NBA Draft 2007- Mock #1

We all know that there are going to be two big winners in this years draft: Portland and Seattle. With the addition of Greg Oden, the Blazers will drastically improve immediatley- and barring any serious front office mistakes or injuries- will be in the position to contend for a title within the next five years. As we've seen in the past, dominant big men win championships, and a frontline of Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge is going to be about as dominant as a frontcourt can get. Seattle, however, is still is lacking that post presence and probably will just be a fun team to watch rather than a championship contender. It is almost a certainty that Rashard Lewis is on his way out to make room for Durant- and interestingly enough-Zach Randolph (who quietly averaged 24 and 10 last season) will most likely be shown the door in Portland. Rumors are already circulating that the two could be swapped for eachother in a trade that would benefit both squads.
Since the first two picks might have as well been made the night of the lottery, I'll start my first mock draft at #3, where Atlanta is in a precarious situation.

3. Atlanta
The Hawks have two options here: either they take Ohio State Mike Conley Jr. and fill their glaring need at PG, or they take a big man here and pick up local Georgia Tech PG Javaris Crittenton at #11. Though Conley got a lot of attention for his play in the tournament last year, Crittenton might actually be the more gifted of the two. He is 6’5’’, can score, has a natural feel for the game as a playmaker, and has an NBA ready body despite being 19 years old. Atlanta’s best bet is to take Florida F/C Al Horford, a physical player with a similar skill set to Elton Brand, with the 3rd pick and select Crittenton with the 11th choice. Essentially, the combination of Horford and Crittenton is far better than Conley and say Jeff Green or Spencer Hawes, two players likely to be available at #11.
Don’t look now, but the Hawks potential line-up of Crittenton, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams and Horford (with Shelden Williams coming off the bench) will be a force in the East for years to come.

4. Memphis
The Grizz aren’t exactly happy about missing out on Oden and Durant, but this draft is deep and they will be able to get an impact player at 4. Memphis has a nice nucleus with Rudy Gay, Mike Miller, Hakim Warrick, Pau Gasol, and Stromile Swift. There are a bunch of different directions they could go here. They need a point guard (unless they feel Kyle Lowry can run the team) and some muscle up front. Unfortunately, with Horford gone, Yi Jianlian is the most muscular big man available, so the best option is to go with Conley.

5. Boston
The Luck of the Irish? Not so much. The Celtics fell all the way to #5 after months of hoping to land Oden or Durant. So what does GM Danny Ainge do? He takes Yi Jianlian for two reasons : 1.) He can shoot and his versatility will complement Al Jefferson inside and 2.) He probably will suck and the Celtics might be bad enough to land OJ Mayo or Derrick Rose next year.

6. Milwaukee
The Bucks were riddled with injuries last year and are not very far from being a playoff team. They have a good backcourt with Mo Williams, Michael Redd, Earl Boykins and Charlie Bell; a center in Andrew Bogut, and a versatile forward in Charlie Villanueva. Again, there are a lot of options here and they can afford to take a risk. Milwaukee cannot ignore the upside of UNC PF Brandan Wright, although if Conley is available here, he might be the pick if the team chooses not to resign Mo Williams.

7. Minnesota
Kevin Garnett’s career is on the downside and it might be time for the T’Wolves to ship him off. They are extremely thin up front, so taking a big guy would be a top priority here. They will consider Washington C Spencer Hawes, but versatile Kansas F Julian Wright will be the team’s new KG in the coming decade. He should team well with second-year G Randy Foye.

8. Charlotte
Matt Carroll emerged as one of the leagues best shooters and Adam Morrison proved to be a solid role player in his first year. Though both Morrison and Carroll can shoot, neither can play a lick of defense, which is why the Bobcats will take Florida G/F Corey Brewer.

9. Chicago
The Bulls might not re-sign Andres Nocioni, so depth at small forward is an issue. The bigger issue is inside scoring, however, so they can afford to take high-risk, high-reward big man Spencer Hawes and have him come off the bench behind Ben Wallace in his first few years.

10. Sacramento
The Kings could use help anywhere except for shooting guard, where they have a young star in Kevin Martin. Florida PF Joakim Noah is still developing on offense but has more upside than people think. At the very least, Noah will bring energy and a winner’s mentality to a lifeless team.

11. Atlanta
After taking Horford at #3, the Hawks really have to go PG here. Jarvaris Crittenton, a dynamic 6’5’’ scorer and playmaker, might need a year or two to realize his potential, but this team is young and will be together for the better part of the next decade.

12. Philadelphia
After trading AI, the Sixers are also in the midst of a rebuilding project. They have two young wing players in Andre Iguodala and Rodney Carney and a veteran PG in Andre Miller, so they’ll opt for Florida State F Al Thornton to provide frontcourt help.

13. New Orleans
A gift by the name of Jeff Green falls into the Hornets’ lap. The versatile Georgetown forward will fill New Orleans’ only real glaring need and should play a major role for this future playoff team.

14. LA Clippers
With the career of Shaun Livingston in doubt and Sam Cassell at the ripe age of 47, the Clippers would be foolish to pass on Texas A+M PG Acie Law IV.

15. Detroit
The Pistons are the class of the Eastern Conference, but their frontcourt of Rasheed Wallace, Chris Webber and Antonio McDyess isn’t getting any younger. Duke PF Josh McRoberts will fly under the radar in this draft, but has the athleticism and size to be a nice player at the next level.

16. Washington
The Wizards are a big man away from being a contender in the East, but there aren’t any worth taking here. Instead, Washington will select Georgia Tech SG Thaddeus Young, a dynamic athlete and scorer to replace the struggling DeShawn Stevenson.

17. New Jersey
The Nets don’t have many holes, but for some reason they just aren’t very good. They might as well take a risk on Brazilian PF Tiago Splitter, a player who has entered and withdrawn from the draft for the past 5 years and honestly will probably never play in the NBA. But if he does, hey, it’s a good pick.

18. Golden State
The Warriors desperately need an inside scorer, and while Colorado St. PF Jason Smith is raw, he has the potential to give the Warriors some semblance of a low-block scorer.

19. LA Lakers
LA should go with the best player available- which is Vanderbilt G/F Derrick Byers.

20. Miami
The Heat have no young big men, but this team is not about to reach for one that won’t contribute right away. They have a good chance to reach the finals next year, so the pick is USC PG Gabe Pruitt to take over for the erratic Jason Williams.

21. Philadelphia
This is the second of Philly’s three first round picks, and there is a chance they will try to package two or possibly all three to get into the Top 5. If they stay here, they get an early Christmas present in the form of USC SG Nick Young. Young is a good all-around player with above average athleticism. Reminds scouts of Josh Howard.

22. Charlotte
The Bobcats already addressed the perimeter by drafting Corey Brewer, now they will go for help on the interior. Pittsburgh C Aaron Gray may not be the best athlete, but he is 7’1’’ 280 and has a soft touch from 15 and in.

23. New York
Remember in NBA Live when you would forfeit all your picks because you couldn’t afford to pay a player to sit on the bench because you were so far over the cap? That’s the situation the Knicks are in right now. So they’ll draft C Marc Gasol (brother of Pau) and pray he never leaves Spain.

24. Phoenix
The Suns were the biggest loser of the lottery. Had Atlanta’s pick landed outside of the Top 3, Phoenix would have gotten it as compensation for the Joe Johnson trade and possibly had the chance to draft Al Horford or Brandan Wright. Head Coach Mike D’Antoni will reluctantly pass on his favorite player of all-time, Italian SG Marco Bellini, and take Boston College shot-blocker extraordinaire Sean Williams.

25. Utah
Conventional wisdom would suggest the Jazz would take a white shooting guard, but that is the last thing they need. Providence PF Herbert Hill would give them some length and athleticism in the frontcourt.

26. Houston
Biggest needs are PF and PG. Luther Head is more of an undersized SG, and Rafer Alston just isn’t starting material. Florida PG Taurean Green gets the least recognition, but he is a heady floor leader with no real weaknesses. This pick could be a steal.

27. Detroit
The Pistons already bolstered depth inside by drafting McRoberts, now they have to address the backcourt. Eastern Washington G Rodney Stuckey is an electric scorer and will get spot time at both guard positions while serving as Chauncey Billlups’ understudy.

28. San Antonio
San Antonio is aging at all positions, but more than anything could use some youth at SF to supplant Bruce Bowen. North Carolina SF Reyshawn Terry is the type of all-around talent and defender that the Spurs look for.

29. Phoenix
D’Antoni can’t pass up the prospects of drafting Marco Bellini twice. “Marco can shoot, defend, and fill a role for us,” D’Antoni said after flying to Italy to visit his parents and watch Bellini work out. “He’s not all that bad to look at either,” the coach added.

30. Philadelphia
There are a lot of first-round swingmen available, but the Sixers don’t need another wing player. Odds are some team will trade into this spot and draft either Dequan Cook, Aaron Afflalo, Morris Almond, Alando Tucker, or Brandon Rush. If not, Philly will go big and draft Texas A+M F Joseph Jones. Aside from that group, DePaul’s Wilson Chandler, LSU's Glen Davis, Cal's DeVon Hardin, Syracuse’s Demetrius Nichols, and Nevada’s Nick Fazekas will be impact players at the top of the second round.