In version 6.1 of his mock draft, Chad Ford brings readers up to speed on a few of the Draft’s bigger storylines…
The Chicago Bulls are on the clock with the No. 1 pick, and they’re still saying they haven’t decided between Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley.
The Miami Heat are waiting to see whether they’ll get a chance to draft the player they want, Rose, or whether they’ll have to choose between Beasley and O.J. Mayo.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are waiting, too, and talking to numerous teams about possible deals.
At least four different players have been mentioned as possible picks for the Seattle SuperSonics at No. 4.
At No. 5, the Memphis Grizzlies are talking trade, too — to move up in the draft or to move down.
The New York Knicks, picking No. 6, are still looking at five players.
The Los Angeles Clippers are working the phones, trying to move up. Ditto for the Milwaukee Bucks.
On top of all of that, the draft board has been shifting rapidly the past few weeks. A number of young, inexperienced bigs have been hurting themselves in workouts. It’s now a possibility that LSU’s Anthony Randolph falls out of the lottery. Texas A&M’s DeAndre Jordan, Nevada’s JaVale McGee and Florida’s Marreese Speights might not hear their names called until the 20th pick or after.
Meanwhile, a few older players like Kansas’ Mario Chalmers, Rider’s Jason Thompson, Georgetown’s Roy Hibbert and Western Kentucky’s Courtney Lee are passing them on the board — a somewhat amazing development. Usually young, inexperienced bigs rise in the draft. Perhaps teams are adjusting their thinking after drafting for potential in past years.
Right now, I think we’ll see Rose go to the Bulls and Beasley go #2 to some team other than the Heat. Miami and the Knicks (seem to) covet O.J. Mayo, so the Heat would like to move down to the #4 or #5 spot to grab him there, before the Knicks’ pick at #6. But the Timberwolves are a threat to draft Mayo too, so Miami will be rolling the dice if they trade down. Minnesota could go a number of different directions; Kevin Love and Brook Lopez are possibilities at #3. Russell Westbrook’s stock is rising and some mock drafts have him going ahead of Jerryd Bayless, who was once considered a shoe-in to go to the Sonics at #4.
As a Bucks fan, I’d like to see them move up (by trading Charlie Villanueva) to grab Kevin Love or stand pat at #8 and draft Joe Alexander. Both players have expressed an interest in playing for Milwaukee, which is a rarity these days. Love has a chance to be the second- or third-best player to come out of this draft and Alexander’s athleticism and competitiveness would be a great fit with new coach Scott Skiles. I’m not high enough on any of the guards to justify taking them when Milwaukee already has Michael Redd and Mo Williams on the roster, so the Bucks should definitely be looking to draft a forward.
One thing’s for sure – nothing is for sure. This is a tough draft to predict, so I think we’re going to see a lot of wheeling and dealing as the night goes on. It should be an entertaining draft.
Check back for updates on draft night. I’ll be giving my thoughts on each pick as the evening goes on.
