The draft is just more than one week away – and with all the coverage of the Sonics’ ongoing trial you’d almost have forgotten all about it.
Considering that Sam Presti will be picking six (6!) players in the draft, that’s not something we should take lightly. Granted, the odds of the Sonics actually drafting six players is pretty slim, and it is much more probable that at least one of those picks will wind up being traded.
But, for the sake of discussion, let’s assume the Sonics go ahead and take six players. Who will they be? Here’s the first edition of our SONIC MOCK DRAFT. Feel free to chime in (or "mock," if you will) with your opinions in the comments.
#4 – Jerryd Bayless, Arizona. It seems more and more likely that 1-2-3 will be Rose-Beasley-Mayo, and if rumors are to be believed, the Sonics have not expressed any interest in moving into the upper trio of picks. In fact, there are some reports Seattle has even inquired about trading down. Assuming they stay put, Bayless is the consensus selection of draft experts.
#24 – Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis. Both draftexpress.com and nbadraft.net have the Sonics taking Serge Ibaka, but I’m hoping they go for CDR. He can shoot the deep ball, he’s big enough to play the 2 or the 3, and he comes from a winning program. What’s not to like.
#32 – Mario Chalmers, Kansas. Everyone knows Chalmers because of his great title game, and while he’s on the small size and not a pure point guard, I think he’d be a great off-the-bench guy for an NBA club. Assuming the Sonics deal away either Ridnour or Watson this summer (oh, please, make it so), Chalmers would be more than adequate in a reserve role, in much the same way as Dana Barros was back in the day. Whether Chalmers drops this far is another question, though.
#46 – Ante Tomic, Croatia. An athletic 7’2” center, Tomic is strong in the post with a variety of moves, but weak on defense. Hopefully, he can learn the defense, but it’s a stretch. However, considering the Sonics’ have a total of zero players with any post offense at the moment, perhaps there’s a role for him. If not, stash him in Europe and hope he matures.
#50 – Jamont Gordon, Miss. St. I’ll agree with the illustrious Jonathan Givony on this one and lean towards Gordon, a 6’3” SG/PG who’s not much with the offense. However, he shines on defense and on the boards, two attributes that a Presti-led organization will always value. As a reserve, he’d be a nice fit.
#56 – Mantas Kalnietis, Lithuania. Kalnietis is a 6’5” PG with speed to burn, but the rest of his game has yet to catch up. The prototypical late second-rounder to stash overseas.
9 comments:
i hope they choose bill walker and put him at sg and move kdur to sf and jeff green to sf/pf that would be nice then i think they should trade down to get russell westbrook hes a beast the closest to derrick rose. but i would be happy with jerryd bayless also or ojmayo. then get kosta javalee or hibbert or speights. thats a beast team
I would LOVE to see the Sonics get CDR.
I think getting Tomic in the 2nd round is a stretch. @ 24th overall not so much. Good luck if he's lower than that though, and he may never come over if he's drafted that low. Then again, he may just because he can get more money quickly as a 2nd round pick than he can as a 1st rounder. It's interesting that the Sonics have 4 2nd round picks.
I also think Chalmers will be gone before the 1st round is up too. I have a hard time believing somebody won't wont him before the end of the 1st round. If that isn't the case drafting him @ 32nd overall is not a reach.
I agree - Chalmers probably won't be around by the time we get to pick in the 2nd round. I think Tomic might slip, though. One of the draft boards had him going as the 6th or 7th pick in the 2nd round.
On the other hand, you can never underestimate the allure of a big man on NBA GMs.
I like Bayless or Mayo with the first pick. I'm a little concerned that Bayless may be wound a little too tight and may wear himself out and/or grate on team mates.
It'd be nice to use one or more of the lower second rounders to trade up from 24 if possible. Also, with so many picks, I think they should pick one or more foreign players and possibly keep them overseas for awhile.
After the lottery pick, I like Kostas, Speights, Ajinca, Rush, Ibaka, Jawai, Thompson and Hickson (not necessarily in that order).
I'm not sold on Jerryd Bayless, as his inability to effectively play point guard and defensive ineptitude are enormous drawbacks. With that in mind, I want Sam Presti to make the following trade during the 2008 NBA Draft.
FROM LOS ANGELES & TO SEATTLE
C Brook Lopez (Draft Rights)
2009 First-Round Draft Pick (Via The Minnesota Timberwolves {Top-10 Protected Through 2011 & Unprotected In 2012})
FROM SEATTLE & TO LOS ANGELES
SG Jerryd Bayless (Draft Rights)
Although Brook Lopez isn't athletic by any stretch of the imagination, he commands double-teams on offense, plays hard-nosed man-to-man interior defense, and is an all-around stud down on the frontline.
For the Los Angeles Clippers, Elgin Baylor and Mike Dunleavy, Jr. would probably rather have Bayless than Russell Westbrook -- who's raw on offense and not a natural playmaker -- as a result, they could attempt to move up a few selections.
Lastly, the SuperSonics should avoid Serge Ibaka like the bubonic plague. Yet, unless Presti has recently consulted with newly hired Atlanta Hawks general manager Rick Sund, that shouldn't be a problem.
In my last post, I meant to type Mike Dunleavy, Sr. rather than Mike Dunleavy, Jr.
I'm an idiot, though, so that explains my mistake.
I have soured on Bayless as well. I don't mind the Sonics trading the pick - but I would prefer a proven commodity over a draft pick. I don't think the Sonics need a point guard that badly, just look at the NBA finalists. They both had good defensive point guards. That works fine. If they trade down Westbrook might be the guy.
Lopez' efficiency stats are not good - in particular his rebounding (or am I thinking of his twin). That is a bad sign.
I think the Austrailian dude Jawai has a chance - he worked out for the Sonics maybe they pick him 24 - if he is available in the 2nd round I definitely take him.
CDR would be a great get ... nothing ever wrong with a guy that knows how to score the basketball.
Post a Comment