Grinder's Official Mock Draft
 

Now that the lottery is out and we have a clear picture of who's drafting where, I'm going to post my updated mocks up until the actual draft in this thread.
1.Clippers – Blake Griffin
2.Grizzlies – Hasheem Thabeet
3.Thunder –Ricky Rubio
4.Kings – Tyreke Evans
5.Wolves – James Harden
6.Wolves – Stephen Curry
7.Warriors – Jordan Hill
8.Knicks – Jonny Flynn
9.Raptors – DeMar DeRozan
10.Bucks – Jrue Holiday
11.Nets – James Johnson
12.Bobcats – Terrence Williams
13.Pacers – Brandon Jennings
14.Suns – Earl Clark
15.Pistons – BJ Mullens
16.Bulls – DeJuan Blair
17.Sixers – Ty Lawson
18.Wolves – Austin Daye
19.Hawks – Tyler Hansbrough
20.Jazz – Gerald Henderson
21.Hornets – Jeff Teague
22.Blazers – Omri Casspi
23.Kings – Chase Budinger
24.Mavericks – Eric Maynor
25.Thunder – Sam Young
26.Bulls – Darren Collison
27.Grizzlies – Taj Gibson
28.Wolves – Jonas Jerebko
29.Knicks – Toney Douglas
30.Cavaliers – Derrick Brown

Just for fun, I took a stab at the second round:
31.Kings –Nick Calathes
32.Wizards – DeMaree Carroll
33.Blazers – Victor Claver
34.Nuggets – DaJuan Summers
35.Pistons – Jack McClinton
36.Grizzlies – Marcus Thornton
37.Spurs - Sergio Llull
38.Blazers – Patrick Mills
39.Pistons – Jermaine Taylor
40.Bobcats – Wayne Ellington
41.Bucks – Jeff Pendergraph
42.Lakers – Patrick Beverley
43.Heat – Josh Heytvelt
44.Pistons – Ahmad Nivins
45.Wolves – Henk Norel
46.Suns – Sergey Gladyr
47.Wolves – Garrett Siler
48.Suns – Rodrigue Beaubois
49.Hawks – Dante Cunningham
50.Jazz – Jon Brockman
51.Spurs – Dionte Christmas
52.Pacers – Nando De Colo
53.Spurs – Christian Eyenga
54.Bobcats – Joe Ingles
55.Blazers – Leo Lyons
56.Mavericks – AJ Price
57.Suns – Jodie Meeks
58.Celtics – Paul Harris
59.Lakers – Micah Downs
60.Heat – Alade Aminu

Re: Grinder's Official Mock Draft
 

1-3 obvious, but after that everything is foggy...

for example, why wouldn't Wizard take Jordan Hill if he is available? Their PG, SG, SF positions are solid and you now have a chance to add a big who has decent post moves and not just take jump shots.

Re: Grinder's Official Mock Draft
 

I like Hansbrough for the Blazers. We need a hard nosed hustle guy.

Re: Grinder's Official Mock Draft
 

I'd take Harden and play:

Arenas
Harden
Butler
Jamison
Haywood

Re: Grinder's Official Mock Draft
 

Mavs need to draft an athletic player. Please no more europeans just because we found Dirk.

Re: Grinder's Official Mock Draft
 

pretty decent but i do not seeing blair goin so early, hill being picked over harden, wiz need an upgrade over haywood, dont see hans goin so early and how is chase budinger dropin to 26 lol

Re: Grinder's Official Mock Draft
 

Version 1.0


Working on 2.0 right now and will put it in the first post.

Re: Grinder's Official Mock Draft
 

Hill is not a center, plus the Wiz have Jamison, Blatche, McGee, Haywood, Songalia, Pecherov and E.Thomas all upfront. They need an upgrade to pair with Arenas such as Harden, except it sounds like OKC is taking Harden.

Re: Grinder's Official Mock Draft
 

2.0 completed.


1. Clippers - Blake Griffin (Oklahoma; PF)
We all know who the consensus number one pick is here and no explanation is necessary. Moving Zach Randolph and creating playing time for Blake Griffin will be the biggest issue.

2. Grizzlies - Hasheem Thabeet (Connecticut; C)
It's looking more and more like Rubio won't come over if drafted by the Grizzlies and their owner is very high on Hasheem Thabeet, it looks like they'll pick him and hope he turns out to be the defensive presence he's capable of being.

3. Thunder -James Harden (Arizona State; SG)
He'd be an excellent fit next to Russell Westbrook. He can relieve Westbrook of a lot of his playmaking duties and provide an excellent scoring punch next to Kevin Durant.

4. Kings - Ricky Rubio (DKV Joventut; PG)
The Kings prayers have been answered with Rubio dropping down to them and providing a much needed talent at the point. Rubio, Martin, Thompson, and Hawes is an excellent core to build around.

5. Wizards - Jordan Hill (Arizona; PF)
Hill provides some much needed toughness and gives the Wizards a young front line for the future off the bench with Hill, Blatche, and McGee. Their front court is loaded and I'm expecting the Wiz to trade this pick, so Hill will probably end up somewhere else.

6. Timberwolves - Demar Derozan (Southern California; SG/SF)
An explosive wing with elite athleticism who really shined towards the end of the season. His talent is too much to pass up and with the amount of quality point guards in this draft, they can pick one up with their lower picks.

7. Warriors - Brandon Jennings (Lottomatica Roma; PG)
Jennings will be at his best in Nellie's system and will be the perfect back court mate to Monta Ellis. Ellis, Jennings, Randolph, and Biedrins is an excellent core to build around.

8. Knicks - Stephen Curry (Davidson; PG/SG)
Curry is the ideal fit for D'Antoni's system and will probably be the leading rookie scorer should the Knicks draft him. The run 'n gun style will highlight his strengths and mask his weaknesses. Curry is a good ball hawk and will be able to gamble the passing lanes under D'Antoni as well.

9. Raptors - Tyreke Evans (Memphis; PG/SG)
The Raptors need help on the wings badly and with Marion and Parker likely to walk, they'll be in dire need of someone in those two positions. Evans will pick up a lot of the scoring slack left behind by one of these guys and will contribute right away. He could be the guy that will help keep Bosh in Toronto as well as being able to spot minutes for Calderon at the one when necessary.

10. Bucks - Dejaun Blair (Pittsburgh; PF)
I expect the Bucks to let Villanueva walk and use their money to resign Sessions. Blair is a beast down on the boards, is extremely explosive and strong and will contribute right away. Blair is a Scott Skiles type of player and a front court of Jefferson, Blair, and Bogut looks promising.

11. Nets - Earl Clark (Louisville; SF/PF)
The Nets need help at the 3 and 4 and Clark can play both positions. He's athletic and can come in and score in bunches off the bench. He'll be a nice fit in New Jersey and should work his way into the rotation quickly.

12. Bobcats - Gerald Henderson (Duke; SG)
Henderson seems like a perfect fit for Larry Brown and the Bobcats and I can't envision Larry Brown letting Henderson fall past 12. He's athletic, can create his own shot, defend, and is an excellent team player. It doesn't hurt that he plays a position where they have absolutely no depth at behind Raja Bell.

13. Pacers - Jrue Holiday (UCLA; PG/SG)
Jarrett Jack probably won't stay with Indiana leaving them with Travis Diener as their backup point guard for the injury-prone TJ Ford and I don't think anyone in Indy wants to see Diener running their team. Jrue Holiday will be a good fit in O'Brien's system with his blazing speed in the open court and playmaking ability. He'll get minutes right away and should eventually take over the reigns of the team in a few years.

14. Suns - Jonny Flynn (Syracuse; PG)
I see the Suns ultimately picking Flynn as Steve Nash's successor in Phoenix. Flynn is a good athlete, good distributor, defender, and not a bad shooter and is certainly a better backup than Goran Dragic.

15. Pistons - Austin Daye (Gonzaga; SF)
Long and talented, Daye provides as much upside as anyone left in the draft. He'll be able to learn behind Prince and Hamilton and once he puts enough weight on his frame and improves his handles, he may turn into another Kevin Durant or a lethal face up 4.

16. Bulls - Terrence Williams (Louisville; SG/SF)
Williams is one of the enigmas of the draft with his athleticism and streaky scoring ability, but he'll be able to contribute backing up Gordon and Deng.

17. 76ers - Eric Maynor (Virginia Commonwealth; PG)
Maynor is a pure point guard with solid scoring ability and good defense. He could end up with the starting spot right away should Andre Miller walk. Lou Williams is not a point guard.

18. Timberwolves - Tywon Lawson (North Carolina; PG)
He's insanely fast, is a good perimeter shooter, and is better than Telfair, more of a point guard than Foye, so apart from his injuries, what's not to like?

19. Hawks -Jeff Teague (Wake Forest; PG)
Teague will provide some badly needed scoring off the bench for the Hawks as well as proving to be a good backup to Bibby, since the Acie Law experiment didn't work out too well.

20. Jazz - Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina; PF)
Almost seems like destiny, doesn't it? Tyer's the Jerry Sloan kind of player, plays his heart out every play and has a nose for the ball. Should Millsap or Boozer walk, this is the pick.

21. Hornets - Darren Collison (UCLA; PG)
Chris Paul badly needs a backup and Daniels isn't getting it done, Collison's blazing speed and experience at the college level should help out the Hornets.

22. Mavericks - BJ Mullens (Ohio State; C)You can't teach height and a seven footer with this kind of athleticism won't drop past the Mavs.

23. Kings - James Johnson (Wake Forest; SF/PF)
A talented and athletic combo forward, Johnson provides scoring off the bench and could even start at the 3 in a few years.

24. Trailblazers - Gani Lawal (Georgia Tech; PF)
The most talented power forward in this draft after Blake Griffin may not be ready to contribute just yet, but give him a year or two and Pritchard will look like a genius again. Lawal will probably bump Frye out of the rotation.

25. Thunder - Chase Budinger (Arizona; SG/SF)An athletic sharpshooter with ideal height for a wing, Budinger will provide some scoring and outside shooting to a very talented Thunder team. I wouldn't be suprised to see Sam Presti go international here with Casspi as well.

26. Bulls - Patrick Mills (St. Mary's; PG)
The steal of the draft and second coming of Tony Parker, Mills will serve as Derrick Rose's backup while also being able to play alongside him. I don't think the Bulls will be able to keep both Hinrich and Gordon, so they'll probably explore trade options for Hinrich and resign Gordon.

27. Grizzlies - Wayne Ellington (North Carolina; SG)
The best pure shooter in this draft after Curry and not a bad athlete. He'll be able to come off the bench backing up Mayo and help to spread the floor.

28. Timberwolves - Omri Casspi (SF; Maccabi Tel Aviv)
I don't think the Wolves will want to sign three first round contracts, so they'll probably draft the talented Casspi and keep him in Israel for another year and decide from there.

29. Lakers - Toney Dougles (Florida State; PG/SG)
An undersized combo guard that should provide instant scoring off the bench and a possible solution to their backup point guard situation; should the Lakers keep this pick.

30. Cavaliers - Sam Young (Pittsburgh; SF)
He's NBA ready and mature enough to get minutes right off the bat. He'll become Lebron's primary backup with Sczcerbiak not likely to be resigned.

Re: Grinder's Official Mock Draft
 

Final Update.