Officially official 2009 Mock Draft

[Messenger]

Nice pick Hodges.

That gives them Holliday, Jack and Ford plus the persona non gratia Jamaal Tinsley.

They have 8 contracts for next season plus three players with options

Jack - Qualifying offer 2.9m
Diener - player option 1.75m
Daniels - team option 7.35m

If they execute all of those they still have three slots open and they are slightly over the cap without bringing back any of their 5 UFA's. Sure time to move some of the hold overs from the Golden State trades; Dunleavy, Murphy et al. Perhaps TJ Ford?

 

[mdc]

I imagine they'd probably be willing to move TJ Ford for capspace. They played much better with Jack as their point anyway.

I like Holiday too btw, would take him at 4.

 

[Messenger]

I imagine they'd probably be willing to move TJ Ford for capspace. They played much better with Jack as their point anyway.

I like Holiday too btw, would take him at 4.

I'd have him at Minnesota if they couldn't land a PG in the draft.

Little pricey though. 2 years, $17 million

 

[Hodges]

Nice pick Hodges.

That gives them Holliday, Jack and Ford plus the persona non gratia Jamaal Tinsley.

They have 8 contracts for next season plus three players with options

Jack - Qualifying offer 2.9m
Diener - player option 1.75m
Daniels - team option 7.35m

If they execute all of those they still have three slots open and they are slightly over the cap without bringing back any of their 5 UFA's. Sure time to move some of the hold overs from the Golden State trades; Dunleavy, Murphy et al. Perhaps TJ Ford?

I think they will move Ford on for sure. He was hardly getting minutes towards the end of the season, Jack is definitely preferred over him. I think they need to hold onto Murphy until they can get a better PF. Right now they have no-one - Foster and McRoberts are the backups...

I would hold onto Dunleavy too. He had a fantastic season two years ago, but was derailed last year through injuries. Give him a chance to produce again, it might pick up his trade value.

I like where the Pacers are going though. If they can just get a decent PF somehow, they will have a great group to build with.

 

[sblack]

1. Love Holiday. Huge steal at #13.

2. Who is picking for the Suns with Avatar gone?

 

[Vegas.]

Yep, surprised Holiday slid this far. I considered him at 11, but the Nets have Devin, so I wanted someone that could come into the rotation and log decent mins. Thanks for posting my pick mdc, thankfully Osmodiar didn't take Clark! I love his game, handles it so well for a guy his size.

 

[mdc]

2. Who is picking for the Suns with Avatar gone?

If no-one steps in, I'll chuck a pick up tomorrow.

 

[Hodges]

The Suns is a tough pick. It all depends on whether Nash stays, and also whether Stoudemire will stay next year. Personally, I think they are both gone.

 

[sblack]

The Suns is a tough pick. It all depends on whether Nash stays, and also whether Stoudemire will stay next year. Personally, I think they are both gone.

Yeah. There's a split in the mocks over a PG or a PF. Lots are preferring a PG though, even if Nash stays.

I personally have them taking a PF. In my quick mock I had Hill sliding down there and thought they wouldn't pass on him. A more 'realistic' pick would be either Blair or Flynn

 

[Hodges]

Yeah. There's a split in the mocks over a PG or a PF. Lots are preferring a PG though, even if Nash stays.

I personally have them taking a PF. In my quick mock I had Hill sliding down there and thought they wouldn't pass on him. A more 'realistic' pick would be either Blair or Flynn

Yeah Flynn was someone I thought they might pick up too. I wouldnt count on Blair still being there at 14 though - apparently the Raptors are pretty keen on him now. Colangelo is confident of resigning Parker, and getting Delfino back, which would make our lack of a rebounding "big" our main priority.

This better not happen. If BC thinks that a Parker/Delfino rotation is good enough for the NBA he has lost touch.

 

[sblack]

Yeah Flynn was someone I thought they might pick up too. I wouldnt count on Blair still being there at 14 though - apparently the Raptors are pretty keen on him now. Colangelo is confident of resigning Parker, and getting Delfino back, which would make our lack of a rebounding "big" our main priority.

This better not happen. If BC thinks that a Parker/Delfino rotation is good enough for the NBA he has lost touch.

Yeah, pretty stupid. There will be one of Harden, DeRozan or Evans still available at 11. Even Henderson is a good chance to be a solid 2 at NBA level.

 

[Hodges]

Yeah, pretty stupid. There will be one of Harden, DeRozan or Evans still available at 11. Even Henderson is a good chance to be a solid 2 at NBA level.

I doubt they will be available that late - both Harden and DeRozan arent working out with Toronto, as they both believe they will be gone by pick 9. I really cant see them all slipping, but by god im hoping. Dont want to end up with another undersized PF - Humphries was our last one...

 

[mdc]

Depth Chart:
Point Guard: Steve Nash/Goran Dragic
Shooting Guard: Leandro Barbosa/Alando Tucker
Small Forward: Jason Richardson/Matt Barnes
Power Forward: Grant Hill/Louis Amundson/Jared Dudley/Amare Stoudemire
Center: Shaquille O'Neal /Robin Lopez


OK, so as people have said, there's really a few ways I think you can go with this pick.

The first thing I considered is a back-up for Nash, which will be important in the upcoming season since Dragic is a dud. Ideally you'd want someone who can come in and play 15-20mpg, limiting Nash to about 30mpg. I believe Eric Maynor might well be able to do that (and he is my second choice for this pick), but pairing him with Barbosa or J-Rich defensively is a nightmare. Don't really rate Johnny Flynn, so that was never an option.

The second option was just to bring in the most ready-made player who could help them. There's already far too many guys who need the ball on this team, so I felt that someone like Omri Casspi would be a good pick here, especially if Phx feel they're still contenders. The guy moves great without the ball, plays solid D, and is just a really good hustle guy at the 3/4 positions. But ultimately, he's a role-player at best, and his jumpshot might not be good enough for the Suns' system.

So finally, I just settled on going high-risk and looking for the guy with the greatest long-term upside. With that said...

With the 14th overall pick in 2009 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select Austin Daye.

It should be obvious from the photo that he's still extremely skinny and a long way off actually getting minutes, but his upside is definitely there. He's a genuinely long player (measured a standing reach of 9"2, compared to Thabeet at 9"5) who is multi-skilled, can block shots, can run the floor and is generally the sort of upside prospect GMs love.

In 2 years' time, if he can learn the Suns' system and put on enough weight, he could be a real handful in tandem with Amare on the Suns' frontcourt (assuming they don't trade Amare obviously).

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Austin-Daye-1316/

[YOUTUBE]gXd_vHAoXIM[/YOUTUBE]

 

[sblack]

I doubt they will be available that late - both Harden and DeRozan arent working out with Toronto, as they both believe they will be gone by pick 9. I really cant see them all slipping, but by god im hoping. Dont want to end up with another undersized PF - Humphries was our last one...

I meant to say 9, aka your pick. One of those 3 will still be there.

mdc. You've disappointed the Pistons organisation. They were apparently very keen on Austin. Cannot really comment on him though. Haven't seen much of him.

Seems to like US Airways though. Taking it to Hill as well. Good man.

 

[Primetime Pricey]

With the 14th overall pick in 2009 NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns select Austin Daye.



In 2 years' time, if he can learn the Suns' system and put on enough weight, he could be a real handful in tandem with Amare on the Suns' frontcourt (assuming they don't trade Amare obviously).

Amare wont be there, well not from what he has been saying this week in the press.

 

[Hodges]

I like Daye as a prospect. He has all the tools, although there are question marks over his commitment. Apparently one of those "knows he is good, doesnt want to work for it" types. But I watched a fair bit of him last year, and he can be a great player. Has a silky smooth jumper for someone that tall, looks effortless. Runs the court well, can finish.

Im hoping that the Raps can buy a mid/late first round pick (with the 3m from Miami) and pick up someone like T-Will or Daye. Both will probably be gone by then though...

 

[MuzzHawk]

mdc. You've disappointed the Pistons organisation. They were apparently very keen on Austin. Cannot really comment on him though. Haven't seen much of him.

Yep as GM of the Pistons, mdc just took the player I was going to select. I'm still at uni atm, so I will get my pick up tonight when I get home.

 

[MuzzHawk]

DETROIT PISTONS - 15th overall pick

Current Roster:

With the trade of Chauncey Billups for the expiring contract of Allen Iverson, as well as the expiring contract of Rasheed Wallace, we will have plenty of salary available to play with either this off-season or the for the 2010 summer.

Neither are expected to return next season. We have taken the team option on the contract of Will Bynum, providing a solid bench option at the point guard.

This season we tinkered with the option of running Rodney Stuckey as a PG. By seasons end it was clear to see that he is really a combo guard. Unfortunately we have already upped Rip Hamiltons contract, meaning we would either have to run Stuck off the bench, or in an undersized line up.

Given that, it will most likely mean that Stuckey will start in the line-up as a point guard for another year, unless Hamilton can be off-loaded. Stuckey at the SG would offer the slasher that this team really needs.

Looking at the draft:

Looking at the draft we see that the positions we can most likely land a long term option will be either at the PG or at the SF. The draft pool seems to run deepest at these two spots.

It is really hard to tell what this roster will look like after the summer, as Rasheed and Iverson will definitely be gone, and McDyess will most likely enter the free-agency market to join a contender.

Given the situation with Stuckey and Hamiltons contract, as well as taking the option of the Bynum contract, combined with how the teams before us have selected so far, we will look to bolster the frontcourt with a SF/PF option who can step in and play minutes this season.

We will be keen to try and fill the front court by chasing one of Millsap or Boozer, and hope that Maxiell can step in play a few more minutes this year.

Given that LeBron James will stay in the East, it is reasonable to draft a player that will be able to guard him as we will most likely have to go through the Cavs in order to get out of the East.

Selection:

So with the 15th overall selection, the Detroit Pistons select James Johnson of Wake Forest.

NBA Comparison: Danny Granger with size

James Johnson we feel as the physical aspects to play as a combo forward for the Pistons for years to come. He has the ball handling and the mid-range game to play the SF, as well as the size and length to guard the SF of the East such as LeBron, Caron Butler, Paul Pierce and the magic combo of Shard and Hedo. Tayshaun Prince we will does not have the strength to guard such players, and may become a trading piece in the near future.

His size, strength, and in particular his length (7'1 wingspan) will allow him to step in and play the PF in a smaller line-up, and given he is already 2 years older than his draft class, we feel he could step in and fill that void with less development.

PG: Stuckey, Bynum
SG: Hamilton, Stuckey, Afflalo
SF: Prince, J. Johnson, Hermann
PF: J. Johnson, Maxiell, A. Johnson
C: (Boozer/Millsap)/Kwame/Maxiell

Unfortunately still doesnt address the size issue that we will have, but we didn't see BJ Mullens as a good enough option, and feel that the free-agent market will be the best way to address this. We didn't feel we could carry both Blair and Maxiell on the same roster.

JAMES JOHNSON VIDEOS

[YOUTUBE]lB4lTCAE5Fo[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]0N6aqPyXdmc[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]ih2DyJLYw88[/YOUTUBE]

 

[mdc]

Before i write up my Chicago pick, can anyone tell me where I can get this music from? I feel like if I can have that in my mp3 player 15 minutes before a game, I'd be unstoppable.

[YOUTUBE]lB4lTCAE5Fo[/YOUTUBE]

 

[MuzzHawk]

Before i write up my Chicago pick, can anyone tell me where I can get this music from? I feel like if I can have that in my mp3 player 15 minutes before a game, I'd be unstoppable.

its Kernkraft 400 - Zombie Nation

 

[mdc]

its Kernkraft 400 - Zombie Nation

So good!

MSAC should just play this on a loop 24/7.

edit: The James Johnson pick is interesting. I considered him, but he looked like a bit of a tweener to me. Watching those highlights though, he definitely has some potential to move to the 3 full time if he trims down.

 

[mdc]

Derrick Rose/Kirk Hinrich /Lindsey Hunter
Ben Gordon/Anthony Roberson
John Salmons/Luol Deng/Linton Johnson
Tyrus Thomas/Tim Thomas
Joakim Noah/Brad Miller/Aaron Gray


This pick is pretty straight forward. The playoffs highlighted that although the Bulls have talent at almost every position, they lack rebounding and toughness. The Noah/Thomas pairing just doesn't work for long stretches, and Brad Miller is past it on most nights.

With that said...

With the 16th overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft, the Chicago Bulls seclect DEJUAN BLAIR

That's his patented Judo throw, which he used with great effect on future NBA bust Thabeet.

Basically, his inclusion will mean that when Gordon and Salmons be jacking, there'll be a genuine offensive rebounder on the block who can clean up their misses.

The fluctuating weight is a bit of an issue, but he seems like a really good kid, so hopefully should be able to manage it. Measured out reasonably well with a 7"2 wingspan and a decent standing reach for your average PF.

His scoring is a bit underrated as well I feel, as he put up 15+ points in just 27mpg in college, which is a decent effort. His first year in the league, I expect he'll be able to come in and put up a solid 8/8.5 in 25mpg and really help his team win.

STRENGTHS (from DX):
- Efficiency
- Likes to mix it up inside
- Setting screens
- Ability to establish position in post
- Excellent hands
- Excellent Touch
- Makes quick moves in the post
- Ability to get in passing lanes
- Aggressiveness
- Body language
- Competitiveness
- Energy/Intensity
- Physical Toughness
- Role-player potential
- High-level productivity
- Solid passer
- Excellent wingspan
- NBA body
- Excellent rebounder
- Offensive rebounding

WEAKNESSES (from DX):
- Better suited for half-court offense
- Stuck between 4 and 5
- Ability to create own shot
- Advanced post moves
- Back to basket scoring
- Ability to defend position at next level?
- Defensive fundamentals
- Lateral quickness
- Pick and roll defense
- Average athleticism
- Conditioning
- Plays below the rim
- Free throw shooting
- Jump-shot

[YOUTUBE]9WASWhKKQfY[/YOUTUBE]

 

[MuzzHawk]

So good!

MSAC should just play this on a loop 24/7.

edit: The James Johnson pick is interesting. I considered him, but he looked like a bit of a tweener to me. Watching those highlights though, he definitely has some potential to move to the 3 full time if he trims down.

He is ideally a 3. He has the handles, and has a beautiful mid-range jumper. I don't think he is overly heavy or too slow to play the 3. Needs to work on his 3pt shooting and his free throw shooting a little.

He wouldn't be overly undersized playing the 4 in the East at the moment. Josh Smith, Antawn Jamison type size.

 

[sblack]

*Note: Solid rumour is that we are returning to the old logos and uniforms for next season. Which is great.

I cannot give a roster because atm, the team is all over the place. Miller, Williams, Dalembert, Green...all linked someway or another to leaving.

In saying that. With the Seventeenth pick of the 2009 BF NBA Mock Draft, The Philadelphia 76ers select Jonny Flynn out of Syracuse University

Probably not the exact type of PG we were looking for, but Jonny's talent is good none the less. We were wowed that Jonny has fallen into our laps, definitely not expecting him, which is a blessing. He feels he has a good mix between scoring and passing, and likes to believe in himself to be able to score when his team needs it. Due to his teams attitude, Jonny had to dominate the ball at the point, which lead to him overdribbling at times, and could attribute to his highish TO numbers (3.4 a game). Although he counters this with his very high Assist numbers of 6.7 p/game, which left him in the Top 10 in the country. He shot a solid .456 from the field and .336 from beyond the ark, scoring at around 18 a game.

Defensively, he was known as a lockdown defender on the perimeter in HS...but due to Syracuse's Zone defence, he was really unable to show his qualities. But is encouraging with good lateral quickness. This is an area where Miller let us down this year, and a solid defender is welcomed with open arms at the Sixers.

Despite his apparent small stature, at a smidge under 6'1 with shoes and a wingspan of only 6'4, Jonny excels at the PG position. His athleticism and speed allow him to punch above his weight. His quickness is unsurpassed in this draft class, right there with Lawson and Jennings in the speed stakes. Add that to an explosive first step, Jonny is incredibly difficult to guard. His speed also allows him to push in transition, which is what our team loves.

This leads to his remarkable ability to get into the lane and goto the line by creating contact under the rim. Plus he is very good at finishing around the rim. Jonny also possesses a very solid midrange jumper, but has questions over his range. Can be streaky at the 3 point distance as shown by his poor percentages from NCAA play.

I think the main thing that appeals to the team is his ability to have the ball in his hands at the end of the game. He loves clutch situations. In the 6OT game against UCONN, Jonny got to the line 16 times in that time converting all his attempts. As well as making a huge And 1 play to tie the game with only a couple of seconds in 2OT of that game (Finished with 34 points, 11 assists and 6 steals in 67 minutes again) Add this to his determination and willingness to win, and you have a player you can fell comfortable with the ball in the clutch. Also, he has the right mechanics to work the Pick and Roll with star big man Elton Brand. Miller was lacking in this department, and Jonny is certainly a step up in that regard.

Jonny is confident, determined, has played on a successful team which makes the Sixers organisation very excited about his future at the club.

Some quick highlights to show you all what Jonny is about. (#10 if you don't pick that up...likes to wear tight singlets I might add, as well as what looks like just a T-Shirt in some games

[YOUTUBE]7U65I6UB9og[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]r8sIuf2-dZg&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

You cannot see this enough

[YOUTUBE]YmgIPGy0zOE&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

He loves a good dunk. Has a couple of windmills and such. Pretty good for under 6'

 

[Hodges]

Good pick. I really like Flynn, especially after that 6OT game - one of the craziest games ive ever seen.

With the jerseys, which old school ones are you going back to? The ones with the stars at the bottom of the shorts? I love those jerseys, so pretty.