[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

What do you guys think of my mock draft?  I have comments for many of the players, and my picks are based on position in the draft and also the teams picking at that spot.

I made my picks just before the Final Four games on Saturday along with most of my comments. 

Here is a link:  http://www.nbadraft.net/nba_mock_drafts/comments/45828

 

 

Memphis Madness

Basketball is just a game, but so is everything else.

[Malik-UniversalParticipant]

i dont see knight going ahead of irving

[HadzialijagicParticipant]

There are so many things wrong with this draft. The fact that not only Kyrie Irving is all the way down at 7 but you had Brandon Knight ahead of him is crazy. Kyrie is a top 3 pick. While Brandon Knight should be the 3rd pg taken. Also Alec Burcs at 11 is just stupid especially going to Golden State. There is no way he falls past 7. Oh and Harrison Barnes isnt entering the draft. Also personally i dont see Terrence Jones dropping to 16. I like him in the 6-12 range. And your 2nd round looks really shaky.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

The Kings have a lead guard in Tyreke Evans.  Evans DOMINATES the ball.  What Evans needs next to him is a shooter who can also play the point.  Knight might be the better SHOOTER.  Irving is more of a first option point guard who would be GREAT on the Pistons.  Knight can hit the three, and Evans can drive.  They would complement each other well.  I don’t think that Evans and Irving would complement each other well.  

If Burks is a big guard who can handle the ball he would be a great fit for the Warriors who have enough smallish guards already.  They have the big men who can rebound and get after it, what they need is a great guard for a very good three guard rotation. 

Terrance Jones is a tweener.   I like the guy a lot.  He can do some of everything, but I am not sure he goes ahead of the Morris twins.  What is his NBA position?  Small forward? Power forward?  I think a lot of players are in the 8-20 range where they can rise or fall big time, depending on teams’ specific needs.  Jones played pretty well in the UCONN game (as he did earlier in the year against them) but the rest of his tournament wasn’t that great.  Jones could be a good fit for the Warriors but that might be a little high.  I am just interested as to know which lottery team REALLY REALLY REALLY needs a tweener.  

If Barnes is officially out of the draft, then ok I should not have him in my mock draft.  HOWEVER, I think Kemba takes Barnes’ place in the top five.  Kemba is a PLAYER.  If I were the T-Wolves I would seriously consider drafting Kemba Walker and trading Rubio to some team who needs a flashy, risky point guard.  

I have Skeen at 38, which is higher than this website has him, but I really like what he can add to a team.  He could go higher than that.  I can see Matt Howard going anywhere in the second round to being undrafted.  But he has decent size and intangibles.  At 48 he is a pretty good pick.  … I like Vernon Macklin but I don’t see him on the draft board.  He is a good athlete with good size.  No reason why he shouldn’t be a second round pick.  In the second round, I think teams should be looking for solid role players which is why I have some guys there who may not be on other draft boards.  Like Ben Hansbrough for instance.  He is a good shooter, can handle the ball, and basically a poor man’s Jimmer.  I think there is a spot in the draft for a guy like him. 

The wildcards this year are, as usual, the imports.  If Kanter is as good as many think then I can see him going high, like this website thinks.  I like him being paired next to Andrea Bargnani on the Raptors to form an inside/outside front court.  Good wings in DeRozan and Weems.  The Raptors need to make a decision on their point guard situation. Are Calderon, Bayless, and Barbosa real solutions?  If not, then Irving might be an option, but I think that Kemba might be a better fit for an uptempo team if the Raptors decide to go small.

The Jazz are covered at 4.  With Jefferson playing some five and with Fesenko coming off the bench, the five spot isn’t that big of a need for them, especially with a weak group of centers in the draft.  If Vessely is the best available then I think they pick him knowing that they still have a shot at getting Jimmer later on.  In a slow down half court game relying on inside scoring/rebounding and outside shooting, Jimmer will fit in perfectly.  If Vessely plays the small forward position for the Jazz then a starting point guard is the only position they have to fill.  If Kemba, Irving, and Knight are off the board, then Jimmer is the pick.

I am not sure where Nolan Smith goes.  I would think that he goes anywhere from late first round to mid second round.  But I think he would be a great fit on the OKC Thunder.  Good leader, can score, and handle the ball.  He would be an upgrade over Eric Maynor.  Smith is more of a combo guard, but I can see him starting some with Westbrook.  I think that the rest of the Thunder team is filled out pretty well with James Harden as a good third option, Ibaka at the starting four, the big banger at five (Perkins) with Cook off the bench as the 3 point shooting sniper and Nick Collison playing some power forward and picking up some charges.  Cole Aldrich is a solid deep reserve who is a good third power forward but not a great back up center.  Nolan Smith projects as a very solid back up point guard with an upside of a VERY GOOD 6th man.  He’s a good safe pick.

I think Diebler gets a look.  A senior who can hit threes.  That should be an important factor for a second round pick. 

I think Jacob Pullen gets a look, but looks more like a late second round pick than anything else. 

I probably have Plumlee too low, but as a deep second round pick he is too good for the Kings to pass up.  He’s an athletic four who can give Cousins and Dalembert some rest. 

Jon Leur isn’t going to Portsmouth and is dropping on the draft boards.  He is dropping on this website and I am not sure he goes higher than late second round.  Yes, he’s solid but he isn’t the athlete that a Vernon Macklin is.  If a team is going for a solid big man with height then I think Mike Strickland of Illinois gets a look, even though he is not currently on the draft board.

Joshua Smith is huge.  A bigger version of Big Baby.  Take a flyer on him, put him on a great diet, stick him in the D-League for a year and see what he gives you in a couple of years.

 

 

[JimmeredYaWabafetParticipant]

 

15.  Indiana | Jonas Valanciunas | 6-11 | 240 | C | Lithuania | 18 Hopefully someone in the Pacers organization knows who this guy is

YEAAAHH!!! awesome write up! Kyrie isnt falling out of the top 5 zero chance, also where in the &$#%#&@! did the Anaheim Wildcats come from lol.<ah i went full retard sorry lol

 

[torontoraptors10Participant]

I don’t think Kyrie will drop that far….

[HitsterParticipant]

Why would the Pacers want Valanciunas when they already have Roy Hibbert as their long term C unless they want to use him as a PF. The logic behind a lot of the picks is very sound but some of the placings like Irving and Valanciunas are too low. If Valanciunas was still on board when the Knicks came towards their pick, I could see Donnie Walsh doing all he could to move up the draft, maybe 2018 first round pick might be offered up.

Burks to GSW I do like as Ellis and Curry play heavy minutes and Burks could play around them or they might even go to a Nellieball 3 guard line up on occasions if they wanted to.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

I LOVE three guard rotations/lineups.  It really puts the pressure on the other team.  The Warriors have a decent core of big men with Lee, Biedrins, Udoh, and Amundson.  Yeah, I like a bigger play maker guard along with Steph and Monta.  Either of those two can start, or you can start all three.  If you need threes then you start Wright at the three and bring Burks off the bench, or bring Wright off the bench as your hired gun.  

If there was a NO BRAINER big man out there, then the Warriors could take a look, but I don’t see one, not at their pick and probably not in the entire draft.  With that back court and with those options at small forward (along with Reggie Williams) then they have their perimeter positions all shored up.  They can go after another big man next year.

[PaulsJayhawksParticipant]

Kyrie doesn’t get past the Raptors 1000%. While Marcus may sneak into the top 10 there is no way Markieff goes that high. He’s not really ready but he’s going to jump cause his bro is and its a weak draft.

[jtthebrick14Participant]

 The Jazz were booed by the fans last year when they drafted Hayward.  Jazz fans hate drafting white players. Despite the silly and outdated stigma that the Jazz like white players, there is no chance that they take Jan Vesely OR Jimmer Fredette.

Getting another AK would sound great to someone that doesn’t follow the Jazz.  If you were familiar with the Jazz you would know that AK has been a disaster and huge disappointment.  He has not lived up to what he could have been, or what the Jazz thought he should be.   Jazz fans and management do not want another AK.  The Jazz also have no need for a player like Jimmer.   And half of the fans in Utah (University of Utah fans) hate Jimmer.

[iminipandaParticipant]

Kyrie is 7 and Brandon Knight is 5? Obvious F.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

Who is a better fit on the Kings?

Kyrie is the type of point guard the Pistons really need.

[butidonthavemoney]

"Getting another AK would sound great to someone that doesn’t follow the Jazz. If you were familiar with the Jazz you would know that AK has been a disaster and huge disappointment."

1. Jan Vesely is not another AK-47

2. I follow the Jazz and AK is the most underrated player on the roster. He’s overpaid — but he’s our best defensive player and has a very positive impact on the team.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Kyrie Irving is. It is probably not a good idea making a Mock Draft based on what other teams picking later need in comparison to the teams picking earlier. The draft rarely works out that way.

[butidonthavemoney]

That doesn’t mean that he’s going to fall to them. Six of the top (projected) seven teams in the lottery need Kyrie Irving, with the only exception being Washington.

Expanding on your mock; Derrick Williams is not comparable to Scottie Pippen. I see him as a smarter, more efficient Michael Beasley or an Antawn Jamison.

I agree that the Timberwolves should look to trade Beasley, but it is reported that Barnes is not entering this year’s draft.

Perry Jones is not a small forward. He’s a more mature version of Andray Blatche (not a bad prospect at all).

Jan Vesely is more of a power forward as well.

Do your research on the internationals, man. Your mock needs some work.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

I have not seen any of the international players play in person.  I have seen some youtube clips of Vesely.  That’s about it.  Sounds like a player with great upside but I think he needs to take a stab at playing the small forward position. 

The other international big men can either turn out to be the next Dirk or the next Darko.  It’s basically a crap shoot.  Even if one of those other guys in this draft turns into the next Andrea Bargnani is that worth a top five pick?

If the T-Wolves pick Irving does that mean they are gonna give up on Rubio?  I really want to see if his game translates to the NBA.  I doubt it will.  I don’t think he has the speed and he definitely doesn’t have the shot.

To me there is not a whole lot of difference between Irving, Kemba Walker, and Brandon Knight.  Personally, I think Walker is the better player of the three.  And Magic Johnson likes Brandon Knight for what it’s worth.

Irving is a good player.  He scored 28 in the loss to Arizona but he didn’t really get his teammates involved. 

 

 

 

 

 

[butidonthavemoney]

You can watch a lot of the internationals players on ESPN3. It’s very easy to say that every international prospect can be the next Dirk or Darko, but that’s not true.

Jonas Valanciunas is a very mobile player, who is one of the top per-minute rebounder in his league. He shoots over 90% from the stripe, but is relatively limited offensively. Has great length and is very active defensively and offensively. Still quite skinny. Reminds me a bit of a younger Ed Davis. If he fell to the Pacers at 15, it would be a steal.

Donotas Motiejunas has a very versitile offensive game. He can finish and handle with either hand. He has a good back-to-the-basket game and solid range. His footwork, hands and touch are collectively outstanding; all of which are very important to a young big. He’s also a good passer. He has a lot of potential offensively, but doesn’t put up much of a fight on the boards or defensively. Reminds me of Ersan Ilyasova.

Jan Vesely is a great athlete with great size. Very good on the fast break. Has guarded every position for his team. Great defensive potential and activity. Strong finisher. Solid outside shooter. Has a developing post game. Not much of a passer or ball-handler, but is willing and showing signs of improvement. Tough player. Makes me think of Jonas Jerebko or Tayshuan Prince. Says he can play any posistion, but prefers to play the power forward position.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

For the year, Kyrie Irving averaged 4.3 assists per game.  Before the injury Irving averaged 5.1 assists per game.

For the, Kemba Walker averaged 4.6 assists per game.

Not too much difference in the assist category.

[jtthebrick14Participant]

Fesenko is not a good backup center.  I can’t believe you’re evening mentioning him. And Al Jefferson is better suited to play the 4.  Center is still a need for the Jazz, maybe moreso than PG as the Jazz like what they have in Devin Harris.   If Walker, Knight, and Irving are off the board, and the Jazz have already taken a wing, they would draft big rather than going with Fredette.

[scootover7Participant]

No way does Perry Jones or Brandon Knight go up that high.  Irving will be gone to either the T-Wolves, Cavs, Kings or Raptors.  Brandon Knight maybe at 7 and Irving at 2 or 3.

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