WRG 2012 Mock Draft - #14 Houston Rockets

We have been trying to acquire Pau Gasol for years.  Once we even got him - until we were cruelly disappointed by GM David Stern of the Hornets.

Well, we'll keep trying, but in the meantime we still need an offensive presence in our frontcourt with the size and shooting we need to run our offense.

We also need somebody who can play well for us in that role right away.  We've got a lot invested in our roster and tons of decisions to make based on this season.  We want to make our team as complete as possible so we can evaluate it properly.  A project isn't what we are interested in right now.

Lucky for us, a player just like that is available here and has the maturity we think will help us win right away.  He's a great athlete for a 7-footer and has lots of experience in big games.  He's not physical, but he can block shots and has the quickness to close out and help.  Add that to some solid post skills and a nice shooting touch and he sounds just like the guy we've been coveting!

The Rockets select Tyler Zeller, C, North Carolina

I sure hope I don't have a little brother who will come into the league and steal my thunder.

WRG 2012 Mock Draft - #11 Portland Trail Blazers

Got our PG with the 6th pick. Now we have a tough decision to make.

There are a few prospects here that we really would love to have on our team.  This pick isn't easy, but it's a problem that we don't mind. It's a lot better than having a pick where we don't like any of the prospects available. 

We can take a shooting guard like Austin Rivers or Dion Waiters to pair with our new point guard, Damian Lillard. We can go big and look at a defensive center like Meyers Leonard or a more offensive center like Tyler Zeller.We can take a shot on a player with incredible potential that can play multiple positions like Perry Jones III or Jeremy Lamb.

Since we went guard with our first pick, ideally we want a big man here. Instead of taking a player who only thrives on offense or only thrives on defense (like Leonard), we are going to take a shot at a player who we think can thrive next to an established big man in LaMarcus Aldridge.

With the 11th pick, the Trail Blazers select Arnett Moultrie.

Howell Trophy Winner Arnett Moultrie!

In regards to the big men, we aren't overly thrilled with Meyers Leonard. His defensive potential is solid, but we aren't keen on taking a player who only had one productive season in college. Zeller is a solid prospect, but we find his ceiling to be low. We wanted to take a chance on a versatile big man who can play both the PF and Center positions, rebound (Arnett led the SEC in rebounding last year), and give us versatility on offense (he can finish at the rim and he has jump shot range out to 20 feet, and maybe even to the 3 point line eventually).