2011 NBA Mock Draft: Critiquing Chad Ford's Latest Mock, Pick-for-Pick
A lot of people trust every word that Chad Ford says because he's the figurehead for ESPN's NBA mock drafting department.
Now Ford definitely knows what he's talking about and is a very reliable source of information, but even he is not infallible.
Let's take a look at where what will unfold differs from his predictions.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving
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Mr. Ford starts off on the money here as Kyrie Irving should absolutely go to Cleveland at No. 1.
The Duke Blue Devils' point guard sat out all but 11 games of his freshman season in Durham, North Carolina, but Irving is as talented as any player in this draft and has the potential to eventually help Cleveland fans forget about LeBron James.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves: Derrick Williams
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Once again, this is the correct pick. Derrick Williams is the second most talented player in the 2011 draft class and there's a reason that you find either his name or Kyrie Irving's at the top of each and every mock draft.
Williams may not be the best fit for the Minnesota Timberwolves but, if they can't trade their way out of the second spot, they should still take the efficient player from Arizona.
3. Utah Jazz: Brandon Knight
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The Utah Jazz don't really need a big man in this draft, which knocks pretty much everyone out of contention for this pick except for Kemba Walker and Brandon Knight.
Even though I think Walker will end up being a better player at the professional level, I'm not in the majority there. Chad Ford nails this pick for three-in-a-row by calling Knight to the Jazz.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Enes Kanter
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Make it four straight as Enes Kanter is the logical player for Cleveland to select with their second pick of the first round.
The Turkish center is a very good basketball player with only two real knocks on his game. One is the fact that he was ruled ineligible at Kentucky and had to sit out for the entirety of last season. The other is that his knees aren't the strongest set in the world.
Pairing up Kyrie Irving and Enes Kanter could get Cleveland back into the playoffs in a few seasons.
5. Toronto Raptors: Jan Vesely
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While I can see this happening because Jan Vesely is a 6'11" forward with a tremendous amount of skill, I think that the Toronto Raptors will end up taking either Jonas Valanciunas or Kawhi Leonard.
Leonard has recently shot up the draft boards thanks to an impressive combine showing and the fact that his hands are gigantic, while Valanciunas is still a bit unknown but has looked very good to scouts so far.
Vesely could go here but he'll likely slip down a bit more.
6. Washington Wizards: Kawhi Leonard
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I really like this pick for Washington because it would add exactly what they need: a good all-around player whose ego won't get in the way.
The Wizards still belong to John Wall and Leonard would be willing to defer to the runner-up in this year's Rookie of the Year voting. Pairing Leonard with Wall, Jordan Crawford and JaVale McGee could push the Wizards into the playoffs as soon as this next season.
7. Sacramento Kings: Kemba Walker
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If Kemba Walker is still on the board here, which I suspect will be the case, the Sacramento Kings won't even think twice before snatching up the former Husky and shifting Tyreke Evans to his more natural position at shooting guard.
We've all heard Walker's story by now so I'm not even going to bother retelling it to you. I am no longer willing to bet against him and fully expect for him to become an All-Star at some point in the future.
8. Detroit Pistons: Jonas Valanciunas
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If Jonas Valanciunas is still on the board at this point in the draft, this would be an intelligent pick for the beleaguered Detroit Pistons. But I doubt that he still will be.
That means that the next best pick for the Pistons would be Bismack Biyombo, the Congolese center with a 7'7" wingspan. Under the tutelage of Ben Wallace, Biyombo could fully live up to his incredible defensive potential.
9. Charlotte Bobcats: Bismack Biyombo
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Just like the Jonas Valanciunas pick on the previous slide, Bismack Biyombo would be a great selection here if he's still available. That could very well happen as no one is quite sure how highly they should rate the big man from Congo.
But assuming I've been correct with all of my picks so far, Jan Vesely would be the best bet to go the Charlotte Bobcats. The 6'11" small forward from the Czech Republic is ready to make an immediate impact and that's something that Michael Jordan's team sorely needs.
10. Milwaukee Bucks: Tristan Thompson
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This one doesn't make any sense to me at all. Tristan Thompson is great inside the paint and absolutely awful outside of it. I would be shocked to see Thompson make it into the top 10 and certainly not to a team that has already expressed interest in a different player.
Alec Burks, the shooting guard from Colorado, is that player and would be a great fit as a running mate for Brandon Jennings and the rest of the Milwaukee Bucks.
11. Golden State Warriors: Marcus Morris
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Marcus Morris is one of the two players that I really see Golden State considering at No. 11 but I think they'll end up selecting a foreign player instead.
Donatas Motiejunas is an incredibly talented big man with the potential to become as successful as Dirk Nowitzki if his mental game ever catches up with the rest of him.
Plus, Morris plays defense and we all know that's not allowed in Golden State.
12. Utah Jazz: Chris Singleton
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It's hard to believe that a defensive specialist like Chris Singleton could make it all the way up to No. 12, but this is still valid.
I just don't believe that Utah will be able to ignore the pressure of local fans to draft BYU superstar Jimmer Fredette. The Jazz will have already used one lottery pick, so they can afford to be a little more chancy with this one.
Fredette may never pan out in the NBA but he would sell tickets for sure at the beginning.
13. Phoenix Suns: Alec Burks
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This would be a great pick for Phoenix if Alec Burks slipped this far but there's no chance of that happening.
A more realistic pick, even though Chad Ford doesn't see it happening, is seeing Texas' power forward, Tristan Thompson, switching shades of orange and donning a Suns jersey.
14. Houston Rockets: Jordan Hamilton
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Even though Jordan Hamilton is a great scorer, his limited athleticism is strongly hindering his draft status. Most mock drafts have had Hamilton going somewhere around 20 and Ford's is the only one I've seen where the Longhorn is a lottery pick.
I seriously doubt that Hamilton will move up this high. I'd expect Marcus Morris to fall to the Rockets instead.
15. Indiana Pacers: Jimmer Fredette
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I disagree with this pick only because I don't expect for Jimmer to fall past the Utah Jazz at No. 12. But if he does, this is the next most likely landing spot for college basketball's reigning scoring champion.
If Fredette is off the board though, the Pacers will most likely take another guard like Washington State's Klay Thompson.
16. Philadelphia 76ers: Markieff Morris
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Markieff Morris is one of the two players that I can truly see going to the Philadelphia 76ers. Although not as high as his brother Marcus, being drafted with the 16th pick would definitely complete a great accomplishment for this set of twins.
The other pick that I can see here is Morehead State's Kenneth Faried. Faried will not end up being a lottery pick because of his limited offensive upside, but he's too good a rebounder to pass up here.
17. New York Knicks: Josh Selby
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The red flags about Josh Selby's maturity should be way too worrisome for any team this high up to take a flyer on the high-flying guard from Kansas. After all, Selby spent more time suspended or riding the pine than he did on the court during his freshman season and abandoned the Jayhawks as soon as possible.
I'd rather see the Knicks take a chance on Jordan Hamilton and hope that Mike D'Antoni's system can mask his limited athleticism.
18. Washington Wizards: Klay Thompson
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If he's available, Klay Thompson would be a great addition to the Washington Wizards, but forwards still need to be more of a priority for the young team. Thompson is big enough to play small forward, but his skill set and incredible shooting ability is much more geared towards the shooting guard position.
If either of the Morris brothers fall this far, Washington should immediately pounce and add an NBA-ready player to its squad.
19. Charlotte Bobcats: Marshon Brooks
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After hyping him all season, even when he was a projected end-of-the-second-round pick, it's nice to see Marshon Brooks finally get this kind of recognition.
Unfortunately though, this is a bit too high for any player from Providence to go, no matter how talented they are with a basketball. Instead, I wouldn't be surprised to see Chris Singleton taken off the board here.
20. Minnesota Timberwolves: Donatas Motiejunas
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I can't see any way that Donatas Motiejunas falls this far on draft day. After all, I've got him at No. 11 in my latest mock draft and even that may be too low as the Lithuanian possesses a great set of skills and an NBA body.
I'd like to see the Timberwolves draft a point guard here after missing out on Kyrie Irving. Michigan's Darius Morris, one of the better passers in this year's draft class, could be that guy.
21. Portland Trail Blazers: Kenneth Faried
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If Kenneth Faried managed to drop this far, Portland would be absolutely foolish to pass up on adding college basketball's all-time leading rebounder to its squad. But I seriously doubt that Faried goes past all the other teams in need of a rebounding boost.
The player I'd like to see Portland take is a very intriguing prospect that doesn't even show up in Ford's draft. Lucas Nogueira, a seven-footer from Brazil, is a tantalizing center with fantastic defensive potential and would fit well with the Trail Blazers.
22. Denver Nuggets: Tobias Harris
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Tobias Harris still hasn't really proven himself at the college level, but his upside is great enough that it wouldn't be too surprising to see him rise this high on draft boards.
However, I think that the Denver Nuggets will choose to go the guard route and select UCLA's Malcolm Lee. While defensively-oriented, Lee is a relatively safe pick with good upside as well.
23. Houston Rockets: Reggie Jackson
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Obviously Ford is a believer in the combine because Reggie Jackson has been shooting up the boards ever since his impressive showing there and Ford has him even higher than normal.
I do still like this pick though and I could see it happening, but don't be surprised if the Houston Rockets draft a different guard.
24. Oklahoma City Thunder: Nikola Mirotic
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This pick makes a lot of sense for the Oklahoma City Thunder except for the fact that there's a much better power forward on the board here.
Nikola Mirotic is a great shooter and currently plays for Real Madrid, but he still can't match up to Purdue's JaJuan Johnson, who has to be one of the most underrated players in this entire draft.
25. Boston Celtics: Nikola Vucevic
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And with this pick, Ford has set forth the only scenario in NBA history in which two different people named Nikola are drafted consecutively.
As great a moment as that would be, it probably won't happen for a few reasons. One, as you saw on the last slide, is that Mirotic won't be taken this high. Secondly, we're still a bit out of Vucevic's range, as he'll likely be a second-round pick.
I'd like to see the Celtics draft Tyler Honeycutt here and add an athletic guard to their bench.
26. Dallas Mavericks: Davis Bertans
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This is one of the picks that I think Ford absolutely nailed.
The Latvian forward named Davis Bertans may not look much like a basketball player, but he'll be able to make it in the NBA after he's given a bit of time to develop.
Dallas has an aging roster though, which means I'd like to see them take a player that could make an immediate impact before the championship window closes. However, Bertans would still be a good pick.
27. New Jersey Nets: Justin Harper
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If I were in charge of the New Jersey Nets, I would probably look for a guard in this spot first before trying to draft a small forward.
Iman Shumpert from Georgia Tech is a guy that I think would mesh well with the Nets roster, but Josh Selby (if he falls this far) or some other guard would fit as well.
28. Chicago Bulls: Tyler Honeycutt
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If Tyler Honeycutt ends up falling this far, this would be an absolutely perfect pick for the Chicago Bulls. After all, Derrick Rose needs a good shooting guard to accompany him on his solo adventure to carry the scoring load for the Bulls night in and night out.
Honestly though, at this point in the draft, the Chicago Bulls will most likely just end up taking the shooting guard that's still available and the highest up on their draft board.
29. San Antonio Spurs: Jeremy Tyler
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Here's another one of Chad Ford's picks that I really do like.
Jeremy Tyler was a highly recruited player while he was in high school, but he made a poor decision to go play abroad in Israel instead of joining the ranks of collegiate athletes. Tyler's Israeli debut was marked by poor play and immaturity and his draft stock slipped as a result.
This could end up being a huge bargain for the San Antonio Spurs.
30. Chicago Bulls: Charles Jenkins
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Charles Jenkins, a guard out of Hofstra, is a very good player, but I see him going in the mid 40s, not the first round.
Instead, I'd expect for the Bulls to draft a college basketball blue-blood like Kyle Singler or Nolan Smith. Shelvin Mack could be an intriguing possibility here as well.
