2010 NBA Mock Draft Lottery: Cousins Slips a Bit, and Yes, We Still Have Gordon Hayward in the Top 10
By Jason McIntyre
1. Washington Wizards – John Wall, G, Kentucky. If you can find anyone with a logical argument against Wall, we’d love to hear it. Here’s a good read about the possibility of Arenas and Wall co-existing. We disagree. Looking at Gilbert’s assist numbers doesn’t tell the story. He’s a guy who needs the ball in his hands to dominate. In his best years, when Washington was going to the playoffs and Arenas was an elite player, he was taking 19-20 shots per game and getting to the line 8-10 times a game. He won’t get that at SG. Can a guy coming off a couple injuries and a major suspension (and trying to prove something) handle that? The guess here is no.
2. Philadelphia 76ers – Evan Turner, G/F, Ohio State. Yeah, we’ve read the argument that he’s not a good enough shooter, and that drafting Turner essentially leaves the 76ers with two hybrids (Iggy), neither of which can stretch the defense. Poppycock. Passing on Turner for another kid who is 2-3 years away (Favors) would be a mistake.
3. New Jersey Nets – Derrick Favors, PF, Georgia Tech. Who do you want next to Brook Lopez? The guess here is that the Nets, who already swung and missed with a 1st rounder with attitude problems (Sean Williams), pass on DeMarcus Cousins. (For the 27th time, we’d take Cousins over Favors.)
4. Minnesota Timberwolves – Wesley Johnson, G/F, Syracuse. Too many cooks in the frontcourt. The need is for a SF or SG, and Johnson’s a better shooter than Wake’s Aminu. But the way David Kahn drafts, he’ll take the best PF (or PG) available.
5. Sacramento Kings – Al Farouq Aminu, F, Wake Forest. If we love Cousins so much, why don’t we have him going to a team that desperately needs help up front? Because Aminu could play Pippen to Tyreke’s Jordan (no, we don’t think … ah, no need to explain it). Does Aminu turn out to be more like Charlie Villenueva (great athlete, doesn’t have a position and plays neither SF or PF very good) or Lamar Odom (great athlete, doesn’t have a position but it doesn’t matter)?
6. Golden State Warriors – Greg Monroe, F, Georgetown. Finally, Don Nelson gets his PF. He’s buried his last two bigs on the bench (Wright and Randolph; the latter has proven he can play, but at what position?) and Monroe starts from day one alongside Biedrins. The Warriors would be wise to part with Monta Ellis and Corey Maggette and try Randolph at SF. (Why no DeMarcus Cousins here? We can’t tell if the Warriors “source” here calling him “Benoit Benjamin” is being truthful or putting up a smokescreen so he falls to Golden State.)
7. Detroit Pistons – DeMarcus Cousins, PF/C Kentucky. He’ll be better than Darko, who Dumars foolishly drafted in 2nd in 2003 ahead of Carmelo, Bosh and Wade. Cousins should have an immediate impact in Detroit (which was the 5th worst rebounding team in the league) as long as he keeps his weight and attitude under control.
8. Los Angeles Clippers – Gordon Hayward, F, Butler. First real “best on board” pick because they’re set up front (Kaman, Griffin) and in the backcourt (Davis, Gordon) and there doesn’t appear to be a SF ready to jump in and start. Back on May 10 we had Hayward going to the Clippers. Now Chad Ford has the same thing. Hayward’s a smart player, will be a fan favorite, and there will be no pressure with all the talent around him.
9. Utah Jazz – Ed Davis, F, North Carolina. Out with a Duke F (Boozer) and in a UNC one. Doesn’t have the offense yet, but he’ll help them defensively and on the glass. They could have used Davis against the Lakers, seeing as how outclassed Boozer looked. Will Jerry Sloan like Udoh more? He seems like a better athlete than Davis.
10. Indiana Pacers – Ekpe Udoh, PF, Baylor. Jim O’Brien will want an immediate impact player, but as we stated earlier, this team is one year away from nuking the roster. Love Udoh. Once Troy Murphy departs, Udoh should slide in and start next to Hibbert to form a long, defensive-minded frontline. We have some reservations about a PF here because Bird love Hansbrough (last year’s No. 1), but Avery Bradley or Eric Bledsoe seem like a bit of a reach here.
11. New Orleans Hornets – Paul George, SF, Fresno. Sort of an out-of-nowhere pick, but from what we read he performed well in Chicago and might be a steal especially for a team needed a SF. We’ve been enamored with Xavier Henry of Kansas, but he’s looking more and more like a shooting guard than a SF.
12. Memphis Grizzlies – Eric Bledsoe, PG, Kentucky. High risk, high reward pick is right up Chris Wallace’s alley. Don’t love him, but apparently his upside is off-the-charts. Memphis could go SF or PF with Gay and Randolph perhaps leaving via free agency and incarceration, respectively. But what if Gay re-signs and Randolph’s issues are no biggie? Then you draft Bledsoe, which basically tells Mike Conley, enjoy your final year, you’re not coming back. Conley’s been a major disappointment. Had high hopes for him out of OSU.
13. Toronto Raptors – Cole Aldrich, C, Kansas. Was supposed to be a Top 10 pick, but didn’t have a tremendous season and basically, he got passed by Favors and Cousins, and we think Udoh has more long-term value. Aldrich is no Chris Kaman, but he’ll play defense and rebound and hopefully, they can find a scorer to replace Bosh.
14. Houston Rockets – Daniel Orton, C, Kentucky. For when Yao leaves, which might be soon. As valuable as he is to the community, Yao’s only played more than 58 games in a season once in the last five years (and missed all of last season). He turns 30 in September, and who knows how long that 7-6, 310-pound body will hold up?