The House that Boom Built

We’re nearing the draft. It ain’t gonna look pretty and I put this off way too long to go through explaining each one.

MOCK DRAFT

Chicago- Derrick Rose, my pick would be Beasley just because he fits the system much better. I also am a big Captain Kirk fan. However, Rose, is a local and probably will be a fan favorite. This leaves them with a lot of problems considering they just re-signed Kirk Hinrich to a big deal. Hopefully they will shop him because I would love to see a change of scenery for him

Miami- Michael Beasley, The questions about his seriousness are pretty ridiculousness and I am sure Minnesota is salivating at the idea of having Michael Beastley fall down to them at 3. Pat Riley has given indications that he likes OJ Mayo better and supposedly D. Wade and OJ have become good friends in their meetings. However Beasley is too great a talent to pass up, something could be in the works if this pick is made in shopping Shawn Marion, possibly for Elton Brand which would most definitely bring stability to this roster.

Minnesota- OJ Mayo, Not surprisingly, my favorite player in the draft. After the first round SC collapse there were questions about him and the hype surrounding him. However, within recent weeks, whether it be through workouts or interviews or meetings, Mayo has become the most sought after player in the draft, arguably above Rose and Beasley. It is something that us in Southern Cal have always known, but to me out of all thee draftees Mayo has the most NBA ready game. While not necessarily at the point, but in terms of toughness, competitiveness, defense, shooting ability, and athleticism, his game is the most developed. No surprise that at seasons end he was projected 7th, if not lower and now he is almost a lock to be within the top 3.

Seattle- Jerryd Bayless, To me, he is still a year away from having any success in the NBA, but people may see somethings that I am not seeing. He probably has the best court vision and pure point guard instincts out of all the players in the pack, but like many he has not really even seen that much time playing the point. There are questions about his leadership and to me he is far too small to play effectively in an immediate fashion. He is probably one of the fastest guards available and has great finishing ability.

Memphis- Brook Lopez, His stock has dropped like a lead balloon. Its something everyone in the Pac-10 could tell whenever they saw him play. He doesn’t go after the ball with much intensity and questions surrounding his leadership are abundant. He has a very good jumper from 10-15 feet out which leads me to believe that if he can really get his head in the game with the right coaching he has the opportunity to develop into at least a decent starting center someday. He has good physical tools and excellent sense on the offensive end of the ball.

New York- Russell Westbrook, Jumpshot is questionable. However, PG’s who play defense are few and far between these days and Westbrook is extremely athletic. He has a good nose for defense. I was not really convinced, just because for most of his career he hasn’t shouldered much time as a true point guard. There is not much to draw from either way as to whether or not he can handle full time duties running an offense.

LA Clippers- Eric Gordon, LA needs scoring from their guards. Mobley is a complete bust and if Maggette does not come back or if Brand gets traded away, the Clippers are gonna be in some big trouble. Whoever gets taken here is not walking into a very promising situation.

Milwaukee- Joe Alexander, May be a reach. Purely based on the idea that Milwaukee’s biggest need is a SF. Joe Alexander is a great player for intangibles. He plays with intensity and desire. Physically, he has nice long arms which make him an able defender and a decent finisher. Not much else is very consistent.

Charlotte- Danilo Gallinari, Despite the efforts of Jason Richardson, the team is still in desperate need of shooters. The team has a lot of other needs, but at this spot Gallinari is the best player available. He has a great mind for basketball and has good capability handling the ball as a point forward when the need arises.

New Jersey- Kevin Love
Indiana- D.J. Augustin
Sacramento- Anthony Randolph
Portland- Alexis Ajinca
Golden State- Darrell Arthur
Phoenix- Donte Green
Philadelphia- Mareese Speights
Toronto- Nicolas Batum
Washington- Kosta Koufos
Cleveland- Chris Douglas-Roberts
Charlotte- Ryan Anderson
New Jersey- Jason Thompson
Orlando- Brandon Rush
Utah- Roy Hibbert
Seattle- Courtney Lee
Houston- Robin Lopez
San Antonio- Mario Chalmers
New Orleans- Bill Walker
Memphis- Javale McGee
Detroit- Nathan Jawai
Boston- Kyle Weaver

Miscellanea concerning the big day…

The draft order is always changing. Apparently there is something big going on between Toronto and Indiana with Jermain O’Neal in the mix. In NO MOOD to explain or think about.

Big time bust for this draft:

Kevin Love, Anthony Randolph, Roy Hibbert, Kosta Koufos

My booms of this draft:

OJ Mayo, Eric Gordon, Mario Chalmers

Sleeper:

Alexis Ajinca, Jaycee Carroll, Devon Hardin, Reggie Williams

Overall, if he can find the right place, I really think Eric Gordon will be the gem of this draft. He is by far, physically, the most complete guard. He has a very smooth jump shot, though he will get a bit trigger happy at times. On top of that, people do not realize how strong and fast he is. In college, he could practically get to the hoop anytime he wanted to, but he would settle far too often for the long range jumper.