2010 Full Mock With Some Commentary

[WillVanderbilt]

1. Washington Wizards - John Wall, PG, Kentucky
- Consensus #1. What more can be said? Washington will need to rebuild for the first few years to get the right talent around him. Blatche is a good start, so is McGee if he learns how to play. Thornton is a maybe, everyone else is iffy. It will be a few years but the Wizards will be scary once they get him a supporting cast.

2. Philadelphia 76ers - Evan Turner, SG, Ohio State
-The Favors/Cousins rumors are simply that. Turner fits well on this roster. Even before trades, Holiday/Turner/Iggy/Brand/Dally has some potential.

3. New Jersey Nets - Derrick Favors, PF, Georgia Tech
-I’m not sure if he can step right in and start for the Nets, but down the line I can see him beasting which can mean only good things as he and Lopez learn to work together.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves - DeMarcus Cousins, C, Kentucky
-You need to get Al Jeff out of there for a wing as soon as you can, a three man big rotation of Love/Cousins/Darko (don’t laugh!) has about all you can ask for out of a young core of bigs. Keep Hollins too and see what he turns into. I don’t bye these “personality” concerns. I think he’ll do just fine and he could possibly have the strongest rookie campaign in the lottery.

5. Sacramento Kings - Wesley Johnson, SF, Syracuse
-Sactown is still rebuilding. They have a lot of potential everywhere, which is why you simply go BPA here. Wes is more ready that any of the bigs they would look to add to compete with Thompson, Hawes & Landry. Casspi and Greene are both nice players and should eventually settle into really good role players but I think Wes has a chance to be more than that. The Kings are rebuilding. Get all the talent you can, then consolidate it later.

6. Golden State Warriors - Al-Farouq Aminu, SF, Wake Forest
-You know they’re drafting for Nellie-ball. Aminu is the highest potential player available here that can work the style well.

7. Detroit Pistons - Greg Monroe, PF, Georgetown
-Detroit is a mess. They need a quality player who can develop into a leader down the line and weather the storm the Pistons find themselves in until the damage Dumars did with the Gordon/Villanueva signings can be righted and the large contracts of Rip and Prince can get resolved. Stuckey/Jerebko/Monroe make the future for the Pistons a little brighter.

8. Los Angeles Clippers - Cole Aldrich, C, Kansas
-Aldrich represents the best value here. SF is a huge need for LAC, obviously, but I don’t think they fill it through the draft. They either sign someone like Rudy Gay or deal one of Kaman/Aldrich for the wingman they need. Henry is more suited for SG and I don’t see Hayward or George as having the type of game that will gel with Gordon very well. Clips go BPA here.

9. Utah Jazz - Ed Davis, PF, North Carolina
-Xavier Henry could also go here, but I don’t think Sloan passes on Davis here. Utah is losing Boozer and getting Davis to form a 1-2 PF punch with Millsap will help lessen the sting a bit. Then we can do this all over again in about four years when Millsap is superstar and Davis is knocking on his door and we’re wondering why oh why won’t Jerry trade one of them for a true SG!

10. Indiana Pacers - Ekpe Udoh, PF, Baylor
-Eric Bledsoe is an interesting name to throw out, as is Henry, but I see the Pacers taking Udoh here. I think Murphy is gone before opening tipoff (likely in a trade for a point guard) and Udoh can provide some competition for Hansbrough for the starter spot.

11. New Orleans Hornets - Hassan Whiteside, C, Marshall
-Hornets need a homerun here. Whiteside could pan out to be something really special. He’ll have a chance to show it in Nawlins, Aaron Gray shouldn’t provide too much of an obstacle for playing time.

12. Memphis Grizzlies - Patrick Patterson, PF, Kentucky
-Memphis has made it perfectly clear this pick is available for an impact player. If they keep the pick they’re going for the player with the most value. I think that’s Patterson here.

13. Toronto Raptors - Donatas Motiejunas, PF, Bennetton Treviso
-But, but, the Raptors already have Bargnani! Why do they take Bargnani II? Pardon me for getting punny here, but when Bosh leaves, Toronto is going the way of the dinosaur for a few years and no one they pick here is going to provide a quick fix for that. Motiejunas is even less NBA-ready than Bargnani was when he started so it makes sense to pair the two together in hopes that Bargs will teach the new guy a thing or two to raise his value in a few years. Theeeeeeeeen you trade whichever one gets you a better return!

14. Houston Rockets - Xavier Henry, SG, Kansas
-In all likelihood, one of the teams above here will fall in love with the idea of having a sharpshooter like Henry, but I don’t really see him falling any further than this. He should be a sparkplug off the bench when the Rockets decide to rest K-Mart.

That’s the lottery, I’ll give little blurbs when I see fit for the rest of the round.

15. MIL - Daniel Orton
-Quality backup for Bogut in a few years.
16. MIN - Gordon Hayward
-Could be that wing they need. More likely could be the backup for that wing they need.
17. CHI - Paul George
-Of all the shooters on the board, this guy seem like a “GarPax” guy they most. Hopefully he pans out.
18. MIA - Avery Bradley
-Will fit really well in a backcourt rotation with Wade and Chalmers.
19. BOS - Luke Babbitt
-Good chance to develop behind Pierce and will benefit from being in the crucible that is the Celtics locker room.
20. SAS - Eric Bledsoe
-Babbitt would have been good here. Bledsoe/Hill could be Parker/Ginobli: The Next Generation
21. OKC - James Anderson
-Local kid and fills one of the few needs OKC needs, a sharpshooter. Presti will snap him up if he gets this far.
22. POR - Larry Sanders
-Intriguing backup for Aldridge
23. MIN - Damion James
-See Hayward, but James can also spell some time at the 4 if they decide to go small. I don’t think the T’Wolves keep all these picks.
24. ATL - Quincy Pondexter
-Nice backup at the forward spots and a potential do-everything guy. Could be the second coming of Josh Childress.
25. MEM - Solomon Alabi
-They learned nothing for Thabeet last year. Hopefully one of the two pans out.
26. OKC - Stanley Robinson
Good talent pick here. The Thunder may also reach for a Euro player like Bjelica here.
27. NJN - Devin Ebanks
-Because somebody needs to replace Simmons, Hassell and Hayes, darnit!
28. MEM - Willie Warren
-Good talent this late in the draft. Has some character issues, but who on Memphis doesn’t? Could turn into something good for them down the line.
29. ORL - Terrico White
-Nice combo guard that can shoot the three. Orlando can’t ask for much more this late in the 1st.
30. WAS - Dominique Jones
-Can hopefully grow into a nice compliment to Wall.


For the second round I’m not really going to comment, so…. Here goes!

31. NJN - Elliot Williams
32. OKC - Gani Lawal
33. SAC - Armon Johnson
34. GSW - Kevin Seraphin
35. WAS - Craig Brackins
36. DET - Jordan Crawford
37. MIL - Nemanja Bjelica
38. NYK - Darington Hobson
39. NYK - Lance Stephenson
40. IND - Jerome Jordan
41. MIA - Jarvis Varnado
42. MIA - Charles Garcia
43. LAL - Greivis Vasquez
44. POR - Sherron Collins
45. MIN - Keith ‘Tiny’ Gallon
46. PHX - Trevor Booker
47. MIL - Artsiom Parakhouski
48. MIA - Miroslav Radulijca
49. SAS - Dexter Pittman
50. DAL - Mikhail Torrance
51. OKC - Pablo Aguilar
52. BOS - Derrick Caracter
53. ATL - Alexey Shved
54. LAC - Matt Bouldin
55. UTA - Luke Harangody
56. MIN - Sylven Landesberg
57. DAL - Robin Benzing
58. LAL - Ryan Richards
59. ORL - Manny Harris
60. PHX - Dwayne Collins

[BucksRUS]

At 15 the Bucks would take Paul George, not Daniel Orton. Bucks haven't shown any interest in him. At 37, Garcia, Gallon, and Torrance would be better choices. 47 is fine.

[wildvikeswolves]

Cousins at 4 is good. Heyward isnt bad at 16 but id forsure prefer Geroge over him. James at 23 is solid

[WillVanderbilt]

After the comment by BucksRUS, I thought about the fits and the prospects and I like the idea of George and especially Charles Garcia in a Bucks uniform. The fact that George isn't going to be in a Chicago jersey next year is something I'm going to have to deal with, but if you look at this mock we still manage to do alright. I'm bolding my changes and adding comments to what I changed.

Version 2.0

1. WAS - John Wall
2. PHI - Evan Turner
3. NJN - Derrick Favors
4. MIN - DeMarcus Cousins
5. SAC - Wesley Johnson
6. GSW - Al-Farouq Aminu
7. DET - Greg Monroe
8. LAC - Cole Aldrich
9. UTA - Ed Davis
10. IND - Ekpe Udoh
11. NOH - Hassan Whiteside
12. MEM - Patrick Patterson
13, TOR - Donatas Motiejunas
14. HOU - Xavier Henry

15. MIL - Paul George
-Would love for the Bulls to get a chance at this guy but, BucksRUS is right. Much like Henry, it’s looking increasingly more unlikely that he falls past this spot.

16. MIN - Gordon Hayward

17. CHI - James Anderson
-With George and Henry off the board, the Bulls go for Anderson here. Small chance they go with Avery Bradley here, but I think he duplicates a lot of what their young core of Rose/Law/Hinrich can do. The Bulls need a guy with a little bit of size that can knock down the three ball and occasionally slide over to the SF position. Anderson is a nice consolation prize.

18. MIA - Avery Bradley

19. BOS - Daniel Orton
-Boston has a ton of nice bigs, young and old. They’ll give Babbitt a second look here for some help on the wings but don’t look for them to pass on the lottery talent of Orton falling in their laps. This Celtics team has some degree of success with developing bigs of his stature and, at the very least, he takes over Shelden Williams’ spot for the time being. If he develops then you have a nice insurance policy in case Perk or Big Baby start to decline.

20. SAS - Luke Babbitt
-Whether Luke goes here or to Boston one spot before, he’s in an ideal situation. Teach this kid to play defense and he can be special. As is, there’s a spot for him in the San Antonio system.

21. OKC - Larry Sanders
-It hasn’t been a good couple of picks for the Thunder. Anderson or Orton would both be nice fits. I look for Presti to continue stockpiling talent even if a potential logjam could result. Sanders doesn’t fill a particular need, but he has some of the best talent still available.

22. POR - Eric Bledsoe
- Pritchard jumps all over this. Arguably the best pure point in the draft, he could develop into an important piece for the still-young Blazer team.

23. MIN - Damion James
24. ATL - Quincy Pondexter
25. MEM - Solomon Alabi
26. OKC - Stanley Robinson
27. NJN - Devin Ebanks
28. MEM - Willie Warren
29. ORL - Terrico White
30. WAS - Dominique Jones

SECOND ROUND

31. NJN - Elliot Williams
32. OKC - Gani Lawal
33. SAC - Armon Johnson
34. GSW - Kevin Seraphin
35. WAS - Craig Brackins
36. DET - Jordan Crawford

37. MIL - Charles Garcia
-Garcia is a player type the Bucks don’t really have right now. He could develop into a nice piece and provide some energy off the bench. I’m not sure what happens to this guy under Skiles, but they said the same thing about Brandon Jennings last year.

38. NYK - Darington Hobson
39. NYK - Lance Stephenson

40. IND - Nemanja Bjelica
-The guy apparently has a great basketball IQ but his talent is all over the place. Could he be a point forward that’s a little less Hedo and a little more Toni? The Pacers hope so.

41. MIA - Jarvis Varnado

42. MIA - Jerome Jordan
-With two picks in a row in the middle of the second round, Miami can afford to take a flyer on Jordan and hope he learns to use his ample physical tools.


43. LAL - Greivis Vasquez

44. POR - Keith ‘Tiny’ Gallon
-Portland goes for Gallon here. They have a wealth of young, enigmatic bigs so taking Gallon here and hoping that he or one of Cunningham or Pendergraph emerge to become a key backup to Aldridge and Oden can’t hurt.

45. MIN - Sherron Collins
-A nice pickup this late. Collins could go a lot earlier to a team hungry for a PG, but he would do well on this Minnesota team. Flynn and Sessions are already here and Rubio is allegedly on his way in the near future, but Collins is one of the best talents available this late and Minny has a history of snagging the slipper. (Mario Chalmers, anyone?)

46. PHX - Trevor Booker
47. MIL - Artsiom Parakhouski
48. MIA - Miroslav Raduljica

49. SAS - Mikhail Torrance
-Torrance is a bit a of a project, but San Antonio has to be salivating thinking of he and Hill maturing together and forming a chemistry like Ginobli/Parker. Torrance is similar to Ginobli in the fact that he is a unique body type for his style of play. Long term, Torrance could develop into a player with Ginobli’s motor and aggression, along with his deft playmaking touch,, thrown into a Rodney Stuckey body. Buuuuuuuut, he’s none of that now, so he falls here.

50. DAL - Dexter Pittman
-Still has ton of potential. Hopefully they don’t waive Damp RIGHT away and let him show this kid a thing or two. Pittman could be special.

51. OKC - Pablo Aguilar
52. BOS - Derrick Caracter
53. ATL - Alexey Shved
54. LAC - Matt Bouldin
55. UTA - Luke Harangody
56. MIN - Sylven Landesberg

57. IND - Robin Benzing
-Dallas recently let this pick go to Indiana to complete the Shawne Williams deal. I still like Benzing as a prospect and think Indiana takes him to stash overseas for a year or two.

58. LAL - Ryan Richards
59. ORL - Manny Harris
60. PHX - Dwayne Collins

[shangrila]

Don't like it for Minnesota. Anderson would go over Hayward, White or Warren over James, Torrance then Booker over Collins and Richards with the last pick.

[TheNewEra]

Clippers aren't leaving the draft without Paul George its only a matter if the trade down for him or reach for him at 8. In the second round if Luke Harangody is there Clippers could use a enforcer.

[spoonhoops]

Jazz would never choose Davis since he is a project and the Jazz want to win now. Henry is a possibility, but most likely you will see Monroe, Aldrich or Udoh.

[RTM]

Monroe and Crawford is excellent for Detroit. No complaints from me.