rebelsun 2010 ubermock

[RebelSun]

So, here's my attempt at a mock. These are the picks I would make as each team, not as I think will happen in reality. This assumes no trades, although there will be several...


1. Washington - John Wall: no-brainer pick for any team; the most interesting point prospect since Iverson.

2. Philadelphia - Evan Turner: Favors' upside is intriguing, but Turner is extraordinarily polished and will be a plus-starter from the beginning; 09-10 PHI was one of those most underachieving teams I can remember; with Turner, there's no excuse to miss the playoffs

3. New Jersey - Derrick Favors: lot less risk and downside than Cousins and complements Lopez better; has some interesting upside; should be solid, or more, starter for a dozen years

4. Minnesota – DeMarcus Cousins: this is where things will get interesting; Cousins is a top-2 talent in the draft, but MIN is stocked in the paint; there will be significant interest in this pick to nab him; Johnson should be a decent starter, but they already have a SF in Brewer (who's not a true SG); if MIN does take Cousins, it would very likely piss off Darko enough to send him back to Europe for good; if they should end up keeping the pick, I would probably take Cousins and figure the rest out later; if Darko leaves, he leaves; worst case you have 3 very good post players to get 32mpg each; Kahn showed he wasn't afraid to take Rubio and figure it out later, so I don't think he'd be hesitant to take, by a goddamn country mile, the BPA here

5. Sacramento - Patrick Patterson: SAC already has 4 SFs under contract, so I'm wondering if they don't pass on Johnson, if available; Petrie isn't afraid to take his guy, though; the Kings are desperate for some toughness and finishing in the post, and Patterson might be the best solution; Udoh and Aldrich could be interesting here, too

6. Golden State - Wes Johnson: the Warriors need help everywhere but PG, and Wes is the most polished guy available; he's an athletic shooter and finisher and should fit very well in GS

7. Detroit - Greg Monroe: the Pistons are absolutely starving for any kind of post talent, and Greg's the best available by a decent margin; could make a very interesting 6'11 forward pairing of the future in he and Daye

8. LA Clippers – Ekpe Udoh: this is one that could go in any direction; they lack depth everywhere and could really be free to take the BPA; if I'm them, I would pass on Aminu here, to preserve that wide open SF spot for Bron; Griffin is injury-prone and there isn't a great-defending big on the roster, so I'll take Udoh's length, mobility, and defense to shore up the frontline

9. Utah - Ed Davis: Utah is desperate for post defense, and Davis gets the nod here over Aldrich; he can play both post positions, is effective in the post, and seems like he'd fit as a Sloan guy

10. Indiana - Willie Warren: easily the biggest surprise on the list; this IND roster has a pathetic level of talent in the backcourt; they need a lot help; Willie may have some issues, but he's also a natural scorer and can play both guard positions; Bird has positioned this thoroughly-mediocre roster for purgatory and needs to make some bold moves; this could be one of them

11. New Orleans - Daniel Orton: there are some interesting wings available, but NOH has plenty of wing depth while being thin in the post; Orton should be able to play some PF as well and could become the solid reserve post that neither Simmons or Armstrong was supposed to be; I like him a little more than Aldrich

12. Memphis – Avery Bradley: Aminu gets a long look here, but they already have plenty of SFs on the roster; PG depth is much more of a concern and Avery is probably the best available at the position; as Mayo can play some point, Avery's lack of said skills aren't much of an issue; Bledsoe gets consideration here, too

13. Toronto – Al-Farouq Aminu: this may surprise some that he falls this far, but I think he's the dreaded tweener combo-F in the worst sense; this is a situation where I actually like him because of the unorthodox positional needs of a Bargnani roster; they need rebounding and defense at SF, and Amini can provide this; Hedo apparently wants out and I'm not sure DeRozan or Weems are SFs; this would be excellent value for them; Damian James might be a sleeper pick here, as his game might complement Bargnani even better

14. Houston - Cole Aldrich: Morey seems to value defense and I wonder if he's produced an algorithm yet that concludes playing 6'6 Chuck Hayes at C will likely never win a playoff series; Anderson and Hill aren't real post defensive forces, and this gives them the best backup C, including a 63 y/o Mutombo, in the Yao era

15. Milwaukee - Paul George: their roster is pretty solid, without any massive weaknesses; Henry might be interesting here, but may be redundant next to Delfino; George is a very long and versatile wing that gives them a defensive look to complement all the shooters

16. Minnesota - Xavier Henry: this is why they shouldn't take Wes Johnson at #4, because an interesting SG, and not SF, should be available here; this is very solid value if he falls and gives them a legit starting SG to spread the D for all their post beasts; Rubio/Henry/Brewer/Jefferson/Cousins would be a very interesting potential future lineup; the additions of Henry and Cousins could entice Rubio to come over early

17. Chicago – Luke Babbitt: he might be redundant next to fellow combo-F James Johnson, but they do different things; this would especially be an interesting LeBron carrot, if he did indeed request the trade for his 'stretch 4' in Antawn

18. Miami - Eric Bledsoe: this just seems like a Miami pick - athletic and aggressive; Chalmers only has one year left and Bledsoe would provide needed depth at the point

19. Boston - James Anderson: BOS is facing a major lack of depth at the 2 and James is the most polished available; he's not a replacement for Ray Allen, but gives them decent insurance; Dominique Jones, who seems an awful lot like Tony Allen, might be interesting here as well

20. San Antonio - Elliot Williams: Finley is gone while Mason and Bogans are free agents, so I think they turn to SG; I think Williams is the most talented of this tier consisting of he, Jordan Crawford, and Dominique Jones

21. Oklahoma City - Kevin Seraphin: there doesn't seem to be a particular lack of depth anywhere; Collison isn't getting younger, while White and Mullens haven't been able to contribute yet; Seraphin gives them a beefier post off the bench, to complement pogostick Ibaka

22. Portland - Damion James: they're a little stocked on the wings, but I like James playing next to Aldridge; he's not a great rebounder for his size and having James on the floor would negate that immediately; if Rudy returns to Europe, Batum would play more 2 and Damian could split the SF time w/ Webster

23. Minnesota - Lance Stephenson: if they take Counsins and Henry, it solves a lot depth issues; I'll take Lance here to give them a strong, physical wing defender

24. Atlanta – Hassan Whiteside: he fell farther then I thought he would; the Hawks get a much needed talented post defender; he may not be able to help right away, but at least gives them some upside at the position; if available, I think he's too talented to fall any farther

25. Memphis - Devin Ebanks: Gay and Brewer are question marks going into the offseason and taking Ebanks would give them another interesting option at the wing; I'm not sure Carroll or Young are more than 10mpg NBA players; Ebanks has some work to do, but has some interesting upside as a long, Posey-like wing defender

26. Oklahoma City - Dominique Jones: OKC still doesn't have much weakness, so probably just go for BPA; Jones is a stat-stuffer that can play some point; seems like a Presti/Spurs-school pick

27. New Jersey - Stanley Robinson: the Nets don't have any glaring needs; they could use a SF defender - I'm not sure Terrence Williams can handle that full-time - so I'll take Robinson and his upside

28. Memphis - Jordan Crawford: after adding Ebanks and his wing defense, Crawford adds to backcourt depth and gives them a solid perimeter scorer

29. Orlando – Armon Johnson: Jason Williams isn't getting any younger and they need penetrators to create space for their shooters; Johnson is an elite athlete that is aggressive going to the hoop

30. Washington - Larry Sanders: Grunfeld has been enamored with long athletes in recent years, and Sanders may have the most upside left on the board; they need depth in the post and his length is enough to take him over Lawal, who may actually have a lower downside

[Gremz]

Willie Warren?!?!?!?!?!?!

Ain't gonna happen, no chance.

[RTM]

I like Greg. No complaints from me.

[gswhoops]

Wes doesn't fill a need for GS but is a value pick at #6 and should be a nice fit next to Curry. I'm sold.

[alpineballer]

so Gordon Hayward drops to the 2nd round, but Willie Warren is picked #10?? sure.
I would say your mock got out of control from that pick on.

[RebelSun]

so Gordon Hayward drops to the 2nd round, but Willie Warren is picked #10?? sure.
I would say your mock got out of control from that pick on.

Warren might be a stretch given intangibles issues, but he's a top 10 talent.

As far as Haywood, I acted as each team and tried to make the best possible selection, and Hayward was never, IMO, the best option available. I'm not sold on the guy at all in the league. He won't be a great defender w/ those t-rex arms and isn't a great outside shooter. Quite frankly, I think he's a less-athletic Joe Alexander.

[RTM]

Oh yikes, I didn't even notice Hayward slipping out of the 1st... I got lazy and stopped reading at 7.

There is no possible way that happens. He's unlikely to slip out of the top 20. Put him at 23, and maybe I could understand (Hayward would be a steal there, and Stephenson is a huge reach). But I reaally don't see that scenario (Hayward in the 2nd) as plausible.