2011 NBA Mock Draft: Where Will Brandon Knight Land?
The NBA draft, set to take place on June 23, is quickly approaching.
Players have been preparing for this their entire lives, the dream of playing in the NBA.
But where will Brandon Knight end up? Is he really the number two point guard in the draft? If he is the best point guard in the draft, should he go number one to Cleveland?
These questions answered, along with a complete first round pick by pick analysis of what could transpire come June 23.
No. 1: Cleveland Cavaliers
1 of 30
The Cleveland Cavaliers select Kyle Irving
Dan Gilbert has to be making this pick based on what Kyle did in high school. Kyle was injured most of the year and didn't come back and play until the NCAA tournament.
This means the Cavaliers, along with every other NBA scout, is making this pick based on talent shown mainly from his days at high school. What everyone is missing is that talent is overrated.
What matters most is the practice, specially purposeful practice. With Brandon Knight spending an entire year under the tutelage of John Calipari, Brandon Knight has a better chance at succeeding in the NBA more so than Kyle Irving.
Position: PG
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 191 pounds
Age: 19
School: Duke
No. 2: Minnesota Timberwolves
2 of 30
The Minnesota Timberwolves select Derrick Williams
As of this writing, there is no trade that gives the Cavaliers the second pick as well, so Derrick Williams should be selected by the Timberwolves.
Derrick is the best player in the draft and should be selected first overall by the Cavaliers, but as we talked about in the prior slide, Dan Gilbert will be going on the talent shown in high school.
If the Cavaliers do become enlightened and take Derrick Williams, the Timberwolves should then select Brandon Knight, because he will be better in the NBA than Kyle Irving will.
Position: PF
Height: 6'9"
Weight: 249
Age: 20
School: Arizona
No. 3: Utah Jazz
3 of 30
The Utah Jazz select Brandon Knight
The Utah Jazz will select a point guard in this NBA Draft to replace the void left behind by the Darren Williams trade to the New Jersey Nets.
If Kyle Irving is still around, they'll take him. If it's Brandon Knight they'll take him.
I believe it will be Brandon Knight taken by the Utah Jazz, which will be a much better fit for Brandon.
A much better ran organization and better ownership will only help Brandon grow as a point guard. When we look back at this draft, we will marvel at how the Cavaliers chose Kyle Irving over Brandon Knight.
Position: PG
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 177
Age: 19
School: Kentucky
No. 4: Cleveland Cavaliers
4 of 30
The Cleveland Cavaliers select Kawhi Leonard.
Why with Enes Kanter still on the board? Because the Cavaliers and Dan Gilbert want to find player that can replace LeBron James.
I'm not saying Leonard is the next LeBron James. I'm saying the Cavaliers maybe be stupid enough to think so.
Position: SF
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 228
Age: 19
School: San Diego State
No. 5: Toronto Raptors
5 of 30Toronto Raptors select Enes Kanter.
Enes didn't play a game this past year, but that doesn't mean he wasn't practicing. John Calipari's job, he said, was to get him ready for the NBA, and he did just that.
Since he didn't play in college, I did not have pictures available to put up here, so I used a video to show him dominating the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit. This is the same game that got Kentucky fans so excited about him coming to the Big Blue Nation.
Position: C
Height: 6'11"
Weight: 260
Age: 19
Country: Turkey
No. 6: Washington WIzards
6 of 30
The Washington Wizards select Marcus Morris.
The Wizards need to start winning now and can't afford to risk drafting a foreign player and not have him come over immediately. So the first Morris twin will come off the board to join forces with John Wall.
Position: PF
Height: 6'9"
Weight: 230
Age: 21
School: Kansas
No. 7: Sacramento Kings
7 of 30
The Sacramento Kings select Tristan Thompson.
They have drafted a point guard in Evans and a center in Cousins; now, it only makes sense to get a small forward in Thompson.
The Kings may very well trade this pick, but as of right now, they will be selecting seventh overall
Position: SF
Height: 6'9"
Weight: 228
Age: 20
School: Texas
No. 8: Detroit Pistons
8 of 30The Detroit Pistons select Jan Vesely.
Best player left on the board, the Pistons have no choice but to select him. However they hope he'll come over and have an impact as soon as the NBA season will start, whenever that will be.
Position: PF
Height: 6'11"
Weight: 240
Age: 21
Country: Czech Republic.
No. 9: Charlotte Bobcats
9 of 30
The Charlotte Bobcats select Kemba Walker.
Michael Jordan loves winners, and in all tournament games this past year, Kemba Walker never lost.
He's a winner and a hard worker. The players who work the hardest in the NBA are the most successful.
Position: PG
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 184
Age: 21
School: UConn
No. 10: Milwaukee Bucks
10 of 30
The Milwaukee Bucks select Chris Singleton.
The need help at the 2, 3 and 4 positions. The 6'9" small forward will be able to help the 3 role and may be able to match up defensibly at the 4 spot.
Position: SF
Height: 6'9"
Weight: 230
Age: 21
School: Florida State
No. 11: Golden State Warriors
11 of 30The Golden State Warriors select Jonas Valanciunas.
The Golden State Warriors needs help in the front court. Yes, he's undersized at 6'10", but many believe that Valanciunas may be the best foreign prospect in the draft.
Position: C
Height: 6'10"
Weight: 230
Age: 19
Country: Lithuania
No. 12: Utah Jazz
12 of 30
The Utah Jazz select Jordan Hamilton.
With Andre Kirilenko leaving in free agency, the Jazz need to replace him with an athletic forward. Alec Burks is still too much of a liability for the Jazz to take with their second pick of the draft.
Position: SF
Height: 6'9"
Weight: 229
Age: 20
School: Texas
No. 13: Phoenix Suns
13 of 30The Phoenix Suns select Bismack Biyombo.
An athletic power forward at 6'9" will be able to run the floor and stay with the up tempo offense the Suns run while helping out on the defensive end as well.
Position: PF
Height: 6'9"
Weight: 243
Age: 18
Country: Congo
No. 14: Houston Rockets
14 of 30
The Huston Rockets select the other Morris twin, Markieff Morris.
Yao Ming's body is not healthy enough to play entire season. They need to move on to get another big man to help them out in the front court.
Position: PF/C
Height: 6'9"
Weight: 241
Age: 21
School: Kansas
No. 15: Indiana Pacers
15 of 30
The Indiana Pacers select Alec Burks.
Still needs some time to grow, but the 6'6" shooting guard may be a good fit next to Danny Granger
Position: SG
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 193
Age: 19
School: Colorado
No. 16: Philadelphia 76ers
16 of 30The Philadelphia 76ers select Donatas Motiejunas.
The 76sers desperately need a big man. At 7'0' tall, Motiejunas could turn into the next Dirk Nowitzki.
Position: PF
Height: 7'0"
Weight: 220
Age: 19
Country: Lithuania
No. 17: New York Knicks
17 of 30
The New York Knicks select Jimmer Fredette.
Mike D'Antoni doesn't have his teams play defense, and Jimmer doesn't like to play defense. This is the perfect fit.
Plus, with his long range ability, it will help open up the floor for Carmelo Anthony to drive to the basketball.
Position: PG
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 196
Age: 22
School: Brigham Young
No. 18: Washington Wizards
18 of 30
The Washington Wizards select Marshon Brooks.
One of the best players in the Big East last year, yet he was on one of the worst teams in the nation. His stock has continued to climb from mid-second round to mid-first round. He could make it up into the lottery if he continues to improve and impress.
Right now, however, he is landing here with the Wizards, where he and John Wall could become one of the best back courts in the league.
Position: SG
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 195
Age: 22
School: Providence
No. 19: Charlotte Bobcats
19 of 30
The Charollete Bobcats select Kenneth Faried.
With the Bobcats already selecting a guard in Kemba Walker, they will turn to the big men and select the 6'8" power forward out of Morehead St.
Position: PF
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 225
Age: 21
School: Morehead State
No. 20: Minnesota Timberwolves
20 of 30
The Minnesota Timberwolves select Josh Shelby.
I know he didn't have the best time at Kansas, but David Kahn can look past that and see the talent Shelby has. Kahn obviously has a knack for picking great point guards; that's why he selected two point guards in the same draft one year.
Position: PG
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 195
Age: 20
School: Kansas
No. 21: Portland Trailblazers
21 of 30
The Portland Trailblazers select Tobias Harris.
Portland is looking for a player to complement LaMarcus Aldridge. Tobias has the ability to come in and help out defensively.
Position: PF
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 223
Age: 18
School: Tennessee
No. 22: Denver Nuggets
22 of 30The Denver Nuggets select Nikola Mirotic.
Big risk here, because it may be awhile before he even comes to the NBA. But with such risk could come great reward. The only reason he is dropping this low is because of the chance he won't immediately be on your team. Otherwise, he'd be an easy lottery pick.
Position: SF
Height: 6'10"
Weight: 226
Age: 21
Country: Serbia
No. 23: Houston Rockets
23 of 30
The Houston Rockets select Klay Thompson.
Picking the best player left on the floor is never a bad thing, especially when Thompson could go just outside the lottery.
This tall point guard could be the steal of the draft.
Position: PG
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 206
Age: 21
School: Washington St.
No. 24: Oklahoma City Thunder
24 of 30
The Oklahoma City Thunder select Nikola Vucevic.
The Oklahoma City Thunder need a another big man to clog up the lane. The Thunder are the best team of the future of the Western Conference, so more than likely they will be playing the Heat in the near future of the NBA finals.
The Heat's big weakness are the point guard and center positions. With Russel Westbrook at point, they only need to find a dominant center to help beat the Miami Heat, even if they do get Greg Oden.
Position: C
Height: 7'0"
Weight: 260
Age: 20
School: USC
No. 25: Boston Celtics
25 of 30The Boston Celtics select Jeremy Tyler.
If he hadn't gone to Europe after his junior year in high school and gone to college and dominated, he easily could have been the number one pick in the draft.
However, since no one has seen him play in the past two years, he is dropping all the way to number 25. The Boston Celtics could easily be getting the number one player in the draft at the 25 selection spot.
Position: C
Height: 6'11"
Weight: 263
Age: 19
Team: Tokyo Apache
No. 26: Dallas Mavericks
26 of 30
The Dallas Mavericks select Reggie Jackson.
With Jason Kidd at age 38 nearing the end of his career, the Mavericks need to star looking to the future at the point guard spot. Yes they have J.J. Barea, but Rick Carlisle likes having both Kidd and Barea out on the floor at the same time.
The Mavericks will look to continue that once Kidd retires.
Position: PG
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 208
Age: 21
School: Boston College
No. 27: New Jersey Nets
27 of 30The New Jersey Nets select Davis Bertans.
Being touted as the next Dirk Nowitzki, because he's foreign, tall and can shoot Bertans, will give Darron Williams a low post and three point threat to dish the ball to this up coming season.
Position: SF
Height: 6'10"
Weight: 210
Age: 18
Country: Latvia
No. 28: Chicago Bulls
28 of 30
The Bulls select Tyler Honeycutt.
The Bulls will be losing Lou Deng to free agency, so they will need to replace him.
Position: G/F
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 187
Age: 20
School: UCLA
No. 29: San Antonio Spurs
29 of 30
The San Antonio Spurs select Justin Harper.
Can come off the bench and help relieve Tim Duncan. Also, Tim Duncan is getting up there in age and will be out of more regular season games. Justin should be able to step in right away.
Position: PF
Height: 6'9"
Weight: 228
Age: 21
School: Richmond
No. 30: Chicago Bulls
30 of 30
The Chicago Bulls select Travis Leslie.
Leslie is a scoring guard who can come off the bench and create a spark for the team instantly. Single handily took Georgia to the NCAA tournament. Could, if he continues to work, become a star next to Derrick Rose.
Position: SG
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 205
Age: 21
School: Georgia
