So DP and I decided to go back and forth on an NBA mock draft. Because this draft is so weak to begin with we kept it to one round. And to be honest, after about the first 15 picks or so there was some pretty blind picking going on. DP won the coin toss and chose to take the odd number picks, so obviously he led off. Here's how it all went down.
#1 Cleveland Cavaliers - Kyrie Irving, PG Duke
#2 Minnesota Timberwolves - Enes Kanter, C Turkey
#3 Utah Jazz - Derrick Williams, F Arizona
#4 Cleveland Cavaliers - Jan Vesely, SF Czech Republic
#5 Toronto Raptors - Kawhi Leonard, SF San Diego State
#6 Washington Wizards - Klay Thompson SF, Washington State
#7 Sacramento Kings - Brandon Knight, PG Kentucky
#8 Detroit Pistons - Tristan Thompson, PF Texas
#9 Charlotte Bobcats - Marcus Morris, PF Kansas
#10 Milwaukee Bucks - Alec Burks, SG Colorado
#11 Golden State Warriors - Jonas Valanciunas, C Lithuania
#12 Utah Jazz - Chris Singleton, SF Florida State
#13 Phoenix Suns - Jimmer Fredette, PG BYU
#14 Houston Rockets - Kemba Walker, PG UCONN
#15 Indiana Pacers - Markieff Morris, PF Kansas
#16 Philadelphia 76ers - Nikola Vucevic, C USC
#17 New York Knicks - Bismack Biyombo, PF Spain
#18 Washington Wizards - Marshon Brooks, SG Providence
#19 Charlotte Bobcats - Reggie Jackson, PG Boston College
#20 Minnesota Timberwolves - Jordan Hamilton, SF Texas
#21 Portland Trailblazers - Kenneth Faried, PF Moorehead State
#22 Denver Nuggets - Nikola Mirotic, SF Serbia
#23 Houston Rockets - Tobias Harris, PF Tennessee
#24 Oklahoma City Thunder - Tyler Honeycutt, SF UCLA
#25 Boston Celtics - Jeremy Tyler, PF Israel
#26 Dallas Mavericks - Donatas Motiejunas, PF Lithuania
#27 New Jersey Nets - Josh Selby, PG Kansas
#28 Chicago Bulls - JaJuan Johnson, PF Purdue
#29 San Antonio Spurs - Davis Bertans, SF Latvia
#30 Chicago Bulls - Iman Shumpert, PG Georgia Tech
Jesus' Reflections - I started off by taking Kanter with the #2 pick. This might surprise some who have already penciled in Williams here, but from what I've read the T'Wolves haven't ruled out Kanter as an option and I think he's the better fit. Despite what he says, I think Williams is more a PF in the NBA, and that means he'd be competing with Love for minutes which makes no sense. Kanter and Love would be a hell of a front line in a year or two. (Darko can suck it!) On top of that, I'm not convinced Williams is gonna be there, because if I'm CLE I'm taking him #1 and hoping Irving falls to #3 and maybe I can trade up with Utah or stay pat and get Knight at #4. Truthfully, I think Minnesota should trade this pick and haul in some nice vets to put around Rubio.
From there it only got more difficult. When DP snagged Williams for Utah I had to go best available, because CLE needs talent. I picked Jan Vesely who I think has some wicked upside, but could also suck. I tried to fit teams with a need for the most part, but it got increasingly difficult. This draft is deep with wing players, and only so many teams need that.
Favorite picks: #6 Klay Thompson to Washington should give Wall and co. a perimeter threat to open up the paint for penetration and allow McGee to do more work inside.
#18 Marshon Brooks also to Washington should really solidify their perimeter if you think Brooks can translate to the Association, which I do. Wall, Brooks and Thompson should be a nice trio of scoring.
#22 Nikola Mirotic to Denver could be a nice fit. We know they love to shoot the 3 ball and this guy can do it in bunches. He's also sneaky athletic, similar to Gallinari. He might get stashed in Europe until they have a need for him.
#24 Tyler Honeycutt to Oklahoma City would help them fill the void left by Jeff Green. Honeycutt is a similar talent but was up and down in his brief time at UCLA. He's got range and can handle the rock.
#26 Donatas Motiejunas could be a Dirk Jr. for Dallas. I think he'll surely be stashed in Europe for a little more seasoning and maturing, but he's a real nice talent and a good grab if he falls that far.
Least favorite picks: #8 Tristan Thompson to Detroit is maybe not a great fit. Plus I think he's a huge project and probably not something Detroit needs right now. Valanciunas probably would have been better here.
#12 Chris Singleton to Utah is at the spot everyone wants Jimmer, and I wanted to do it too, but with Kirilenko hitting the open market they'll need some defense and Singleton can provide that infinitely better than Fredette.
#14 Kemba Walker to Houston is probably a decent fit, I'm just not a huge Kemba guy. He's slipping as much as anyone right now so this might be a tad early. Others disagree, though. We'll see.
#20 Jordan Hamilton to Minnesota. Honestly, I just wasn't sure what to do there and he was the highest rated guy left on the board.
#30 Iman Shumpert to Chicago to end the first round was another best available, and a bit of a need at the backup PG. But you usually want a vet for that role. Plus, who the hell is Iman Shumpert? Anyone seen him play? Doesn't ring a bell for me.
DP's Reflections -
I know everyone says that the Cavs should risk Irving and take Williams and grab Knight on the way back and as much as that makes sense to many, I think having a solid PG is the best way to go when rebuilding. But thanks to Jesus picking Enes Kanter at 2, Utah gets the steal of the draft in Derrick Williams. Williams can instantly help out Utah and could be the rookie of the year. Another risk I have is Toronto passing on Brandon Knight and him slipping to Sac Town. That may have been a homer pick figuring I didn't want to watch a Kentucky players career go unseen in Canada. If Knight pans out the Kings have a lot of talent in the back court. We both weren't fans of Bismack Biyombo, but with the criminals running the asylum in NY now, I see the Knicks scooping him up for an epic fail. After that I have the Celtics getting the guy I want in Jeremy Tyler. Tyler is certainly a work in progress and with some tutoring from Doc and KG, he could be a huge steal.
Picks I like:
I refuse to pick any foreign player, because their are too many of them in this draft, so here they are:
#27 New Jersey Nets - Josh Selby, PG Kansas
Josh Selby could have been a lottery pick if he stayed in Kansas another year. The Nets aren't the best place to learn, but if he puts his mind to it and stays focused Selby could be a steal here...... or be the next J.R. Giddens.
#3 Utah Jazz - Derrick Williams, F Arizona
Mentioned it above, could be the rookie of the year, be a huge plug into that line up somewhat immediately and could be 1 of the 3 "franchise players" in this draft.
#19 Charlotte Bobcats - Reggie Jackson, PG Boston College
Can play both guard spots, can score in bunches and can play some defense (once he gets groomed). Jackson has some concerns about his knees, but I think teams look passed that.
Picks I hate:
Toronto Raptors - Kawhi Leonard, SF San Diego State
I did this to them purposely because I hate them, a lot better talent on board, plus I don't like many kids from the MWC. I see Chris Wilcox type of impact in the league.
#17 New York Knicks - Bismack Biyombo, PF Spain
These guys never work out, I know it, You know it, unfortunately the Knicks won't.
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