Adding "some" comments on all picks this year, eh, what the hell!
1. Los Angeles Clippers - Anthony Davis - I don't see things playing out this way again where the Clips get the 1st and 2nd picks, but I have to roll with it for now. Anthony Davis is the unanimous #1 overall for me right now, but LAC has no real use for him, look for them to trade back and pick up a wing or a point guard and a high value asset, or even just trade the pick for a proper value star if the draft order panned out this way.
2. Los Angeles Clippers via Minnesota Timberwolves - Andre Drummond - DeAndre Jordan is decent, but he is surely not going to stop them from drafting a guy who has the looks of a potential franchise center and a great fit next to Blake Griffin.
3. New Jersey Nets - Jeremy Lamb - To me this is an insanely easy pick as of now for the Nets. Going into Brooklyn if they keep Deron, whether they land Dwight, a different big or Lopez progresses their biggest issue is the wings and well, overall talent and star power. Lamb addresses both issues, he's BPA at this spot or maybe the draft itself by a landslide IMHO. I could just see the headlines in the sports page in the Tristate already the day after the draft, "How would you like your draft sir? Well done."
4. Cleveland Cavaliers - Harrison Barnes - Cleveland is set at point guard. They have an intriguing young big although he has the looks of a defensive specialist power forward like Kenyon Martin paired with a defensive specialist center in Side Show who isn't necessarily a part of the true core going forward, so if an offensive threat center emerges worthy of this high a pick this could change. But as of now you have to think they'll go wing and I can't see Barnes slipping further at this point, although by June I think it's a lot more likely you see Terrence Ross, Quincy Miller or Bradley Beal in this slot instead. Barnes should fit seamlessly with Kyrie Irving and is a marketable name to keep the fans excited.
5. Toronto Raptors - Quincy Miller - I think Miller has to be the guy right here at the present. They need a guy at the wing who has potential be a franchise guy and big time scorer with two way potential(giggity) and I think Miller represents just that. Sullinger is a real possibility if they move Bargnani somehow. They need a point guard, but as of now none are worthy of top 10 consideration.
6. Washington Wizards - Jared Sullinger - This is the easiest pick of the mock for me. If he falls to them the Wizards will pounce. He's slimmed down some and looks more mobile and better on the defensive end. Sulls is a beast in the post, a very legit pick and roll threat, a heady player with very good passing ability and great rebounding instincts. Wall worked well with Cousins, he'll work even better with Jared who I think will be a better big man at the next level between the two. Great building block.
7. Sacramento Kings - Perry Jones- Kings have to lean towards going with a defensive big and still not reach. AT times last year Jones looked like a combo of KG and Odom, but he often wasn't aggressive enough and indecisive. At this point I think Henson and Patrick Young are also very real possibilities and the more true defensive guys, but Perry's upside, athleticism and mobility next to Cousins is too much to pass up.
8. Detroit Pistons - Terrence Ross - This may seem like a reach and I'm not so sure you would be wrong right now, but I'm going to take a leap of faith off an admittedly small sample size and say they go with Ross. Again Patrick Young or John Henson make a lot of sense here, but as of now they're just as big a reach and I feel Ross will be BPA at this point in the draft by June if the preceding picks went how I have them. Ross has prototypical shooting guard size, length and athleticism and should work well with Knight and Monroe. He can get his own shot, work off the ball and defend well and can just score.
9. Charlotte Bobcats - Thomas Robinson - This is a guy who isn't getting a ton of media or fan attention right now, but who will be by midseason. He's a little undersized and could present a bit of a quagmire(giggity) with Biyombo having the looks of an undersized center, but Smack has length and athleticism and Robinson has the looks of an athletic David West type, less range and face up ability right now and much better rebounder, but I see some real similarities, although I'm sure there's a better comparison I'm overlooking in haste. I still like the idea of the pairing in the front court. Bradley Beal is a real possibility here as well, but I think they go big, hope for Henderson to take the next step and address the issue in the near future instead.
10. Milwaukee Bucks - Bradley Beal - I like this pick here. He's a good off ball scorer who can also create his own shot and has a lot of defensive potential. High BBIQ with an NBA body and athleticism, reports I read on DX said he's grown an inch and watching him play he looks a legit 6'4 minimum with decent length so I don't think it will be nearly the issue once feared. Could be the steal of the draft this late, but this draft seems so stacked as of now that term will probably be thrown around with reckless abandon.
11. Utah Jazz via Golden State Warriors - Austin Rivers - I don't even know where to really go with this pick right now. Not so sure any point guard deserves a spot this high and although I still think Rivers has a chance to go higher and therefore be a must to pick this late if he slips and although he just doesn't seem like a Utah Jazz type player to me, nor good enough to start an all out competition for the starting spot with a player I was super high on last year in Alec Burks, I think they have to take him here. Maybe for trade value alone. Plus Rivers might make an instant stud sixth man like Ben Gordon was. Can't see them taking a big either.
12. Utah Jazz - - Kendall Marshall - This is a guy I could see moving up by June. This draft could be so stacked depending on who declares so it's so hard to tell right now. I really like this kid though. He just knows how to run an offense and seems to always know where to put the ball and when to do it. His scoring and shooting is a question mark as of now, but we have a season to see how he responds. Definitely a Utah Jazz type player. He's part of the reason Barnes has looked so good. This isn't a guy who's going to wow you with his defense either, but his size is great for the 1 and as long as you're not a Derrick Rose turnstile being a great defender at the point is pretty overrated. Rose gets away with it right now cause he's a flatout superstar, so calm down fanboys!
13. Phoenix Suns - Micheal Kidd - Gilchrist - So many ways to go for Phoenix it's scary. Basically it's BPA all day for them and I believe represents that at this point plus has a lot of upside which they desperately need for the future at any position save maybe center and they can get away with Dudley at the 3 but he's shouldn't stop them from drafting one. Enter Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. I don't know if he has real star potential, but he has star role player potential. Not necessarily a prototypical 3, but he screams Gerald Wallace to me, which is great value right here. Some will argue Terrence Jones is the better pick, but I can't agree.
14. Houston Rockets - Evan Fournier - We've come to that point in the lotto, well we've been here for a few picks, where teams have no glaring needs but are short on star power while simultaneously stacked with youth and depth and unknowns at nearly every position. Also the prospects become less and less certain and much more up for debate based on opinion. For this reason I think they take the first international player off the board, a guy with some real star potential, but probably also highly hit or miss. I don't know much about him other then what I read, but he even got a lot of mention and praise in this thread way before DX was even speaking about him. Shoot for the stars!
15. Indiana Pacers - John Henson - Indy rolls with Tyler's Tar Heel fellow alumni. They could use a defensive minded big, I mean who doesn't? Henson has always had the length and athleticism but was rail skinny. He's put on some muscle and seems to be putting it together mentally as well, which was a problem for him in the pass. Has to be the pick here to me.
16. Philadelphia 76ers - Patrick Young - Philly is in serious need of a defensive big man and a center. Young is a little undersized for the 5 but he brings a presence of toughness and strength with a touch of developing offensive game. He is a player who probably would not be available this late in the draft in most any year. Strong and athletic with some serious length Sixers fans should be like pigs in **** when his name is called.
17. Houston Rockets via New York Knicks - - Alex Oriakhi - We see the Rockets up to pick yet again and again it's a little confusing what they should do. I tend to think they go big man, cause you can never have enough young big men and they just went wing. That is why they go with the underrated Big East product even if some will think this pick is a reach. 6'9 Chuck Hayes? You be the judge.
18. Atlanta Hawks - Festus Ezeli - This could turn out as a great pick for Atlanta. They have been searching for a true center so they can slide Al Horford to his real position and then likely try to trade Josh Smith for a high level wing. Ezeli is just that and has an enormous amount of potential even though he has had some trouble turning it kinetic. Gotta go big here and go with the legit 5 with an all around developing game including great rebounding and shot blocking. Have to see how he looks coming back from injury though. Have to revisit this pick specifically later in the college season.
19. New Orleans Hornets - Terrence Jones - I'm not a huge Terrence Jones fan but the value is absolutely there at 19th overall. A lot of people are blindly in love with this guy, but I'm not sure why. He's a tweener with questionable BBIQ, skillset and body language and ironically I think he has a lot of Josh Smith potential in him. To me he's a 4 with some ability to play at the 3 a little every game. But with all that said, he honestly has tremendous upside and fills a need for New Orleans at the same time.
20. Memphis Grizzlies - William Buford - Memphis could go a number of ways here, just pretty much not with a power forward and unless they plan on trading Gay, probably not small forward. Mayo looks ripe to be traded as well and Gasol maybe swept away by an ambitious team with a lot of cap room who feel like making a toxic offer. They have Xavier Henry, but the 2 would be a likely position to try and fill as Tony Allen might be better off the bench and it is the only position they can realistically fill with a rookie while remaining competitive. More likely Allen starts if Gay stays though and so they can use a wing. Buford has a great all around skill set, is a great shooter from deep and a solid defender. He's a four year man who has played on what is similar to an NBA offense last year continuing to this.
21. Portland Trailblazers - Aaron Craft - Aaron Craft is a guy generating some buzz and for good reason. Seems like he gets the "white guy" tag from some, but he's actually quite the athlete. An all around good guard and player. One of the positions Portland has notoriously chased for the longest, they keep tradition alive, and no I do not think Felton is the answer, he's so average it hurts and he's suspect in the pick and roll. Many probably think Craft won't declare, but I don't think Teague or Kabango will if they know what's good for them and that opens the door for a very shallow point guard class. Craft's emerging skills, high level athleticism, big program experience and legit 1 man size will propel him into the middle of the first round in 2012.
22. Denver Nuggets - Furkan Aldemir - The Nuggets are a team with a lot of depth and interesting to boring youth but no guaranteed or even likely star and this pick is not going to cure that, but they go with the upside guy and hope. There most glaring need is a big man as Kenyon Martin is as good as gone and old and IMHO Nene will leave for greener pastures. I'll be honest, I don't know much of anything about this dude, I just snagged a name of a young Euro big who's highly rated on .net and DX.
23. Orlando Magic - Jeff Taylor - Orlando needs help and they need it now. That isn't necessarily something they can accomplish with this draft but Jeff Taylor gives them a great shot at that. He's athletic with prototypical small forward size and is an experienced senior, again one of the main cogs from a big time ranked program. Jeff Taylor is actually one of my favorite sleepers in this draft or just in college. He has a ton of elite role player potential including defensive. He's not nearly aggressive enough on offense and a playmaking guard would lend to extracting his full potential, but he's an Iggy like jack of all trades.
24. Oklahoma City Thunder - John Jenkins - Well it didn't take long for Taylor and Ezeli's amigo to be snatched off the board. The Thunder could use some more shooting and Jenkins provides that with a capital AK. Chances are he's a defensive liability and hasn't shown much of an all around game but whenever he's around keep an industrial sized box of Sylvania's around. Solid value at this pick. Not make or break, he's worth the shot if they keep this pick.
25. Boston Celtics - Andre Dawkins - Red's Army could use an injection of youth and athleticism with future potential yet instant impact. They went big in 2011, they go with a guard in 2012. Dawkins isn't getting a lot of press right now, but he's another guy that's going to continue his statistical jump and by the eye test he looks like an eventual top notch NBA role player. He's got a nice all around game, but shooting and his defense will remain his forte. Should work well alongside Rondo for years to come.
26. Dallas Mavericks - Doron Lamb - Could be a plug and play replacement for Stevenson if they let him walk or he signs on his own somewhere else. Lamb is a straight up deadly outside shooter and tenacious defender who looks as though he's expanded his game some in the offseason. Pretty nice athleticism and good size, he sounds as dumb as a bag of special kid school during interviews but seems to understand his role and have decent BBIQ on the court. This draft has a lot more depth then we thought at first huh?
27. Los Angeles Lakers - Kris Joseph - Who are we kidding, LAL will never keep this pick. They'll trade it as part of some package or to clear some salary. But even if they do, Joseph is a nice pick in this slot and a tradable asset. I feel like Kris has become heavily underrated and forgotten about. He's not a standout guy, but he does a little of everything very well and has good size and adequate athleticism. Definitely a guy I could see moving up, but also a guy I could see falling all the way to mid second for reasons unbeknownst to me. Has all the making of a solid NBA player with above average starter upside. LAL could certainly use a small forward even if they keep the pick, so makes a lot of sense.
28. Miami Heat - - Mason Plumlee - The cHeat need some big man depth and they get it. Plumlee has the chance to be like a prime Nick Collison, pardon the cliche-ish white guy comparison. We'll see how he progresses throughout the year and comeback to this pick at a later date.
29. San Antonio Spurs - Tomas Satoransky - Another Euro I know almost zero about lol, but he's highly ranked on both major mocks again and it would almost feel dirty if San An doesn't come out of this draft with a highly touted Euro at what will be a position of need relatively soon. How do you pronounce Satoransky you ask? Upside yall!
30. Chicago Bulls - Khris Middleton - Aah, the Bulls, seemingly needing a shooting guard since Jordan decided to take up philanthropy on the back nine. They take a shot on a guy who's injury I'm not sure about right now, but is the reason he's fallen this far. Risk reward is high on this one, 30th pick is a crap shoot anyway. Second guy in the first round who spells the name Chris in an odd manner. Hmm.
Damn that was long!
, but i can see the jazz picking craft
