Lottery Mock Draft
Nathan Begley | Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 5:37PM Here is our first stab at how things will go down. Obviously, as combine measurements and workout reports trickle in, things will change.
1. Wizards - John Wall
Washington can slide Arenas over to shooting guard or try and trade him (and his monstrous contract, fat chance). Regardless, they have to take John Wall here.
2. 76ers - Evan Turner
Philadelphia takes Turner. At the deadline, trade rumors abounded that the 76ers wanted to unload Andre Iguodala. If a team with cap room whiffs on the James/Bosh/Wade sweepstakes, they may be willing to trade for Iguodala and Philadelphia may be willing to accept less for Iguodala to make room for a Holiday/Turner back court. Alternate pick: Derrick Favors.
Favors is the better player to pair with Brook Lopez in the front court for New Jersey. Cousins might clog the paint a bit and Favors is superior athletically. With a good PG like Devin Harris, Favors should put up good numbers his first year. Alternative pick: Ed Davis
4. Timberwolves - DeMarcus Cousins
Cousins is too talented to fall past the fourth spot. He’s a load in the paint, and the Wolves already have two chunky monkeys in Al Jefferson and Kevin Love, so I would not be surprised to see either the pick traded or Jefferson. Alternative pick: Ed Davis
5. Kings - Wesley Johnson
Omri Casspi is a nice player, but I think Wesley Johnson will be an upgrade. He’ll help take the defensive pressure off of Tyreke Evans and provide some floor spacing. Alternative pick: Al-Farouq Aminu
6. Warriors - Al-Farouq Aminu
The Warriors need talent. Aminu has the most upside of anyone in the draft at this point. Alternative pick Ed Davis (yes again).
7. Pistons - Greg Monroe
Monroe is a high IQ player and a good passer. Detroit needs size he fits the bill. Alternative Pick: Cole Aldrich (if Monroe does badly in workouts).
8. Clippers - Cole Aldrich
The Clippers need another center and Cole Aldrich looks like a solid one. Alternative pick: Daniel Orton.
9. Jazz (from Knicks) - Ed Davis
So the Northwest Division dodges a bullet and the Jazz miss out on John Wall or Evan Turner. No one is happier about this than Isiah Thomas. I think this pick gets traded with Andre Kirilenko or Mehmet Okur if Utah re-signs Carlos Boozer. Alternative Pick: Gordon Hayward (*wink).
10. Pacers - Donatas Motiejunas
Motiejunas can spread the floor a bit and provide a nice contrast to Roy Hibbert. Alternative pick: Avery Bradley.
11. Hornets - Daniel Orton
He’s unproven, but Orton’s got an big NBA-ready body. With the 11th pick, it’s OK to swing for the fences. Alternative pick: Xavier Henry.
12. Grizzlies - Patrick Patterson
There is a good chance this pick gets traded, quite possibly along with a signed-then-traded Rudy Gay. Patterson is an NBA ready power forward and Zach Randolph’s contract is almost up. Alternative pick: Xavier Henry.
13. Raptors - Ekpe Udoh
This pick could be traded in a last-ditch attempt to keep Bosh, but don’t bet on it. Udoh has a bit of a face up game and is a mobile big man. He’s not enough to fill Bosh’s shoes (but then again, neither was Bosh). Still, Udoh’s a good pick.
Alternative pick: Hassan Whiteside (slide Bargnani to PF).
14. Rockets - Hassan Whiteside
The Rockets could use some size. Whiteside is a bit of a wildcard due to his purported lack of maturity, but he’s long and athletic and can really block some shots. He needs some development, but if Yao Ming is healthy, the Rockets have the luxury of taking the time to develop him. Alternative pick: Paul George (just a hunch).
How does all this affect Portland?
Well, first off, the Jazz did not move up. High Five! Secondly, the Nets failed to get John Wall, which likely takes Devin Harris off the trading block. Evan Turner’s presence could make Andre Iguodala obtainable, but I don’t think Portland is interested in a move of that magnitude, especially since Iguodala isn’t exactly a floor-spacer. The Grizzlies’ or Raptor’s picks could be up for grabs, and I think Rudy Fernandez could be enough to get them.
It is likely that the draft will be pretty busy with trades as teams jockey for pole position before free agency starts on July 1st. After the big names are off the board, it’s going to be a buyers market for free agents and the Blazers might be able to get real value for the MLE (mid-level exception).
Reader Comments (6)
Portland with out a doubt should make a run at Arenas. I know his contract is way up there along with the years but he would take some pressure of Roy who seems to get worn down at the end of the seasons. Not only would he help Roy but he could do wonders for Oden because Arenas is always in attack mode blowing by his man making opposing big men to step up. Mr Allen is filthy stupid rich and Arenas is everything Portland needs to win a championship.
Wow. You deserve the dumbest comment ever award.
Landry Fields: There Are No Direct Flights to Portsmouth
May 3, 2010
My favorite player to watch, though, was Mikhail Torrance from Alabama. It’s crazy, I couldn’t figure out which hand was his dominate hand, and still don’t know to be honest. It seemed like he made every pass with his left hand, but shot it with his right. He spent most of the time on the left hand side of floor and was able to finish with either hand. For some reason I have a fascination with guys who are ambidextrous.
Not to mention, for how big Torrance was, he has legit handle; no one was taking his ball away. There were a couple plays where he would get in the lane and explode up, but in mid-air would shift the ball around away from defender’s hands and score easily. He reminded me of Russell Westbrook a little bit. His ability to score and break down his defenders was most exciting for me to watch.
[Read Full Article] At DXDraft express.com
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Official Portsmouth Measurements Released
April 18, 2010
Mikhail Torrance has fantastic size for a point guard, coming out at 6-4 without shoes with a near 6-7 wingspan. His measurements are nearly identical to Rodney Stuckey and are slightly superior to O.J. Mayo and Jrue Holiday.
[Read Full Article]
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Portsmouth Invitational Tournament Recap, All-First Team
April 13, 2010
Perhaps the player with the best long-term upside of any prospect seen in Portsmouth, and clearly the one who made the biggest jump in draft stock comparing where he started and ended the camp, Mikhail Torrance had an excellent week any way you slice it.
Torrance has great physical tools for either guard position, standing 6-5, with a nice frame, long arms and excellent athleticism. He did a great job putting pressure on the defense all week long, getting to the basket time after time with his powerful long strides and showing terrific creativity running the pick and roll and finding the open man off the dribble. The fairly wide open nature of this setting benefited him greatly, as he looked very comfortable showing off his passing skills and terrific court vision and was able to make some very impressive plays in every game he played.
The aggressive slashing mentality Torrance shows—rarely will he hesitate to take the ball to the basket with a full head of steam—combined with his size and quickness make him very intriguing prospect in today’s NBA. He collected a large number of assists and got to the free throw line at a great rate, helping negate the fact that he’s not a great finisher around the basket.
He dishes the ball in a variety of ways, be it with fancy bounce passes, creative lobs, bullets through the teeth of the defense, or simple, fundamental kickouts. A willing distributor, it’s fairly rare to see a converted wing player embrace the point guard position so thoroughly, as the talent he shows passing the ball is clearly innate.
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