Sunday, May 07, 2006

updated 2006 nba mock draft as of 6/20/06

Should Have Official Declaration List Up By Sun/Mon


Here is a look at the 2006 NBA Draft and who I think will go in the first round as well as players on the bubble and who I think should wait another year.

1. Toronto Andrea Bargnani, PF, Italy - Early Word was Colangelo and Toronto execs are sold on Andrea and will make him the first Euro to go #1 overall now a trade could happen. Big man with usual Euro outside skills as well as question marks (toughness,strength). Stock is at a high.Great shooter for a big, will also be able to play down low & rebound once NBA trainers get a hold of him and put him on a program. Right now he wouldnt have a chance. Overall great prospect could be compared to a KG/Dirk. GM's are getting more cautious with drafting outside the U.S so we will have to see how this plays out.

Here is a highlight video of Bargnani:

http://nuno.typepad.com/nbafanblog/2006/03/andrea_bargnani.html


2. Chicago LaMarcus Aldridge, PF/C Texas - Only a sophomore. Most effective outside the paint or in the high post. Seriously thought about turning pro out of high school but smartly decided not to. Ideal size, a top five lock at this point.Had a very stong game against West Virginia in thetourney but then disappeared against LSU. Has the heart and tenacity of a corpse, not a banger, and this very well could be the bust in the draft considering how high he will be picked. Good fit here playing alongside Chandler. Tyrus Thomas or Brandon Roy could easily go here instead.

3. Charlotte Adam Morrison G/F Gonzaga- The premier scorer right now in college. Has a similar game to Larry Bird offensively. Defensively, a big work in progress. His workouts will be huge for him as not every team is going to be sold on him right away. Could slip from this spot or could go #4 (Portland)

4. Portland
Rudy Gay G/F UCONN - Dynamic scorer who doesnt push things and plays within his means. Versatile G/F who could florish in on an uptempo team. Could have gone lottery straight out of high school. Can do a little bit of everything well. Can be dominant but is somewhat held back in Calhouns system. Legit player of the year candidate and All American. Stock is slipping after solid but underwhelming NCAA tournament. Will not last much longer than this pick.

5. Atlanta
Shelden Williams F, Duke- Very poor mans Elton Brand.Could be the best defensive player to come out this year. Will it translate to the NBA is the question. The offensive game could use some work as well. May go a lot higher than this based on defense/intangibles.
Harrington may be leaving so help in the frontcourt is needed here. I am obviously now believing the rumors of a promise to Sheldon Williams here.

6. Minnesota Brandoy Roy G, Washington- Fearless leader who is having a phenomenal season up at Washington. Extremely versatile, is a all around threat, including defense.Carried Washington on his back this season. Projects as NBA 2 guard. Paul Pierce type player.

7. Boston Tyrus Thomas PF, LSU - Raw freshman talent who plays very strong around the hoop and has shown good rebounding and shot blocking ability.Typical tremendous upside potential pick. Had a spectacular NCAA tournament and I would take him over Aldridge no question. Foye should recieve strong consideration here.

8. Houston Randy Foye PG, Villanova- The man behind the high powered Villanova offense. Good scorer but also has top notch playmaking ability. Should make a solid pro as more of a combo guard. Stock could really rise with a strong NCAA tournament. This pick seems to be available for the right team. Salary dump of Lafrentz would have to be included in any trade. J.J Redick has also been rumored to be going here, will DUI effect his draft status?

9. Golden State
Marcus Williams PG, UCONN -Check in a little on the heavy side, with around 12% body fat. Would be a great fit for a team looking for a true point guard if he can stay in shape. Stock has risen since NCAA tournament. Still turns the ball over and plays a little wild at times, not sure I'm sold on him.

10. Seattle
Patrick O'Bryant C, Bradley- Strong workouts may out him here. Raw seven footer who is about as inconsistent as they come but will be drafted high based on strong NCAA tournament and pro potential . This is a high risk/high reward pick. Brewer is a possibility here.

11. Orlando J.J. Redick, SG, Duke - Rumors of a promise from Orlando to Reddick before the DUI.Great shooter/scorer in a similar mold as Reggie Miller. Undersized for an NBA 2 guard. Not much upside at this point but one of the top 3 best players in college basketball. Has carried Duke on his back to big wins thoughout his college career. Best case scenario would be Ben Gordon type role. DUI may hurt his stock.


12.
New Orleans Rodney Carney G Memphis- Absolute athletic phenom. Plays very solid defense, offensively dynamic a la Ricky Davis. Adding some bulk is a primary focus for him as well as showing he can consistently play within the teams system. Low Basketball IQ may hurt his stock as well as measuring less than expected..

13. Philadelphia Jordan Farmar PG UCLA- Probably should have went back to UCLA for one more year but being a lottery pick its hard to blame him for coming out. Farmar has true PG skills, improving outside game, and is a great floor general. I like his upside more than Marcus Williams at this point. Farmar also had a very impressive showing in the Orlando Pre-Draft camp. PG should be the pick as AI is moving back the the SG position next season.

14. Utah Rojon Rondo G Kentucky- Versatile, athletic combo guard with a ton of upside. Can play three positions (PG,SG,SF). Showing inprovement in shooting the 3 ball. Pencil thin frame could be an issue in the NBA. Only a sophomore but very strong chance he comes out as he has been under-utilized in Tubby smiths system. Sloan likes these types, Rondo doesnt need to play PG w/ Deron Williams in Utah. Update: Has declared and hired an agent. Workouts have been positive so far. Some consider him the top point guard in the draft.

15. New Orleans Alexander Johnson, PF, Florida St.- Athletic ACC banger has risen up many teams draft boards and is on the fringe of the lottery at this point. Not a dominant player at this point but can be very effective on the low block and can make effective limited use of a high post game as well. Lot of potential here, and as his workouts have proved he shows a strong willingness to improve as well.

16. Chicago Quincy Douby G Rutgers- Excellent offensive player who played on a below grade team in the tough Big East. Can score with just about any move you can think of and has very good range as well. Reminds me of Cuttino Mobley and should have a similar type of role as well. He could entice a team to take him late lottery, we'll see.

17.Indiana
Mardy Collins G Temple- Comes from defensive oriented program at Temple which limits his offensive numbers. Well rounded game will fit well in any teams system. Needs work on free throws. Good size for a PG. Could be the top PG in this draft, however, others will go higher based on upside potential.Good workouts against other big name PG's should bring him somwhere around this pick or higher . Good fit here as Tinsley is on the outs. Indiana is also hign on Hilton Armstrong not to mention Adam Morrison.

18.
Washington Cedric Simmons C, NC State- Is declaring but needs another year at State to get him into next years lottery.Lot of raw talent, hard to pass up especially this late.Is staying in the draft.Could go higher. Good shotblocker.

19. Sacramento Ronnie Brewer G Arkansas- Good defender very lanky, needs to hit the weight room. Smart on court IQ. Height (6-7) allows versatility. May have the ugliest shot in the NCAA but it is somewhat effective, needs to improve.Falling down many teams draft boards but could also potentially go in the late lottery. Sactown needs help at the backup PG position.

20. New York Shawne Williams F Memphis- High flyer who will thrive in an uptempo system, should have stayed another season to boost his stock. Could do worse than than than #22 pick as if he stayed another season he could go lottery.

21. Phoenix Sergio Rodriguez PG, Spain - "Spanish Chocolate" , Flashy Point guard who can push the ball in this system and may be Barbosa insurance when and if he leaves. If Rodriguez is here at this pick (Kings?) theyd have to take him as Phoenix could use help when Nash is on the bench and what better to learn the game from than Nash.

22.New Jersey Hilton Armstrong, PF/C, Connecticut - Strong inside force with a who plays intelligently with the ball. Takes good shots and has a nice touch from the free throw line. Very good shotblocker. Strong workouts could put him a few spots higher.

23.
New Jersey Kyle Lowry G, Villanova - Needs another year in the NCAA but is officially in for good. Outside shot needs work, if improved could be a higher pick next year. Also a bit undersized. With two picks NJ can gamble a bit here.

24. Memphis Oleksiy Pecherov, PF Ukraine - Another Chad Ford special here. This one actually only makes sense for Memphis if there are no PG's worth taking here. A Gasol/Pecherov inside/outside combo could be a tough matchup as they both stand 6'11.

25. Cleveland-
Sene Saer C, Verviers-Pepinster - Huge wild card entry here. Scouts are entirely all over the board and considering how raw Sene is you can't be surprised. What we do now is he is strong and athletic and is a legit 7 footer. Now the issue is whether he can develop an offensive game or will he be a Dasagna Diop type?

26. L.A Lakers- Shannon Brown G, Michigan St. -Solid experienced player, could sneak into the first round. Has an all around game, can slash or step back to hit the 3 ball. Will stick in the league regardless of where he is drafted. May have got a first round promise from a late second round team like LA where he would be a good fit.

27.Phoenix Dee Brown G Illinois - Lighting quick guard, although undersized, could be a great backup guard for a team that plays a style like Phoenix. A reach here but he could fit the system. Barbosa can leave as a free agent after this season.

28. Dallas
Josh Boone PF/C Uconn- Smart, scrappy, but unemotional player. Does not make many mistakes on the court but can disappear at times. Not a scorer by any means but shoots very high percentages from the field when he wants to but cant shoot from the line well. Workouts haven't been too hot.

29. New York
Guillermo Diaz PG, Miami - Having strong workouts should keep him in the first round. Good scoring PG and one of the best overall athletes in the entire draft. Probably should have stayed at Miami one more season.

30. Portland Marcus Vinicius Vieira de Souza F, Brazil- Lanky forward who can fill it up offensively. From what I have seen plays like a lamar odom although Marcus isn't the rebounder odom is but Marcus is a better shooter. Will need time to develop not sure he gets that here but Portland needs to draft the best available talent.

On the bubble

Aaron Gray, C Pittsburgh
- Legit 7'0 center, had a breakout season this year although inconsistent. Should return to Pitt next season but won't.UPDATE : Will Return To Pitt


Louis Amundson PF, UNLV - This seasons workout wonder. Seemed to be forgotten on the scouts radar screens but Amundson is a high energy guy who can bang. High Basketball IQ is a plus.
Paul Davis C Michigan State - Quality big man who will never become a star but could be a servicable center in a league starving for big men. Solid career at Michigan State, has played in many big games against top competition. Gives good effort every time out.

Hassan Adams G, Arizona -Had a good season finally after everyone projected him to have it last year. Shooting career highs, playing all around good defense as well. A strong tournament appearance could really boost his stock. Getting suspended from the PAC 10 Tournament wasnt the best career move but still could be late first round material.

Paul Millsap PF, Louisiana Tech _ Maybe the best rebounder in NCAA right now. Not much exposure but should rise in workouts/camps. Watch out for this kid, I highly suggest watching clips of some of his games.Huge sleeper.Workouts have been subpar so far he could slip.

Tiago Splitter, C, Brazil
- OUT OF DRAFT?? Familiar name for draft fans and yes he will finally be in the draft this year. 6-11 helps him down low but his game is all over the court. Has a nice stroke, will have an extra year of experience playing internationally which should help his transistion to the NBA.Buyout issues still remain and needs to bulk up.


Shannon Brown G, Michigan St
.
-Solid experienced player, could sneak into the first round. Has an all around game, can slash or step back to hit the 3 ball. Will stick in the league regardless of where he is drafted. May have got a first round promisef from a late second round team.


Bobby Brown G, Cal St.- Fullerton- late in the draft is when teams tend to gamble a little, here is a somewhat unknown player up until now for fans but not for scouts. He has been widely considered the top NBA prospect in the conference since he was a freshman.

Steve Novak F, Marquette- For a big, one of the best outside shooters in the NCAA. Could have a solid NBA career as a zone buster. If he was a Euro, he may have been a top five pick by now.

Kevin Pittsnogle F, West Virginia- Playing exceptionally well this season should make a big push for the first round. Still a step slow though. Reminds me of the Boston Celtics version of Raef Lafrentz.

Mike Gansey G, West Virginia - Scrappy, Manu Ginolbli type player, does all the little things well. Should have a solid NBA career.

Richard Roby SG, Colorado- Had a good season in his sophomore year. Great shooter with decent size for NBA 2 guard although needs a little more weight/muscle. Is a lock to turn pro at the end of the season, has been on scouts radar all season.

Craig Smith F, Boston College- Undersized, but dominant at the collegiate level. Proving he can play with the ACC's best this year.Comparable to Mike Sweeney when he was at G-town before his weight started getting out of control.

Nick Fazekas F, Nevada - Returning to Nevada (6/8/06).Smooth shooting big man who helped carry Nevada into the NCAA's. Could have success in Phil Jackson's triangle offense and find his niche in the league.Is staying in the draft.

Taquan Dean G, Maryland -Dynamic offensive talent. Can fill it up from just about anywhere on the floor. Will need to prove in camp that he can play PG at the NBA level. Another detraction is the fact that he is crackhead skinny.Second round material.

Taj Gray PF, Oklahoma- Not a first round prospect at this point.Undersized.

Maurice Ager G, Michigan St. -Solid senior season. Could sneak into the first round.

Roko Ukic G, SPLIT (Croatia)

Justin Williams F/C, Wyoming - Double-double man for Wyoming. Superb shot blocker, maybe one of the best in the country. Limited offensive game.Huge wild card coming into the draft, could go first round or undrafted.

Mario Kilingsworth F, Indiana - Stock is falling but would be a good value in second round.

Wait Til Next Year

Tyler Hansborough F North Carolina- Only a freshman but has improved steadily in pretty much every game he's played in the tough ACC. I do not think he goes pro but if he does he is a lock to be a lottery pick. Tough player. Update: Is returning to UNC next season.

Al Horford F, Florida- Strong, athletic post player who showed on occasion he could step out and hit the open J as well. Still raw and has a lot of improvements to make. Should return for one more season to solidify himself as a lottery pick.Noah is returning as well.

Jared Dudley F, Boston College- More of a second round prospect at this point. Can shoot well, and is also a solid rebounder as well. Not the fastest player, average ball handler, good size. Not afraid to take the big shot.

Brandon Rush G, Kansas-May come out, if he does, is in the first round no question.Update: Has decided to return to Kansas for his sophomore season.

Darius Washington PG, Memphis -This kid can really play but another year at Memphis might serve him well as there are at least 4/5 PG's ahead of him in this draft at this point.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis F, LSU- Great athleticism for having 300+ pounds. Can bang but can step out for the occasional jump shot as well.Measurements will play a huge part in draft position. Is he a legit 6-9?

Monday, May 01, 2006

2005 NBA DRAFT GRADES

Scroll Down For The 2006 NBA mock Draft

With the 2006 NBA Draft coming soon here is a look back at what teams did in 2005.

Best Pick, Overall- Chris Paul New Orleans #4
Best Pick, Value - Ryan Gomes Boston Celtics #50
Worst Pick Overall- Fran Vazquez Orlando #11
Worst Pick Value- Deron Williams Utah #3

(1)

B Milwaukee Bucks Andrew Bogut, Utah- Looking back you cant fault Milwaukee for drafting the big Australian, since they needed a big and were set at PG with TJ Ford and Mo Williams. The grade is a B, as there is a lack of talented big men in the league and he should be an All Star in the near future.

(2)

C+ Atlanta Hawks Marvin Williams, North Carolina – Started out very slow out of the gate, wasn’t ready for the speed of the NBA game. The adjustments made after the All Star break really seemed to help his game. Being picked #2 really hurts his grade at this point, considering the serious needs on the Atlanta Hawks roster (starting PG anyone?)

(3)

C Utah Jazz Deron Williams, Illinois – This pick would definitely not be made if the draft was today. How Utah had Deron Williams rated higher than Chris Paul is a mystery. Personally I think Utah liked the way Williams led Illinois in the NCAA’s to the final while Paul and the Deacons were knocked out early. Williams can play in the league no question but the wrong pick was made here.

(4)

A+ New Orleans Hornets Chris Paul, Wake Forest- The best player in the entire draft goes #4! Unanimous Rookie Of The Year and future All Star player for the next 10 years. Great distributor, makes players around him better and is very good defensively. Needs to be mentioned that Paul took a marginal team and almost got them into the playoffs.

(5)

C+ Charlotte Bobcats Raymond Felton, North Carolina- The third PG selected was maybe a pick for the fans of North Carolina. The Bobcats had greater needs and I don’t think that this was the best pick, although he will be a player in the L. Struggled shooting the ball most of the season but came on at the end. Should be a solid player but this was a little high for him.

(6)

C Portland Trail Blazers Martell Webster, Seattle Prep HS- Martell goes to a team with a lot of problems up and down the roster. Not the best place to be but the kid showed he will be a scorer in the league if nothing else. I personally watched him scorch the Celtics for 24 and 8 earlier this season. Has great shooting ability but showed little else, better players were on the board. Next season will be big for his development.

(7)

A+ Toronto Raptors Charlie Villanueva, Connecticut- Congratulate yourself if you saw this one coming. I thought the pick was very high but Charlie showed that he can play consistently like he did at times for UCONN. Could finish second for NBA Rookie Of The Year. Dropped 48 on the Bucks earlier this season. Pick looks real good now. Good passer and rebounder.

(8)

A New York Knicks Channing Frye, Arizona- Wow, Isiah makes a good pick here. Actually he is pretty good with the draft but Frye has outperformed expectations and has positioned himself as the Knicks #1 trade asset for a potential blockbuster trade.(Garnett?, AI?). Strong workouts got him picked this high and he was worth he selection.

(9)

B- Golden State Warriors Ike Diogu, Arizona State- Like the pick here as well as the talent level in this draft really starts to thin out here. Tough garbage man type player who will contribute to the Warriors big time starting next season once Troy Murphy is gone. Didn’t get the minutes that he should’ve.

(10)

Inc LA Lakers Andrew Bynum, St. Joseph (NJ) HS- Not a whole lot to go on here, although he looked good in summer league play. Needs to add serious muscle to his frame, but legit seven footers are hard to pass up.

(11)

F Orlando Magic Fran Vazquez, Spain- Considering he decided to not want to come to the United States to play, this pick was a total disaster. Magic would love to take this one back I am sure. They had too many holes to take this type of risk.

(12)

D LA Clippers Yaroslav Korolev, CSKA Moscow- Stock rose on the days heading into the draft, not sure why at this point. To be fair he is far from a finished product but this was a strange pick for me here. A promise was apparently made here by LAC. He won’t be NBA ready for another two years when his contract expires.

(13)

C- Charlotte Bobcats Sean May, North Carolina-Looked okay during the first quarter of the season before he got hurt. May has always looked slow to me on the court, but has great hands nice touch around the hoop. A very,very poor mans Elton Brand. Another pick I thought was a little high and the North Carolina connection defiantly had something to do with it. Helped sell tickets at the very least.

(14)

B - Minnesota Timberwolves Rashad McCants, North Carolina- Character issues crushed this Tar Heels stock like an ant. As it turns out this is probably where he should’ve been all along. There is no doubt he can score but really there is nothing at all that stands out to me besides that. I think at best he is a good sixth man type.

(15)

C- New Jersey Nets Antoine Wright, Texas A&M- A player here who I thought slipped a little and end result was that he got buried on the Nets roster. Can’t blame them for the pick here as he had the talent coming out of Texas A & M but something went on during the season and he ended up in the dog house. Still like the pick, no production though. Playing behind RJ and Vince will tend to do that.

(16)

B Toronto Raptors Joey Graham, Oklahoma State- Maybe the best athlete in the draft. Should develop into a defensive stopper with decent scoring ability, can rebound as well.

(17)

A- Indiana Pacers Danny Granger, New Mexico-One of the big sliders on draft day. Could end up being one of the steals of the draft. He is NBA ready starting talent, and at pick #17 you don’t get that often.

(18)

A Boston Celtics Gerald Green, Gulf Shores Acad (TX)- You could argue that this wasn’t even the Celtics best pick.Could be the biggest steal of the draft here. Didn’t play at all in the first half of the season and wasn’t expected to play in the second half either. Well he did and he played like he should’ve been a high lottery pick. The defense is not there but from a scoring/athletic standpoint how he lasted this long to me is a mistake. Look at the players that were taken after this kid, this was a gamble worth taking for the Celtics and it could pay off huge for them.

(19)

C+ Memphis Grizzlies Hakim Warrick, Syracuse- The lanky athletic forward from Syracuse probably should have come out earlier, either way he is what he is. A long high flyer who should improve defensively to create matchup problems against opposing forwards. Is not offensively ready for the NBA by any means but can score on putbacks and dunks. A nice midrange jumper would be a nice compliment. Needs muscle.

(20)

D Denver Nuggets Julius Hodge, North Carolina State- Recent gunshot victim spent most of his rookie year playing for the NBDL. The Nuggets roster is deep, I think it wasn’t the best opportunity for him as he showed that he can score in the summer league but against real NBA competition it remains to be seen. There were better players available here than flamingo legs Hodge.

(21)

B Phoenix Suns (to New York)
Nate Robinson, Washington- 2006 Slam Dunk Champ is a shooting guard stuck in a point guards body. Not sure where he fits in but I do know he would have been a perfect pick for Phoenix. In New York he had an up and down year with Larry Brown. Is an instant offense type player, at #21 he was a pretty good pick.

(22)

D Denver Nuggets (to Portland)
Jarrett Jack, Georgia Tech- Overrated PG who shouldn’t have been in the first round period. Showed flashes and ended up playing in just about every game but if your going to be a shoot first PG you need to be able to shoot well, especially from 3 pt. range. Maybe it will come but I am not high on Jack at all.

(23)

C Sacramento Kings Francisco Garcia, Louisville- Big time player coming out of high school and starred for Rick Pitino at the Lou. I like the pick here even though he didn’t show the type of ability I though he would. He is a good 3 pt shooter but didn’t show it this season. Should be a decent bench guy in the league but that’s about it.

(24)

A+ Houston Rockets Luther Head, Illinois- Great value pick here. Head really improved his stock in camps/workouts and proved this season that he is no fluke. Can score as well as playing solid D. Should’ve been drafted about ten picks higher than this.

(25)

B- Seattle SuperSonics Johan Petro, France- Strong pick for Seattle here as Petro is a defensive presence with some offensive upside. There were more polished players available but his late in the draft chances need to be taken. He should continue to improve in the offensive area as well as his shotblocking ability. Once Swift and Petro develop they should make a great defensive combination.

(26)

D Detroit Pistons Jason Maxiell, Cincinnati- Undersized PF who didn’t really have the best chance to play for the deep Pistons. I do not like the pick as I think they had other needs but even if they wanted a PF they picked the wrong one. Ryan Gomes or David Lee should’ve been the pick here.

(27)

C+ Portland Trail Blazers (to Denver)
Linas Kleiza, Missouri- Could be a good pick here. Kleiza needs a lot of work but showed enough flashes of talent in Denver that he could get minutes next season.

(28)

Inc San Antonio Spurs Ian Mahinmi, STB Le Havre (France)- This pick will be considered incomplete as Ian was not ready for the NBA this season.

(29)

C Miami Heat Wayne Simien, Kansas- Another team that would like to have Gomes here instead. Overall, it still was a decent pick here but injury issues still remain.

(30)

A- New York Knicks David Lee, Florida- Excellent pick here for the Knicks. Lee does all of the small things that help a team win. Can score in the post but it is his rebounding that sets him apart. Knicks need to get him more minutes next year.