NBA Mock Draft

For the first time in years, the NBA Draft has kind of snuck up on me. I guess that's what happens when your team wins the NBA Championship. For this mock draft I am combining the things that I have read and heard along with what players best fit the team that is drafting. It will be a little bit of what teams are likely to do and a little bit of what teams should be doing. After years and years of watching draft picks fail to pan out in the NBA, I'm hoping that teams start to draft for need rather than who might have the best "potential" or "upside." 1. Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose, PG, Memphis After watching the Hornets and Jazz become legitimate NBA powers due to the emergence of Chris Paul and Deron Williams respectively, Rose is a great pick for the Bulls. His ability to get to the rim will open things up on the outside for Ben Gordon and Luol Deng and it will create easy scoring opportunities inside for Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah. 2. Miami Heat: Michael Beasley, PF, Kansas State After Heat forward Shawn Marion announced yesterday that he will stay in Miami through at least next season, the Heat are reportedly looking to deal this pick to a team drooling over Beasley or select either OJ Mayo or Jerryd Bayless. To me, Beasley makes the most sense at this spot regardless of who is making the pick, he will instantly add scoring and rebounding. A trio of Dwayne Wade, Marion and Beasley would be tough to guard. 3. Minnesota Timberwolves: Kevin Love, PF, UCLA Love has been knocked for his lack of athleticism but after watching him play at least a dozen times during the past year, I could care less how fast he is or how high he can jump. Love is a terrific offensive player who rebounds at a high level and is a tremendous passer, one of the most undervalued skills in basketball. A frontline of Love and Al Jefferson, along with Corey Brewer and Randy Foye on the wings, is a good start in the rebuilding of the T-Wolves. 4. Seattle Sonics: OJ Mayo, SG, USC Mayo has every tool to be a star in the NBA. He can score, he can pass and he has the ability to be a lockdown defender on the perimeter. Pairing him with Kevin Durant will make the Sonics relevant again in the NBA. 5. Memphis Grizzlies: Brook Lopez, C, Stanford The Grizzlies are set at both point guard (Mike Conley Jr., Kyle Lowry, Javaris Crittenton) and forward (Rudy Gay, Mike Miller, Hakim Warrick, Darko Milicic) but lack a center who can rebound and score. Lopez might not provide the flash that Eric Gordon, Russell Westbrook and Jerryd Bayless do but he certainly fills a need in Memphis. 6. New York Knicks: Russell Westbrook, PG, UCLA The Knicks are finally beginning the process of cleaning up the mistakes made under the reign of Isiah the Terrible. With a roster full of overpaid players (except for David Lee, who is actually underpaid) who Donnie Walsh will be trying desperately to unload, the Knicks need to develop a young point guard. Westbrook's offense still needs to improve but he could impact a game on defense similar to Rajon Rondo. 7. Los Angeles Clippers: Jerryd Bayless, PG, Arizona In his one season at Arizona, Bayless proved he could score the basketball at almost any time he wanted. Bayless would provide the Clips with a nice complimentary scorer along with Elton Brand and Corey Maggette. 8. Milwaukee Bucks: Joe Alexander, SF, West Virginia In my opinion, Eric Gordon is a better player than Alexander but a quick peek at the Bucks roster reveals that Milwaukee is already home to scoring guards Michael Redd and Mo Williams. Unless the Bucks have plans to dump either Redd or Williams, Alexander makes more sense. Alexander is a talented and tough player who should mesh well with new coach Scott Skiles. 9. Charlotte Bobcats: Kosta Koufos, C, Ohio State Like the Bucks, Charlotte has enough scoring options on the wing to make Gordon a luxury and teams that live in the Lottery can not afford luxury items. Koufos is young but he is a legitimate seven-footer and has a nicely developed offensive game. Point guard is another position of need. 10. New Jersey Nets: Eric Gordon, SG, Indiana This is not Paul Pierce dropping to the Celtics in 1998 or Caron Butler dropping to the Heat in 2002 but if this scenario plays out, Gordon dropping to New Jersey at No. 10 could be one of the real steals of this draft. Gordon was knocked for his late season slump but the chaos that ensued from the firing of Kelvin Sampson is an excuse that I understand. I usually hate hyperbole but I really think that Gordon has the chance to be a Dwayne Wade type of player -- a scorer who creates for teammates. 11. Indiana Pacers: DJ Augustin, PG, Texas The Pacers need to finally admit they are going nowhere with Jermaine O'Neal and Jamaal Tinsley and change their approach. Augustin is an upgrade over Tinsley and brings a winning background to Indiana. 12. Sacramento Kings: Mario Chalmers, PG, Kansas The Kings are set on the wing with Kevin Martin, Francisco Garcia and John Salmons. They could look for a post player to add to the group of Brad Miller, Spencer Hawes and Shelden Williams but the best value, and biggest need, is at point guard and after watching Chalmers do his thing against Memphis in the national championship game, he is the best fit for the Kings. 13. Portland Trailblazers: Danilo Gallinari, SF, Italy Portland is loaded at almost every position with young talent. They could use depth at small forward and Gallinari, a highly skilled offensive player, could turn into a steal at 13. GM Kevin Pritchard could also use his wealth of young talent to make a blockbuster move for a veteran in the next year or two, similar to what Danny Ainge did in Boston. 14. Golden State Warriors: Jason Thompson, C, Rider Thompson is a bit of an unknown but he did average 20/10 his junior and senior years of college and is a big, strong presence inside. The Warriors do need more scoring inside so Thompson would be a wise choice. 15. Phoenix Suns: Brandon Rush, SG, Kansas One of the biggest issues for Phoenix this decade has been their inability to develop enough good young players to create depth on their roster. That's what happens when you give away first round picks (Luol Deng, Rajon Rondo) to avoid paying their salary. Rush is a good shooter who plays unselfishly, a perfect fit in Phoenix. 16. Philadelphia 76ers: Alexis Ajinca, C, France Even after their modest attempt at upsetting the Pistons, the 76ers are still years away from truly contending for a championship. Ajinca needs to develop more physically but he has a solid offensive game and if he can produce just a little bit of offense, he could compliment Sam Dalembert's interior defense. 17. Toronto Raptors: Robin Lopez, C, Stanford The Raptors have a frontline that is skilled (Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani) but needs to add toughness. Lopez did a great job in college of doing the dirty work while his brother was free to score and rebound. Bosh will love having that type of player next to him in Toronto. 18. Washington Wizards: Darrell Arthur, PF, Kansas Arthur has a skill set similar to Wizards free agent forward Antawn Jamison. His ability to score will either give the Wiz a solid role player to go along with Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, and Jamison or be a potential replacement for Jamison if he leaves. 19. Cleveland Cavaliers: Chris Douglas-Roberts, SG, Memphis I have seen CDR much lower in most mock drafts but his ability to shoot and score is needed in Cleveland and his ability to co-exist and flourish with a superstar in college (Derrick Rose) will help him adjust to playing with LeBron. 20. Denver Nuggets: Anthony Randolph, PF, LSU Randolph is the perfect example of a young player who showed flashes of brilliance and then listened when people said his potential made him a lottery pick. Not many 6-11, 195-pound power forwards have succeeded in the NBA. The reason that Randolph makes sense for Denver is because with the Nuggets rumored to be on the verge of trading away one of their stars (Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, Marcus Camby), Randolph's potential could be added to a deal to make a team feel better about adding a big contract. 21. New Jersey Nets: Marreese Speights, PF, Florida After sitting behind Al Horford as a freshman, Speights played well for the Gators last year. His size (6-10, 250) and scoring ability (14.5 ppg) would be welcome additions in Jersey. 22. Orlando Magic: Courtney Lee, SG, Western Kentucky Lee, a 40% shooter from behind the arc in college, is the kind of shooter that will make opponents suffer if they double team Dwight Howard. Lee is a guy I would love to see slip to the Celtics. 23. Utah Jazz: Roy Hibbert, C, Georgetown Hibbert is not very mobile but his size fits a need in Utah and he has a developing offensive game. 24. Seattle Sonics: DeAndre Jordan, C, Texas A&M Jordan is very raw but as the Sonics rebuild, they can afford to allow the 20-year-old big man time to develop his game. The few Sonics fans that remain won't notice his struggles as they focus on Durant, Jeff Green and whoever they draft at No. 4. 25. Houston Rockets: Bill Walker, SF, Kansas State A knee injury is all that keeps Walker out of the Lottery. His explosiveness might take a while to return but Walker will be a good player, especially playing next to Tracy McGrady and Yao. 26. San Antonio Spurs: Ryan Anderson, PF, California Chad Ford, the little geek at ESPN.com, reports the Spurs have promised to draft Anderson. His shooting touch (41% on 3's) will help spread the floor in San Antonio. 27. Portland Trailblazers: Ante Tomic, C, Croatia The Blazers acquired this pick from the Hornets yesterday. They can afford to store the 7-2 Tomic in Europe while he develops both his game and body. 28. Memphis Grizzlies: Donte Green, PF, Syracuse Green would join young forwards Gay and Warrick in the makings of a very athletic frontline in Memphis. His shooting touch (35% on 3's) will help get him time as a rookie. 29. Detroit Pistons: JJ Hickson, PF, NC State The Pistons are getting old and slow inside and a phsical presence like Hickson (6-10, 245) will help them get younger. If Hickson lands here, he should trail around Antonio McDyess and follow his example. 30. Boston Celtics: Malik Hairston, SG, Oregon I have not heard or read anything about Hairston being linked with the C's but his size (6-5) and range (43% on 3's as a junior and senior) could make him an excellent understudy for Ray Allen.