Post by Jordan on Sept 2, 2011 19:40:44 GMT -5
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Portland Trail Blazers) - Horace Walker SF 6'4'' 210 22 B+ C- C- B+ B- A
The Thunder just made a couple of great deals to start off their rebuilding. Some may believe this draft isn’t the best because it doesn’t have names like Russell, Chamberlain, Robertson, or West. However, it does have some top of the line prospects. Howace Walker is the best among them. Spencer says a few players can go #1, but I don’t think there is a debate. Walker should go #1. He has huge upside and will already produce good defensive stats. From the comments, it sounds like a lot of his B+ inside rating is due to a high jumping rating. This may scare some GMs about his ability to be a dominant scorer since his actually scoring ability is raw. For a team like the Thunder, they can allow Walker to develop while they tank. I think this is a no brainer.
2. Boston Celtics -Jerry Lucas C 6'9'' 230 20 B C C B A- A
The Celtics have had lotto picks for the past five or six seasons. They are yet to draft a dominant player with any of them. Yes, Al Attles appears a viable option at PG. However, his inability to shoot a three pointers will prevent him from ever being more than an average PG with the rare ability to record several triple doubles a season. All of this could end with a selection of Jerry Lucas. He is already a solid all around player and may have the ability to become a very good one with AC+RC attention alone. Nevertheless, the league has slowly grown into a league where GMs prefer to run outside focuses. This has resulted in several dominant big men not having the value that they once did. Should Lucas only be an average big man, his value will be nothing near what a top 2 pick should be. Having said this, I previously noted that Attles is no outside threat, this makes Lucas all the better of a fit for Boston.
3. Houston Rockets -Lee Shaffer PF 6'7'' 220 21 B+ C+ C- C+ C+ A
After Walker and Lucas, the draft notes do not specifically mention any player as to having #1 potential. I think at least Shaffer should be added to that discussion. He will be a #1 scoring option in this league and will not have a major flaw to his game. He may not block 3 shots a game or be the greatest man to man defender, but he will certainly get the job done. This may make him more valuable down the line than either Walker or Lucas. Shaffer makes a lot of sense for the Rockets as well. He comes in filling an immediate need and adds a third scorer to the mix.
4. Dallas Mavericks (from Detroit Pistons) -Lenny Wilkens PG 6'1'' 180 23 C+ C+ B+ C+ C A
*Note this pick will remain with the Pistons should it end up 6 and Dallas decides to void the trade for that reason.
A lot of GMs would have York Larese going with this pick. That is definitely debatable. However, if the trade goes through, Dallas also receives Willie Merriwether. Larese is going to essentially be the same player. Should Greg be comfortable with one of those two play SF, then Larese is a realistic option. That is not the smartest route to take with Wilkens on the board. He is going to be a very good PG and will be a nice fit next to Merriwether. Wilkens will defend, distribute, and score more than enough to be successful with. With enough RC+AC attention, he could become a good enough outside shooter to play in an outside focus as well.
5. Phoenix Suns-York Larese SG 6'4'' 183 22 C+ A- C B C A
This pick is a home run for the Suns. Larese is a player that could be taken anywhere from #2 to 5. He is going to be an excellent scorer and a great player in an outside offense. That is exactly what the Suns run. For those reasons, he will be very close if not at the top of their board. Adding York to Ramsey and Groat will put the Suns back in the playoffs soon.
6. Atlanta Hawks -Leroy Wright C 6'9'' 215 22 C F+ D A A- B
Outlawz cried about not getting Bumper Tormohlen last year with the sixth overall pick. While Bumper does look like a good big man prospect, he instead ended up with the Rookie of the Year in Johnny Green. This season he has the opportunity to select a player some may prefer over Bumper with the six pick again in Leroy Wright. Wright will be a defensive monster from Day 1. While he may not develop much in his career, having a guy like Wright will be huge should you ever face the likes of Wilt Chamberlain in the playoffs.
7. Atlanta Hawks (from San Antonio Spurs) -Darrall Imhoff C 6'10'' 220 22 C+ D+ D A- C+ A
Since the Hawks are taking Leroy Wright, a center, with the previous pick, taking Imhoff, another center, doesn’t make the most sense with this pick. Regardless of need, Imhoff is the best player left on the board. He is a shot blocking center with A scouted potential. Should he have a good starting potential then he will be at least a great role player. That isn’t exactly what you are looking for with this pick, but it is a lot more promising then some of the alternatives out there.
8. Houston Rockets (from Cleveland Cavaliers) -Tom Sanders PF 6'6'' 215 22 B C C A B- B
Like the Hawks, the Rockets would be selecting two players from the same position if this mock plays out. The Rockets would not need another big man with this pick, which makes this selection likely trade bait. Should the Rockets decide to stick with the pick, there is a short list of players that would be in the conversation here. Tom Sanders is undoubtedly the safest pick and more than likely the best. He is already developed and will be a very capable player in this league. Sanders should be a starter or excellent backup throughout his career.
9. Charlotte Bobcats -Jackie Moreland SF 6'7'' 215 22 B- B+ C- C+ B- B
There doesn’t seem to be many players with the potential of becoming more than merely a role player at this point in the draft. While that isn’t a bad thing, it doesn’t make the drafts as interesting as they were under the former draft prospect systems. Moreland appears to be a guy that is going to be a role player and fifth starter. He will provide some scoring, steals, and rebounding but not a lot else.
10. Golden State Warriors -Ben Warley SF 6'5'' 200 24 C+ C- C A B- B
Warley fits right into the Moreland description except Warley will provide a team with defense rather than scoring. Warley may have more value down the line than Moreland, but Moreland has a better shot at becoming a more than a role player.
11. Washington Wizards -Carl Cole PG 6'0'' 199 22 C+ C B+ A C C
Cole may not deserve to be a lotto pick but he intrigues me. He is going to be a PG that blocks over a shot a game. That has done a lot for Slick Leonard’s value. I realize Cole is not going to score the 18ppg that Slick does, but if a team has enough scoring elsewhere he could be a valuable asset. Also, Cole can come in and replace the aging Dick McGuire from day 1.
12. Dallas Mavericks (from Indiana Pacers) -Tandy Gillis SF 6'5'' 220 22 B- C C B+ B+ B
This guy has supersub written all over him. If you ever need rebounding on the bench, Gills is your guy. He will shoot at least 90% from the FT line.
13. Utah Jazz - Bob Sims SF 6'5'' 220 22 B- C B B+ C+ B
Meh, another role player. After the top 8, this draft really drops off. No one has th potential to develop into anything more than a player that you can replace about any season. Come on Spence! Give us more to work with!
The Thunder just made a couple of great deals to start off their rebuilding. Some may believe this draft isn’t the best because it doesn’t have names like Russell, Chamberlain, Robertson, or West. However, it does have some top of the line prospects. Howace Walker is the best among them. Spencer says a few players can go #1, but I don’t think there is a debate. Walker should go #1. He has huge upside and will already produce good defensive stats. From the comments, it sounds like a lot of his B+ inside rating is due to a high jumping rating. This may scare some GMs about his ability to be a dominant scorer since his actually scoring ability is raw. For a team like the Thunder, they can allow Walker to develop while they tank. I think this is a no brainer.
2. Boston Celtics -Jerry Lucas C 6'9'' 230 20 B C C B A- A
The Celtics have had lotto picks for the past five or six seasons. They are yet to draft a dominant player with any of them. Yes, Al Attles appears a viable option at PG. However, his inability to shoot a three pointers will prevent him from ever being more than an average PG with the rare ability to record several triple doubles a season. All of this could end with a selection of Jerry Lucas. He is already a solid all around player and may have the ability to become a very good one with AC+RC attention alone. Nevertheless, the league has slowly grown into a league where GMs prefer to run outside focuses. This has resulted in several dominant big men not having the value that they once did. Should Lucas only be an average big man, his value will be nothing near what a top 2 pick should be. Having said this, I previously noted that Attles is no outside threat, this makes Lucas all the better of a fit for Boston.
3. Houston Rockets -Lee Shaffer PF 6'7'' 220 21 B+ C+ C- C+ C+ A
After Walker and Lucas, the draft notes do not specifically mention any player as to having #1 potential. I think at least Shaffer should be added to that discussion. He will be a #1 scoring option in this league and will not have a major flaw to his game. He may not block 3 shots a game or be the greatest man to man defender, but he will certainly get the job done. This may make him more valuable down the line than either Walker or Lucas. Shaffer makes a lot of sense for the Rockets as well. He comes in filling an immediate need and adds a third scorer to the mix.
4. Dallas Mavericks (from Detroit Pistons) -Lenny Wilkens PG 6'1'' 180 23 C+ C+ B+ C+ C A
*Note this pick will remain with the Pistons should it end up 6 and Dallas decides to void the trade for that reason.
A lot of GMs would have York Larese going with this pick. That is definitely debatable. However, if the trade goes through, Dallas also receives Willie Merriwether. Larese is going to essentially be the same player. Should Greg be comfortable with one of those two play SF, then Larese is a realistic option. That is not the smartest route to take with Wilkens on the board. He is going to be a very good PG and will be a nice fit next to Merriwether. Wilkens will defend, distribute, and score more than enough to be successful with. With enough RC+AC attention, he could become a good enough outside shooter to play in an outside focus as well.
5. Phoenix Suns-York Larese SG 6'4'' 183 22 C+ A- C B C A
This pick is a home run for the Suns. Larese is a player that could be taken anywhere from #2 to 5. He is going to be an excellent scorer and a great player in an outside offense. That is exactly what the Suns run. For those reasons, he will be very close if not at the top of their board. Adding York to Ramsey and Groat will put the Suns back in the playoffs soon.
6. Atlanta Hawks -Leroy Wright C 6'9'' 215 22 C F+ D A A- B
Outlawz cried about not getting Bumper Tormohlen last year with the sixth overall pick. While Bumper does look like a good big man prospect, he instead ended up with the Rookie of the Year in Johnny Green. This season he has the opportunity to select a player some may prefer over Bumper with the six pick again in Leroy Wright. Wright will be a defensive monster from Day 1. While he may not develop much in his career, having a guy like Wright will be huge should you ever face the likes of Wilt Chamberlain in the playoffs.
7. Atlanta Hawks (from San Antonio Spurs) -Darrall Imhoff C 6'10'' 220 22 C+ D+ D A- C+ A
Since the Hawks are taking Leroy Wright, a center, with the previous pick, taking Imhoff, another center, doesn’t make the most sense with this pick. Regardless of need, Imhoff is the best player left on the board. He is a shot blocking center with A scouted potential. Should he have a good starting potential then he will be at least a great role player. That isn’t exactly what you are looking for with this pick, but it is a lot more promising then some of the alternatives out there.
8. Houston Rockets (from Cleveland Cavaliers) -Tom Sanders PF 6'6'' 215 22 B C C A B- B
Like the Hawks, the Rockets would be selecting two players from the same position if this mock plays out. The Rockets would not need another big man with this pick, which makes this selection likely trade bait. Should the Rockets decide to stick with the pick, there is a short list of players that would be in the conversation here. Tom Sanders is undoubtedly the safest pick and more than likely the best. He is already developed and will be a very capable player in this league. Sanders should be a starter or excellent backup throughout his career.
9. Charlotte Bobcats -Jackie Moreland SF 6'7'' 215 22 B- B+ C- C+ B- B
There doesn’t seem to be many players with the potential of becoming more than merely a role player at this point in the draft. While that isn’t a bad thing, it doesn’t make the drafts as interesting as they were under the former draft prospect systems. Moreland appears to be a guy that is going to be a role player and fifth starter. He will provide some scoring, steals, and rebounding but not a lot else.
10. Golden State Warriors -Ben Warley SF 6'5'' 200 24 C+ C- C A B- B
Warley fits right into the Moreland description except Warley will provide a team with defense rather than scoring. Warley may have more value down the line than Moreland, but Moreland has a better shot at becoming a more than a role player.
11. Washington Wizards -Carl Cole PG 6'0'' 199 22 C+ C B+ A C C
Cole may not deserve to be a lotto pick but he intrigues me. He is going to be a PG that blocks over a shot a game. That has done a lot for Slick Leonard’s value. I realize Cole is not going to score the 18ppg that Slick does, but if a team has enough scoring elsewhere he could be a valuable asset. Also, Cole can come in and replace the aging Dick McGuire from day 1.
12. Dallas Mavericks (from Indiana Pacers) -Tandy Gillis SF 6'5'' 220 22 B- C C B+ B+ B
This guy has supersub written all over him. If you ever need rebounding on the bench, Gills is your guy. He will shoot at least 90% from the FT line.
13. Utah Jazz - Bob Sims SF 6'5'' 220 22 B- C B B+ C+ B
Meh, another role player. After the top 8, this draft really drops off. No one has th potential to develop into anything more than a player that you can replace about any season. Come on Spence! Give us more to work with!
