2011 NBA Draft Order Set: Predicting the Lottery
With the NBA draft order finally set, we will take a final look at where the draft's top prospects may land in the 2011 NBA draft.
The Cleveland Cavaliers came out on top this years by winning the lottery with the pick they acquired from the Clippers in the Baron Davis trade.
The Clippers held the eighth pick and had only a 2.8 percent chance of winning the lottery.
The Cavaliers needed a break after the LeBron James debacle, and Cleveland sports fans can now rejoice now that they hold the No. 1 and No. 4 picks in this year's draft.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving
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The Cleveland Cavaliers lucked out and received the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft lottery and by all accounts will be using their pick on Duke freshman Kyrie Irving.
Irving is the draft's top-ranked prospect and will be the Cavs solution at the point guard position for years to come.
The fact that the Cavs won the No. 1 overall pick with the Clippers first round pick (2.8% chance to win lottery) and not their own can also not be understated.
Irving is a franchise point guard in the making and will be the pick despite the Cavs currently rostering two good talents in Baron Davis and Ramon Sessions.
Irving is the only pure point in the lottery, and his selection will go a long way in hastening the rebuild process for the Cavaliers...who deserve it.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves: Enes Kanter
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The Timberwolves are the hardest team in the draft to peg as they have been bad enough in the last couple of years to have promising young talent at every position.
They are stacked at PG with Jonny Flynn, Ricky Rubio and Luke Ridnour, they have their shooting guard of the future in Wesley Johnson, they have the supremely talented Michael Beasley at small forward, Kevin Love at power forward and Anthony Randolph who can start at center if needed.
They also have the emerging Darko Milicic who can fill in at center. With that said, if they decide to keep this pick, the smart money is on them being wowed by Enes Kanter’s workouts, which will highlight his physical post game and NBA-ready body.
While Derrick Williams is currently the much more highly regarded prospect due to Kanter being forced to sit out the entire 2010 college season, Kanter has the talent and upside that would have thrust him in the conversation for No. 1 overall if he had played this season.
Kanter would be drafted to start and would be an amazing piece for one of the most exciting up and coming teams in the NBA. Kanter, Love, Randolph and Milicic would represent one of the most talented front courts in the entire NBA.
The Timberwolves are already shopping the pick in an effort to move down and add some veteran talent.
3. Utah Jazz: Derrick Williams
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The Utah Jazz luck out in this scenario by having the draft's No. 2-rated prospect fall into their laps.
Derrick Williams and Derrick Favors represent one of the most talented young cores in the league and the Jazz still have another pick at No. 12 overall.
Williams will be asked to play small forward in Utah with Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Derrick Favors manning the frontcourt, and he should form quite the 1-2 combo with Jefferson for the next couple of seasons at the very least.
Utah Jazz fans should be very happy that Miami decided to give away Michael Beasley, last season which as a result causes them to pass on Derrick Williams this year.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Kawhi Leonard
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My initial thought is that the Cavaliers will look to trade down with another team in the lottery, as they will not feel that Leonard realistically merits the No. 4 overall selection, and a trade such as this will allow them to pick up extra assets in the process.
If they do stand pat, however, they will look to address either the small forward or shooting guard positions and Kawhi Leonard is by far the best wing in the draft and is currently ranked No. 5 overall on Chad Ford’s big board.
The Gerald Wallace and Shawn Marion comparisons may be a bit much, but he boasts a similar type of skill set minus the blocking pedigree.
Leonard has the tools to become something special at the small forward position and is definitely starter material.
#5. Toronto Raptors: Brandon Knight
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The Raptors will think long and hard about drafting Kemba Walker here but opt for upside with Brandon Knight.
After years of suffering through Jose Calderon’s ineptness at the defensive end, the Raptors are heavily focusing on defense, and Knight boasts potential lockdown defensive skills at his position while Walker has been singled out for not bringing the requisite intensity on the defensive end of the floor (perhaps a by product of having to do so much on the offensive end).
Knights defensive tools and upside make him the selection for the Raptors at No. 5 overall, despite many of their fans clamoring for March Madness hero Kemba Walker.
Raptors fans will worry until draft day that Bryan Colangelo will reach for Jonas Valaciunas, who by all accounts is already a better player than Andrea Bargnani, but Colangelo knows he needs to go with a PG with Kanter off the board.
#6. Washington Wizards: Jan Vesely
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With both Nick Young and Jordan Crawford looking like good potential building blocks on the wings, the Wizards will pass on Kawhi Leonard and opt for Czech big man Jan Vesely.
Vesely embodies the typical European big man as a power forward who has range out to the three point line and struggles in the post.
With that said he has a great motor coupled with mentionable leaping ability and a desire to finish in the paint.
He has the chance to be something special on this team with his ability to spread the floor and with John Wall feeding him the rock.
At 6’11 and 240 lbs Vesely has to put on some muscle but he appears to have the frame to eventually become force in the paint.
Vesely is a good defender and is capable of guarding multiple positions on the floor.
#7. Sacramento Kings: Kemba Walker
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The Kings get the man who was top-three on their big board despite falling to the seventh overall pick.
While Walker is not a true point, the Kings were not looking for a point in the traditional sense. Walker is a great fit beside Tyreke Evans and could also thrive in a backcourt with Marcus Thornton.
Walker has proven his ability to perform in clutch situations and would bring a winning pedigree and positive locker room influence to the Kings.
Walker is a winner and will be looked upon to be a leader on and off the court.
#8. Detroit Pistons: Tristan Thompson
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Despite all the talk of Thompson being a Scott Skiles type of player, there is another type of player he is, a Detroit Pistons type of player.
Greg Monroe and Tristan Thompson can provide the Pistons with an intimidating and very promising front court.
The addition of Thompson will also allow Charlie V and Chris Wilcox to come off the bench, roles that they are more suited for on this particular team.
Thompson has the tools and elite second jump ability to become one of the top shot blockers in the Eastern conference.
While he has a polished post game he still needs a lot of work on his jumper and is considered raw in this area.
#9. Charlotte Bobcats: Kenneth Faried
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The Bobcats are going to fall in love with Kenneth Faried during the workout process.
They will also look heavily at Bismack Biyombo but Michael Jordan will opt to play it on the safe side and pick the known talent.
Faried has been one of the best rebounding big men in collge ball for the last couple of seasons and averaged 17.3 points, 14.5 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 1.9 steals on .623% shooting.
There is a chance Faried climbs even higher than this on draft day but there is no way MJ lets Faried pass him by.
#10. Milwaukee Bucks: Bismack Biyombo
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The Bucks were hoping for Tristan Thompson here but will be just fine with the intriguing Biyombo still on the board.
While it is true that they spent a lottery pick on Larry Sanders last year, strengthening the frontcourt seems to be high on the Bucks priority list.
Bogut, Biyombo and Sanders will form a terrorizing defensive trio that will be feared by every team in the NBA.
#11. Golden State Warriors: Chris Singleton
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In this scenario Singleton winds up with the Warriors and is a perfect fit for his team.
Singleton is not yet regarded as a lottery prospect but that will change after the combine and workouts.
Singleton has been heralded as a lock down defender with a reliable mid-range jumper.
He is also a great finisher in transition and has NBA three-point range.
Jordan Hamilton of Texas is also a possibility here
#12. Utah: Jimmer Fredette
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Fredette was the nations top scorer averaging 28.9 points per game while leading BYU on a Cinderella run during march madness.
Fredette is a combo guard with an emerging point guard game and will be in a position to succeed in Utah as a likely 6th man candidate.
Fredette is not starter quality due to his atrocious defense but can thrive off the bench and almost instantaneously become one of the leagues most dangerous sixth men.
Some may question the wisdom of using a lottery pick on a bench player, but this is no ordinary bench player, he will be asked to do what he does best off the bench which is score and will not have the burden of running a team or having to defend his position, which he could not do in college and definitely wont be able to do in the NBA.
#13. Phoenix: Jonas Valaciunas
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Jonas is a very talented Lithuanian big man who unlike most European players is a solid rebounder and adept shot blocker.
He may not get the love of a Jan Vesely but he can be and actually looks like a safer pick, especially at this point of the draft.
Valaciunas is a solid finisher around the rim and looks to attack it when given the chance.
While he projects as a power forward when he first enters the league, his lack or range and wide frame suggest that once he adds some muscle that he may very well be shifted to the center position.
#14. Houston Rockets: Marcus Morris
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The Rockets are seemingly always on the lookout for talented big men.
With Hayes, Miller being unattractive if somewhat effective role players and Ming on the mend, Morris makes a ton of sense for the Rockets here.
Morris is a lottery talent in the 2011 NBA draft and could slide right into the power forward role with Luis Scola manning the middle.
Its more likely however that the Rockets let Hill, Morris, Patterson and an unnamed free agent battle it out for minutes.
