NBA Mock Draft - May 28, 2008
Last week the NBA Lottery took place and the Chicago Bulls hit the jackpot when they secured the top spot. While there is still a lot of discussion about who the Bulls will snag, it looks like Derrick Rose could be their man. However, trade discussion are heating up, so the next month will be interesting as Miami, Chicago and countless other teams look poised to move up or out of the first round of the Draft.
Due to all the new information becoming available make sure you check back here for weekly updates leading up to the draft on June 26, 2008.
1. Chicago - Derrick Rose: While many people feel Michael Beasley is the top player in the draft, the best fit for Chicago is Rose. Even if Beasley does turn out to be the draft’s top player, Rose can step into the Chicago backcourt and start immediately. A lot of general managers won’t draft based on need, but with questions surrounding Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon, look for John Paxson to draft the team’s point guard of the future. Rose, along with Hinrich and Larry Hughes has the potential to become one of the top backcourt trios in the Eastern Conference next season.
2. Miami - Michael Beasley: Pat Riley has a lot of tough choices to make this summer and the prominent one is what he’ll do with this pick. Will he trade it? Will he start to rebuild around Dwyane Wade and this pick? Is Shawn Marion trade bait? While the state of Miami’s franchise is up for discussion, it’s clear that Rose is the top pick and Beasley will go second.
3. Minnesota - Brook Lopez: While Minnesota’s roster is littered with young prospects the one area they are lacking in is at the starting center position. Enter Lopez, the franchise’s starting centre for the next decade.
4. Seattle - Anthony Randolph: This is one of the relative unknowns in the lottery as there wasn’t a lot of buzz surrounding Randolph this season. However, much like former LSU forward Tyrus Thomas, scouts are in love with his athletic ability and it looks like an NBA team will bite on him in the lottery because of his hops and height. This is also the kind of player that could drop on draft night due to teams getting cold feet. That, or he could go as high as this and form a dynamic duo with Kevin Durant that will terrorize teams for the next decade.
5. Memphis - Danilo Gallinari: The Grizzlies need some depth at shooting guard and small forward. Gallinari is young and is mainly a YouTube sensation, it looks like the Grizzlies could take a gamble on this young hoops prodigy.
6. New York - O.J. Mayo: This time last year there was talk about Mayo being the top pick this year and there’s no way Mayo slips below the sixth pick. While some doubts have surfaced after a season at USC, this is a case of people watching him too much over the past few years and over analyzing what Mayo can and can’t do. Look for Mayo to land in Gotham and become a superstar in the NBA.
7. Los Angeles Clippers - Jerryd Bayless: With Sam Cassell out of town and Shaun Livingston not a lock to return to full health, look for the Clippers to draft the best point guard available. They could also use Livingston and Bayless on the court at the same time for short spurts much like Toronto does with T.J. Ford and Jose Calderon.
8. Milwaukee - Eric Gordon: With a new general manager and coach in the mix it’s looking like Maurice Williams will see a lot less minutes next season. Enter Gordon, a new floor general for Milwaukee to build around.
9. Charlotte - DeAndre Jordan: Has Charlotte guaranteed Jordan they’ll select him with this pick? There’s plenty of rumours and speculation suggesting this is the case. Bobcats fans are hoping Jordan doesn’t become the next Sheldon Williams.
10. New Jersey - Kevin Love (UCLA): Exactly 10 years ago the Celtics had a huge steal with Paul Pierce at the 10th spot and the Nets have the same thing with Love. NBA teams are claiming that Love isn’t athletic enough but he proved this past year at UCLA that he can be the focal point of a successful team.
11. Indiana - D.J. Augustin (Texas): With Jamaal Tinsley breaking down, look for Indiana to draft the top point guard available in either Augustin or Russell Westbrook.
12. Sacramento - Chris Douglas-Roberts (Memphis): Douglas-Roberts told Draft Express this week that “I don’t see a point in going (back) to school”. With him being pegged as a lottery pick, that statement makes a lot of sense. However, if he does slide late in the first round, he may regret that comment. Look for the Kings to add Douglas-Roberts to provide some depth behind Ron Artest, Kevin Martin and John Salmons. Another nice pick for this spot is Russell Westbrook who could turn out to be the best point guard besides Derrick Rose from this draft class.
13. Portland - Roy Hibbert (Georgetown): Most mock drafts have Hibbert slipping out of the lottery but there’s no way a talented player like this should fall this far. If he does, look for Portland to land another stellar senior much like they did with Brandon Roy a couple years ago.
14. Golden State - Russell Westbrook (UCLA): Can you say insurance? With Baron Davis having the chance to opt out of his contract and Monta Ellis entering the summer as a restricted free agent, the Warriors would love to snag one of the top point guards in the draft.
15. Phoenix - Chase Budinger (Arizona) - 6′7″, 190 lbs.
16. Philadelphia - JaVale McGee (Nevada) - 7′0″, 237 lbs.
17. Toronto - Darrell Arthur (Kansas) - 6′9″, 215 lbs.
18. Washington - Joe Alexander (West Virginia) - 6′8″, 200 lbs.
19. Cleveland - Donte Green (Syracuse) - 6′10″, 220 lbs.
20. Denver - Shan Foster (Vanderbilt) - 6′6″, 205 lbs.
21. New Jersey - Marreese Speights (Florida) - 6′10″, 245 lbs.
22. Orlando - Brandon Rush (Kansas) - 6′7″, 211 lbs.
23. Utah - Robin Lopez (Stanford) - 7′0″, 255 lbs.
24. Seattle - Jason Thompson (Rider) - 6′11″, 250 lbs.
25. Houston - Ryan Anderson (Cal) - 6′10″, 240 lbs.
26. San Antonio - Nicolas Batum (International) - 6′8″, 214 lbs.
27. New Orleans - Bill Walker (Kansas State) - 6′6″, 250 lbs.
28. Memphis - Kosta Koufos (OSU) - 7′1″, 245 lbs.
29. Detroit - D.J. White (Indiana) - 6′9″, 251 lbs.
30. Boston - Courtney Lee (Western Kentucky) - 6′5″, 200 lbs.
Photo Credit: Icon Sports Media
This article was written by:
Ryan McNeill - who has written 198 posts on Hoops Addict.
Ryan McNeill is the editor for Hoops Addict and has appeared on NBA XL and WSRQ 1220. Ryan has covered the NBA with media credentials since the 2007 season.
Comments
By rashad on May 28th, 2008 at 8:22 am
I think there’s no way Mayo slips by Seattle. and i think hibbert sticks around until the very end of the first round. he’s painfully slow
By Special K on May 29th, 2008 at 9:48 am
If the Sonics draft Randolph it would be a HUGE shock. Bayless looks like a virtual lock at the 4.
By Ryan on May 29th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Rashad - Yes, I may have ranked Roy Hibbert a bit too high. He’s probably a player that will slip down to Utah or Toronto and I’ll look into that more closely for next Wednesday’s mock draft.
Special K - I’m not sure it’s that big of a stretch. Bayless was once looked at as one of the top prospects but I feel he may slide a bit in the draft out of the top 3 and even the top 5 spots depending on how he does in personal workouts. Randolph will entice Seattle because he would form a nice trio alongside KD and Green. Another player the Sonics will consider ahead of Bayless is Mayo.
By khandor on May 29th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
With Oden & Aldridge there is zero (”0″) chance that Portland drafts Hibbert with their 1st Round Pick in this slot.
Zip, zilch, nada.
By Hugs on May 29th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
I’m with Khandor. Not a chance the Blazers pick Hibbert. He has better hands and shooting touch than Przybilla, but wouldn’t be enough of an upgrade to bother with as another back-up to Oden.
And Eric Gordon as a “floor general”??? (Though the Bucks could still like him for his offensive arsenal.)
Memphis spending a No. 5 pick on someone who can’t be anything other than Rudy Gay’s back-up??
CDR at No. 12?!
Get serious. Please.
By Shawn on May 30th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Way too much love for Brook Lopez. No Way Mayo slips to 6! He’ll go three to the T-Wolves. Oh! and look for the Celtics to draft Wayne Ellinginton at 30. He’ll be the replacement to Ray Allen.
Trackbacks