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22nd June, 2009 - 7:50 pm
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| Current Features |
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SCOOP DU JOUR: Weekend Scoop: Okafor's Production, Wizards' Offense Woes & More
Looking at Jay Wright's potential as another NCAA to NBA coach, the Wizards awful offense of late, the Western Conference's influence on Okafor's production, the worst case scenario for the Blue Jays, Peyton's endorsement of Tebow for the Colts and more.
PLAYER RANKINGS: NBA Rookie Review – Version 2.0
After a strong run by Brandon Jennings in the first month of the season, Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry as the clear leaders to take home the hardware.
TEAM RANKINGS: NBA Team Rankings For Early March
While the Cavaliers are an immovable force at the top of our rankings, the Jazz are now ranked second ahead of the Celtics, Magic and Lakers.
STANDING 10: The Best 90 NBA Jam Nominees
In what will be (and already is) a hotly-debated topic on basketball and video game sites and forums, let's go through each of the NBA's 30 teams and "suggest" who should be featured in what will be one of the most anticipated games of the year.
LOCKER TALK: Nash, Cleveland, & Orlando
Steve Nash could draw trade interest this summer and Cleveland isn’t overlooking Orlando…
CLASSICS: Hakeem Vs. Ewing: Who Was The Better Center?
Born within six months of each other in opposite corners of the world, two seven footers who are finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame this fall are two of the best ever to play the center position.
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By Christopher Reina
Draft week is finally here and in honor of Phil Jackson (10 titles) and Tim Hardaway (favorite number 10), our 10th mock draft is purely based off who I would select with each pick.
The majority of my draft coverage is spent watching hours and hours of film on each specific player, which is organized brilliantly by my friends at Synergy Sports. This part of the process is more fun than the posturing and smokescreens involved with the other side of things.
This mock draft is similar to my running diary I keep on draft night, where I put myself in the GM's chair with each pick and record who I would select for the sake of posterity when the revisionists come out a few years from now.
In some years, we know how the draft will turn out well in advance, but certainly not this year. This will create a climate a few years down the road where a player or two selected in the 20s is considered a top-five pick in those fantasy redrafts.
Power Forward. Oklahoma
Griffin will be a very good pro, but truthfully is a second or third pick in more top-heavy draft classes. He would be in a much better situation playing beside a Kevin Durant in Oklahoma City or the trio of veteran All-Stars in Washington. With the Clippers, Griffin will be asked to do a little more than he might be able to handle and he is unlikely to be a true franchise player.
Point Guard. DKV Joventut
The drop between Rubio and whomever else you might think has the third best future in the NBA is significant and neither Dan Fegan, a complicated buyout or anything else would prevent me from selecting him. Rubio doesn't play the same position as any of the Grizzlies' top-three players and this is a team that needs a player of his caliber to make everybody else better.
Center. Connecticut
If this were a best player available list, Thabeet wouldn't crack my top-10, but it isn't and the scarcity of quality bigs triggers this selection. This is Oklahoma City's final chance at a high pick and the likelihood of them finding a capable off guard in the middle of the first round, via trade or free agency is much more likely than it is in finding a defensive big like Thabeet.
Combo Guard. UCLA
I love Jonny Flynn and absolutely know that he will be an excellent point guard, but I don't think he is capable of having an All-Star career the way Holiday potentially can. Holiday has the combination of size, skill, instinct and character to become the best player from this draft.
Power Forward. Arizona
Hill fills a need for Washington and he will be a contributor almost immediately for a team that is a win now mode. I really like Hill's nearly unguardable jump hook and his motor on both sides of the floor.
Combo Guard. Memphis
Minnesota has several solid players on their club and they need someone with a little more edge which is why I prefer Evans over James Harden for them. Harden is the more mature player and has a better perimeter shot, but Evans is actually significantly better at beating his man off the dribble. He also can play some point guard and he would pair nicely with Randy Foye.
Shooting Guard. Arizona State
The Warriors would prefer an athletic power forward, but there simply aren't any worthy of a top-10 pick beyond Griffin and Hill. Harden has enough size to defend shooting guards, yet has enough offensive skill to not create any liabilities when he shares the backcourt with Monta Ellis. Terrence Williams is a guy that seems born to play for Don Nelson, but they get a slightly new element in Harden.
Point Guard. Wake Forest
Not signing with an agent until the deadline to withdraw has had to of hurt the stock of Jeff Teague. Picking Teague over Stephen Curry and Jonny Flynn parts with the current prevailing wisdom, but Teague has the best qualities of each player with none of their faults. He has good height, good athletic ability, can be a true point and also play off the ball, plus he shot 44.1% on over 100 3-point attempts in his sophomore season. In my opinion, Curry is only a good pick for the Knicks if they sign LeBron James, but Teague is an excellent pick regardless.
Shooting Guard. Louisville
Unlike any other player still on the board, Terrence Williams represents Toronto's best chance of getting into the 2010 playoffs and having a realistic chance of retaining Chris Bosh. Players of Bosh's caliber do not come around too frequently and while I can appreciate a realistic viewpoint on the situation, I also would do whatever I could to keep him.
Point Guard. Syracuse
Flynn is going to make an excellent starting point guard; he might not ever be one of the top-10 at the position, but the stability he brings at the most important position on the floor ripples to the rest of the team.
Combo Guard. Davidson
I like Steph Curry and liked him more the closer I went back and watched him, but his inability to really beat defenders of his conference off the dribble is troubling. He has decent point guard skills, but he needs a lot of talent on the wings to reach his full potential. A situation where he shares the floor with Devin Harris and Vince Carter would be excellent for his development.
Guard/Forward. USC
Even though Charlotte is craving their first playoff appearance, I think they can afford to wait a little longer and take a chance on someone that can develop into a star. I don't like DeRozan's chances of that as much as certain others, but it is still a worthwhile risk.
Power Forward. Pittsburgh
Blair is the right guy for this system that needs some true low post play. I think he would also be the ideal pick for Detroit, Chicago and Utah.
Point Guard. Roma
I think Jennings is better than the 14th overall player in his draft, but this is a comfortable spot for me. His handle, quickness and ability to score in traffic make him a rare talent to be selected this low in any draft.
Combo Forward. Louisville
Even though their success rate has been less than spectacular, I am always a huge fan of players as big as Clark with such a skilled game.
Center. Ohio State
Chicago simultaneously is able to compete in the playoffs now while keeping an eye on the long term. They are one of the few teams where it would truly make sense to wait on Mullens to develop and they have a system in place to foster that growth.
Point Guard. North Carolina
Lawson shot 47.2% from beyond the arc in his junior season, which almost should be illegal for a player as quick as he is. Perfect fit for Philadelphia's system and his talent level matched the expectations of a 17th overall pick. I loved the Speights pick by Ed Stefanski last year and this would nearly match it for me.
Combo Forward. Gonzaga
With bigs on the interior in Al Jefferson and Kevin Love, Austin Daye's face-up game is an ideal complement.
Point Guard. VCU
I'm concerned with what kind of player Maynor can be in the NBA without dominating the ball the way he did at VCU, which has been something of a problem for Acie Law as well.
Power Forward. Wake Forest
Johnson doesn't really have the kind of makeup Utah usually looks for, but his skill level at the power forward position would make him a good fit.
Small Forward. Maccabi Tel Aviv
Nobody in this draft moves without the ball better than Casspi and he would instantly become a favorite of Chris Paul.
Shooting Guard. Duke
Henderson is a safe pick for Dallas, who needs a utility man like Henderson for the wing.
Small Forward. Arizona
With a different set of expectations and duties, I'm expecting to see a much more impressive Chase Budinger on the NBA level.
Point Guard. UCLA
Nobody expects Portland to stay put here, but if they had to make a pick here and assuming Sergio Rodriguez is in fact done, I would like the way Darren Collison would fit in Portland. He's a much better than advertised perimeter shooter and he changes the equation defensively.
Point Guard. Florida
The Thunder can afford to let Calathes go to Greece for a year or two and he can return as a plus backup point guard.
Point Guard. Florida State
Douglas is a good scorer in a 10-15 foot radius from the basket and also plays well off the ball.
Power Forward. Arizona State
Memphis has been playing musical chairs with average power forwards and Pendergraph could be another one, although he has the right type of game to fit beside Rubio, Gay and Mayo.
Point Guard. St. Mary's
On some nights Mills looks like a player any team would love to have and others it is the complete opposite. I love his quickness and his streaky shot, but he will need to find a way to score more efficiently within 15 feet of the bucket to have a real impact.
Small Forward. Georgetown
His size and skill would be an excellent addition to the triangle, even if the Lakers re-sign both Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom.
Shooting Guard. North Carolina
Ellington isn't terribly tall for an off guard, but he is at least gives Cleveland's backcourt more size than what they're featuring now.
Second Round
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Power Forward. North Carolina
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Small Forward. Pittsburgh
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Power Forward. USC
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Point Guard. Cholet
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Shooting Guard. LSU
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Small Forward. North Carolina
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Combo Forward. Xavier
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Combo Forward. Spain
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Power Forward. St. Joseph's
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Point Guard. UConn
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Shooting Guard. Temple
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Combo Forward. Missouri
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Power Forward. Georgia Tech
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Small Forward. Sweeden
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Combo Forward. Memphis
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Point Guard. France
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Shooting Guard. Kentucky
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Small Forward. Villanova
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Forward/Center. Netherlands
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Point Guard. Gonzaga
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Shooting Guard. Syracuse
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Shooting Guard. Central Florida
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Power Forward. LSU
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Power Forward. Missouri
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Power Forward. Gonzaga
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Small Forward. N.C. State
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Shooting Guard. Marquette
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Power Forward. UConn
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Small Forward. Australia
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Point Guard. Texas
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