Tirico Suave

You had to know this was coming. The NBA Draft is upon us so of course I have to give you my mock. It’s also gives me another chance to boast about the fact that I said the Dolphins would take Jake Long back in January. I’m changing up the style up a bit though from NFL Draft. (Editor’s note: What are you going do? Get more than four right?) Instead of just giving you just player the I think each team is going to select, I am also including what player the Mighty Velvet would take if I were GM of each team. I figured since 15 guys in this entire draft will actually see an NBA floor consistently that I should add a little spice to the mock. Also, outside of Gallinari, I pretty much left out all international prospects. The reason is simple, if you think anyone who writes mock drafts knows what Ante Tomic is going to be like once he hits the pro level or even when/if he’s going to make it to the NBA, they are without a doubt lying to you. And here at TS we don’t lie, as a matter of fact we can be brutally honest to a fault at times. So without further interruption here is my 2008 NBA Mock.

1. Chicago Bulls.
Derrick Rose. PG. Memphis.
Rose and Beasley are looked at as the two best players in this draft. Normally, I would choose the point guard here and I hope Rose isn’t attached to that number 23 because that is what I see the Bulls doing with the top spot. Just look what the addition of Chris Paul is doing in New Orleans or what Deron Williams is doing in Utah. My problem with Rose is that he can’t shoot. Yes, he is athletic but he literally can’t shoot a lick. Having him and Joakim Noah on the same team might lead to Drew Gooden leading the league in boards. Personally, I like Beasley more.
Velvet’s pick: Michael Beasley

2. Miami Heat.
Michael Beasley. PF. Kansas State.
Beasley is the most complete player of the two. He is a little smaller then listed but everything else is as advertised. Despite the smoke signals being sent out over the last few weeks, if Pat Riley and the Heat stay at the two spot, there’s no way they pass on Beasley.
Velvet’s pick: Derrick Rose.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves.
OJ Mayo. SG. USC.
For the first time since 1986 Kevin McHale and I agree on something. OJ Mayo is the best two guard in the draft and the Wolves can’t roll out Marko Jaric too much longer. Mayo in my opinion has the ability to become the best player taken in this draft.
Velvet’s pick: Same.

4. Seattle SuperSonics.
Jerryd Bayless. PG. Arizona.
It’s no secret that the Sonics need a new owner, I mean point guard. I think Bayless is the most overrated player in the draft. Did anyone watch Arizona in the tournament this year? I also think Kevin Love is better than any point guard left in the draft. Scouts have questioned his athleticism but no one in this draft has the basketball IQ of Kevin Love. I would much rather pair up Kevin Love with Durant then Bayless or Westbrook.
Velvet’s pick: Kevin Love.

5. Memphis Grizzlies.
Brook Lopez. C. Stanford.
Someone has to grab this year’s obvious stinker and Memphis seems like the perfect place for a big seven foot soft smiley Michael Jackson fan who also just happens to play basketball. If they don’t take Lopez, I hope they grab Eric Gordon.
Velvet’s pick: Eric Gordon.

6. New York Knicks.
Russell Westbrook. PG. UCLA.
The lady in the office next to me just asked why I started laughing out loud. It’s because I just looked at the Knicks roster. Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni have a ton of remodeling to do. I think it starts at the point and trickles down from there. Westbrook would be a perfect match for the up tempo style the Knicks will play.
Velvet’s pick: Same.

7. Los Angeles Clippers.
Eric Gordon. SG. Indiana.
Gordon is my least favorite lottery selection in the draft. I can’t wait for the Clips to draft him so I can forget about him. If you’re looking for a player who shows signs of being a star and then erases all hope when you see that he has no heart, Gordon is your guy. Outside of Rose I think Augustin is the most NBA ready point in this draft.
Velvet’s pick: DJ Augustin.

8. Milwaukee Bucks.
Danilo Gallinari. SF. Italy.
The absolute swoon over European players has subsided a bit (I’m looking directly at you Andrea Bargnani) so a player like Gallinari who would have been a much higher pick in years past, slips to the Bucks. He has a chance to be one of the special players to come out of this draft. Sleeper du jour Joe Alexander is a possibility here as well.
Velvet’s pick: Joe Alexander.

9. Charlotte Bobcats.
Kosta Koufos. C. Ohio State.
Anytime you can grab a guy who looks like a seven foot McLovin, you have have to pull the trigger. There’s also been some rumors of a draft day trade involving Adam Morrison and if this is true, than maybe Michael is on his way to figuring out how to be a successful NBA executive.
Velvet’s pick: Brook Lopez.

10. New Jersey Nets.
Kevin Love. PF UCLA.
As stated above, I’m a Love fan and see him going much higher than this, but this is how the mock shook out, so I’m going with it. Chances are Love won’t make it here so Danilo Gallinari is a strong possibility as well.
Velvet’s pick: Danilo Gallinari.

11. Indiana Pacers.
Anthony Randolph. PF LSU.
Randolph is a true wild card in this draft and in fact, so are the Pacers. With the rumors going around of a possible Jermaine O’Neal-TJ Ford swap, it’s difficult to gauge Indiana’s needs. One of the more talented big men in the draft. Randolph potential is through the roof. If that trade doesn’t materialize, Bayless would make a nice selection here.
Velvet’s pick: Jerryd Bayless.

12. Sacramento Kings.
DJ Augustin. PG. Texas.
Its either point guard or power forward for the Kings at twelve. And while the thought of Mikki Moore starting again this year should supersede any thought of them selecting a guard, Augustin may be too tough to pass up here.
Velvet’s pick: Darrell Arthur.

13. Portland Trailblazers.
Joe Alexander. SF. West Virginia.
It’s a good time to be a Blazers fan. With Oden, they’ll already be adding the top ‘rookie’ if you will and also have the luxury of also adding another lottery selection. While Alexander looks like every second team all-conference high school player I ever played against, he’s actually an immense talent. I also like Chalmers here to help curb the Blazers PG woes.
Velvet’s pick: Mario Chalmers.

14. Golden State Warriors.
Darrell Arthur. PF. Kansas.
The greatest lottery team of all time is in a position where they can add someone who they can develop and not need to contribute right away. Arthur’s a winner. Randolph might be the bigger talent.
Velvet’s pick: Anthony Randolph.

15. Phoenix Suns.
Brandon Rush. SG. Kansas.
The Suns are like a team playing a pick up game. They don’t really stick to the traditional positions and just tend to run the five best players at the time they have. At least, that was the case with Mike D’Antoni there. Getting inside Steve Kerr’s mind right now isn’t easy but I think either Rush or Douglas-Roberts fits their style.
Velvet’s pick: Chris Douglas-Roberts.

16. Philadelphia 76ers.
Marreese Speights. C. Florida.
I could throw a dart out the window and chance are it would hit someone with a better offensive skill set than Samuel Dalembert. Speights showed a lot of potential at Florida and could be a good pick here. Also, this is the spot in the draft where DeAndre Jordan starts to become relevant.
Velvet’s pick: DeAndre Jordan.

17. Toronto Raptors.
Donte’ Green. SF. Syracuse.
You either take Green or get stuck with the awesome Jamario Moon and Jason Kapono combo platter again. As stated above, this pick is also dependent on the possible O’Neal-Ford trade.
Velvet’s pick: Same.

18. Washington Wizards.
DeAndre Jordan. C. Texas A&M.
The Wizards have to try to find an upgrade for Brendan Haywood and can probably draft Jordan and let hm mature for a couple seasons. Koufos is young but in a couple years could develop into a nice player.
Velvet’s pick: Kosta Koufos.

19. Cleveland Cavaliers.
Robin Lopez. C Stanford.
Going to Cleveland would really give Robin Lopez the chance to study under Anderson Varajao, who would show Lopez the best way to be a stupid haired, marginal NBA big man who’s non-existent on the offensive end. At least Rush would give them another scorer not named LeBron.
Velvet’s pick: Brandon Rush.

20. Denver Nuggets.
Roy Hibbert. C. Georgetown.
The Nuggets need to put the D back in Denver. They could use a point guard but there isn’t one here that makes sense. Selecting Hibbert to backup Camby until he retires or moves on is the move I would make. Plus with Hibbert you don’t have to worry about him trying to steal touches from Carmelo or Iverson.
Velvet’s pick: Same.

21. New Jersey Nets.
Serge Ibaka. PF. Congo.
Having finished in third place in my Congan professional basketball league, I know a thing or two about Serge Ibaka. He’s raw and I think McGee would be the better pick here.
Velvet’s pick: JaVale McGee.

22. Orlando Magic.
Courtney Lee. SG. Western Kentucky.
Its official, the Magic will never play JJ Redick. It just goes to show you the difference between college and the pros. At Duke, Redick had seemingly limitless range while at Orlando, he occasionally airballs layups.
Velvet’s pick: Same.

23. Utah Jazz.
Alexis Ajinca. C. France.
You want to know one reason why I’ll never be an NBA GM or scout? Because I have no idea why a guy who averaged five points a game in France is an NBA commodity.
Velvet’s pick: Robin Lopez.

24. Seattle SuperSonics.
JeVale McGee. PF. Nevada.
Mcgee should be going a lot higher than this but had pretty average workouts, but the Sonics should be willing to take a chance on him here.
Velvet’s pick: Same.

25. Houston Rockets.
Ante Tomic. C. Croatia.
I don’t know much about international players. I don’t really care for the Rockets either way. Seems like a natural fit. I’m still in awe of how they managed to win 22 in a row last season.
Velvet’s pick: Marreese Speights.

26. San Antonio Spurs.
Mario Chalmers. PG. Kansas.
The Spurs replace Big Shot Bob with Big Shot Mario. Either that or they draft someone from overseas who no one’s really familiar with and he joins them in 2012-13 and he’s one of the 10 best players in the league. DJ White is a sleeper here.
Velvet’s pick: DJ White.

27. New Orleans Hornets.
Chris Douglas-Roberts. SG. Memphis.
Outside of Kevin Love this is my favorite player in this draft. I will go out on a limb and say he is 2008’smost underrated player, which for Douglas-Roberts is a good thing because he will land on a team like the Hornets, immediately make an impact, and all the analysts will be talking about how he slipped.
Velvet’s pick: Shan Foster.

28. Memphis Grizzlies.
JJ Hickson. PF. NC State.
Hakim Warrick, Kwame Brown, Brian Cardinal, Darko Milicic, Jason, Collins, and Andre Brown. Seriously how does that happen?
Velvet’s pick: DeVon Hardin.

29. Detroit Pistons.
DJ White. PF. Indiana.
What does a team do after winning 59 games and playing in their sixth straight conference final? Rebuild of course. I have NO idea what the Pistons are doing but I like DJ White or JJ Hickson for them here.
Velvet’s pick: JJ Hickson.

30. Boston Celtics.
Jason Thompson. PF. Rider.
Being that I attended Rider for a solid 18 glorious alcohol fueled months, it is my pleasure to say Thompson is a legitimate first round pick. And at more than $30,000 a year for tuition it is no wonder they never had one prior to Thompson. Now if you excuse me I have to pay my Sallie Mae bill. And although he may go undrafted, I’d like to publicly state that I think Patrick Ewing Jr. is going to be a good pro, somewhere.
Velvet’s pick: Patrick Ewing Jr.