MMA Rankings

Just 9 days before the NBA Draft, let’s roll right into Mock Draft 4.0…

Round One:

1. Los Angeles Clippers – Blake Griffin PF, Oklahoma – Mike Dunleavy has already come out and said that Griffin will be the pick here, basically casting away any sort of drama leading up to the draft. The Clips organization is so sure of the pick that they are using Griffin as a ploy to hope sell season tickets. Even though they have a ton of power forwards, they could ship one of them (Kaman, Z-Bo, Camby) to a team possibly like Chicago for a point guard like Kirk Hinrich.

2. Memphis Grizzlies – Hasheem Thabeet C, UConn – In my second mock draft, I had Thabeet going to Memphis because Rubio reportedly had no interest playing for the Grizzlies and would consider staying in Europe for a year and pull his name out. The Grizzlies can really use Thabeet’s size and defense and I am unsure whether the Grizz would feel comfortable about their chances that Rubio would actually come over if they drafted him. The Kings could swap picks here.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder – James Harden SG, Arizona State – Harden fits a need for the Thunder in which he can play shooting guard between Westbrook and Durant. Combine Harden’s scoring ability with Jeff Green coming off the bench and playing a Ben Gordon/Manu Ginobli type of role, the Thunder have a nice nucleus forming. Other mocks have Rubio being selected but Rubio will not provide the same scoring that Harden will and I think the Thunder want Westbrook to grow as a true point.

4. Sacramento Kings – Ricky Rubio PG, Spain – The Kings have been rumored that they might be swapping this pick with the Grizzlies for a guy like Spencer Hawes or Jason Thompson in order to guarantee they can select Rubio. If that happens I think Thabeet will go number 3 to the Grizzlies. Rubio makes the Kings immediately improved and steadies the backcourt along with Kevin Martin. If Rubio is off the board, I guarantee Jrue Holiday is the pick.

5. Washington Wizards – Stephen Curry PG/SG, Davidson – The Wizards are one of those teams that absolutely covet Curry and could snatch him up here. The Bobcats and of course the Knicks are also extremely high but this pick here is not out of the realm of possibilities. With Harden off the board, Jordan Hill slipping, and point guard not being a need, the Wizards will turn to Curry who might just be the best scorer of this year’s draft.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves – Jrue Holliday PG/SG, UCLA – Holliday was shooting up draft boards in the recent weeks but lately has had a string of non-impressive workouts (according to him). However, his upside, ability to play both point and some off the ball, and commitment to defense will make him a definite lottery pick and in my eyes top ten. If there is one player in this draft that is a lottery pick based off of ceiling, it is Holliday. Remember he only averaged 8 points per game at UCLA. He could go as high as number four to the Kings.

7. Golden State Warriors – Tyreke Evans PG/SG, Memphis – The Warriors have reportedly made a promise to Monta Ellis that they will not draft a point guard on June 25th. If so, that eliminates Johnny Flynn and Brandon Jennings, two players who would seem to make sense. Evans can play the point but he can also play off the ball. He can run in transition which fits Don Nelson’s style but to truly be effective, he is going to have to work on his jumper.

8. New York Knicks – Johnny Flynn PG, Syracuse – Max Caster alluded to the idea that the Knicks really like Jordan Hill out of Arizona. One thing you have to understand about the draft, teams like a lot of people. There were reports about how the Knicks could trade up for Thabeet. The Knicks seem to like every point guard in the draft. To me, if the Knicks draft Hill here, I see a lot of Channing Frye, and that is not a good sign (fellow Wildcat, also drafted at 8, bust pick). Point guard is a need right now and a guy like Flynn who can step in and contribute right away is huge. The Knicks can also consider Brandon Jennings who has a ton of upside and has been really impressive in workouts.

9. Toronto Raptors – Demar DeRozan SF, USC – The Raptors need help at the wing because they could potentially be losing Anthony Parker and Shawn Marion to free agency. DeRozan, because is so athletically gifted and could play the 2, could be drafted even higher by either the Wizards or Timberwolves. If DeRozan is gone, the Raptors can look at point guard or someone else to fill their void at the three or two.

10. Milwaukee Bucks – Jordan Hill PF, Arizona – Hill slips from number five to the Wizards to now number ten from my last mock. Truth is, Hill’s stock is slipping and there are prospects in the lottery with just more upside. The Bucks will be making a decision between two people here: Brandon Jennings and Hill. Ramon Sessions and Charlie Villaneuava are both hitting free agency so the Bucks have to fill one of those voids on draft night.

11. New Jersey Nets – Terrence Williams SF, Louisville – ESPN has Tyler Hansbrough going here and even me being a die-hard Tar Heel fan have to question that idea. Hansbrough just does not have lottery level talent to me, but he definitely is mid-late first round worthy. With that being said, Williams continues to be impressive at the right time and is showing people why he is truly one of the most versatile players in the draft. At Louisville last year, T-Will averaged 13 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 5 assists, very impressive numbers.

12. Charlotte Bobcats – Gerald Henderson SG, Duke – Will this pick ever change?!?! Henderson averaged 17 points in his final season with Duke but had an abysmal tournament. He is an effective slasher who will get his points that way and has above average on the ball defensive skills. He is one of the few shooting guards in the draft and would fill the void left when Jason Richardson was shipped to the Suns.

13. Indiana Pacers – Brandon Jennings PG, Italy – Some mocks have Jennings going in the top ten, others have him going to number 11 to Jersey (which does not make sense because they have Devin Harris and Jennings is going to be a starter). The wild-card teams for me with Jennings are the Warriors, Knicks, and Bucks. Because all three passed on him, he is left for Indiana. The Pacers need a big body and DeJuan Blair is a possibility but there are large concerns over his knees. Jennings fills a need at the point guard position and gives the team a certain amount of swagger they have been missing.

14. Phoenix Suns – Jeff Teague PG, Wake Forest – Teague took his decision to whether stay in the draft or go back to school down to the final hours. Because he chose to stay, I have to think he has a promise from a lottery team that they will draft him because another year at Wake would have done right. The Suns want to change the make-up of their roster and have already put their big men on the trading block. Drafting Teague will allow him to start from day one and find a new home for Steve Nash.

15. Detroit Pistons – Earl Clark SF/PF, Louisville – Clark slips out of the lottery for the first time in my mock draft but is selected here. Detroit will have to make the decision between Clark and Austin Daye of Gonzaga. Daye also took his decision down to the final hours and stayed in the draft, a move questioned by some. Clark can be the second coming of Lamar Odom because of his versatility and ability to shoot from the outside considering his frame.

16. Chicago Bulls – B.J. Mullens C, Ohio State – This appears more and more likely to be the choice in just about a week. The Bulls want to add size and because of Mullens height a lot of teams feel he has the potential but it will take a couple of years for him to effectively produce and see results.

17. Philadelphia 76ers – Ty Lawson PG, North Carolina – My first three mocks had Eric Maynor going here but with the hiring of Eddie Jordan, the Sixers are going to get back to their up and down style of offense. Lawson slipped on some boards but has regained some ground with holding his own against some of the elite guards in the draft such as Flynn, Evans, and Jennings. If he can remain healthy and play 70 games a year, this could end up being a big steal.

18. Minnesota Timberwolves – Austin Daye SF, Gonzaga – The Timberwolves need help at the three and Daye could eventually contribute in a big way. I am not as high on Daye as others are. I believe he needs to show more toughness and grit. But, when a potential late lottery pick is at 18, it is important you draft best player available.

19. Atlanta Hawks – Eric Maynor PG, Virginia Commonwealth – The Hawks have swung and missed on three point guards. Marvin Williams over Chris Paul. Shelden Williams over Rajon Rondo. Acie Law over Rodney Stuckey. They can’t make the same mistake 4 times in a row can they? Mike Bibby is a free agent and Eric Maynor is one of the most NBA-Ready players in the draft after spending 4 seasons at VCU.

20. Utah Jazz – DeJuan Blair PF, Pittsburgh – Similar to the Daye situation, Blair is viewed as a late lottery pick. At 20, the Jazz would welcome Blair with open arms. With Paul Millsap and Carlos Boozer hitting the open market in July, there is a huge void in the rebounding department that Blair can fill. However, there are questions about his knees and how well he will able to hold up over the course of an 82 game season.

21. New Orleans Hornets – Sam Young SF, Pittsburgh – Young can provide some scoring and solid minutes at both the two and the three coming for the Hornets. With the decline of Peja Stojakovic’s play, the Hornets are looking to add a guy who can give them energy at the small forward position. Young might not be able to score as effectively as some others remaining in the draft but he will bring great experience.

22. Dallas Mavericks – James Johnson PF, Wake Forest – Dallas can perhaps reach for a point guard like Patty Mills and fill a need. Or they can grab Johnson who would be considered a steal here based on pure skill. Johnson has not shown anything too impressive at the workouts which has allowed him to drop but nonetheless can turn out to be a valuable piece for the Mavs in the future.

23. Sacramento Kings – Omri Casspi SF, Israel – Sac-town loves tall European swingman who can shoot effectively from downtown. Examples, Peja and Hedo Turkoglu. The biggest difference is that Casspi is more athletic and is a much better defender than the two.

24. Portland Trail Blazers – DaJuan Summers SF, Georgetown – Summers can play both forward positions all while shooting the ball pretty consistently. To me this pick makes sense because Summers can step in and play for Batum who struggled in his rookie season. The Blazers could also look at point guard for Patty Mills or Darren Collison.

25. Oklahoma City Thunder – Tyler Hansbrough PF, North Carolina – Hansbrough is out to prove the doubters wrong and there will be some people who do not believe Hansbrough is first round talent. However, this pick makes sense. The Thunder need toughness down low and Psycho T is going to bring it every night.

26. Chicago Bulls – Chase Budinger SG/SF, Arizona – Budinger will provide scoring for a team that might end up losing Ben Gordon and Luol Deng. He is athletic enough where he can create his own shot. However, the Bulls will be playing 4 on 5 when the other team has the ball as Budinger is just awful on defense.

27. Memphis Grizzlies – Toney Douglas PG, Florida State – With the jury still out on Mike Conley, Toney Douglas provides solid backup play and a guy you could eventually turn to, in order to start. I value Douglas more than Patty Mills at this point because of his shooting ability, defense, and leadership.

28. Minnesota Timberwolves – Jonas Jerebko SF, Sweden – Jerebko can stay overseas and wait to come over to the NBA which would allow the T-Wolves to not carry three rookies on their 12 man roster.

29. Los Angeles Lakers – Wayne Ellington SG, North Carolina – Ellington is one of the purest shooters in the draft and can provide offense and scoring for a bench who really underperformed this season. With the Lakers potentially losing Lamar Odom in free agency, they will need someone who can fill it up on offense for the second unit.

30. Cleveland Cavaliers – Taj Gibson PF, USC – The Cavs could potentially lose Ben Wallace and Anderson Varaejo in the off-season so the Cavs need some bodies down low. As seen in the Orlando series, Z is not going to cut it down low. Gibson, although thin, needs to add some weight but at 6′10” has a crazy wingspan and can excel at shot-blocking.

Round 2 aka The “I Get My Name Announced By Adam Silver So I’m Special” Round

31. Sacramento Kings – Derrick Brown SF, Xavier

32. Washington Wizards – Marcus Thornton SG, LSU

33. Portland Trail Blazers – Darren Collison PG, UCLA

34. Denver Nuggets – Patrick Mills PG, St. Mary’s

35. Detroit Pistons – Victor Claver PF, Spain

36. Memphis Grizzlies – Jeff Adrein PF, UConn

37. San Antonio Spurs – Jeff Pendergraph – PF, Arizona State

38. Portland Trail Blazers – Jermaine Taylor SG, Central Florida

39. Detroit Pistons – Rodrigue Beaubois PG, France

40. Charlotte Bobcats – Josh Heytvelt C, Gonzaga

41. Milwaukee Bucks – Curtis Jerrells PG, Baylor

42. Los Angeles Lakers – Jodie Meeks SG, Kentucky

43. Miami Heat – DeMarre Carroll SF, Missouri

44. Detroit Pistons – Jack McClinton SG, Miami

45. Minnesota Timberwolves – Danny Green SF, North Carolina

46. Cleveland Cavaliers – Dionte Christmas SG, Temple

47. Minnesota Timberwolves – Jon Brockman PF, Washington

48. Phoenix Suns – Dante Cunningham SF/PF, Villanova

49. Atlanta Hawks – Jerel McNeal SG, Marquette

50. Utah Jazz – Paul Harris SF, Syracuse

51. San Antonio Spurs – A.J. Price PG, UConn

52. Indiana Pacers – Tyrese Rice PG, Boston College

53. San Antonio Spurs – Leo Lyons PF, Missouri

54. Charlotte Bobcats – Brandon Costner SF, North Carolina State

55. Portland Trail Blazers – Henk Norel PF, International

56. Portland Trail Blazers – Sergio Lull PG, Spain

57. Phoenix Suns – Wesley Matthews SG, Marquette

58. Boston Celtics – Robert Dozier PF, Memphis

59. Los Angeles Lakers – Alade Aminu PF, Georgia Tech

60. Miami Heat – Jeremy Pargo PG, Gonzaga

That’s it for the newest mock! The final mock will be coming out on June 24th the day before the draft. I will also be posting my rankings for each position in the draft.

Leave a comment, and tell me who you think your favorite team should target in the draft.