The 2013 NBA Draft is in a month, and here’s my full 1st round mock. (Back in February, I did a lottery mock.) There isn’t much to get excited about here – I’m higher on Oladipo, Hardaway and Larkin than what I’ve seen on TV and gleaned from twitter – and I expect a lot of trading down. We can officially start the clock on the Andrew Wiggins countdown. Before going nuts on the 2014 draft, please read this.
1. Cleveland – Nerlens Noel, C, Kentucky. Best case – he sits out 50 games, Cavs suck, are in another stacked lottery and they get LeBron in 2014.
2. Orlando – Victor Oladipo, G, Indiana. Too high? Oh well. Measured favorably against McLemore at the combine and give me defense and toughness over a jump shooter. Arron Afflalo played plenty of SF last yearand he & Oladipo would be a superb 1-2 defensive punch.
3. Washington – Otto Porter, SF, Georgetown. A Wall/Beal/Porter trio is very, very nice at both ends. Porter is clutch.
4. Charlotte - Ben McLemore, SG, Kansas. The good news is, he’ll have the green light to shoot whenever.
5. Phoenix Suns – Alex Len, C, Maryland. Learns for a year under the crafty 33-year old Scola, puts up 12-10 in his second year.
2. Orlando – Victor Oladipo, G, Indiana. Too high? Oh well. Measured favorably against McLemore at the combine and give me defense and toughness over a jump shooter. Arron Afflalo played plenty of SF last yearand he & Oladipo would be a superb 1-2 defensive punch.
3. Washington – Otto Porter, SF, Georgetown. A Wall/Beal/Porter trio is very, very nice at both ends. Porter is clutch.
4. Charlotte - Ben McLemore, SG, Kansas. The good news is, he’ll have the green light to shoot whenever.
5. Phoenix Suns – Alex Len, C, Maryland. Learns for a year under the crafty 33-year old Scola, puts up 12-10 in his second year.
6. New Orleans Pelicans – Michael Carter Williams, PG, Syracuse. The polarizing point guard over Trey Burke? Yup. Austin Rivers is clearly a combo guard, and I think MCW is more of a table-setter than Burke because of Trey’s offensive game.7. Sacramento Kings – Anthony Bennett, PF, UNLV. I pity anyone that has to go to this clueless franchise.
8. Detroit Pistons – Trey Burke, PG, Michigan. Just grabbed Brandon Knight two years ago, but he did dabble at SG (though his better numbers were at PG). A Burke-Monroe-Drummond trio could be a year away from the playoffs.
9. Minnesota Timberwolves – CJ McCollum, SG, Lehigh. – Combo guard who should fit in nicely alongside Ricky Rubio for the potentially-exciting Wolves.
10. Portland Trailblazers – Cody Zeller, F, Indiana. Worst bench in the league gets dramatically better.
11. Philadelphia 76ers – Tim Hardaway Jr, SG/SF, Michigan. With Nick Young unlikely to return and Jason Richardson passed his prime, Hardaway – who was inconsistent in college –should get a shot to play immediately.12. Oklahoma City (via Toronto) – Shabazz Muhammad, SG, UCLA. Thunder bench left something to be desired in the postseason, but it could be strong next year with Muhammad, Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones. But I think the Thunder trade this pick and slide down.
13. Dallas Mavericks – Mason Plumlee, PF/C, Duke. Anybody is in play because the Mavericks have made it no secret they want Dwight Howard. Could they send Plumlee back to the Lakers in a package for D12?
14. Utah Jazz - Shane Larkin, PG, Miami. Should start immediately.
15. Milwaukee Bucks – Dennis Schroeder, PG, Germany. This says, ‘hey Brandon Jennings, you out? Don’t let the door hit you in the ass.’ Schroeder could prep a year overseas, then maybe be the starter in 2014.
16 Boston Celtics – Tony Snell, SF, New Mexico. He won’t replace Pierce, but he won’t have to because he’ll back up Jeff Green (if they dump Pierce).17 Atlanta Hawks – Kelly Olynyk, C, Gonzaga. Allows Al Horford to go back to his more nature PF position (when Josh Smith bolts).
18 Atlanta Hawks (from Houston) – Dario Saric, F, Croatia. Can they stash him for a year and get him ready for 2014-2015?
19 Cleveland Cavaliers (from LA Lakers) – DeShaun Thomas, SF, Ohio State. Buckeyes star should be able to provide pop off the bench immediately.
20 Chicago Bulls – Gorgui Dieng, C, Louisville. Boozer’s old, Noah needs help, and when the backcourt/wings are healthy, the Bulls will be the #2 seed in the East next year.
21 Utah Jazz (from Golden State) - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG, Georgia. Not as high on him as others, but then again, I actually watched him play in the SEC. Alec Burks hasn’t done much in two years with the Jazz.
22 Brooklyn Nets – Rudy Gobert, F, France. Athletic big-man is stashed for a year, at which point he shows up to replace Kris Humphries.
23 Indiana Pacers – Allen Crabbe, SG, California. Will add pop off the bench that the Pacers have been lacking since Barbosa left town.
24 New York Knicks – Steven Adams, C, Pittsburgh. Because bad teams do dumb things. But in reality, Adams will probably go much higher and be a huge bust.
25 Minnesota Timberwolves (from Memphis) – Reggie Bullock, SF, UNC. Lots of trade chatter about the Wolves, who might deal Kevin Love and/or Derrick Williams. Bullock’s a grinder on defense.
22 Brooklyn Nets – Rudy Gobert, F, France. Athletic big-man is stashed for a year, at which point he shows up to replace Kris Humphries.
23 Indiana Pacers – Allen Crabbe, SG, California. Will add pop off the bench that the Pacers have been lacking since Barbosa left town.
24 New York Knicks – Steven Adams, C, Pittsburgh. Because bad teams do dumb things. But in reality, Adams will probably go much higher and be a huge bust.
25 Minnesota Timberwolves (from Memphis) – Reggie Bullock, SF, UNC. Lots of trade chatter about the Wolves, who might deal Kevin Love and/or Derrick Williams. Bullock’s a grinder on defense.
26 Los Angeles Clippers – Jeff Withey, C, Kansas. Already have one center who only blocks shots (Jordan), so why not another? Clippers offseason – centering around CP3 – could be very interesting (ie, trade Jordan?).27 Denver Nuggets – Jamaal Franklin, G/F, San Diego St. Tough to tell what’s going on with Iggy and Brewer, so I went with a small forward, though probably not the one you thought I would.
28 San Antonio Spurs – James Southerland, SF, Syracuse. He’s a better defending version of Matt Bonner, and he’ll light teams up from deep.
29 Oklahoma City Thunder – DJ Stephens, Leaper, Memphis. Is he here just so I could post this GIF? You’re damn right. Stephens probably falls into the 2nd round, but what an athlete.
30 Phoenix Suns (from Miami) - Glen Rice, SG, Georgia Tech. Spent the year in the D-League, and the Suns need offense, so I went with maybe the best offensive G/F left. Unless you think Ricky Ledo is that guy? Brandon Paul?
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