Draft Express Mock Draft

[OptimusRhyme]

http://www.draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=2130


Detailed First Round Mock Draft, 6/20by: DraftExpress June 20, 20071 Trailblazers Greg Oden C
19 years old; 7'0"; 257 lbs.
Ohio State, Freshman

Even if Durant is a better fit in terms of pure need, the Blazers don’t want to risk passing up the next great NBA big man.

2 SuperSonics Kevin Durant SF/PF
18 years old; 6'10"; 215 lbs.
Texas, Freshman

Sam Presti’s start with the SuperSonics gets a huge shot in the arm by taking arguably the biggest talent in this draft.

3 Hawks Al Horford PF/C
21 years old; 6'10"; 246 lbs.
Florida, Junior

Billy Knight’s job is on the line, so he goes for the sure thing in selecting a rock-solid national champion who is ready to contribute immediately.

4 Grizzlies Mike Conley Jr PG
19 years old; 6'1"; 175 lbs.
Ohio State, Freshman

With Horford off the board, the Grizzlies look to solidify the most important position in basketball by selecting their point guard of the future.

5 Celtics Jeff Green SF/PF
20 years old; 6'10"; 228 lbs.
Georgetown, Junior

Doc Rivers gets his wish by adding a smart, versatile, experienced forward who can give him minutes right away.

6 Bucks Brandan Wright PF
19 years old; 6'10"; 200 lbs.
North Carolina, Freshman

The Bucks can’t believe their luck in seeing possibly the third most talented player in the draft fall to them at #6.

7 Timberwolves Spencer Hawes C
19 years old; 7'1"; 244 lbs.
Washington, Freshman

Kevin McHale gets the skilled big man he’s coveted for some time now to compliment KG.

8 Bobcats Corey Brewer SF
21 years old; 6'8"; 185 lbs.
Florida, Junior

The Bobcats get yet another big time college star with an NCAA championship underneath his belt, giving them depth at the swing positions and insurance should Gerald Wallace decide to bolt.

9 Bulls From Knicks Joakim Noah PF/C
22 years old; 7'0"; 223 lbs.
Florida, Junior

Noah falls to exactly the team that fits him best under Scott Skiles’ tough-nosed mentality, allowing him to continue to do what he does best-- help win games.

10 Kings Yi Jianlian PF/C
22 years old; 7'0"; 230 lbs.
Guangdong Tigers, International

Jianlian stays in California like his agent wants and the Kings get a very nice piece for their rebuilding effort.

11 Hawks From Pacers Acie Law PG
22 years old; 6'4"; 186 lbs.
Texas A&M, Senior

The Hawks finally draft a point guard and one-up themselves by taking someone who can play right away and has a big-time winning mentality to boot.

12 76ers Al Thornton SF/PF
23 years old; 6'7"; 221 lbs.
Florida State, Senior

More length and athleticism on the wing for a team that can afford to take the best player available at this spot, but needs someone with a go-to scoring mentality.

13 Hornets Nick Young SG/SF
22 years old; 6'7"; 206 lbs.
USC, Junior

The Hornets pick arguably the best shooting guard in this draft, satisfying their biggest need.

14 Clippers Javaris Crittenton PG
19 years old; 6'5"; 194 lbs.
Georgia Tech, Freshman

The Clippers are desperate for a point guard and Crittenton has the size and upside to help them forget about Shaun Livingston’s unfortunate injury.

15 Pistons From Magic Rodney Stuckey PG/SG
21 years old; 6'5"; 207 lbs.
Eastern Wash., Sophomore

The Pistons take an athletic and extremely talented combo guard to bring off the bench, fulfilling a need and staying true to their personal M.O.

16 Wizards Julian Wright SF/PF
20 years old; 6'9"; 211 lbs.
Kansas, Sophomore

The Wizards can’t believe their fortune when a player projected for most of the year as a top-5 pick falls right into their hands in the middle of the first round.

17 Nets Jason Smith PF/C
21 years old; 7'0"; 233 lbs.
Colorado State, Junior

New Jersey needs an athletic big man who can run the floor and fill the lane for Jason Kidd, and get exactly that here.

18 Warriors Tiago Splitter PF/C
22 years old; 7'0"; 245 lbs.
TAU Vitoria, International

Splitter probably won’t be able to come over this season, but picking him here will prove to be a prudent move for Chris Mullin down the road.

19 Lakers Josh McRoberts PF/C
20 years old; 6'10"; 240 lbs.
Duke, Sophomore

McRoberts’ skill-set was tailor made for Tex Winters’ triangle offense, and he gets to stay in Los Angeles where he is already based with his agent Arn Tellem.

20 Heat Thaddeus Young SF/PF
18 years old; 6'8"; 210 lbs.
Georgia Tech, Freshman

Miami covets an athletic small forward who can shoot the ball and Young fills that description to a T, along with possessing serious upside to groom alongside Dwyane Wade.

21 76ers From Nuggets Rudy Fernández SG
22 years old; 6'6"; 172 lbs.
DKV Joventut, International

With 3 first round picks, the 76ers can afford to pick a player with lottery talent who likely won’t be able to come over this year due to contractual obligations in Europe.

22 Bobcats From Raptors Morris Almond SG/SF
22 years old; 6'6"; 215 lbs.
Rice, Senior

The Bobcats get not only one of the best shooters in this draft, but also a guy with arguably the best intangibles.

23 Knicks From Bulls Daequan Cook SG
20 years old; 6'6"; 203 lbs.
Ohio State, Freshman

The Knicks have taken a liking to this freshman, who many feel may have developed into a lottery pick had he stayed another year at Ohio State. He also fills a need in terms of his outside shooting.

24 Suns From Cavaliers Marco Belinelli SG
21 years old; 6'5"; 192 lbs.
Climamio Bologna, International

The Suns need help at the swing positions and Mike D’Antoni loves all things Italian. Belinelli can also shoot with great range and no conscious, which is also a huge plus in this offense.

25 Jazz Sean Williams C
20 years old; 6'10"; 230 lbs.
Boston College, Junior

With a team stacked with young talent locked into long term contracts, the Jazz can afford to gamble on a player with lottery talent, but minor-league intangibles, who also happens to fill a need.

26 Rockets Nick Fazekas PF/C
22 years old; 6'11"; 225 lbs.
Nevada, Senior

Statistically, there is a case to be made for Fazekas to be considered the second best player in this draft. Moneyball disciple Daryl Morey values that as much as anyone, filling a great need in taking a power forward who can pass and shoot the ball as well as any big man in this draft.

27 Pistons Derrick Byars SG/SF
23 years old; 6'7"; 215 lbs.
Vanderbilt, Senior

After trading Carlos Delfino, the Pistons need a swingman who can contribute right away. Byars fits that description, and also has the added benefit of being a defensive oriented player from a structured college system who can pass and shoot the ball and understands his role.

28 Spurs Jared Dudley SF/PF
21 years old; 6'7"; 219 lbs.
Boston College, Senior

At the end of the first round, San Antonio gets an experienced role player with a “Spurs mentality” that can come in and play right away thanks to his perimeter shooting, passing, and rebounding skills.

29 Suns Petteri Koponen PG
19 years old; 6'5"; 194 lbs.
Honka Playboys,

The Suns need to start grooming a point guard to help ease the load on their aging superstar Steve Nash, and Koponen has the learning curve and the intangibles to soak up his lessons and even give Phoenix some help at the off-guard position as well.

30 76ers From Mavericks Taurean Green PG
21 years old; 6'1"; 173 lbs.
Florida, Junior


I found this mock to be very reasonable, all the picks make sense and if its true A+ draft for us!
Yi Jian Lian would be a perfect player to start rebuilding with, Martin,Garcia,JianLian already looks like a very good core for the future. Plus whatever trades go through and next years loto pick and this team is rollin for rebuilding.


http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=44
Profile^

 

[Vlade4GM]

I love any scenario that gets us Yi.

 

[jtt]

Yi

If the 7'5" Ming can't play D and rebound, what in the hell are we thinking in getting Yi? Well, we can get Yi and let people have their layup and dunk drills inside so we can get a good lottery next year and get Hibbert. We need to start planting some trees. No more stumps. It's going to be a silly motley crew out there next year. I would move Artest out and get another shooter. Forget D. Just run screens and shoot when you're open. All those fools can shoot. They're just too shy. Garcia and Douby were bombers in college. Just give them PT and tell them to keep on shooting. Yi would fit right in. That's our identity. No more half-arse D and half-arse post up. Back to the old days of run and shoot.

 

[ParniValjak]

I love any scenario that gets us Yi.

Ditto

 

[Bricklayer]

I have no reason to expect Yi to be a defensive stalwart, but there is absolutely no comparison whatsoever between he and Yao aside from the shallow nationality, and in a nation with 3 times the population of the U.S. that's like saying that Shaq's game is comparable to KG just because they are both American.

 

[jtt]

Yi is Eurostyle

I have no reason to expect Yi to be a defensive stalwart, but there is absolutely no comparison whatsoever between he and Yao aside from the shallow nationality, and in a nation with 3 times the population of the U.S. that's like saying that Shaq's game is comparable to KG just because they are both American.

The scouting report has Yi as a Eurostyle player. You know what that entails. European big men shoot from way outside. We've done well with that style with the likes of Divacs so why not? Let's bring back Pete Carile and run some Princeton and start running up the scoreboards again. I miss those days. Don't you?

 

[ParniValjak]

The scouting report has Yi as a Eurostyle player. You know what that entails. European big men shoot from way outside. We've done well with that style with the likes of Divacs so why not? Let's bring back Pete Carile and run some Princeton and start running up the scoreboards again. I miss those days. Don't you?

Err..... Divac had a post game in case you didn't know.

Yi would easily be the best available player at 10 so lets pick him. He also happens to be a 7'0", athletic and can shoot. Hey if he develops into a Pau Gasol or anything in that league, I will be very happy.

Is he going to be a defensive force?! No but that doesn't mean that Yi doesn't have the potential to be an All-Star.

 

[Vlade4GM]

If the 7'5" Ming can't play D and rebound, what in the hell are we thinking in getting Yi? Well, we can get Yi and let people have their layup and dunk drills inside so we can get a good lottery next year and get Hibbert. We need to start planting some trees. No more stumps. It's going to be a silly motley crew out there next year. I would move Artest out and get another shooter. Forget D. Just run screens and shoot when you're open. All those fools can shoot. They're just too shy. Garcia and Douby were bombers in college. Just give them PT and tell them to keep on shooting. Yi would fit right in. That's our identity. No more half-arse D and half-arse post up. Back to the old days of run and shoot.

Just based on that comment right there you know nothing about Yi other than he's Chinese.

 

[Vlade4GM]

The scouting report has Yi as a Eurostyle player. You know what that entails. European big men shoot from way outside. We've done well with that style with the likes of Divacs so why not? Let's bring back Pete Carile and run some Princeton and start running up the scoreboards again. I miss those days. Don't you?

You sure like to generalize an awful lot, why don't you actually take the time to read a scouting report before you pretend to know anything about him.

 

[Jerichoholic]

Yi would be a great pick up, especially with Theus' run and gun style, but I doubt he'll be available at 10. Expect Boston at 5 or whoever trades with them, but my guess is he'll be gone at 5.

 

[Vlade4GM]

Yi would be a great pick up, especially with Theus' run and gun style, but I doubt he'll be available at 10. Expect Boston at 5 or whoever trades with them, but my guess is he'll be gone at 5.

celtics and bulls are probably the ones standing in our way. The bulls pass on him if Noah is available IMO but Boston would need to take a wing player.

 

[jtt]

I read. Can you read?

You sure like to generalize an awful lot, why don't you actually take the time to read a scouting report before you pretend to know anything about him.

http://www.hoopshype.com/draft.htm
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Yi Jianlian 7-0 PF Guangdong Southern Tigers (China) / 1987[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]An extremely agile seven-footer who has been on the radar for quite some time already despite his youth. Impressive skills facing the basket. Has a very nice jump-shot and the ballhandling skills to take his man off the dribble. Lower body strength is solid, but is in desperate need of bulk in the upper body. Defensive and rebounding potential is a concern, as is the level of competition he faces in the Chinese league. Doesn't have must of a post game, besides an effective turnaround jumper. True age is a question mark.

http://nbadraft.net/admincp/profiles/yijianlian.html

Don't get delusional. You will be disappointed.


[/FONT]

 

[Vlade4GM]

I've read scouting reports, pre-draft workout updates, I've watched a number of his games so yea I think I know what's up with him. He's not going to be a dominant rebounder, but with his length, height and leaping ability it's not unreasonable to expect him to be a 8+ rebounder. As far as his defense, he's got good length, quick hands, and good lateral quickness. He lacks strength, but outside that he has all the tools to be a good defender, not great but good. IMO he has better overall defensive tools than Gasol did when he entered the league and he's one of the better shot blockers in the game. He can handle well for a big, he's got a good turn around fade away out to 18 feet and he can finish in transition very well. His big question marks are his aggressiveness and upper body strength. Yea, he's not a low post player but there aren't a lot of low post players in the NBA anymore. Most of the dominant bigs are high post PF's like JO, KG, Amare, and Gasol. None of those guys are back to the basket players. Anyways, Pau Gasol is a more than fair comparison for Jianlian and he's more athletic than Gasol. Thinking we can do much better at 10 than Jianlian is just naive.

 

[uptempo-kings]

i don't think there is no way the bulls will let yi slide pass them, i see him in a c's uni and the celtics picking him at 5

 

[jtt]

Can't do better at 10 than Yi

I've read scouting reports, pre-draft workout updates, I've watched a number of his games so yea I think I know what's up with him. He's not going to be a dominant rebounder, but with his length, height and leaping ability it's not unreasonable to expect him to be a 8+ rebounder. As far as his defense, he's got good length, quick hands, and good lateral quickness. He lacks strength, but outside that he has all the tools to be a good defender, not great but good. IMO he has better overall defensive tools than Gasol did when he entered the league and he's one of the better shot blockers in the game. He can handle well for a big, he's got a good turn around fade away out to 18 feet and he can finish in transition very well. His big question marks are his aggressiveness and upper body strength. Yea, he's not a low post player but there aren't a lot of low post players in the NBA anymore. Most of the dominant bigs are high post PF's like JO, KG, Amare, and Gasol. None of those guys are back to the basket players. Anyways, Pau Gasol is a more than fair comparison for Jianlian and he's more athletic than Gasol. Thinking we can do much better at 10 than Jianlian is just naive.

No, we can't do better at 10 than Yi. With Hibbert out, this draft is not as stacked as people had hoped. Musclehead might still have a job if we lost the last game and got Oden or Durant as a result. But again, they don't call him Musclehead for no reason. I think Theus will do alright with Yi. There is no pressure to get to the playoff so it's a different ball game. Theus probably will give Yi a chance to learn and develop and I think Yi might come along just like Alex Smith. That guy was horrible to begin but got playing time preference. Look how he's developed. Same thing with Gerald Wallace and KMart once they got their chance with PT. For Yi, it's all about mental toughness. The NBA can be rough on foreign players. Only the tough minded ones can shine.

 

[fnordius]

http://www.hoopshype.com/draft.htm
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Yi Jianlian 7-0 PF Guangdong Southern Tigers (China) / 1987[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]An extremely agile seven-footer who has been on the radar for quite some time already despite his youth. Impressive skills facing the basket. Has a very nice jump-shot and the ballhandling skills to take his man off the dribble. Lower body strength is solid, but is in desperate need of bulk in the upper body. Defensive and rebounding potential is a concern, as is the level of competition he faces in the Chinese league. Doesn't have must of a post game, besides an effective turnaround jumper. True age is a question mark.
[/FONT]

They left out the part about his being the most prolific dunker in the history of Chinese basketball. (They track that as a stat there, and by mid-January Yi had 314 dunks, breaking Yao Ming's career record.) Some would consider that to be indicative of an inside game, rather than being a Euro style player who lived and died by the jumper. I've never been overwhelmed by the quality of writing at hoopshype, but I think this is a very flawed review even by their standards.

Watch the guy play, and you'll see what I mean.

I'd be delighted to get Yi at #10, but I don't think it's going to happen.

 

[Jerichoholic]

If Yi does somehow slip past number 5 I agree that the Bulls at 9 will be our biggest problem, and that's not just with Yi either. The Bulls seem to be interested in Yi, Noah, and Hawes. Let's hope that Hawes is their man.

 

[allrightythen]

I'd love Yi I just seriously doubt that he makes all the way to 10. If that happens then I'm all for taking him. I think he's got a great chance at being a star in the NBA. I think the Yao comparisons are a little silly, other that being tall and Chinese they have little in common as far as basketball is concerned. Yi is a quick 7 footer more in the mold of Dirk than a post player like Yao. Not saying he's gonna be Dirk or anything but I think he's got that type of game.

I wonder what the chances are of us getting up a little higher in the draft and ensuring ourselves one of the better big men prospects. I gotta wonder about how available Boston's pick might be. They won't get Durant or Oden like they wanted and they are already so terribly young, I wonder if, with the right package, we could slide up a little and get us in that J Green/A. Horford/B. Wrigth/Yi area. Just a thought.

 

[jtt]

Don't worry, we'll get Yi

I'd love Yi I just seriously doubt that he makes all the way to 10. If that happens then I'm all for taking him. I think he's got a great chance at being a star in the NBA. I think the Yao comparisons are a little silly, other that being tall and Chinese they have little in common as far as basketball is concerned. Yi is a quick 7 footer more in the mold of Dirk than a post player like Yao. Not saying he's gonna be Dirk or anything but I think he's got that type of game.

I wonder what the chances are of us getting up a little higher in the draft and ensuring ourselves one of the better big men prospects. I gotta wonder about how available Boston's pick might be. They won't get Durant or Oden like they wanted and they are already so terribly young, I wonder if, with the right package, we could slide up a little and get us in that J Green/A. Horford/B. Wrigth/Yi area. Just a thought.

Besides Oden, Durant and Horford, it's a toss up. All the other big men don't really blow anybody away. They all need a lot of development. The other teams need to start winning already. We're in great position to take someone we can develop-Hawes, Wright, Yi. I see that Wright is probably not realistic for us since he has more upside so he won't be around at 10. We should be able to get Hawes or Yi.

 

[ovrush]

Yi would be fantastic as would Noah. We pretty much have to hope that someone reaches ahead of us for one of those two to slide to us. In this mock it was Green going at 5 which is really REALLY high for him. Anyways I would be ecstatic if Yi or Noah slid to us. Sure Yi doesn't solve our major size problem but he is a guy who could wind up being a franchise type player as a 7 foot small forward with tremendous shooting range.

 

[Kingster]

I've read scouting reports, pre-draft workout updates, I've watched a number of his games so yea I think I know what's up with him. He's not going to be a dominant rebounder, but with his length, height and leaping ability it's not unreasonable to expect him to be a 8+ rebounder. As far as his defense, he's got good length, quick hands, and good lateral quickness. He lacks strength, but outside that he has all the tools to be a good defender, not great but good. IMO he has better overall defensive tools than Gasol did when he entered the league and he's one of the better shot blockers in the game. He can handle well for a big, he's got a good turn around fade away out to 18 feet and he can finish in transition very well. His big question marks are his aggressiveness and upper body strength. Yea, he's not a low post player but there aren't a lot of low post players in the NBA anymore. Most of the dominant bigs are high post PF's like JO, KG, Amare, and Gasol. None of those guys are back to the basket players. Anyways, Pau Gasol is a more than fair comparison for Jianlian and he's more athletic than Gasol. Thinking we can do much better at 10 than Jianlian is just naive.

If this is guy is more athletic than Gasol, sign me up! Playing devil's advocate, when Gasol was a rookie what did he do that was better than Yi?

 

[PFFFT!!]

If the 7'5" Ming can't play D and rebound, what in the hell are we thinking in getting Yi? Well, we can get Yi and let people have their layup and dunk drills inside so we can get a good lottery next year and get Hibbert. We need to start planting some trees. No more stumps. It's going to be a silly motley crew out there next year. I would move Artest out and get another shooter. Forget D. Just run screens and shoot when you're open. All those fools can shoot. They're just too shy. Garcia and Douby were bombers in college. Just give them PT and tell them to keep on shooting. Yi would fit right in. That's our identity. No more half-arse D and half-arse post up. Back to the old days of run and shoot.

Basically the Maloofs deciding over Petrie to get the guy for the simple fact that there are 1.3 Billion reasons why and that translates to a lot of cold cash in business terms.

 

[Vlade4GM]

If this is guy is more athletic than Gasol, sign me up! Playing devil's advocate, when Gasol was a rookie what did he do that was better than Yi?

Gasol probably has better length and I wouldn't say Jianlian is leaps and bounds more athletic than Gasol. I'm not sure how atheltic Gasol was in his rookie year, but now that Gasol has bulked up since he's definitely less athletic than Jianlian now.

 

[RIP miyagi]

i would prefer hawes more than yi. but i think that things will just happen to NOT go our way as they always seem to. and we'll end up with al thornton or someone like that, which is basically what we don't need.

 

[ParniValjak]

Yi would be fantastic as would Noah. We pretty much have to hope that someone reaches ahead of us for one of those two to slide to us. In this mock it was Green going at 5 which is really REALLY high for him. Anyways I would be ecstatic if Yi or Noah slid to us. Sure Yi doesn't solve our major size problem but he is a guy who could wind up being a franchise type player as a 7 foot small forward with tremendous shooting range.

He is not going to be a small forward. Yi will be a PF that plays at the hight post and shoots jumpers. A bit like Dirk and to lesser extent Gasol (since Gasol has a pretty good post game)

 

[ParniValjak]

Basically the Maloofs deciding over Petrie to get the guy for the simple fact that there are 1.3 Billion reasons why and that translates to a lot of cold cash in business terms.

I disagree with this. I have been very outspoken about Maloofs middling into Petrie's job for some time now and this coaching search is yet another example of it.

If Yi is there at 10, we will take him and its not because Maloofs told GP to do so. It will be because Petrie likes him. Just take a look at Yi, he is pretty much Petrie type player. Even if we were at 5th post I still think Petrie picks him up there.

There are 3 players in that 3-10 range that scream Petrie pick to me and those 3 are Hawes, Green and Yi.

 

[Jerichoholic]

It would be amazing if Yi were available at 10, but let me put this in perspective. With the way the Kings luck has gone lately I think the smart bet has him dropping to 9 and the Bulls taking him or trading with someone else that will with no time left on the draft clock.

 

[uptempo-kings]

EVERYONE HAS MIXED EMOTION FOR YI I SAY IF HES AT 10 GRAB HIM EXPOSE HIM GET HIS VALUE UP AND TRADE HIM TRADE HIM, BUT THEN AGAIN IF HE'S GOOD WE CAN KEEP HIM 2