"WCIHAoTDP?" - 2016 Draft Thread P.2

[Crossy2008]

Man, the mocks that are popping up right now are all over the place. Ellenson, Ulis, and Sabonis are jumping around a lot. There is a lot of uncertainty in this draft, and I would like to think that bodes well for the Celtics, as teams may value one of our picks really high if someone on their big board drops.

The one certainty that I think we can have going into the draft is that Golden State will draft Gary Payton II. I mean Klay and Curry have worked out so why not try another former player's kid?

[No-Man]

Trust no Mocks in April and I'd say in a year like this, where there is uncertainity around the whole class, trust no mocks at all.
Anyway, who cares about predicting the draft really? that is crazy boring to me, what makes more sense is try to fit your best prospects to the teams that need them or make more sense to them.

[ddb]

this offseason could get pretty complex from the Celtics perspective....but it could also be pretty straight forward. At the end of the day you have AB, IT, Jae, Smart, KO, Rozier, Hunter, Mickey, Young, Jonas (yes I'd like to keep him at 5 mill..great value) PLUS #3, #16, #23 coming out to be approx 43-44 million.....FOR 13 PLAYERS!!!! Now, I'm assuming Ainge will move things around a bit as he has a ton of 2nd rounders as well. It's unlikely that ALL the young guys are back.....So let's take out an additional 5 million or so off that number....AFTER THE DRAFT without any major trades we could be in the 37-38 million range for salary heading into free agency....

Ainge can spend max 25 million on Durant PLUS another max free agent PLUS bring in a team friendly contract guy on a vet that wants to win....PLEASE tell me a better situation then that?

[lon3lytoaster]

this offseason could get pretty complex from the Celtics perspective....but it could also be pretty straight forward. At the end of the day you have AB, IT, Jae, Smart, KO, Rozier, Hunter, Mickey, Young, Jonas (yes I'd like to keep him at 5 mill..great value) PLUS #3, #16, #23 coming out to be approx 43-44 million.....FOR 13 PLAYERS!!!! Now, I'm assuming Ainge will move things around a bit as he has a ton of 2nd rounders as well. It's unlikely that ALL the young guys are back.....So let's take out an additional 5 million or so off that number....AFTER THE DRAFT without any major trades we could be in the 37-38 million range for salary heading into free agency....

Ainge can spend max 25 million on Durant PLUS another max free agent PLUS bring in a team friendly contract guy on a vet that wants to win....PLEASE tell me a better situation then that?

Certainly not many better situations. Just imagine getting Sinmons, Durant and Horford on this team while losing virtually nothing. can't wait until May 17th to know if we can really make it happen.

[ddb]

this offseason could get pretty complex from the Celtics perspective....but it could also be pretty straight forward. At the end of the day you have AB, IT, Jae, Smart, KO, Rozier, Hunter, Mickey, Young, Jonas (yes I'd like to keep him at 5 mill..great value) PLUS #3, #16, #23 coming out to be approx 43-44 million.....FOR 13 PLAYERS!!!! Now, I'm assuming Ainge will move things around a bit as he has a ton of 2nd rounders as well. It's unlikely that ALL the young guys are back.....So let's take out an additional 5 million or so off that number....AFTER THE DRAFT without any major trades we could be in the 37-38 million range for salary heading into free agency....

Ainge can spend max 25 million on Durant PLUS another max free agent PLUS bring in a team friendly contract guy on a vet that wants to win....PLEASE tell me a better situation then that?

Certainly not many better situations. Just imagine getting Sinmons, Durant and Horford on this team while losing virtually nothing. can't wait until May 17th to know if we can really make it happen.

Add Simmons, Durant, Horford to our core with Brad coaching. Holy mother of the good Lord!! not to mention with other picks there are a decent amount of high upside guys that I'd be interested in developing...

Maker, Stone, Bentil, Skal are 4 guys I'm looking closely at....

Then there are NBA ready character guys like Valentine, Prince, BJohnson, AJHammons that I'd be interested in as well

[lon3lytoaster]

this offseason could get pretty complex from the Celtics perspective....but it could also be pretty straight forward. At the end of the day you have AB, IT, Jae, Smart, KO, Rozier, Hunter, Mickey, Young, Jonas (yes I'd like to keep him at 5 mill..great value) PLUS #3, #16, #23 coming out to be approx 43-44 million.....FOR 13 PLAYERS!!!! Now, I'm assuming Ainge will move things around a bit as he has a ton of 2nd rounders as well. It's unlikely that ALL the young guys are back.....So let's take out an additional 5 million or so off that number....AFTER THE DRAFT without any major trades we could be in the 37-38 million range for salary heading into free agency....

Ainge can spend max 25 million on Durant PLUS another max free agent PLUS bring in a team friendly contract guy on a vet that wants to win....PLEASE tell me a better situation then that?

Certainly not many better situations. Just imagine getting Sinmons, Durant and Horford on this team while losing virtually nothing. can't wait until May 17th to know if we can really make it happen.

Add Simmons, Durant, Horford to our core with Brad coaching. Holy mother of the good Lord!! not to mention with other picks there are a decent amount of high upside guys that I'd be interested in developing...

Maker, Stone, Bentil, Skal are 4 guys I'm looking closely at....

Then there are NBA ready character guys like Valentine, Prince, BJohnson, AJHammons that I'd be interested in as well

Easily in the finals next season if we rolled out Thomas/Bradley/Durant/Simmons/Horford with Smart, Crowder, Rozier, ect off the bench.

Oh, and we'll continue to be in contention for top picks for two more years. I mean, obviously the lotto balls have to bounce our way for once but I really don't know how you turn that situation down.

[CelticFaninLBC]

Ainge will need to sign or trade for someone better than Horford to attract Durant, right?

[Pacino62]

Ainge will need to sign or trade for someone better than Horford to attract Durant, right?

I don't think so. We're in a dead heat with one of the best teams in the league. Adding Horford, Durant and a top draft pick to the team will definitley be more than enough to take the East. KD could see that IMO. M

[jfs1000d]

Ainge will need to sign or trade for someone better than Horford to attract Durant, right?

I don't think so. He could sell Durant on the future.

[Andrew McCeltic]

If I were Durant I'd go to Minnesota, help Towns/Wiggins become superstars. But free agents usually aren't up for that.

If he leaves OKC (which is still unlikely, though it depends on the playoffs this year), I think GSW, Miami and Boston have to be the front-runners.

Most likely: Durant re-maxes with OKC on day 1, says he never wanted to leave.
Second most likely: 1) goes to GSW, wins championship; 2) has given up on OKC, sees the problem with touches looming if he goes to GS, hears Boston's best-ever pitch to free agents, knows how great the coach is, sees Ainge's track record, becomes a Celtic.
Third tier: Miami, not because the franchise is in good shape but because they get there quickly, Riley has his Gordon Gekko sales pitch to join a warm city w/ great night life ("Promiscuity:... is good.").

Anyway Durant's no diva, he's probably 80 percent made up his mind already.

[Crossy2008]

Durant may not want to play second fiddle to Westbrook anymore. If that is the case, then I don't think he would go to OKC or the Spurs because he would be doing the same in those places too. I have no idea what his mentality is, but Boston is a great location for him because you know he would get a lot of looks every game. If Durant wants to go to a team that will focus the team around him, I think this is the place to go.

Having said all that, I don't think we need Durant to make the next step next year. If we can add outside shooters to this team then that would be huge. The defense is capable of holding leads in the fourth. We just don't have a great offensive balance right now. Everything revolves around getting in the paint for IT, Turner, Smart, Crowder, and Amir. Our consistent outside shooters are Bradley, Olynyk, and from 15-20 Sully.

To bring it back to the draft thread, we need to focus on shooting, and bigs in the draft. If we get Simmons, then the focus should be on shooting in free agency.

[Celtics_History_Lesson]

1 Minnesota Timberwolves
Ben Simmons
There you have it, the T-Wolves won this draft lotto and got the top pick, for Bill Simmons' son. You don't hear Bill mention that a lot, possibly ashamed of his son as he is a Lakers fan. He would be a good fit there, and could play both forward spots. If Rubio gets traded, then Simmons runs the offense and LaVine guards point guards.

2 Denver Nuggets (from New York)
Brandon Ingram
The Carmelo trade gives Denver it's last piece of the deal, as they move up in the lottery. Ingram already has that thin and sickly look that is in fashion in Colorado, tattoos too. Even if he does get injured as he is so thin, he makes Walter McCarty look like Stanley Roberts, if Ingram plays 41 games and oft-injured Gallinari plays 41 then they will have 82 games at small forward. Both can shoot, although Ingram isn't great at free throws.

3 Boston Celtics (from Brooklyn)
Jakob Poeltl
The next five or ten players are very even, and Boston correctly decides they need real size. Can't get a point guard, again. A little shooting guard, that doesn't work. A power forward, not a need. In his homeland, his nickname is Big Tasty.

4 Philadelphia 76ers
Buddy Hield
All the bigs inside, the 76ers add a shooter. His first name isn't really Buddy, pal. He gave up a career in a steel drum band, down in Kokomo, to play basketball. That could work, Timmy Duncan gave up a swimming career. Samuel Dalembert gave up.

5 Philadelphia 76ers (from LA Lakers)
Kris Dunn
MCW was traded for this pick, and they add another point guard so that worked well. Lakers would lose the pick in this lotto situation, and nobody feels sorry for them. The 76ers with a point guard with actual NBA size and ability, they would actually have a real team for the first time in a long time. Dunn served in the same police force as Boston Bruins Billy Unger and Bobby Oveur, but they had different ranks. Technically, Dunn was under Oveur and Unger was under Dunn.

6 Phoenix Suns
Dragan Bender
The Suns move down, but still get to pick which forward they want just like they could have at 3. Was named after Dragan Tarlac and a cartoon robot. Has some Zarko Cabarkapa to his game. Bender could be a Poor Man's Olynyk, without the passing, or just Fry's friend.

7 New Orleans Pelicans
Jamal Murray
Need a lot, get a scoring guard who can play next to Holiday or Evans. Hopefully he won't remind them of Eric Gordon, although he does remind people of Eric Gordon. At Kentucky, not a point guard. For Team Canada, point guard. Louisiana is a cross between Kentucky and Canada so he is a combo-guard.

8 Sacramento Kings
Jaylen Brown
He is in, Rabb is out of the draft, someone on the west coast cares about that. Jalen Rose thinks he is illiterate. Brown's last game was not good, but his potential is. A nice hairstyle. Attacks the basket like the other team has shoes of concrete. He wears numeral 0 to honor his favorite player, Eric Montross.

9 Toronto (from Denver)
Henry Ellenson
While their starting shooting guard will probably leave as a free agent, they already overpaid a bench guy for that spot, so power forward is the spot they need more help for. Has range on his shot so will fit well with Jonas V, and can score in the paint when Jonas V is on the bench.

10 Milwaukee Bucks
Domantas Sabonis
Bucks seem to have a child making the decisions, or a Kidd, so who knows what will happen but Sabonis would give them someone for the power forward spot if Jabari is the small forward, after Greek guy going to point guard. Bucks might prefer Ellenson, local boy with more range on shot, but Sabonis would also be a good pick.

11 Orlando Magic
Diamond Stone
Has the same name as a singer on The Flintstones. If he had his hair all twisty, he could be curling Stone. Magic have young players everywhere, but a bigger power forward or a backup center could be what he does for them and that could be useful.

12 Utah Jazz
Denzel Valentine
Jazz don't have one need, so they grab the player who can do some of everything. He was hoping the Wizards would have a pick so he could be Denzel, Washington.

13 Phoenix Suns (from Washington)
Skal Labissiere
Project time as Suns have another pick. Nobody did less in the college season than he did, and now a team might pick him at 3, or 23. 13 seems like a good spot.

14 Chicago Bulls
Stephen Zimmerman
Power forward or center makes sense for the Bulls, and there are many to pick from. Gets a lot of blocks and rebounds, and if the Bulls keep D Rose then he will have to try to block all the shots of players who get past Rose as well as rebound all of Rose's many misses.

15 Denver Nuggets (from Houston)
Timothe Luwawu
Turned trash, Lawson and Afflalo, into first round picks. A bigger shooting guard for the Nuggets, which is a need. Maybe someone to keep overseas, which may be a need too. Luwawu might be a foreign version of Fournier.

16 Boston Celtics (from Dallas)
Marquese Chriss
Here is the draft's Gerald Green/Tracy McGrady prospect, and the Celtics might have an athletic small forward if he reaches his potential. If he doesn't reach it, then a Poor Man's Jordan Mickey. Mean-spirited Dallas fans, which is most of them, will turn off the draft before this pick is made. Dwight Powell, he is good but not worth everything they sent out to get him in the trade.

17 Memphis Grizzlies
Dejounte Murray
Everyone there is injured or a free agent so any help is useful, and he should be good at both guard spots. In Armenian, Dejounte means dessert.

18 Detroit Pistons
Deyonta Davis
Backup for Drummond, and a better free throw shooter at 60%. A nice local pick. Depth up front is a solid choice, in the future maybe he and Drummond can start at the 4 and 5. As he is from Michigan, he won't be like other draftees and be shocked by the conditions there.

19 Denver Nuggets (from Portland)
Jonathan Jeanne
Denver fans will think Boston has a lot of picks, Boston fans will get sick of hearing that Denver is on the clock. This guy has long arms, so while Denver has many centers he is different with how he plays. Also, probably stays in Europe for a few years and Denver would like that.

20 Indiana Pacers
Wade Baldwin
He is like the George Hill of college basketball.

21 Atlanta Hawks
Furkan Korkmaz
Not profanity. If they keep their free agents, then swingman depth is needed. If they go big here, it must mean they assume they are losing a free agent center.

22 Charlotte Hornets
Gary Payton II
Jordan still thinks older Payton didn't respect him in the NBA Finals. A few referee calls, Brickowski not going silly, Detlef hitting more shots, Seattle would have won. Jordan takes Payton's son and sits him on the bench for a couple of seasons to punish the father. Hornets also need some guard depth, and defense, at point guard.

23 Boston Celtics
Caris LeVert
If he isn't injured, and he is often injured, he would have to be a very high pick. Yes, Celtics probably trade a bunch of their picks, but in this mock there are no trades. Translated from French, he is The Jump. The Pointer Sisters like that.

24 Philadelphia 76ers (from Miami via Cleveland)
Jarrod Uthoff
An interesting player, able to block shots and hit 3s from both forward spots. He can be Saric's backup.

25 LA Clippers
Tyler Ulis
They do need a little help at point guard, and he is little. The coach, or GM or president, would probably try to use this pick on a stupid trade or to bring in one of his children but if they keep it then a small forward or backup guard makes sense.

26 Philadelphia 76ers (from Oklahoma City, via Cleveland and Denver)
Brice Johnson
They could use a power forward, although if they have three healthy centers then they won't play a lot as Noel was tried there. Doesn't matter, 76ers never have three healthy centers.

27 Toronto Raptors
Thon Maker
Toronto likes to do things the wrong way, the basketball team too, so this bust with all the hype of hiding away in Canada should fit. They do have a lot of success with Sudanese people in Ontario, there was a star high school basketball player in Windsor, who has now been arrested as he lied to everyone and didn't reveal he was actually 30 years old. There are a lot of frauds there, starting with the Prime Minister.

28 Phoenix Suns (from Cleveland via Boston)
Taurean Prince
All-Star I Thomas or this pick, Phoenix win again. They got Joe Johnson, Boston got Dennis Johnson, all the uneven trades even out between the teams. Prince is alive and a quality small forward, his fashion-sense is awkward. He knew where he got that shirt and it certainly wasn't in the men's department.

29 San Antonio Spurs
Ivica Zubac
Spurs win again, if he plays that works for them but if he stays away for a few years that works too. They have Boban, they don't need immediate help. Some think his style of play is the anti-Zizic.

30 Golden State Warriors
Zhou Qi
A great fit, everyone in San Francisco already speaks his language. Won't need to do a lot, a block here and a shot there, so his lack of bulk and strength won't be exposed. D Green would be the center, Zhou Qi would defend the lesser opponent, that works. Zhou Qi sits on the bench for 44 minutes a game, that works too.


31 Boston Celtics (from Philadelphia via Miami)
Ante Zizic

32 LA Lakers
Malik Beasley

33 LA Clippers (from Brooklyn)
Damian Jones

34 Phoenix Suns
Melo Trimble

35 Boston Celtics (from Minnesota via New Orleans and Phoenix)
Jake Layman

36 Milwaukee Bucks (from New Orleans via Sacramento)
Demetrius Jackson

37 Houston Rockets (from New York via Portland and Sacramento)
AJ Hammons

38 Milwaukee Bucks
Cheick Diallo

39 New Orleans Pelicans (from Denver via Philadelphia)
Perry Ellis

40 New Orleans Pelicans (from Sacramento)
Guerschon Yabusele

41 Orlando Magic
Juan Hernangomez

42 Utah Jazz
Wayne Selden

43 Houston Rockets
Tim Quarterman

44 Atlanta Hawks (from Washington)
Ben Bentil

45 Boston Celtics (from Memphis)
Paul Zipser






A pre-lottery first round mock draft, and some bonus picks to see more Celtics' choices. Celtics get some useful pieces that fit, although in this simulated lottery they didn't move up or down with the Brooklyn pick. Will have more mocking when the lottery happens.

[lon3lytoaster]

Would anyone be confident drafting jaylen brown? I'm not seeing top five pick with this guy. No handle, no footwork, no shot and no passing. I'd love to change my mind but I don't get the type other than his physical profile.

[Ben-N1ce]

If they don't get 1 or 2 my obvious choice would be a trade but I'm leaning more and more to Hield. I don't know his ceiling but I think he has a good floor and I believe can do something elite and that's shoot. I am confident he will never become a lazy bum nor lack confidence since he pretty much took on the scoring load himself. All these stupid guard picks suck but the Hawks series just magnified the need for guys to be able knock down shots even more so then ever.

[Edug27]

Oh man I can't wait til Durant signs somewhere so we can get back to some sort of sanity around here.

[Edug27]

Ainge will need to sign or trade for someone better than Horford to attract Durant, right?

I don't think so. He could sell Durant on the future.

We would have to trade for a player on KD's level to even have a serious conversation with him.

[Dave_From_NB]

Oh man I can't wait til Durant signs somewhere so we can get back to some sort of sanity around here.

Love going to Cleveland resulted in the board taking about 2 months off of the "Trade for Love" frenzy. How long do you think Durant signing would hold off the "Trade for Durant" frenzy? Gotta be about 6 weeks since he's a much better player.

[djFan71]

Oh man I can't wait til Durant signs somewhere so we can get back to some sort of sanity around here.

Love going to Cleveland resulted in the board taking about 2 months off of the "Trade for Love" frenzy. How long do you think Durant signing would hold off the "Trade for Durant" frenzy? Gotta be about 6 weeks since he's a much better player.

3 weeks tops if it's a 1+1 with OKC.

[return2glory]

Oh man I can't wait til Durant signs somewhere so we can get back to some sort of sanity around here.

I rather we sign Durant over this forum's sanity.

[Crossy2008]

This is going to be an interesting draft because a few team have a lot of picks.

Boston has 3
Denver has 3
Philly has 3 with the potential for 4
Phoenix has 3

That's 12 or 13 first round picks belonging 4 teams. That is 40% or 43% of the draft positions being held by 13% of the teams.

There is going to be competition on the draft pick trade market, but also a good chance a lot of teams will be trying to get into the first round.

The teams that do not or may not have a first round pick are:

Brooklyn
Cleveland
Dallas
Houston
LA Lakers (potentially)
Miami
New York
Oklahoma City
Portland
Sacramento (Incredibly unlikely)
Washington (potentially)