2011 NBA Mock Draft: Will Harrison Barnes Declare for the Draft?
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The 2011 NBA Draft is quickly shaping up as an interesting one.
Just as much for the players who aren't coming out as those who have declared.
North Carolina sharpshooter Harrison Barnes was projected as the No. 1 overall pick before he had even played a game collegiately. He was thought to be a slam dunk one-and-down player. Stunningly, Barnes is still pondering a return to UNC for his sophomore season, joining Tyler Zeller and John Henson—both of whom also bypassed expected first-round draft opportunities—in what could be next year's No. 1 team in college. Baylor's Perry Jones, another standout freshman expected to log a college cameo, shocked the world by announcing he'd return to Baylor next season, passing a sure-fire Top 10 draft spot.
Add in Ohio State freshman Jared Sullinger returning to school, a heavily hyped big man before he ever entered college, and the trend of top talent departing for the draft is beginning to reverse.
For the sake of this mock draft, I'm going to assume Barnes shocks the world and returns to the Tar Heels for his sophomore season.
Where do the Bobcats start? After trading away Gerald Wallace, there aren’t a lot of areas Charlotte doesn’t need help in to improve. The cries for Jimmer-mania will start at the bottom of the first 10 picks and if Charlotte’s smart, they’ll resist the urge to snap up media darling Jimmer Fredette who may or may not be a draft bust.
With a backcourt of DJ Augustin and Gerald Henderson that is solid, if not spectacular, Charlotte will probably opt for size, choosing among the Morris twins from Kansas, San Diego State’s Kawhi Leonard or Kentucky’s Terrence Jones. But I think the Bobcats are headed overseas for their size, intrigued by the upside of Donatas Motiejunas, a 7-foot lefty from Lithuania with incredible offensive skills. Think Andrea Bargnani of the Raptors but with a possibly higher ceiling. Will he turn into a Pau Gasol? That’s what the Bobcats are banking on.
The Cavs are secretly hoping that UConn's dynamic guard Kemba Walker falls to them at the No. 8 pick and they could even gamble on BYU sensational shooter Jimmer Fredette but they'll probably fortify their front line and tab Lithuanian sensation Jonas Valanciunas.
Valanciunas, an 18-year-old 6-11, 240-pound center, has had numerous battles with Turkey's Enes Kanter, another expected Top 10 pick in the draft. Valanciunas has an array of post moves, can run the floor and is known to attack the hoop, both with the ball and as an offensive rebounder.
With the majority of Cleveland's roster revolving around three-point shooters or rim attackers like Antawn Jamison, Baron Davis and J.J. Hickson, the Cavs could use an inside presence to score in the post and crash the boards. Valanciunas has shown he can compete on the international level and could be a solid NBA contributor with more seasoning and strength.
A Ben Wallace clone from the Congo, Biyombo could team with versatile rookie Greg Monroe to give the Pistons the makings of a versatile front line. An excellent shot-blocker and rebounder with a tremendous wingspan, Biyombo is raw and unpolished offensively and only averaged 6.3 ppg in Spain's Euroleague.
Biyombo represents a huge gamble for any team that takes him with his limited offensive skills. Will he turn out to be another Nene and get better and better as the Nuggets star has? Or will he be closer to Charlotte's 7-foot DeSagana Diop from Senegal who averaged 1.3 ppg and 2.5 rbg this season?
If the Pistons get cold feet and decide to pass on Biyombo, they can opt for a safer big man option in Lithuania's Jonas Valanciunas, a 6-11 center with a good touch and solid athleticism. Colorado's athletic guard Alec Burks, a 6-6 sophomore who played the point in college but player either guard spot in the NBA, could also emerge as an option.
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After dealing away Deron Williams, the Jazz needs to look to the future to fill the point guard spot (Devin Harris is a short-term solution at best). Knight is perfect for the role, with prototypical NBA point guard size at 6-3 and, unlike many of his college counterparts, Knight also possesses a great shooting stroke from the perimeter.
Knight hasn't announced his decision yet about entering the draft, but Kentucky Coach John Calipari's recent history in grooming one-and-done guards at Kentucky and Memphis like John Wall, Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans indicates that Calipari may encourage Knight to go pro if he thinks his draft stock is high enough.
After spearheading Kentucky's charge to the Final Four and demonstrating his ability to hit clutch shots and serve as a tough on-ball defender, Knight's stock may never be higher. He’s also a high-character guy which plays well in the Utah Jazz organization.
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After a Rookie of the Year campaign two seasons ago, Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans suffered through an injury-plagued, inconsistent sophomore campaign. As a result, the Kings may be in the market for a dynamic scoring guard and UConn's star Kemba Walker may fit the bill, fresh off leading the Huskies to the national championship.
Walker's a fearless leader who has shown the NBA-necessity skills to create his own shot and break down defenders off the dribble and score. The one knock on Walker is that he's probably only 5-10 and his game may be better suited to playing 2-guard in the NBA as opposed to the point and he may be too small to defend opposing shooting guards.
But whether it's coming off the bench as instant offense or as a starting point guard or shooting guard, Walker has all the attributes of a scorer and should thrive in the NBA.
A long, athletic forward from the Czech Republic, Vesely has been compared to everyone from Mike Dunleavy to Andrei Kirilenko to Tracy McGrady. His length and athleticism has allowed him to dominate smaller European forwards and create mismatches with his versatility to shift between small forward and power forward.
He'll need to bulk up to compete down low in the NBA, but his ability to get out and run the floor and finish with highlight reel dunks would make him a perfect running mate for speedy Wizards point guard John Wall. Vesely is also known for his motor and relentless energy on the offensive boards and his grit and determination is just what an up-and-coming team that's used to losing can use.
The only concern would be that Washington already has forwards Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee, who are similar tweeners with athletic skills, but Vesely may have been offensive upside and versatility than the current pair of Washington forwards.
A 6-10 forward/center, Kanter never got to play a game at Kentucky after being ruled ineligible by the NCAA prior to his freshman year for the Wildcats because of money he received for playing professionally overseas.
A native of Turkey, Kanter mixes a powerful inside game with soft hands and a deft array of moves to score. The top foreign-born player entered in the draft, Kanter also possesses the ability to step out near the three-point line and knock down the jumper.
The dilemma facing the Toronto Raptors, currently sitting in the No. 3 slot, is that they’ve been down this road before with a foreign-born big man, tabbing Andrea Bargnani No. 1 overall in the 2006 draft. While Bargnani scored 21 ppg. this season, he’s never developed into the superstar the team expected and rumblings are that the Raptors may be willing to deal him.
Dealing Bargnani for a top flight guard and slotting Kanter down low could be the exact formula for success for the Raptors.
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Arizona's Derrick Williams had his coming out party during the NCAA Tournament, showcasing his multidimensional talents during Arizona's pounding of defending national champion Duke. Williams may be the most NBA ready player physically, boasting a powerful physique that overpowered smaller opponents. But scouts began to salivate when the sophomore Williams combined his inside presence—he led the nation in free throw attempts per game—with a deadly outside touch, draining nearly 60 percent of his three-point attempts.
At 6-8, 235, Williams will be able to walk into the NBA and contribute right away, something the Cavaliers desperately need. Some scouts are afraid he’s not big enough to score inside and not quick enough to play the three but the 19-year-old is a tireless worker around the rim who’ll attack the rim, rebound and generate offense through sheer effort. And getting to the free throw line consistently is how scorers fatten their scoring average, which Williams excels at.
Williams has announced that he won’t retain an agent so he could return to school if he desires but as a lock to go in the Top 3 picks, he better start searching for the right agent quickly.
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While the exact draft order hasn't been set, the Minnesota Timberwolves have the inside track on the top pick with a 25 percent chance of winning the draft lottery. Wouldn't it just be like the T-Wolves to take another point guard with a first-round pick? European sensation Ricky Rubio refused to sign with Minnesota after being tabbed in the 2009 NBA Draft and fellow 2009 first-round selection Jonny Flynn hasn't been the solution at the point.
With Rubio's status uncertain, the T-Wolves may want to opt for Arizona forward Derrick Williams, a great blend of inside muscle and outside shooting touch. However, since Rubio may never want to play in Minnesota—and really, would you?—the best move is for the T-Wolves to package Rubio to get some additional scoring help inside to go along with Kevin Love and take the best point guard available in Duke's Kyrie Irving.
Despite an injury-riddle freshman year, Irving proved himself to be the top NBA prospect with an explosiveness to the hole and the power and body strength to finish in traffic. In my opinion, he's the anti-Dukee, a college who's destined for NBA success, unlike previous star guards Bobby Hurley and Jay Williams.



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