Built Ford Tough

It is scary how quickly San Antonio can erase a lead when they are on. I'm not nearly as confident in them winning this series as I was before (although I still do think they will win) simply because OKC's defense has made some brilliant adjustments to really bother the Spurs offense and prevent themfrom getting into a real rhythym offensievely. However, if they do manage to play up to their capabilities for an entire game, nobody in the league can beat them.

Manu will be starting for the Spurs tonight.

Quite a few more people are tweeting it as well, so it is clearly legit. I'll set the over/under on him staying with the Blazers at 1 year.

That was a beautiful shot fake by Wade to free himself for the open three. Couldn't really ask for a better shot than that given the situation (by situation I mean ignoring Chalmers coming off the down screen).

There has been some really awful calls in this game, but they've gone both ways so I don't really think either team can really complain. That was not an offensive foul on James, though. Either a no call or a foul on Pietrus. I thought Pierce's 6th was a play on as well. Sucks that two players like that are taken out on questionable calls.

I actually think the play was drawn up for Haslem. I think they knew LeBron would have multiple defenders come at him off the screen and used that to try and get Haslem an open baseline jumper.

Rondo's dissection of the Heat's defense has been masterful. It is truly a thing of beauty to watch him operate right now.

I want Lamb too so I'm hoping I am wrong and he is in fact in that third tier group and not the second tier with Drummond, Barnes, Beal, MKG and Robinson. I honestly don't see how he isn't in that group, though. To be perfectly honest, I can see him surpassing Beal as the 1st 2 guard off the board. I think he is going to absolutely dominate workotus and shoot up the draft boards. Ford having him as a late lottery pick seems absolutely laughable to me. As far as Barnes, you are right about Cleveland loving him last year. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they picked him 4th either. I was split 50/50 between him and Drummond when making the pick for Cleveland but I just felt the upside of Drummond is greater than Barnes. Of course, there isn't as much risk with Barnes as there is with Drummond either.

Wolstat tweeted this a couple days ago and I figured with nothing else to talk about, I might as well make a thread on it: Would you like to move him this summer? I do sort of understand where Wolstat is coming from since DeRozan's raw numbers will likely make him get an offer that is more than his actual impact or contributions are worth. However, I really don't want to give up on him now, only to see him go to a new team and blow up. I don't think he will ever be as good as his ceiling was thought to be, but I also don't think he is completely done developing either. Knowing the Raptors luck, they would deal him only to see him explode with his new team. His numbers weren't great this year by any means, but I also don't think he was as bad as many people make him out to be either. He had a horrific start to the season but didn't play that poorly from February on. If it were me, I'd entertain offers, but unless I was blown away I would simply let him play out the season and make a decision on him next year.

Devonta Pollard committed to Alabama. I believe Pollard (28th on ESPN) was the only top 50 player who had yet to commit.

Swish probably figured he'd come back and try to weasel a few more members out of here before it's too late to spam again.

If they want Beal they either have to either combine their 6th and 11th picks to a team that ends up liking, say, Sullinger/Barnes and somebody like Waiters. If the Bobcats, for instance, think that the upside of that combination (or some other one) more than just taking Beal it would make sense for them to trade down and pick up the additional asset. If they stand pat I can see them getting Lamb for sure, if they really want him. Unless he absolutely dominates workouts (which is a possibility) I don't see any team ahead of Portland being a threat to take him. With their second pick Marshall may be available, but it all depends on New Orleans if you ask me. I know some people think they'll go with two bigs, but I think they will go Davis 1st (obviously) and look to get a guard to pair him with at 10. If Lillard is gone already that pretty much eliminates any chance Marshall would fall to Portland, at least based on how I view things as of right now. With Henson, it literally all comes down to Detroit. If Detroit doesn't pick him, I don't really see another lottery team taking him. Pipe dream pretty much sums it up. If Sullinger moves anywhere from where I have him, I'm sure it will be up the draft board, not down. Sixers would need to trade up if they want any shot at Sully.

Bill Simmons and Chad Ford talked the lottery and draft in a podcast two days ago (taped Tuesday, aired Wednesday) and Ford brought up an interesting idea. He said to take the teams past 3 years into consideration when determining lottery placing. His argument was that it would eliminate tanking because teams would have to commit to 3 years of it to ensure that they have the best odds and even then, it isn't a guarantee that you will end up the first pick. Teams wouldn't go out and tank for 3 years when so much can change in those 3 years. A can't miss prospect may not be as good as expected (look at Harrison Barnes high school hype and compare it to now for an example) and teams would just let things play out. On the other hand, you may end up penalizing teams who end up losing a star player. Take Cleveland for an example. If this system was in place during last years lottery they would have probably the worst odds of all lottery teams despite being one of the worst teams in the league and it woudl be entirely because of how good they were when they had a player on the team who is no longer there (LeBron James in this case). Anyways, what are your guys thoughts on this proposal? PS: Personally, I'm fine with the system as is. Teams tank, but even then it isn't a guarantee you will get the pick you want. PPS: Giving the first pick to the best non-playoff team would be a disaster. Teams that are legitimately bad would have basically no chance at ever improving. They wouldn't have any way of getting better. Free agents wouldn't sign there, their roster would suck and the only hope is that they strike gold with a 14th overall pick, which really, how often does that happen?

I think Zeller falling to the Rockets it a possibility, but a lot of it depends on what the Blazers do with their 6th pick. If they go big and take somebody like Drummond (or even Sullinger if he impresses during workouts) I can see Zeller falling to Houston. If they go small with the first I think it lowers the chances, especially if somebody grabs Sullinger before their second pick. The only other team I can see taking him ahead of Houston would be the Bucks and maybe the Hornets, but New Orleans is unlikely imo. The thing with him is that he won't be considered a "sexy" pick. An average athlete that doesn't have great length and is a senior? They are basically the carbon copy of players who end up sliding a bit in the draft but wind up being mainstays on an NBA roster for 10 years. I really can't comment much on Fournier other than that I legitimately don't believe he will fall down to where I have him. Him and Moultrie are the two guys who I think could end up being draft 10 spots higher than I have them. From what I've read about Fournier, he has all the makings of a guy who will rise up the draft board during workouts. Come draft day it wouldn't be a complete shock to me if he did rise to the late teens range. Would you rather go with Drummond or take Barnes at 4? I know the Cavs were infatuated with Barnes last season to the point where there was talk that if he had stayed in the draft they would've considered him over Irving, and from what I hear they are still very high on him. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they took Barnes at 4. Fair points. I definitely think Sullinger is the better prospect than Marshall, but I think on that team with guys like Davis, Gordon and Ariza (Okafor if he sticks around) Marshall would have a bigger impact. With the exception of Gordon, none of these guys are really capable of creating their own offense and if you are going to commit to a core that features these guys I think you need to have a real playmaker at the point. I love Jack, but he doesn't fit that bill. I won't disagree with you that Sullinger is a good fit for the team, but I do think that Marshall is the better fit and I don't think Sullinger has a significant upside advantage over Marshall (he will be a better player, but we aren't talking all-star to role player, at least in my opinion) to ignore what is, in my opinion, the perfect fit. Even if Lillard, who I think is clearly the best point guard prospect in this draft, is available with the Hornets pick I think Marshall would still be the better pick. I just love his fit on that team.

Would you like Meyers Leonard more? I actually forgot all about Jones and left him out completely at first. I had Leonard going there instead of Jones but when I looked it over again and realized I missed him, I switched it up and put Jones there since I believe he is the BPA and I feel Philly should be drafting BPA. I do see where you are coming from and that is a valid concern. I would just hope that Collins would be able to keep on him and not let him become complacent and coast in games. I agree that Melo would be the ideal pick, but there are just too many teams ahead of the Heat that need size and would take a gamble on him. Boston, Atlanta, Cleveland (if they go small with their 4th pick), Orlando and possibly even Philly. With there only being a handful of bigs I just don't see a scenario where he falls to the Heat. He would be a very nice get for them, though.

When was LeBron? Anybody without an agenda can see he is clearly the #1 guy on this team.

I could see it. As anybody who has read my comments about Rivers know, though, I don't think much of him. Out of the big four shooting guard prospects in this draft (Lamb, Waiters, Rivers and Ross) I have Rivers 4th on my list. The only reason I have him going ahead of Ross in this mock is because I do think his ceiling is higher than Ross' but I do still think Ross ends up being the better player. I could certainly be way off on him becuase a lot of people who know a hell of a lot more about basketball than I do consider him the best of this group of 4, but I just don't think he is going to be anything more than a 6th man in the NBA. Maybe it is my Duke bias or something (although I loved Irving last year), haha.

I agree that the Ewing lottery was rigged. However, the process is completely different now than it was then, so you can't really use the Ewing lottery as proof that since it is a completely different system now than it was then. It is also worth mentioning Ernst & Young's involvment in the process as well. The revenue they make from the NBA is miniscule compared to their other business ventures, so why would they volunteer to attach their name to the lottery if it was rigged? Basically, why would they run the risk of being exposed for fraud when the revenue they make from the NBA is nothing compared to the other companies they are involved with? It makes no sense. Really though, if you want to, you can come up with pretty much a perfectly valid conspiracy theory for almost all the lottery teams. Charlotte - Michael Jordan factor. Cleveland - Lose James, give them Irving and Davis New Orleans - League owned up until recently Sacramento - Ownership turmoil and uncertain future in Sacramento Brooklyn - New market, give them a face for the move to Brooklyn Golden State - Major market, moving to San Francisco in a few years, give them Davis now to make them competitive for the move Houston - Make up for trade veto, Davis replaces Yao in a major market Detroit - Revitalize a sputtering franchise with a rich history Portland - Oden didn't work, so here, have a replacement That is 10 possible picks (counting New Orleans 2 chances) that can easily be spun as a consipracy and those are without putting any thought into it. I'm sure you can just as easily come up with theories for teams like Washington, Toronto and Phoenix as well. The only one I couldn't think of would be Milwaukee.

Will be the second last one I post. The last will come a couple days before the draft after workouts and the like have concluded. Keep in mind this isn't what I think will happen, but what I would do if I was making these picks. Of course, there are some players that I'm off on whether it is because of not seeing them or other factors. Workouts will play a large role in moving and shuffling of the draft, and I mention that for a couple of prospects in particular that are probably ranked too low. Unlike other versions, I have some explainations for the non-lottery picks as well, although they are just brief, few sentences. The lottery picks are more in depth. Anyways, with that said here is version 4 of my mock: 1. New Orleans Hornets: PF Anthony Davis, Kentucky, Freshman The Hornets were the big winners of the lottery, jumping from the fourth spot to the first, which means that they will walk away with the real prize of this draft; Anthony Davis. Davis has been the consensus number one pick for a vast majority of the year. There was a brief debate prior to the start of the college season but once Davis stepped onto the floor as a Kentucky Wildcat, all debate ceased. Davis' defensive ability, freakish length, superb athleticism, high basketball IQ and relentless motor are just too good to pass up. He has the potential to be the best power forward in the league, be a legitimate defensive anchor and a true franchise player. Simply put, he is far and away the best player in this draft. 2. Charlotte Bobcats: SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky, Freshman After having the worst season in NBA history, the light at the end of the tunnel for the Bobcats was supposed to be Anthony Davis. However, the ping pong balls didn't fall in their favour and instead they will be selecting second. After the abysmal season that this year was, the Bobcats need to add some tenacity, toughness and a fiery competitor who wants nothing more than to win. That sums up MKG to a tee. He may not be the guy who you build a team around but he is the kind of player that every championship calibre team needs. He simply does whatever it takes to win. That isn't to say he doesn't have any skill and is a pure hustle player. He is an efficient slasher, tenacious defender and a good rebounder for his size. He has the ability to become a lockdown perimeter defender. The inability to create his own offense and a broken jump shot will likely prevent him from ever becoming a first or second offensive option, but his contributions in all other facets of the game is so valuable that you can overlook his lack of go-to scoring ability. 3. Washington Wizards: SG Bradley Beal, Florida, Freshman There are rumblings that the Wizards were looking to deal this pick for a veteran if they didn't win the lottery and, obviously, they did not do that, so it remains to be seen if they will keep this pick come June 28th. On the bright side, should the Wizards decide to not deal this pick they really didn't lose out from falling from second to third in the lottery. Their main target at two should have been Florida's Beal and they are still in position to draft him here. Beal possess a picturesque jumper that will provide floor spacing that the Wizards desperately need. His knockdown shooting ability will create more driving lanes for John Wall and will also give Nene a reliable shooter to kick the ball out to should defenses decide to double him in the post. Beal can also take ball handling pressure off of Wall, is the best rebounding guard in the draft and has the potential to be an absolute stat stuffer with his ability to block shots and wreak havoc in the passing lanes. 4. Cleveland Cavaliers: C Andre Drummond, Connecticut, Freshman Cleveland grabbed their point guard and franchise player of the future in 2012 Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving with the first overall pick last year. This year, they will look to pair Irving (and fourth overall pick Tristan Thompson) with a running mate for the next decade and Drummond could very well be that guy. Drummond is quite possibly the biggest question mark in this draft. Will he realize his sky-high potential and become the dominating force that many predicted him to be when he was in high school? Or will the enigmatic play during his lone season at Connecticut plague him for the rest of his career? Nobody rally knows the answer to this question and it is for that reason Drummond is such a risk despite his immense physical tools. Regardless, Drummond will, at the very least, be a shot blocking presence in the mold of a DeAndre Jordan, and those types of players will always have a place in the NBA. If he is able to translate his talent and physical tools into production on the court, the Cavs may find themselves with the most dominant point guard/center duo in the league and the foundation of a championship team in place. 5. Sacramento Kings: PF Thomas Robinson, Kansas, Junior The Kings have a bunch of talent on their roster. The problem is that most of this talent overlaps and does not mesh well. Guards Tyreke Evans, Isiah Thomas and Marcus Thornton all need the ball in their hands to be their best. The same can be said for center DeMarcus Cousins. They are all also labelled as immature and need a strong personality to keep them in line. Enter Thomas Robinson. If Robinson is still on the board at five, which is far from certain, the Kings management would be jumping for joy. Other than Davis, there is not a single prospect in this draft that would be a better fit for this team. Robinson would come in and immediately be able to contribute. His tenacious rebounding would give the Kings a formidable duo between him and Cousins. He possess the athleticism to be able to get out in transition with the Kings' guards. He wouldn't give them the shot blocking that they would like beside Cousins, but that is about the only complaint you could have about the fit. Perhaps most importantly of all, he would give them the type of personality that would demand respect and ensure that guys like Cousins and Evans would be 100% focused on the game at all times. He would give them the kind of leadership they desperately need. 6. Portland Trailblazers (from Brooklyn): SG Jeremy Lamb, Connecticut, Sophomore After Brooklyn didn't move into the top three, the Blazers find themselves with this pick after the Gerald Wallace trade at the deadline. They have a variety of different options with this pick as they have needs at PG, SG and C, and possibly SF as well with Nicolas Batum being a restricted free agent. The decision should ultimately come down to Lamb and North Carolina's Harrison Barnes. With Batum likely being given a long-term extension, it makes sense to turn to shooting guard and Lamb. Lamb was the highest scoring wing player in this this draft. He has a silky jumper that is just as effective curling off of screens as it is pulling up off the dribble. He is effective at creating his own offense, although he does have a tendency to settle for mid range jumpers as opposed to getting right to the rim. However, with a jumper as good as his, it is tough to fault him for playing to his strengths. Defensively he can get bodied up and have his lack of strength exploited because of his lanky frame, although he does make effective use of his freakish length by playing passing lanes, contesting shots and closing gaps on defense. 7. Golden State Warriors: SF Harrison Barnes, North Carolina, Sophomore Portland passing on Barnes would be an absolute dream for the Warriors after initiating a full blown tank job in order to prevent the Jazz from receiving this pick. After seeing no team below them jump ahead of them during the lottery, the Warriors breathed a sigh of relief as they will be ensured of keeping this pick. Barnes would step in and be able to contribute immediately to this Warriors team. His shooting ability will fit right in with fellow perimeter marksmen Stephen Curry and Klay Thomspon. It would also provide even more floor spacing for big men David Lee and Andrew Bogut. He isn't adept at creating his own offense, although he does have the ability to run pick and rolls and has a nice escape dribble to create separation to get his jumper off. Defensively he has nice size and fundamentals. His lateral quickness isn't great and he will never be a lock down defender, but he does use his body well to guide the opposition to where he wants them to go. He is a solid rebounder, although he didn't get to show it much playing alongside the stacked UNC bigs. While he may not ever live up to the potential everybody initially believed, Barnes will be a successful pro and would give the Warriors a great boost as they look to make the jump into the playoffs next year. 8. Toronto Raptors: PG Damian Lillard, Weber State, Junior The Raptors biggest need is at the small forward spot, but with them winning a few too many games down the stretch of the regular season, losing the coin toss to the Golden State Warriors and then having no lottery luck, they simply aren't in position to draft a small forward unless somebody completely blows them away during workouts. Despite their need for a small forward, they also have a hole at point guard with Jose Calderon entering the final year of his contract and Jerryd Bayless being a restricted free agent this summer. The team doesn't seem to view Bayless as a long term option at the point anyways. That leaves Weber State's Damian Lillard as the most logical choice, if the team even keeps the pick which is far from certain. Despite playing in the unheralded Big Sky Conference, Lillard was one of the best players in college basketball this season. His PER of 33.8 was the second best in all of college basketball this season, he scored 24.5 points a game which, once again, was second best in college basketball and he had a TS% of 64%. For a team who struggled to score the ball this past year, his scoring and shooting ability would be a welcome addition. However, there are still question marks with Lillard. He didn't show much in terms of playmaking this year. Whether that was due to his team needing him to shoulder the scoring load or because he just doesn't have the instincts remains to be seen. He also played very weak competition in the Big Sky which sparks concerns whether he is truly as good as his numbers suggest or if he was a “big fish in a small pond”. Workouts will be key for Lillard to prove that he didn't just abuse lesser competition, and also to show he is more than a scoring combo guard. 9. Detroit Pistons: PF John Henson, North Carolina, Junior I've had this pick in two out of three of my mocks so far this year, and after hearing that the Pistons will be selecting based on need more than anything, it just reassures my prediction that John Henson will be their pick. His shot blocking and defensive ability compliments Greg Monroe's more offensive oriented game. He was one of the preemptive defensive players in the NCAA this past season. He will need to add muscle to be able to bang down low with opposing big men and there is concern that his thin frame won't be able to hold much muscle. However, he makes up for a lack of strength with excellent length, athleticism and timing. With the Pistons having guys like Monroe, Brandon Knight, Ben Gordon and Rodney Stuckey on the roster already, they need a glue guy defensive player and Henson fits that bill perfectly. That isn't to say he is a lost cause offensively. He does have solid finishing ability, has developed a reliable left hook shot and this past year added a mid range jumper to his arsenal which will help space the offense. His calling card is on the defensive end of the floor, though. 10. New Orleans Hornets (from Minnesota): PG Kendall Marshall, North Carolina, Sophomore After winning the lottery with their own pick, the Hornets are in position to get Davis a point guard to grow and develop with him with the pick they acquired in the Chris Paul trade. There isn't a better option than Kendall Marshall who showed just how valuable his playmaking ability is throughout the college season with the Tar Heels. Not only is Marshall a terrific passer, he has shown the ability to work flawlessly with his bigs in transition and pick and roll scenarios. These are the two areas of Davis' offensive game that are the most developed at this point. Drafting Marshall would help his transition on the offensive end of the floor tremendously. That isn't to say that Davis would be the only one to benefit from playing with Marshall. Everybody from Emeka Okafor to Eric Gordon to Trevor Ariza would benefit. Gordon is really the only player on the roster you can rely on to consistently create his own offense and that is where Marshall becomes so valuable. He simply has the knack for putting his teammates in the best possible situations to succeed and players are more efficient playing with him. His own offense is still a work in progress, although he showed development during the end of his season before fracturing his wrist and elbow, and there are plenty of concerns with his defense, but the guy can run an offense like few others and that alone will be invaluable to the Hornets. 11. Portland Trailblazers: PF/C Jared Sullinger, Ohio State, Sophomore After banking on Jeremy Lamb's upside earlier in the draft, the Blazers would ideally look to find a point guard running mate for him. However, that isn't realistic considering Lillard and Marshall are already off the board. They are very thin at the big man positions as well, and although ideally they would like a legitimate center to pair with LaMarcus Aldridge, there simply isn't one of those worth taking here, so they go with BPA and Jared Sullinger. Sullinger is an efficient low post scorer who uses his low center of gravity and thick frame to establish deep post position. He does struggle at times scoring over length as he is a below the rim player, but his high basketball IQ should be enough to compensate for the lack of lift once he gains experience. He has also added a mid range jumper this year to effectively counter matchups where he simply can't bang down low. He is a very good rebounder as well. Defensively he isn't great as his lack of size makes it easier for taller big men to shoot over the top of him and he doesn't have much in the way of shot blocking ability. He does rotate fairly well, draws some charges and does a nice job of cleaning up the glass. He isn't the ideal compliment to Aldridge defensively, but he does give them a nice high post/low post offensive duo. He is also simply put the best player available at this position and, while may never be a star, he will have carve out a nice career similar to another undersized big man like Paul Millsap. 12. Milwaukee Bucks: SF/PF Perry Jones III, Baylor, Sophomore Everybody knows the story with this talented enigma. He has all the tools you could ask for. Excellent length, explosive athleticism, is oozing natural talent and all that. Put him in an empty gym and you would be hard pressed to find anybody who doesn't see a player with superstar potential. Unfortunately, basketball isn't played in an empty gym and Jones has never really managed to translate all of his athleticism and talent into extended periods of dominance. Sure, he has a game here and a game there where you are completely blown away by the things he can do on the court, but there are even more moments where you completely forget he is on the court. He disappears for games at a time and has been labelled as soft because of it. However, there simply is no denying his talent. Put in the right situation with the right coaching staff and personnel around him and you may end up with the best player of this draft, Anthony Davis included. He is that gifted. Of course, on the flip side he could be out of the league in five years as well. With the Bucks in the position that they are, they simply can't afford to pass up his potential and with a late lottery pick like this, you might as well swing for the fences and hope you hit a home run. 13. Phoenix Suns: SG Dion Waiters, Syracuse, Sophomore The Suns are likely losing Steve Nash this summer and would probably want to replace him. That isn't likely to happen via the draft, though, unless they reach for a point guard here. Instead, look for them to find their shooting guard of the future instead. That leaves them with a handful of options. They can choose between Duke's Austin Rivers, Washington's Terrence Ross or Syracuse's Dion Waiters. I believe Waiters is the best of that group both short term and long term, so he is the pick here. Waiters has the ability to break down defenses at will. He is constantly putting pressure off the bounce and can get to the rim as well as any perimeter player in this draft. If you are looking for looking a penetrating shooting guard to slash and attack the rim, Waiters is exactly that. With the NBA being so perimeter oriented these days, a guy like Waiters will make a living at the free throw line. The rest of his game isn't as refined as his slashing ability. His jumper can be inconsistent, he can be lazy on defense and he may be a tad undersized at the next level. The jumper can be fixed and he does have solid playmaking instincts as well. With a Suns team lacking real shot creating ability and star potential, Waiters is just too tempting to pass up here. 14. Houston Rockets: C Tyler Zeller, North Carolina, Senior Houston is really a mess right now. They've stockpiled assets for the last few years hoping that they could flip those into a star player. They missed out on Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony and seem an unlikely destination for Deron Williams or Dwight Howard. Despite stockpiling assets, they are thin at center so taking Zeller makes sense. Zeller may not have the upside as many of his freshman and sophomore counterparts, but what he does have is a very polished game that makes him able to contribute immediately. He can score around the rim with both hands, is a capable mid range shooter, hits his free throws at a high percentage and has great hands that enable him to catch nearly everything thrown to him. With that said, the best part of his game is without a doubt his ability to run the floor. There isn't a big in this draft that runs the floor better than he does. He won't solve the Rockets treadmill problem, but he will give them a reliable player that will be able to contribute immediately. 15. Philadelphia: PF Terrence Jones, Kentucky, Sophomore Jones is very talented, but suffers from disinterested syndrome. With Philly being a team full of blue collar guys, taking a chance on Jones' talent and hoping Doug Collins can bring out the best in him is probably the best course of action. 16. Houston (from New York): SG Austin Rivers, Duke, Freshman Despite not being as high on Rivers as many other people, he has the ability to create his own offense and many people believe he could become a very good player. Despite not seeing the potential that most do in him, Houston makes sense to roll the dice on his potential given their need for an impact player. 17. Dallas: PG/SG Tony Wroten Jr., Washington, Freshman On talent alone Wroten Jr is probably a top seven pick. However, he has a completely broken jumper, plays out of control and needs to learn to run an offense better. With Jason Kidd ageing and no other point guard option in the system, Dallas takes a chance that playing a year under Kidd will help settle him down. 18. Minnesota (from Utah): SG Terrence Ross, Washington, Sophomore Simply put, Minnesota desperately needs a shooting guard and Ross is the best option available. Really not much else to say about this pick. 19. Orlando: C Meyers Leonard, Illinois, Sophomore With Dwight Howard good as gone, the Magic have a gaping hole they need to fill at center, assuming they don't get one back in a trade. Leonard is no Howard, but he is athletic, a shot blocker and there are some people who think he has untapped potential that the right situation could bring out. 20. Denver: SF Moe Harkless, St. John's, Freshman Denver really doesn't have any pressing needs that can be filled with a 20th overall draft pick. Maybe a big man if they decide not to pay Javale McGee, but really, they should just go BPA here and that is Harkless. He probably won't have much of an impact immediately, but the Nuggets depth enables them to wait on him. 21. Boston: PF/C Arnett Moultrie, Mississippi State, Junior Boston is lacking in size and Moultrie is the best big left on the board here. By the time workouts come around he likely won't be available here as I imagine he will jump up the board, but for now he makes the most sense. If he does actually fall here, he has the potential to be a real steal. 22. Boston (from LA Clippers): C Fab Melo, Syracuse, Sophomore Much like the previous pick, Boston continues to add size and bulk up front by drafting Melo. Melo is a strong defender but will likely need a year or two before being ready to contribute. Conditioning is a big concern with him, but with guys like Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers, that shouldn't be a problem in Detroit. 23. Atlanta: SF/PF Draymond Green, Michigan State, Senior Atlanta really needs depth. Green gives them a versatile player who can play inside, outside and as a point forward. He doesn't solve their issue of simply not being talented enough to contend with a team like Miami, but he does give them another solid piece who does a little bit of everything. 24. Cleveland (from LA Lakers): SF Quincy Miller, Baylor, Freshman Miller has the talent of a top 10 pick, but an underwhelming freshman season and concerns with a torn ACL suffered in high school have drastically hurt his stock. With Cleveland needing a small forward and another outside shooter, he fits very well with them. Should he regain the form that made him a top recruit coming out of high school, this would be the steal of the draft. 25. Memphis: PG Marquis Teague, Kentucky, Freshman Memphis needs a point guard to backup Mike Conley as he was forced to play major minutes down the stretch and ended up wearing down in the playoffs. Teague gives them that. Ideally you would want a more reliable backup point, but Teague calmed down a lot towards the end of the season and is likely the BPA here as well. 26. Indiana: SF/PF Royce White, Iowa State, Sophomore Indiana really doesn't have any pressing needs here. They would probably like to add a star point, but that would be via free agency. White is very talented, but anxiety issues and tweener status hold him back. At 26 and with Indiana's depth, he is too good to pass up here. 27. Miami: C Festus Ezeli, Vanderbilt, Senior Miami needs size and Ezeli is the best option left. Not much else to it. 28. Oklahoma City: SF Jeff Taylor, Vanderbilt, Senior Taylor gives the Thunder another athletic shooter who is a strong defender. They don't really have any other real pressing concerns, maybe a depth big but there simply aren't any of those left. 29. Chicago: SG Doron Lamb, Kentucky, Sophomore With Derrick Rose likely out for the year, the Bulls would probably want somebody more than just a catch and shoot player, and Lamb can handle the ball a bit in addition to his strong jumper, giving him the edge over somebody like John Jenkins. 30. Golden State (from San Antonio): SG Evan Fournier, International Much like Moultrie earlier, Fournier will not likely be here after workouts as he is very talented, has nice size and is still only 19 years old. Look for a contender to draft and stash him, but should he fall this far, he is simply too talented to pass up for Golden State.

It isn't private. There are at least 20 people in the room including GM's, journalists and auditors. For instance, Raptors beat writer Doug Smith was representing the Raptors in the drawing last year. The Raptors fell from 3rd to 5th and saw Cleveland jump from 8th to 1st. If the lottery was rigged, why would he keep quiet about that? He also came out and said it would be impossible for the league to rig the lottery as long as they continue to run it that way. But there really is no point in arguing if you are going to take that stance, though. If you don't see it, it is rigged. Fair enough.

Do you know how the lottery is run? There are representatives from all 14 teams in the room as well as an independent auditor watching them run the lottery. If the NBA were to rig the lottery for the Hornets, all other 13 people in the room would have to be in on the fix. I fully admit to believing in the conspiracy about how the lottery is rigged, but looking at it rationally, there really is no way that the league would be able to get away with it based on how the lottery is run.

Some more info from that same interview: Who really knows, though. Maybe it is all a BC smokescreen. I highly doubt it given his job status is up in the air next year, comments from Casey about wanting vets and now all this, but I guess it is a possibility. If I had to give it a percent, I'd say it is 80% they trade it and 20% they keep it.

If they get Gordon back, do they have the brightest future in the league? You can't overlook OKC but in terms of non playoff teams, I think they would have easily the brightest.

I said it before, but I'd be very surprised if they aren't trading this pick. All the talking heads (Devlin, E. Smith, D. Smith, Jones, Wolstat etc...) talked about how they think the pick will be dealt if they didn't move up tonight. As if that wasn't enough, Colangelo said this after the lottery: But then followed it with this: Question is who do they target? They are clearly dead-set on finding a small forward and a point guard, and I imagine the point guard will be filled via free agency, so that likely leaves the SF spot. EDIT: And this, as well: That could mean they would look to stash a 2nd rounder overseas or look to combine them with their first to move up, but still worth mentioning.

They are set for the future regardless as far as I am concerned. I really don't see a scenario where they don't end up with one of Marshall or Lillard. Either way, they are coming out golden. I just threw Marshall's name out there instead of Lillard's because I think his playmaking would be a better fit for guys like Davis, Gordon, Ariza and Okafor. Either way they come out looking absolutely fantastic, assuming they re-sign Gordon.