Check out our first Mock Draft for the upcoming 2011 NBA Draft:

1. Cleveland - Kyrie Irving. Cleveland would be crazy not to take the Duke product (and Australian native…we had to throw that in there), Irving with the number 1 pick. They need a new start, a new floor leader and Irving is a true PG who can distribute, shoot, defend, makes good decisions and has NBA ready ball handling & speed. We personally have a draft-crush on Kemba Walker, but Irving makes the most sense for the Cavs. He also gives them some class…which they’ve lacked in all their Lebron-hating over the past 12 months.
2. Minnesota – Derrick Williams is the the most obvious choice here. He’s one of the very few NBA-ready players in the draft. Although we think they still have much work to do. The T-Wolves have finally secured the previously unrequited love of Ricky Rubio so drafting a point guard is out of the question. They have Anthony Randolph, Michael Beasley, Martell Webster & Wesley Johnson under contract filling up the 3 & 4 positions with Kevin Love also in the rotation. Our thinking is that Minnesota will trade this pick if they can’t move either Randolph or Beasley. It’s likely that they’ll trade down and take a SG or C that better suits them right now.
3. Utah - Brandon Knight. We don’t really get it. We like Knight but we don’t understand why Utah are hell-bent on taking a PG in the draft when they have  Devin Harris under contract for another 2 years and over $17m. But if their desire is a creating, pass-first point guard then Knight is the best option.
4. Cleveland – Enes Kanter. The Cavs will take Enes Canter here…but we feel Jan Vesely would be a better fit. The Cavs already have Varejao and JJ Hickson under contract with Antawn Jamieson also playing a lot of power forward… Vesely is a 6-11 combo forward who has a tonne of moves in the mid & low post. He’d slot in very nicely with the existing unit in Cleveland and we’d love to see it. But it’s likely we’ll see Canter picked at 4 as the Cavs are big on Kanter.
5. Toronto – Kemba Walker. The Raptors were terrible last season and need to take the best player available. The Raps have never been big on Calderon and Barbosa didn’t impress. Latest word is Barbosa is heavily considering the free agent market. Kemba could really revitalise this franchise and he’d make life a lot easier for Demar Derozan in the back-court sa well.
6. Washington – Kawhi Leonard. Some don’t see him going this high, but the guy has a great motor, is athletic and runs the floor with a lot of energy. Big time rebounder (pulled down 17 boards against UNLV), good instincts on the defensive end, good guy. Put him on the floor with Wall, Crawford, McGee & Blatche….hell yes.
7. Sacramento – Jimmer Fredette. He’s not exactly a pure point guard but the Kings can’t work with Beno Udrih anymore. Fredette is one hell of a shooter. Seriously, the guy can jack it up from 35ft and is a phenomenal scorer. Tyreke Evans is a slasher, a creator off the dribble…the Kings need a shooter in the backcourt to compliment Evans’ game and we think Fredette is the answer. He averaged 28.9ppg last season including a HUGE 52 points against New Mexico.
8. Detroit – Jonas Valanciunas. We’re sure Detroit are hoping that big Jonas falls this far. He’s the tough, rebounding, athletic, back-t0-the-basket big man that the Pistons need to allow Greg Monroe to play more outside and on the high blocks where he’s more comfortable.
9. Charlotte – Jan Vesely. Vesely would be the best option for Charlotte here. Before the signing of Rich Cho we would have some joke here about ‘does it matter? The Bobcats will screw up their pick anyway.’ But we have faith in Cho. Vesely would be a great pickup or perhaps the versatile Alec Burks.
10. Milwaukee – Marcus Morris. The Bucks have a good looking roster, they just struggled with cohesiveness & injuries last season. For the Bucks, you have to take the best player available who is going to play hard, get along with team-mates and score points (Bucks were last in the NBA in 10-11 in points per game. Tristian Thompson is also an option at pick 10 but for the folks down here at 3MW, we’d take Morris for sure. He’s a much better scorer, better shooter and has risen to fame alongside his brother Markieff so has no problem sharing the spotlight.
11. Golden State – Alec Burks. The Bobcats were second last in the NBA in scoring last season and Burks would be a nice addition. A 6-6 PG/SG with a great knack for getting to the line (7.9 free throw attempts a game last season), he’ll get to the basket in the NBA. Good passer, athletic, think Eddie Jones or Manu Ginobili.
12. Utah – Chris Singleton. He’s a very ‘Utah Jazz’ kinda guy. Strong, big, long, athletic, can defend extremely well, good attitude, good motor. No real ‘back to the basket’ game to speak of, but can hit a face-up jumper which could work in nicely with Al Jefferson. Still a good chance they’ll take Klay Thompson though.
13. Phoenix – Marshon Brooks. Smart player. Has good athleticism but unlike other draftees, Brooks doesn’t always rely on athletic gifts to create offense or get to the basket. He’s got a nice range of offensive moves, almost likea crafty veteran. Has been called out for his lack of athleticism, strength & speed… but everything we’ve seen is that Brooks certainly lacks strength (he was one of the weakest in bench press at the Draft Combine). But athleticism and speed he has…just doesn’t always play with it. He’s better than he’s been given credit for… lucky for Phoenix. A Marshon Brooks/Petrius/Childress combination at the 2-guard spot means the Suns don’t need to re-sign the continually dissapointing Vince Carter.
14. Houston – Bismack Biyombo. The Rockets may or may not have Yao Ming back in the lineup. After Yao, they have 35 year old Brad Miller, the raw & undeveloped Hasheem Thabeet and potentially could bring back the 6-6 Chuck Hayes. They really need some help in the middle and Biyombo could be that guy. Scouts are loving the 6-9 centre from the Congo in workouts and his draft stock is rising. Don’t be surprised if he goes even higher than 14.
15. Indiana – Klay Thompson. The Pacers are finally rid of TJ Ford, Jeff Foster, Jamaal Tinsley and potentially Mike Dunleavy Jr as well. That’s over $30m in salaries that they’ve really been waiting to wave goodbye to. Hopefully we’re seeing a revival of the Pacers now and what better way to do it than drafting a ‘Larry Bird’ kind of player. Klay Thompson (6-7 SG) can flat out shoot the rock. He averaged 22.1ppg in his junior season and a very good defender (he averaged 1.6 steals a game last season). He’s a tough competitor, from a small town and achieves much despite his lack of physical gifts. Sound like anyone? No wonder Larry Bird is a fan of this kid.
16. Philadelphia – Tristian Thompson. Not likely he’ll be here…some scouts are very, very big on Thompson. He plays very smartly, gets great position defensively, seals his man well for rebounds. Not much of a shooter, needs work offensively but will get minutes in the NBA for his defensive ability alone.
17. New York – Donatas Motiejunas. Motiejunas pulled out of the draft last year and it’s tough to say whether the extra year in Europe has increased his draft stock. Houston, Indiana and Philadelphia are all chances to pick the 7-0 F/C from Lithuania. Has a tonne of talent but is accused at times of being lazy and lacking energy. Donatas has played brilliantly in the Italian leagues, but his draft workouts have been short of terrible. The last thing New York needs is a potential problem, but with no GM and owner James Dolan making the pick… we expect the worst.
18. Washington – Markieff Morris. His brother Marcus has a bit more ‘wow’ factor, but Marfieff is one of those guys who does A LOT of things well. He may not be a standout post player, or shooter, or defender, etc, etc. But we’ll say again… he does A LOT of things quite well. He shot 59% from the field in his final year of college, makes good decisions. BUT, we think Washington will trade this pick. They have 13 players under contract going into 11-12, plus the 6th pick gives them 14 guys with guaranteed contracts. We don’t see them taking on another guaranteed contract with a lockout looming.
19. Charlotte – Jordan Hamilton. The 6-8 SG/SF from Texas can create his own shot and in a range of different ways, too. He’s a decent rebounder, so-so defender, but DOES have the ability to play in an NBA style of system. The Texas Longhorns have adopted an ex-Utah Jazz (see, Jerry Sloan) system, so Hamilton already has proven he can play in a system making him a decent pick at this point in the draft.
20. Minnesota – Tyler Honeycutt. The T-Wolves will have the 2nd pick to add to their young core of Love, Rubio, Beasley, Webster & others. They could trade this pick, but if they keep it then Honeycutt would be great. He’s a 6-8 SG, or SF, or perhaps a point… Honeycutt doesn’t really know what he is. Tonnes of potential, great basketball IQ but between positions and at only 187 pounds he may have a tough transition to the next level. The Wolves have players to play ahead of him and allow Honeycutt to develop. The team who can do that may be fortunate enough to do that could reap the benefits.
21. Portland – Trey Thompkins. The Blazers don’t have a great history of healthy Bigs, so we can see them taking the 6-10 power forward from Georgia. He’s not a brilliant athlete, but he’s got a nice post game, nice jump shot, great with either hand, doesn’t give up defensively. Ain’t gonna throw one down from the free throw line, but the Trailblazers could pick a lot worse at 21.
22. Denver – Malcolm Lee. Lee has shown in workouts that he’s one of the most underrated
23. Houston – Kenneth Faried. Yes, he’s only 6-7. But he averaged 14.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks a game last season. Amazing physical gifts, great leaping ability to go along with being one of the best (if not THE best) rebounders in this draft class.
24. OKC – Reggie Jackson. Apparently the Thunder have already made a promise to take Jackson if he’s still on the board. All more to fuel the rumour that Russell Westbrook will be shipped out of OKC this summer.
25. Boston – DeAndre Liggins. The Celtics are still hurting from the loss of Tony Allen. He guarded Lebron, he guarded Kobe, he guarded Dwayne Wade, he guarded everyone and they felt it come playoffs last season. Liggins is possibly the best on-the-ball defender in the draft. Maybe he’s not a first round pick, but as talented as Boston are they can probably afford to draft him at 25. He’s 6-6, 210, can guard all three perimeter positions, shoots the three at .391%…why not?
26. Dallas – Tobias Harris - The 6-8 combo forward from Tennessee has some great tools and has the NBA skill set, but we think he’ll get passed on/slept on.
27. New Jersey – Nikola Vucevic. Great size (6-11 & 260), can shoot the rock, has a comfortable range out to 18ft.
28. Chicago – Justin Harper. The 6-9 power forward shot 49% from three as a senior and 53% from the field. Ability to shoot that far out is going to mean a tonne of pick and rolls with D-Rose.
29. San Antonio – Iman Shumpert. So you’re sitting around saying ‘what would Coach Popp say?’ This is what we did, and we came up with Shumpert. If the Spurs don’t take him, then someone else will. And whoever that is will be happy. Shumpert has an EPIC amount of athleticism (he recorded a 42″ vertical leap at the Draft Combine), averaged 2.7 steals a game last year for the Yellowjackets…the guy has all the physical tools, can defend, looks after the ball…that alone will make Coach Popp happy.
30. Chicago – This pick is for sale at the moment so we’re going to cop out and say we’re undecided.

 

Just outside our first round:

Kyle Singler - The senior from Duke is a guy that’s worthy of going in the first round, but just not enough ‘wow’ factor for the guy.
Nolan Smith – Singler’s teammate at Duke averaged 21.3ppg last season. We don’t get why there’s not more interest in Smith, so he could end up being a steal.

Portland are in talks with Sacramento &  Toronto in an attempt to move up in the NBA Draft. Apparently the Blazers have Andre Miller on the table with their 17th pick with the plan to move up and nab UCONN’s Kemba Walker.

While we’re on the draft, we’ll go out on a limb and say Kentucky big Enes Kanter is overrated. He has some serious range for a big guy, but when you’re his size you are going to score points in college. We’re hearing top 3 from some places, but we see him more as just outside the lottery.

We won’t dwell on Game 2 of the Finals too much. There’s PLENTY of good journalism on ESPN and other networks to dig into the results of Dallas’ epic come-from-behind win in Game 2 against Miami. But for us… Shawn Marion. Yep, Dirk was amazing in the fourth quarter. Yes, Tyson Chandler was great. Rick Carlisle did a phenomenal job managing the minutes. Especially for Chandler (38 mins up from a post-season average of 31.5) and Jason Kidd (38 mins up from 34) who both looked fresh everytime they were on the floor. But Marion. Shawn Marion. The guy made a tonne of big plays. There were nine times in the game where Dallas were scoreless for more than a minute. Four of those times, Marion broke the drought. Not to mention, Marion was also guarding Lebron James in the fourth quarter (James shot 0-3 in the finalperiod, missing all three of his jumpshots in the final 3:27). Shawn Marion.

Goodbye Shaq, we’ll miss you.

Gilbert Arenas is back on twitter.

Donnie Walsh is out of NY, is Mike D’Antoni next?

Steve Nash was in the crowd for Game 2 in Miami and mentioned afterwards that it was the first live NBA game he’s attended since he was in College at Santa Clara.

We really thought better of the LA Lakers organisation than to hire a coach without talking to Kobe Bryant. Now, let’s be realistic…the Buss family own that team. They can hire, fire, do whatever they please. Kobe is an employee so they hardly need his approval. BUT, out of respect for the guy you are paying $30m to and helped get you 5 x championships…maybe you should have made a call and say ‘Hey Kobe, you like Mike Brown as a coach?’

If Isiah Thomas ends up back in the Knicks organisation, James Dolan should be taken away by the men in white coats to a ‘special hospital’.

A lot of movement out there (and not all about the draft) with 9 of the 30 first-round picks were involved in trades immediately. Some teams have put themselves in a better position for the biggest free agent summer in NBA history. But we’ve tried to focus on how teams DRAFTED, disregarding any efforts to free up cap room, trade for other players and so on. Here’s our 3MW Draft-Day Grades:

Atlanta D

Pick 27 – Jordan Crawford (SG)

Pick 53 – Pape Sy (SF).

Atlanta traded their 24^th pick to New Jersey for the Net’s 27^th. Crawford is a nice player, a good scoring combo-guard…but don’t Atlanta already have Jamal Crawford for that? The Hawks were exposed for their lack of bigs in the playoffs, yet with Hassan Whiteside, Dexter Pittman, Tiny Gallon and Daniel Orton still on the board…they took another combo guard?

Boston B-

Pick 19 – Avery Bradley (PG/SG)

Pick 52 – Luke Harangody (PF)

Bradley was quite coveted late in the draft. New York was one team who were working overtime to get a pick in the first round to nab him. We’re guessing you can say goodbye to the Nate Robinson experiment, and Bradley will get a lot of minutes backing up both Rondo & Allen. Harangody is a good pick this late, and will fit in with the Celts nicely.

Charlotte F

No picks, no trades, nothing. C’mon MJ, what’s doing?

Chicago D

Pick 17 – Kevin Seraphin (PF)

The Bulls are likely to trade Seraphin’s rights with Kirk Hinrich to the Wizards come July 8^th in a goal to give them more cap room to sign max free agents next week. Not a good draft result, but it’ll give them good capacity for a free agent. Either way, Seraphin’s not worth the 17^th pick.

Cleveland F

No picks, no trades, nothing. Wait to show Lebron how serious you are, Cleveland!

Dallas C+

Pick 25 – Dominique Jones (SG)

The Mavs traded away their second round pick to move into the first and get one of the most intriguing guard prospects in the draft. Good work to move into the first round, but not sure about the pick. They’re a little back-court heavy already, so we can probably expect a trade next week.

Denver F

No picks, no trades, nothing.

Detroit A

Pick 7 – Greg Monroe (PF/C)

Pick 36 – Terrico White (SG).

Monroe is the player the Pistons wanted. He’s very suited to Detroit and was the best big man in the draft after Cousins & Favors. But White is a STEAL! Possibly the steal of the draft.

Golden State B

Pick 6 – Ekpe Udoh (PF)

Udoh is a nice prospect and the Warriors finally had a draft where they didn’t draft a guard. GSW actually drafted for the position they need! So a good pick, but we still think Aminu or Monroe are better.

Houston B

Pick 14 – Patrick Patterson (PF)

Patterson is underrated, and could have gone higher. Is a great pick at 14, but the Rockets already have Luis Scola, so is Patterson at 6-9 going to play at centre? Or ride the pine? We will have to wait and see. Either way, they probably have taken the best player available.

Indiana C-

Pick 10 – Paul George (SF)

Pick 40 – Lance Stephenson (SG)

Pick 51 – Magnum Rolle (C)

Sorry Larry, we don’t understand. Unless you have some awesome trade in the works, you just drafted a great small forward, when you already HAVE a great small forward in Danny Granger. Lance Stephenson could prove a solid backup, and George IS a really fine player. But we just don’t see that you’ve drafted well. Sorry, Larry…we still love you, we just don’t understand you.

LA Clippers A

Pick 8 – Al-Farouq Aminu (PF)

Pick 18 – Eric Bledsoe (PG/SG)

Pick 54 – Willie Warren (PG/SG)

The Clips needed a power forward, and they needed some depth in the back-court. They got both. Aminu is a great pick and will be effective in the NBA on both ends of the court. In the backcourt, Bledsoe and Warren are similar players, both have a lot of potential, both have NBA-style games, and GMs around the league have had concerns about both of their attitudes. Admittedly, we were fans of both Bledsoe & Warren and we believe they could both turn into special players. A great draft for the Clippers.

LA Lakers B-

Pick 43 – Devin Ebanks (SF)

Pick 58 – Derrick Caracter (PF)

The Lakers had only two second round picks, and ended up with two young guys who could prove to be bargains. Ebanks early in draft talks was projected in the high-teens, whilst Caracter was a guy a lot of teams were talking about would be a good second-rounder. Lakers seem to have gotten good value for their picks here.

Memphis B+

Pick 12 – Xavier Henry (SG)

Pick 28 – Greivis Vasquez (PG)

Henry is a good addition and probably the best shooter across the board in this years draft. Henry gives the Memphis another quality offensive option and Vasquez is a tough guy who plays hard every step of the way. Vasquez could be great value at pick 28.

Miami C-

Pick 41 – Jarvis Varnado (PF)

Pick 42 – Da’Sean Butler (SF)

Only 2 picks, and more effort was going into creating cap-space on draft day than drafting picks. It’s showed, at 41 & 42, there were better options than Butler & Varnado.

Milwaukee C+

Pick 15 – Larry Sanders ( C)

Pick 37 – Darrington Hobson (SG)

Pick 44 – Jerome Jordan ( C)

Pick 47 – Tiny Gallon (PF)

Sanders, Jordan & Gallon will give the Bucks some youth in the paint to replace the departed Gadzuric. Hobson is a little unknown out of New Mexico, but comfortably played the 1, 2 & 3 in college. Some good selections for the Bucks.

Minnesota B+

Pick 4 – Wesley Johnson (SF)

Pick 30 – Lazar Haywood (SF)

Pick 39 – Nemanja Bjelica (SF)

Pick 45 – Paulo Prestes ( C)

Wes Johnson is pretty self-explanatory, he is a great, great talent. Haywood was a great scorer, rebounder & defender in college, has great upside in the NBA and kinda flew under the radar leading up to the draft. Coach Rambis & David Kahn did a lot of overseas scouting, hoping to draft a good talent that they could put on lay-away, as their roster is already brimming with young talent. Prestes & Bjelica won’t hit the NBA hardwood anytime soon. Also picked up Martell Webster & dropped Ryan Gomes. Questionable to trade the rights to Babbitt, but otherwise a good day for Sota.

New Jersey A

Pick 3 – Derrick Favors (PF)

Pick 24 – Damion James (PF)

Great work! All that talk about Favors, Cousins, Wes Johnson…who’s it going to be?!? It always should have been Favors, who is the best physical talent in the draft. The Nets then traded picks (27 for 24) to secure getting Damion James, the underrated power forward from Texas. Can’t tell you how excited we are for New Jersey to get these two power forwards. And in the process, they dropped the troublesome Chris Douglas-Roberts.

New Orleans C+

Pick 21 – Craig Brackens (PF)

Pick 26 – Quincy Pondexter (SG)

New Orleans needed more help than one player, so traded pick 11 to OKC for 21 & 26. Brackens and Pondexter could end up being good players in the NBA, but both are far from a certainty too.

New York C+

Pick 38 – Andy Rautins (PG/SG)

Pick 39 – Landry Fields (SF)

Rautins shot 40% from three in college, has endless range, is a solid on the ball defender and played on the Canadian National team. Fields had 4 solid years at Stanford, averaging 22ppg in the Pac-10 last season. It’s hard to call the Knicks, because they have so much up in the air this summer. They worked to try and get into the first round, but couldn’t. So with their 38^th & 39^th picks, they took two mature players who had good college careers.

OKC A-

Pick 11 – Cole Aldrich ( C)

Pick 31 – Tibor Pleiss ( C)

Pick 48 – Latavious Williams (SF/PF)

Pick 57 – Ryan Reid (PF)

Williams is the first D-Leaguer to be drafted into the NBA, and could prove a great role-player in the future. Draft-day trade, sending picks 21 & 26 to New Orleans for the rights to Cole Aldrich at 11. That’s brilliant for the Thunder. Aldrich is going to fit in nicely with this Thunder team and give them a little more muscle & defensive support in the middle. Pleiss likely won’t come to the NBA for another year or maybe two, Reid may not do much, but the strings pulled on draft day to get Aldrich is great work by the team at OKC.

Orlando C

Pick 29 – Daniel Orton (PF/C)

Pick 59 – Stanley Robinson (SF)

Another team who did the best with what they had. One thing Otis Smith has done, he’s drafted two good PEOPLE. Orton is very raw & unproven and Robinson didn’t impress in workouts. But both are good guys who could develop into handy role-players for an already stacked Magic team.

Philadelphia B

Pick 2 – Evan Turner (SG/SF)

With only the second pick, John Wall a certainty to go number 1, and the incredibly versatile & talented Turner available at 2… Philly weren’t going to pass on Turner, and weren’t going to screw up their only pick. Not much else to say, solid pick, no screw-ups.

Phoenix B-

Pick 46 – Gani Lawal (PF)

Pick 60 – Dwayne Collins (PF/C)

With only two picks in the draft (and in the latter part of the second round, no less) it’s acceptable that you may end up with not much to brag about. But with the 46^th & 60^th picks in the draft, the Suns have done ok. They got two young, athletic, hard-working bigs. Lawal could easily have gone in the late first round, so could end up being a bargain at 46.

Portland A

Pick 16 – Luke Babbitt (SF/PF)

Pick 22 – Elliot Williams (PG/SG)

Pick 34 – Armon Johnson (PG)

The Blazers sent Martell Webster to the T-Wolves in a draft-day trade. Webster is a nice player, but wasn’t developing to the level that the Blazers really expected. Luke Babbitt came in return, and he is a STEAL at pick 16. Babbitt will help bolster an injury prone (Oden & Pryzbilla) and aging (Juwan Howard & Marcus Camby) frontline. Williams at 22 was the guy they wanted and Armon Johnson could have gone as high as the high teens. The Blazers just got a lot younger, more versatile, and got great value in every one of their picks. Possibly the best work on draft night in the NBA was done by Portland.

Sacramento B+

Pick 5 – Demarcus Cousins ( C)

Pick 33 – Hassan Whiteside ( C)

The King may have selected to the two best centres in the draft. We’ll have to wait and see. Cousins will definitely be a force in the NBA, and Whiteside led the NCAA in blocked shots last season. Add these two young bigs to Sam Dalembert and Jason Thompson and you’ve got a good frontline. Cousins & Whiteside….we could be saying that a lot in the future.

San Antonio B-

Pick 20 – James Anderson (SG)

Pick 49 – Ryan Richards (PF)

At 6-6, a solid defender, and averaged over 20 points a game in college, there are a number of teams after pick 20 that are probably a little pissed that they didn’t get a chance to draft Anderson. Richards will likely stay in Spain for atleast another year, a good pick for a team that doesn’t necessarily need another player on the roster just yet. Spurs have picked well for their team needs right now, but could’ve used a centre too.

Toronto B

Pick 13 – Ed Davis (PF)

Only the one pick in the draft, and Toronto selected one of the best bigs available. Word was that Davis wasn’t going to get past Utah at number 9, he’s got all the tools to be a very good NBA power forward. Only question would be, why did you draft a power forward when you are trying to keep Chris Bosh? Unless you’re NOT trying to keep Bosh?

Utah C+

Pick 9 – Gordon Hayward (SF)

Pick 55 – Jeremy Evans (PF)

Utah picked a white guy (insert sarcastic comment about Utah loving white people here). Gordon Hayward is sure to be a good player, sure to be a good team-mate, sure to be coachable, but is he sure to be worthy of the number 9 spot? No. And why, when you had decent SG-SF-PF combinations in the playoffs, would you draft a SF? CJ Miles started at SF for the Jazz, and averaged 15.5ppg in the playoffs against the Lakers. We would have thought a centre would have been a better option. Evans is rather unproven, but a good shot-blocker.

Washington A

Pick 1 – John Wall (PG)

Pick 23 – Trevor Booker (PF)

Pick 56 – Hamady Ndiaye ( C)

Wizards picked John Wall with the number 1 pick…hard to go wrong there. But then they traded picks with Minnesota to move up to 23 and take Booker, whom they coveted. Smart draft-day trading to get the guy you want. Ndiaye out of Rutgers may handle himself well in the NBA, but is definitely a 56^th pick.

We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the NBA Draft.  Now we get to see just how accurate/wildly mistaken we were…

You can follow along the Draft live as it happens over at Sports Illustrated.

For those of you keeping score at home, here are the top 5 picks so far:

1. John Wall (Kentucky) to Washington
2. Evan Turner (Ohio State) to Philadelphia
3. Derrick Favors (Georgia Tech) to New Jersey
4. Wes Johnson (Syracuse) to Minnesota
5. Demarcus Cousins (Kentucky) to Sacramento

 

1. Washington – John Wall. Evan Turner’s agent David Falk cancelled interviews & workouts with Washington, convinced that the Wizards are taking Wall. Wall is a superstar…even as a number 1 pick, he’s STILL underrated.
2. Philadelphia – Evan Turner. Pending a draft day trade, this is a certainty. 
3. New Jersey – Derrick Favors. We still think they’ll take Favours.  They traded away Chris Douglas-Roberts yesterday, and you could jump to the conclusion that they going to replace their departed swingman with Johnson, but we think the talk of Wes Johnson being drafted here is being drummed up by NJ trying to force the T-Wolves to trade up.
4. Minnesota – Wesley Johnson.  Makes the most sense here.  Johnson is a quality player & person.
5. Sacramento – Demarcus Cousins.  Worth the gamble, regardless of the attitude.  Imagine a Beno, Tyreke, Casspi, Cousins & Dalembert lineup?  Sac have pointed to Cousins as a definite for them.
6. Golden State – Ekpe Udoh. Udoh is a lean 235 at 6-10, but is strong and has amazing shot-blocking ability. Will be able to step in and defend NBA power-forwards & most centres straight away. Let’s be honest, this organisation picks great players they don’t need. 3MW would say Monroe or Aldrich is the best pick here, but who knows…. but Larry Riley could trade the pick to New York for Sergio Rodriquez and start 5 point guards. Word has been, though, that Don Nelson & Larry Riley are both bang-up for a rebounding, scoring power-forward.
7. Detroit – Greg Monroe. The Pistons would be ecstatic if Monroe was here.
8. LA Clippers – Al-Farouq Aminu.  20 & 10 guy in the ACC would help the Clips.  Is alot tougher than he’s been given credit.
9. Utah – Luke Babbitt. Babbitt is a solid combo-forward, but unlike a few other combo forwards in this draft, he really does have the athleticism to defend NBA 3’s and strength to play with the 4s.
10. Indiana – Ed Davis. This 6-9 PF in a few years time could be a steal! The knocks on his game are he’s not strong enough, and needs a bit of range…..that’s all. Everything else is there, just no real wow-factor like some of the guys above, but looks great in workouts.
11. New Orleans – Paul George. Paul George is a 6-8 SF who could slot in nicely with a team that already has a few scoring options. George’s strengths are defence, running the floor, and he was in the league leaders in assists for all SFs in college. Nice player, not a tonne of offence in college, but looking awesome in workouts and with some work could be very effective.
12. Memphis – Patrick Patterson. We love this guy, and think he’s worth a top-10, but for Memphis, he’d slot in really nicely if he’s here at 12.
13. Toronto – Avery Bradley. Bradley could go a lot higher, but being only 6-2, NBA execs will look past him and get embarressed because of it. If Bradley is still available, the 6-2 PG/SG would be a great addition. He’s getting a lot of props from G.Ms around the league. New York are reportedly working to get a first round pick so they can try and draft Bradley.
14. Houston – Cole Aldrich. He’s big, solid, plays with his back to the basket, and is a hard-worker. Averaged 3 blocks a game in college, not bad for a guy only 6-9 to 6-10 with not the physical gifts of a Cousins, Whiteside or Aminu. Aldrich could still be snapped up higher, but with no FAHO, will likely fall… would be a good selection at 14 if he’s still here.
15. Milwaukee – Gordon Hayward. Most coveted player in the draft overall, just not worth much higher a pick than here. Would be VERY Milwaukee.
16. Minnesota – Xavier Henry. The T-Wolves have all the young talent you could want and will get a solid pick at number 4 above. At this stage, we think they’ll either trade/sell the pick to a team without a first rounder like New York or Oklahoma City. If they keep it, Henry is a solid pick here.
17. Chicago – Armon Johnson. Johnson could become a very good back-up PG. Has all the tools, the size, and does everything well….just not great…yet. He’s a pretty fearless little dude, so could thrive with the challenges in the NBA. Was one of the best shooters at the recent combine aswell.
18. OKC (Mia trade) – Damion James. He was a team-mate of Kevin Durant’s at Texas, and KD has openly said he wants James. Regardless, (6ft7) averaged 11.2 boards a game…read that again…what a monster!!! Moves like a guard and is really fit, playing over 30 minutes a game in college.
19. Boston – James Anderson. He’s a gun-slinging lock-down defender at 6-6. Scored a tonne of points in college, but didn’t shoot the ball real well in the combine. Although he did have one of the quickest releases out there. Could very well be a shooter who’s a game shooter, not a practice shooter.  
20. San Antonio – Gani Lawal. He pulled out of the draft last year to spend another year at Georgia Tech to work on his game. He’s a 6-9 PF who can score & rebound, and is very much a Coach Popp kind of player. If we are being completely honest with ourselves though, he ikely won’t go this high, as no wow-factor.
21. OKC – Hassan Whiteside. Whiteside could go a lot higher, but why not take a shot-blocking monster at 21?
22. Portland – Elliot Williams. 6-4 shooting guard out of Memphis who’s a great on the ball defender and rebounds well for a guard too. Portland are a huge fan.
23. Minnesota – Nemanja Bjelica. 6-10 SF from Serbia has great versatility, passing, size, and experience in a professional league in Serbia. But crosses against him are defence, quickness, strength, etc. It’s terrible to say, he’s a typical young Euro kid that needs time to develop. Coach Rambis has been to Serbia in the last few days though, and is a fan. That is, if Minnesota keep this pick.
24. Atlanta – Eric Bledsoe. Worth a gamble at 24. This guy could be one of the top 5 players from this draft in years to come. Word is though that the Hawks are looking to sell this pick because whomever they draft has guaranteed money…which means the Hawks have guaranteed luxury tax, which they don’t want/can’t afford when they are focusing all their $$$ to try and keep Joe Johnson.
25. Memphis – Kevin Seraphin. The 6-9 PF/C from France has all the tools for the NBA, but just injured knee very similar to the injury Lakers centre Andrew Bynum is nursing. Could put him into the mid-late second round now, but word is he may even pull out of the draft altogether. Would be a good selection to put on lay-by and have come to the USW in another few years.
26. OKC – Larry Sanders. Would fill out a great front-line ni OKC.
27. New Jersey – Devin Ebanks. Could go mid-teens, but if still here, would be a solid pick.
28. Memphis - Greivis Vasquez. The Grizz have LOVED him in workouts.
29. Orlando – Quincy Pondexter. Pondexter (6-7 SF) is another guy who does a lot of good things, is a sound player and person, but is already 22 years old, so scouts won’t get the whole ‘potential’, ‘upside’ and FAHO. So he’ll drop, maybe even to the second round, but a polished guy who averaged 19 points & 7 boards in college is worth a pick here for sure.
30. Washington – Domonique Jones. The dude has NBA scoring ability. He’s a SG who seems to me like Chris Douglas-Roberts two years ago, had that NBA ability, but with the systems they run in college, you don’t always get to see it. He still may not go first round.

 

Just outside our first round

Jordan Crawford. Remember the stories about the kid who dunked on Lebron and the tapes were confiscated, etc….well, that’s this 6-4 SG out of Xavier. Crawford showed that he can shoot the rock aswell, lighting it up at the recent shooting drills combine. He was the 6th best shooter on the day, including tops in three point shooting, hitting 20 of 25 from NBA three range.

Craig Brakens 6-10, plays PF and also moves to the 3 spot. Is big, long, but not strong. Doesn’t play either forward spot overly well, but could blossom. Hasn’t looked great so far and teams think he’s more a mid-second rounder.

Terrico White. Has torn it up in workouts, looking like the most athletic guy out there (one of the fastest in ¾ court sprints, and hit a maximum 11”9 in his vertical touch…which was good for 12th out of the 30 draftees that did the test. Not bad for a guy 6-5. YEP. 6-5, and he gets up to 11”9 on the run. Crazy. Scouts keep commenting on his natural feel for the game. White could be something special.

Stanley Robinson. The 6-8 combo forward from UCONN isn’t getting heaps of love, and whilst we liked him as a late-first-rounder the love affair is wavering after some so-so showings at the combine. He’s a strong, mature, fit (played 35 mins a game in college) defensive-minded guy who would still be a decent early second-round pick. A guy who can compete & defend against good competition in college for 35 mins a game is worth taking a chance on.

Willie Warren. There is no question Warren has an NBA game, but attitude concerns are there. He’ll likely tear it up in the NBA and make us all look stupid.

Jerome Randle. Randle is small at 5-10 and was turnover prone at California. But shot the three at 40%, free throws at 93%, was fit enough to play over 35 mins a game in college and finished at the basket as well as any other PG. Will get passed on because of his height though.

Solomon Alabi. Was predicted originally to be around the high teens, but teams are looking at that 7-1 kid that only pulls down 6.0 rebounds a game in college…if you’re 7-1, and only getting 6 boards a game in college then you’re a lazy-ass. But in saying that, the Celtics recently put Alabi through his paces and in his mental aptitude test he recorded the highest score ever for the Celts. Other teams have also interviewed & worked out Alabi and really like him, so could be a first rounder.

Daniel Orton. 6-10 & 255 with great potential. He wasn’t very polished in workouts so far, looking a little out of his depth. And at the end of the day, only played 13 mins a game off the bench in college. Teams like Orton, but know he needs a few years to work on his game. Could in time be a solid backup big