2011 NBA Mock Draft: Last Mock Draft Before Cleveland is on the Clock
We are mere hours away from the 2011 NBA draft, and rumors are flying around everywhere.
Cleveland still isn’t saying who they’ll draft with their No. 1 overall pick, but they may be trying to add yet another top-10 pick before the night is done.
Some veteran teams, like San Antonio and Phoenix, may be trying to get some lottery picks of their own, but they’re reluctant to sell their stars Tony Parker and Steve Nash.
And Minnesota may be trading their No. 2 but for a pick not much lower on the board.
Even with all these possible trades, the order of the players drafted shouldn’t actually change all that much.
Here’s one last mock draft, order not assuming any team trades, before the madness begins tonight.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving: Cleveland may not be giving anything away yet, but Kyrie Irving is already a star, and he’s got a very high ceiling. He’s not a guy you pass on when you’re rebuilding your franchise.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves, Derrick Williams: It may not be Minnesota who picks, but Derrick Williams will go No. 2. He’s a powerful combo-forward and will be a great partner for Kevin Love or will be a great centerpiece for Utah to build around.
3. Utah Jazz, Enes Kanter: Brandon Knight’s stock hasn’t fallen, but Kanter’s has risen. If Utah can’t get the second pick, they’ll pick the best center in the draft to power the team forward at No. 3. Kanter has some question marks, but he’s got a lot of upside and can be a star.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers, Jonas Valanciunas: The Cavs have been talking about Tristan Thompson here, but given the trade they’re trying to pull, they will take Valanciunas here. He will benefit greatly from Irving’s passing and will dominate the boards on both ends of the floor.
5. Toronto Raptors, Brandon Knight: The happiest team in the draft right now is Toronto. Before, they had no chance of nabbing the star point guard they needed. The Kentucky star had to wait a couple picks to hear his name, but he’ll be the superstar in Toronto; he’ll just need to handle the pressure.
6. Washington Wizards, Jan Vesely: Washington may be hoping to trade up to get Enes Kanter, but as long as John Wall gets some help, the Wizards will be in good shape. Vesely is a good presence to have around the basket to put back all the misses the Washington shooters inevitably put up.
7. Sacramento Kings, Jimmer Fredette: Jimmer’s stock is sky high right now even though all the questions about his defense are still there. The King’s owners, the Maloof brothers, apparently prefer Jimmer (the Tim Tebow of the 2011 NBA draft) to UConn’s Kemba Walker because the former is much more marketable. It’s one way to keep the team in Sacramento.
8. Detroit Pistons, Tristan Thompson: Cleveland may be trying to hijack this pick, but Tristan Thompson is a likely selection either way. The power forward out of Texas needs to work on his jump shot, but his physicality and eagerness will delight Detroit fans.
9. Charlotte Bobcats, Bismack Biyombo: The Congolese center was falling down draft boards last week, but he had a great workout with Charlotte, and if they can’t trade the No. 9 pick, Biyombo is a likely choice. He’s a great shot-blocker and can improve his offensive game with experience.
10. Milwaukee Bucks, Chris Singelton: Singleton has climbed all the way into the top 10 thanks to his athleticism and size. He’s a hard-working player who has good shooting range.
11. Golden State Warriors, Marcus Morris: New Warriors coach Mark Jackson wants to keep Monta Ellis, so he will likely be thankful Marcus Morris fell to him at No. 11. The combo forward out of Kansas has excellent ball skills and body control and is good at getting away from his defenders.
12. Utah Jazz, Kemba Walker: For their second pick in the lottery, the Jazz were hoping to get practically hometown favorite Jimmer Fredette, but Kemba Walker is not at all a bad alternative. He’s a great ball-handler, works well under pressure and can knock down the big shot when needed. Walker and Enes Kanter is not a bad draft day at all.
13. Phoeniz Suns, Markieff Morris: The Suns may have wanted a point guard to groom behind Steve Nash, but they need someone to perform with him before his time really is over. The other Morris is an aggressive defender, which will be nice, is good around the rim and is a good perimeter shooter.
14. Houston Rockets, Kawhi Leonard: There’s been a lot of hype around Leonard, but just because of team’s needs, he’s fall right to the edge of the lottery. The combo-forward has great length, is a decent rebounder and his shooting should give Houston fans something to be excited about.
15. Indiana Pacers, Marshon Brooks: Brooks is that capable shooter the Pacers can turn to when the game is on the line, the guy they were missing against the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs.
16. Philadelphia 76ers, Nikola Vucevic: The Sixers may be dealing Andre Iguodala, but they really need a dominant center. Vucevic, at seven feet, has great size, he creates a good position for him to get the ball and he rarely loses possession.
17. New York Knicks, Klay Thompson: Thompson has fallen this far, so someone has to take him. With the shooting power of Thompson and Carmelo Anthony combined with Amar’e Stoudemire drawing double-teams and Chauncey Billups running the show, and the Knicks could get back to the top, or near it.
18. Washington Wizards, Donatas Motiejunas: Now that John Wall has a powerful center to feed the ball to, he also needs a shooter who can actually give him all those assists he deserves. Motiejunas can shoot from the inside and outside and has decent ball-handling for his size (7’0”).
19. Charlotte Bobcats, Alec Burks: Another guy who has fallen this far, so he’s got to go at some point is Alec Burks. The combo-guard is a great scorer who creates his own shot and is good at getting to the free-throw line and knocking them down. He’ll give Charlotte something to cheer about.
20. Minnesota Timberwolves, Iman Shumpert: Shumpert has risen up the draft boards lately and has great size (6’5”) for either guard position. He’s strong, fast and can get away from defenders. Ricky Rubio’s games does not inspire much confidence, so Shumpert’s ability to play point guard can either make up for that or inspire Rubio to find the game that led the T-Wolves to draft him No. 5 two years ago.
21. Portland Trailblazers, Kenneth Faried: Faried’s energy and willingness to do the dirty work set him apart in the NCAA tournament, and the Trailblazers will get a steal here.
22. Denver Nuggets, Tobias Harris: The combo-forward out of Tennessee has great versatility, ball-handling and is good at getting away from his defenders. He’s good at everything but is not necessarily great, but he should evolve in the pros.
23. Houston Rockets, Jordan Hamilton: Hamilton is a versatile scorer, and the shooting guard/forward uses his strength and size to post up against smaller players. He has good speed, so he grabs a decent number of rebounds for a perimeter player.
24. Oklahoma City Thunder, Kyle Singler: Singler is a dependable king of guy who can make an impact on a team that needs someone to depend on coming off the bench. He’s an unselfish, smart player who will help balance the Thunder’s stellar starters and inconsistent bench.
25. Boston Celtics, Trey Thompkins: Thompkins can score in a lot of ways and fools his defenders, and he’ll do very well behind Kevin Garnett for a few years.
26. Dallas Mavericks, Tyler Honeycutt: Honeycutt is a very versatile player on the wing, and his style of play is just what Dallas loves. He’s quick, athletic, physical on defense and passes the ball well.
27. New Jersey Nets, David Bertans: Bertans has great shooting range and can be dangerous coming off screens, and he can be a solid presence on the perimeter.
28. Chicago Bulls, Nikola Mirotic: Mirotic has good hands and good shot selection giving Chicago someone else they can depend on to knock down a big shot at the end. Derrick Rose can’t do it all.
29. San Antonio Spurs, JuJaun Johnson: Tim Duncan doesn’t have much time left, and drafting a young power forward that can learn behind Duncan for a couple years would be very smart of the Spurs. Johnson already has good scoring ability and is pretty athletic for a big man.
30. Chicago Bulls, Travis Leslie: Leslie is a very physical guard/forward, and he can take the blows he will undoubtedly be dealt in the increasingly tough Eastern Conference. He has good mid-range shooting, and his defensive tenacity can be improved watching Joakim Noah.
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