Official JustBBall.Com 2006 Mock Draft

I would read it but its so inaccurate just by skimming it.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting TmacGarnett:</div><div class="quote_post">I would read it but its so inaccurate just by skimming it.</div>
hows it inaccurate? can you give some examples? there are some mistakes, but mostly everything there is pretty realistic. not every mock draft will be the same, mind you.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Brian:</div><div class="quote_post">ok. good points BKS. i guess he could be a good fit for the lakers, but i still dont see him as a first round pick. he definetly has to be a more consistent shooter. just being good in college doesnt mean a thing. your game must translate in the nba. there are a lot of good shooters drafted, but most of them cant shoot for their life once they get into the big leagues. that is what i think will happen to brown. for some reason, i dont think he will develope a nice jump shot, and i dont think he will ever be a good shooter. it seems like he is a good defensive player, but the guy is too small. he is also a turn over prone from what i have read. i dont know if he will fit in the triangle, since the triangle requires taller point guards that can shoot the ball well.

i dont know. im not against the idea of drafting dee brown, but i would not take him with our first rounder. if he fell all the way to our second round pick, i would take him in a heart beat. he seems like a low risk high reward type of player.
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People will always question if your big enough when you are a small guard entering the NBA no matter how good you are. People questioned Jameer Nelson and Nate Robinson look what their doing now. I?m telling you teams that pass up on Brown simply because of his height will regret it. About his shooting like I said before he already has a jump shot the kid was in the college three point shoot out and came in fourth place out of eight guys. The reason his percentage was bad this season was due to being the only guy defense had to key in on to stop Illinois.

I understand what your saying about some guy who come into the league and seem to lose their stroke, but I can guarantee you Brown will not be one of those guys. The kid is a leader and worst case scenario he would probably be a Speedy Claxton type player, and even then that?s not half bad. Then his defense, despite him being small he is a hell of a defender. If you look at guys like Ben Gordon on Chicago he is under sized for his position yet is a good defender, because of the work he puts in during the off season in getting stronger and physically preparing himself to match up with bigger guys during the NBA season. Dee is the same way he is a gym rat who is always trying to get better. He played some football in the past so he is no stranger to the weight room. Who knows maybe him and Kobe can bond because of that?

Give Dee three or four more inches in the height department and he would be a lock for a top 15-20 selection. As is depending what mock draft you look at he is going some where from 20-45 so picking him up at the spot the Lakers are in right now would not be too early.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">Guillermo Diaz needs to prove he can play PG in the NBA before he moves up our mock draft. We're not talking about passing and dribbling either, it's about running and leading an offense. He's the classic tweener and despite his great athleticism, he's only 6'2. Diaz also needs to improve his shooting touch. To be honest, staying an extra year actually hurt Diaz's stock, because he had a disappointing season.

Locke - Yi Jianlian will be in our next mock, along with Leon Powe and some other players who recently declared. VC and I have always been high on his game and upside, he will definitely crack the lottery.

Dee Brown as a Laker is a possibility, but they have already said they are committed to adding a veteran PG in the offseason with their MLE. He's also a little undersized for the prototypical PG, PJax likes in the Triangle offense. Playing in Houston is a better fit for Dee Brown, because Yao Ming is an established post presence.

Last year Houston averaged 17 attempts from behind the arc, but only made 5 a game. So despite Yao creating those opportunities for his teammates, the team shot only 33% and ranked 4th worst in the league this year.

Tiago might be a stretch and we put him in Chicago for two reasons...

A) The Bulls might not have roster space next year depending on the offseason and who they keep or bring in. They can stash Tiago overseas for now.

Chicago could stand to lose Songalia, Allen, & Harrington to free agency. If they don't retain any of them the frontcourt depth disappears leaving only Chandler, Sweetney, and Aldridge.
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Thanks for the explanations Shape. Another question I have is on McNamara out of Syracuse, and if you guys see him in the draft picture late second round? Living in Scranton (his home town) I am subject to a lot of bias mock drafts, but the consensus around these parts is that McNamara will go some where amidst the final fifteen selections of the draft. Why do you feel he might or might not sneak into the draft picture?

I think a team that is in need of some shooting would be willing to take him with a late selection having nothing to lose. Or a team like the 76ers might trade for a second round pick like they did a few years ago to get Green and Korver, in order to raise attendance by drafting a local kid. Hell 50 full buses left Scranton for Syracuse to see his final college game. If the 76ers could get half those people to attend 76ers games they would be in good shape.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Best Kept Secret:</div><div class="quote_post">People will always question if your big enough when you are a small guard entering the NBA no matter how good you are. People questioned Jameer Nelson and Nate Robinson look what their doing now. I?m telling you teams that pass up on Brown simply because of his height will regret it. About his shooting like I said before he already has a jump shot the kid was in the college three point shoot out and came in fourth place out of eight guys. The reason his percentage was bad this season was due to being the only guy defense had to key in on to stop Illinois.

I understand what your saying about some guy who come into the league and seem to lose their stroke, but I can guarantee you Brown will not be one of those guys. The kid is a leader and worst case scenario he would probably be a Speedy Claxton type player, and even then that?s not half bad. Then his defense, despite him being small he is a hell of a defender. If you look at guys like Ben Gordon on Chicago he is under sized for his position yet is a good defender, because of the work he puts in during the off season in getting stronger and physically preparing himself to match up with bigger guys during the NBA season. Dee is the same way he is a gym rat who is always trying to get better. He played some football in the past so he is no stranger to the weight room. Who knows maybe him and Kobe can bond because of that?

Give Dee three or four more inches in the height department and he would be a lock for a top 15-20 selection. As is depending what mock draft you look at he is going some where from 20-45 so picking him up at the spot the Lakers are in right now would not be too early.</div>

yeah, i guess i get your points BKS. i think dee brown has the potential to be a good player, he just has to put it all together. either way, im still questioning his ability to get a jump shot, but with the right coaching and his work ethic, i guess it should work out. i like how the guy is a defender, and like most 6 foot guards, he has heart. like i said, i wouldnt mind the lakers picking him at all. after reading what you said, it seems to me he should be a top ten pick. lol.

but anyways, i still would not take him in the first round. the lakers are rumored to be going after a veteran point guard in the off season (sam cassell), and plus, i dont think he will be very productive in the triangle. he seems to me like a traditional point guard, one who likes to pass first and then shoot. well, the triangle does not require a traditional point guard. they need guys who are good shooters, and preferably taller guards.

anyways, if dee brown somehow falls to the lakers second round pick, i would take him in a heart beat. but i think in the first round, there are some guys more ready to contribute, and i think the lakers could use another big banger down low.

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">You're right, the Lakers haven't been successful with International prospects, Sasha Vujacic and Slava Medvendenko are the definition of busts.

What's different this time is the Lakers actually have a qualified liason to scout and discover International talent. Vlade Divac was hired for the position and I'm confident in his abilities to scout for the Lakers.

Nemanja is a high risk, high reward prospect, and your risk lowers drafting him in the late first round.</div>

well, since we do have vlade divac, a former nba player, i guess we could trust him for what he is doing. but still, when you draft an international player, its always the same thing. he is too weak, too soft. ect. the thing is, wouldnt it just be better to go after someone like craig smith or josh boone? you already know what they are. they are bangers down low and arent afraid of contact. they do have their negatives, yes, but wouldnt you much rather go after someone that is proven? i dont know, i wouldnt be mad if we took nemanja, but IMO, to be safe, we should just stay away from any international players. i do think the craig smith and josh boone would be ready to contribute quicker anyways

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Best Kept Secret:</div><div class="quote_post">People will always question if your big enough when you are a small guard entering the NBA no matter how good you are. People questioned Jameer Nelson and Nate Robinson look what their doing now. I’m telling you teams that pass up on Brown simply because of his height will regret it. About his shooting like I said before he already has a jump shot the kid was in the college three point shoot out and came in fourth place out of eight guys. The reason his percentage was bad this season was due to being the only guy defense had to key in on to stop Illinois.

I understand what your saying about some guy who come into the league and seem to lose their stroke, but I can guarantee you Brown will not be one of those guys. The kid is a leader and worst case scenario he would probably be a Speedy Claxton type player, and even then that’s not half bad. Then his defense, despite him being small he is a hell of a defender. If you look at guys like Ben Gordon on Chicago he is under sized for his position yet is a good defender, because of the work he puts in during the off season in getting stronger and physically preparing himself to match up with bigger guys during the NBA season. Dee is the same way he is a gym rat who is always trying to get better. He played some football in the past so he is no stranger to the weight room. Who knows maybe him and Kobe can bond because of that?

Give Dee three or four more inches in the height department and he would be a lock for a top 15-20 selection. As is depending what mock draft you look at he is going some where from 20-45 so picking him up at the spot the Lakers are in right now would not be too early.</div>

Jameer Nelson and Nate Robinson may have been undersized, but they were true point guards. Dee Brown's undersized and a true shooting guard. When you consider the guy as a point, his height isn't really as much of an issue as his ability to run a team's offense, especially in a half-court situation. He goes through stretches of games with a shoot-first mentality, not really involving his teammates and showing poor shot selection. He's done a lot better at finding his teammates in a position to score this season that he has in the past, but he's still inconsistent, probably because of his lack of experience. If you consider him a shooting guard, it's very hard to see him being effective at all on the next level. He's quick and explosive, but he doesn't really seem to know how to use that to his advantage against bigger defenders. I'm a real big fan of Dee Brown's potential on the next level, but after he measures in at 5'11" or so in draft camps, I'm not really sure if GM's and scouts will feel the same way. The third pick in the second round is not a stretch at all. In fact, most mocks have him a little lower.

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Thanks for the explanations Shape. Another question I have is on McNamara out of Syracuse, and if you guys see him in the draft picture late second round? Living in Scranton (his home town) I am subject to a lot of bias mock drafts, but the consensus around these parts is that McNamara will go some where amidst the final fifteen selections of the draft. Why do you feel he might or might not sneak into the draft picture?

I think a team that is in need of some shooting would be willing to take him with a late selection having nothing to lose. Or a team like the 76ers might trade for a second round pick like they did a few years ago to get Green and Korver, in order to raise attendance by drafting a local kid. Hell 50 full buses left Scranton for Syracuse to see his final college game. If the 76ers could get half those people to attend 76ers games they would be in good shape.</div>

I personally think there's about a 50/50 chance the guy gets drafted. A lot of it depends on whether players like Will Blalock, Marcus Slaughter, Curtis Stinson, etc. decide to keep their names in the draft. You're right that he's one of the better shooters in college ball, but that's about all he'll be good for on the next level. Like Dee Brown, he's more of a shooting guard than a point guard, but he lacks the height to play anywhere else. His defensive game also has a lot of holes in it. If fifty full buses of fans came with McNamara, I'm sure they'd draft him, but the odds of that many fans coming to watch the 76'ers play just because of McNamara are very slim, especially considering if he does make it to the next level, he'll likely be resignated to a bench role.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback, BKS.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">Where would Craig Smith or Josh Boone get minutes on the Lakers roster? Neither are better than Ronny Turiaf and never will be. This offseason, Kwame Brown will be groomed into the starting PF for the Lakers with Mihm and Bynum.

Nemanja could develop into another Lamar Odom for the Lakers. He has great courtvision and handles the ball like a guard. Strength and conditioning will improve as he gets older and has a physical trainer to work with all summer. His weaknesses are correctable, the only real concern is his history of injuries.

Craig Smith is really undersized to play PF in the league. He's a good college player, but it's going to be a world of difference for him banging against bodies that just as big as him. I don't think he has the wingspan to compensate for his lack of height.

Josh Boone I want nothing to do with as a Laker. He disappears in games and if he didn't go to UConn I don't even think he'd have draft buzz.</div>

well, im not a big fan of boone myself, but i am a huge fan of craig smith for some reason. there just is something about him. i think he will somehow turn into a valueable player for any team because of the intesity he brings. anyways, as for nemanja, you probably know a whole lot more about him than i do, so i dont want to get into an arguement about him. like i said, i dont like the idea of drafting international players, simply because you get 1 out of every 50 to actually live up to his potential. but if he really has the potential to be a lamar odom for us, i say do it mitch

 

No McNamara at all.

 

Why would Utah pass up on guys like Novak, James Augustine, and Yotam Halperin? Utah already said they were interested in Yotam because he's one of the most experienced Euro players you'll find in the draft. A friend of mine, that's the Euro DE guy, said that Yotam could be a steal in this year's 2nd round. Another name was, Steven Smith from that A-10 school, slipped my mind right now. He would be a good player in Utah's system, but that's just my opinion. I like the Reddick pick I guess, even though I project him as the next Tranjan Langdon. Reddick would probably be benched in Utah though because of his lack of defense. 1 more thing on Reddick pick though, The Calvin has learned from the greatest B-Ball player in the world for a year.....The Milt! 1 year from working with The Miltness, and they played him in the last game of the year, and it has paid off. I think Utah will go big with their 1st round pick, and I'm crossing my fingers Rudy Fernandez slips that far. Utah also would probably bring Rudy over right away, and draft another Euro. Another thing, Quincy Douby is a 1st round talent with no doubt, he's a taller AI IMO. Great Mock, those Utah picks would be sweet if you place Augustine in Bautista spot and Novak in Dials spot because Augustine is a perfect Utah guy, and Novak would replace Matt Harpring who I believe as good as gone.

 

one you forgot is justin grey, good sg he could get in the 2nd round, no?

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting J_Ray:</div><div class="quote_post">Why would Utah pass up on guys like Novak, James Augustine, and Yotam Halperin? Utah already said they were interested in Yotam because he's one of the most experienced Euro players you'll find in the draft. A friend of mine, that's the Euro DE guy, said that Yotam could be a steal in this year's 2nd round. Another name was, Steven Smith from that A-10 school, slipped my mind right now. He would be a good player in Utah's system, but that's just my opinion. I like the Reddick pick I guess, even though I project him as the next Tranjan Langdon. Reddick would probably be benched in Utah though because of his lack of defense. 1 more thing on Reddick pick though, The Calvin has learned from the greatest B-Ball player in the world for a year.....The Milt! 1 year from working with The Miltness, and they played him in the last game of the year, and it has paid off. I think Utah will go big with their 1st round pick, and I'm crossing my fingers Rudy Fernandez slips that far. Utah also would probably bring Rudy over right away, and draft another Euro. Another thing, Quincy Douby is a 1st round talent with no doubt, he's a taller AI IMO. Great Mock, those Utah picks would be sweet if you place Augustine in Bautista spot and Novak in Dials spot because Augustine is a perfect Utah guy, and Novak would replace Matt Harpring who I believe as good as gone.</div>

The only similarities that I see between Steve Novak and Matt Harpring are that they're both great shooters and they're both white. Other than that, they're completely different players. Novak won't likely have the impact on the next level that Harpring has had because the guy is a wreck defensively, and he won't be able to drive to the basket like Harpring can on the next level because of his lack of quickness. James Augustine wouldn't be a good fit for the Jazz because he's limited defensively and doesn't have many reliable moves outside of his hook shot in a half-court offense like the Jazz run. Dials and Batista, on the other hand, are exactly what the Jazz need from big men right now: depth, toughness, and defense on the interior. As for Yotam Halperin, since when did Sloan stop caring about defense? Halperin's got an outside chance at being drafted. From what I've seen from him, he's a great shooter and a great slasher, but I don't think he'll be able to get to the basket nearly as easily in the NBA as he can in Europe, and when I saw him, that's how he got about half or more of his points. Again, he's got a chance to be drafted, but I just don't see him as a good fit for the Jazz.

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">one you forgot is justin grey, good sg he could get in the 2nd round, no?</div>

At this point, his chances of being drafted are very slim. He had a disastrous season at Wake Forest, struggling to run the offense as a point, and he's way too short and slow to be a shooting guard on the next level. His game's best suited for European basketball.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">The only similarities that I see between Steve Novak and Matt Harpring are that they're both great shooters and they're both white. Other than that, they're completely different players. Novak won't likely have the impact on the next level that Harpring has had because the guy is a wreck defensively, and he won't be able to drive to the basket like Harpring can on the next level because of his lack of quickness. James Augustine wouldn't be a good fit for the Jazz because he's limited defensively and doesn't have many reliable moves outside of his hook shot in a half-court offense like the Jazz run. Dials and Batista, on the other hand, are exactly what the Jazz need from big men right now: depth, toughness, and defense on the interior. As for Yotam Halperin, since when did Sloan stop caring about defense? Halperin's got an outside chance at being drafted. From what I've seen from him, he's a great shooter and a great slasher, but I don't think he'll be able to get to the basket nearly as easily in the NBA as he can in Europe, and when I saw him, that's how he got about half or more of his points. Again, he's got a chance to be drafted, but I just don't see him as a good fit for the Jazz.</div>

I was just saying Novak would be another SF, I wasn't comparing him to Harpring, not al all I was thinking Novak could benefit from running of screens in our offense, remember Utah doesn't have much shooting with Giri's confidence being down, Okur inconsistent, D-Will doesn't take enough shots, and the rest shouldn't even be mentioned. I still don't like the Dials and Batista picks, Utah needs some more mobile big men. I know Utah is a half court team, but when they're at home, they tend to run a lot. Augustine would be a good pick considering he's played with the PG of the future for Utah, Deron Williams. Augustine can develop behind Utah's spectacular frontline, so he'd be coming in every once in awhile if they need him, don't forget they got Robert Whaley last year that they think could be very talented. Whaley was giving Sloan good minutes when Boozer was out, so I think Utah would only need 1 real center. They already have Okur, Boozer, Humphries and Whaley, all of them are very good and will be in Utah for awhile. I think Utah needs a SF or PG with those 2 other 2nd rounders, from what I hear Rudy Fernandez could possibly be a good player in Utah with his unbelievable passing skills, only knock on him is he needs to get some muscle. A dark horse Utah guy could could be in the 1st round pick though could be Aaron Afflalo if he does indeed stay in the draft. He's a defensive guard that can play some PG if needed, IMO, he could a potential Dwyane Wade type player but that's just me

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">Jameer Nelson and Nate Robinson may have been undersized, but they were true point guards. Dee Brown's undersized and a true shooting guard. When you consider the guy as a point, his height isn't really as much of an issue as his ability to run a team's offense, especially in a half-court situation. He goes through stretches of games with a shoot-first mentality, not really involving his teammates and showing poor shot selection. He's done a lot better at finding his teammates in a position to score this season that he has in the past, but he's still inconsistent, probably because of his lack of experience. If you consider him a shooting guard, it's very hard to see him being effective at all on the next level. He's quick and explosive, but he doesn't really seem to know how to use that to his advantage against bigger defenders. I'm a real big fan of Dee Brown's potential on the next level, but after he measures in at 5'11" or so in draft camps, I'm not really sure if GM's and scouts will feel the same way. The third pick in the second round is not a stretch at all. In fact, most mocks have him a little lower.
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From what I've read around the Magic forum and from games, they always say Jameer isn't really a true point guard and is like a shooting guard just bringing up the ball, because he is a score/shoot first PG.

 

What players do you guys think can be legitimately built around in the future? I'm getting the impression that most of these prospects will be very good role players, instead of franchise players. If its true, I suppose it would be better for Toronto to trade down and draft for need.

 

I really like the mock guys. Do you guys know if professional NBA scouts check out the site?

 

Didn't read all of it, but it's looking pretty good. Main thing I disagree with is Tyrus Thomas going to Atlanta. From one standpoint, I love the pick (my favorite NBA team, my favorite college player), but from another - I just don't think it should happen, realistically. Thomas is definitely a work in progress offensively, and the last thing the Hawks need is another project. Even on defense, I don't think Thomas will do much more than J. Smith can do. I think the Hawks should trade the pick, all of the top players just don't fit the team, IMO. Try to shop the pick for an NBA-tested PG, or if nothing else, get a couple of lower picks and go after (UConn's) Marcus Williams or Dee Brown, someone who can really push the tempo and give some relief to JJ at point.

Also, Nick Fazekas. I started a thread earlier about what the Mavs should do, and I'd really like to see them take some kind of specialty guard. In my thread I mentioned Quincy Douby, who has enough PG skills to run the third string, and can obviously light up the scoreboard. I think Hassan Adams would also be a nice pick - a 1,2,3 of Daniels, Adams, and Howard would be vicious in terms of athleticism and defense. But, Fazekas does make some sense. Especially with Van Horn probably hitting the road.

And, if they actually enter the draft, what do you guys think of Mustafa Shakur and (Arizona's) Marcus Williams? Is Shakur good enough to break into the second round? Is Williams good enough for the lottery or just late first?