Mock Draft: Phoenix is on the clock!

[elindholm]

1. Orlando -- Emeka Okafor
2. L. A. Clippers -- Dwight Howard
3. Chicago -- Luol Deng
4. Charlotte -- Shaun Livingston
5. Washington -- Andris Biedrins
6. Atlanta -- Ben Gordon
7. Phoenix
8. Toronto
9. Philadelphia
10. Cleveland
11. Golden State
12. Seattle
13. Portland
14. Utah
15. Boston
16. Utah
17. Atlanta
18. New Orleans
19. Miami
20. Denver
21. Utah
22. New Jersey
23. Portland
24. Boston
25. Boston
26. Sacramento
27. L. A. Lakers
28. San Antonio
29. Indiana

 

[binkar]

I struggled choosing between Iggy and Josh Smith

 

[F-Dog]

Geez, Eric, why do you like Sergei Monya so much?

This pick would be a lot easier to scope out if the deadline for withdrawing your name had already passed. If Andriuskevicius is still in and still on the board at #7, I expect he'll be the Suns' pick.

If AK drops out, the Suns are probably going with a swingman or (God help us) Podkolzine...

 

[Sunshooter]

If Andriuskevicius quit , I choose Josh Smith.

If Andriuskevicius quit , Josh Smith has been selected , I choose Iguodala.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

I went........Iggy.

Man I thought I would never vote that. I guess if his shot is half as good as they say it is, I won't be dissapointed.

I am assuming that Marty will drop out, although I don't know if they would take him over Iggy or Smith.

Pretty much I think it will be Iggy or Smith, depending which is on the board (I think one will be gone by now). With Iggy being the winner if both are left.

 

[carey]

Ok, I went Josh Smith. I'm notoriously crappy at this though. The year we took Amare I went with Wilcox. I totally forgot who I picked last year though.

 

[elindholm]

For those who are interested, both Andriuskevicius and Perovic will be pulled off the list if they aren't taken in the top ten. (Well, I might leave Perovic up through the end of the lottery.) It doesn't matter, since you can always do a write-in vote, but I thought some people might want to know.

 

[George O'Brien]

Iguodala.

Recent reports say he is over 6'7" tall and his shooting is vastly improved. The people he is working with had him shooting 600 shots a day for almost three months and has shown it in the workouts. If Iggy can shoot, taking him a #7 seems to me an obvious pick.

1. He is probably the best permimeter defender in the draft. He has long arms and very quick feet that move well side to side.

2. He is a very good passer and ball handler. He averaged 5 assists per game this past season, even though he was the team's SF. He is good enough with the ball that he was used as a "point forward" by the Wildcats.

3. He is very athletic. He has a 40" leap and is very fast.

4. He is very good at attaching the basket and finishes well.

5. He has two years of college at a school famous for producing NBA guards.

It is notable that many mock drafts have him going very early - even with questions about his shooting. draftcity.com has him going #4, HoopsHype at #6, nbadraft.tk at #4, InsideHoops at #7, and collegehoopsnet.com at #3. nbadraft.com is the only major board showing him late in the lottery.

I am increasingly convinced Iggy is not going to be available at #7. If it is true that his shooting has improved, he could go very early.


Iguodala

 

[elindholm]

Our first close vote!

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Again no way the Suns pass up on a 7'5 300 pound center.

 

[elindholm]

Again no way the Suns pass up on a 7'5 300 pound center.

Well, it's not quite that simple. Do you think Podkolzine is the only guy in the world who is 7'5", 300 and knows how to shoot a little bit? I doubt it. So even if the Suns take him, they're passing on several others who just don't have the same exposure.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Again no way the Suns pass up on a 7'5 300 pound center.

Well, it's not quite that simple. Do you think Podkolzine is the only guy in the world who is 7'5", 300 and knows how to shoot a little bit? I doubt it. So even if the Suns take him, they're passing on several others who just don't have the same exposure.

Well he is the only 7'5 center in the draft that has potential to be the #2 pick because he is strong in the post and has nice hands.

The Suns need size and rebounding. I am sure that is how they will see it.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

From the Italian's scouting report. A little more here than size...despite this misconception that he is a stiff.

Pavel Podkolzine, C, Russia
"I've known him since he arrived in Italy two years ago. He has obviously improved quite a bit. He has many qualities that are unusual for a 7-foot-5 player. He has great hands for a big guy. He's a very good ball handler for someone that size. His body is very good, and he's not afraid to be aggressive in the post. I think he will be a success in the NBA. The question with him is just how good he'll get. He could be good, or he could be great."

 

[Chaplin]

Too bad both guys that are leading this poll are two guys that aren't included in BC's and Van's estimation of what we "need". (i.e. Center and - ugh - point guard)

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Too bad both guys that are leading this poll are two guys that aren't included in BC's and Van's estimation of what we "need". (i.e. Center and - ugh - point guard)

Exactly. It is like writing on the wall that no one wants to read. Reminds me of my talk about Zarko.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I vote for Pavel. He's just too big and mobile to pass up.

Those that compare his possible downside as "Muresan" are nuts. That guy could hardly walk. He was fairly skinny and had no moves to speak of.

Pavel's downside might be on the Mark Eaton level, but Eaton was defensive player of the year for at least one year.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I vote for Pavel. He's just too big and mobile to pass up.

Those that compare his possible downside as "Muresan" are nuts. That guy could hardly walk. He was fairly skinny and had no moves to speak of.

Pavel's downside might be on the Mark Eaton level, but Eaton was defensive player of the year for at least one year.

gheorghe was not skinny. he was a true giant. and, though painfully slow, he was effective for a season or two before his health shut him down. he was fun to watch when i was living in DC.

as for pavel, he's supposed to be a fair athlete for his size, which would make him much different than eaton. the other difference, eaton, if i'm not mistaken, hailed from ucla where he was well-coached. to this point we know not what kind of instruction pavel has really received.

that said, i voted for iguodala, but wouldn't surprised, nor upset, if we gambled on pavel. marty scares me a bit and seems to be a carbon copy of zarko. but then again, just going on scouting reports and no actual personal knowledge.

 

[Goldfield]

IMO Igu is the best player on the board.


So it was very hard for me to take Pavel...


a 7'5" player that has a shot at being good, is to hard to pass on...

If he works out how much better would the Suns be?

 

[George O'Brien]

Pavel is big. But he is also a big risk.

1. He has not shown much in league competition in Italy.

2. His conditioning was described as very poor at that prospects camp where he could only play in five minutes increments.

3. Guys with his glandular condition have a history of injuries and he has had several just this year.

4. No one believes he will contribute much for a while.

5. Not really a good fit for the Suns style. Mark Eaton played on a slow down team. Having someone like Pavel would be nice when playing Shaq and Yao, but seems very likely to slow the team down. Indiana did not run much with Rick Smits and running the court has been a problem with Ilgauskas in Cleveland.

I would prefer to take a guy like Biedrins who will run the court than Pavel who will slow things down.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Pavel is big. But he is also a big risk.

1. He has not shown much in league competition in Italy.

2. His conditioning was described as very poor at that prospects camp where he could only play in five minutes increments.

3. Guys with his glandular condition have a history of injuries and he has had several just this year.

4. No one believes he will contribute much for a while.

5. Not really a good fit for the Suns style. Mark Eaton played on a slow down team. Having someone like Pavel would be nice when playing Shaq and Yao, but seems very likely to slow the team down. Indiana did not run much with Rick Smits and running the court has been a problem with Ilgauskas in Cleveland.

I would prefer to take a guy like Biedrins who will run the court than Pavel who will slow things down.

now i'm not a huge fan of pavel's, but comparing him to eaton is just wrong. he is nowhere near the physical stiff that eaton was. eaton was a huge mass in the lane and an excellent shot blocker but the man was a mountain that couldn't move. apparently pavel can move. will he be leading the break? no. but even outside of iguaskas, how many centers do that? it's rare if ever that a center beats anyone down the floor. if pavel develops will he slow the break down if he rebounds and fires an outlet pass to one of our other 4 streaking players? no. and, if he does develop, he'd offer a great alternative to the run 'n gun offense in a slower-paced, playoff-style low post halfcourt offense. i think he's worth a gamble. i wouldn't be upset with the pick. nor would i expect great things from him. i think he'd be worth the 7th pick if he could develop into a consistent 10pt/9r/2b player who eats space defensively.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Out of curiosity, whats the rule on a tie?

 

[George O'Brien]

Out of curiosity, whats the rule on a tie?

Sudden death?

 

[Cheesebeef]

As far as Eaton playing on a slow donw team - I don't think that's necessarily true - Stockton, Malone and Thrul Bailey used to run all the time - that's what made Malone such an anomaly - he was gigantic and ran the floor - hell everyone in the West used to run - and Stockton ran the break to perfection. It was only later in the Jazz cycle that they became a slow down team - when Malone couldn't get up and down anymore - but even then - Stockton was still running with guys - dishing to the Shannon Andersons and Byron Russel's of the world.

As far as other teams that ran with immobile centers - the Bulls - during their first threep-peat used to run all the time, even though they had 400 year old Bill Cartwright on the floor - but the was their center on Defense and provided rebounds to start the break or cleared room for rebounds to strat the break - for that reason - I wouldn't discount Pavel being on this club - there are plenty other reasons to be afraid of this guy than his inability to play on a running team. He's intriguiging to me, but has high bust potential as well - if we draft either him or Iggy - I'd be happy.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Out of curiosity, whats the rule on a tie?

goes to the runner.



[sorry gang, just couldn't resist]

 

[elindholm]

Exactly. It is like writing on the wall that no one wants to read.

You aren't giving us enough credit. The Suns don't "need" another lumbering giant who can't play, either.

Heck, if they just want a big young European center, all they have to do is offer Jake Tsakalidis a four-year deal for whatever the #7 pick would make -- I highly doubt that Memphis would match.

True, I don't know whether Podkolzine can play or not. Maybe he can. But the undocumented testimony of some random Italian dude who hangs out with him doesn't impress me much.

What does impress me was that he made a big splash a year ago, got people excited for maybe a week, and then vanished as soon as the buzz died down. If he could really play, do you think that would have happened? And if he couldn't play a year ago, why can he suddenly play now?

To answer thegrahamcrackr's question about a tie in the voting, George O'Brien guessed right: I'll just hold off until someone votes late to break the tie.