2011 Early First Round Mock Draft - The Draft

[sterö]

I generated the lottery with help of the ESPN Lottery Mock Draft tool. Every team has 24 hours to pick otherwise I'll make the pick for the team.

The lottery was won by the Utah Jazz and the Kings moved up to the #3. To make the pick just post the player you'd like to draft and a short explanation why that player is a good fit to the team. After your pick please send a PM to the participant who's next on the board.

Here's the draftboard:
1. Kyrie Irving- Utah - Vlade4GM
2. Derrick Williams - Cleveland - bajaden
3. Enes Kanter - Sacramento - =LarryLegend=
4. Bismack Biyombo - Minnesota - Capt. Factorial
5. Jonas Valanciunas - Toronto - sterö
6. Jan Vesely - Washington - matthew76
7. Kemba Walker - Detroit - Gilles
8. Brandon Knight - Cleveland - bajaden
9. Terrence Jones - Charlotte - Dime Dropper
10. Alec Burks - Milwaukee - SacKings7
11. Kenneth Faried - Golden State - MANdry024
12. Kawhi Leonard - Utah - Vlade4GM
13. Marcus Morris - Phoenix - R2D2
14. Donatas Motiejunas - Houston - MANoICE
15. Jimmer Fredette - Indiana - Spike
16. Tristan Thompson - Philadelphia - Dime Dropper
17. Jordan Hamilton - New York - GoKings91
18. Markieff Morris - Washington - matthew76
19. Chris Singleton - Charlotte - Dime Dropper
20. Tyler Honeycutt - Minnesota - Capt Factorial
21. Nikola Mirotic - Portland - GoKings91
22. JaJuan Johnson - Denver - Spike
23. Lucas Nogueira - Houston - MANoICE
24. Justin Harper - OKC - Vlade4GM
25. Klay Thompson - Boston - sterö
26. Tobias Harris - Dallas - SacKings7
27. Reggie Jackson - New Jersey - kingsboi
28. Darius Morris - Chicago - MANoICE
29. Keith Benson - San Antonio - Capt. Factorial
30. Davis Bertans - Chicago - MANoICE

Let's go and have fun!

 

[MANoICE]

I think I see a mistake. I am not picking for Charlotte @ #9. Not sure who that was supposed to be. I have Houston and Chicago.

 

[MANoICE]

It looks like it was supposed to be Dime Dropper.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Has Vlade4GM been PM'ed that the draft is started? If not, we should do that.

 

[bajaden]

Just curious, but are we going to do a re-draft when we know what our real positions in the draft are? Which happens on the 17th of May if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Vlade4GM]

Yes! I rock! Go me!

With the 1st pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz select......

Kyrie Irving from Duke University

How perfect would this be for Utah? They get Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, a 2012 first round pick, and a stud PG prospect to replace Deron Williams. They can either groom Irving under Harris, or they can package Harris for a 2 or 3.

 

[sterö]

Just curious, but are we going to do a re-draft when we know what our real positions in the draft are? Which happens on the 17th of May if I'm not mistaken.

Basically we do our 2 round mock draft about 2 weeks before the draft with the real draft order. So this draft should have started way earlier, but it took some time until every team got a player

 

[kennadog]

Just curious, but are we going to do a re-draft when we know what our real positions in the draft are? Which happens on the 17th of May if I'm not mistaken.

Yep, lottery May 17th. Early entrant withdrawal deadline Jue 13th, draft June 23rd, no dates on the NBA official calendar after June.

http://www.nba.com/mastercalendar/masterCalendar.html

 

[sterö]

I think I see a mistake. I am not picking for Charlotte @ #9. Not sure who that was supposed to be. I have Houston and Chicago.

Thank you, I changed it! I was in a hurry when I set it up...

 

[Capt. Factorial]

So now we can all predict who Baja is going to pick here...

 

[bajaden]

After much internal agonizing with personal loyalities, and research into Cleveland's needs, after which I tried desperately to convince myself that they didn't really need this player. With the second pick in the draft, the Cav's pick, from the university of Arizona, the one, the great, PAINFULLY, Derrick Williams.

 

[bajaden]

I just want you all to know, that was a tough one. I really, really wanted to let him slide down to the Kings. However integrity prevailed. Damm!

 

[=LarryLegend=]

Maloofs really bummed AGAIN they didn't win this years weak draft, after a couple of long trade talks to trade down Petrie decides.......

Enes Kanter

Kings need shooting, playmaking and a starting SF, but Geoff goes BPA and rolls the dice after how well Memphis played in the playoffs Kings see a similarity in Zbo/Gasol and Cousins/Kanter, also the organization is worried about resigning of Samuel Dalembert.

Kanter has a strong frame, high basketball IQ, good size 6-11, 261 lbs,

 

[Capt. Factorial]

With Kevin Love the only big-time player of his 12 players under contract for next season, David Kahn knows he can't be picky in this draft. But let's look at the roster and see just what is most needed now that the potential stars may already be gone from this draft. At PG, Ridnour and Jonny Flynn are nothing special, but Kahn is just as convinced as ever that Ricky Rubio is finally coming over this season, which makes drafting a PG a poor idea. At the wing, Wesley Johnson and Michael Beasley both have a lot of potential, and Martell Webster makes a decent backup, with Wayne Ellington and Lazar Hayward (and Anthony Randolph, seeing as I don't consider him a post player) also able to take minutes. But look at that frontcourt: Love, Milicic, Pekovic, Tolliver. Perhaps the least athletic and defensively weakest frontcourt in recent memory.

So Kahn looks at his bad team defensive numbers, forgets to use a pace correction on his offensive numbers (and thus believes them to be better than they were), remembers that he's not at all scared to make a risky pick on a foreign prospect, straightens his tie and sends the following name to David Stern:

Bismack Biyombo, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Biyombo probably won't ever be a great offensive player, but he's an incredible athlete. He probably only stands 6'9" but with incredibly long arms (reported 7'7" wingspan) and ridiculously easy hops he can already block shots with the best of them. Add "strong as an ox" and "trendy pick" to his list of attributes, and Kahn can't help himself. Still, I think it's a decent fit.

 

[bajaden]

With Kevin Love the only big-time player of his 12 players under contract for next season, David Kahn knows he can't be picky in this draft. But let's look at the roster and see just what is most needed now that the potential stars may already be gone from this draft. At PG, Ridnour and Jonny Flynn are nothing special, but Kahn is just as convinced as ever that Ricky Rubio is finally coming over this season, which makes drafting a PG a poor idea. At the wing, Wesley Johnson and Michael Beasley both have a lot of potential, and Martell Webster makes a decent backup, with Wayne Ellington and Lazar Hayward (and Anthony Randolph, seeing as I don't consider him a post player) also able to take minutes. But look at that frontcourt: Love, Milicic, Pekovic, Tolliver. Perhaps the least athletic and defensively weakest frontcourt in recent memory.

So Kahn looks at his bad team defensive numbers, forgets to use a pace correction on his offensive numbers (and thus believes them to be better than they were), remembers that he's not at all scared to make a risky pick on a foreign prospect, straightens his tie and sends the following name to David Stern:

Bismack Biyombo, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Biyombo probably won't ever be a great offensive player, but he's an incredible athlete. He probably only stands 6'9" but with incredibly long arms (reported 7'7" wingspan) and ridiculously easy hops he can already block shots with the best of them. Add "strong as an ox" and "trendy pick" to his list of attributes, and Kahn can't help himself. Still, I think it's a decent fit.

As Jerry Reynolds has said many times, you don't rebound with the top of your head. Its all about standing reach...

 

[sterö]

Falling to #5 is a tough one for the Raptors. But with the 5th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft the Toronto Raptors select....

Jonas Valanciunas from Lithuania

This pick adds another international player to the Toronto Raptors. I thought about picking Walker or Knight here, but considering the Raptors may have already found there future point guard in Jerryd Bayless, Valanciunas is probably the best fit here. Toronto is desperately in need of big bodies with Bargnani obviously being to soft for a real center.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

sterö - you should probably update the original post in the thread as picks are made so that we can see at a glance who has been taken rather than having to go through all the posts.

 

[matthew76]

Falling to 6th is probably the worst thing that could have happened for the Wizards. However, with the 6th pick of the draft, the Washington Wizards select....

Jan Vesely (SF/PF) of Czech Republic

He is currently under contract, and the wizards could either buy him out and play him at SF, creating a giganto-lineup. They could also stash him in Europe for a few years and let him develop.

 

[Gilles]

Detroit takes BPA who at this point is Kemba Walker, junior PG from UConn. Don't particularly like him but he seems like he could be a decent lead guard which Detroit sorely needs.

 

[bajaden]

Well this was a tough one. Cleveland needs serious help at the center position, and there aren't any that I'm getting excited about. I thought about Motiejunas, but not being an expert on international players I decided to pass. There are some others that I like, but they would be a reach from this spot. So I decided to go with the BPA. So with the 8th pick in the draft, Cleveland selects Brandon Knight. PG, Kentucky.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Well this was a tough one. Cleveland needs serious help at the center position, and there aren't any that I'm getting excited about. I thought about Motiejunas, but not being an expert on international players I decided to pass. There are some others that I like, but they would be a reach from this spot. So I decided to go with the BPA. So with the 8th pick in the draft, Cleveland selects Brandon Knight. PG, Kentucky.

Pfffft. You used to be cool, man.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Since Knight was taken one spot ahead of me, I'm going to have to look elsewhere. The Bobcats have alot of solid players, but not alot of serious talent. I'm going to stick with BPA philosophy here. Charlotte pick Terrence Jones, and laugh all the way to the bank. Great value at number 9.

 

[SacKings7]

Hmm this Milwaukee Bucks roster is an interesting one. They have a sure-thing PG in Brandon Jennings and a sure-thing C in Andrew Bogut. The majority of the remaining roster is full of players that can play multiple positions in Salmons, Maggette, Delfino, Ilyasova n Sanders, not to mention Brockman and Drew Gooden. So their depth chart, excluding free agents, is as follows:

PG: Brandon Jennings, Keyon Dooling
SG: John Salmons, Corey Maggette
SF: Erson Ilyasova, Carlo Delfino, Corey Maggette
PF: Drew Gooden, Carlos Delfino, Jon Brockman
C: Andrew Bogut, Larry Sanders, Drew Gooden

Initially I'd like to take a chance on Donatas Matiejunas here, but they need backcourt depth since I consider Maggette more of a 3. Luckily there is a pretty good SG available. So with the 10th pick, the Milwaukee Bucks select Alec Burks out of Colorado. Probably won't be a star, but likely a solid NBA player.

 

[bajaden]

Pfffft. You used to be cool, man.

Life is full of little disappointments.. Sorry!

 

[King-Da-Yah]

With the 11th overall pick The Golden State Warriors select Kenneth Faried from Morehead State.

We are trying to make a change for the better here in the Bay, and part of that includes becoming a tougher, more physical team. Faried does just that for us, and provides rebounding, athleticism, and just a tough defensive, role playing competitor. We really liked Terrence Jones here, but sadly he did not fall. We welcome Mr. Faried here, and look forward to the Warriors making the playoffs in 2020! Can't Wait!

 

[Vlade4GM]

With the 12th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz select...

Kawhi Leonard from San Diego State University

I was definitely tempted to take Fredette here since I do think Utah will be lured by his hometown draw when this pick comes around in the real draft, but since they have Irving in this scenario, I don't think there's room for Fredette. So I went with BPA and a good replacement for Kirilenko. Can rebound, hustle, play off the ball, and play versatile defense, great fit with a playmaker like Irving.

 

[MANoICE]

I thought I would be the one slowing things down. ha ha

Just got my first smart phone today and this was the first site I bookmarked.

 

[R2D2]

Hill is turning 39. Vince is not worth 18 mil. All the Suns need to do is start a rebuild process.
They have a young promising PG in Nash (so they will hold this back for another year), but they desperately need to add talent. Not easily done from the 13th pick... So:
With the 13th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Pheonix Suns select...

Marcus Morris from KU

Note: Personally I think Burks fits their needs better, but he was gone at this point. I will not be surprised to see them trade down their pick...

 

[MANoICE]

With the 14th pick in the 2001 NBA draft, the Houston Rockets select:

Dontas Motiejunas, PF/C, 7'0", 220lbs., from Lithuania

With Yao being Yao (and a free agent) they need to add guys with size. While they could also use the best wing available, I think an athletic big that can stretch the floor for Scola, will fit better.

 

[Spike]

I was thiiiiis close. I was eagerly awaiting to snatch up Dontas, in what would have been a coup for the Pacers. With Hibbert and Hansbrough seemingly doing well, I needed a guard with a credible outside shot. Having seen him in person, I think he can fit the role nicely.

Jimmer Fredette 6'2", 195 BYU