http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=dw-mockdraft061305&prov=yhoo&type=lgns Mock draft: Making a Buck By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports June 13, 2005 While the NBA draft is just a couple of weeks away, there is plenty that will happen to mock our mock draft. Individual team workouts will determine the final choice. Some college underclassmen and high schoolers still may head back to school. Trades could happen. But without trepidation, we offer our first mock draft. We'll have another just before the June 28 event in New York. 1. Milwaukee Bucks – Andrew Bogut, 7-0, C, Utah, So. The NBA covets big men, and Bogut is a good one who's skilled and tough. The University of Utah could have No. 1 overall picks in both the NBA draft and the NFL draft (Alex Smith). 2. Atlanta Hawks – Marvin Williams, 6-9, SF, North Carolina, Fr. He was the sixth man on UNC's national championship team, but his size and athletic ability are ideal for the NBA. A ton of potential. 3. Portland Trail Blazers – Chris Paul, 5-11, PG, Wake Forest, So. The devastating open-court playmaker arguably is the best player in the draft. But the Blazers took high school point Sebastian Telfair in the first round a year ago. 4. New Orleans Hornets – Deron Williams, 6-3, PG, Illinois, Jr. The big, physical point with a steady jump shot replaces Baron Davis and teams with J.R. Smith for the future. 5. Charlotte Bobcats – Gerald Green, 6-8, SF, Gulf Shores (Texas) Academy Local pressure may be on to grab power forward Sean May of the Tar Heels, but the lure of Green, a tremendous athlete, should be too much. 6. Utah Jazz – Martynas Andriuskevicius, 7-3, C, Lithuania The giant Lithuanian goes 245 pounds with long, long arms. Scouts claim he has nice touch around the rim. At just 18, his upside is too much to resist. 7. Toronto Raptors – Antoine Wright, 6-7, SG, Texas A&M, Jr. The Raptors need scoring and Wright can fill it up. A strong slasher to the hole, the California native carried the Aggies the last few seasons. 8. New York Knicks – Martell Webster, 6-7, SG, Seattle Prep With immediate help being a necessity, expect Isiah Thomas to draft an athletic high school kid who is a few years away. At least Webster is a talent. 9. Golden State Warriors – Channing Frye, 7-0, C, Arizona, Sr. The Warriors need help in the middle, and Frye, who can block shots and fill lanes on the break, fits the bill. Pittsburgh strongman Chris Taft might work here, too. 10. Los Angeles Lakers – Charlie Villanueva, 6-11, PF, Connecticut, So. When he plays hard, Villanueva can be a beast. His game isn't dissimilar from fellow Queens native Lamar Odom, but if the Lakers believe they could play together, L.A. could have a heck of a perimeter game. 11. Orlando Magic – Hakim Warrick, 6-8, SF, Syracuse, Sr. Carmelo Anthony's one-time running mate added a perimeter game his senior year at the 'Cuse. A mature, well-rounded player fits into the Magic mold. 12. Los Angeles Clippers – Danny Granger, 6-8, SF, New Mexico, Sr. The Clips need as many offensive weapons as they can get to surround super young point guard Shaun Livingston. Granger is a ready-now kind of player. 13. Charlotte Bobcats – Raymond Felton, 6-0, PG, North Carolina, Jr. The Bobcats wanted to draft third where Paul might have been available, but they'll take another local hero in the swift Felton. 14. Minnesota Timberwolves – Fran Vazquez, 6-10, PF, Spain In a weak draft, picking on potential comes early. Vazquez is said to have long arms, great defensive timing and a bit of a mean streak. 15. New Jersey Nets – Sean May, 6-8, PF, North Carolina, Jr. The Final Four MVP has a NBA body and a great understanding of the game. Jersey has been lacking toughness since Kenyon Martin left for Denver. 16. Toronto Raptors – Rashad McCants, 6-3, SG, North Carolina, Jr. With so many perimeter players in their free-agent season, the Raptors can't get enough scoring. McCants is a question mark defensively and in the locker room, but he can score. 17. Indiana Pacers – Rudy Fernandez, 6-5, SG, Spain With Reggie Miller retired, the Pacers need a shooter, and with a strong team returning (and Ron Artest coming off suspension) they need one that can contribute now. Some scouts call Fernandez the best pure shooter in the draft. 18. Boston Celtics – Monta Ellis, 6-2, PG, Jackson (Miss.) Lanier The Glove is nearing retirement, so the Celts need a point for the future, which Ellis could be. Mississippi high schooler Al Jefferson was good to Danny Ainge last year, so a return to the Deep South is possible. 19. Memphis Grizzlies – Jarrett Jack, 6-3, PG, Georgia Tech, Jr. Jack is a tough, physical guard whose game is fit for the league. He still could return to Tech but says he'll stay in the draft if he is a top-20 pick. 20. Denver Nuggets – Andray Blatche, 7-0, C, South Kent (Conn.) High School If he still is around this late, the Nuggets might jump on the high-energy big man. He's a bit too perimeter oriented, but Denver still is paying the price for passing on Amare Stoudemire three years back. 21. Phoenix Suns – Joey Graham, 6-7, SF, Oklahoma State, Sr. Joe Johnson is not a lock to re-sign, so the Suns can protect themselves by grabbing the Cowboys' athletic small forward with lock-down defensive skill. He'd fit in the offense well. 22. Denver Nuggets – Tiago Splitter, 6-10, PF, Brazil Originally from Spain, the big man might give the Nuggets some front-court help. Scouts claim the 20-year-old has a terrific jump shot and a ton of potential. 23. Sacramento Kings – C.J. Miles, 6-6, SG, Dallas Skyline Best available player might be this high-scoring high schooler. He probably won't make an impact immediately, but Miles has all the tools to be a NBA player. 24. Houston Rockets – Chris Taft, 6-8, PF, Pittsburgh, So. Classic college power forward has slipped on some boards due to concern over motivation, making him tough to pick. Know this: When he is on his game, he's terrific. 25. Seattle SuperSonics – Johan Petro, 7-0, C, France The Sonics will be tempted (and pressured) to take local hero Nate Robinson, but the smart pick is a young big man. The 7-footer could be a good one. 26. Detroit Pistons – Francisco Garcia, 6-7, SF, Louisville, Jr. The Pistons need another scorer, and the sweet-shooting Garcia delivers that, along with a mature, self-motivated personality. Another long wing can't hurt. 27. Utah Jazz – Kennedy Winston, 6-6, SG, Alabama, Jr. Winston is a NBA-caliber athlete who may excel at the more open-court pro game. Has the potential to be a big-time slasher and give the Jazz some much-needed speed. 28. San Antonio Spurs – Ike Diogu 6-8, PF, Arizona State, Jr. The Spurs obviously don't need much, but with Robert Horry and Glenn Robinson nearing the ends of their careers, a young power forward couldn't hurt. Diogu could be the Carlos Boozer of this class. 29. Miami Heat – Wayne Simien, 6-8, PF, Kansas, Sr. Simien was a double-double machine at KU, and his class act would play well in Miami, where another rebounder to help Shaq is needed. If New Jersey high schooler Andrew Bynum stays in the draft, he would be perfect here. Gonzaga's Ronny Turiaf is also a possibility. 30. New York Knicks – Salim Stoudamire, 6-3, SG, Arizona, Sr. College basketball's best shooter is a sleeper prospect who loves taking and making the big shot. He's a strong ball handler to boot. Not sure Isiah Thomas will see this one, but it would be a great pick if he's available.
My initial thought is that they should take Diogu or Simien if they are still available over Taft. I'm not sold on him simply because of his work ethic. He's got the talent. Just not too sure about the heart.
The mock drafts have been all over the board, Splitter and Miles are most likely going to withdraw so that will change things for us. I'd take Simien and Diogu over Taft.
I am confused - does rockets' draft talk go in the GARM forum or the draft forum... ... cause I have been putting links in the darft forum and nobody is there ! maybe I should put the rockets draft stuff here !
I read that both Rudy Fernandez and Tiago Splitter pulled out. Also, this mock draft is way off. No chance that Ike Diogu, who I think will be the Rockets pipe dream pick, will slip to 28. Everything we have heard about that kid in workouts have been good. He's up into the lottery picks IMO.
Is it me or do this guy have a clue? Some of his picks makes no sense....but he's intitled to his opinion.
will atlanta really take Marvin Williams, don't they already have Childress and Smith at their 2/3 spots, or is he that good?
They have Al Harrington too, and I'd personally prefer to play Harrington at the 3 than the 4. But yeah, he's better than Childress and probably better than Smith.
If the Bucks do take Bogut and Atlanta is left with Williams then look for a trade. I think they would be most inclined to trade Harrington because he is very similar to Williams. I watch a lot of Hawks games because I live in Georgia and get most games on TV. Harrington was more impressive off the bench in Indiana and doesn't seem like he is capable of being better than a 3rd option. Smith was their most impressive player and if he can learn to shoot than he will become a star in this league. Childress is also a very good young player. Childress could become a great role player on a good team, though that is unlikely unless he gets traded because the Hawks can't draw in free agents and fans don't go to the games.
I do not want Chris Taft on this team. I hate lazy players, except TMAC because who can blame him for being dissappointed with Orlando. I don't think Van Gundy wants Taft either.
You should checkout some film clips on this kid, very impressive and very nice post moves. If he is still there at #24, I would be hard pressed on passing on him. He is a High risk/ High reward type of pick. He is bigtime lottery talent with an NBA body.
Ya think the Rox staff might be a little gunshy on the High Risk types after the EG debacle? Since we finally have a 1st round pick I think Carrol Dawson will look for the surest thing he can get so he can at worst add some young depth. And I know JVG doesn't want a guy he has to babysit. He has all the whining and cajoling he can handle with just the vets.
I hoped the Rockets stay away from un-motivated kids. We need to bring in youth that will bring a fire with them, play with energy and heart. Thinking about it, I think the Rockets should: 1. Trade down, pick up a 2nd round pick 2. Draft Salim Stoud. 3. Draft Ishamil (sp?) Mohommaed from GT. 4. PF through FA
Not only this article, but nba draft net and draft express also have us taking Taft. That caught my attention. First off I want to say I watch very little college hoops. I don't think I have seen any of our likely picks play. My opinions are formed by what I have read, heard or really, really big hope for. If Taft is available, I'm tempted to take him. I really want a pf/c combo. First we need that position. Our other needs, swing player (especially back ups) are always available and there alwasys seems to be a crafty older pg hanging on to fill the gap. I think Taft can fill both positions big positions. As a pf, we need a big banger body to compliment Yao Ming. I love Deke, but we have to know we will need a back up center in a year, or two at the very most. What this steam needs is a modern day Otis Thorpe. Taft could be that guy. The knock on Taft that we all hear is "real good player when motivated". I figure that all of his life he has been bigger and better than everybody else. Eventually that made him complacent and allowed him to become lazy and unmotivated. As a pro, three things change. First off, he is a sub. Ain't nobody givin him nothing. The Chucky Browns of the world will play thier ass off for a position. If Taft wants more than a three year NBA career, he will HAVE to work for it. Second, he will be getting his ass kicked by people his own size every day. Three are no Shaqa, Garnetts and Duncans in college these days. That should wake him up. Lastly, I think that JVG can motivate anybody who is not certifiable. I like Diogu, Simien, Jack and others. But a true big man who can play both positions is pretty hard to find. If not Taft, I would look real hard that Andray Blatche high school kid. I figure at best 24 is a crap shoot (though I like a lot of the players expected to be available). I don't see that pick helping us this year unless we get increadibly lucky. As long as we are grooming, lets groom a big man.
if the other PFs were all gone then sure i may roll the dice on Taft but damn passing up Ike's wing span for him... no fricken way
If Diogu is left, I'll wet my pants. If he's left, grab him immediately. If Simien is left, take him and I'll have a huge smile on my face. If neither are, take Jarret Jack(who would then hopefully be left) and make a hard pitch at Donyell Marshall. Those are my ideal situations.
Taft is certainly not viewed as lazy because he's "bigger and better" than everybody else. He posts terrible numbers and did not improve at all from his freshman year. I have actually watched him in probably 8-10 games and he doesn't try because he expects to get the ball thrown to him every time. He doesn't know how to hustle or fight to get post position. A good example of Taft's cons? His own frontcourt teammate, the 6'6" PF Chevy Troutman thoroughly outplayed every single game because he actually gave a damn. Taft just lays back and lets him do everything even though it was obvious that Taft had plenty of opportunities to put his ink on the game. If Taft can't get motivated playing with Troutman, then he never will. A "banger" he is not.
My understanding is that between now and next Tuesday, Rockets draft talk will be "safe" in the GARM forum. For what its worth, Chris Taft is 6-10+ and not 6-8 as listed in the initial post (via Yahoo). He weighs around 255-265 pounds as well. He has the perfect PF body but is now a "heart" issue with. I would be had pressed to pass him up if he is still on the board. Interesting he had earlier gone to his tailor for his "green room" suit measurement (soon after his college season/career earlier this spring) but it is reported that the NBA will not send him a green room invitation. I would not pick him if I were a GM picking in the top 20.
