Thursday, June 23, 2011

I Have A Good Feeling...

Five future fan favorites who no one will regret drafting.

1. Chandler Parsons
2. Kawhi Leonard
3. Jimmer Fredette
4. Jimmy Butler
5. Kenneth Faried

WTF??

Five players I would not draft.  At all.

1. Darius Morris
2. Iman Shumpert
3. Jeremy Tyler
4. Demetri McCamey
5. Soumalia Samake

I Don't Have A Good Feeling...

Five players I would try not to draft (but would if they dropped low enough).

1. Enes Kanter
2. Alec Burks
3. Marcus Morris
4. Klay Thompson
5. Marshon Brooks

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

5 Players who will be taken too high/too low

5 players who will be taken too high:
1) Iman Shumpert (the high level interest in him boggles my mind)
2) Kemba Walker
3) Chris Singleton
4) Alec Burks
5) Jeremy Tyler

5 players who will be taken too low:
1) Kenneth Faried
2) Isaiah Thomas
3) Tobias Harris
4) Howard Thompkins III
5) Malcolm Lee

Kid Chocolate's 6 favorite remaining players

1) Chandler Parsons
2) Norris Cole
3) Malcolm Thomas
4) Andrew Goudelock
5a & 5b) Howard Thompkins III & Travis Leslie

Monday, June 20, 2011

ghoti's 5 Favorite Remaining Players

1. Bojan Bogdanovic
2. Malcolm Lee
3. Jon Leuer
4. Nolan Smith
5. Shelvin Mack

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #30 Chicago Bulls

With the 28th pick, we got our creator. Now with the 30th pick, we want a shooter. Someone who can spot up on the 3 point line and hit hit the open jumper when the ball gets kicked out to him. It's very simple. We just want someone who can hit open jumpers.

Good thing for us there is a big man available who can hit shots all the way out to the 3 point line. He's unlike any other big man on our team in that regards. He'll score easy points off the pick and pop.

The Bulls select Justin Harper.

Rich what? Richmond!

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #29 San Antonio Spurs

Here we are again, stuck at the bottom of the first round.  Nothing new.

However, we have done as good a job as anyone finding rotation players outside of the lottery.

Since we are to the point where we not only want to limit Tim Duncan's minutes, but also give him games off from time-to-time - we have an eye towards the frontcourt for this pick.

We like a first team All-American with legit size who can shoot, score and block shots and should fit our offense very well.  He also is mature enough to play right away and has a frame we think has room to get bigger and stronger.

So we'll take JaJuan Johnson and plug him into the lineup where he will do whatever we need with little to no effort.  Ho hum.  We're the Spurs.

Yeah! I didn't get picked by the Warriors!

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #28 Chicago Bulls

We haven't done a very good job surrounding Derrick Rose with offensive weapons. We need more players who can create their own shot and take the pressure off him.

Even though DRose is the MVP, it's tough when our go to play is "give the ball to Derrick and let him create". We need to better surround him with players who compliment his game. We need players who can fill it up from deep or create their own shot.

Here's an under the radar prospect who was one of the best scorers in the nation, and did most of his damage on isolation plays. A guy who we can put on the court with DRose, or let him spell him and create for the second unit. Charles Jenkins will increase the career of our franchise player and help him in the long run, as well as help this team immediately.

Now with retractable jaw!

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #27 New Jersey Nets

Remember when we announced we were moving to Brooklyn?  Those next six seasons were awesome!

Remember when we traded our washed up, old PG for a younger model?  Everyone said that was a great idea!

Remember when we changed owners, signed a combo forward for $35M, then moved up in the draft to take a combo forward, then somehow still spent the whole season with no wings?

Well, this year we have a chance to rectify one of those things.

We are going to take a small forward here.  He has to be able to play this season.  He has to be a good defender with the size and agility to match up to opposing wings.  He needs to be a team-oriented player who can start and play heavy minutes or sit on the bench if the situation calls for it.

But most of all, he needs to make positive contributions and help our team win more than a handful of games a year, and we think Jimmy Butler is the man for that.

Teams have found real gems at this position lower in the draft in recent years, and we can see the efficient, well-rounded Butler being that type of player for us.

And when we remember this draft, it will hopefully be the beginning of a new string of good memories.  We've had enough of the other kind.


If this happened to Wade, an ambulance would drive onto the court.




WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #26 Dallas Mavericks

Weeeeee aaaaaaaare the Championnnnnnnnnnnssssssssssss!

Oh wait, we gotta draft someone, too!

Riding the high of being crowned world champions, we have the luxury of being able to draft the best player available, someone who may not contribute for a year or two, but someone we think is a steal at this point in the draft. Someone who down the road can play multiple positions, and be a match up nightmare due to his versatility. Someone who can develop on our veteran laden team and learn how to be a professional. That someone is Tobias Harris.

Now all we gotta do is get that dumb look off his face

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #25 Boston Celtics

The reality of our situation is this - we have six players on our roster and we are over the cap.

That isn't a bad thing, of course.  We won a championship and were an elite team for several years, and that comes with a price tag under the current CBA.

Plus, our core is still capable of competing at a high level and may even be able to make noise in the playoffs with health and a little luck.

However, that won't happen if we don't add players that allow us to carefully monitor our starters' minutes and keep us in games while they rest.

So this pick is very important for us.  The player we add has to be an instant contributor.  No projects, no risks.

Position isn't a concern, since even if the new CBA allows us to sign our free agents we have a need at every spot.

That said, we were kind of resigned to taking one of several versatile combo forwards that we think are the strength of this draft.  In fact a few we thought would be gone by now have fallen.  But we see an opportunity here to take a guard who can do a lot for us and we never thought would make it to our pick.

Marshon Brooks is a pure scorer with a big body who we feel can play immediately.  He can take on a lot of the scoring load (something we don't think any other player available could) while we sit our aging stars longer and longer to keep them fresh and healthy.

And if we do that, we think we can extend the season well into June.


Remember when Kobe ate his finger? I can do that, too!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #24 Oklahoma City Thunder

Almost.

We're almost there.

Most of our rotation returns. There isn't a lot of roster turnover. Eight of our top ten return, while one is a RFA. There's not a lot, if any, roster turnover here.

We are still a young team and have room to develop. A rookie isn't going to put us over the top, much less see the court, which is why we plan on looking to add a talented player for the future, and not the present.

The Thunder select Davis Bertans, perhaps the best 3 point shooter in the draft.

Quick! Name a Latvian more famous than Davis Bertans!

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #23 Houston Rockets

We were next.

We won the lottery, built the team, positioned ourselves perfectly to take over for our Texan neighbors as the best in the West, and - as everybody knows by now - it all fell apart.

But this slow-motion nightmare has yielded to morning and we took a new 7-footer with our first pick.

We think that solidifies our frontcourt.  We now have a great mix of young players and some good vets still hanging around.

We also have an interesting array of young guards we think could produce some gems.  They need playing time, so we don't want to bring in another young player to disrupt that.

What we could use is a little more toughness on the wing, where we have some scorers, but not a lot of defensive presence or physicality.

We don't see a bruiser available here, but we do see a player who can rebound and block shots extremely well and has the wiry frame that players like Matt Barnes and Tayshaun Prince have used very effectively to provide what we are looking for.  Plus, we like that he has a lot of room to grow both his game and his body.

The Rockets select Tyler Honeycutt - a great fit with a young team and key part of the next day.


Everything's in 3-D!

Friday, June 17, 2011

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #22 Denver Nuggets

JR Smith, Wilson Chandler, and Aaron Afflalo are all free agents. This will lead to a big decision about where we're going at shooting guard. We're set at PG with Ty Lawson, but we aren't sure who his backcourt mate will be. After this pick, we know who it will be, and we cannot be more thrilled.

Alec Burks was widely regarded as a lottery talent, so to snag him with the 22nd pick is nothing short of a miracle. We love the fact that he's so adept at driving to the hole and getting to the line, complimenting the sweet outside stroke of Danilo Gallinari. This makes our offseason even easier, as we don't have to worry about our SG problem. On top of all this, Burks went to the University of Colorado! Our fans already love him!

We'll take the tall one.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #21 Portland Trail Blazers

We don't want to rely on Marcus Camby and Greg Oden to provide us with toughness in our frontcourt because they are rarely in our frontcourt.

Damn this draft. There aren't even any undersized bigs we can take here.  There isn't even a reach who suits our needs.  This is unfair.

So we'll have to table that and hope we can get someone better than the Chris Johnsons and Earl Barrons we had to use last year in a trade for Andre Miller.

Since that's the way we must go, we'll add to the PG stable of Armon Johnson and Patty Mills and up the odds that we will have a decent NBA starter at that position next season.

So which one of the available PGs might be able to break out sooner rather than later?

Most of these players are either projects or undersized, but there is a guy who is a bit older with good size who we think can give us both the court sense and scoring Miller did (and maybe even some defense Miller didn't).

We'll take the straw that stirs our half-caf skim latte,  Reggie Jackson.


Mr. June?

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #20 Minnesota Timberwolves

With Derrick Williams on board, and a trade very likely, we aren't really sure what our roster will look like after this draft. We do know for certain that Ricky Rubio is coming over, so we really aren't too keen on adding any more rookies this year. This is why we are looking to draft international at this pick and let our player develop overseas.

There are a few prospects that are in play for us, but we are going for one who might not come to the NBA for a while, and that's fine with us.

Nikola Mirotic has a contract with Real Madrid through 2015-16. We don't need any more rookies and stashing a solid prospect is A-OK!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #19 Charlotte Bobcats

We are still giddy about our first pick being the exact player we need.

Unfortunately, our other huge weakness is offensive firepower in the frontcourt - and there isn't anyone left who is a solution for that.

So we have to be creative here.

Our goal in this draft is to reverse our -4 point differential from last season.  We took a great step in that direction with Kemba Walker, who should be able to raise our pathetic scoring average.  Defensively, we are already pretty solid, but a guy who can help in that area couldn't hurt.

But the one guy left we see who could make a major difference is the one we are sure can give us a lot of extra possessions - Kenneth Faried.

We think he can do more than that, but we have absolutely no doubt he will get us rebounds - and we love the notion of grabbing the best scorer and the best rebounder in the same draft.

Our roster is kind of a mess.  Bringing in players who have specific and definite roles is going to help us clarify things and hopefully turn our fortunes around.


If ever a franchise needed a rebound.

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #18 Washington Wizards

Two of our top 3 bigs are Yi Jianlian and Andray Blatche. Saying we lack toughness is the understatement of the century. Good thing we are addressing that with this pick.

With John Wall, Jordan Crawford, and Nick Young, we don't need our bigs to score a ton of points. They need to exert physicality down low, clean the glass, and play in your face defense. We know that big brother will do just that.

The Wizards select Markieff Morris.

We swear that the Ichabods are a real team.

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #17 New York Knicks

We were strongly considering PG Phil Gary.  He seems undersized and his shooting percentages aren't eye-popping, but our smartest and most trusted consultant recommended him.  Every day.  For the last year-and-a-half.

And hey!  We need a PG.  How bad could he be?  And we don't want to disappoint our consultant.  He is so valuable to us.  We need him.  We love him.  His advice is precious.

However, we are ashamed to admit we looked at players other than Phil Gary.

We need a big man, but the ones we liked are all gone.  We need a scoring guard and there are some good ones left we almost pulled the trigger on.  We need rebounding very badly, and there are some world-class boardsmen available that we had our eyes on.

But when we really looked at our situation, the one thing that we think will put more wins on the left side of the ledger is getting stops and shutting down opposing star players - things we completely failed at last season.

And here is a player we have graded as one of the best and most versatile defenders in the history of the draft, who can legitimately guard four positions and take a key opponent out of the game and who should fit in perfectly with the up tempo game we play.

So, with the heaviest of hearts, we eschew Phil Gary and all he can bring (according to one brilliant man) in favor of Chris Singleton.  Now excuse us while we beg forgiveness and promise to strongly consider DeJuan Wright next year.  We heard he's just fantastic.


A fine player with a great man.  This guy is probably better than who we picked. What do we know?

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #16 Philadelphia 76ers

Drafting in the middle rounds is great when a player you don't expect to be there falls into your lap. Last time this oppurtunity presented itself, we found a starting PG who should have been drafted way higher. Thanks to all the teams who passed on Jrue Holiday.

This year, that guy is Marcus Morris. He was the 2010-2011 Big XII player of the year, and he's still available at 16? We're in as much shock as you are. Did we mention he's from Philadelphia, too? We were expecting Markieff Morris to be in play here, but not when his brother is available. Marcus gives us toughness, rebounding and scoring inside. This is a no brainer.

And he's the little brother.

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #15 Indiana Pacers

First, let's get this out of the way.  We are taking you, Jimmer Fredette.  However, we have some conditions.

1. You are now from Indiana.  No one will ever question this.

2. You have to be our backup PG as well as a scorer off the bench.  You won't start, but you will get starter's minutes.  We would like you to win Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year.  Thank you.

3. Um.  This is delicate.  See, we saw you average 28.9 ppg and win the Naismith last season and we really don't want to change anything.  You know, anything. Soooooooooo. Yeah.  We'd like you to sign this - um - agreement.  You know.  Like they have at BYU.  So just go ahead and put your John Hancock by the "x" there, OK?  You'll almost be a lottery pick!


Honey, I've got something to tell you. Now keep in mind I'm probably only going to play 15 years or so and that shoooould just flyyyyyy by...

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #14 Houston Rockets

What we need more than anything is a center with size. What this draft lacks more than anything is centers with size. Where have all the centers gone?

Wait! We just scoured the NBA Draft Media guide and found a first round talent with the size and ability to play center like we need. He's someone who is a late riser and is shooting up the draft boards. He only averaged 18 and 10 in a major conference last year, ho-hum. He's only 7 foot 260 pounds, ho-hum. In a draft with limited talent, we are thrilled that he's even available to us, yet this STILL might be considered a reach.

The Rockets select Nikola Vucevic.

You can tell he dresses himself.

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #13 Phoenix Suns

A Russian gentleman keeps calling us and offering three million dollars for our pick.

He keeps making unsettling statements like "You have such a nice arena. Hopefully it never gets so hot there it bursts into flames." Then he gives a little chuckle, like he knows the sun can't conflagrate a 100,000 square foot building.  That's where the humor comes from, I guess.

Still, we aren't sellers anymore.  We are making this pick and we need a home run because we are attempting the impossible - building for the future while remaining competitive.

We already made some shrewd trades, are solid at every position and our cap situation is in decent shape.

But we didn't make the playoffs because "solid" isn't good enough. We need a general talent upgrade, and that means taking a risk rather than going safe and addressing a need.

So even though we have money committed to his position and don't have a lot of immediate minutes for him, we are taking the player we feel has the most talent of any remaining player and the best chance to be a future All-Star.

We'll take Donatas Motiejunas, and also we have arson dogs.  Everywhere. Lots of them.


What does mean "Bring fire hose"?  If joke I don't like it.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #12 Utah Jazz

Once again, we want to draft a shooting guard.

This position scares us, because we've been in this position before and failed numerous times.
Morris Almond? Bust.
Ronnie Brewer? Under achiever.
CJ Miles? Decent.
Kirk Snyder? Mega Bust.
Sasha Pavlovic? Gone after a year.

The list isn't pretty, but we're pretty sure that Jerry Sloan just had the Sidam Touch when it came to young shooting guards.

Here's to bucking this ugly trend.

The Utah Jazz select Klay Thompson.

"You go live in Utah"

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #11 Golden State Warriors

Look, I need a scorer on the wing. Just give me a young man with some talent and the desire and commitment to get better - someone who competes - who hates to lose - I mean really hates losing - like even more than algebra and spinach - and that is a young man I can go to war with.

I got this all worked out. Defense is about passion and energy. If you yell "Hand Down, Man Down!" enough times there is absolutely no way to fail. After all with your hands up you move quicker and have more passion and more energy - that is a proven scientific fact proven by scientists. I'm not making this stuff up. It's all true.

The young man I have my eye on is from the University of Texas. The Longhorns. The orange and white.

They say everything's bigger in Texas. Well, that includes this young fella's God-given talent. Jordan Hamilton is a flat-out, big-time scorer. He's like the guy who makes your jelly doughnuts - he knows how to fill it up.

That's the great thing about the NBA draft - if I pick you, you got no choice. You gotta play for me. You gotta play in Oakland. Oaktown. The Big O. Al-a-meda County.

Jordan Hamilton, step right up and claim your jersey. You. Are. A. Warrior.


Oh, no.

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #10 Milwaukee Bucks

Let's face it, Milwaukee is not a hot spot for free agents. The draft is a major priority for us, and we plan to fill some needs through it.

Everyone knows we need a shooting guard, but we aren't in love with any of the SG's available now. We've needed a power forward since Vin Baker was in town, but we aren't in love with any PF's available.

Andrew Bogut takes a beating down low night in and night out, and we NEED to protect him with a viable backup center. We weren't expecting a solid center to slide down to us, but we'll gladly take him. We just hope bringing a 19 year old to the Brew City doesn't backfire.

The Bucks select Jonas Valanciunas.

Yea, you'll fit right in.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #9 Charlotte Bobcats

Our franchise has made one playoff appearance ever and right now we might have the worst roster with the least amount of firepower in the entire league.

That's as bad as it sounds.

We need a big man with skills, as ours are all just athletes and long-armed roadblocks.  There are a few here we didn't think we'd have a shot at.

However, the best scorer in this draft has somehow fallen into our laps - and since we can only win so many games where we put up a sixty-spot, perhaps we should not overthink it.

Charlotte grabs Kemba Walker, and would like him to shoot.  A lot.


Kemba describes what he saw when he Googled "first overall pick" and Greg Oden popped up.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #8 Detroit Pistons

First order of business, we are announcing Bill Laimbeer as our new head coach. He's paid his dues, and he's the sentimental choice. Our new coach needs to be respected by the team.

We want to get back to our Bad Boy roots, and get some nasty players who will get in your face and shut you down. We want a tough big man who isn't afraid to crash the boards to compliment Greg Monroe's smooth style of play. We know exactly what type of player we need: A Canadian.

The Pistons select Tristan Thompson.

We hope his super-tight undershirt doesn't restrict movement.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #7 Sacramento Kings

Every online outlet has us taking the same guy here.  We know.  We read.

Those same people also said we were going to be the Anaheim Aces next year.

Just sayin'.

Well, moving to the land of Scrooge McDuck and the Rally Monkey didn't happen, and taking a player who needs the ball all the time when our best player is a guy who has played TERRIBLE every time he has had to play off the ball ever in his LIFE makes about as much sense as having three NBA teams in the same market.

That's why we are taking someone who we feel has the highest ceiling in this draft and happens to play the position we need help at the most.

And it doesn't hurt that his name is Bismack Biyombo, because we could maybe sell a jersey or two, hmmmmm?


Fun Fact: Did you know Sacramento is exactly 1,500 miles from both Bismarck, North Dakota and Biyombo, Oklahoma?  Neat!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #6 Washington Wizards

New franchise point guard? Check.

New uniforms? Check.

Same crappy nickname? Check.

New high flying running mate for John Wall? Check.

The Wizards select Jan Vesely, high flying Euro super prospect.

Kad Jan igra, svi smo veseli!

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #5 Toronto Raptors

Remember the movie "Jurassic Park"?

It was so awesome, right?!

There were dinosaurs running around eating Newman and dogging Jeff Goldblum.  The hot, hot Laura Dern provided the eye candy. That glass of water started trembling ominously.  It was OFF THE CHAIN!

Then remember how a few years later Canadians thought naming a team after this movie was super cool and they wore purple and didn't play any defense for twenty years?

Yeah.  Me, too.

The Raptors take Kawhi Leonard.  Stop somebody.  Please.


The Kawhiraptor has the largest talons in the dino kingdom.

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #4 Cleveland Cavaliers

We got our man with the first pick, and now we want to hit another home run. We want a big man to pair with our little man. Our fans may curse our former superstar till the day he retires, but they loved the other mainstay of our team, Big Z, so we feel like it would be a disservice to our city to try to replace him with another Lithuanian big man in Jonas Valanciunas. Plus, we don't want to deal with the hassle of his reported buyout.

This leaves another mystery big man. The little that we've watched him play, he's been very impressive. He dominated the Nike Hoops Summit last year, and we are sure he's not another Saer Sene. His coach has nothing but the best to say about him, but he never played. There are questions, and Enes will give us the answers. Kyrie to Enes for the next 10 years? We love it and hope our fans do too.

Cowboy up mystery man

Monday, June 6, 2011

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #3 Utah Jazz

We have a core for the future that features a big man and a wing, but no point guard.

We traded our point guard and the Draft Gods bestowed upon us this pick.

We've centered our entire franchise around our point guard for almost thirty years.

We see one really great point guard left in this draft.

The Universe selects Brandon Knight for the Utah Jazz.


Brandon Knight was born to play for the Jazz.  Just look at him!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #2 Minnesota Timberwolves

So who's the best PG available? Just kidding, this isn't David Kahn.

There's a consensus top two players, and we're picking second. We can screw this up, but we won't, not as long as I'm in charge.

Maybe we trade this pick for some veterans. Maybe we trade Beasley or Love, but with this pick we take the top talent available in Derrick Williams. We need someone who is nasty inside and can instill fear into other teams, because our current front court doesn't exactly have that nasty image.

The Timberwolves select Derrick Williams with the second pick.

The snow comes up to where in Minnesota???

WRG 2011 Mock Draft - #1 Cleveland Cavaliers

The last time we were in this position, there was no decision to be made.

Whether that was a blessing or a curse will forever be debated by pundits, contemplated by historians and duked out over cold brews at every corner bar from Akron to Zanesville.

What's great about having this pick now is that the flotsam that remains from our last-ditch attempt to keep the last guy will be mostly cleared away by season's end.  There's been a year to heal, to go through the five stages of free-agency grief, and we have arrived at acceptance.

We are cleansed, and have emerged clean and new and ready to face the future.

And while we understand that this one will never be as good as the last one, that comes with a small, guilty feeling of relief.

We see a player here we like a whole lot, but we'll never love again.

Not really.

Cleveland selects Kyrie Irving - a beautiful girl, a wonderful mother and a hell of a life partner.  We just don't want to die alone.


A beautiful whaaa?  You best be calling me a bad mother. Hear me? I went to Duke.

Friday, June 3, 2011

The 2011 NBA Draft - Feel the Excitement!

Greetings, NBA fans and welcome to June!

You get a week of intense finals basketball when we all get to hop aboard the bandwagon of the Lesser of Two Evils.

After that, we can focus on NBA Christmas, a magical day when Santa Stern and his elf Russ Granik Adam Silver leave some shiny new players under your team's tree.

But who will that be?  What will these new guys bring?  Can my team finally get rid of those bums holding them back from their rightful place as the Lesser of Two Evils?

That's where the internet comes in.  A flotilla of scouts, experts, possible experts, near experts, non-experts, bloggers, paid reporters, columnists, ex-jocks and whoever the hell writes for Bleacher Report meticulously compile every type of information about every eligible player so you can make an informed decision on what your team should do.  (And since they won't do anything close to that, you have complaining rights for infinity if they screw it up.)

And once you are done poring through all of that, we at WRG invite you to read our jokey blurbs - plunked out  mostly with one hand while eating - and learn what it might really be like to be an NBA GM.