Last night, the Washington Wizards won the NBA Draft lottery, and as long as they keep this decision out of the hands of all of the politicians in DC, then they should be just fine. The Wizards ownership, as well as coach Flip Saunders, have already made their desires known to select Kentucky PG John Wall number one overall. Inserting him into a backcourt with (a hopefully stable) Gilbert Arenas makes them extremely dynamic. Pair that duo with a solid Josh Howard at the 3, an emerging Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee, and you have a young, but formidable starting front line.
The draft really starts with pick #2, so here's my initial mock draft for the rest of the lottery:
2. Philadelphia - Evan Turner, Ohio State
-Next best player available. Fills multiple needs for the Sixers, but could spell the end of the Andre Iguodala era in Philly.
3. New Jersey - Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech
-The Nets need a bunch of help, and an athletic big like Favors would complement center Brook Lopez (as well as swingman LeBron James?)
4. Minnesota - Wesley Johnson, Syracuse
-Have players like Jonny Flynn and Al Jefferson, and could use that athletic swingman. Johnson fits the bill for the Timberwolves here.
5. Sacramento - Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest
-It could be tempting to draft a center here, but drafting the uber-athletic Aminu to run with ROY Tyreke Evans seems like the move here.
6. Golden State - DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky
- The power forward complement to the Warriors' fast-paced offense.
7. Detroit - Cole Aldrich, Kansas
-The gritty, hard-nosed will remind Pistons fans of the likes of Rick Mahorn and Bill Laimbeer. Plus, maybe the NBA will pay for his dental plan.
8. LA Clippers - Ed Davis, North Carolina
-Eric Gordon. Blake Griffin. DeAndre Jordan. Ed Davis? That's a lot of high draft pick talent that is bound to pay off soon.
9. Utah - Greg Monroe, Georgetown
-A Carlos Boozer clone who will mesh well with Deron Williams when Boozer bolts this summer.
10. Indiana - Xavier Henry, Kansas
-Depth behind face of the franchise Danny Granger.
11. New Orleans - Donattas Motejunas, Lithuania
-A true international player. At 7'0", he can still spread the floor and shoot from outside. Gives the likes of Chris Paul and Darren Collison more room to operate.
12. Memphis - Gordon Hayward, Butler
-For a team on the brink of the playoffs in 2009-10, Hayward might be that missing piece for the Grizzlies. Set at guard (Conley, Mayo) and in the post (Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph), Hayward could be immensely valuable if Rudy Gay bolts.
13. Toronto - Ekpe Udoh, Baylor
-His game looks very much like that of Chris Bosh, who is sure to come south of the Canadian border this summer.
14. Houston - Hassan Whiteside, Marshall
-Gives the Rockets a post partner for Yao Ming. Sort of a developmental project, but the Rockets have an excellent organization to do so in.
THE BUCKS! THE BUCKS!
The Bucks surprised many in their run to the playoffs this spring, and showed what they are made of in taking the Hawks to the brink. In this draft, the Bucks need to take the best player who can fill one of two needs. The first would be an athletic shooter to play the 2, replacing Michael Redd. The other would be a versatile 4, who can play defense and stretch the defense. For those reasons, I hope that these players fall into the Bucks laps:
1. Ekpe Udoh
2. Patrick Patterson
3. James Anderson
In the second round, I hope the Bucks can land a quality player who can serve a role, in the likes of Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.
1. Trevor Booker
2. Greivis Vasquez
3. Luke Harangody (Not a joke. He'd be a SOLID second round pick.)
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