This is my second iteration of the 2008 NBA Draft. The mocks I write are under the premise that “teams should take this guy” rather than “I think they will take this guy.” In most scenarios, those two premises entail completely different scenarios.
I also abide under the pre-conceived notion that there will be no trades. I know that having a year when no trades are made is impossible. I am not in this to predict trades, so I just concern myself with the picks themselves.
A lot of these picks will be made irrelevant if trades are made during the draft or immediately after, but you guys know how it is. I have dissected all 60 picks I think should be made this Thursday; here are 1-30. 31-60 will be coming shortly.
Round 1
No. 1 Overall Selection (Chicago Bulls): Derrick Rose, Point Guard, Memphis
It’s amazing how the lottery works. Almost all of the time, the team with the worst record doesn’t get the first selection. I don’t get it, but the lottery is another topic for another day. Onto the selection itself.
Rose has got to be the guy here. Beasley will be an outstanding player, no doubt, but point guards like Derrick Rose don’t come along everyday. He will get by his man at will, defend well enough, push the basketball effectively, be a quiet, confident leader on the floor, and keep every player on their toes.
The biggest knock on the Bulls last year was their lack of effort. Players missing practices, and overall just not caring about whether they won or lost. Rose will bring back a work ethic to the Bulls, trying to prove to his hometown Chicago he is worth the number one pick.
Michael Beasley, on the other hand, has a laid back personality that may not suit the Bulls as well moving forward from where they are as a team. Either way, the Bulls can’t make a wrong selection between Rose and Beasley, but Rose is the guy to take here.
No. 2 Overall Selection (Miami Heat): Michael Beasley, Power Forward, Kansas State
Not really much of a question here. The unanimous top two players in this draft are Rose and Beasley. Rose is gone, so you take Beasley.
Beasley has a tremendous skill-set. He will be big enough to bully small forwards trying to guard him away from the paint, and will be too quick for most power forwards to guard. He is a true matchup nightmare. He can finish with both hands in the lane, and is both agile and strong. His defense can improve, but his dominance scoring and rebounding are the appeal, no questions asked.
Questions about his character are valid ones, but I don’t think it will make him any less great on the court.
No. 3 Overall Selection (Minnesota Timberwolves): Brook Lopez, Center, Stanford
Lopez is a big body with above average skills. Kevin McHale could teach Lopez how to vastly improve his skills and give stud big man Al Jefferson some assistance inside.
Jefferson could move to his natural power forward position. This would also take a tremendous deal of pressure off of him defensively. The Timberwolves could also address other needs later in the draft or in a trade.
24 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
James McNamee about 1 year ago
Does anyone know why my articles get all screwed up from word to the site? It's really pissing me off.
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Harris Beringer about 1 year ago
I fixed some of it, but I don't have time now for the rest. Editors like this site uses typically don't work well with Word.
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James McNamee about 1 year ago
Thanks man, I appreciate it. What do you think of my preview though? lol
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Jeremy Foster about 1 year ago
you really think dj white is going to really fall to 19 pick to the cavs. I hope you are right DJ would be a great pick for us but i do not think there is any way he is going to fall that far
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James McNamee about 1 year ago
I actually thought that was high for him when I first wrote this. Where do you think he would go that is higher than 19?
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James McNamee about 1 year ago
It's tough to tell whether GM's will take potential guys like Speights, Ajinca, Ibaka; or go for production from guys like White, Dorsey, and Hendrix. I think White will be there though, we'll see.
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TJ Zwarych about 1 year ago
There is no way Roy Hibbert will go that quickly....
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James McNamee about 1 year ago
This draft is funky though, I wouldn't put it past a GM to take production instead of potential. It is a tough call, but I agree with you. Larry Brown's coaching style is a big sticking point however, and his lack of faith in young guys is why I think Hibbert should go here.
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Harris Beringer about 1 year ago
I think Westbrook, Lopez, Eric Gordon are all way overrated. Brook Lopez seems like a Channing Frye type of player. Westbrook is maybe Delonte West. Eric Gordon is Larry Hughes, excluding his time with the Wizards.
The Bobcats and Knicks should both trade their draft pick. The Bobcats can get Hibbert way lower, but there are also other prospects that have more upside. OJ Mayo probably won't be available for the Knicks, so they should trade for TJ Ford or trade down and get DeAndre Jordan. If they can get multiple picks, that would be great. That way they can release QRich, Jerome James, and Malik Rose. Next, they just have to find any takers for Jamal Crawford, Zach Randolph, and Nate Robinson.
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James McNamee about 1 year ago
I don't see any comparisons between Brook Lopez and Channing Frye what-so-ever.
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James McNamee about 1 year ago
Yeah, good luck to the Knicks on that one, and I know this board would look different if there were trades and such, but I already stated, I just concern myself with the picks exclusively. The Cats can't take any upside players, because their only chance to win with one of the best coaches there is is to win now. MJ has to speed this process up alot in order to keep Larry Brown interested. A project-type player is out of the question for the Bobcats.
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Harris Beringer about 1 year ago
The Channing Frye/Brook Lopez comparison:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=4971
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=31765
Similar points, rebounds, assists, turnovers, steals, blocks, shooting.
Frye is just an inch shorter, 10 pounds lighter.
They're basically the same, but Frye shot better and had more steals and blocks.
You'll see, Brook Lopez is the poor man's Channing Frye.
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James McNamee about 1 year ago
I don't understand that argument. You compare the physical stats of a college sophomore to a player who has been in the NBA and had at least two off-seasons of NBA workouts. Frye played the full four years, and Lopez only played two. Lopez could get bigger within two or three years, and could improve his footwork tremendously. Frye has a mid-range jumper, and is underwhelming as far as physicality is concerned. Lopez is willing to bang, has a back to the basket game, and can knock down the jumper from decent range, just like Frye. There is a whole lot more potential for BOTH Lopez brothers then there ever will be for Channing Frye.
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c james about 1 year ago
james mcnamee---You really need to do your research before writing baseless articles.
As far as the wizards, bith Arenas & Jamison will be back. The Wiz are the only team that can offer him what he want. Gilbert is the biggest celebrity in this city, and Ernie will pay him, and Jamison has already stated he wants to end his career in Wash. Being a dc native, the post does a great job of keeping us informed, try reading the Wizards insider on Washingtonpost.com.
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James McNamee about 1 year ago
I took a pecimistic approach to the Wizards. It's not impossible that Arenas and Jamison won't be back. I took that angle because a huge change to a team is a worrisome matter even if it is only at the point of possiblity, not reality. As I said before, the Wizards should prepare for the worst, because crazy things can happen. Think about it though, if they are back, you're set for another nice season, but if they aren't, you're looking at Blatche at the four and Daniels as your point guard. Rush would be a nice addition to a line-up that played better last year without Arenas in my opinion. Before you take offense, let me rephrase on the fly. I like the Wizards better when the ball is moving and Arenas doesn't try to be a one man show. If Arenas plays like a team player, like he did in a game against the Celtics at the end of last year, the Wizards are a significantly better team. I saw that game and was extremely impressed. It was one of Arenas' first games back, and he moved the ball and took shots in-rhythm. If Arenas tries to be a one-man show, like he has at different times, it will effect the Wizards in a negative way. If I'm the Wizards, signing Gil is not as important as it seems, because they have proved they can win without him, and are (arguably) a better team without him. As you can tell, I am not a fan of shoot-first point guards. I am a fan of old-fashioned basketball, and I am not obsessed with the off-balance fade-away three point shot and the dunk. That's not what wins championships, so I don't get sucked into the ESPN top 10 too much. Arenas is one of those players to me, and I think he is overrated. He's all sizzle, with not much steak. If he asks for some ridiculous amount of dough, you watch, your Wizards won't sign him.
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c james about 1 year ago
well...
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c james about 1 year ago
James, thanks for the reply. I apologize if I was a little one-sided in my intial post (I'm a huge DC fan). You made a very good arguement, but I disagree. But anyways, Gil brought basketball back to DC. All the Wiz need to learn how to do is play D, or get a big time stopper such as Marion or Bowen type. You are right, when Gil is a one man show, the Wiz are not as good. But at the same time, he is one of the few players in the league who can score AT WILL. He scored 60 pts ON Kobe, and had 50+poins in that 1 month span 3 times. He also is one of the best closers in the game. Bottom line is the Wiz were only 4 games over 500 last season, in which Arenas was a non-factor. So for people to say they are better off w/o him is false. If anything, they win the same amount of games, but just play a total different style of ball. When he's not there, they are missing a guy who can finish games out, and get to the line at will. So I disagree with the overated comment. His poster is hung up on a huge wall outside the Verizon center overlooking downtown DC. He is the reason people are even talking about basketball in DC, which was NONEXISTENT before he arrived. He is a bonafied superstar, which is what DC has lacked for a long time. He is a very marketable figure, and sells out the arena, not Butler or Jamison, contrary to popular belief. Believe me, Grunfeld will pay him the max contract, and he'll be back in DC. Mark my words.
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James McNamee about 1 year ago
I honestly think the Wizards could spend that money better. I am a huge Caron Butler fan, and would much rather see him lead the Wiz. If they could entice Marion to come to Washington, you could plug him in at the three, put Caron at the two, and have Blatche spelling those two. Then you have Haywood and Thomas at center, then DeShawn Stevenson off the bench. That way you could package picks to move up the necessary spots (probably to #12) to grab Mario Chalmers.
Your starters would be Chalmers, Butler, Marion, Jamison, and Haywood. Your bench would be Daniels, Young, Stevenson, Blatche, and Thomas. Now that would be a heck of a team. Washington gave the Celtics absolute FITS last year. THIS team would contend in the east, we can definitely agree on that.
I just don't like pass-first point guards, and I think that as long as the Wizards win, there will be a following. It doesn't matter if they have a bonafide superstar who gets publicity. Winning brings publicity, and a Caron Butler led team is enough exposure in my mind, he is an outstanding player.
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James McNamee about 1 year ago
Blatche spelling Marion and Jamison I meant.
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James McNamee about 1 year ago
Shoot-first point guards I meant.
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Harris Beringer about 1 year ago
James- I'm comparing Brook Lopez in college to Channing Frye in college. Frye's numbers were similar his sophomore year to his senior year, he just played more. If you take Channing Frye and add a bit of Ben Wallace's toughness and inability to shoot, you get Brook Lopez. Is there another power forward who shoots as poorly as Brook Lopez? He could have the offense of Chris Kaman with less rebounding. Maybe Drew Gooden.
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James McNamee about 1 year ago
I'm not trying to start an argument but why are you name-dropping so much? You got to give Brook an opportunity to be his own player, and not throw around comparisons. Lopez will give the T'Wolves size and defense first, and some decent offense. Some of the moves he makes could be tweaked by Kevin McHale and made lethal. By all accounts he is a hard worker, and him and his brother both have the talent.
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Harris Beringer about 1 year ago
The point is that he will probably not be elite talent, and will probably be at the level of the players I mentioned. In fact, I just read that some scouts called him "Chris Kaman meets PJ Brown." Solid, but not a star. I don't think that's worth a #3 pick. Plus, I think he doesn't rebound as well as any of them.
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James McNamee about 1 year ago
Fair enough, I just didn't want to start a feud-type thing with you. I think keeping Al Jefferson healthy is a priority. Maybe the Wolves will trade down to get him. Charlotte just traded down to 20 to jump Utah on Hibbert, so maybe the Wolves will do something similar if they feel he is not a top 3 pick.
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