Post by kobe24 on Mar 1, 2010 22:42:24 GMT -5
2007 UOSLR Mock Draft
The 2007 draft has a chance to be as good as the 2003 draft was if the top players decide to stay in the draft. The past few years big named players have pulled out of the draft to attend college, the most notable of those players has been Chris Paul who has been toying with GMs for 4 years now. Well he is finally finishing up his senior season and will have to enter the draft this year, unless he decides to go play over seas. This draft could easily be a one man show if some of the younger guys decide to go to college or stay in college. Kevin Durant looks like he could challenge Paul for the first overall pick, but Durant could choose to go to college and come out next year where he would be the obvious #1 pick. For my sake I hope he stays in the draft. This draft also features a crop of young sexy big men. Bynum is probably the top big man prospect at 19 years old, but he is followed closely by Greg Oden, Al Horford, Brandan Wright, and a few others. Predicting which guys stay and go is hard to do, hopefully one of Oden and Bynum stay. The race for CP3 was a close one this season, perhaps more exciting than the races for the Conference titles. The Mavericks and Bulls tussled all season for this pick, but in the last 10 days of the season, the Bullets swooped in and stole it from both of them, leaving the Mavericks with the second overall pick and the Bulls with the third. The lotto will be very interesting this season.
#1 Washington Bullets
Chris Paul
Ht/Wt: 6-0 170
Position: PG
From: Wake Forest
Finally! Chris Paul will finally be gracing UOSLR with his presence after a long college career. It was basically a three team race all season for Paul and the Bullets won out, or lost out. There have been some rumblings about whether or not Durant should be the #1 pick or Paul should. Personally, I think the decision is pretty easy, you have to go with a player like Paul here. He could end up being the best PG in UOSLR history. Chris didn’t refine his shooting game a lot while at Wake, which is what I was expecting to see since he spent four years there. But B+ handles and B defense is amazing and he will get by with 15 PPG or so if he is leading the league in assists and steals. His height is his biggest weakness, and only weakness as far as I’m concerned. He won’t get you a ton of rebounds, but that is just extra if your PG can also rebound. Chris Paul should be the #1 overall pick in this draft and should go on to be a top player in the league for many years.
#2 Dallas Mavericks
Kevin Durant
Ht/Wt: 6-9 225
Position: SF
From: Montrose Christian High School
I think whoever gets the #1 pick will obviously consider taking Durant, but will ultimately choose CP3. Which isn’t great for the Mavs since they need a PG, but I’m sure they will take Durant as a nice consolation prize. They will have to consider taking one of those bigs, but none of them are that much better than Durant and the Mavs haven’t had luck with drafting big guys the past two drafts. Durant will be the only 18 year old in the draft if the decides to forgo college and stay in the draft. And just off of sheer potential he will be atop a lot of GMs draft boards. Durant reminds me a lot of Carmelo Anthony, a SF who can do a bit of everything. I doubt Durant will have those ratings after one or two training camps, but he could easily end up as good as Melo or better. I think you consider one of those big men here, but you have to go with Durant in my opinion.
#3 Chicago Bulls
Greg Oden
Ht/Wt: 7-0 280
Position: C
From: Lawrence North High School
I think this pick is between Oden and Bynum, and it will basically be GM preference as both guys are very similar. Both are 19 so potential really isn’t a problem here, they are both 7 footers. The only real difference is there style of play. Oden is more of a defensive minded guy while Bynum is more offensive minded. Bynum only has a slightly better inside rating then Oden does though while Oden has B+ defense and B rebounding compared to Bynum’s B and B-. Oden will anchor a team with his blocks and rebounds, that is how I like my centers. Bynum is more likely to average 20 and 10 but Oden should average 3+ BPG and 11/12 RPG and he isn’t an awful scorer, though his post moves do need work. In the end it may just come down to a coin flip for the GM here.
#4 Denver Nuggets
Andrew Bynum
Ht/Wt: 7-0 285
Position: C
From: St. Joseph High School
The Nuggets will probably go with Bynum or Oden here, and since I have Oden going to the Bulls I have Bynum coming off the board here. The Nuggets desperately need a franchise big, and Bynum looks like he could be one in the future. He is still very young and raw, but he has the potential to be an all-star in the future. The Nuggets are pretty set 1-3 right now, so a big man should be their focus in this draft and there are plenty to choose from. Bynum just seems like the best choice for them here though. He still has a ton to learn and needs to get tougher, but he has all the tools to be a great player. He has the size, willingness to be taught and the talent. Bynum is also a bit of a risk though, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Al Horford getting some consideration here from the Nuggets since he is a bit more ready for the league.
#5 Portland Trailblazers
Al Horford
Ht/Wt: 6-10 245
Position: PF
From: Florida
The Blazers could go in a couple of different directions here, but based on need I say they go with Al Horford. He is 21 which turns some GMs off, but he still has A scouted potential. Horford is a proven winner, winning two titles at the University of Florida, and it looks like he could have the best rookie season out of all the bigs. I would say they take Thad Young here, but they basically already have a player just like him in Travis Outlaw so that pick doesn’t make much sense. They could obviously take a risk and go with a younger big, but I think Horford has just as much potential as those guys and is already a better player. He looks like he could be a solid player who gets you 15,11 and 2 every night. He does have a bit of a ceiling though when it comes to his offensive game. I don’t think he will ever be a guy who gets you 20+ PPG, but he does have that ability. I see him being more of a rebounding, defensive big which are always valuable. The Blazers will have a pretty tough choice here, but based on need and since Horford is sexy, I say they take him here.
#6 Charlotte Hornets
Thaddeus Young
Ht/Wt: 6-8 217
Position: SF
From: Mitchell High School
I’m a big fan of Young, I love his athleticism. He dominated games in high school just because he was so much more athletic than the competition, that won’t be the case in this league though. While he is a great athlete, he will definitely need to work on his outside shoot if he wants to play the 3 which it looks like that will be the only position he can play. He doesn’t have the size or rebounding ability to play PF or the shooting touch to play SG, so versatility will need to be something he works on. Right now he can get by on being faster and a better leaper than anyone around him, but that will quickly change. He reminds me a lot of Travis Outlaw who came out a few years ago. Outlaw was someone I was targeting in that draft and Young will be someone I am targeting this draft. I think the Hornets take him because they really need a scorer who can take some of the load off of Dwight. I think this guy has a lot of potential and could end up being an All-Star.
#7 San Antonio Spurs
Monta Ellis
Ht/Wt: 6-3 175
Position: SG
From: Mississippi State University
Monta is pretty poorly made in my opinion. He could end up being the best scorer in this draft and his ratings don’t exactly show that. I think he could be sitting on a few grades. Defense has always been his problem, but he should definitely be close to C+ or maybe B- defense after one TC. I still think he has a lot of potential left even though he is 21. The Spurs can afford to take a bit of a risk here since they have youth at every position right now. Monta is definitely a guy who could come up big for you. This may seem a bit early to some because of his defense, but that C should be sitting on C+, so its not that bad. And no one else really jumps off the page here, so I like the Spurs taking a chance on Monta here. He looks like he could turn into the short version of Joe Johnson.
#8 Houston Rockets
Andray Blatche
Ht/Wt: 6-11 240
Position: PF
From: South Kent High School
Blatche may seem like a bit of a risk here, but I like him. He is the best rebounded in this class and also isn’t far behind any of the other bigs in scoring or defense. That’s one bad thing about this class, a lot of the bigs can’t rebound for shit, but Blatche can. The Rockets really need a big man and since Bargs is their future PF, they will need to play him alongside someone who can rebound. But I also think Blatche has the potential to become more than just a rebounding guy in this league. He is only 20 years old and still has a ton of room for improvement in my opinion. He has one of the best mid range jumpers among the big men in this class and his post moves should only get better. He is lazy on defense, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the ability. His biggest weakness is his inconsistency, but if he could play up to his potential every night than he could be a great player.
#9 Boston Celtics
Rodney Stuckey
Ht/Wt: 6-5 205
Position: PG
From: Eastern Washington
This guy might be flying under the radar on a few guys draft lists, but not mine. He is 21 and comes from a smaller college, but those may be his only knocks. His ratings are rather impressive, and 6’5’’ PGs are always nice to have. He will probably end up at SG since his handles aren’t great, but they are good enough to get by at PG. But utilizing his handling ability at SG would maximize his success. He was a great scorer in college, but some people aren’t sure if that will translate to this league. Defense is something that will translate though and he is a stud defender. If this guy was just a year younger than he would probably be a top 5 pick. I think he could end up being the steal of this draft, although it’s the 9th pick, I doubt many people are expecting much out of anyone besides Paul and Durant. I will have my eye on Stuckey come draft day.
#10 Detroit Pistons
Mike Conley Jr.
Ht/Wt: 6-1 180
Position: PG
From: Lawrence North High School
It gets pretty hard here, I couldn’t really decide who the Pistons should pick. There are a handful of guys that could go here. The Pistons really need to decide if they want to try and win or rebuild. With a lot of their guys expiring this year, I think they should rebuild. And to properly rebuild you need a franchise PG. Conley slips a bit because of his poor outside shooting, but that doesn’t bother me because he should be on the verge of C+ in that category. His ability to drive to the basket is what he will have to thrive on early in his career until he develops a good outside shot. He is a pretty good ball handler and if you put the right guys around him he could put up double digit assist numbers. His defense is average at best right now, he should get a few steals, which always looks nice on the stat sheet. I think he is definitely sitting on C+ outside, maybe B- which is why I think this is a good pick. Conley is a bit of a risk, but I think he will pan out and become a good player.
#11 Houston Rockets
Corey Brewer
Ht/Wt: 6-9 185
Position: SF
From: Florida
I think Brewer comes off the board here with the Rockets second lottery pick. I think Brewer would be a great fit on their team. He is a versatile wing that can defend multiple positions and lock down the opponents best scorer. Brewer is one of the better man defenders in the draft and would go nicely with Louis Williams and Kevin Martin in Houston. He can score if need be, but that’s not what he is best at. He also needs to get stronger. He is 6’9’’ which is great, but he also weighs 185 lbs which isn’t acceptable for a guy that height. If he can get in the weight room and improve his strength I think it will help him out with rebounding inside and make him that much better. I don’t see him becoming a great player, but he is the type of player that helps your team win and you need those guys on every team.
#12 Philadelphia 76ers
Jeff Green
Ht/Wt: 6-9 235
Position: SF
From: Georgetown
The 76ers need a big man, but I hate that Hawes or Wright don’t have at least C+ rebounding. So I think they should go with Jeff Green. He is just as capable as those guys at playing the PF position. But his natural position is SF where he should end up. He was a do it all player at Georgetown and should bring the same talent to the league. He can score, pass, defend and rebound exceptionally well. And I always like my SF to be a bit bigger so Green is my type of guy. I wouldn’t be surprised if he went earlier, but due to his age I think he ends up here. The 76ers could end up getting a steal though. They may be forced to take a big man here though with Green and Ariza already on the roster so if they do decide to draft a big guy I would like to see Spencer Hawes come off the board. C+ handling is interesting, if he can get that rebounding to about a B and steadily improve his offensive and defensive game than he could look sexy with B- handling or so as well.
#13 Minnesota Timberwolves
Spencer Hawes
Ht/Wt: 7-0 230
Position: C
From: Seattle Prep High School
Hawes may not necessarily be the best player available here, but I definitely think he is the most intriguing and I would like to see him come off the board here. If he does decide to go to college I think that would benefit him greatly, especially if he can get that C+ rebounding. He should be right on C+ though because C is pretty low for a big guy. His size should allow him to get around 10 RPG in starter minutes right away though. He also has some pretty good post moves and a nice mid range game as well. But I want to see if he can get those handles up to B- or higher and he could potentially look like this B+ C+ B- A- B. That would be pretty sexy. This is a high risk pick though, I just think it would be fun to try and turn him into a beast.[/center]
