NBA draft less than a month Away (June 28 in Newark, NJ) and after the draft lottery Wednesday, we now know in what order teams will pick the top of the draft. So without wasting any time, here is the first version of CSNPhilly.com Mock Draft.
2012 draft has a superstar in waiting at the top and plenty of NBA-ready talent in the 10-20 range and choice, press the elite point guards and international players - it's just one foreign player below.
The big question on the minds of fans CSNPhilly money: Who can help the 76ers take another step towards becoming a serious contender in the Eastern Conference?
2012 draft has a superstar in waiting at the top and plenty of NBA-ready talent in the 10-20 range and choice, press the elite point guards and international players - it's just one foreign player below.
The big question on the minds of fans CSNPhilly money: Who can help the 76ers take another step towards becoming a serious contender in the Eastern Conference?
First New Orleans Hornets - Anthony Davis - 6-10, 220, PF, Kentucky
Hornets won the lottery odds, moving up from fourth spot to land the first overall pick. Reward them, one can not miss the chance to draft this year in Davis. 2012 consensus college player of the year goes into the NBA elite defender, shot blocker and rebounder. Davis is the rare player who can impact a game without scoring, and he's just scratching the surface on the offensive end. Davis was most of his childhood playing on the edge of the growing eight inches in high school, giving him an excellent ball skills and shooting touch for a post player. It comes just in time for the Hornets under brand new ownership and desperately need a face of the franchise by trading Chris Paul before the start of last season.
Second Charlotte Bobcats - Michael Kidd, Gilchrist - 6-7, 210, SF, Kentucky
Gambling was not kind to Charlotte's Michael Jordan, who failed to grab top pick despite a historically bad 7-59 time. This is not a good year to pick No. 2 either - Davis is widely considered the only sure thing in the draft. Charlotte will take Kidd, Gilchrist, give it another versatile athlete on the wing and huge margins Defender. Davis received all the accolades, but Kidd-Gilchrist was key to Kentucky's National Championship. He is able to score 20 points last night and offered numbers for the success of the team. There is something NBA executives take. Kidd-Gilchrist needs to improve his outside shooting, but count on it to get to the basket, develop in a locked defender and get maximum effort and energy every night.
Third Washington Wizards - Bradley Beal - 6-5, 205, SG, Florida
The Wizards have decided to do here - go big or put back on the court the next 10 years. I think they do the latter and choose Beal and the perfect complement to John Wall. Beal is a silky shooter who can also get an edge. He will have no trouble scoring from the minute he enters the NBA. He made a huge step in his only college season at Florida and will continue to improve at the pro level. He has All Star written all over it.
4th Cleveland Cavaliers - Andre Drummond - 6-11, 270, C, Connecticut
The Cavs have chosen their big men and they roll the dice with Drummond, the ultimate boom or bust prospect. Drummond has all the physical tools NBA executives crave for a post player - size, athleticism, good feet and soft hands. But his work ethic, or as scouts refer to it, motor is a giant question mark. Drummond came to UConn hailed as the next great college big man. He was putting up pedestrian numbers and worse still seemed Disengaged most of the time. To its credit, he lost 20 pounds since the end of his freshman season. But it will increase the weight applied when he starts cashing NBA paychecks? One of the many unknowns when it comes to Drummond.
5th Sacramento Kings - Thomas Robinson - 6-9, 240, PF, Kansas
The kings will take against Andre Drummond of Thomas Robinson. The power brings it each and every night and got most of his talent in a great three-year career in Kansas. Robinson character and work ethic will go a long way in the Kings dressing room is not exactly always a team-first guys. He is a tad undersized but athletic afar and nose for the ball. Robinson was a double-double machine in college, and there is no reason that should not continue in the NBA.
6th Portland Trail blazers - Harrison Barnes, 6-8, 210, SF, North Carolina
The blazers could decide to go point guard here, but the instant offense that Barnes will be too much to pass up. Barnes has no trouble getting his own shot, and the proportions of his sophomore who went to North Carolina. He was far too inconsistent in college, though, and will have to raise their game on the defensive end. But in the NBA, it's all about putting the ball in the hole, something Barnes specializes in.
7th Golden State Warriors - Damian Lillard - 6-2, 190, PG, Weber State
Warriors will strengthen their back court with Lillard and classic shoot-first point guard who averaged 24.5 points as a Junior at Weber State. Lillard will provide some of the offensive firepower Warriors lost to Monta Ellis business. He is the best point guard in a weak crop in the draft this year and would make the Golden State to play Stephen Curry the ball more often. Lillard is also an excellent long range shooter. The biggest question: Can he produce against better competition than he faced playing in the Big Sky Conference?
8th Toronto Raptors - Jared Inger Sull - 6-9, 265, PF, Ohio
The Raptors will Sull Inger in other more enticing customers as Perry Jones and Jeremy lamb for one reason: You know what you're getting with Sull Inger. He will not wow you the athleticism or his play making ability, he just put up steady numbers and compete every night. I see a lot of Elton Brand in Sull Inger - good hands, good footwork and touch the basket. He is also capable rebounder and a solid shooter from 15-18 feet.
9th Detroit Pistons - Dion Waiters - 6-5, 215, SG, Syracuse
Waiters have been shooting up draft sheets thank impressive workouts in recent weeks. He is one of the best pure athletes in the draft and able to get to the basket at will and a very good finisher. Three game server 'is solid, but he will need to add three-point shooting him. The biggest hit on the serve is his character, something he took to deal by agreeing to come off the bench last season at Syracuse. The Dwyane Wade comparison is a popular one, but the servants are much more raw, but Wade was when he entered the league.
10th New Orleans Hornets - Perry Jones - 6-10, 235, PF, Baylor
After taking a sure thing with the first pick of the draft, the Hornets will gamble on Jones here. Everyone has been waiting for Jones to be the star of the moment he arrived at Baylor ... and they are still waiting. Jones is similar to Drummond that he has all the tools, but have not come close to producing consistently. Jones is a prototypical power forward. He is athletic, able to step out and shoot from the perimeter, and excels in a fast break. It's just a matter of which he will be great? If he does, the Hornets put on the front line.
11th Portland Trail blazers - Tyler Zeller - 6-11, 240, PF, North Carolina
Although he does not have the solid ground and other big men in this draft as Davis or Drummond, Zeller will satisfy each team drafts him. ACC Player last season of the year is very skilled on the low block and can also get out and fill in the lane. Zeller has to extend his shooting range in the NBA, but he will be a solid rotation guy who should develop into a starter for the next 8-10 years.
12th Milwaukee Bucks - Terrence Jones - 6-8, 245, SF, Kentucky
Jones is one of the few players in this draft - Sull Inger and Barnes are others - that had been selected higher if they chose to come out after their freshman season. Jones often took a backseat to Davis and Kidd all Gilchrist as sophomore at Kentucky. He tends to fall in love with outside shots instead of attacking the basket. Yet he is an elite athlete who will offer some much-needed scoring punch on the Bucks team on the verge of making a big step forward in the Eastern Conference.
13th Phoenix Suns - Kendall Marshall - 6-4, 200, PG, North Carolina
It is time for the Suns to replace Steve Nash and they could do worse than Marshall, who will fall this far because of concerns about his scoring ability. Marshall silenced the critics at the end of last season and post season in North Carolina. While questions persist over the fitness of his shot-making, one thing is certain: he will be among the best faculty mentor from the moment he puts on NBA uniform. His court vision and passing can bring to mind Jason Kidd. The value of Marshall was clear after a wrist injury in his NCAA tournament, the top-seeded and ultra-talented North Carolina failed to comply with the Final Four.
14th Houston Rockets - Jeremy Lamb - 6-5, 190, SG, Connecticut
Lamb is expected to go anywhere from seventh to 15 and would be a great value be if he falls to the fireworks here. Lamb was expected to take the torch from the Debug Walker and running with a UConn, but it never really panned out. He was inconsistent as a sophomore and appeared disinterested at times. But when he is in the right frame of mind, Lamb can take over a game with his scoring ability. In the right situation, he has potential to develop into solid NBA wing player.
15th Philadelphia 76ers - Austin Rivers - 6-4, 200, SG, Duke
In CSNPhilly.com mock draft last year, I was a 76ers take Kenny Faried out of Morehead St. 16, choose. The line of thinking was simple: The 76ers were killed on the boards and the lack of interior toughness in first round play in the loss of heat last year, and Faried best addressed those deficiencies. This post season it was obvious that the 76ers had trouble scoring on a consistent basis. They could not overcome the prolonged drought when four to five minutes passed without a field goal. Rivers are natural-born faculty loans and, if available in 15, Doug Collins and the company should jump all over him.
Rivers was hot and cold in his only college season at Duke. For every breathtaking drive to the basket, it was a head-scratching poor decision. But his game is tailor-made for the NBA. He is a knock down shooter with range well beyond the NBA three-point line and can get to the basket when he wants. As we saw in the game Duke in North Carolina, he is certainly not afraid of the big moments. His father's Celtics head coach and former NBA point guard Doc Rivers, the NBA lifestyle is nothing new to Austin.
