21st pick in the 2007 NBA draft, the Phildelphia 76ers select ....

Josh McRoberts, Duke

[feldspar]

With the 22nd pick, the Charlotte Bobcats select Arron Afflalo of the UCLA Bruins.

[SilkyJ]

With the 22nd pick, the Charlotte Bobcats select Arron Afflalo of the UCLA Bruins.

Perfect Pick, imo. They are constantly playing two PGs at the same time and Afflalo is ready to come in and contribute right away...I see a little Rip in him...I also think Morrison is going to be a bust

[SilkyJ]

Duke24/7 - apparently you arent DBR 24/7. Time's up and 15 min grace period has passed.

With the 23rd Pick the NY Knicks select Wilson Chandler, SF, DePaul

Explanation: Chad Ford claims the Knicks may have already guaranteed him so thats all I got....

(thx Marine Dad for the catch, I wasn't expecting to have to monitor this...)

[MarineTwinsDad]

ACC Fan - Time's up and I want to get my pick done so I can leave work and get to boozin', and Jason/JB are clearly not enforcing the rules right now because they probably have real work to do (I don't)

With the 17th pick in the draft, the New Jersey Nets Select Sean Williams. Vince Carter now has a protege.

Explanation: They need frontcourt help particularly on Defense.

Golden St (My pick) to follow shortly


You already did that...

[SilkyJ]

Dukerati is on the road and so is Jason, so I am passing along the pick:

The Phoenix Suns Select Rudy Fernandez, SG, Spain

[SilkyJ]

Troublemaker is also on the road, so here is his pick:

The Utah Jazz Select: Morris Almond, SG, Rice

MrBisonDevil (Houston) YOU ARE NOW ON THE CLOCK. Let's try and move this along...

[duke24/7]

i didn't wake up until 10:45, and just finished getting dressed. thanks for doing the pick silky j, sorry again if I messed this up.

[Clipsfan]

Perfect Pick, imo. They are constantly playing two PGs at the same time and Afflalo is ready to come in and contribute right away...I see a little Rip in him...I also think Morrison is going to be a bust

My concern with him is that he tends to shoot on the way down, which will make it really hard for him to get his shot off in the pros (players are just too big). I hope that he works on releasing the ball a little sooner, close to the apex of his jump.

[Clipsfan]

Troublemaker is also on the road, so here is his pick:

The Utah Jazz Select: Morris Almond, SG, Rice

MrBisonDevil (Houston) YOU ARE NOW ON THE CLOCK. Let's try and move this along...

SilkyJ, I'm not sure what time zone you are in, but you may want to consider that other people aren't in the same one. I'm not saying that they're not, but some of those picks were made at 5:30 in the morning my time. If it were my time to pick, I don't think that it is rational to expect me to wake up at 5:30 just to check the mock draft, same as I don't expect those of you on the east coast to check at 2 in the morning EST to see if west coasters/those in Asia made picks around then. I think it is much more reasonable to expect things to move quicker from noon EST until 6 or 7 EST, but outside of that time zones can create difficulties.

[rtnorthrup]

I think if you are looking for a combo guard, Stuckey is better, and if you are looking for a pure shooting guard the kid from Rice, and even Cook from OSU are a little better.

I will say that NBA GMs have started placing emphasis on players who played in big time college programs, and Afflalo going to 2 Final Fours gives him more big game experience than any other guard in the draft.

[SilkyJ]

SilkyJ, I'm not sure what time zone you are in, but you may want to consider that other people aren't in the same one. I'm not saying that they're not, but some of those picks were made at 5:30 in the morning my time. If it were my time to pick, I don't think that it is rational to expect me to wake up at 5:30 just to check the mock draft, same as I don't expect those of you on the east coast to check at 2 in the morning EST to see if west coasters/those in Asia made picks around then. I think it is much more reasonable to expect things to move quicker from noon EST until 6 or 7 EST, but outside of that time zones can create difficulties.

East coast bias :)

Fair enough, but I waited until 11am EST (8am pacific) before moving it along...

[Clipsfan]

I think if you are looking for a combo guard, Stuckey is better, and if you are looking for a pure shooting guard the kid from Rice, and even Cook from OSU are a little better.

I will say that NBA GMs have started placing emphasis on players who played in big time college programs, and Aflallo going to 2 Final Fours gives him more big game experience than any other guard in the draft.

I'm not sure whether you are replying to the pick, or to what I was saying, but I agree with your comment about big time program/experience. I watched Afflalo play in person quite a bit, and I think that he is a very good player (I was slightly surprised that he was first team all-american, but didn't think it was completely misguided). He plays tremendous defense, and knows how to play/get to the hoop, and doesn't shy away from taking (and often hitting) the big shot. Duke would have been really good with him on it last year, as he would have filled in a lot of holes. As it is, though, I think the knock on him is a lack of athleticism. I don't agree, thinking that he is actually very athletic, but that's what I've always heard.

[Clipsfan]

East coast bias :)

Fair enough, but I waited until 11am EST (8am pacific) before moving it along...

No real problem with it here, I just wanted to mention it in case I don't check before the sun rises when it's my turn :)

[MrBisonDevil]

Houston Rockets: GLEN DAVIS, PF LSU

Houston Needs: C, PF. Dikembe has 1 yr left as a Yao backup. PFs: Chuck Hayes (Juwan was traded 6/14 or new Rockets PG Mike James).

Glen isn't the fastest up the court, but he has size, good feet and the ability to take other PFs off the dribble in a short game. Also, Glen's ability to block out could open up T-Mac & Yao's inside game (offensive & defensive).

If Glen can lose 15-30lbs, he could be become a greater player. (Note: The other guy I looked at was Nick Fazekas. I think Nick doesn't have the athletic ability to fit into the Rocket's plans long term. Even with Nick's height, length & extended ball game, I still think Glen has a greater upside)

[JBDuke]

We are up to Detroit's pick at #27...

[Pistonsfan13]

bd80 you better pick who i want you to pick....:D

[JBDuke]

What kills me is that you have so many teams at the top of the draft that need to make dramatic changes to their roster: Atlanta, Boston, Minnesota, Clippers, Memphis, Washington and yet I bet that we will see a pretty straightforward draft.

In taking Gasol, are you assuming that Wash resigns Arenas and holds onto Jamison?

Yes. What I've read indicates Gilbert wants to stay. He likes his teammates and the team and the town. At most, his heads-up about testing the market next summer is a warning that the front office needs to find ways to improve the team. (And, of course, they need to be ready to shell out top dollar to keep him.) Unless there's a blockbuster deal somewhere along the line, I think the Wizards find a way to keep Agent Zero.

Jamison's on-court presence is replaceable, IMO, but when combined with his locker room leadership, he may be a "must-keep" as well.

I think Washington's best chance is to keep the Big Three, hope they stay healthy, and find the right pieces around them.

[JBDuke]

JB - Thanks for the long explanation, your thoughts make sense (although given that Gasol is a second rounder on a lot of mock drafts, I was surprised to see him). I know that Sean Williams may have huge issues with his approach, but if you're looking for a starting center doesn't he have a lot more talent than Gasol? Especially if your keys are rebounds and blocking shots?

I like Sean Williams's game, but I've had such problems with a head case like Haywood, the last thing I want is another hard-to-motivate center like Williams. Plus, Gasol's actually a little bigger.

[BD80]

Many have Stuckey going to the Pistons at 15, so I figure this is a steal at #27. This will put pressure on 2 past picks that haven't made it into the rotation, Alex Acker and Will Blalock. I think the Pistons could use an infusion of speed in the back court and some more ability to penetrate.

Tiago Splitter would be a great pick here, although it seems like he is a four year vet already, his name has been discussed in connection with the draft since the 2004 draft. He isn’t all that was predicted years ago, but he is very solid and would be a good part of a short rotation, whether as a starter or a sub. He can’t play until 2008, which works for the Pistons who need to fit 2 1st round picks onto the roster and have a couple of past picks under contract playing well overseas. Since we have Maxiel and Amir Johnson moving into the rotation next year, I went for backcourt help.

[JBDuke]

We're up to the Spurs at #28...

[Pistonsfan13]

good boy you read my mind :p


the only thing i disagree with what you said is that it will pressure blalock and acker. you cant rush the development of players. each player takes a different amount of time to get developed, and if you rush that, it may not turn out to what you expect/want it to be. If Stuckey was off the board, then Tiago would have been the ideal pick. Also, they could take Alando Tucker (explosive scorer) Taurean Green (leader) or Glen Davis (big man that can contribute immediatly)

[MarineTwinsDad]

With the 28th pick, the San Antonio Spurs pick Derrick Byers.

His versatility and experience will provide several interesting solutions to the long term stability of the continuing success of the the World Champions. Being around Bowen and Finley under one of the best coaches in the business will allow Byers to get even better, especially if he can pick up where Bowen will eventually have to leave off.

[SilkyJ]

Dukerati is up again, so I am passing along his selection:

With the 29th pick the Phoenix Suns select Tiago Splitter, PF, Brazil

He will be supplying rationale later...

ivDuke you are on the clock

[JasonEvans]

With the 28th pick, the San Antonio Spurs pick Derrick Byers.

His versatility and experience will provide several interesting solutions to the long term stability of the continuing success of the the World Champions. Being around Bowen and Finley under one of the best coaches in the business will allow Byers to get even better, especially if he can pick up where Bowen will eventually have to leave off.

This kid is a mid-late teens kinda talent that you are getting at pick #28. He really slipped in our mock draft. Nice pick.

-Jason "still on vacation - mad props to Silky and JB for handling things" Evans

[MarineTwinsDad]

This kid is a mid-late teens kinda talent that you are getting at pick #28. He really slipped in our mock draft. Nice pick.

-Jason "still on vacation - mad props to Silky and JB for handling things" Evans

How does a player like Bowen get to be one the best on defense? Byers, in what I have seen, could get there if he has the heart. He also can score, and could replace Finley eventually. Splitter was there, but Spurs already have Scola in storage. Hope would be that Byers is mature enough to understand what really makes the Spurs great, their team play, and be willing to fit in a couple places. Probably zero chance that this would happen on Draft night, but it works for me.

[JasonEvans]

With the 31st pick (ivDuke) the Sixers take Jared Dudley, Boston College.

ivDuke asked me to make this pick for him. He had Bellini and Afflalo as guys he wanted first but with both of them gone he gets his third choice in Dudley.

[kydevil]

With the 31st pick (ivDuke) the Sixers take Jared Dudley, Boston College.

ivDuke asked me to make this pick for him. He had Bellini and Afflalo as guys he wanted first but with both of them gone he gets his third choice in Dudley.

Jason I believe you meant to say the 30th pick for the Sixers.

Well guys thats it for the first round, Russ Granik it is now your show.

[rtnorthrup]

Given the length of time it took to complete round one, and given that it is Friday afternoon, are we done with the Mock Draft?

[pfrduke]

The Sonics roster is not a pretty thing. Their last four drafts have produced the following players - Mohammed Sene, Johan Petro, Mickael Gelabale, Johan Petro, Nick Collison, and Luke Ridnour. Only Collison and Ridnour have any kind of positive impact, and they're average, at best. The Sonics also have some unfortunate contracts - both Ridnour and backup Earl Watson are locked up for three years at about 6.5 mil per. So they're paying nearly 13 mil a year for two guys who, together, make a barely adequate PG combination. And as good as Ray Allen is (and he's exceptional), he'll be taking up about 30% of the cap space all by his lonesome.

The Sonics' assests are all at the 2-4 spots - Allen, Durant, Wilcox, and Collison (he started at center a lot, but he's really more of a 4 - he'd be an ideal 4/5 backup, getting 24 minutes a game). Last year, their point guard production was below average, and their center production was atrocious - they routinely got killed inside (by the way, as excited as I'd be to have Durant, it would be much, much, much better to get Oden and convince Lewis to stay (which he might, to play with Oden), even if it meant paying the luxury tax for a year or two while waiting for some of these contracts to expire. A starting lineup that featured Allen, Lewis, Wilcox, and Oden would be awesome - a lot better than one with Allen, Durant, Wilcox, and Collison). So what we need here is help at the 1 and at the 5. Unfortunatley, at this point in the draft, I'm not sure there's an available center who can come in and help out right away, at least not so sure that I can't wait another 4 picks and see who's available at 35. So that leaves point guard.

There are two point guard prospects available here that I like, Koponen (who the Sonics are reportedly pretty high on) and Pruitt. I thought about Dowdell, who's been looking great in workouts and routinely killed Duke and UNC, but I think he's a career backup (albeit a good one), and I'd really like someone with starter potential. Pruitt has height (6'4") and explosiveness, but isn't a natural point guard - he lacks some of the vision and pure passing ability that I'd want in a floor general. USC's offense this season didn't really rely on him to make plays - Young, Stewart, and Pruitt all did a lot of ball handling, drive and dish work. Koponen, on the other hand, is young and unproven. Only 19, he hasn't played a lot of high level basketball. He's also tall (6'4"-6'5"), but is very slight, and would need to bulk up some for the NBA. However, he's been described as a wizard in the open court, a guy with innate court vision and good decision making.

Given that the Sonics unfortunately have Ridnour and Watson on the books for the next 3 years, I'm really looking for a PG of the future, rather than someone to start next season. And I think a full season playing in Europe is better for development than a season shuffling between the NBDL and riding the pine. So with that in mind, I'm taking

Petteri Koponen, Finland

with the 31st pick. Even if he's not ready now, I can keep him in Europe for a year or so and see how he develops. And if Ridnour and Watson continue to be average or worse, I can target an elite PG in next year's guard-heavy draft.

[SilkyJ]

Given the length of time it took to complete round one, and given that it is Friday afternoon, are we done with the Mock Draft?

No, the draft goes on.

I hope Jason doesn't mind me quoting his private message but he would like to continue this over the weekend, obviously we won't have the same time limits and push people, we will let it be organic.

"with the caveat that you should really try not to hold things up for an entire day if you can avoid it. I would like us to get through 5 or so picks over the weekend. That would put us in pretty decent shape to finish things up before the NBA does the real thing." -JasonEvans

VaDukie is now on the Clock

[JasonEvans]

With the 31st pick (ivDuke) the Sixers take Jared Dudley, Boston College.

ivDuke asked me to make this pick for him. He had Bellini and Afflalo as guys he wanted first but with both of them gone he gets his third choice in Dudley.

By the way, I think this is a real steal. Many mocks have Dudley forecast in the 2nd round where I think he is an absurd steal. This kid is a solid 6th or 7th man in the NBA, which is a great find late in the first round or especially in the 2nd round. He competes hard very night and has the strength to play with NBA forwards. His ability to score inside and out along with his nose for the ball on rebounds will serve him well. No, he does not nearly have the physical tools of most good NBA players, but his heart more than makes up for that. I think Dudley is a Playah!!

-Jason "respect!!" Evans

[JasonEvans]

No, the draft goes on.

I hope Jason doesn't mind me quoting his private message but he would like to continue this over the weekend, obviously we won't have the same time limits and push people, we will let it be organic.

"with the caveat that you should really try not to hold things up for an entire day if you can avoid it. I would like us to get through 5 or so picks over the weekend. That would put us in pretty decent shape to finish things up before the NBA does the real thing." -JasonEvans

VaDukie is now on the Clock

Silky is doing a great job (with help from JB) of keeping this thing moving.

We are doing great. If we can get half a dozen or more picks done over the weekend we will be in exclellent position to finish before the NBA does their thing. That is our goal as I see it. We are finished with the first round in less than three days. I won't be at all suprised if we finish the 2nd round by late Tuesday.

Then, we can look back after the NBA does their thing and see how close we came to the "experts" picks and who got steals and who got burned. I bet we draft at least a couple kids in the middle of the first round who last until late in the 2nd round for the NBA. I also bet we completely miss or take late in the 2nd some kid who ends up going in the early 20s in the NBA draft. Happens that way every year.

-Jason "props to everyone for getting us this far along" Evans

[JasonEvans]

If VaDukie has not make his pick in the next 20 minutes or so, anyone who wants to can make the pick for him. You'd be selecting for Boston and please consult the first post in this thread to make sure you do not select someone who has already been taken.

-Jason "I think Alando Tucker is a nice pick at this point" Evans

[Clipsfan]

Has anyone been keeping track of all the picks who would be willing to post it? That may speed up the process, as I would have to go back through 120+ posts to find who has been taken.

[JBDuke]

Has anyone been keeping track of all the picks who would be willing to post it? That may speed up the process, as I would have to go back through 120+ posts to find who has been taken.

Just look at the first post in the thread - I've been updating it all along as picks are made.

[Pistonsfan13]

well its been 30 mins since evans said that anybody can take it, so i will take it. The Boston Celtics select Alando Tucker SF, Wisconsin. i had a tough time deciding between him, and Kyrylo Fesenko. Tucker is very athletic, with a good physique and an average wingspan. His credentials in college speak for themselves. He projects as a solid role-player in the pros. the Celtics need that explosive scorer, that compliments Paul Pierce. Pierce is on the decline, and he may be involved in a trade, so Tucker will certainly help. With Tucker on the team, he can contribute immediatly, and will be a star in the years to come.


Also because Jason hinted at it

[JasonEvans]

well its been 30 mins since evans said that anybody can take it, so i will take it. The Boston Celtics select Alando Tucker SF, Wisconsin. i had a tough time deciding between him, and Kyrylo Fesenko. Tucker is very athletic, with a good physique and an average wingspan. His credentials in college speak for themselves. He projects as a solid role-player in the pros. the Celtics need that explosive scorer, that compliments Paul Pierce. Pierce is on the decline, and he may be involved in a trade, so Tucker will certainly help. With Tucker on the team, he can contribute immediatly, and will be a star in the years to come.


Also because Jason hinted at it

Well, my word is hardly bible, but I think you just got 1st round talent in the 2nd round-- always a good move.

MarineTwinsDad is now on the clock, picking for the World Champs.

-Jason "even though the weekend is more relaxed, lets really try to get to the middle of the second round if we can!" Evans

[SilkyJ]

well its been 30 mins since evans said that anybody can take it, so i will take it. The Boston Celtics select Alando Tucker SF, Wisconsin. i had a tough time deciding between him, and Kyrylo Fesenko. Tucker is very athletic, with a good physique and an average wingspan. His credentials in college speak for themselves. He projects as a solid role-player in the pros. the Celtics need that explosive scorer, that compliments Paul Pierce. Pierce is on the decline, and he may be involved in a trade, so Tucker will certainly help. With Tucker on the team, he can contribute immediatly, and will be a star in the years to come.


Also because Jason hinted at it

He was at the top of my board for pick 36...damn u jason

[MarineTwinsDad]

With the 33rd pick, the San Antonio Spurs choose Dominic McGuire.

Even though Daequan Cook and Gabe Pruitt are still out there, the Spurs aren't likely to pick a freshman without a real understanding of defense, and Pruitt would need more time to develop as a point guard. McGuire has size and athleticism, blocks shots and gives assists. He looks good for this spot.

[JasonEvans]

With the 33rd pick, the San Antonio Spurs choose Dominic McGuire.

Even though Daequan Cook and Gabe Pruitt are still out there, the Spurs aren't likely to pick a freshman without a real understanding of defense, and Pruitt would need more time to develop as a point guard. McGuire has size and athleticism, blocks shots and gives assists. He looks good for this spot.

Man, I really don't know about this one. He's got the look of an NBAer with massive wingspan and a great nose for rebounds but the guy is beyond raw offensively. I mean, can he hit a shot outside of 5 feet from the basket? If I recall correctly, he is one of the worst foul shooters around. Can you play SF in the NBA without any jumpshot at all?

I think there are some real talents still on the board at this point-- guys who will make NBA rosters and contribute. I won't name any names right now, but I think there are at least 5 guys who have a very good chance to help an NBA club left out there right now.

-Jason "we are entering Rey Terry range-- will any DBRer take him?" Evans

[phaedrus]

i still can't believe someone took brandan wright.

[MarineTwinsDad]

Yes, McRoberts is a couple inches taller, probably a PF to McGuire's SF. But look at their stats:

PPG, McR 13 to McG's 13.5
FG &#37;, McR 50.2, McG 47.1
RPG, McR 7.9, McG 9.8
APG, McR 3.5, McG 3.3

and the FT%? McR 66.4, McG 58.6

Blocks on the season: McR 82, McG 114

Most certainly I would have drafted McRoberts ahead of McGuire, but that choice wasn't there. The Spurs aren't necessarily looking for scores, but someone who can block shots, rebound, and passes the ball well could find a place.

[kydevil]

with the 34th pick the Dallas Mavericks Select Kyle Visser Wake Forest.

Mavs were killed in the first round by having no big man presence on the inside. Visser is a big body down low that can play low post defense and block an occasional shot. His offense definitely needs some work. I think that with the Mavs more up tempo style he would fit in well due to his good mobility and athleticism. Excellent rebounder, all in all good get some minutes for the Mavs if he can prove himself.

Hopefully Skip got him ready for the league.

[SilkyJ]

Sorry Kydevil but as slippery (silky?) as sean williams is, he cant be picked twice (see the Nets at 17). Thank you come again.





-Jason "we are entering Rey Terry range-- will any DBRer take him?" Evans

damnit jason, let me get my sleepers!

[kydevil]

:D
Sorry Kydevil but as slippery (silky?) as sean williams is, he cant be picked twice (see the Nets at 17). Thank you come again.




damnit jason, let me get my sleepers!

Yes I realized that this morning thank you though. I thought I was getting a steal

[JBDuke]

:D

Yes I realized that this morning thank you though. I thought I was getting a steal

Okay, so then what is your pick?

[pfrduke]

The Sonics roster is not a pretty thing. Their last four drafts have produced the following players - Mohammed Sene, Johan Petro, Mickael Gelabale, Johan Petro, Nick Collison, and Luke Ridnour. Only Collison and Ridnour have any kind of positive impact, and they're average, at best. The Sonics also have some unfortunate contracts - both Ridnour and backup Earl Watson are locked up for three years at about 6.5 mil per. So they're paying nearly 13 mil a year for two guys who, together, make a barely adequate PG combination. And as good as Ray Allen is (and he's exceptional), he'll be taking up about 30% of the cap space all by his lonesome.

The Sonics' assests are all at the 2-4 spots - Allen, Durant, Wilcox, and Collison (he started at center a lot, but he's really more of a 4 - he'd be an ideal 4/5 backup, getting 24 minutes a game). Last year, their point guard production was below average, and their center production was atrocious - they routinely got killed inside (by the way, as excited as I'd be to have Durant, it would be much, much, much better to get Oden and convince Lewis to stay (which he might, to play with Oden), even if it meant paying the luxury tax for a year or two while waiting for some of these contracts to expire. A starting lineup that featured Allen, Lewis, Wilcox, and Oden would be awesome - a lot better than one with Allen, Durant, Wilcox, and Collison). So what we need here is help at the 1 and at the 5. Unfortunatley, at this point in the draft, I'm not sure there's an available center who can come in and help out right away, at least not so sure that I can't wait another 4 picks and see who's available at 35. So that leaves point guard.

There are two point guard prospects available here that I like, Koponen (who the Sonics are reportedly pretty high on) and Pruitt. I thought about Dowdell, who's been looking great in workouts and routinely killed Duke and UNC, but I think he's a career backup (albeit a good one), and I'd really like someone with starter potential. Pruitt has height (6'4") and explosiveness, but isn't a natural point guard - he lacks some of the vision and pure passing ability that I'd want in a floor general. USC's offense this season didn't really rely on him to make plays - Young, Stewart, and Pruitt all did a lot of ball handling, drive and dish work. Koponen, on the other hand, is young and unproven. Only 19, he hasn't played a lot of high level basketball. He's also tall (6'4"-6'5"), but is very slight, and would need to bulk up some for the NBA. However, he's been described as a wizard in the open court, a guy with innate court vision and good decision making.

Given that the Sonics unfortunately have Ridnour and Watson on the books for the next 3 years, I'm really looking for a PG of the future, rather than someone to start next season. And I think a full season playing in Europe is better for development than a season shuffling between the NBDL and riding the pine. So with that in mind, I'm taking

Petteri Koponen, Finland

with the 31st pick. Even if he's not ready now, I can keep him in Europe for a year or so and see how he develops. And if Ridnour and Watson continue to be average or worse, I can target an elite PG in next year's guard-heavy draft.

As I mentioned above, the Sonics' greatest needs are at 1 and 5. I tried to address the 1 with Petteri Koponen at 31, so this pick will look to help out the inside presence. I was eyeing Visser, but he's off the board a spot ahead. That leaves a few options: Pitt's Aaron Gray, Ukraine's Kyrylo Fesenko, and Nevada's Nick Fazekas. Fesenko has the body of the center, and apparently dunks a ton on Ukranian foes, but his offensive game outside of 5 feet is very raw. We already have foreign projects in Sene and Petro - I don't need another in Fesenko. Gray is very solid - he projects as solid NBA backup who can come in and control the glass. However, he doesn't really offer any potential beyond that - his ceiling seems to be Greg Ostertag, if he's lucky, which is not a high ceiling (his floor is probably Bryant Reeves). Additionally, with Ridnour, Durant, and Wilcox, the Sonics like to play at a bit of a higher pace, and Gray most definitely is not suited for an up and down game. That leaves Fazekas. Fazekas is certainly not a pure center. He's more of a PF with a SF's offensive repertoire, and is going to struggle guarding even the Obertos, Kamans, and Bynums of the western conference. However, his offensive skills are very advanced, and he's a great change of pace player who can get time at any of the three positions in the front court. I'm convinced that he's the best player (even if not necessarily the best pure center) of the three listed here. Since I'm not at all enamored with Aaron Gray, and not at all interested in taking yet another foreign project in the post, the pick here is

Nick Fazekas, F/C, Nevada

[JBDuke]

As I mentioned above, the Sonics' greatest needs are at 1 and 5. I tried to address the 1 with Petteri Koponen at 31, so this pick will look to help out the inside presence. I was eyeing Visser, but he's off the board a spot ahead. That leaves a few options: Pitt's Aaron Gray, Ukraine's Kyrylo Fesenko, and Nevada's Nick Fazekas. Fesenko has the body of the center, and apparently dunks a ton on Ukranian foes, but his offensive game outside of 5 feet is very raw. We already have foreign projects in Sene and Petro - I don't need another in Fesenko. Gray is very solid - he projects as solid NBA backup who can come in and control the glass. However, he doesn't really offer any potential beyond that - his ceiling seems to be Greg Ostertag, if he's lucky, which is not a high ceiling (his floor is probably Bryant Reeves). Additionally, with Ridnour, Durant, and Wilcox, the Sonics like to play at a bit of a higher pace, and Gray most definitely is not suited for an up and down game. That leaves Fazekas. Fazekas is certainly not a pure center. He's more of a PF with a SF's offensive repertoire, and is going to struggle guarding even the Obertos, Kamans, and Bynums of the western conference. However, his offensive skills are very advanced, and he's a great change of pace player who can get time at any of the three positions in the front court. I'm convinced that he's the best player (even if not necessarily the best pure center) of the three listed here. Since I'm not at all enamored with Aaron Gray, and not at all interested in taking yet another foreign project in the post, the pick here is

Nick Fazekas, F/C, Nevada

Um, did I miss it, or did we ever get a proper pick from kydevil for Dallas at #34??? I'm not sure we were quite ready for you, pfrduke!

[SilkyJ]

With the 36th pick the Golden State Warriors select Gabe Pruitt, PG, USC.

The Warriors dont really need much help in the backcourt, or on the wing, they really need a solid post player, and I already drafted a big. What they should probably do is trade some pieces and get a big (Zach Randolph? - doubtful cause they are in the same division, but you get the idea)

Basically Pruitt is the best talent left on the board, and certainly the best PG left on the board, and while Nellie likes Monta Ellis as his backup, Pruitt is bigger and more versatile, able to play PG or SG (versatility is important on this team) I think most would consider him a semi-steal at this point.

I also considered Taureen Green, but Pruitt is considered a better talent and is bigger. Others I considered were Daquean Cook b/c I think he is going to be a really good scorer one day, but scoring isn't what this team needs. Same with Demtris Nichols, Jameson Curry, and Reyshawn. Reyshawn would add some defense, but the warriors dont really need an athletic wing, so I went with Pruitt. Also thought about going big but the best talents available are Aaron Gray (doesnt fit the system) and Chris Richard (too early to take him) and I have another 2nd round pick 10 picks from now...

[SilkyJ]

Um, did I miss it, or did we ever get a proper pick from kydevil for Dallas at #34??? I'm not sure we were quite ready for you, pfrduke!

He edited his original post and selected Kyle Visser

[pfrduke]

Um, did I miss it, or did we ever get a proper pick from kydevil for Dallas at #34??? I'm not sure we were quite ready for you, pfrduke!

kydevil edited the post, taking Kyle Visser. See below.


with the 34th pick the Dallas Mavericks Select Kyle Visser Wake Forest.

Mavs were killed in the first round by having no big man presence on the inside. Visser is a big body down low that can play low post defense and block an occasional shot. His offense definitely needs some work. I think that with the Mavs more up tempo style he would fit in well due to his good mobility and athleticism. Excellent rebounder, all in all good get some minutes for the Mavs if he can prove himself.

Hopefully Skip got him ready for the league.

[kydevil]

Sorry for the confusion, Kyle Visser was my choice.

[thebur]

Portland selects...

Aaron Brooks of Oregon St.

I needed to get a point guard, and am really happy with him sliding here, he is a playmaker who could possibly back up Jarrett Jack who is hopefully our long term answer at PG.

[SilkyJ]

Portland selects...

Aaron Brooks of Oregon St.

I needed to get a point guard, and am really happy with him sliding here, he is a playmaker who could possibly back up Jarrett Jack who is hopefully our long term answer at PG.

SLIDING here? No one has him going this early, and you have prospects at PG like taureen green and zabian dowdell ahead of him.

Of course, maybe you saw something in him that you liked, but he would have been available at 52/53 probably and certainly at 42. So even if he is worth taking, poor "selection management," IMHO

Also, he went to Oregon, not Oregon St.

[pfrduke]

SLIDING here? No one has him going this early, and you have prospects at PG like taureen green and zabian dowdell ahead of him.

Of course, maybe you saw something in him that you liked, but he would have been available at 52/53 probably and certainly at 42. So even if he is worth taking, poor "selection management," IMHO

Also, he went to Oregon, not Oregon St.

In thebur's defense, nbadraft.net currently has Brooks as a first round pick, going to the Suns at 29. They have Green at 43, and Dowdell undrafted. This is obviously just one source, but it's been around for a long time, and as it gets closer to draft day, they have a decent sense of what they're doing. And I'm not so sure that either Green or Dowdell is unquestionably "ahead" of Brooks as a prospect generally.

[SilkyJ]

In thebur's defense, nbadraft.net currently has Brooks as a first round pick, going to the Suns at 29. They have Green at 43, and Dowdell undrafted. This is obviously just one source, but it's been around for a long time, and as it gets closer to draft day, they have a decent sense of what they're doing. And I'm not so sure that either Green or Dowdell is unquestionably "ahead" of Brooks as a prospect generally.

Fair enough. Most of the ratings I have seen have him below those two, but obviously not all. Personally, I also place value in competition they face, and Dowdell and Green certainly are ahead of brooks in my mind, in that regard. Not to mention Green was the PG on a 2-time national champ...

[JasonEvans]

Fair enough. Most of the ratings I have seen have him below those two, but obviously not all. Personally, I also place value in competition they face, and Dowdell and Green certainly are ahead of brooks in my mind, in that regard. Not to mention Green was the PG on a 2-time national champ...

FWIW, I think Green is a bad pick. He was made to look better by playing with 3 dominant forwards who commanded so much attention. I am far from convinced he will even make an opening day NBA roster and doubt he will ever be much of an impact player on whichever team drafts him.

Dowdell has much more potential, in my mind.

-Jason "lets pop out a few more picks this weekend, ok?" Evans

[Pistonsfan13]

Portland selects...

Aaron Brooks of Oregon St.

I needed to get a point guard, and am really happy with him sliding here, he is a playmaker who could possibly back up Jarrett Jack who is hopefully our long term answer at PG.

thats the 37th pick, not the 36th which means philadelphia and ivduke are on the clock.

[JBDuke]

We're up to Philadelphia with the 38th pick...

[ACCBBallFan]

Looks like the DBR Mock Draft is in the ballpark with the averaging of a bunch of polls I did, irrespective of team's needs, just raw votes.

Same top 8, same top 15 in slightly different order and then some divergence on guys like Stuckey, Splitter, and Byars:

DBR Player/School
1 1 Oden, Geg/Ohio St 494
2 2 Durant, Kevin/TX 486
4 3 Horford, Al/FL 470
7 4 Wright, Brandan/UNC 462
3 5 Conley Jr, Mike/Ohio St 460
6 6 Brewer, Corey/FL 447
8 7 Noah, Joakim/FL 444
5 8 Jianlian, Yi/China 441
9 9 Hawes, Spencer/Wash 435
10 10 Green, Jeff/G-town 434
12 11 Wright, Julian/ KS 409
11 12 Thornton, Al/FSU 402
13 13 Young, Nick/USC 395
14 14 Law, Acie/ A&M 389
15 15 Crittenden, Javaris/GA T 373
18 16 Smith, Jason/Col St 370
20 17 Young, Thad /GA T 362
27 18 Stuckey, Rodney/ E Wash 357
21 19 McRoberts, Josh/Duke 337
29 20 Splitter, Tiago/Brazil 325
24 21 Fernandez, Rudy/Spain 317
19 22 Belinelli, Marco/Italy 316
28 23 Byars, Derrick/Vandy 316
17 24 Williams, Sean/BC 313
25 25 Almond, Morris/Rice 310
38 26 Cook, Dequan/Ohio St 285
32 27 Tucker, Alando/Wisc 261
22 28 Afflalo, Arron/UCLA 256
30 29 Dudley, Jared/BC 255
36 30 Pruitt, Gabe/USC 247
43 31 Williams, Marcus/AZ 238
35 32 Fazekas, Nick/Nevada 231
26 33 Davis, Glen/LSU 230
23 34 Chandler, Wilson/DePaul 229
16 35 Gasol, Marc/Spain 224
40 36 Gray, Aaron/Pitt 223
48 37 Green, Taurean/FL 220
42 38 Nichols, Demetris/Syr 203
34 39 Visser, Kyle/ WF 197
31 40 Koponen, Petteri/Finland 191
33 41 McGuire, Dominic/Fresno St 191
41 42 Fesenko, Kyrylo/Ukraine 187
37 43 Brooks, Aaron/Oregon 175
44 44 Dowdell, Zabian/VA T 139
45 45 Terry, Reyshawn/UNC 137
39 46 Sessions, Ramon/Nevada 121
?? 47 Landry, Carl/Purdue 114
?? 48 Traore, Ali/France 114
?? 49 Brown, Bobby/CS Fullerton 113
47 50 Strawberry, D J /MD 109
?? 51 Barac, Stanko/Bosnia 107
49 52 Jordan, Jared/Marist 105
?? 53 Hill, Herbert/Prov 102
51 54 Lasme, Steve/UMASS 100
52 55 Davidson, Jamareo/Alabama 89
50 56 OnCurry, James/Ok St 87
?? 57 Tomas, Marco/Croatia 80
54 58 Johnson, Trey/Jackson St 75
55 59 Seibutis, Ranaldas/Lithuania 74
?? 60 Hosley, Quinton/Fresno St 59
?? NO Sumpter, Curtis/Nova 54
?? NO Newley, Brad/Australia 51
?? NO Erceg, Zoran/Serbia 44
?? NO Lewis, Ron/Ohio St 44
46 NO Boggan, Mario 42
?? NO Carter, Russell/Notre Dame 41
?? NO Dragic, Goran 41
?? NO Heath, Brandon 38
?? NO Stokes, Loren 37
?? NO Ibekwe, Ikene/MD 35
?? NO Wood, Deshaun 34
?? NO Gordon, Jamon 33
?? NO Martin, Cartier/K-St 32
?? NO Haluska, Adam/Iowa 31
?? NO Abukar, Mohamed 28
?? NO Gomes, Joao/Portugal 28
?? NO Lojeski, Matt 25
?? NO Bright, Roy 24
?? NO Daniels, Chris 23
?? NO Reynolds, J R/UVA 23
?? NO Tollivar, Anthony 22
?? NO Wyatt, Avis 21
?? NO Hardin, DeVon/Calif 20
?? NO Nwaelele, Dan/AF 20
?? NO Green, Caleb 19
52 NO Printezis, Girgos/Greece 18
?? NO Covile, Ryvon/Detroit 17
?? NO Humphrey, Lee/FL 17
?? NO Taturn, Jamaal 17
?? NO Shakur, Mustafa/AZ 16
?? NO Carter, Warren 15
?? NO Radenovic, Ivan/AZ 15
?? NO Jones-Jennings, Rashad 14
?? NO Karl, Coby 14
?? NO Alexander, DeAngelo 12
?? NO Hughes, James 11
?? NO Silva Ansoloni, Ralfi/Brazil 11
?? NO Alleyne, Shagari/Manhattan 10
?? NO Jackson, Darrius 10
?? NO Meja, Sammy/DePaul 10
?? NO Dasic, Vladimir 9
?? NO Rakovic, Milovan/serbia 9
?? NO Richard, Chris 9
?? NO Tomic, Ante/Croatia 7
?? NO Teague, Dvid/Purdue 6
?? NO Hamilton,Lamont 5
?? NO Salisbery, Dustin 4
?? NO Watkins, Darryl/Syr 4
?? NO Collins, Coleman/VA T 3
?? NO Kalnietis, Mantas 3
?? NO Vouyoukas, Ian / SLU 2

[Dukerati]

Props to Jason and SilkyJ for making my picks for me. I had a golf tournament/trip (my team got third place!) and I was computer-less for a couple days.

I really couldn't be happier about how my picks turned out and here is why:

Phoenix is young and talented. They play a distinctive, exciting, up-tempo style of basketball and their record for the last three years more than speaks for itself. However, all is not well in the land of perpetual sun. They have four main problems:

1) Nash is the cog for everything they do and he is not getting any younger.
2) No real center, no inside depth
3) No "toughness", lacksadasical defense
4) They can not get past the Spurs.

Some of these weaknesses are up to debate. Phoenix supporters would argue that they do not need inside depth or true centers because their style of play obviates the need for a center. But what happens when they fail to impose their pace and play (read: Spurs)? Their lack of ability to match up with teams handcuffs D'Antoni with very limited options. Others would argue that the Suns exhibit toughness and play good defense. Regardless of the veracity of those statements, the rest of the league sure believes them and have used very physical styles of play to beat them in the playoffs (again, read: Spurs).

So with two first round draft picks (albeit late ones), how do they address these problems?

Phoenix does not have any time to waste on projects. Their time to win is now and as such, they will be looking for mature NBA-ready talent ready to contribute right away. The answers?

Rudy Fernandez - a great catch and shooter with range for miles, Rudy fits in perfectly with the Suns style. He is an athletic, smart player with a great first step and would play off well with Nash or Barbosa. Barbosa is a jolt of energy but when forced to play half-court, Barbosa has looked decidedly average. Rudy gives the Suns more options and is a significant offensive upgrade from James Jones who starts at the 3 and Raja Bell at the 2. In a long, physical series, Rudy could also spell Nash for some valuable minutes.

Tiago Splitter - having drafted a guard, the front court needs to be addressed. I don't know how many of you saw the Spurs-Suns series but Pat Burke should never ever enter a NBA basketball playoff game. Tiago is best known for his footwork, rebounding, and defense. All three skills are pivotal to the Suns success. At 6-11, Tiago possesses enough height to play the four or five and would immediately become the first big off the bench after Boris Diaw. Plus, Tiago has an extremely cool name.

[ACCBBallFan]

We're up to Philadelphia with the 38th pick...

DBR Mock Draft seems to have bought some insurance on Shav already for Philly with Julian Wright, Josh McRoberts and Jared Dudley already selected 12, 21 and 30.

[SilkyJ]

Wright and Dudley are pure small forwards and Shav is a PF, who can sometimes play center. I dont see much overlap or competing for playing time, personally.

[ivduke]

Daquan Cook---The Ohio State University

Explanation of all picks to follow

[ivduke]

The sixers lack depth in the front court at all positions. I like Shavlik too, but let's be realistic--it was another ugly injury for a guy that just can't get healthy. Igu is their best player at this point and he palys an athletic up and down game. Therefore I wanted to try and fit together pieces that could do the same. Andre Miller is serviceable at the point for another year--especially with the glutton of PG's coming out next year. Adding Wright, McRoberts, and Dudley bring three more athletic3-4 ish type players and give this tema the ability to put it in high gear. As much as I didn't like Dudley playing for B.C. how can you argue with what he gives day in and day out? Julian Wright was an example of drafting the best player available at that point....with all the hype he had coming out of H.S.-- he has really been somewhat of a disappointment. He has something to prove and will have plenty of oppurtunity to fill the box stat line with Philly. Welcome rebuttals.

[Duke09]

Ramon Sessions, Nevada

The pick here was between best player available, Marcus Williams, and a point guard. With Jason William's weak knees and the need for someone to pass other than Dwayne Wade, Sessions was the pick here. With Wade, Shaq, the gunner Antoine "I shoot threes 'cause there isn't any fours" Walker and the hopefully offensively talent Thad Young, the real need was someone to run the offense. Sessions can score and has been working on it. He played very well at the Las Vegas camp. I'm thinking an Eric Snow type career. He hopefully can be a backup his first year in the league.

[MulletMan]

Aaron Grey, C, Pittsburgh

Here's my thinking. I like Grey, and his ability to box out an rebound. The Lakers need help in the post, and at least I know that Grey will play with some heart... unlike some of the other big men on the team. He has good foot work, soft hands, and has decent post moves. I think he can help immediately simply because of his size. He is smart enough to play the triangle offense, and flourishes in a half court set. He will never be a big time shot blocker, but I feel that the rest of his skills help to overcome this issue. Especially at this point in the draft.

[thebur]

FWIW, I think Green is a bad pick. He was made to look better by playing with 3 dominant forwards who commanded so much attention. I am far from convinced he will even make an opening day NBA roster and doubt he will ever be much of an impact player on whichever team drafts him.



Those were kind of my thoughts on Green. I really do not see him as a great shooter and I think Brooks is more developed at this point. If I can get 4-5 good years from Brooks, Portland's contract situation will be good and they will have a max player in Oden, a secondary star level contract in Roy, a strong veteran contract for a guy like Jack.

If Brooks develops, he is a long term solution at backup PG. If not, they should be able to find some veteran help. I just think Brooks is more ready to play right now in the league, and I need a young backup PG a la a Chris Duhon that will be able to create for my new big man and shooting guard when Jack is injured or needs a rest.

[mr. synellinden]

The Minnesota Timberwolves select Kyrylo Fesenko of the Ukraine


Why? We need a big man. And everything I've read about this guy makes it seem like a good value pick for the second round. He's only 20, is 7'1", 275 and a true post player. Apparently, he's pretty athletic and knows how to play with his back to the basket.

I was all set to pick Aaron Gray (who I think was a steal at 40) until the Lakes stole him from me.

I considered Zabian Dowdell because we need a point guard who can play 10 -12 minutes a game if I want to slide Foye over to the 2 guard - and I think Dowdell can be a solid pro.

But, we really need an inside presence and I'd much rather roll the dice with a guy like Fesenko who could be a huge steal.

[ACCBBallFan]

Those were kind of my thoughts on Green. I really do not see him as a great shooter and I think Brooks is more developed at this point. If I can get 4-5 good years from Brooks, Portland's contract situation will be good and they will have a max player in Oden, a secondary star level contract in Roy, a strong veteran contract for a guy like Jack.

If Brooks develops, he is a long term solution at backup PG. If not, they should be able to find some veteran help. I just think Brooks is more ready to play right now in the league, and I need a young backup PG a la a Chris Duhon that will be able to create for my new big man and shooting guard when Jack is injured or needs a rest.
On a 50-50 choice like that, have to agree with you taking the guy who has some name recognition in Portland, Oregon.

[thebur]

Demetris Nichols of Syracuse University.... or is it Syracuse St.?

[MulletMan]

I was all set to pick Aaron Gray (who I think was a steal at 40) until the Lakes stole him from me.



Sorry, my bad. :p

Oddly enough, the other guy that I was thinking about was the one that you ended up picking. I just thought that Gray might be slightly closer to being ready to contribute meaningful minutes.

I wonder who he'll play next to with Odom after the Kobe trade?

[rtnorthrup]

This is a tough position. I was hoping that a fairly good scoring low post player would be available, but the last few have gone off the board. Herbert Hill and Ali Traore are considerations, but I have decided to go best player available and take

Marcus Williams from Arizona

[SilkyJ]

Mike88 you are on the clock for the 44th pick...Get JJ some help, will ya!

[Clipsfan]

Are we doing the 2 hour thing this morning? I've got a pick ready for # 45 if we are.

[mike88]

in the form of the 44th pick, Zabian Dowdell. More on the reason for the pick soon.

-mike

[Clipsfan]

With the 45th pick, the Clippers choose Reyshawn Terry. The rationale: They need a SF who can play some solid defense and hit the outside shot. I know that Terry went to UNC, but I think that he has solid fundamentals, played on some very good teams and learned how to win, and did very well on the tests of athleticism and should be able to hang in the NBA. I will admit that this pick is slightly impacted by the constant trade rumors which surround Corey.

[SilkyJ]

With the 46th pick, the Golden State Warriors Select Mario Boggan, PF, Ok St. University

As I've said earlier, the Warriors really only need a couple of key pieces to fill out this roster, and where they really need help is on the frontline. A trade for a veteran post player would be ideal, or a trade into the lottery to grab a big man (reportedly they really like Yi) would be great.

That being said, I am happy with Jason Smith's ability to come in and help down low, but that doesn't mean they don't need more help in that area. This pick is purely based on me having seen several OSU games this year (including that ridiculous triple-OT game vs Texas where Boggan hit the game winner) where Boggan just really stood out to me. He's a little undersized for a PF, but he loves to run, can score in a variety of ways, and is a good leaper and rebounder. I just think he is a sleeper and a good fit for this team...

JB, you're up!

[JasonEvans]

The sixers lack depth in the front court at all positions. I like Shavlik too, but let's be realistic--it was another ugly injury for a guy that just can't get healthy. Igu is their best player at this point and he palys an athletic up and down game. Therefore I wanted to try and fit together pieces that could do the same. Andre Miller is serviceable at the point for another year--especially with the glutton of PG's coming out next year. Adding Wright, McRoberts, and Dudley bring three more athletic3-4 ish type players and give this tema the ability to put it in high gear. As much as I didn't like Dudley playing for B.C. how can you argue with what he gives day in and day out? Julian Wright was an example of drafting the best player available at that point....with all the hype he had coming out of H.S.-- he has really been somewhat of a disappointment. He has something to prove and will have plenty of oppurtunity to fill the box stat line with Philly. Welcome rebuttals.

How is this for a rebuttal-- I think you had an exceptionally good draft. The Sixers would be fortunate to do this well. I think you got 4 guys who will all make your team and 3 who will get significant playing time right away. That's a highly successful draft!!

-Jason "props!" Evans

[mr. synellinden]

Sorry, my bad. :p

Oddly enough, the other guy that I was thinking about was the one that you ended up picking. I just thought that Gray might be slightly closer to being ready to contribute meaningful minutes.

I wonder who he'll play next to with Odom after the Kobe trade?

Perhaps Garnett? I'd love to see that kind of blockbuster trade - problem is that Kobe would never go to such a small market.

[mike88]

The Magic have several needs, including help at guard and small forward. Dowdell has several strengths that led me to select him here:
1) He is an excellent defender- if he plays together with JJ, he can help cover some of JJ's defensive limitations, and will be a nice sub off the bench for Jameer Nelson.
2) He handles the ball well. Turnovers were a huge problem for the Magic last year and Dowdell could help in this regard.
3) He is a good shooter off the dribble and is not afraid to take big shots; he should do well in Van Gundy's new system.

I also considered Taurean Green (too small; too much like Nelson), Terry (potentially a great pick up but too much like Trevor Ariza, and Mario Boggans (I agree he is a potential sleeper, but don't see him getting much PT with Howard and Darko).

My main concern is that Dowdell may be too similar to Keyon Dooling to help much.

[JasonEvans]

Are we doing the 2 hour thing this morning? I've got a pick ready for # 45 if we are.

YES, we are still on a 2-hour clock. The way it works is if you have not made your pick in a 2-hour window from 8am ET to 6pm ET then we get really mad at you. At some point, Me or Silky or JB will just make the pick for you and force you to justify it.

Keep it moving guys, we are doing great!!!

-Jason "still some decent players to be had in the 2nd round, I think" Evans

[SilkyJ]

How is this for a rebuttal-- I think you had an exceptionally good draft. The Sixers would be fortunate to do this well. I think you got 4 guys who will all make your team and 3 who will get significant playing time right away. That's a highly successful draft!!

-Jason "props!" Evans

I was going to say the same thing earlier, but felt I couldn't do it without making a sarcastic comment about Billy King and how there's no way he comes out with that good of a draft class, so I refrained :)

[SilkyJ]

The Magic have several needs, including help at guard and small forward. Dowdell has several strengths that led me to select him here

My main concern is that Dowdell may be too similar to Keyon Dooling to help much.

Agree with the needs, and I like the pick based on that. I think the big problem is that you had to draft all the way down here, and so at best you're probably getting a career backup at PG. I don't think Nelson is the long-term answer at PG, unfortunately, and clearly Keyon Dooling and Carlos Arroyo are not either...

[ivduke]

I was going to say the same thing earlier, but felt I couldn't do it without making a sarcastic comment about Billy King and how there's no way he comes out with that good of a draft class, so I refrained :)

Billy was one of my all-time favorites, but unfortunately your probably right and there is no way they get 4 serviceable players. I think the way the mock draft played out that it really worked well with the needs of the 76'ers. I live in PA so I half-heartedly follow the Sixers, but I have never been able to forget this quote as I find it so true

"The college game is about the name on the front of the jersey; the pro game is about the name on the back of the jersey."

[JasonEvans]

Ok, JB, time is UP!!!! I am picking for you.

With the 46th pick, The Washington Wizards take Taurean Green, PG, Florida.

I almost forced JB to justify picking Stannko Barac, the 7-footer from Bosnia. But seeing as JB already took an international kid, I had to fall back on at least a somewhat recognizeable name.

-Jason "nnnnnnnnnnnext!" Evans

[ACCBBallFan]

The Magic have several needs, including help at guard and small forward. Dowdell has several strengths that led me to select him here:
1) He is an excellent defender- if he plays together with JJ, he can help cover some of JJ's defensive limitations, and will be a nice sub off the bench for Jameer Nelson.
2) He handles the ball well. Turnovers were a huge problem for the Magic last year and Dowdell could help in this regard.
3) He is a good shooter off the dribble and is not afraid to take big shots; he should do well in Van Gundy's new system.

I also considered Taurean Green (too small; too much like Nelson), Terry (potentially a great pick up but too much like Trevor Ariza, and Mario Boggans (I agree he is a potential sleeper, but don't see him getting much PT with Howard and Darko).

My main concern is that Dowdell may be too similar to Keyon Dooling to help much.

Dowdell is a nice player, but this late in the draft, I might have gone with Taurean Green despite his size, just to appease the locals who just lost his waffling UF coach.


Ok, JB, time is UP!!!! I am picking for you.

With the 46th pick, The Washington Wizards take Taurean Green, PG, Florida. .
Again might have gone with the local name recognition of DJ Strawberry, but can't argue with Green being the highest rated available, since he was not taken by Orlando.

[Dukerati]

I like DJ Strawberry but I don't see what he brings that Antonio Daniels doesn't already bring. And although name recognition is nice, it's hard to find players with Green's talent this late in the second round.

Going through this draft has shown me how deep it really is...

[JBDuke]

Ok, JB, time is UP!!!! I am picking for you.

With the 46th pick, The Washington Wizards take Taurean Green, PG, Florida.

I almost forced JB to justify picking Stannko Barac, the 7-footer from Bosnia. But seeing as JB already took an international kid, I had to fall back on at least a somewhat recognizeable name.

-Jason "nnnnnnnnnnnext!" Evans

Sorry to hold things up - Mondays are bad for me, and I haven't had Internet access until just now.

I can live with Green under the "best player available" theory, but I was planning to pick D.J. Strawberry. I think the Wizards could use a good defender for the backcourt, and D.J. looks to be about the best out there left on the board. Plus, he's a local.

If no one else has picked yet, switch me to Strawberry. If I'm too late, I'll keep Green...

[JasonEvans]

If no one else has picked yet, switch me to Strawberry. If I'm too late, I'll keep Green...

The 46th pick, for the Wiz, is officially switched to DJ Strawberry.

Taurean Green is still available-- though I doubt he will be avail for very long.

As an aside, I agree that this is a very deep draft... and the genius Hawks traded the #4 pick in the 2nd round for 33-year-old Anthony Johnson. They picked him up late February.

CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY THEY DEALT A HIGH 2ND ROUNDER FOR AN OLD VETERAN WHEN THEY WERE CLEARLY NOT GOING TO MAKE A PLAYOFF PUSH ANYWAY?!?!?

--Jason "it really, really hurts to be a Hawks fan. I mean, this is almost as bad as being a fan of Clemson basketball" Evans

[Clipsfan]

--Jason "it really, really hurts to be a Hawks fan. I mean, this is almost as bad as being a fan of Clemson basketball" Evans

Or Duke football?

[JasonEvans]

Or Duke football?

Whooooaaaa!! Lets not get crazy here ;)

[ACCBBallFan]

As an aside, I agree that this is a very deep draft...

That's especially good news for Portland who still has two more picks and already picked up

DBR Mock Draft Player/School
Portland (5) 1,37,42,52,53 Oden, Geg/Ohio St
Portland (5) 1,37,42,52,53 Nichols, Demetris/Syr
Portland (5) 1,37,42,52,53 Brooks, Aaron/Oregon

and Philly who has 4 and as was previously mentioned:

DBR Mock Draft Player/School
Philadelphia (4) 12,21,30,38 Wright, Julian/ KS
Philadelphia (4) 12,21,30,38 McRoberts, Josh/Duke
Philadelphia (4) 12,21,30,38 Cook, Dequan/Ohio St
Philadelphia (4) 12,21,30,38 Dudley, Jared/BC

[Clipsfan]

Whooooaaaa!! Lets not get crazy here ;)

Just out of curiosity, I went through the last few seasons to find the last Div 1-A victory. It was November 13, 2004 against Clemson. We did beat VMI in 2005, but they're not a Div 1-A team. I thought that my 4 years at Duke were rough with only 6 wins total, but the team really has hit a rough patch since then. Here's to hoping that this season is the start of a resurgence (there's a good chance, isn't there?)

[MulletMan]

I have no freakin' idea. Are the Lakers getting Garnett? Are they trading Kobe? Are they getting younger? Are they getting older? Who the hell knows?

I give up. I was going to try to do something to bolster the front court a little more, but I suppose that would be a waste if they're getting Garnett. So I guess I will select Taurean Green, PG, Florida. I guess the logic here would be that he's probably the best player left on the board, can push Farmar for the future starting PG spot, makes Smush Parker expendable in a trade, and, if we trade Kobe, gives us 3 guys who can play and develop at different spots on a young team.

Frankly the uncertainty of what the Lakers are doing screwed me in this whole process, and I can't imagine that thier actual draft will go well considering they have no idea what their roster will look like next season. My bet is that they throw all need out the window and just take the highest rated player on the board each round. They'll sort everything else out later.

Absurd.

[SilkyJ]

Shammond Williams will really help with Taureen Green's development

[MarineTwinsDad]

Has it really been over two hours since the last selection was made?

[JBDuke]

You're on the clock, dude! And you've got another pick two spots later! Hop to it!

[SilkyJ]

with the 49th pick the Chicago Bulls select Jared Jordan, PG, Marist.

They need an actual PG and not two combo guards (gordon/hinrich):

Sorry for not moving this along earlier, Jason, JB, and I are each pretty busy...

Kydevil, you're on the clock!

[throatybeard]

It's starting to look like we will actually finish a mock draft. Has that ever happened?

[JasonEvans]

It's starting to look like we will actually finish a mock draft. Has that ever happened?

No, it has not-- but the slowness of people today is killing us. This is really not fair to everyone else. I am quite disappointed!!!

-Jason "c'mon people!!" Evans

[ivduke]

Please.....

The sixers won't have 4 picks anyway in the real draft after trading up so what's it matter if I take another one they won't :)

[BD80]

How about we open the picks up in blocks of 5? At 10:00 AM EST (to give the west coasters a chance), the next 5 teams can pick, first come first serve. At 10:30, the top 5 who haven't pick can select. At 11:00 it is open to anyone that hasn't picked. At 12:00 anyone can pick for a team that hasn't picked.

In making a pick, GMs could list several players, so that if they get beat to the punch on their first choice, they would get credit for selecting their next available pick.

[SilkyJ]

With the 50th Pick the Dallas Mavericks Select Jameson Curry, SG, Ok St. U

They are still gonna score 110 pts, and now they can get trade Terry and get some defensive help. Jameson will develop into a nice player one day...

Duketaylor is on the clock...and he aint here, so give me a minute and I'll make his pick

[JasonEvans]

Duketaylor is on the clock...and he aint here, so give me a minute and I'll make his pick

Dude, you don't get to have all the fun!

I am gonna pick for the Bulls at #51 and I am going with a very solid sleeper. He is Stephane Lasme of UMass. The kid is a human pogo-stick who jumps through the roof and is a great shot-blocker. His footwork and timing on D are stellar and he was the A-10 player of the year msotly because of the way he dominates games on the defensive side of the floor. give him a year or two to learn under Ben Wallace and this kid could be a real NBA stud (though he is a bit undersized).

-Jason "the NBA needs more players from Gabon too!" Evans

[JasonEvans]

Dude, you don't get to have all the fun!

I am gonna pick for the Bulls at #51 and I am going with a very solid sleeper. He is Stephane Lasme of UMass. The kid is a human pogo-stick who jumps through the roof and is a great shot-blocker. His footwork and timing on D are stellar and he was the A-10 player of the year msotly because of the way he dominates games on the defensive side of the floor. give him a year or two to learn under Ben Wallace and this kid could be a real NBA stud (though he is a bit undersized).

-Jason "the NBA needs more players from Gabon too!" Evans

By the way, if Isaiah had not already promissed Wilson Chandler that he would be taken with the 23rd pick then I am sure he would be all over Lasme.

--Jason "I really think this kid will surprise all of you in a couple years-- he is my favorite sleeper in this draft" Evans

[BD80]

Jason "I really think this kid will surprise all of you in a couple years-- he is my favorite sleeper in this draft" Evans

There may be some valid comparisons to Ben Wallace who is not 6'9" but is "long" and jumps and has great timing. However, Lasme is only 6'5" and is already 25 years old. How much more "upside" does he have? It is not like he is a kid who is still growing or still learning the game. He is as big of an offensive liability as Ben. With Ben and Thomas on the team, I don't see how this guy ever sees the court. No two of these can be on the floor together.

[JasonEvans]

There may be some valid comparisons to Ben Wallace who is not 6'9" but is "long" and jumps and has great timing. However, Lasme is only 6'5" and is already 25 years old. How much more "upside" does he have? It is not like he is a kid who is still growing or still learning the game. He is as big of an offensive liability as Ben. With Ben and Thomas on the team, I don't see how this guy ever sees the court. No two of these can be on the floor together.

Wait a sec-- I thought Lasme was 6-8, not 6-5.

Ok, the UMass site lists him at 6-8 as do most of the sports websites like ESPN and Yahoo. I suspect that this is because UMass listed him at 6-8 on their official roster.

But, Draftexpress lists him at 6-7 which may mean that his measured height was 6-7. Regardless, I cannot find anyone who lists him at 6-5.

Yes, I know he is old. But so was Rodman when he entered the NBA.

I did not really think about this as a pick for the Bulls and you are right that he very much duplicates what Ben Wallace brings to the table. I was just making a pick of what I thought was the best player still available.

-Jason "Lasme really impressed some scouts at the Orlando Draft Camp from what I hear and I think he will make someone's roster" Evans

[BD80]

Wait a sec-- I thought Lasme was 6-8, not 6-5.

... I think he will make someone's roster

I meant 6'7", which is about Ben Wallace's height (compare him to Luol when they stand together) It was funny watching Ben stand next to Rasheed when he played for the Pistons. They overlist list Ben at 6'9" and underlist Sheed at 6'11" (he doesn't want to be confined to the post). There is much more than 2" difference in height.

I agree there is a place in the NBA for Lasme. If the Pistons move Sheed to give Maxiel playing time, Lasme would be a great energy guy off of the bench. Yeah, I would have grabbed him at 57, because Dumars wants guys that can fill a role quickly and develop from there, Lasme fills the bill.

[duketaylor]

Sorry about missing the picks. Been working all day, something different;)

I would've taken another center and a PG with those two picks. Just got home a bit ago, only to find out Duke hired a golf coach and I didn't even get an interview. It's safe to say I'll be on the bandwagon regarding Alleva being removed. A two-time AA and holding most of Duke's career records isn't good enough for an interview. Go figure.

[ACCBBallFan]

Just got home a bit ago, only to find out Duke hired a golf coach and I didn't even get an interview. It's safe to say I'll be on the bandwagon regarding Alleva being removed. A two-time AA and holding most of Duke's career records isn't good enough for an interview. Go figure.

Sorry to hear that Chuck.

[mike88]

I will go ahead and list my preferences for the Magic's second pick of the second round. In order they are:

1) Trey Johnson, Jackson St. - fills the Magic's need for another big guard

2) J. Davidson, Alabama. The Magic need another big body to back-up Howard and Darko, and Davidson might be helpful in that regard

3) Chris Richard, Florida. See #2. I think he really improved over the time at Florida and may have been overshadowed by Horford and Noah. I can see him as a Bo Outlaw type player.

-mike

[MarineTwinsDad]

Can't say I am really excited about laying out my picks ahead of time. Since this is all for fun anyway, the only real thrill is finding a player that no one else has picked yet. If we simply put out our choices, whose to say that we aren't simply provided others with the choices that we would want? I'd rather just pay attention and then pick when my turn comes up.

[JasonEvans]

3) Chris Richard, Florida. See #2. I think he really improved over the time at Florida and may have been overshadowed by Horford and Noah. I can see him as a Bo Outlaw type player.


Wow, I have seen a fair number of folks list him as a potential 2nd rounder and I really do not get it. Look, I know he was stuck behind 3 lottery picks at Florida but we are talking about a senior who averaged 6 points and 3 rebounds per game and was not even a starter. Again-- he is a senior so it is not even like he is some stud freshman who has a ton of potential. And his senior year was his best year in college.

Oh, and before you go and make the, "well, he barely got any playing time" argument, please note that he averaged 18.4 minutes per game. And you can bet some of those minutes came late in blowouts where he was not playing against the best competition.

Now, lets suppose he was a starter who played heavy minutes and averaged twice as many minutes per game (36 MPG would be a LOT-- more than most guys in this draft, for sure). Well, even then his points only go to about 13 ppg and his rebounds go to a fairly mediocre 7 boards a game.

13 points and 7 rebounds per game out of a chubby 6-9 PF who does not have great quickness or leaping ability? Why does anyone think this guy has a shot at making an NBA roster?

-Jason "heck, even my offensively challenged but defensive super-stud pick from UMass put up better numbers than that!" Evans

[mike88]

Well, this is the 54th pick, and I would consider it a success to find someone who could make the team here. I like Richard because he brings a different set of skills to the Magic: he is a good rebounder, he is strong, and he defends well. I can see him doing the tough work on the boards and defending opposing big men while Howard / Darko are on the bench.

His numbers are not great, but I think you have to consider that not only did he play fewer minutes, but he was on a rsoter with 3 other lottery picks, all of whom appropriately needed to have the ball in their hands- there just weren't many opportunities for Richard to collect stats.

[thebur]

52. Giorgos Printezis-Greece

53. JeMarreo Davidson- Alabama

Keepin it movin in hopes of the first complete DBR Mock Draft!

[MarineTwinsDad]

So does Orlando (Mike88) select Trey Johnson, Jackson State, per his previous post?

[mike88]

Yes, I am selecting Trey Johnson for the Magic at #54

[Chicago 1995]

13 points and 7 rebounds per game out of a chubby 6-9 PF who does not have great quickness or leaping ability? Why does anyone think this guy has a shot at making an NBA roster?

-Jason "heck, even my offensively challenged but defensive super-stud pick from UMass put up better numbers than that!" Evans

Chubby? Chris Richard? Huh? The Chris Richard I saw backing up Joakim and Al last year wasn't chubby. He was pretty darn defined and strong as an ox.

Why is Richard a second round prospect? You know what you are getting with him. Great kid with a great work ethic. Understands his role. Big, physical defender with some touch and some post moves. He's a guy who is physically ready to play in the league right now, and can step in and play defense and rebound immediately. He's a role player at the next level, but size and strength like his are an asset for a team, and he can fill a role coming off the bench for a number of teams.

Richard also showed, repeatedly, that when called upon, he could produce. He had 16 against a really good UCLA defense in the national semifinal when both Noah and Horford were struggling to get their points. He had 11 important points in a tight game at UK. Even if he is a senior, there's a little bit of something to project there too. Maybe it's a reach, but Richard's a reach with a good pedigree, good physical attributes and has proven to be an excellent teammate. That seems like a pretty solid second rounder to me.

[thebur]

The last 6 picks!

Could it be finished a whole 24 hours before the actual draft starts?

[BD80]

Utah has been on the clock for hours. If left to me, I give them George Karls son, so he could either have to play against his son 5 times a year or get to play the team that cut his son that often. Of course, that would leave the two players I am hoping remain for the Pistons.

[mr. synellinden]

Chubby? Chris Richard? Huh? The Chris Richard I saw backing up Joakim and Al last year wasn't chubby. He was pretty darn defined and strong as an ox.

Why is Richard a second round prospect? You know what you are getting with him. Great kid with a great work ethic. Understands his role. Big, physical defender with some touch and some post moves. He's a guy who is physically ready to play in the league right now, and can step in and play defense and rebound immediately. He's a role player at the next level, but size and strength like his are an asset for a team, and he can fill a role coming off the bench for a number of teams.

Richard also showed, repeatedly, that when called upon, he could produce. He had 16 against a really good UCLA defense in the national semifinal when both Noah and Horford were struggling to get their points. He had 11 important points in a tight game at UK. Even if he is a senior, there's a little bit of something to project there too. Maybe it's a reach, but Richard's a reach with a good pedigree, good physical attributes and has proven to be an excellent teammate. That seems like a pretty solid second rounder to me.

I agree with that assessment. I watched a lot of Florida games this year. Chris Richard would have started for Duke this past year and with him I think we would have been a final 8 or possibly final 4 team. I think he is the kind of guy who can be a solid journeyman rotation guy for five or six years - definitely worth a second round pick.

[SilkyJ]

Utah has been on the clock for hours. If left to me, I give them George Karls son, so he could either have to play against his son 5 times a year or get to play the team that cut his son that often. Of course, that would leave the two players I am hoping remain for the Pistons.

Since BD80 has a conflict of interest, if someone else would like to step in and make the pick for the Jazz they may do so, if no one has by 12:30, then BD80's pick stays!

[MarineTwinsDad]

So give the Utah Jazz Chris Richard, from Florida.

[mr. synellinden]

... The Utah Jazz select Renaldas Seibutis, SG, Lithuania

WHY?

The Jazz need a wing guard who can shoot to open things up for Boozer on the interior and create driving/passing lanes for Williams, and drive and kick opportunities. This is what the Spurs do so well and why guys like Finley, Bowen and Ginobli are so well suited for that offense.

Seibutis apparently needs to improve his NBA distance three point shooting but he's only 21 and seems to have the talent and work ethic to do that.

I think 2nd round picks are where you look to find diamonds in the rough or make value picks/steals - and the best way to do it is with relatively unknown talent.

I'm hoping he can fall somewhere between Ginobli and Pavlovic (in terms of foreign born player comparisons).

[JBDuke]

We're up to Milwaukee at #56. You have until 2:15 p.m., EDT to make your selection...

[phaedrus]

With the 50-something pick in the draft, the Milwaukee Bucks select Carl Landry, PF, Purdue.

The highest rated college player left in the draft, the Bucks pick up an undersized but tough post player to back up their front court of the future, Bogut and Villanueva. He's got some offensive skill for a big man, which along with his strength will hopefully make up for his lack of overall athleticism.

More importantly, the Bucks pick up a homegrown kid from North Milwaukee.

[JBDuke]

We're up to Detroit at #58. You have until 2:35 p.m. EDT to make your selection.

MarineTwinsDad, you're on deck.

[BD80]

The Pistons select Ali Traore, who several experts consider to be a potential sleeper.

I was VERY disappointed that JeMarreo Davidson is gone. I think he would be the defensive energy off the bench and has a real “upside.” He was a defensive presence in a big time conference. He needs strength, but that is something that can be remedied by the best strength and conditioning coach in pro sports, Arnie Kander. JeMarreo would have filled one of the 3 extra roster spots and hit the Nbdl for a year or two, but you can’t teach height or length or athleticism.

Thus, the Pistons select Traore. We can stash him in Europe for a year or two.

Traore is a long and strong – listed between 6’8” and 6’10” with a wing span of 7’5”, who needs to learn the game, doesn’t rebound well for someone of his length and strength. Seems to have a very promising post game, something the Pistons haven’t had for awhile. At 22, he is worth a gamble at this point.

My 2nd choice was Stanko Barac, who gets comments like “deceptively athletic” or “slow footed.” But he has grown from 6’10” to 7’1” or 7’2” in the last couple of years. At 20 years old, this kid would be worth stashing in Europe for a couple of years. He needs strength but is compared to Zydrunas Ilgauskas of the Cavs in terms of skills and height.

Ranaldas Seibutis would have been great for the Pistons, a long quick guard that could work on his shot for a couple of years in Europe, but he got snatched up and we already have a couple of guards in this draft. I also considered Curtis Sumpter and Ron Lewis, but figure they are not yet ready to be worth a roster spot and would be tough to stash away without using a roster spot. The Pistons did stash Alex Acker – an American player - in Europe last year, so it can be done, but I don’t think it is common.

[JBDuke]

Almost done! We're up to pick #58 for San Antonio...

Dukerati, you're on deck.

[MarineTwinsDad]

With the #58 pick, the San Antonio Spurs pick Brad Newley, from Australia.

OK, my pick had been Ali Traore, written down a couple days ago. I also had Chris Richard on the short list, but aren't sure whatever happened to pick #55, since I put his name in a minute before Landry was put forward. So I'm going with the best Aussie in the draft, since my twins were born in Australia (the area around Brisbane is beautiful), and because I coached a fellow up in PNG who eventually went on to be a pro in Australia (unfortunately, I don't remember his name). With the international bent to the Spurs, they need to get that Aussie accent back on their bench.

[mr. synellinden]

Dukerati and KYDevil and then we're officially done.

Dukerati is on the clock at 59. This should be finished before the end of the work day today.

[Dukerati]

Hmm, I was just reading Chad Ford's mock draft on ESPN and he and I are pretty much in sync with what the Suns are trying to do. Chad picked Rudy Fernandez in Draft Version 4 and then Tiago Splitter in Draft Version 5. I guess this means I should be an NBA draft analyst:)

Anyhow, I'm going with my (now) main man Chad with this last pick and going with Zoran Erseq. Apparently he is a tall thin Serbian with a sweet shooting touch. More importantly, he is foreign and can develop several years overseas as the Suns don't really have any room for a second rounder on their roster this year.

[JBDuke]

With the last pick in the 2007 DBR Mock NBA Draft. The Mavericks await your selection!!!

[SilkyJ]

Hmm, I was just reading Chad Ford's mock draft on ESPN and he and I are pretty much in sync with what the Suns are trying to do. Chad picked Rudy Fernandez in Draft Version 4 and then Tiago Splitter in Draft Version 5. I guess this means I should be an NBA draft analyst:)

Anyhow, I'm going with my (now) main man Chad with this last pick and going with Zoran Erseq. Apparently he is a tall thin Serbian with a sweet shooting touch. More importantly, he is foreign and can develop several years overseas as the Suns don't really have any room for a second rounder on their roster this year.

Leandro Barbosa, Steve Nash, Boris Diaw, and all the players you mentioned above, I'm not noticing a theme here... I know greybeard would agree with your (& the suns' real GM) philosophy

[duketaylor]

So some folks get 4 1/2 hours to select and some of us get a lot less, I see how this works;) I've been on here a lot lately and watched it move at a snails pace, then it jaunts forward and I miss two picks. And catch some crap as well. Sweet. I can't, or at least shouldn't be, on the net at work. Plus, I don't have time to monitor stuff anyway when I'm there. I run a freakin grocery store, people watch what I do all the time. Better employed than making picks, just ask my wife;)

[thebur]

KyDevil...we are so close to a great accomplishment.

[SilkyJ]

So some folks get 4 1/2 hours to select and some of us get a lot less, I see how this works;) I've been on here a lot lately and watched it move at a snails pace, then it jaunts forward and I miss two picks. And catch some crap as well. Sweet. I can't, or at least shouldn't be, on the net at work. Plus, I don't have time to monitor stuff anyway when I'm there. I run a freakin grocery store, people watch what I do all the time. Better employed than making picks, just ask my wife;)

Sorry, we tried to keep it moving as best we could and be as fair as possible...

You're a veteran of this site/board, so you should know that if you can't be on the net at work you shouldn't sign up for the mock draft! Jason made it very clear what the expectations were.

[JasonEvans]

KYDevil has been emailed and PM'd. If he does not make a pick in 15 minutes (by noon) then someone will make the pick for him.

There is a foreign big man who will go early in the 2nd round who is still on the board. That is who I think this pick should be used upon. But, if not, there are a few decent college guys still available including some from the ACC who might be fun to make as our last pick.

-Jason "thanks to everyone-- especially JB and Silky-- for helping to get this done" Evans

[kydevil]

With the 60th pick in the Draft the Dallas Mavericks Select Shagari Alleyne

Sorry guys I have been busy just got on real quick to check and realized I was up.

He may not be the best pick here but Dallas still needs a down-low presence, and he was the first man to come to mind.
However, Shagari showed signs during college at times. He is a very long and can really alter shots under the basket!

Great job to you guys keeping the draft going!

[Dukerati]

Leandro Barbosa, Steve Nash, Boris Diaw, and all the players you mentioned above, I'm not noticing a theme here... I know greybeard would agree with your (& the suns' real GM) philosophy

Heh, I actually did not consider the international aspect when I was drafting the Suns players (except for the 2nd round pick). It just happened to be a coincidence that the best players IMO for the Suns happened to be international this year. Having said this, I do think that the Suns style does lend itself more to the international game and as such, the Suns have a larger pool of players to choose from.

[JasonEvans]

With the 60th pick in the Draft the Dallas Mavericks Select Shagari Alleyne


You can't coach size and Shagari Alleyne certainly has that! Of course, he never showed he could do much of anything with it at Kentucky. Still, a 7-3 project is a fitting final pick in our draft.

Personally, I think someone in the 2nd round should have taken Stanko Barac from Bosnia. He is going to get drafted in the mid-2nd round perhaps even earlier.

I also think Herbert Hill of Providence is a good player that we left on the board. Curtis Sumpter is another guy who could be a decent player that went undrafted.

It might have been nice to close with an ACC player like Ikene Ibekwe or Coleman Collins or especially JR Reynolds (how did none of us draft him?!?!?) but nice choice KYDevil!

Thanks to everyone who particiapted and especially to JB and Silky!!

In just a few hours we can see how our draft compared to the real thing. I bet we are smarter ;)

-Jason "props on getting this done everyone!!" Evans

[Clipsfan]

You can't coach size and Shagari Alleyne certainly has that! Of course, he never showed he could do much of anything with it at Kentucky. Still, a 7-3 project is a fitting final pick in our draft.

Personally, I think someone in the 2nd round should have taken Stanko Barac from Bosnia. He is going to get drafted in the mid-2nd round perhaps even earlier.

I also think Herbert Hill of Providence is a good player that we left on the board. Curtis Sumpter is another guy who could be a decent player that went undrafted.

It might have been nice to close with an ACC player like Ikene Ibekwe or Coleman Collins or especially JR Reynolds (how did none of us draft him?!?!?) but nice choice KYDevil!

Thanks to everyone who particiapted and especially to JB and Silky!!

In just a few hours we can see how our draft compared to the real thing. I bet we are smarter ;)

-Jason "props on getting this done everyone!!" Evans

We may be smarter, but either way I'm willing to bet that the real draft looks completely different due to the large number of deals which are currently rumored. I think that many of those picks will either be traded or made by teams with different needs than we were basing our picks upon.

[Clipsfan]

Actually...you know what would be fun? If we each took on a team and tried to create virtual trades, rather than just a mock draft. I think that we'd both have to carefully follow the salary cap restrictions/trade rules and really understand the multiple factors that the GMs consider when looking at trades. E.g., we can't just trade for Randolph because of his stats, we have to understand that he's a cancer. You can't give up Kobe when you charge more for tickets than any other team and need his star power to sell those tickets. I think that this could be a lot of fun.

[JasonEvans]

Actually...you know what would be fun? If we each took on a team and tried to create virtual trades, rather than just a mock draft. I think that we'd both have to carefully follow the salary cap restrictions/trade rules and really understand the multiple factors that the GMs consider when looking at trades. E.g., we can't just trade for Randolph because of his stats, we have to understand that he's a cancer. You can't give up Kobe when you charge more for tickets than any other team and need his star power to sell those tickets. I think that this could be a lot of fun.

Cool-- I'd love to do this but if we do then I get to GM the Hawks along with 4 other co-GMs/owners. All 5 of us must agree on any deal before we make it and one of the randomly assigned owners must be out of town at all times making it impossible to reach him and making it take us at least 48 hours to make any decision on any deal!! Fun fun fun!!

Ok, seriously-- the problem with doing mock trades is that considerations like "my owner does not want to be anywhere near the luxury tax" or "player X refuses to play in racist Boston or small-market Memphis" are tough things to get around when we are just sitting around looking at computer screens.

-Jason "eager for the real draft to see how badly the Hawks can @^@^ it up" Evans

[ACCBBallFan]

Personally, I think someone in the 2nd round should have taken Stanko Barac from Bosnia. He is going to get drafted in the mid-2nd round perhaps even earlier.

I also think Herbert Hill of Providence is a good player that we left on the board. Curtis Sumpter is another guy who could be a decent player that went undrafted.

It might have been nice to close with an ACC player like Ikene Ibekwe or Coleman Collins or especially JR Reynolds (how did none of us draft him?!?!?) but nice choice KYDevil!

Thanks to everyone who particiapted and especially to JB and Silky!!

In just a few hours we can see how our draft compared to the real thing. I bet we are smarter ;)

-Jason "props on getting this done everyone!!" Evans

I updated the average of the experts, including this mock draft as one of the exterts.

The results were not that far off from what the other experts came up with as only 5 different guys not drafted, two of whom Jason just mentioned.

?? 49 Brown, Bobby/CS Fullerton 113
?? 51 Barac, Stanko/Bosnia 107
?? 53 Hill, Herbert/Prov 102
?? 57 Tomas, Marco/Croatia 80
?? 60 Hosley, Quinton/Fresno St 59

The five chosen instead by DBR were:

DBR Player/School
58 NO Newley, Brad/Australia 54
59 NO Erceg, Zoran/Serbia 46
46 NO Boggan, Mario 42
52 NO Printezis, Girgos/Greece 18
60 NO Alleyne, Shagari/Manhattan 11

The next three not taken in either draft were Curits Sumpter, Ron Lewis and Russell Carter.

DBR Player/School
1 1 Oden, Geg/Ohio St 494
2 2 Durant, Kevin/TX 486
4 3 Horford, Al/FL 470
7 4 Wright, Brandan/UNC 462
3 5 Conley Jr, Mike/Ohio St 460
6 6 Brewer, Corey/FL 447
8 7 Noah, Joakim/FL 444
5 8 Jianlian, Yi/China 441
9 9 Hawes, Spencer/Wash 435
10 10 Green, Jeff/G-town 434
12 11 Wright, Julian/ KS 409
11 12 Thornton, Al/FSU 402
13 13 Young, Nick/USC 395
14 14 Law, Acie/ A&M 389
15 15 Crittenden, Javaris/GA T 373
18 16 Smith, Jason/Col St 370
20 17 Young, Thad /GA T 362
27 18 Stuckey, Rodney/ E Wash 357
21 19 McRoberts, Josh/Duke 337
29 20 Splitter, Tiago/Brazil 325
24 21 Fernandez, Rudy/Spain 317
19 22 Belinelli, Marco/Italy 316
28 23 Byars, Derrick/Vandy 316
17 24 Williams, Sean/BC 313
25 25 Almond, Morris/Rice 310
38 26 Cook, Dequan/Ohio St 285
32 27 Tucker, Alando/Wisc 261
22 28 Afflalo, Arron/UCLA 256
30 29 Dudley, Jared/BC 255
36 30 Pruitt, Gabe/USC 247
43 31 Williams, Marcus/AZ 238
35 32 Fazekas, Nick/Nevada 231
26 33 Davis, Glen/LSU 230
23 34 Chandler, Wilson/DePaul 229
16 35 Gasol, Marc/Spain 224
40 36 Gray, Aaron/Pitt 223
48 37 Green, Taurean/FL 220
42 38 Nichols, Demetris/Syr 203
34 39 Visser, Kyle/ WF 197
31 40 Koponen, Petteri/Finland 191
33 41 McGuire, Dominic/Fresno St 191
41 42 Fesenko, Kyrylo/Ukraine 187
37 43 Brooks, Aaron/Oregon 175
44 44 Dowdell, Zabian/VA T 139
45 45 Terry, Reyshawn/UNC 137
39 46 Sessions, Ramon/Nevada 121
56 47 Landry, Carl/Purdue 119
57 48 Traore, Ali/France 118
?? 49 Brown, Bobby/CS Fullerton 113
47 50 Strawberry, D J /MD 109
?? 51 Barac, Stanko/Bosnia 107
49 52 Jordan, Jared/Marist 105
?? 53 Hill, Herbert/Prov 102
51 54 Lasme, Steve/UMASS 100
52 55 Davidson, Jamareo/Alabama 89
50 56 OnCurry, James/Ok St 87
?? 57 Tomas, Marco/Croatia 80
54 58 Johnson, Trey/Jackson St 75
55 59 Seibutis, Ranaldas/Lithuania 74
?? 60 Hosley, Quinton/Fresno St 59
58 NO Newley, Brad/Australia 54
?? NO Sumpter, Curtis/Nova 54
59 NO Erceg, Zoran/Serbia 46
?? NO Lewis, Ron/Ohio St 44
46 NO Boggan, Mario 42
?? NO Carter, Russell/Notre Dame 41
?? NO Dragic, Goran 41
?? NO Heath, Brandon 38
?? NO Stokes, Loren 37
?? NO Ibekwe, Ikene/MD 35
?? NO Wood, Deshaun 34
?? NO Gordon, Jamon 33
?? NO Martin, Cartier/K-St 32
?? NO Haluska, Adam/Iowa 31
?? NO Abukar, Mohamed 28
?? NO Gomes, Joao/Portugal 28
?? NO Lojeski, Matt 25
?? NO Bright, Roy 24
?? NO Daniels, Chris 23
?? NO Reynolds, J R/UVA 23
?? NO Tollivar, Anthony 22
?? NO Wyatt, Avis 21
?? NO Hardin, DeVon/Calif 20
?? NO Nwaelele, Dan/AF 20
?? NO Green, Caleb 19
52 NO Printezis, Girgos/Greece 18
?? NO Covile, Ryvon/Detroit 17
?? NO Humphrey, Lee/FL 17
?? NO Taturn, Jamaal 17
?? NO Shakur, Mustafa/AZ 16
?? NO Carter, Warren 15
?? NO Radenovic, Ivan/AZ 15
?? NO Jones-Jennings, Rashad 14
?? NO Karl, Coby 14
?? NO Alexander, DeAngelo 12
60 NO Alleyne, Shagari/Manhattan 11
?? NO Hughes, James 11
?? NO Silva Ansoloni, Ralfi/Brazil 11
?? NO Jackson, Darrius 10
?? NO Meja, Sammy/DePaul 10
?? NO Dasic, Vladimir 9
?? NO Rakovic, Milovan/serbia 9
?? NO Richard, Chris 9
?? NO Tomic, Ante/Croatia 7
?? NO Teague, Dvid/Purdue 6
?? NO Hamilton,Lamont 5
?? NO Salisbery, Dustin 4
?? NO Watkins, Darryl/Syr 4
?? NO Collins, Coleman/VA T 3
?? NO Kalnietis, Mantas 3
?? NO Vouyoukas, Ian / SLU 2

[thebur]

Making moves into the first round! Not to toot my own horn, but I was pleasantly surprised to see each of the later of my picks go higher, especially Brooks. (So, Toot Toot)

Anyway, couldn't believe how far McBob fell. Maybe he would have been a higher pick next year, but I couldn't help but think, "Man if I were him I would be sooooooo mad I didn't leave after my freshman year".

[Troublemaker]

Speaking of tooting, I nailed Utah's pick exactly, as they got Morris Almond, easily the best shooter in the draft. Now they don't have to play the vastly undersized Derek Fisher at shooting guard all season. I love Almond, love him. If you go to yahoo's draft site and look at clips, you'll examples of his deft touch from all parts of the court. He can stroke the 3 (though it remains to be seen whether his 45&#37; from the college line will translate to the NBA line), pull-up, hit bankers, post up for layups, you name it, he's got it. Utah had a great draft just by getting this guy, as he'll help open up the court and be the very good 3rd scorer or great 4th scorer that the Jazz need to compete with the Spurs and Suns into the future. As for the 2nd round pick, they pretty much did what I would've done, which is take the best big man left on the board. They need a backup center to Okur bad (someone better than Jarron Collins) and maybe that Ukrainian Fesenko can develop into one.

The biggest task Utah has left to do this summer is trade AK-47 for a real small forward. Another season of playing out of position and pouting/crying (literally) about his role, and his trade value will pretty much be rock bottom, considering he's a max player. Utah needs to trade him NOW, not after the '08 season. They should be thrilled if they can get Gerald Green and Theo Ratliff's expiring contract.

Lineup for '08 and the future:
C Okur.... Ratliff... Fesenko/Collins
PF Booz.... Millsap
SF Green... Harpring
SG Almond... RBrewer... Giricek
PG Dwill... Fisher.... DeeBrown

That team can score and can threaten the Spurs.

[phaedrus]

i picked carl landry 56, and he moved all the way up to like 32. can anyone beat that?

[Pistonsfan13]

i picked carl landry 56, and he moved all the way up to like 32. can anyone beat that?

lol either you got a real steal or people never heard of him:D

[ACCBBallFan]

Speaking of tooting, I nailed Utah's pick exactly, as they got Morris Almond, easily the best shooter in the draft.
Lineup for '08 and the future:
C Okur.... Ratliff... Fesenko/Collins
PF Booz.... Millsap
SF Green... Harpring
SG Almond... RBrewer... Giricek
PG Dwill... Fisher.... DeeBrown

That team can score and can threaten the Spurs.
Interesting thing is if they (you) had not chosen Almond, Houston with the next pick would have gotten the local product from Rice University.

[Mcluhan]

Not sure why DBR said "Golden State has a reputation for being a terrible place for young players, not on the court, but off."

Trying to think....Webber clashed with Nellie, which is not exactly unheard of in the world of sports.....Latrell/PJ, but that doesn't seem indicative of any trend.....Chris Mullin got his life together while with the Warriors....Arenas, Jamison, Larry Hughes, Jason Richardson have done quite well for themselves......Chris Washburn played there, um, 20 years ago........the Warriors current young guys Biedrins, Monta Ellis, and Mikeal Pietrus seem to be doing well.....Dunleavy and Murphy were never involved in anything......I can't think of anything to support this.