Confessions of the Intellectually Confused

Tom Benson is your newest lottery winner. The man who pays Drew Brees is about to be the man who owns the latest “can’t miss prospect.” As a bonus, he gets a #10 pick in the process, giving them the chance to kick start the franchise into a ceiling of right outside of the playoffs. The Hornets are the beneficiaries of the ping pong ball and now the Bobcats are on the clock. Let’s see what we got here for the rest of the draft.

1) New Orleans Hornets - Anthony Davis.
This seems to be the no brainer everyone else makes it out to be. Why should I beat you in the head more?

2) Charlotte Bobcats - Thomas Robinson.
Ok. Conventional wisdom makes this a battle between Robinson & Harrison Barnes. Robinson should be the pick. If Biyombo progresses into the low post defensive presence they like, then Robinson is the perfect compliment. However, always go with your gut when dealing with David Kahn or Michael Jordan, who can’t resist turning down an elite Tar Heel prospect. Since this is my mock, I say they smack some sense into him and go with the Jayhawk.

3) Washington Wizards - Andre Drummond.
This is where the draft really begins. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is the most talented player on the board after Davis. MKG and John Wall would be a treat to watch. Problem is, the entire front court needs revamping. Drummond is the scary pick. If he plays up to potential, Drummond becomes Amare to Wall’s Nash, and Vesely grows into a starting human highlight reel (maybe the Marion role?). If he doesn’t, he wins the Eddy Curry award of “not caring enough to take advantage of his potential.”

4) Cleveland Cavaliers - Bradley Beal.
Bringing back MKG into the conversation, we’re going to use the NBA comparison model here. Does Kyrie Irving need Gerald Wallace or Eric Gordon? Uncle Drew needs that backcourt shooter in Beal much more than he needs the do-everything-good-not-great player in the former.

5) Sacramento Kings - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.
Congrats. The Maloofs get the “player who should have been taken higher than he was” award. And it’s a perfect fit, as MKG doesn’t need to score to be effective. The Kings now sport DeMarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans and Isaiah Thomas/Jimmer Fredette to look even better with their lunch pail working SF. Be afraid of the future.

6) Portland Trail Blazers - Jared Sullinger.
Rip City has finally moved on from Greg Oden (sadly) and need a new player to bang inside with LaMarcus Aldridge. This could be where either Kendall Marshall or Damian Lillard come into play, but at 6, they seem to be a bit of reach. The 2 PGs can be had a few picks later if need be.

7) Golden State Warriors - Harrison Barnes.
The Black Falcon flies west. The Stephen Curry gets 1 more year before a serious decision is made over the durability issues of their now franchise player. Hopefully, he’s healthy to lead a pure offense, not enough defensive 5 of Curry, Klay Thompson, David Lee, and Andrew Bogut, with either Barnes or Dorell Wright at the 3.

8) Toronto Raptors - Jeremy Lamb.
Also redundant. DeMar Derozan gets a chance to be a full-time slashing 3 man and Lamb becomes the shooter in the backcourt to compliment aging, but talented Jose Calderon. Also to keep in mind the Raptors expected all out effort to sign Canada’s greatest basketball son, Steve Nash, or the wonder kid known as Jeremy Lin. A guard like Lamb would feel like an even better addition with 1 of them.

9) Detroit Pistons - John Henson.
Joe Dumars can only shake his head at the Charlie Villanueva & Ben Gordon signings that handicap his flexibility. BUT, the additions of Rodney Stuckey and Greg Monroe through the draft has softened the blow. Now that Henson has shown he’s not the future of big men everywhere (which caused his draft position to move like a Geiger counter), he could be the yin to Monroe’s yang. Henson’s freakish wingspan will help corral some blocks & boards and improve Detroit’s interior play. No brainer.

10) Hornets - Kendall Marshall.
Marshall & Lillard has become this year’s topic of who do you take first, ala Rose/Beasley, Oden/Durant, & so on. Lillard is considered the better player all around but Marshall is the better “PG” whose decision making will help Eric Gordon, Anthony Davis and the rest of the Hornets better players.

11) Trail Blazers - Damian Lillard
Ok, if Portland didn’t move down to take a PG before, they’ll take whoever the other PG is that’s left. In reality, this is a trade chip. If they reach for 1 before, then either Perry Jones or Tyler Zeller get their tickets set for PDX. They could always throw a wildcard into the mix and draft someone like Austin Rivers to give them a scoring punch in the backcourt, but with him and possibly Jamal Crawford, will the ball ever escape to the frontcourt.

12) Milwaukee Bucks - Perry Jones.
His play has been sloppy & inconsistent despite the fact he still averaged 14 & 7 on a loaded Baylor team. Zeller could be picked here as well, but if given the choice, the idea of Ekpoh & Jones for the future is too good. If that doesn’t scare you, Jones could play the 3. Have fun.

13) Phoenix Suns - Austin Rivers.
Ladies and gentlemen, your very 1st reach of the draft. Austin Rivers Punchable Face (c/o @ClubTrillion) will be the backcourt weapon for Steve Nash to play with… Hopefully. If there’s no Nash, I’m sure Rivers will have no problem being the primary ball handler. His extreme ceiling is Russell Westbrook. His realistic clone is OJ Mayo. In reality, he could very well be like… Doc Rivers, a solid combo guard whose skillset allows him to utilize his teammates on his way to a high assist total to go along with his scoring prowess.

14) Houston Rockets - Tyler Zeller.
Best big man available. Houston has 1 need: depth. A star isn’t necessarily what they need moreso than the ability to have a reliable bench. If Rivers was here, then he could be the pick and then Houston could see if either Zeller or Meyers Leonard is available. In reality, Houston is gonna shop both their picks to see what they could get. Until then, let’s stick with the Tar Heel center.

15) Philadelphia 76ers - Terrence Ross.
Man, the paradox that is the Sixers. There is no 1 player starting where you wouldn’t say “we could be better off with someone else…” Including the leader known as Andre Iguodala, who is not a true #1 option. But they win. I don’t know how, but they do. The lineup just meshes well. So what do you with a team that sports Spencer Hawes, Elton Brand, Iguodala, Evan Turner and Jrue Holliday? BPA = Best Player available. They could solidify the 2nd unit in the post with Arnett Moultrie or Leonard. Instead, they opt to add Ross and now Lou Williams can run with him and Thad Young. Beast mode.

16) Rockets - Dion Waiters.
More of the same. They add a backcourt piece for depth. Watch for the trade here as well as I’m sure Houston will be active.

17) Dallas Mavericks - Terrence Jones
Eenie meenie miney… That’s going to be the strategy employed here. First and foremost, Deron Williams is the priority, so Marquis Teague could be an option but highly doubtful even if the aging Jason Kidd and the close to the end Jason Terry are still there. Leonard could be here, but they’re not gonna wait for him to gel alongside Nowitzki. Marion, though, has a protege in Jones who are both forwards who could do a little bit of this & a lil of that. Not to mention having Kidd & possibly Deron could allow Jones to grow as a shooter, which could making him a lethal stud & steal of the draft.

18) Minnesota Timberwolves - Moe Harkless.
I’m going to assume David Kahn doesn’t draft another PG (Ricky Rubio) or a PF (Kevin Love) because that’s just stupid. He still has Ridnour and Derrick Williams to back them up not to mention Anthony Randolph’s last chance. Instead Wes Johnson is in do or die mode. Harkless is a gamer, who if he needs to score, he has no problem taking the shot. So, now hopefully the young nucleus is complete and Minny can take that Sixers-like step to the playoffs, with a legit MVP candidate no less.

19) Orlando Magic - Meyers Leonard.
If Dwight Howard really isn’t coming back, then a contingency plan must be made. Reportedly, teams have to be patient if they snatch him up so why not learn from a year under the league’s best Center (sorry, Andrew Bynum).

20) Denver Nuggets - Arnett Moultrie.
It’s simple really. Javale McGee will bloom under George Karl. Danilo Gallinari is going to be the go to guy. Lawson will be the PG going forward. He’s not a true swing, but Wilson Chandler has the ability to play 3 positions and stretch the floor. The Manimal, Kenneth Faried, until he learns to have a true offensive game (or until someone is 100% on board with him being the 2nd coming of Dennis Rodman) will be better as an energy guy off the bench. That leaves Moultrie who can grab boards and has range to right inside the 3 point line.

21) Boston Celtics - Royce White
Let’s be real. The team was supposed to be higher in the draft and be in a position to grab Doc’s kid Austin. The inconsistent play of Philadelphia & New York screwed this up. With guys like Avery Bradley & Brandon Bass able to guard multiple positions, Royce White fits right in. His work ethic and NBA-ready body will allow him to bully anyone in their tracks.

22) Celtics - Evan Fourmier
You again? Celtics have a decision to make. Do they grab Teague to have him be Rondo insurance? Do they go big with a guy like Andrew Nicholson? I say they draft Ray Allen insurance and stash Fourmier, the French swingman for a year before they bring him over.

23) Atlanta Hawks - Quincy Miller
The backcourt seems solid with Joe Johnson & Jeff Teague, so Hawks look to Miller to solidify the wing depth as the defensive front of Q, Josh Smith and Al Horford may not win a height battle but could out reach anyone in a jump ball.

24) Cavaliers - Jeffrey Taylor
At this point in the draft, wings are abundant. If the Cavs end up taking Michael Kidd-Gilchrist instead with their earlier pick, then a swing could also be in play. Also, Fab Melo or Festus Ezeli could be in play here as Anderson Varejao & Tristan Thompson are the only big men under contract. Instead,I say they go with Taylor, another outside shooter and decent defender.

25) Memphis Grizzlies - Marquis Teague
Grizzlies would love to pick up Taylor as I’m sure Rudy Gay & OJ Mayo will be on the trading block to balance the books. Instead, they opt for Teague’s talent to backup Conley.

26) Indiana Pacers - Fab Melo.
The Most Valuable Player of the Pacers playoff run was Roy Hibbert. The All-Star (& possibly still improving) Center was key to Indiana getting as far as they did. And of course, Hibbert is a free agent. Contingency plan in full effect. While I think Ezeli is the better player, scouts feel as though Melo has more potential as he continues to lose fat and add muscle. And if they do sign Hibbert, not bad have another true Center in the fold.

27) Miami Heat - Doron Lamb
Heat would love to add a wing like Taylor or a guy like Royce White in the mix that could spell Lebron or Wade. I’d say they’d go for someone like Andrew Nicholson to improve the post, but unless they move Udonis Haslem, Joel Anthony or (gasp) Chris Bosh, he may end up trading stories with Juwan Howard & “The Incredible Shrinking Man” Dexter Pittman about life on the bench. Instead, they opt for Lamb who is a 2 guard who could play the 1 in a pinch and has a good outside game.

28) Oklahoma City Thunder - Festus Ezeli
The big 3 of Durant, Westbrook and Harden are untouchable. Even though they may lose to the Spurs, where there is no shame in that this season, perception is taking the best player available. It looks as though Ibaka has cemented himself as a constantly improving 4 man. With that said, the only choice is the Vanderbilt big man to be Perkins’ backup and potential successor.

29) Chicago Bulls - John Jenkins
Derrick Rose could use another backcourt weapon and pick up the latest JJ Redick clone Jenkins, who was arguably 1 of the best shooters in the nation the past 2 seasons.

30) Golden State Warriors - Andrew Nicholson
They would love for Ezeli or Melo to drop in their lap here. Who wouldn’t? They need some Bogut insurance. Instead, they take lunch pail worker Andrew Nicholson, who averaged 18 & 8 in college, and could grow into a more physical counterpart to David Lee.

There it is. The 1st round is complete. I based this on several mock draft sites as well as my own observations. I guess I’d be at fault if I didn’t mention my Knicks. Grunwald & co. should attempt to go after the best player available. Most likely, the 2nd round will have a bevy of PGs to go after. The candidates that may be around when their pick comes…

Scott Machado, who led the nation in assists. Decent size but did he overachieve on an Iona team with 2 former high D-1 recruits?

Tu Holloway, who is a born leader from Xavier but scouts question his size as is the case with any PG under 6’ tall.

Tyshawn Taylor, the Kansas PG who could go anywhere from late 1st to late 2nd, with his biggest attribute being his college pedigree followed by his combo guard ability.

Humor me with any of your queries. Danke.