NBA Mock Draft

Nothing is more fun than speculating on what a professional sports team will do and no event lends itself to this better than a draft in any of the professional sports.  The NBA draft is just around the corner and I have decided to give it a shot.  In writing a mock draft, I had to force myself to remember how stupid GMs can be.  I had to try to remember that the smartest move isn't necessarily the move a GM will make.  For example, in a NFL mock draft, to correctly pick the Raiders' pick, I would need to look up whoever ran the fastest 40-yard dash time and I would get the pick right.  Or that in a NBA mock draft, I have to remember that the Atlanta Hawks will never pick a point guard, no matter how bad they may need one.  So, without further ado, let's get this thing going.

1. Washington Wizards (26-56)
After a season in which two of the Wizards best players attempted to make the team live up to their previous name by pulling guns on each other in the locker room, the Wizards could use a little excitement to get them going.  There are too many weaknesses to list on this Wizards team, they could really go anywhere with this pick.  I personally think that the best available player is Evan Turner, but popular opinion would say that John Wall is that player.  Like Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans, Wall is another one of John Calipari's one-and-done point guards.  Though the other two have been extremely successful, I'm not sure that Wall possesses the size (Evans) or the explosiveness (Rose) necessary to be as successful as these other two have been in the league.  Nevertheless, I still think the Wizards will go with Wall.

Washington Wizards select: PG John Wall, Kentucky

2. Philadelphia 76ers (27-55)
With a new head coach and the second pick of the draft, this offseason will be very important in shaping the next few years for the 76ers.  With Wall most likely gone with the first pick of the draft, there are a lot of different directions the Sixers could go.  The only truly talented player the Sixers have is Andre Igoudala.  Sure, they have Brand, Dalembert, Young, and Holiday, but none of these players are good enough to be regarded as players that can not be replaced.  As I mentioned earlier, I would undoubtedly select Turner.  I believe Evan Turner is going to be the next Dwayne Wade.  His explosiveness, composure, and general ability to just fill it up night in and night out remind me of all of the things D Wade did while at Marquette.  In other mock drafts, I have seen Wesley Johnson as the pick for the Sixers, but I think it would be ignorant not to pair up Iggy and The Villain (for all of you Club Tril members) for the next five years.  Drafting Turner would allow Igoudala to move from the main scorer to the role of secondary scorer in which he is much better suited and thrives.

Philadelphia 76ers select: G Evan Turner, Ohio State

3. New Jersey Nets (12-70)
The Nets were undoubtedly the worst team in the league and definitely could have used a player like Wall or Turner, but unfortunately they got unlucky in the lottery and will have to settle for one of the other talented players that will be available at #3.  This is one of the predictions I feel most confident in because of the interviews Mikhail Prokhorov has conducted so far.  He has been adamant in the Nets' need for a new power forward to pair with center Brook Lopez, which leads me to believe he will almost certainly go with Derrick Favors.  Favors is the best power forward prospect in the draft and would be a small piece of the puzzle that will help the Nets get started on their path back to relevance.

New Jersey Nets select: PF Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech

4. Minnesota Timberwolves (15-67)
With three picks in the first 23 picks of the NBA Draft, the Timberwolves will be able to make vast improvements on a team that had the second worst record in the NBA.  The T'Wolves don't need a point guard considering they drafted two of them last year and they are pretty well sweet down low with PF Kevin Love and C Al Jefferson.  It would seem to make sense that the T'Wolves would try to find a shooting guard or small forward, but in the last week Love has been quoted as saying he has no idea what his future would look like if the T'Wolves would draft another big man.  I would think that the T'Wolves would understand that it would be ignorant to alienate and upset one of their former first round draft picks, but then again who would have thought the T'Wolves would draft two point guards last year, so anything could happen.  And with that said...

Minnesota Timberwolves select: C Demarcus Cousins, Kentucky

5. Sacramento Kings (25-57)
The Kings have been wildly successful in the draft in the past few years drafting two starters in 2010 Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans and SF Jason Thompson.  With Evans and Thompson making plays and scoring a majority of the points on the perimeter, along with the low-post rebounding and toughness added in the mid-season acquisition of Carl Landry, the Kings only seem to be lacking a legitimate low post scoring threat.  Sadly for the Kings, though, the best low-post scoring option, Cousins, was just drafted by the T'Wolves.  Unable to address their most pressing need, the Kings will be forced to go elsewhere.  Along with a low-post scoring option, the Kings could use a shooter who can help take the scoring load off of Thompson and Evans.  Wesley Johnson from Syracuse might just be their guy.  He can help spread the floor to give their playmakers more room to operate and he can knock down some big shots.

Sacramento Kings select: SF Wesley Johnson, Syracuse

6. Golden State Warrior (26-56)
The Warriors have made some great picks in the last few years, but with Don Nelson's quirky rotation patterns, many of their draft picks have either wasted away or been frustrated with their lack of playing time.  One of the few draft picks to find success under Nelson was Davidson standout Stephen Curry, who nearly won   If the Warriors were a typical NBA team, I would say they could use a low-post scorer, but obviously we know that the Nelson-led Warriors are far from typical.  With that said, though the last thing they need is a wing scorer, I wouldn't be surprised if the Warriors would take Al-Farouq Amino.  After being compared to Michael Jordan in high school, Aminu struggled in his two seasons at Wake Forest to live up to the hype.  He could simply just be a player whose game fits better in the NBA than in college, but only time will tell.

Golden State Warriors select: SF Al-Farouq Aminu

7. Detroit Pistons (27-55)
After a huge-spending spree last year on Ben Gordon and Charlie Villaneuva, the Pistons.......whoa, whoa, whoa.....Let's take a little time to reflect on that.  A spending spree on Ben Gordon and Charlie Villaneuva.  What were the Pistons thinking?  Why would those two players help a team?  Well, anyways, with those two signings the Pistons weren't overly successful.  With Ben Wallace and Kwame Brown as the only two centers on their roster, the Pistons definitely need to fortify their front line and the best available center in the draft would be Cole Aldrich from Kansas.  There were times during this past season that Aldrich looked like the best player in the nation, but there were also times where he looked like a bum.  The main concern with Aldrich is definitely his athleticism and his lack of athleticism is the main reason why I'm not sure he will be able to cut it in the NBA, but it seems like the place the Pistons are going to have to go to fill their rebounding and shot-blocking needs.

Detroit Pistons select: C Cole Aldrich, Kansas

8. Los Angeles Clippers (29-53)
I would say that the Clippers are probably about a Lebron James away from being relevant.  Unfortunately, Donald Sterling is still the owner and they have a general manager who has served under Mike Dunleavy, Sr. for the last few years.  It seems much more likely that the Clippers will get the consolation prize and I'm not talking about Dwayne Wade or Chris Bosh, I'm thinking more along the lines of Joe Johnson or maybe Ray Allen or maybe even Udonis Haslem.  The Clippers don't have any really glaring weaknesses and will essentially have two lottery picks this year with the addition of this pick and a healthy Blake Griffin.  In all reality, they could go anywhere.  If I've learned one thing about the Clippers, it's that Chris Kaman does not like having other post players around to steal his shots, so I think the logical pick for the Clippers would be a guard.  Just a guess here...

The Los Angeles Clippers select: G Xavier Henry, Kansas


To be continued....

Getting a Little Nashty

After watching Steve Nash dismantle the Spurs with one eye, I couldn't help but start to think about the greatness of Steve Nash.  Year after year, the Suns have been eliminated by the Spurs and it was great to finally see the Suns beat the Spurs and move onto the Western Conference Finals.  Though the Suns are overmatched in their upcoming series against the Lakers, I think it is necessary to take a look at Nash and his career before losing sight of how great he is when the Lakers begin to dominate the Suns.

Since becoming a member of the Suns in 2004, Nash has been the team's point guard and consumate leader.  The Suns would be absolutely nothing without Nash and everyone in the league knows it.  Even with every team trying to slow him down, Nash has put together some of the most ridiculous statistical seasons of all-time as a Sun including two MVP seasons and five seasons averaging more than ten assists.  Now there are obviously skeptics who claim that Nash's success was solely based on the run-and-gun system Mike D'Antoni implemented in Phoenix and his two MVP seasons were flukes.  These skeptics need to look no further than this past season to truly understand the greatness of Steve Nash.

With new coach Alvin Gentry, the Suns have slowed down and become more of a half-court team.  The Suns are no longer looking to get a shot up within the first six seconds of their possessions and they are no longer focusing on offense only.  The Suns have become a complete team in every sense of the word.  Sure there will still be times when you see Steve Nash through a pass the length of the floor for a slashing Grant Hill or you will see Nash pull up for a three in transition, but for the most part you will see Nash walk the ball up the floor and enter into the offense.

Even with this slower approach, Nash was still able to have a good season statistically (16.5 PPG, 11.0 APG) and lead his team to the third spot in the Western Conference playoffs.  His leadership is what I believe sets him apart from other point guards in the league.  After Suns GM Steve Kerr made the absolutely horrendous decision of attempting to become tougher by adding Shaquille O'Neal last year, many people would not have blamed Nash for being upset and asking for the first ticket out of Phoenix, but that isn't in Nash's DNA.  Nash is exceedingly loyal and would never think of leaving Phoenix.  Instead of whining and complaining, he toughed it out and remained the leader of a team that suddenly has the best chemistry in the league (Chemistry example).  There aren't many superstars in this league that would be okay with only playing THREE minutes in the fourth quarter of a road playoff game just so a bench player (Goran Dragic) could stay in the game and continue his hot shooting. (In fact, this same thing occurred in the Game 2 of the Lakers-Jazz series and C.J. Miles had a hot shooting fourth quarter and Jerry Sloan brought Deron Williams back in the game and put Miles back on the bench.)

While averaging both a high number of assists and points, Nash remains one of the most efficient players of all-time.  Larry Bird and Steve Nash are the only two players in NBA history to shoot 90% from the free throw line, 50% from the field, and 40% from the three point line in a season.  Nash has now done it FOUR times.  That is absolutely ridiculous.  Nash doesn't take shots he shouldn't take and knows the shots that he can make.  Also, his 90% FT shooting makes him indispensable at the end of games because he can knock down the big shot to give your team the lead and, once your team has the lead, he is able to seal a victory with his phenomenal free throw shooting.

All of these reasons are why I believe Nash is the best point guard in the NBA.  Many people believe that Chris Paul or Deron Williams deserve that distinction, but though both of them are great players, I'm not sure either of them have learned how to lead a team like Nash yet.  (Williams is much closer than Paul.  You would have never seen Nash quit on his coach like Paul did with Byron Scott in the past two years.)  Neither of these guys are as efficient as Nash, either and their shot selection can be questioned at time.  For example, though Williams is thick and powerful, he took a contested jumper against the Lakers in Game 3 and you have to question why he didn't take the ball to the basket with a smaller Derek Fisher guarding him.

With a 36-year-old body and over 1000 games played, Nash might not have many seasons left.  Whether or not you agree with my position, just take some time and watch him play.  I'm sure you won't regret it.

The Blueprint for Success

After following the Bucks in St. Louis during this past school year, I got greedy and felt that I needed to be a part of the dear feering going on in Milwaukee.  So with the amazing connections I have in Milwaukee, I managed to finish up my final two papers a day before I was planning on finishing them (Sorry, Dr. Murray and Dr. Gournelos) and snuck up to Milwaukee in time for Game 6.  We all know how Game 6 and Game 7 went for the Bucks and I couldn't help but feel responsible.  Because I felt so guilty, I felt it necessary to layout a plan for success for the Bucks this offseason.  A blueprint for success, if you will.

1. Resign John Salmons
• This is obviously only the case if Salmons was to decide to exercise the player option of his current deal and opt to become a free agent.  If Salmons opts to become a free agent this summer, resigning him should immediately become the Bucks first priority.  The addition of Salmons at the trade deadline was huge and Salmons immediately stepped into the Bucks lineup and became the go-to-guy in the fourth quarter that the Bucks were missing.  Without Salmons, the Bucks will not have a consistent scoring option on the wing and will have to rely on Brandon Jennings to be a scorer, a role which makes the Bucks worse as a team.
2. Get Bogut and Redd Healthy
• Today, even with missing the last 6 games of the season, Andrew Bogut was named to the ALL-NBA 3rd team.  Bogut was an absolute beast this year for the Bucks and was much of the reason for the Bucks' success.  Most impressive was Bogut's improvement on defense, where he averaged 2.5 blocks per game, which was second in the league only behind Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard.
• Along with getting Bogut back, the Bucks will also get a healthy Michael Redd back on the team.  Though Redd has not been able to remain healthy the last few years, a healthy Michael Redd can be a truly dangerous scoring threat and could definitely help the Bucks next season in their quest to return to the playoffs for a second straight here.
3. Show Michael Redd game film of Jamal Crawford (Hawks '09-'10) and Ben Gordon (Bulls '08-'09).
• Without Michael Redd for most of the past season, the Bucks were able to make the playoffs and their chemistry seemed much better without Redd.  I believe the biggest mistake the Bucks could be next season would be to place Michael Redd back into the starting lineup based on his past accomplishments instead of his actual ability.  Instead, the Bucks should force Michael Redd to watch the game film of Crawford and Gordon and understand what it is like to be the "gunner" coming off of the bench.  Many of the best teams in the league have a player than can score in bunchs off of the bench and they are the players that fuel many of the team's runs.  Look no further than the way Jamal Crawford played in the last couple games of their first round series against the Bucks this year.  The Bucks need a gunner to fuel their scoring while Jennings and Salmons are on the bench.
4. Get more athletic through the draft.
• In the Bucks' midseason trade with the Bulls, the Bucks swapped picks with the Bulls and moved up two picks to the 15th pick of the first round.  With this pick, it is essential for the Bucks to become more athletic, whether it is at small forward, shooting guard, or power forward.  In my personal opinion, Ekpe Udoh would be a great pick for the Bucks because he is someone that could finish in the lane and elevate above the rim.  Another great pick would be Xavier Henry, if he would fall to the Bucks.  The Bucks were second last in the league in shooting percentage because of their reliance on jump shots and an athletic forward or guard would help the Bucks get into the lane and get better shots.