Mock Draft - Version 1.0 (Lottery Picks)

I know I been saying that I would get my draft done sooner or later, but now, with the Orlando Pre-Draft Camp done I thought it would be time to unveil the 1.0 version of my 2008 NBA Draft (lottery picks only, the 15-30 picks will come out tomorrow). For those of you that are Syracuse fans you will see Donte Greene in this part of the draft (I have him going # 14^th to the Warriors).

1) Chicago Bulls take Derrick Rose PG (6′3″, 205 lbs) from Memphis. Even if Rose is a freshman I think that he has the leadership skills the Bulls are looking for. (To be honest here with either Rose or Beasley I doubt that Chicago could make a mistake). I believe Rose will be the Bulls’ choice because Paxson loves defense and Rose is a lot better at that than Beasley, and secondly it is not bad bringing to the team a hometown hero who grew up watching (and some say idolizing) Michael Jordan.

2) Miami Heat take Michael Beasley PF (6′10″, 235 lbs) from Kansas State. Second pick, second freshman going off the big board. I believe that Pat Riley and the Heat would have loved to have a Wade/Rose combo, but they will settle for a Wade and Beasley tandem. Not bad if you ask me, and it will finally give Wade some help that is not ready for social security. (The Heat could trade this pick (either to move down or to get a veteran to help out Wade). If the Heat do pick (and don’t trade) they are getting a player that can score at will and can provide instant offense for them.

3) Minnesota Timberwolves take Brook Lopez C (7′0″, 260 lbs) from Stanford. This is where the draft starts in my opinion, since the first two picks are no brainers. I like Lopez to go here, since in my opinion he is the best big man of the draft and has the capabilities to score around the basket on offense and alter shots on defense. The combo of Lopez and Jefferson will Minnesota’s front court one to be worried of. (I think that this is where the draft will become interesting because a lot of people know the first two are untouchable, but Lopez isn’t, so do not be surprised to see trades going all over for the big man at this spot).

4) Seattle Supersonics take Jerry Bayless PG (6′3″, 190 lbs) from Arizona. Again, as I said before, this is where the draft began. Seattle is looking for help in the back court and both Bayless and OJ Mayo will be on the board. Could the Sonics go the other way and take the frosh from USC? Sure, but I have a gut feeling that it will be Bayless to get the nod at the end, making him and Kevin Durant a great (and young) 1-2 punch. While most sites have him as a point guard I would say that Bayless is the best combo guard of the draft. With Bayless off the board it will be three freshmen and one sophomore gone after four picks.

5) Memphis Grizzlies take Anthony Randolph PF (6′11″, 220 lbs) from LSU. And yet again another frosh is gone! I have to say that this pick was the longest for me yet. At first I thought that Memphis would go with OJ Mayo, since he is still on the board and, if nothing else, the cash registers would fill because of the name. Then I decided that they would go for what they truly need, which is a big man, but I was more leaning towards Kevin Love, because he is the most NBA ready in this draft. But then I went with Randolph, because I love his upside and that is the key to NBA drafting (upside/potential). He will need to bulk up some, but he is going to be a star from day one I believe, especially when he will be playing next to Mike Conley and Rudy Gay.

6) New York Knicks take O.J. Mayo SG (6′4″, 210 lbs) from USC. While there could be a chance that the new head coach of the club, Mike D’Antoni, goes for Gallinari (since he and the player’s father were team mates), I think that the club needs a player to sell tickets and Mayo is the one. Not saying that Mayo is not good, since I think he is very good, but he will also draw a lot more than a foreign player, no matter how good he is.

7) Los Angeles Clippers take Eric Gordon SG (6′4″, 220 lbs) from Indiana. (And the one and done’s keep coming, with this one it will be six in the first seven picks). Gordon is going to be great for the Clippers even though the sad reality is that the club needs a point guard. Unfortunately at the seventh spot it is way too early to go after the main two PGs of the draft (Augustin or Westbrook). Could this mean that the Clippers would trade down? Possibility, but highly unlikely with the talent on the board right now.

Milwaukee Bucks take Danilo Gallinari SF (6′10″, 212 lbs) from Italy. I do not know much about this player personally, but from what I have read he is a point guard in a body of a big man. He will join last year’s foreigner first rounder for the Bucks Yi Jianlin and fill a big need for the club at the small forward position. Gallinari is not just good as a player but knows the game well, helping his club from day one.

9) Charlotte Bobcats take Kevin Love PF (6′10″, 275 lbs) from UCLA. This could be the player in the draft that is as he is, meaning what you seen (in college) is what you are going to get in the future. Love in my opinion is the most NBA ready players in this draft, but he is also the one that will have the least amount of upswing once in the pro’s. However the Cats need him and MJ & Larry Brown might just make the playoffs if he works as hard as he did on the west coast.

10) New Jersey Nets take DeAndre Jordan C (7′0″, 255 lbs) from Texas A&M. This is the missing piece for the Nets in order to be strong (or set at least) at each position. Jordan could turn out to be a steal, he did not have the season a lot of the so-called experts projected, but he has all the raw talent to be a great one in the middle. He is athletic and will give the Nets what they have been missing since Kenyon Martin departed.

11) Indiana Pacers take DJ Augustin PG (6′0″, 180 lbs) from Texas. This is finally the player that Larry Bird & Company have been looking for to replace Tinsley. (If Augustin is gone by now look for the Pacers to take Westbrook here). He is good creating for others (remember when he and Durant were team mates) and can create for himself as well (remember last year when he didn’t have Durant). While he might not be the most athletic at his role in this draft DJ is quick enough to get the job done for a team that desperately needs someone to step up at the position.

12) Sacramento Kings take Darrell Arthur PF (6′10″, 225 lbs) from Kansas. Maybe the first player that I can honestly say “he needs to do xxx or zzz in order to be a great one in the league.” Arthur will help out any team with his scoring, but he has to work harder (much harder) on the boards to help a team completely. So, while the Kings get a great offensive player, they will need to work on the defensive side of the game with this big man.

13) Portland Trailblazers take Joe Alexander SF (6′8″, 220 lbs) from West Virginia. I like Alexander with Portland because he can come in and help right away and maybe do it in different places. He can play it inside and out, and in college he proved to me that he can carry his team when needed. From reading the internet there is not one GM/scout/team that doesn’t like this player. I think that he might move into the top 10 if he has above average work outs. (If he was to leap up in the draft I would say that Portland would then go after Donte Greene).

14) Golden State Warriors take Donte Greene SF (6′10″, 225 lbs) from Syracuse. This is the player that could have the most upside in the draft, with his size and versatility he could become a great inside and outside player. Add to those two things the fact that he can run the floor as well as any big man in this draft and you have a steal. Having said all of that, Greene still needs to refine all aspect of his game, but the potential is all there and I think in a year (maximum two) he is going to be a star at the next level.

For those keeping count: I picked 9 Freshmen, 3 Sophomores, 1 Junior and 1 Foreign player.

And there you have part one of the 1.0 version of my NBA Draft, stay tuned for part two either tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest. Until then leave me a comment on what you think of it and where you would have put whom!