Looking at the Mock Draft (11/30) by need. Lottery only.

Good analysis of the team, but I just don’t agree with the philsophy of drafting the best player available (like you said Toronto, Utah should do) when a team is rebuilding. That’s been Minny’s way of thinking and look where it’s gotten them. They’ve had 7 top ten picks in the last 6 years, have gotten great talent through trades (Beasely, Jefferson), yet they currently don’t have a decent SG (Johnson is a SF) or a good C, because they kept taking forwards and point guards.

While a team like OKC has always focused on getting players who compliment the guys they already have. Both those teams hit the reset button at the same time when they traded their stars to Boston back in the summer of ’07, and have took different roads to rebuilding, and now one is thinking championship, and the other is thinking win-20-games. Yes, I can understand OKC got a big break when Durant turned out to be the player he did. But you can’t blame anyone but Minny for taking Love when they had Jefferson (at the time 20/10 post player at 23 years old), PGs back to back in 09, drafting Johnson when they just traded for Beasley, ect, ect.

Toronto should look to compliment the team they have. They need to build around Derozan, Valancuinas, Davis and give Bayless and Johnson minutes this year in order to figure out if they are part of the future. Anthony Davis may turn out to be be better then Ed Davis, but is taking him over Barnes going to make Toronto any better? In the long run it may be an upgrade at the 4, but they still have a hole at the 3 position, and lack in shooting and defense, all things he could have filled perfectly.

Solid overall but I’d have to disagree with Toronto’s pick (unless they can unload Bargnani/Johnson for a pick/SF). Although Davis is an elite PF prospect, Toronto already has a PF prospect named  Davis (Ed). Harrison Barnes is the kind of SF who can create his own shot late in the clock that the Raps have been missing since VC left town and would be the best pick in terms of need and fit. Valanciunas, Davis, Barnes, DeRozan and Bayless is a starting 5 to be proud of. Following the OKC blue print of drafting smart and developing your own picks.  

Agreed that BPA is the best way to go when you have multiple deficiencies but Harrison Barnes is the best player available in my opinion. The Thunder did get lucky admittedly and other teams have been decidely unlucky (see Pistons above and how about Sam Bowie over Jordan). The biggest problem in Toronto is Bargnani. Bargnani, while the Raps best player, isn’t much of a trade chip because no one wants a ball dominant, outside shooting big who can’t rebound or play D. Also he became the star by default when Bosh left making him the face of the team (rightly or wrongly). Not exactly the guy to lure other FA’s to your team. They are a reflection of their best player….soft. Davis is a grinder, Valanciunas is largely unknown but potentially special, DeRozan has the flair but Barnes could be the star that they need.

Barnes as the face of the franchise with the complementary pieces already in place is a nice option…..

If not they try to grab BPA with a top 5 next year (hopefully a PG)

Big men are to often drafted upon potential (can’t teach size) and Toronto’s been down that road way to many times (Araujo, Radojevic).

If they thought Love and Jefferson, 2 undersized, unathletic PFs, could compliment eachother and Johnson could be a 2 guard with his lack of handles then I don’t know what to say. But I don’t believe that. They took Johnson because he was viewed as a better prospect then Cousins, and they took Love because he was the best player on the board. And when they took Love, they were absolutely rebuilding. It was the third straight year in the lottery, I don’t know how you can say they wern’t. They took Flynn because they liked him, and they took Rubio becuase he was considered a steal at 5. But they gave up on Flynn before the season even started, and eventually it killed his stock. The 6th overall pick was 2 years later traded for 1/2 of a 37 year old C with 2 years and 11mil still on contract. You don’t the same kind of value for a lottery pick a year or two after they’ve drafted as you do on draft night.

Davis didn’t take the starting spot was Amir, becuase he was injured for training camp and a big chunk of the first season. I can see him averaging 14-8-1 this coming year, and it would be foolish for the raps to give up on that to draft a guy. He’s got a ton of potential and a far better post game then A. Davis. If they take him it would be them drafting Bargs when they had Bosh. Now you’ve got 2 good players playing the same position, and it doesn’t make your team any better down the road. A.Davis might go #1 but it won’t be consensus, and if the raps take him it will be a lateral move. Lateral moves are the reason Carter and Bosh left.

You said ‘ If every year the best player you can get is a guard, get him and either trade him for something you need or play him over the guard that loses out in practice’, but I don’t understand the logic. You play your new guy over your old guy, and your old guys’ stock gets killed. You lose leverage because everyone knows your trying to get rid of one of your guards. Look what happened with Aaron Brooks this year. A stud the year before, but lost his job to Lowry, then they got next to nothing for him. Same will happen this year in Charlotte. Walker and Augustin will go into a time share, it will stop their development and they won’t be able to get good value for DJ whens he’s averaging 12-5 in 30 minutes.  Keep drafting guards and you get a team with good guards and terrible everything else which results in no improvment as a team.

I understand the need for assests. But at one point you have to turn those assests into wins, or you’re just constantly rebuilding.

 I didn’t read everyone elses posts because they were all too long so if someone metioned it sorry, I think pairing Sullinger with Javale and John Wall would be the best move for the Wizards. They have Vessley, Crawford and Chris Singelton at SG and SF. Sullinger’s big body and McGee’s length could be lethal down low.

This type of post happens every year.  Aran doesn’t look at need when he makes his mock drafts.  He slots each player where he thinks they will be selected in the next draft, he doesn’t look at each team and their need.  He does this b/c there is no way of predicting the ACTUAL order of teams.  Nice analysis, but again, Aran isn’t slotting players to teams depending on need.

Great write up 8th,

I have a feeling something crazy is going to happen in the lotto this year.  I’m thinking Boston or Pheonix will end up with the first pick.  

PG:Rajon Rondo

SG:Jeff Green /Avery Bradley

SF:Paul Pierce or Perry Jones

PF:Perry Jones or Jajuan Johnson

C:Tyson Chandler Other draft pick

Celtics team in 2012 looks good

I began my first post with a "solid overall". I thought it was a great post, just expressing my opinion on what I’d like the raps to do. Cheers

As a pistons fan i am hoping for michael kidd gilcrhrist, miller or even t-jones – we have a log jam at the guard spot

here is what i think would have been happened with that order:

1. Clippers – Harrison Barnes – even if he doesn’t have superstar potential, only all star potential imo the most benefit pick for the Clippers here is to take Barnes as that the kind thing they need for their team and their future along side Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon and the rest.

2. Cleveland – Andre Drummond – most hyped big man since Greg Oden, Cleveland has wishfulness for a big time player to forget LeBron so maybe they gamble on him although they could end up being very sorry as not taking the sure thing’s Jeremy Lamb as Drummond has also bust potential.

3. Toronto – Jeremy Lamb – Lamb and Anthony Davis to me are the same level prospects, Toronto go with Lamb cause he answer a bigger need.

4. Washington – Anthony Davis – Anthony Davis is just as qulaty prospect as the other 3 above him, generally all those 4 players to me are clearly the big 4 of the draft and there no much diffrent in value. Washington get a game changer and the one qulaty big they shoul have on the team.  

5. Sacramento – Perry Jones

6. New Jearsey – Quincy Miller 

7. Detroit – Steven Adams

8. Boston – Terrence Ross

9. Charlotte – Jared Sullinger

10. Milwaukee – Brad Beal

11. Utah – Myck Kabongo

12. Utah – Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

13. Phoenix – Khris Middleton

14. Houston – Meyers Leonard

@kobyz, steven adams is a senior in high school…how’s he getting drafted in 2012?

he is older than Andre Drummond and some other Freshmans, i heard is situation make him eligible for the draft and that 50-50 chance he will enter…