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THE SHOTS 2008 NBA MOCK DRAFT LOTTERY
Derek Schultz
Disclaimer: To borrow the words from the guru himself Chad Ford - this is what I think the NBA teams will do, not necessarily what they should do.
1) CHICAGO - Derrick Rose, PG Memphis
This may be the first absolute no-brainer top overall selection since LeBron James in 2003. The hometown Chicago kid fufills my NBA Draft Lottery conspiracy theory by playing for the Bulls. Now what do they do with Kirk Hinrich?
2) MIAMI - Michael Beasley, PF Kansas State
Although Pat Riley is intrigued enough to listen to any/all trade offers, I think Miami ends up hanging on to this selection. Though they flirt with OJ Mayo, they can't afford to go out on a limb with this pick, so they take the safe route with Beasley. With Wade already the focal point of the offense, and Shawn Marion a notorious complainer, I don't think adding a player with an ego like Mayo would be the best fit in South Beach.
3) MINNESOTA - OJ Mayo, SG USC
The Timberwolves are between a rock and a hard place here. Mayo doesn't fit any need for them, but he's clearly the third best talent in this draft, so they almost have to take him. I originally thought they were going to trade this pick, but after handing Kevin Garnett to the Celtics for free, I'm not sure other GMs are willing to give Kevin McHale an overwhelming proposition.
Danny Ainge: How about Brian Scalabrine for Al Jefferson and the #3?
Kevin McHale: "Sold"
4) SEATTLE - Brook Lopez, C Stanford
Lopez will be the bust of the draft. There, I said it. Is there anything more overrated year in and year out than the prospects in the draft that are true centers? When was the last time a team needed a true center to win a title? Did Miami really need Shaq? I think that team was good enough to win it without him. The Celtics, Spurs, and Pistons have won the other four championships in the past five years and they had Kendrick Perkins, Fabricio Oberto, Rasho Nesterovic, and Ben Wallace (a PF) starting at the 5 spot. I like Seattle's core of Kevin Durant and Jeff Green but they're making a big mistake by ignoring some of the prolific scoring guards (i.e. Jerryd Bayless, Eric Gordon) that will be available here.
5) MEMPHIS - Kevin Love, PF UCLA
This team should be disbanded from the NBA and disallowed from ever drafting again. What the ownership is making GM Chris Wallace do by shedding payroll at all costs is an absolute travesty. If they even keep this pick, Love would fit in perfectly as a true power forward with a super athletic front-line of Rudy Gay and Hakim Warrick. One trade proposal had the Grizzlies shipping this pick plus Brian Cardinal to the Knicks for career 6th man David Lee and Malik "wow, I'm really still in the League?" Rose. Ugh.
6) NY KNICKS - Russell Westbrook, G UCLA
As much as I'd love to own an Eric Gordon Knicks jersey, EJ is not a good fit in the land of combo-guards. Westbrook is a potential bust, but he addresses the Knicks' biggest need: a guy that can actually guard somebody. He also has more potential to eventually be a true point on the NBA level than anyone else that they have there now. By the way, if Isiah Thomas was still running the team is there any doubt New York would take Anthony Randolph here? Another skinny forward with
You could say that Westbrook is decently athletic...
7) LA CLIPPERS - Eric Gordon, G Indiana
This is actually the best possible fit for Gordon. He is in a big market but joins a team that is largely ignored, and has zero expectations. EJ is a quiet kid by nature so he'll have some time to develop and fine-tune his game while in the shadows of the Showtime Lakers in Los Angeles. Plus, they really, really need a guard that can shoot the basketball.
8) MILWAUKEE- Joe Alexander, F West Virginia
This pick and Derrick Rose at #1 seem to be the only two picks that are a consensus across the board. Alexander is a kid who is athletic and active, plus has all the physcial attributes that you are looking for. But, unlike Kevin Love, it seems like he has no idea how to actually play the game of basketball. This reeks of a bust, but then again, Alexander could be a bigger, more athletic version of Mike Dunleavy.
9) CHARLOTTE - Alexi Ajinca, C France
Every year there's one team that buys into all the hype - that let's those individual workouts and measurables infect their brain and saturate their logic. Oh, and did I mention Michael Jordan's track record as an NBA executive? Ajinca and the Bobcats at #9 makes sense because of the perfect storm of underlying circumstances. Jordan drafted Kwame Brown in Washington and has picked up Sean May and Adam Morrison (who took about 15 seconds to be labeled a bust) during his time in Charlotte. Meanwhile, Ajinca has been shooting up draft boards because teams are focusing on his 7'6 wingspan instead of his 5.0 ppg scoring average in France. I mean why would any NBA team draft a guy who's mostly compared to Jonathan Bender?
He's like a French Shawn Bradley....oooooh!
10) NEW JERSEY - Danillo Gallinari, G Italy
The Nets are in the background of the disaster that is the New York Knicks in the tri-state area, but very quietly they are doing a great job with a rebuilding project of their own. New Jersey is willing to sacrifice the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons in order to get under the cap for the free agent bonaza in the summer of 2010. Therefore, they have some time to wait on Gallinari, and to work out a deal to buy him out from his contract in Italy.
11) INDIANA - Brandon Rush, G Kansas
Larry Bird has said repeatedly that the Pacers are only interested in players that can contribute right away and are already "polished." Taking those words into account, you can throw out the chances of the Pacers taking someone like Anthony Randolph here. Rush gives the Pacers a shooter, an upgraded version of Kareem Rush (his brother) if you will, and someone that can actually play defense. He also has championship experience from his days at Kansas and is a mature kid who has a very low risk of becoming a problem off the court.
12) SACRAMENTO - Jerryd Bayless, G Arizona
Perhaps the only other people happier than Larry Bird and most Pacers fans about the Jermaine O'Neal trade were the members of the Kings' front office. Everyone knows that Sacramento was going to take a point guard here, and for some reason over the past 48 hours Bayless has been plummeting down the Draft charts. Bayless is maybe the most talented guard outside of Derrick Rose (and yes, that includes OJ Mayo). He may be less of a true point than DJ Augustin, another player the Kings are coveting, but at #12 there is way too much potential here for the Kings to pass him up.
Bayless' fall from grace among the mock drafters doesn't make much sense
13) PORTLAND - DJ Augustin, G Texas
Is there a luckier guy in the world than Blazers' GM Kevin Pritchard? The TrailBlazers continue to add to their young roster with the only missing piece: a young, pure passer in DJ Augustin. Portland was originally looking to trade up from this spot, but with Augustin (or Bayless) falling into their laps, they don't have to.
14) GOLDEN STATE - Kosta Koufos, F Ohio State
I think Koufos is going to have a solid fifteen year career...in Europe. There is not a single aspect of his game that suits the NBA. He's a 6'10 shooting guard that isn't very athletic and I'm pretty sure almost any guard in the league could back him down to the basket. Not only is he not a physical player, he seems to be literally afraid of contact. Outside of the Clippers, Golden State has been a team that has drafted horribly in their history (Chris Washburn, Patrick O'Bryant) - look for Koufos will continue that tradition.
Koufos will have trouble going against NBA big men
