2010 NBA Draft: Golden State's Second-Round Options

With all the hype around the 2010 NBA lottery draft, it's sometimes easy to forget that the draft does have two rounds.

The Warriors should know this.

In 2002 and 2005, while our first round picks (Dunleavy Jr and Ike Diogu) never amounted to much, in the second round we managed to unearth a couple of gems in Gilbert Arenas and Monta Ellis respectively. 

In fact, just last year the Spurs used our second round slot (which they'd gotten hold of in the draft-day trade which sent Goran Dragic to Phoenix) to select DeJuan Blair.

If there's one thing in this franchise that doesn't seem to be jinxed, it's our second round picks.

The second rounder could prove to be especially useful in this year's draft. While the Class of 2010 is a bit short on star quality, it's an exceptionally deep class. At 34th overall, there will still be plenty of guys on the board who are capable of being good, solid rotation players.

This is especially so for our positions of greatest need (center and small forward). So I decided to play the drafting game and see who would be best for us.

Quincy Pondexter

Pondexter is DraftExpress' projected 34th overall pick, which would mean he comes to us.

However, there have been some rumours going around that he's received a first round guarantee due to his skipping the combine in Chicago. 

I'm hoping this isn't the case, cause I'll be honest with you - I like this guy very much for the Warriors. Pondexter, a 6'6" swingman, has developed a lot during his time in college.

His lack of "upside" (God I hate that word) will probably see him drop into the early second round if he doesn't have a guarantee (hopefully to us) but he's the kind of guy who can come in and contribute from the word go.

Defensively, Pondexter is a huge upgrade over our current options at the 3 (Maggette, Buike, Black Boi Pachino). While he's a tad undersized for small forward, he has excellent lateral quickness, rotates well and plays good help D while being able to take his own man both on the perimeter and when posting up.

If Don Nelson is still in charge next year and plays him at power forward, while he doesn't have the length to handle Gasol or Amare he shouldn't have a problem with undersized 4s like Chuck Hayes or Paul Millsap.

On the offensive end, he's similarly polished. While his shot doesn't quite extend to three-point range right now, he shoots well off the dribble and finishes well at the rim, while making 83% of his free throws.

Given that he was the primary ballhandler in the Huskies' offense, there are questions about his ability to handle playing off the ball in the NBA.

However, given that he has developed into a great teammate and leader during his time in Washington, I don't see why he wouldn't be willing to work on his game.

This last point ties in to another one of my beliefs. While I'm all for drafting talented head cases in the top 10 and hoping they pan out (hence, my recent man-crush on DeMarcus Cousins), I also believe that you need at least three good character guys for every nut.

On this current Warriors team, we have two head cases (Monta and Randolph) and one me-first-second-and-third guy (Maggette). Therefore, in later rounds I prefer to take factors like character red flags into account much further.

If Pondexter falls to 34 and the Warriors don't pick him, I will be a bit upset. However, if we go for one of the next two guys instead, I think I'd live.

Jarvis Varnado

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88twH0tc07E

Listen to the start of the clip.

Do you understand what they're saying?

Cause odds are, none of the current Warriors do.

OK, maybe a little harsh, but you know what I mean. 

The Warriors need defense. Varnado provides it.

In his four year career at Mississippi State, he became the leading shot-blocker in the history of the NCAA. That's not a figure to thumb your nose at. Not only is he a terrific athlete with great length, but his timing, anticipation and defensive instincts are second to none among the guys in this draft.

Based on this, there is no reason why his shot-blocking and ability to generally protect the rim shouldn't carry over to the NBA.

Not only can he protect the rim, but he does a fair job of stopping (often bigger) guys in the post. While he probably isn't strong enough to stop Dwight Howard, how many teams have a guy who can control D12 single-handedly?

You could probably come up with them on one hand.

His perimeter defense probably needs some work however - lateral quickness is not a strength of Varnado's and therefore he can get beaten off the dribble by quicker 4/5s. 

Offensively, I'd say he's pretty raw right now with the potential to improve. No, he's never going to be your first (or even second or third) scoring option, but he has developed a decent mid-range jumper and a right-handed jump hook in the paint, and his moves in the low post are improving.

Plus, he runs the floor quite well and crashes the boards on both ends - 10.3 rpg average last year.

Varnado projects as a role player in the NBA, especially since he's probably a bit undersized (6'9", 230lbs) for center at the top level. However, his main skill (defense) is also the area Golden State needs to improve the most.

If the Warriors drafted him and he could become a Birdman-type player for us (without the craziness) - play 15-20 minutes a game, guard the rim, intimidate opposing guards and not be a complete liability on offense, you'd have to be happy with that from a second round pick.

Jerome Jordan

Jordan, the four-year senior big man out of Tulsa, is one of the more intriguing prospects in the draft. Having only played basketball for the past five years, he comes into the draft as a rare college senior who still has upside.

Physically, Jordan is almost your dream big man. A true seven-footer, Jordan has the length and strength to become a dominant presence at both ends of the court if his game can catch up to his body. While he's far from a stringbean right now, his frame seems like it could develop even more bulk - great as long as it doesn't compromise his (good) ability to run the floor too much.

On offense, he is continually developing. His jump shot is fairly effective out to 18 feet or so and according to DX he's spending a lot of time working on his pick-and-roll game. Considering that we have Stephen Curry for a PG, this could end up being an important factor if he gets drafted by Golden State.

In terms of low post play, once again "developing" is a key factor. Jordan has a few moves (jump hook, drop step, a somewhat unreliable turnaround J) that should improve over time, and when you consider the physical specimen he is and could become, there's no reason why he can't become an inside-outside threat if he continues to work on both aspects of his game.

It's Jordan's defense that needs the most work.

While (once again) he has the physical tools to be a top-notch defensive player, his commitment and application to D isn't always there. His lateral quickness isn't really there (limiting his ability to defend guys who can stretch the floor and on pick and rolls) and he isn't the stopper he could be yet.

If the Warriors draft him, Keith Smart could do worse than get Dikembe Mutombo on speed dial and get him some Big Man Defense coaching.

Actually, I want Mutombo on speed dial anyway. I want to hear his voice narrating my life. I would laugh every time I hear it if it wasn't for the fact that I'm scared he'll jump out of my computer/TV and send an elbow to my head. Then wag his finger over my comatose body. But I will get him saying something and make it my new ringtone once I finish writing this.

But I digress.

There are plenty of other guys projected to go second round who the Warriors should be looking at. With CJ Watson likely to leave, a backup PG should also be considered. However, these three blokes each fill areas of need to us from the get go, and all of them have the potential to become good NBA players.