Post by donatello2424 on Dec 21, 2007 21:48:44 GMT -5
1.
Golden State Warriors- SG J-Mychael Reese-This pick could go several ways. I picked them going with Reese mainly because he is considered the best prospect in the draft. With great rating coming out, how could they not pick him? The Warriors could go differently with Kobe Bryant still starting at the 2 but at 36 and an expiring contract, the Warriors can get his replacement and a star in the making right now.
2.
Toronto Raptors- PG Tavon Sledge-The Raptors have a hole at the point so they go with the best point guard prospect in the draft. While he isn't a traditional pass first and defend point guard, he will still do very well for the Raptors. The biggest knock on him is his size. At 5'11" he might find some problems guarding larger point guards and having some trouble using his great inside game against the larger pros, but it's hard to not pick a point guard with B+ handles already and an A- inside game.
3.
Washington Wizards- C Dre Kalo-The last of the big 3 goes off the board. Dre is a freshman sensational from Florida and rightfully so, he looks to be a stud. His scoring is great for only a 19 year old and his defensive and rebounding game are not too shabby either. If he continues to develop like many scouts predict, him and B.J. Mullens could provide opposing teams fits inside.
4.
Utah Jazz- SG Stedman Lowry-This pick was difficult. Utah doesn't need any big men with Favors, Lopez, and Patterson and they have two young points in Rose and Lacey. Now Lacey could be moved to the 2 and thus this pick might not make much sense and a small forward could be taken, but as their current lineup I see them taking a shooting guard. Lowry is considered small (5'9") by most scouts and his game might not develop to the pro level. However he was only a freshman and is 19 and still has room to grow. With a B outside game, he can sit on the wing and take passes from Rose to score, also serve as a pass out when their great big men get double-teamed.
5.
San Antonio Spurs- C Roshon Prince-Stud point guards? Check. Stud shooting guards? Check. Stud Power Forward? Check. What seems to be missing? Yes the Spurs need a small forward and a center. With all the scoring I think that the defensive Corey Brewer is a good choice at small forward since he can use his good defensive to shut down players and the team will not have to rely on his scoring much. Prince is another stud freshman coming out of college this year with Dre Kalo. If he continues to develop, him and Beasley would be scary for teams. Right now he is a great player and after some training camps and some experience, he will be a force in the west.
6.
Brooklyn Nets- PG Trae Golden-Allen Iverson is 39 and is not getting any younger. He will likely retire soon and the Nets can draft his potential replacement in Golden. Golden is injured and will be a risky draft choice, and his possible potential could scare many general managers away. I think that he will recover in time to be a solid player for the Nets and will continue to develop into a beast to join Tyreke Evans as the future of the Nets.
7.
Chicago Bulls- SF Dominique Ferguson-The Bulls are a tricky team to draft for. They really do not have any big holes on their team. They have a good passing point in Wall, three dominate big men in McClain, Roe, and Monroe, and solid wings. With Jones playing around 20 minutes and only scoring 3 points a game, I decided to give them a solid scorer in Ferguson. Ferguson can score, can defend, and has potential. This pick can be risky due to Ferguson's injury history, but he can also be a very good pick for the Bulls.
8.
Houston Rockets- PF Bernard Sullivan-With a need at the 4, the Bulls take one of the last remaining big men left. Many people will say this is too low for him, but I am doing this mock based on pure need. Some team higher up could draft him, and then trade him away to another team in order to fill a need plus get something else. He has the potential to be a great big man, but his rebounding might hurt him somewhat. The Bulls would be happy to get a steal this late in the draft.
9.
Boston Celtics- PG K.C. Ross Miller-The Celtics have 14 players on their team and not one of them is a point guard. The Celtics take a great point. He will be able to get Garnett the ball and can step up to score when needed. The Celtics could use a scoring shooting guard, but why not take a great point guard who can score instead? Kill two birds with one stone.
10.
Sacramento Kings- SG Trevon Bluiett-The Kings need a shooting guard and Bluiett is sitting right there for the picking. With Nocedal at the point, Bluiett would provide the Kings with another score. They could go big man but Bluiett had a great freshman campaign. If he pans out he can be a great scorer for the Kings. The Kings also have around 37 million in cap room so they could decide to go after a big man free agent from the shooting guard position, but right now the 19 year old Bluiett looks to have too much potential to pass up.
11.
Denver Nuggets- SF Kony Ealy-There are some sexier players still on the board, but this goes back to the need idea I went with. The Nuggets have a great shooting guard and some solid bigs, but really seem to be missing a small forward. Ealy will provide them with defense and some scoring if needed and can allow Strickland to continue to develop his game. I possible trade down could happen if a team is willing to pay the price to get some of the higher rated players left.
12.
Orlando Magic- PF Julian Washburn-No real weaknesses for the Magic so I gave them the safe pick in Washburn. They do have 10 million this year invested into Hibbert, but they are set at basically every position. Bogut at the 5, Budinger and Ebanks at the 3, Joe Johnson at the 2, and Sergio and Drew at the point. I could seem them going point guard if there were other solid point guards left. They might be able to use some of their depth to trade up to get Golden or Ross Miller, but as it stands why not take the safe pick with Washburn who will go unnoticed on your team but provide the important things, not the flash ones.
13.
Brooklyn Nets (from Miami Heat)- SG Jay Canty-The Nets were able to grab their point guard of the future, so they grab their shooting guard of the future with the last pick of the lotto in Canty. Canty doesn't look very flashy, but is still a good all-around player. He has a solid outside game, but could develop a better defensive game some. Many scouts believe he will not improve much so the Nets could go with the younger and higher potential Grace, but Canty would still be a solid pick.
-As I said earlier I went mostly with needs. Some players dropped because I felt a team was too stacked at that position. Sullivan fell because I felt the other teams already had a solid power forward and thus didn't need to take one. I could see several draft day trades to in order for some teams to fill multiple needs to consolidate talent.
