The Mocks

[ohara831]

Chad Ford came out with Version 3 today. Still has us taking Lopez at #9. This is with Randolph and Westbrook still on the Board. Says the word is the Cats want a Center so so they move Okafor to PF. Westbrook is the alternative being considered.

I just dont understand Okafor at a PF slot. He just doesn't have the tools to defend the more athletic quicker PFs and his offensive game is Center oriented, not PF oriented. If moving him to PF is the plan, then I'm fine with Lopez. But I think playing him at Center is best and I'd want Randolph for our PF or draft Westbrook and go PF with our 2nd.

Does anyone else really think Okafor can play the PF position with great success? If so, please tell me why. I would like to see if i can understand it, but I cannot right now.

[Icky Thump]

This why I really am down on Okafor right now.. he just doesn't fit C or PF.. he is a Center in a PF's body. Which I believe is why he is so inconsistent. I wish we weren't so handcuffed by a former #2 pick.... *Draft Gods owe us some favors!!!*

[ammofan]

I dont want Brook Lopez. He seems like a BIG risk. I think Kevin Love is our man. He is a great shooter and scorer, can rebound and he could end up being a 20-20 man in this league

[Grandmama]

I don't understand why people try to pidgeonhole Mek as a 4. To me, as with everyone else above and most people on this board, he seems much more comfortable as a 5.

I don't think its unprecedented to have an undersized 5 if that is the best fit for the team and you can get away with it. Look at Detroit with Ben Wallace when they won the title. Sheed had 2-4 inches on Ben but Ben fit the 5 petter and played accordingly, and really that is the best case scenario for Mek a more offensively inclined Ben Wallace (which is concievable), where his greater impact will be on D and on the boards.

It seems people freak when he get dominated by D-Ho and then everyone says he can't be a 5, but 98% of the league gets dominated by D-Ho.

Just my thoughts.

[Muttley]

Yeah, I don't get what they're thinking. I hope LB has had time to watch lots of tape of Okafor playing both the 5 and 4, and even talk to him about where he feels the most comfortable.

We just need a taller 4.

[ohara831]

Ammofan: The Mock has Love going #5, so we did not even have a shot at him. Who knows what will really happen.

[ammofan]

I know they have Love at #5. I just stated that if we want a big man we need to draft Love- not Lopez.

[Chef]

lopez has bust written all over him. i think he will be a worse version of bogut. our conversations should be westbrook or randolf.

[Wallace15]

Damnit, why couldn't Okafor just be 2 inches taller? No one would be arguing where he should play at then. Anyway, I think our attention in the draft should be focused on Love, Westbrook, Randolph, and maybe Jordan.

[ohara831]

Damnit, why couldn't Okafor just be 2 inches taller? No one would be arguing where he should play at then. Anyway, I think our attention in the draft should be focused on Love, Westbrook, Randolph, and maybe Jordan.

__________________________________________________ ____________________

I agree with you on Love, Westbrook and Randolph. I am skeptical of Jordan. Some mocks have Eric Gordon falling to us a #9. If that happens, I am jumping for joy. Grabbing Gordon gives us the potential to trade for a high caliber PF. Gordon's gonna be really good-a superb SG with enough handles to be a back up PG.
Anyway, I just brought up the topic since a lot of Mocks, not just Chad Ford, have us going with Lopez if available, or Jordan.

[dnbman]

Love looks gangsta in that picture.






We need more hood.

[swetooth9]

I dont want Brook Lopez. He seems like a BIG risk. I think Kevin Love is our man. He is a great shooter and scorer, can rebound and he could end up being a 20-20 man in this league

huge exxaggeration...hell, he's not even gonna be a 20-10 guy anytime soon (if ever)...best he could probably do is be a 10-9 guy like al horford in his rookie season...over time, i can see him putting up 15 and 10 or something

at first i wanted brook lopez (when i didn't think we could get him - lots of ppl had him at #3 in the draft), but now that we might be able to get him, i'm not so sure if i want him anymore...i only really watched the 1 stanford game when he had the game winner...i mean he's good, but i'm not sure how good he will be in the nba when he's not so much taller than everyone else)

[Keetch]

Nice sig with Love Ammofan. That's the bomb!

Agreement all around it seems, no one wants Lopez; and I totally agree. What a downer that would be after all.

I think Chad Ford hasn't followed the Bobcats (who does outside of our little world?) and doesn't have a clue what he is talking about. For us, Okafor at the 4 is old news. Its yesterday. That's where Chad Ford still appears to be with the Bobcats..yesterday. Brook Lopez would be our 3rd string Center behind Okafor and Mohammed. I guess he would be ahead of Hollins on the depth chart though.

So Chad Ford's Mock is just wrong at the #9 pick. It's the Brook Lopez shrug-off. Brook's stock is dropping and Ford doesn't know where to put him, so the who-cares-about-the-Bobcats get him at 9 in the mock.

[Keetch]

and furthermore....I'm still hopeful for....

Love
Westbrook
Randolph

in that order...

no to Gordon, Lopez, Jordan.

[Dead_Real]

I think Love will have a better career than Lopez but neither players are to high up on my want list at 9 anyway. Randolph or Eric Gordon falling to us and then snatching up Dorsey with the second pick would make me a happy man on draft night.

[ohara831]

and furthermore....I'm still hopeful for....

Love
Westbrook
Randolph

in that order...

no to Gordon, Lopez, Jordan.

__________________________________________________ ______________________

I agree in the order of Love, Westbrook and Randolph, but disagree on Gordon. He would actually be ahead of Love if he fell to us. Grabbing him at #9 would be the biggest steal in the draft. We then have some trade options to bring in a high caliber PF via trade. I am not sure why you are down on Gordon, but he is a tremendous SG with the handles to play a back up PG, too. Not quite the defender that Mayo is, but he has a sweeter stroke than Mayo.

[Keetch]

You may be right-on about Gordon. I didn't see him play much until the end of the season when he was basically a no-show in the critical games. He also was shooting air balls in Orlando....

So he's one guy I'm unsure of .... for sure!

[ohara831]

Read up on Gordon's numbers from the PreDraft Camp. He's gonna be solid! God, how I hope he falls to #9, but those numbers will likely have him gone by then.

[Chef]

one thing about gordon. i saw him more than a few times. early in the season he was lighting everyone up because they were playing one man on him only. occasionally they would try an ingame/impromptu doubling scheme that didn't work. by mid and late season pre-injury (another concern) teams had a planned scheme of double/triple/zoning him and shut him down pretty well. granted in the nba he will have competent guys around him, but he couldn't do much. he is on the smaller side, although still an athletic freak, you can't do much with undersize.

in another note: here is brook lopez's workout with the wolves. compliments of true hoop

http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/video_brook_lopez_workout_080603.html

[Keetch]

<<Q: On if Lopez is a legit 7-footer:
McHale: Yeah, he's a 7-foot guy, with a 7-foot 5-inch wingspan. You know, you don't play from the top of your head unless it is soccer. You usually play from the top of your hands. So yeah, I think wingspan is every bit as important, maybe way more important, than your height. You've seen those guys that are 6-11 and they've got little pterodactyl arms. Those guys, they don't do too well.>>

I'll grant that to Lopez....but I just don't know what we'd do with another Center; unless they plan to trade Okafor, and I don't think LB will do that. We need better from this draft.

He seems perfect for the Wolves, who could then move Jefferson to PF.

[dnbman]

<<Q: On if Lopez is a legit 7-footer:
McHale: Yeah, he's a 7-foot guy, with a 7-foot 5-inch wingspan. You know, you don't play from the top of your head unless it is soccer. You usually play from the top of your hands. So yeah, I think wingspan is every bit as important, maybe way more important, than your height. You've seen those guys that are 6-11 and they've got little pterodactyl arms. Those guys, they don't do too well.>>

I think McHale chose the wrong dinosaur to make his point.

A 6'11 pterodactyl would probably have a 20 foot wingspan. That could block a lot of shots!

Just sayin'.

[Muttley]

I think McHale chose the wrong dinosaur to make his point.

A 6'11 pterodactyl would probably have a 20 foot wingspan. That could block a lot of shots!

Just sayin'.

Especially since they're actual wings too.

If we needed a center, I'd be happy with Lopez. But we don't need one.

[swetooth9]

I think McHale chose the wrong dinosaur to make his point.

A 6'11 pterodactyl would probably have a 20 foot wingspan. That could block a lot of shots!

Just sayin'.

i hope he was going for "t-rex" arms...either way, we do need a big man, but we could get one in the second round if need be

[Keetch]

It seems to me with 10 days to go that this thing is becoming clearer to predict. This is what I'm seeing, at least as far as I can read it right now:

1. Chicago Bulls - Derrick Rose
2. Minnesota Timberwolves - Michael Beasley (trade with Miami)
3. Miami Heat - O.J. Mayo
4. Seattle Sonics - Jerryd Bayless
5. Memphis Grizzlies - Kevin Love
6. New York Knicks - Anthony Randolph
7. LA Clippers - Eric Gordon
8. Milwaukee Bucks - Joe Alexander
9. Charlotte Bobcats - DeAndre Jordan
10. NJ Nets - Danilo Gallinari
11. Indiana Pacers - DJ Augustin (or Russell Westbrook)
12. Sacramento Kings - Brook Lopez
13. Portland Trailblazers - ha this is where it comes apart....I can see someone trading up to this spot and take Russell Westbrook, but have no idea who that would be. There's a lot of talent left though with Darrell Arthur, Marreese Speights, Donta Greene and Brandon Rush on the board.

I just don't think that Randolph, Love or Gordon will be available to the Bobcats at 9. DeAndre Jordan might actually be the best they can do there.

[ALong13]

I really want Love or Randolph, but I think both will be gone, If thats the case I think its between Jordan and Lopez...Thats if we don't trade down, I wouldn't mind trading down a little bit and getting Hibbert and adding a veteran or another pick...

[dav7z]

I really want Love or Randolph, but I think both will be gone, If thats the case I think its between Jordan and Lopez...Thats if we don't trade down, I wouldn't mind trading down a little bit and getting Hibbert and adding a veteran or another pick...


For some reason i don't want Jordan or Lopez, I don't think Randolph will be on the board, And i don't want D.J. If we pick at nine i hope we go Hibbert or Westbrook.
Unless some one else falls beside Lopez .
I would rather trade down and draft Hibbert and try to pick up somthing extra.
If not we draft Westbrook BPA. at nine.

[ohara831]

Chad Ford at ESPN has his 5.0 out today and we are taking Brook Lopez yet again. This is like 3 weeks in a row. I am betting he must have some connection he speaks with who has let it be know we prefer to move Okafor to PF and are looking at Lopez as he is more of a sure thing than Jordan. His ceiling is not as high, but he is more of a sure thing.

[Mustachio]

Chad Ford at ESPN has his 5.0 out today and we are taking Brook Lopez yet again. This is like 3 weeks in a row. I am betting he must have some connection he speaks with who has let it be know we prefer to move Okafor to PF and are looking at Lopez as he is more of a sure thing than Jordan. His ceiling is not as high, but he is more of a sure thing.


I actually think Brook has the higher bust potential. I dont believe he is a sure thing at all.

and i wouldnt necessarily say that he has connections that make him think Okafor to PF either. its a mock draft, hes never been 100% correct meaning he makes a bunch of stuff up.

HOWEVER (stephen ass smith style) the guys that we brought in (almost all C's) seem to agree with your point so maybe your right. but i hope not.

[dvdbumpus]

I'd rather go risk rather than the "sure thing".

Morrison was more of a sure thing that Rudy Gay, and look how that's ended up. Then again Brandon Roy was also a sure thing to just be "solid".

[Icky Thump]

Chad Ford at ESPN has his 5.0 out today and we are taking Brook Lopez yet again. This is like 3 weeks in a row. I am betting he must have some connection he speaks with who has let it be know we prefer to move Okafor to PF and are looking at Lopez as he is more of a sure thing than Jordan. His ceiling is not as high, but he is more of a sure thing.

This is really strange especially since in his latest mock he has Randolph falling all the way to the Kings at 12 and then says this "The skinny: If Randolph is still on the board here, the Kings will have to pull their trigger. They have a pretty big hole at the power forward position, and Randolph is one of the five best talents in the entire draft, in my opinion."

If he is a Top 5 talent why would we leave him on the board at #9 especially having a need at the position. Scary.

[Chef]

I don't think chad ford knows much about the cat's situation because a. he still thinks we want oak at 4 (clearly doesn't watch games) and b. hasn't even entertained the idea that we could be trading the pick considering we aren't bringing in anyone to workout. The other thing is that chad is confident his info is good. If I were a team looking to deal a pick, I would use chad as a source of misinformation to keep the speculation of my readiness to part with the pick low to get the most value come draft day.

[dnbman]

I don't think chad ford knows much about the cat's situation because a. he still thinks we want oak at 4 (clearly doesn't watch games) and b. hasn't even entertained the idea that we could be trading the pick considering we aren't bringing in anyone to workout. The other thing is that chad is confident his info is good. If I were a team looking to deal a pick, I would use chad as a source of misinformation to keep the speculation of my readiness to part with the pick low to get the most value come draft day.

Absolutely! I think a lot of smoke screens go up to give teams bargaining power. Otherwise, we'd all follow a couple of mocks and they'd be dead on each year, which they're not. The only time I really pay attention to the "rumors" is the day of the draft, usually in the evening. That's when real decisions are starting to fall into place, giving substantial evidence for a guy getting picked or a deal going down.

Still, it's titillating to think of what might be.

[Keetch]

Titillating? Dear Dnbman the NBA draft is not titillating. Jessica Alba is titillating. Yes indeedy, very titillating. Russell Westbrook? Sorry, but Russell Westbrook does not stimulate my titills.

[ohara831]

I agree. Alba would be in my Top 5 Lottery. Good choice.

[Muttley]

The upside to Alba's not just the titillation, but that she's also bootyful.

Not sure if she's top 5, but she'd be getting guaranteed money, no doubt.

Still not totally sold on Westbrook. I'm all for going with BPA, and if he's it, then we gotta take him, but I just don't know about not drafting a PF.

[ohara831]

If both Randolph and Westbrook are there, I'd prefer Randolph. And with talk of Alexander and maybe even Augustin going before #9, then there is a good chance both are there. My fingers are crossed mostly for Gordon. If he was there, I'd take him to be our starting SG, move J-Rich to his more natural SF position and trade Crash for a PF, maybe a Boozer deal. That would likely be the best scenario in my opinion. I'd even call that titillating. But Gordon falling to us is a longshot.

[ohara831]

You know, there has been a lot of talk about the players we may draft. Some like players that others dont, and that is all fine and dandy. But with LB on board, I feel much more confident in the Draft than with MJ alone. I think MJ will do what LB tells him he feels best with us doing. Everyone made a big deal of the LB hiring, and we are all saying "now we have a real Coach." I agree. Then let's give him the room to make he decision he feels is best. I dont care if it's Westbrook, Lopez, or Arthur. Whomever we chose, I will feel confident that LB feels they can help this team, and I trust him to integrate the player into the offense effectively. Whomever we draft, I will back him, cheer for him and support him. And then, if he turns our to be a dud, I'll get pissy and start posting to trade him! But then again, I wont be the only one.

[Muttley]

This is a great point OHara. Last summer, I felt more confident in my own gauge of who I'd like us to draft than I do this year, and I believe most of the reason for that is the fact that I trust the Bobcats to pick the right player and thus I don't feel the need to throw support behind any one player in the hopes that the clueless organization would grasp at straws and consider who the fans would like in their own decision making process.
I feel more confident than ever that we'll make a good move next week in one way or another.

[Jonathanmartin7]

I'd rather go risk rather than the "sure thing".

Morrison was more of a sure thing that Rudy Gay, and look how that's ended up. Then again Brandon Roy was also a sure thing to just be "solid".

yes look how that ended up. Morrison has been injured, and had a bad rookie season. Can very well come back next year and make every body go.... WOW glad it finally happend. I expect it to happen next season.

I'd also be more than happy to draft Lopez or Jordan @ # 9. Jordan isn't going to be a go to guy in his first season, but he'll contribute and has a lot of potential. Remember the last time we went with the solid pick, (OK50) instead of D. Howard. I'd trade Oak, Jrich and #9 for D Howard.

[TheBeagle]

I'd like to say I trusted LB and the brain trust, but I really think RW, Randolph, Gordon or trade are our only options in order to build for a legit future here. Draft Lopez, and this team won't be in Charlotte after their Arena lease agreement is up because, among other reasons, we won't have ever gotten into the playoffs. We'd be better off by not taking anybody than taking him. I just have very bad vibes about what happens with him and Mek inside...just, oh lord.....

[ohara831]

I'd like to say I trusted LB and the brain trust, but I really think RW, Randolph, Gordon or trade are our only options in order to build for a legit future here. Draft Lopez, and this team won't be in Charlotte after their Arena lease agreement is up because, among other reasons, we won't have ever gotten into the playoffs. We'd be better off by not taking anybody than taking him. I just have very bad vibes about what happens with him and Mek inside...just, oh lord.....

__________________________________________________ ____________________

You know, the BB Gods did us no favors with the Draft Lottery. All my efforts seemed to have gone for nothing - wasted on fasting, chanting naked at 3:00 a.m. in the backyard. But then again, maybe not. Maybe someone ahead does something unexpected and someone falls to us. On the ESPN Board of risers and fallers, they have Gordon dropping from like #6 to #9. That's where we pick. Maybe we get the young gun to start and then trade for our PF. Gotta stay focused, and gotta stay optimistic. Just gotta. Something good is about to happen!

[dnbman]

__________________________________________________ ____________________

You know, the BB Gods did us no favors with the Draft Lottery. All my efforts seemed to have gone for nothing - wasted on fasting, chanting naked at 3:00 a.m. in the backyard. But then again, maybe not. Maybe someone ahead does something unexpected and someone falls to us. On the ESPN Board of risers and fallers, they have Gordon dropping from like #6 to #9. That's where we pick. Maybe we get the young gun to start and then trade for our PF. Gotta stay focused, and gotta stay optimistic. Just gotta. Something good is about to happen!

I know he's your man, but if Alexander gets picked before us, we're going to get a great player that can help us almost immediately and have big upside in either Gordon, Westbrook, Randolph, Love, or Bayless. Since Love and Bayless seem to be locks for top 5 now, that leaves us with one of Gordon, Randolph or Westbrook.

I'd be happy with any of them, though I'd prefer the latter two.