Charlie Zegers and myself are doing our own NBA mock draft, but some of the writers that contribute to About.com wanted to do one too. Who am I to deny them? Check out the About.com Contributors NBA Mock Draft.
NOTE: This is an ongoing draft, so, watch the blog to see the About.com Contributors NBA Mock Draft updates!
Here are the players, or rather pickers, and the division of teams they will be drafting for:
- Brendan Sullivan - Atlantic Division
- Tom Lewis - Central Division
- Blake Murphy - Southeast Division
- Dave Deckard - Portland Trail Blazers
- Me - The rest of the Northwest Division
- Scott Sargent - Pacific Division
- Chip Crain - Southwest Division
1. Chicago Bulls (Tom) - Derrick Rose, PG, Memphis
Rose has "sure thing" talent to fit in with the rest of the Baby Bulls. With the ball in Rose's hands, the active stable of young bigs can get out and run the floor, applying plenty of pressure on the opposition. Now they just need a coach who will encourage Rose to blossom while leading a dynamic attack.
2. Miami Heat (Blake) - Michael Beasley, SF/PF, Kansas State
Almost a no-brainer since Rose is off the board, Beasley has enormous upside and could be part of a lethal duo with Dwyane Wade over the next few years. A forward combination of Marion and Beasley will make the Heat one of the most explosive (and best rebounding) teams in the East, returning them to instant contender status.
3. Minnesota Timberwolves (Me) - O.J. Mayo, SG, USC
Not since the days of Latrell Spreewell and his insufficient salary or J.R. Rider and his insubordination has there been the prospect of a Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard that could take the Association by storm.... sorry, Gerald Green, I'm talking about more than dunking and eating cupcakes. Well, folks, the day has come as Mayo will bring back some excitement to the place of Prince with his overall play that garnered attention when O.J. was in seventh grade! For the longest time, Mayo was considered the best prospect in his class until the evolution of Kevin Love in their senior year of high school. However, it's safe to say that Mayo's ability to get to the basket, shoot the J consistently, play strong defense, and ability to find his teammates will serve him well at the NBA level. And because Minny will still be in rebuilding mode, Mayo will get all the looks he'll want in the same vein as Kevin Durant this past season with the Seattle SuperSonics. The inside-outside duo of Mayo and Al Jefferson could be lethal for years to come... as long as the T-Wolves are able to provide salaries that are enough for Mayo and Jefferson to feed their families.
4. Seattle SuperSonics (Me) - Jerryd Bayless, PG/SG, Arizona
Bayless is arguably the most athletic player in this draft, but is the classic tweener. There's no questioning his abiilty to score as he can finish with authority and explosion when attacking the rim like it was his worst enemy, as well as being able to pull up anywhere and over anyone on the court. But, considering his height of 6'3", Bayless will probably need to adjust his game more for the lead guard position. At Arizona, he showed that he could distribute the ball, but will need to get better at creating for his teammates. His talent is enough to make him Gilbert Arenas-Lite, but he'll need to produce on the floor. With Kevin Durant and Bayless on the wing, defenders will be having nightmares all-game. Now if they could only get that big man that can capitalize on Durant and Bayless' strengths.
5. Memphis Grizzlies (Chip) - Kevin Love, PF, UCLA
Memphis was hoping that OJ Mayo would slide down to them but are more than content to get a legitimate ‘power’ forward in Love at #5. While questionable athletically his size and skill will fill a gaping hole in the frontcourt of the Grizzlies and provide the first serious rebounder on the team since Bryant ‘Big Country’ Reeves. Love ability to stretch the defense will also open up lanes for their quick point guards to operate as well as taking the heavy toll of playing PF off the shoulders of budding star Rudy Gay. Love measured a legitimate 6-9 at the combines in his shoes if not the 6-9.5 he measured. Decent size, a strong body and an incredibly high basketball IQ make Love the obvious choice for the rebounding challenged Grizzlies.
The big question now seems to be how low will Brook Lopez fall?
6. New York Knicks (Me for Brendan) - Russell Westbrook, PG/SG, UCLA
What am I crazy?!?!?! Maybe, but I don't think so. Westbrook's
athleticism, about to go to the hole with control and finish with
contact is very attractive to teams. His draft stock has been blowing up lately and it probably has to do with teams feeling comfortable giving Westbrook the rock as a full-time point guard as he is an unselfish player, a hard worker, and heady. Hmmm... sounds just like the opposite of any Knicks point guard right now, doesn't it? Anyway, it might seem like stretch here, but sometimes you need to take calculated chances, and with Rose off the board, the Knicks need a solid pass-first point guard to successfully run coach Mike
D'Antoni's offense. Westbrook is it.
