Everybody that reads this thing knows that I get long-winded about some issue/event in sports occasionally. In addition, since the inception of this blog, I’ve let my love affair with the NBA Draft bleed onto your computer screens. Today, I do both. I’m going to try my hand at a mock draft, and maybe some of you who read a sports article now and then can critique me. I don’t care if you disagree with my team selection, judge my writing.
1. Portland Trailblazers select Greg Oden. Oden has been projected to go here since Clinton’s first term, and it’s still not even the biggest no-brainer of the draft. This is:
2. Seattle Supersonics select Kevin Durant. There is still no hard evidence that Portland is going with Oden; that’s just what everybody believes they will do. It makes no difference to Seattle. This is a two-man draft, so the Sonics just take whomever the Blazers don’t.
3. Atlanta Hawks select Brandan Wright. I don’t think they’re taking Horford, as recent rumors suggest. Even for the Hawks, that’s too much talent duplication. I actually like the idea of passing on Conley here, though. I see the logic that says Brandan Wright + Law/Crittenton is greater than Conley + J. Wright/Thornton. (They’re drafting #11, too).
4. Memphis Grizzlies select Al Horford. Horford compliments Gasol well, and he’s the best available player here.
5. Boston Celtics select Corey Brewer. This is probably the most likely top 10 pick to get traded, but I think if they keep it, they’ll go for Brewer. He’s an upgrade over Wally, and gives them some defense on the perimeter.
6. Milwaukee Bucks select Mike Conley. Their biggest need is SF, but if Conley falls here, I don’t see them passing him up. Jeff Green is a possibility.
7. Minnesota Timberwolves select Jeff Green. A lot of mock drafts have them taking Spencer Hawes, but if Green is still on the board here, I think he’s a steal. A foundation of Randy Foye and Jeff Green isn’t half bad, if they are serious about moving Garnett.
8. Charlotte Bobcats select Yi Jianlian. I’m going out on a limb with this one. I haven’t read of these two being connected at all, but I think it’s a great match. The Bobcats need a center, a scorer, and someone to create some media buzz. I give you Yi.
9. Chicago Bulls select Joakim Noah. This would be a great scenario for Chicago. He can step in and play right now and an immediate upgrade over P.J. Brown. Ty Thomas and Joakim Noah will be busting up weak Eastern Conference front lines for years.
10. Sacramento Kings select Spencer Hawes. I think this is a best case scenario for Sactown, too. He becomes the successor to Brad Miller in the post. Hawes has the most low-post scoring potential of anyone in the draft besides Oden.
11. Atlanta Hawks select Javaris Crittenton. I think they take him over Law because Crittenton plays for Georgia Tech, and they could probably use the home town support. Either way, one of the two goes here.
12. Philadelphia 76ers select Julian Wright. Maybe this is where Al Thornton goes, but my gut says Wright. More upside, and upside means everything on draft night.
13. New Orleans Hornet select Thaddeus Young. Nick Young makes more sense because of the hole at 2-guard, but Thaddeus is a wonderful talent with upside. I’d start him over Peja and lose no sleep.
14. L.A. Clippers select Acie Law. This one should be an easy pick for the Clippers. Cassell is too old to be starting in this league, and Shaun Livingston is rehabbing from one of the worst sports injuries I’ve ever seen.
Well, that’s the lottery. I’m not DraftExpress, Chad Ford, or NBADraft.net, but I think I’ve got some cred.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:09 pm
as long as durant ends up in seattle, and the jazz don’t mess anything up, i’ll be happy. i read that sloan says they’re keeping kirilenko, and if he can keep up the level of play he showed in rounds 2 & 3 of the playoffs, i’ll be very happy with that.
though i started falling the nba this year, i really don’t know enough to talk mock drafts. i don’t know if i ever will, haha. finally, i don’t know if you though something was going to be wrong with your writing, but it seemed fine to me.
what’s funniest to me is how high conley, brewer, and probably even law have gotten in these things. to my knowledge, at the beginning of the year nobody had them that high–especially not conley.