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24th June, 2009 - 12:40 am
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| Current Features |
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SCOOP DU JOUR: Iverson With The Knicks, Joe Alexander, Lincecum's Cy Young & More
Allen Iverson and the Knicks is a marriage out of necessity, forecasting Joe Alexander's future, why there hasn't been any players compared to Magic or Bird, plus Tim Lincecum's Cy Young and the possibility of Pacquiao/Mayweather at Cowboys Stadium.
STANDING 10: Retire Me Not
Even though LeBron James is well-intentioned in his hope of the NBA retiring #23, there are so many problems with this notion that it is difficult to find a place to begin.
TEAM RANKINGS: NBA Power Rankings For The Week Of November 12th
While the Cetlics remain an easy number one in our rankings, Greg Oden and the Blazers have moved up to the second slot, ahead of Dallas, Miami and the Lakers.
LOCKER TALK: Nash, Cleveland, & Orlando
Steve Nash could draw trade interest this summer and Cleveland isn’t overlooking Orlando…
PLAYER RANKINGS: The Final NBA Player Rankings For The 2008-09 Season
The 2008-09 season is in the books and how did players rank individually?
CLASSICS: Hakeem Vs. Ewing: Who Was The Better Center?
Born within six months of each other in opposite corners of the world, two seven footers who are finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame this fall are two of the best ever to play the center position.
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By Christopher Reina
Draft week is finally here and in honor of Phil Jackson (10 titles) and Tim Hardaway (favorite number 10), our 10th mock draft is purely based off who I would select with each pick.
The majority of my draft coverage is spent watching hours and hours of film on each specific player, which is organized brilliantly by my friends at Synergy Sports. This part of the process is more fun than the posturing and smokescreens involved with the other side of things.
This mock draft is similar to my running diary I keep on draft night, where I put myself in the GM's chair with each pick and record who I would select for the sake of posterity when the revisionists come out a few years from now.
In some years, we know how the draft will turn out well in advance, but certainly not this year. This will create a climate a few years down the road where a player or two selected in the 20s is considered a top-five pick in those fantasy redrafts.
Note: This mock has been updated from Version 10.0 to reflect the Minnesota-Washington trade, which dominoes much of the first round.
Power Forward. Oklahoma
Griffin will be a very good pro, but truthfully is a second or third pick in more top-heavy draft classes. He would be in a much better situation playing beside a Kevin Durant in Oklahoma City or the trio of veteran All-Stars in Washington. With the Clippers, Griffin will be asked to do a little more than he might be able to handle and he is unlikely to be a true franchise player.
Point Guard. DKV Joventut
The drop between Rubio and whomever else you might think has the third best future in the NBA is significant and neither Dan Fegan, a complicated buyout or anything else would prevent me from selecting him. Rubio doesn't play the same position as any of the Grizzlies' top-three players and this is a team that needs a player of his caliber to make everybody else better.
Center. Connecticut
If this were a best player available list, Thabeet wouldn't crack my top-10, but it isn't and the scarcity of quality bigs triggers this selection. This is Oklahoma City's final chance at a high pick and the likelihood of them finding a capable off guard in the middle of the first round, via trade or free agency is much more likely than it is in finding a defensive big like Thabeet.
Combo Guard. UCLA
I love Jonny Flynn and absolutely know that he will be an excellent point guard, but I don't think he is capable of having an All-Star career the way Holiday potentially can. Holiday has the combination of size, skill, instinct and character to become the best player from this draft. He can finish extremely well near the rim and also create for teammates as a pure point guard. Holiday's perimeter shot isn't there yet but has enough promise to come along in time.
Shooting Guard. Arizona State
With the Randy Foye/Mike Miller trade, Minnesota paves the way to grab Harden and a point guard with their own pick if they don't move up to acquire Ricky Rubio.
Point Guard. Syracuse
Flynn is going to make an excellent starting point guard; he might not ever be one of the top-10 at the position, but the stability he brings at the most important position on the floor ripples to the rest of the team and would fit in perfectly with the group being created in Minnesota.
Power Forward. Arizona
There aren't many power forwards that fit in with Golden State's system and Hill is one of those players.
Point Guard. Wake Forest
Teague has good height, good athletic ability, can be a true point and also play off the ball, plus he shot 44.1% on over 100 3-point attempts in his sophomore season. He is an extremely quiet kid and trailed off towards the end of his sophomore season, but there is much more to like than non. In my opinion, Curry is only a good pick for the Knicks if they sign LeBron James, but Teague is an excellent pick regardless.
Combo Guard. Memphis
Evans can play either guard position and instantly gives Toronto an athletic scorer on the wing who can create his own shot.
Point Guard. Roma
His handle, quickness and ability to score in traffic make him a rare talent to be selected this low in any draft.
Combo Guard. Davidson
I like Steph Curry and liked him more as I watched him more closely, but his inability to really beat defenders of his conference off the dribble is troubling. He has decent point guard skills, but he needs a lot of talent on the wings to reach his full potential. A situation where he shares the floor with Devin Harris and Vince Carter would be excellent for his development.
Shooting Guard. Louisville
Williams makes everyone around him better on both sides of the floor.
Power Forward. Pittsburgh
Blair is the right guy for this system that needs some true low post play. I think he would also be the ideal pick for Detroit, Chicago and Utah.
Guard/Forward. USC
The direction of the Suns is unclear, but taking a chance on DeRozan at this stage of the draft is a fairly easy gamble.
Combo Forward. Louisville
Even though their success rate has been less than spectacular, I am always a huge fan of players as big as Clark with such a skilled game.
Center. Ohio State
Chicago simultaneously is able to compete in the playoffs now while keeping an eye on the long term. They are one of the few teams where it would truly make sense to wait on Mullens to develop and they have a system in place to foster that growth.
Point Guard. UCLA
Collison is a much better than advertised perimeter shooter and he changes the equation defensively. I don't see much of a difference between Collison and Ty Lawson offensively and there is a significant gap defensively.
Combo Forward. Gonzaga
With bigs on the interior in Al Jefferson and Kevin Love, Austin Daye's face-up game is an ideal complement.
Point Guard. North Carolina
Lawson shot 47.2% from beyond the arc in his junior season, which almost should be illegal for a player as quick as he is.
Power Forward. Wake Forest
Johnson doesn't really have the kind of makeup Utah usually looks for, but he is by all accounts I've received is a good kid. His skill level at the power forward position would make him a good fit.
Small Forward. Maccabi Tel Aviv
Nobody in this draft moves without the ball better than Casspi and he would instantly become a favorite of Chris Paul.
Shooting Guard. Duke
Henderson is a safe pick for Dallas, a team that needs a utility man like Henderson for the wing.
Small Forward. Georgetown
An inside/outside player on the wing is an element Sacramento doesn't have.
Power Forward. USC
Gibson would give Portland instant minutes at power forward and is a fairly classic player positionally.
Point Guard. Cholet
Beaubois has remarkable quickness off the dribble with a lethal perimeter shot that can only get better once he gets daily reps with NBA-level coaches.
Small Forward. Arizona
With a different set of expectations and duties, I'm expecting to see a much more impressive Chase Budinger on the NBA level.
Point Guard. Florida
On a certain level, Calathes is an American born Rubio and the Grizzlies will eventually need more depth at the position.
Point Guard. VCU
Maynor can create very well off the dribble and even with Flynn and Harden, Minnesota could use more players like that.
Shooting Guard. North Carolina
The Lakers need more athletic wings given the way Vujacic has fallen out of favor.
Power Forward. Gonzaga
The Cavs are in a very interesting position with what direction they will go in and having a big that can hit on the pick and pop would be very valuable.
Second Round
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Small Forward. Pittsburgh
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Power Forward. North Carolina
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Point Guard. Florida State
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Point Guard. St. Mary's
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Shooting Guard. LSU
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Combo Forward. Spain
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Combo Forward. Xavier
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Power Forward. St. Joseph's
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Small Forward. Sweeden
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Point Guard. UConn
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Point Guard. UAB
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Combo Forward. Memphis
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Power Forward. Georgia Tech
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Shooting Guard. Kentucky
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Point Guard. France
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Small Forward. North Carolina
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Combo Forward. Missouri
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Point Guard. Gonzaga
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Small Forward. Villanova
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Shooting Guard. Temple
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Point Guard. Baylor
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Combo Guard. Marquette
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Power Forward. LSU
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Shooting Guard. Syracuse
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Power Forward. Missouri
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Forward/Center. Netherlands
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Power Forward. Arizona State
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Power Forward. UConn
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Small Forward. N.C. State
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Shooting Guard. Central Florida
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