Post by Skillz on May 19, 2020 16:26:57 GMT -8
Article: Way Too Early Mock Draft
Our good friend Spencer has finished yet another interesting and fascinating draft class. It has become increasingly clear that he is indeed a MACHINE. Let’s pay him the respect he deserves and start discussing some of these players. Let’s get HYPED! This is going to be fun. This draft is strong at # 1 and 2, shit during the rest of the lottery and interesting in the middle of the 1st round.
Top 25, because there isn't much worth talking about after that spot.
1. Houston Rockets - Yao Ming C 7'6'' 310 22 B C D+ C+ C+ A
Yao to the Rockets? It’s fate. This would truly be marvelous. Even though Amar’e comes with some name recognition, I think Yao is the pick. Without jumping ability, that “B” inside will speak volumes. And he will be a beast from the FT line. This is a player to build around.
2. Phoenix Suns - Amar'e Stoudemire PF 6'10'' 245 20 B+ D+ D+ C C A
Amar’e to the Suns!? Is this real life? Can we pause the lottery order right now. This would give us all of the feelings. Amare’s ratings objectively suck. His inside is dominated by jumping and he can’t defend or rebound. But: he has 100 potential. Let’s just tell it like it is.
3. Atlanta Hawks - Carlos Boozer PF 6'9'' 258 21 B C- D+ C B B
How much would it suck to land the # 3 overall pick? Well, not as bad as it would be to land # 4 or # 5. Boozer isn’t sexy but he’s a good player and will be a 20/10 guy forever. Zach Randolph has a lot of fans around the league and so will Boozer. Just don’t expect him to defend.
4. Indiana Pacers (from Lakers) - Jay Williams PG 6'2'' 195 21 C+ C+ C+ C+ C- A
Jay Will at # 4? This high? Yeah. The rest of this draft is filled with role players so why not take a big shot? If he has potential, he could be a star. The Pacers have a number of other picks so they could afford to be bold.
5. Milwaukee Bucks - Dimitris Diamantidis SG 6'5'' 195 22 B- B C+ C C B
Is it bad that I don’t know who this guy is? Very cool Euros! And lord knows this draft needed the infusion! These ratings are so beautiful that Double D (what a great name) has a good case to be picked # 2 overall. Let me build around this lad!
6. Indiana Pacers - Tayshaun Prince SF 6'9'' 212 22 C B C- B+ C B
Tayshaun is a really good player and safe pick. There are a lot of players like him. Simmons. Battier. Posey. Etc. But it shouldn’t take away from his value. He’s just a good, two-way player who will have a long career in this league.
7. Philadelphia 76ers - John Salmons SF 6'7'' 210 23 B- B- C+ C C B
Salmons, like Prince, is safe. This isn’t a very inspiring pick to make at # 7 but his could be a B A- scorer down the line with camps. B- inside is very promising for a wing prospect coming out of the draft – especially for someone who can shoot.
8. Seattle Supersonics - Caron Butler SF 6'7'' 228 22 B- C+ C+ C C A
A really steady all-around prospect who shold have a long career. There really are a lot of solid wings with which you can build a team around. Butler would be a good pick here, though I have a feeling he may not last this long.
9. San Antonio Spurs - Luis Scola PF 6'9'' 240 22 B- B- D+ C C+ B
Luis! I always loved his game. He has nice ratings and may be on the border of other nice ratings. He looks like a potential 19/7 guy but may have to play Small Forward in an inside offense over the long run. I am curious to see how he develops. His success will depend a lot on the situation.
10. New York Knicks (from Bulls) - Reggie Evans PF 6'8'' 245 22 C+ D+ D C B+ B
Reggie Evans! One of my favorite all-time players. No one in this league can rebound and although Evans has ratings that scream “Clarence Weatherspoon” or “Jerome Williams,” he is only a rookie. With the right camps, he could turn into something quite interesting.
11. Portland Trailblazers - Arvydas Macijauskas SG 6'4'' 215 22 B- B C C D+ B
More Euros!! Let’s goooo. Give me a B-/B scoring SG any day of the weak and we’ll figure out what to do with him. Arvydas looks like a microwave scorer who will take the “Arvydas” mantle from Sabonis once he retires.
12. Orlando Magic - Dajuan Wagner SG 6'2'' 200 19 C C+ C+ C D+ A
Wags. A phenom coming out of High School, Wags doesn’t have the ratings you would likely see out of a lottery pick. However, his “A” potential has a very good chance at being his true potential. He has a lot of name value and is a fun player with a fun history. Where does 100 potential take these ratings?
13. Boston Celtics (from Hornets) - Mike Dunleavy SF 6'9'' 230 22 C+ B C C+ C A
I initially had Dunleavy # 8 overall but dropped him to 13th because there are always surprises. If he has real “A” potential, then he’s a top 5 pick. I’m not buying it. I bet he has 65-75 potential and develops into a solid backup or 5th starter. We shall see.
14. San Antonio Spurs (from Mavericks) - Udonis Haslem PF 6'8'' 235 22 C+ C C- B- B B
Haslem might have the most complete ratings of any big in this draft. While his profile doesn’t scream “star,” you know you are picking a 3rd big at worst. Given the scarcity of bigs around the league, you could do a lot worse at # 14.
15. Golden State Warriors - Matt Barnes SF 6'7'' 226 22 C+ C+ C- B C B
Matt Barnes is like the SF version of Haslem. Solid all-around. The C+ inside helps mollify concerns that he is just a defensive specialist. You can work with that. And he’s an ex-Warrior. Maybe he gets a potential bump from Spence.
16. Minnesota Timberwolves - Drew Gooden PF 6'10'' 250 21 B- C D C C+ B
Drew Gooden was one of the more boring NBA players in recent memory (my dude loved the 16-footer) but he has the type of game that generally meshes ok with FBB. Will shoot well from the free-throw line and probably be able to score inside.
17. San Antonio Spurs (from Pistons) - Nenad Krstic C 7'0'' 240 19 B- C- D+ C C B
Kristic has terrible ratings but was a beast for a few seasons for the Nets in the early Aughts. I bet he has high B- inside and some decent potential. He’s only 19 and he’s a 7’0 Center. That is a good bet to make in the late teens.
18. Indiana Pacers (from Nuggets) - Dan Gadzuric C 6'11'' 240 24 C+ D D B- B- B
Gadzuric is old but he’s another big that can do-it-all and has a chance to emerge into a starting rotation as a rookie. He has a good motor and should compete for minutes right away.
19. New York Knicks (from Celtics) - Qyntel Woods SF 6'8'' 221 21 C+ C+ C- C+ C A
Qyntel Woods could JUMP. I used to get him confused with Jamario Moon so it would make sense that I draft them both. He’ll probably bust, but it’s worth picking for the 20% chance that he hits.
20. Toronto Raptors - Chris Wilcox C 6'10'' 221 20 B- D+ C- C+ C+ B
I loved Wilcox in the league. Played really hard. Energy big man. Can do a little bit of everything. Probably projects to be a 3rd big in BBS but that is a good get at # 20.
21. Portland Trailblazers (from Grizzlies) - Milos Vujanic PG 6'3'' 187 22 C+ B+ C C D+ C
A C+ B+ Point Guard who can’t pass? Sign me up. He should probably go higher than this, but the lack of name recognition combined with a type of player that the league clearly doesn’t care about leads me to believe that he will fall. (On that note, Eddie House is good!!!!)
22. Los Angeles Lakers (from Knicks) - Ronald Murray SG 6'4'' 190 23 B- C+ B- C D+ B
Flip Murray! A true, one-year wonder. Flip had one excellent season for the Pistons before fizzling out of the league entirely. I think he is worth a shot at this point in the draft. Ratings and age are a tough combo at this point.
23. Sacramento Kings - Smush Parker PG 6'5'' 195 21 C+ C+ C+ C C C
Smush might have 50 potential but he has hilariously tantalizing ratings and size. This is a good foundation and if he has any upside at all, he is worth the dart throw. Just don’t put him on Kobe’s team.
24. Houston Rockets (from Heat) - Kareem Rush SG 6'6'' 215 22 C B+ D+ C D+ B
Kareem Rush is a shooting specialist but some athleticism. Nothing special here, but he can do something well, which is better than what you are going to get out of most players at this point.
25. Orlando Magic (from Cavs) - Nikoloz Tskitishvili PF 7'0'' 225 19 C+ C+ D+ C C A
Skita! Who takes a risk on this kid early? He will probably stink, but the upside and A potential is something to study at the very least.
