Mock Draft #2--5/27

[F-Dog]

Now that the lottery order has been decided, I figured I'd update my mock draft from last month. As before, guesses are all I've got (after Orlando, anyway).

1. Orlando            Emeka Okafor, F/C (6'9", 250)
2. Atlanta (from LA)  [COLOR=DarkSlateGray]Dwight Howard, F/C (6'10", 240)[/COLOR]
3. Chicago            Luol Deng, SF (6'8", 220)
4. Charlotte          Ben Gordon, PG (6'1", 185)
5. Washington         [COLOR=DarkGreen]Andris Biedrins, F/C (6'11", 240)[/COLOR]
6. LA Clips (from Atl)[COLOR=DarkGreen]Martynas Andriuskevicius, C (7'2", 240)[/COLOR]
[B]7. Phoenix            [COLOR=DarkGreen]Kosta Perovic, C (7'2", 240)[/COLOR][/B]
8. Toronto            [COLOR=DarkSlateGray]Shaun Livingston, PG (6'7", 175)[/COLOR]
9. Philadelphia       [COLOR=DarkSlateGray]Josh Smith, SF (6'8", 220)[/COLOR]
10. Cleveland         Devin Harris, PG (6'3", 185)
11. Golden State      [COLOR=DarkGreen]PJ Ramos, C (7'3", 280)[/COLOR]
12. Seattle           [COLOR=DarkGreen]Tiago Splitter, F/C (6'11", 240)[/COLOR]
13. Portland          Andre Iguodala, G/F (6'6", 210)
14. Utah              Josh Childress, G/F (6'8", 200)
15. Boston            [COLOR=DarkGreen]Peja Samardziski, F/C (6'11", 240)[/COLOR]
[B]16. Utah              Rafael Araujo, C (6'11", 290)[/B]
17. LA Clips (from Atl)[COLOR=DarkSlateGray]Sebastion Telfair, PG (6'0", 170)[/COLOR]
18. New Orleans       [COLOR=DarkSlateGray]Al Jefferson, PF (6'8", 250)[/COLOR]
19. Miami             Jameer Nelson, PG (5'11", 190)
20. Denver            Kirk Snyder, SG (6'6", 220)
21. Utah              Kris Humphries, PF (6'8", 240)
22. New Jersey        Luke Jackson, G/F (6'7", 215)
23. Portland          David Harrison, C (7'0", 280)
24. Boston            [COLOR=DarkSlateGray]Robert Swift, C (7'0", 245)[/COLOR]
25. Boston            [COLOR=DarkSlateGray]Dorrell Wright, SG (6'7", 195)[/COLOR]
26. Sacramento        [COLOR=DarkGreen]Sergei Monya, G/F (6'7", 220)[/COLOR] 
27. LA Lakers         [COLOR=DarkGreen]Ha-Seung Jin (7'3", 305)[/COLOR]
28. San Antonio       [COLOR=DarkGreen]Sasha Vujacic, PG/SG (6'6", 190)[/COLOR]
29. Indiana           [COLOR=DarkSlateGray]JR Smith, SG (6'5", 210)[/COLOR]
30. Orlando           Chris Duhon, PG (6'1", 190)

I made the Clippers/Hawks trade that seems obvious (although it probably won't happen), and I left out Podkolzine, LaMarcus Aldridge, Damir Omerhodzic, and Anderson Varejao, among others.

I'll probably put up at least one more mock draft, once everybody has worked out and it's too late to withdraw...

 

[F-Dog]

Oh, and here's my current wish list for the #7 pick, if anybody cares:


Perovic/Andriuskevicius (if there's a promise involved)
Shaun Livingston
Biedrins
Josh Smith
Iguodala
Ben Gordon
Tiago Splitter


Lots of names there, but I expect I'll become dissatisfied with about half of them between now and draft day.

 

[George O'Brien]

Oh, and here's my current wish list for the #7 pick, if anybody cares:


Perovic/Andriuskevicius (if there's a promise involved)
Shaun Livingston
Biedrins
Josh Smith
Iguodala
Ben Gordon
Tiago Splitter


Lots of names there, but I expect I'll become dissatisfied with about half of them between now and draft day.

My wish list at #7:

Biedrins
Iguodala
Gordon

All three are physical players who should contribute something.

 

[Brett10S]

Mine:

Gordon
Harris
Iguodala

 

[George O'Brien]

Oh, and here's my current wish list for the #7 pick, if anybody cares:


Perovic/Andriuskevicius (if there's a promise involved)
Shaun Livingston
Biedrins
Josh Smith
Iguodala
Ben Gordon
Tiago Splitter


Lots of names there, but I expect I'll become dissatisfied with about half of them between now and draft day.

Perovic has been dropping in most mock drafts. What besides heigth and a little more experience makes you put him above Biedrins?

 

[Joe Mama]

My wish list at #7:

Biedrins
Iguodala
Gordon

All three are physical players who should contribute something.

That's right. I would prefer that whoever the Phoenix Suns take is an above average defender. I would add Harris and possibly Josh Smith to that list as well. The nice thing about Gordon and Harris is that they are both good defenders and very good offensive players.

Joe Mama

 

[F-Dog]

Perovic has been dropping in most mock drafts. What besides heigth and a little more experience makes you put him above Biedrins?

I think we've already been through this, but here goes:

--he looks like he might fill out into a full-sized center
--supposedly a good help defender already
--has a mid-range jumper
--held his own in Euroleague, which means he might be closer to contributing
--supposed to be very smart

Perovic is dropping in the mocks because he isn't out there marketing himself. The same thing happened with Zarko, remember--he started out in the late lottery, and despite the promise rumor, he dropped to the end of the first round by draft day in a couple of mocks.


The Suns' main need right now is a full-sized center who can play, and if Perovic is good enough, he seems like he'd eventually fit that need very nicely. Biedrins sounds like a nice player too, but he also sounds (and looks) like he'll become a career PF. Since the Suns have Amare and expect to have three other PFs next year that they'll try to shoehorn into other positions, Biedrins would be less of a need pick than Perovic (or Iguodala or Shaun Livingston, for that matter).


Is Perovic better than Biedrins? I have no clue. I'm not going to trust Chad Ford on the matter, but I will trust the Suns to identify the BPA and go get him, much better than you or I or Chad Ford could.

If Perovic is better than Biedrins, the Suns are in a much better position than if it's the other way around. So, I'm hoping for the best.

 

[F-Dog]

That's right. I would prefer that whoever the Phoenix Suns take is an above average defender. I would add Harris and possibly Josh Smith to that list as well. The nice thing about Gordon and Harris is that they are both good defenders and very good offensive players.

Joe Mama

I don't trust Devin Harris. (I could very easily be wrong, needless to say.)


When a college PG dominates with a weak supporting cast and climbs the draft ladder because of his size, that's a bad sign IMO. Even the success story of that profile (Chauncey Billups) didn't do anything to help the team that actually drafted him.

 

[Joe Mama]

I don't trust Devin Harris. (I could very easily be wrong, needless to say.)


When a college PG dominates with a weak supporting cast and climbs the draft ladder because of his size, that's a bad sign IMO. Even the success story of that profile (Chauncey Billups) didn't do anything to help the team that actually drafted him.

Harris' size is helping, but he climbed the draft charts because he and the Wisconsin badgers have very good season. It's not as if he was a phenomenal player on a bad team. Wisconsin was very, very good, and he was the biggest part of their success. Besides, two thirds of the players taken out of college or the most dominant players on a team with a bunch of role players around them.

Regarding Perovic... a couple months ago he sounded like a good choice for the Phoenix Suns. Now, the more I read about him he sounds exactly like a younger, skinnier Jake Tsakalidis. In fact that's exactly what he sounds like. I would not be very excited if they drafted Martynas, but at least he is supposed to be much more athletic and have more potential. I've also read that Biedrinis is 7'0" now and should end up around 7'2". Take that for what it's worth though.

Ultimately I agree with you that I will just have to trust that the Phoenix Suns scouting, coaches, and management know what they are doing with the draft pick. I guarantee they know more about these players than any of these Internet scouts.

Joe Mama

 

[F-Dog]

Regarding Perovic... a couple months ago he sounded like a good choice for the Phoenix Suns. Now, the more I read about him he sounds exactly like a younger, skinnier Jake Tsakalidis. In fact that's exactly what he sounds like. I would not be very excited if they drafted Martynas, but at least he is supposed to be much more athletic and have more potential. I've also read that Biedrinis is 7'0" now and should end up around 7'2". Take that for what it's worth though.

Joe Mama

Perovic can supposedly shoot, which is a big advantage over Big Jake. Supposedly he likes to play, so he should improve. If he can catch the basketball, that's another advantage.

I've seen varying reports about Perovic's athletic ability, and that's definitely my biggest concern. If he doesn't have any, I expect the Suns will look elsewhere.


In the pictures that I've seen, Biedrins looks like he has a thin frame, like Marcus Camby. JMHO, but he'll have a tough time gaining useful weight.

With another inch or two, Biedrins could easily be the next Camby, and that's not such a bad thing. Of course, Camby himself didn't round into a useful NBA center for about eight years or so, and his leaping and shot-blocking ability is probably a significant factor in all of the injury problems he's had...

 

[Joe Mama]

With another inch or two, Biedrins could easily be the next Camby, and that's not such a bad thing. Of course, Camby himself didn't round into a useful NBA center for about eight years or so, and his leaping and shot-blocking ability is probably a significant factor in all of the injury problems he's had...

if Biedrinis is 7' 0" in shoes he is at least as big as Marcus Camby right now. Also, it did not take Marcus Camby eight years to get where he is now. He really made an immediate impact in the NBA. He just hasn't been able to stay healthy until this season.

Honestly I don't think it's going to matter anyhow. I think it's very likely that Biedrinis is gone before #7.

Joe Mama

 

[Errntknght]

Joe Mama, "Ultimately I agree with you that I will just have to trust that the Phoenix Suns scouting, coaches, and management know what they are doing with the draft pick. I guarantee they know more about these players than any of these Internet scouts."

They're going to do the picking but their track record doesn't inspire me to trust them. They picked Zarko even though the commonly told story on him included the fact that he was a weak defender. And, to date, Z has shown nothing to disprove that.

 

[Joe Mama]

Joe Mama, "Ultimately I agree with you that I will just have to trust that the Phoenix Suns scouting, coaches, and management know what they are doing with the draft pick. I guarantee they know more about these players than any of these Internet scouts."

They're going to do the picking but their track record doesn't inspire me to trust them. They picked Zarko even though the commonly told story on him included the fact that he was a weak defender. And, to date, Z has shown nothing to disprove that.

When our people going to realize that the Phoenix Suns did not draft Cabarkapa to be a strong defender? They drafted him to put points on the board and open the floor for Amare Stoudemire. Unfortunately he did not get much of a chance to show what he could do because of Fortson's thuggery. Early last season Cabarkapa was being mentioned as a possible sleeper for rookie of the year. Despite that injury there are only a couple of players that were taken after him that looked any better. He was the #17 draft choice for gods sake.

I'm giving Cabarkapa at least until the end of next season to show what he can do. His outside shooting was supposed to be one of his strengths, and never looked right after that risk injury.

I don't think he was nearly as bad defensively as some of you do.

BTW I wanted David West or Brian Cook, but like I said, I'm going to give Cabarkapa this season to show me he was a good choice.

If you want to point out recent draft mistakes of the Phoenix Suns you should start with Casey Jacobsen. IMO is really the only player they've missed badly on in a long time.

Joe Mama

 

[scotsman13]

They're going to do the picking but their track record doesn't inspire me to trust them. They picked Zarko even though the commonly told story on him included the fact that he was a weak defender. And, to date, Z has shown nothing to disprove that.

there is no team in the nba who picks better then the suns. since 94 44% of there first round draft picks have turned in all star years (counting amare, who will soon get one). name one other team that has anywhere close to that % on finding players in the draft. i wouldnt take any other teams scouting staff over the suns.

 

[Errntknght]

Joe, "When our people going to realize that the Phoenix Suns did not draft Cabarkapa to be a strong defender?"

That was obvious but I disagree with the idea of drafting anyone who is a weak defender - he'll be useless in the playoffs so why bother having him on the team. Even a near point-a-minute scorer like Ceballos couldn't stay on the floor in the playoffs because the other team picked on him on every possession.


"BTW I wanted David West or Brian Cook, but like I said, I'm going to give Cabarkapa this season to show me he was a good choice."

I thought those two sounded like reasonable choices, too. I hope Z pans out for the teams sake but we may not know until the team gets to battling in the playoffs, where weak defenders are mercilessly exposed.


"If you want to point out recent draft mistakes of the Phoenix Suns you should start with Casey Jacobsen. IMO is really the only player they've missed badly on in a long time."

I have many times starting the day he was drafted - at least from the point of view that there were some good 'bigs' still available at #22, plus Prince who several people on the board were touting.


Sotsman13, "there is no team in the nba who picks better then the suns. since 94 44% of there first round draft picks have turned in all star years (counting amare, who will soon get one). name one other team that has anywhere close to that % on finding players in the draft. i wouldnt take any other teams scouting staff over the suns."

I had few if any complaints about the Suns drafting during the time Percudani was heavily involved. I'm not sure just when he died but I think Tsakalidis was the first player chosen since then. Amare was a great choice but other than him there's been nothing to shout about. The Suns don't seem to have much confidence in their ability to pick guys in the second round as they've freely shed second round picks and gotten none in trades for about five years now.

 

[Joe Mama]

Joe, "When our people going to realize that the Phoenix Suns did not draft Cabarkapa to be a strong defender?"

That was obvious but I disagree with the idea of drafting anyone who is a weak defender - he'll be useless in the playoffs so why bother having him on the team. Even a near point-a-minute scorer like Ceballos couldn't stay on the floor in the playoffs because the other team picked on him on every possession.

Come on now. How can you say right now that Cabarkapa will be useless in the playoffs? If they use him primarily as a backup small forward I think he'll be just fine. I don't see him ever being a world-class defender, but he'll be adequate. I don't like him as a backup power forward unless he gets much stronger, or the other team is playing small ball.

Joe Mama

 

[George O'Brien]

Come on now. How can you say right now that Cabarkapa will be useless in the playoffs? If they use him primarily as a backup small forward I think he'll be just fine. I don't see him ever being a world-class defender, but he'll be adequate. I don't like him as a backup power forward unless he gets much stronger, or the other team is playing small ball.

Joe Mama

Supposedly Zarko is spending time in the weight room. I really hope he does not make the Yugoslavian national team for the Olympics. He needs to stay home, lift weights and work on defensive footwork. Being on the Olympic team will help his confidence and his shooting, but I'd rather he worked on strength training.