NBA Mock Draft - Lottery Style

By David K.
The Sports Bank

What it really comes down to is whether you take Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose.

That’s the main question. Similar to last season when it was a Greg Oden vs. Kevin Durant debate, this season also has a clear cut top two players for the Chicago Bulls to choose from.

As you can see, we’ve decided that Beasley is the right man in the right spot at No. 1 this season.

NBA MOCK DRAFT

1. Chicago - Michael Beasley, PF, Kansas State

The Bulls hit the jackpot! For a team that I picked to be in the NBA Finals at the beginning of the season (yeah, my bad), this should be a huge boost for Chicago. It’s funny that their two needs just happen to be a low-post scoring threat (Beasley) and a point guard (Rose). Despite Rose being a Chicago boy, I think the edge goes to Beasley, because an offensive-minded power forward is a bigger need (this is my initial thought, I’m sure my mind will change 100 times in the next month). Yes, the Bulls have a plethora of young forwards, but this is how they look overall going into next season - before the draft pick:

PG: Kirk Hinrich
SG: Ben Gordon/Larry Hughes
SF: Luol Deng/Thabo Sefolosha
PF: Drew Gooden/Andres Nocioni/Tyrus Thomas
C: Joakim Noah/Aaron Gray

With Chris Duhon a free-agent, Rose would definitely make sense as well, but I really think it’s time for Chicago to make a big trade by packaging Gordon/Thomas/Deng/or Nocioni and acquire a proven All-Star caliber commodity.

My Prediction: Whatever happens with this pick will directly result in a big offseason trade involving the Bulls. Again, Beasley makes a lot of sense seeing that Drew Gooden is in the final year of his deal and both Luol Deng’s and Ben Gordon’s rookie contracts expire. They’ll each want a big payday, though neither deserve it quite yet. Any of those players could be very attractive to a team looking to clear some cap space.

2. Miami - Derrick Rose, PG, Memphis

In my opinion, the Heat should be praying that the Bulls draft Beasley. By “settling” for Rose, Miami gets a ball-handler who can run the offense and the fast break, thus taking some pressure off Dwyane Wade, who’s had the ball in his hands far too often the past two seasons. Having Rose around would also help Wade take less of a beating, which should keep him in the lineup rather than on the bench in a suit and tie. A core of Rose, Wade, Shawn Marion and Udonis Haslem doesn’t thrust South Beach back into the NBA Finals, but it should definitely be good enough to land the Heat back into the playoffs. If the Heat do end up with Beasley, they’d be in a situation to go with a small ball lineup, but they’d have to find a point guard not named Marcus Banks, Jason Williams or Chris Quinn to run the offense.

3. Minnesota - Brook Lopez, C, Stanford

Imagine a young front-court of Lopez and Al Jefferson to build around for the next 10-12 years. Not too shabby if you’re a T-Wolves fan. In already having young guards like Randy Foye, Corey Brewer and Rashad McCants, a post presence is the way to go. If the T-Wolves think O.J. Mayo will be a franchise changing-type guard, then he could very easily be the pick. But adding some size alongside Big Al seems to me like the road to take.

4. Seattle - O.J. Mayo, G, USC

If the Sonics don’t select a guard, I’ll be shocked. The Luke Ridnour/Earl Watson duo at point guard is a joke. Adrian Griffin and Damien Wilkins are the only options at the two spot since rookies Kevin Durant and Jeff Green are better suited playing the forward spots. A young nucleus of Mayo, Green and Durant would be a very nice building tool for Seattle, or Oklahoma City, or wherever this franchise ends up. If the Sonics don’t go with Mayo, I’d expect Arizona PG Jarryd Bayless to be the pick.

5. Memphis - Anthony Randolph, PF, LSU

When you look at the Grizzlies’ roster, they have three young point guards (Mike Conley, Jr, Javaris Crittenton, Kyle Lowry), two talented wing players (Mike Miller and Rudy Gay) and a worthless Serbian center (Darko Milicic). If they can re-sign guard Juan Carlos Navarro, a big guy is definitely the way to go. Problem is, there may not be an obvious choice at this point. Randolph, Kevin Love or Darrell Arthur would be the most likely candidates, but Randolph’s athleticism makes him a better fit with the Grizzlies’ up and down tempo of play. If they don’t plan on re-signing Navarro, Eric Gordon could also be an option at this spot. Shopping this pick wouldn’t be a bad idea, either, considering Memphis could likely move down a few picks and still land Randolph.

6. New York - Jerryd Bayless, PG, Arizona

Now that the Knicks have seemingly competent people in their front office, this pick may not be that off the wall. Bayless is the best option at this point and seems like the perfect fit with New York being in need of a point guard to replace the soon-to-be-free agent Stephon Marbury. My only concern with this pick is that Bayless is a shoot-first type of point guard (like Marbury), who doesn’t seem to be the ideal floor general for Mike D’Antoni’s style of offense. Eric Gordon or Russell Westbrook could be the pick if D’Antoni doesn’t want Bayless leading his team.

7. L.A. Clippers - Eric Gordon, SG, Indiana

The Clips are set up-front with Chris Kaman and a hopefully healthy Elton Brand. They have Corey Maggette and Al Thornton on the wings. The biggest need is in the backcourt where Cuttino Mobely is grossly overpaid and Shaun Livingston can’t stay healthy for the life of him. Gordon would give the Clips a guy who can score in numerous ways. Westbrook is another option if the Clips want to add a really athletic defensive oriented guard.

8. Milwaukee - Danillo Gallinari, SF, Italy

The Bucks are terrible on defense; really, really terrible, which doesn’t bode well with new head coach Scott Skiles’ philosophy of being aggressive on that end of the floor. However, there really isn’t a defensive-minded player at this point who can make an immediate impact. I’d expect the Bucks to actively shop this pick in hopes of landing someone to protect the rim. If Milwaukee doesn’t move out of this spot, Gallinari makes the most sense with Desmond Mason having just one year left on his contract and Bobby Simmons being a huge bust as a free-agent signing.

9. Charlotte - Kevin Love, PF, UCLA

The Bobcats were one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA last year, which makes a big man the smart choice. Love, Arthur and DeAndre Jordan are all options here, but I think Michael Jordan and Larry Brown will pick the reliable, NBA-ready option in Love. He just knows how to play the game and should take some of the load off Emeka Okafor’s back down low.

10. New Jersey - *Darrell Arthur, PF, Kansas

This might be my “favorite” pick in the draft in terms of perfectly fitting a player on a team. The Nets have Devin Harris, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson locked in as starters on the outside. They have two young post players in Josh Boone and Sean Williams who rely more on their rebounding/defensive abilities than offensive talents. Arthur could step in and be that offensive threat down low, as he’s dangerous with his back to the basket, but can also step out and hit the mid-range jumper almost in that David West-type of fashion. If New Jersey doesn’t mind a long-term project, DeAndre Jordan’s worth a look.

11. Indiana - Russell Westbrook, PG, UCLA

When Jamaal Tinsley was sidelined last season, the Pacers didn’t have a legitimate true point guard option to fill his shoes. Plus, let’s be honest, Tinsley just isn’t that good and is likely to get involved in an incident outside a nightclub again this offseason, but his contract is so awful that it’s pretty much un-movable. A point guard like Westbrook or D.J. Augustin makes the most sense, but Indiana could also use a young big guy like Jordan or Nevada’s Javale McGee to develop once Jermaine O’Neal’s massive contract comes off the books in 2010. But in terms of the best available option for now, that’s Westbrook.

12. Sacramento - D.J. Augustin, PG, Texas

Outside of Quincy Douby, the Kings don’t have a point guard on their roster, as Beno Udrih and Anthony Johnson are both free agents. Udrih played well for the Kings when Mike Bibby was hurt and then traded, but even if they do re-sign him, a point guard still makes the most sense to add some depth. However, if Ron Artest opts of his deal, a small forward like Nicolas Batum, Joe Alexander, Donte Greene or Chase Budinger would all be viable options.

13. Portland - Nicolas Batum, SF, France

The Blazers are set up-front with Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge and have a tremendous young talent at shooting guard in Brandon Roy. That makes point guard and small forward their biggest needs. With Westbrook and Augustin likely off the board, small forward’s the way to go. Batum’s a versatile wing player who may not be ready to contribute right away, but would definitely be a promising piece to the championship puzzle they’re trying to build in Portland. They could even follow their own lead and leave Batum in Europe another season (like they did with Rudy Fernandez this past year), if Fernandez comes to the NBA.

14. Golden State - *Joe Alexander, F, West Virginia

Alexander seems like a great addition to Nellie Ball. He strokes the three, can dribble penetrate, hits pull-up jumpers and plays effectively with his back to the basket. With Matt Barnes and Mickael Pietrus free agents, a wing player seems like the logical choice. Of course, if the Warriors can’t re-sign Monta Ellis, they could look to address the need for a combo guard, although there’s nobody like that available at this spot. Syracuse small forward Donte Greene could be a more athletic alternative to Alexander.

On the brink of the lottery

*Chase Budinger, G/F, Arizona
Chris Douglas-Roberts, G/F, Memphis
Donte Greene, SF, Syracuse
DeAndre Jordan, C, Texas A&M
Kosta Koufos, C, Ohio State
Javale McGee, C, Nevada
Brandon Rush, G/F. Kansas
*Marreese Speights, PF, Florida

(*Underclassmen yet to hire an agent)