The Lost Ogle/Daily Thunder Mock (Picks 15-30)
I teamed up with Clark of The Lost Ogle and Max Trueblood, a brilliant poster at the wonderful OKCThunderFans.com for a little mock draft. Picks 1-14 can be found at the exquisite Lost Ogle. And do yourself a favor in the meantime and add that site to your daily reading. It’s excellent stuff. And written by two wildly handsome people. So they say.
With the 15th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons select … B.J. Mullens, center, Ohio State University
(Pick made by Royce Young)
Mullens is as raw a talent as you’ll see. He’s got a ton of physical gifts, one being that he’s 7’1″. Another is that he’s got go-go-gadget arms and even another is that he can jump like a shooting guard. Oh, and he also sported a little lip fur last season in Columbus. But the Pistons have already expressed interest and they need a center. Call me crazy, but I don’t think Kwame Brown is the answer there. I see Mullens potentially being what Tyson Chandler is now, but that’s only if he can tap into that potential. Or play with Chris Paul. One of the two.
With the 16th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls select … DeJuan Blair, power forward, University of Pitt
(Pick made by Clark Matthews)
This past weekend, the Bulls had a huge workout that tipped the hand of what direction they intend to go with this pick. They invited Blair, Mullens, James Johnson, and Tyler Hansbrough, all big guys, to compete against one another. Hansbrough had to turn them down because he was already scheduled to try out for the Nets who picked 11th. Unless Crazy T gets into Chicago this week, that means this pick likely comes down to Blair and Johnson. Blair’s strength and rebounding would complement the more finesse big guys Chicago already has under contract.
With the 17th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select … Eric Maynor, point guard, Virginia Commonwealth University
(Pick made by Max Trueblood)
It’s another toss up. This time between Maynor and Ty Lawson with Maynor getting the edge due to a height advantage. Sixer management is convinced that Louis Williams is not a point guard and is better suited to being an undersized 2G off the bench who can score in bunches. Philly will most likely re-sign Andre Miller but he’s in his 30’s and has logged 10 years in the association. Maynor fills in well as a sturdy backup for now that can easily be groomed for the starting spot down the road.
With the 18th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select … Tyler Hansbrough, power forward, University of North Carolina
(Pick made by Royce Young)
Ah, back to the Wolves for a pick. After adding Stephen Curry to the roster with the sixth pick, the Wolves may look to trade this pick to someone. They still have needs, but you have to weigh your current roster against what could potentially add during the draft. If the prospects aren’t better, you’re just running in place. But if Minny needs help, it would be a backup big. Al Jefferson will be back next year, but you never know how players will react from major knee surgery. Sure Kevin Love looked good last year, but he’s going to need a breather every now and then. There’s not a lot of quality bigs in this draft, but the best one left that can step in and help right away is Tyler Hansbrough. DeJuan Blair would’ve been their ideal player here if he were left, but Hansbrough is basically everything Mark Madsen is for the Wolves, but 10 years younger with maybe a little more upside.
With the 19th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks select … Ty Lawson, point guard, University of North Carolina
(Pick made by Clark Matthews)
Back when Billy Knight was running the ship, the Hawks screwed up the opportunity to take point guards every year, until they finally settled on Acie Law. Now, Rick Sund, the guy who screwed up the Supersonics is in charge. I’m not saying he’s any better, but this draft is loaded with point guards and Ty Lawson has a winning pedigree. The other position that Atlanta needs help at is center, but after Thabeet and Mullens, neither of whom are impressive, there is a huge drop off.
With the 20th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz select … Patrick Mills, point guard, St. Mary’s University
(Pick made by Max Trueblood)
Biggest needs are at PF and PG so the Jazz aren’t the least bit happy that Hansbrough and Lawson got taken with the last 2 picks. The assumption is that Paul Millsap will be re-signed but that Carlos Boozer will opt out and not return so they have no backup at the 4 spot. At the same time, there is no backup PG under contract either. A quick perusal of available free agents reveals that Leon Powe, Brandon Bass, Big Baby, Drew Gooden, Ike Diogu, Michael Ruffin, Chris Wilcox, Malik Rose, Josh Powell and Brian Skinner will all be available and most likely at the Utah asking price so they decide to go with a point guard and Mills appears to be the best bet.
With the 21st pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Hornets select … Sam Young, small forward, University of Pittsburg
(Pick made by Royce Young)
This team really has needs all over the place. It’s within an inch of being totally blown up and having salaries dumped to anyone that will take them. They could draft basically any position and be happy with it. But basically they’re drafting to fill the spot vacated by whatever contract the deem the worst and dump first. And I have a feeling it will be Peja Stojakovic’s. And that’s where you’re left choosing between someone that has upside like Austin Daye who probably needs a few years of grooming or someone that should be able to step in right away. And that person would be Sam Young. I love Young’s game. He has more offensive skills than most every other player in this draft and it seems like his big knock is his age (he’s already 24). And if that’s his major negative, that means he doesn’t have too many holes. Another option here is to look for a backup to Chris Paul (Darren Collison would be perfect) but at this point, I don’t think the Hornets should be drafting backups at this point. And that’s all a point guard would ever be behind Chris Paul.
With the 22nd pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Dallas Mavericks select … James Johnson, power forward, Wake Forest University
(Pick made by Clark Matthews)
For need, the Mavericks should draft a point guard. Unfortunately, ten point guards have been taken with the first 21 picks, so the pickings are getting slim. Instead, I see Dallas either trading away this pick or selecting a “best available” player. In this case, that’s James Johnson. He would provide some versatility and depth to the Maverick bench.
With the 23rd pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings select … Omri Casspi, small forward, Israel
(Pick made by Max Trueblood)
The Kings were tempted to go with this year’s free faller, Terrance Williams, but instead decided to go with an old familiar route. GM Geoff Petrie has fared well drafting foreigners and Casspi reminds Petrie of two former popular Kings, Peja Stojakovic and Hedo Turkoglu. If he fares well in training camp and shows that he can adapt easily to the American game, Casspi may even start as Andres Nocioni prefers coming off the bench and Dontae Green is still rough around the edges.
With the 24th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers select … Victor Claver, forward, Spain
(Pick made by Royce Young)
Really what would shock would be for the Blazers to keep this pick because they are known for draft day dealing. And with a relatively full roster as it is, there’s not a ton of room for another young piece. Because honestly, their roster is chock full of young talent and is basically set as is. They’re just waiting for the ship to come in on all those young players. But if they are looking for young talent to help improve, they could most definitely use a little depth in the frontcourt. The problem is, there’s not much left to pick from. So the smart money here is to take an international player that won’t damage your salary cap and that you can store overseas. And Victor Claver looks like the type of project GM Kevin Pritchard would have the patience to develop. He’s big at 6’10’, but needs development both in refining his game and adding a little muscle.
With the 25th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder select … Chase Budinger, shooting guard, University of Arizona
(Pick made by Clark Matthews)
To get a hint at which direction Sam Presti might be thinking with this pick, I went to DraftExpress.com and looked up who the Thunder had brought in for workouts. The answer? No one who could possibly be taken in the first round, with the exception of DeMar DeRozan. That means the tryouts were mostly for the Summer League squads. So, either the Thunder are looking to trade this pick, or Presti will make the decision based on other factors. My heart wants the Thunder to take Wayne Ellington with this pick because I really want the team to have an outside gunner to bring in and keep the defenses honest. Budinger brings that, in a lesser extent, to the table, but has a better all around game.
With the 26th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls select … Terrence Williams, shooting guard, University of Louisville
(Pick made by Max Trueblood)
Big time steal here as lots of teams picking ahead of the Bulls went with need and PG represented a bigger need than a wing player. Good draft for the Bulls as they pick up a bruiser in Blair and then get perimeter depth in case Ben Gordon leaves via free agency. Williams can play all 3 perimeter positions so he’s the perfect fit for a team in need of a bench player at either of the perimeter positions.
With the 27th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Memphis Grizzlies select … Nick Calathes, point guard, University of Florida
(Pick made by Royce Young)
Having gone with James Harden with the second overall pick and basically locking O.J. Mayo into a true combo guard the Grizzlies are looking to get a “just in case” type of pick and Calathes is perfect. They need a point guard they can turn to if the Mike Conley experiment doesn’t work out and Mayo can’t fill the role either. Calathes has a year to play in Greece so he won’t affect cap room, but the Grizzlies will have the option to bring him over next year and step right in.
With the 28th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select … Jonas Jerebko, small forward, Sweden
(Pick made by Clark Matthews)
Having already locked into having two rookies (Stephen Curry and Tyler Hansbrough), the smart thing to do is select a player they can stash overseas. Calathes, taken a pick earlier, would have been a decent pick, but Jerebko has more potential and plays a position that hasn’t already been addressed in this draft. Of course, normally you wouldn’t expect Minnesota to do the smart thing, but now that Kevin McHale is out of the decision making process, the team has hope.
With the 29th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers select … Darren Collison, point guard, University of California–Los Angeles
(Pick made by Max Trueblood)
It came down to Austin Daye, Toney Douglas and Collison. Daye would’ve given them an excuse to not sign Ariza or Odom but the fans and media are pushing Jerry Buss to keep this team together for at least a couple more years. Douglas represents instant offense off the bench but they get that with Odom and Vujacic. Collison is a player that they’ve watched for 4 seasons who grew up in nearby Rancho Cucamonga and attended the local college basketball powerhouse. Fisher will probably retire after this year and the jury is still out on Jordan Farmar so once again, point guard is the biggest need of a team in this draft and the Lakers go with the safe, local pick.
With the 30th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select … Taj Gibson, forward, University of Southern California
(Pick made by Royce Young)To me, this is a slam dunk pick. They need to go big here because Anderson Varejao looks to be headed out of town, Big Z is always an injury concern and Joe Smith won’t be there next year either. Another fine consideration is Jeff Pendergraph, but the Arizona State big man is more of a finesse offensive player rather than a defensive stopper. Gibson was one of the top shot blockers in the country last year and though he’s just 6’9″, he’s extremely long and very well built. He’s exactly the type of player they were desperately needing against Orlando. He’s going to score mostly on put backs and dunks, but he’ll be a physical presence in the paint and will be a perfect replacement for Varejao if he does indeed leave Cleveland.