KDuffy15's 2007 NBA Mock Draft
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by user KDuffy15
1. Portland- Greg Oden C Ohio State The Blazers next big decision will be what to do with Zach Randolph.
2. Seattle- Kevin Durant SF Texas Seattle shouldn’t be discouraged with Durant’s poor combine showing. His length and skill set make him second-best player available only to Oden.
3. Atlanta- Al Horford PF Florida The Hawks should take this stud out of Florida and take the best PG available (Javaris Crittenton, Acie Law, or even Mike Conley is he drops that far) with the #11 pick.
4. Memphis- Mike Conley PG Ohio State It’s not everyday you can get a franchise PG, and Memphis should take advantage of this opportunity. A great PG takes a good team and makes them great, or in this case, takes a horrible team and makes them average.
5. Boston- Jeff Green SF Georgetown This pick may not be for the Celtics. If they plan on making a trade to acquire Kevin Garnett, Green would be a much more intriguing piece to that deal than say…Yi Jianlian. If Green does end up in a Celts uniform, his versatility and unselfishness will complement scorers like Paul Pierce and Gerald Green very well. .
6. Milwaukee- Brandan Wright PF North Carolina Given injury bug that has been biting the hell out of Milwaukee’s frontcourt, taking Wright is almost a no-brainer. He has tremendous upside and would be a force alongside Andrew Bogut and Charlie Villanueva.
7. Minnesota- Al Thornton F Florida State Thornton has impressed in workouts and was a dominant player in college, but didn’t receive a lot of recognition because his team wasn’t a national power. If Minnesota ends up trading KG to Boston for Al Jefferson and the 5th pick, they will have a great young nucleus of Randy Foye, Jeff Green, Thornton, and Jefferson to build around.
8. Charlotte- Corey Brewer G/F Florida Gerald Wallace may opt out of his cotract, so this pick is insurance in case he does. Brewer is a terrific defender and even if Wallace stays, he would share time with Matt Carroll and Adam Morrison at shooting guard.
9. Chicago- Yi Jianlian F China The Bulls are said to love Yi and Joakim Noah, and it’s surprising that both would be available here. In the end, the upside of Yi will be too much to pass up.
10. Sacramento- Joakim Noah F/C Florida The Kings are about to start a massive rebuilding project. Ron Artest and Mike Bibby are on the block, and if Artest is going to be traded, Julian Wright may be the pick. Noah’s energy and enthusiasm is needed to revive this a franchise that has fallen off after a decade of being basketball’s most exciting team.
11. Atlanta- Javaris Crittenton PG Georgia Tech Crittenton may not be NBA-ready right now, but he has the best potential of any guard in this draft (including Mike Conley).
12. Philadelphia- Spencer Hawes C Washington Samuel Dalembert is a great defender but doesn’t give the Sixers the offense that Hawes will. The two should be able to co-exist in the Philadelphia frontcourt.
13. New Orleans- Thaddeus Young SG Georgia Tech Young has as much potential as anyone in this draft. He stands 6’8’’, is a dynamic athlete, and can shoot from outside. He is an absolute steal for New Orleans here and will help make them a perennial playoff team over the next decade.
14. LA Clippers- Acie Law PG Texas A+M Law is ready to step in and start right away- and after looking at Shaun Livingston’s latest MRI- he’ll have to.
15. Detroit- Julian Wright F Kansas Wright’s stock is dropping fast, but Detroit won’t let him slide any further. Wright’s wingspan makes Tayshaun Prince look stubby, and when the two team together, opponents will have a hellacious time trying to get to the rim. This pick could be enough to keep Chauncey Billups in town.
16. Washington- Nick Young SG USC Young is a scrappy player who will likely replace disappointing SG DeShawn Stevenson.
17. New Jersey- Jason Smith PF Colorado State Smith will give the Nets some semblance of an inside scoring game, something they’ve been lacking ever since Kenyon Martin left.
18. Golden State- Derrick Byers SG Vanderbilt Golden State needs some interior help, but no big man is worth taking here. Byers gives the team more offense and athleticism and also could enable them to trade the selfish and erratic Stephen Jackson.
19. LA Lakers- Rodney Stuckey G Eastern Washington Stuckey is a tremendous scorer who can play either guard position. He would help take a lot of the scoring load off of Kobe Bryant should Bryant remain a Laker.
20. Miami- Nick Young SG USC Young isn’t expected to be available at this point, but if he is, Miami will jump on him. Young is a scrappy player who will instantly energize an aging team.
21. Philadelphia- Tiago Splitter PF Brazil Splitter is a terrific shot-blocker and rebounder, but needs to develop his offensive skills. He will team with Spencer Hawes and Samuel Dalembert to give Philly a formidable front line.
22. Charlotte- Josh McRoberts PF Duke As good as Emeka Okafor and Sean May are, McRoberts is longer and brings with him a finesse offensive game to compliment Charlotte’s muscle inside.
23. New York- Daequan Cook SG Ohio State Cook is very high on the Knicks’ draft board. He is more ready for the NBA than his age and freshman stats might imply.
24. Phoenix- Marco Belinelli SG Italy Belinelli can light it up from outside and will be a stellar addition to a team run by a bunch of Italians. If not, the Suns could very well trade their two picks to move up into the late lottery.
25. Utah- Gabe Pruitt PG/SG USC Utah is said to love Pruitt’s speed and athleticism. He would be a great complement to Deron Williams in the Utah backcourt.
26. Houston- Ali Traore PF France Traore is quickly rising up the draft boards after a strong showing at the pre-draft camp. At 6’9’’ 240, he will bring strength and athleticism to compliment Yao in the frontcourt.
27. Detroit- Taurean Green PG Florida Green will provide the Pistons with some insurance in case Billups bolts as a free agent.
28. San Antonio- Reyshawn Terry SF North Carolina Terry is a tremendous role player with very few weaknesses. He is regarded as a lockdown defender on the perimeter and will serve as Bruce Bowen’s understudy for the next few years. This pick could be the steal of the draft.
29. Phoenix- Sean Williams C Boston College They’ll be tempted to add speedy Oregon PG Aaron Brooks, but will pass on him because his name suggests he may be a very bad passer. Williams gives them some more depth and shot-blocking up front.
30. Philadelphia- Aaron Brooks PG Oregon After drafting two white players, there is no way Philly can take Rudy Fernandez (arguably the best player available.) Brooks, a cat-quick African-American guard, has to be the pick.
Second Round
31. Seattle- Ramon Sessions PG Nevada Sessions is a good value here and could end up starting as a rookie.
32. Boston- Marc Gasol C Spain The Celts will need a big man regardless of whether they keep the 5th pick or include it in a trade for Kevin Garnett or Shawn Marion.
33. San Antonio- Marcus Williams G/F Arizona Williams is a big guard who can handle the ball and play some point when Tony Parker is making out with Eva on the sidelines.
34. Dallas- Morris Almond SG Rice Almond should come in and get minutes right away. Eventually he will take over Jerry Stackhouse’s role.
35. Seattle- Dominic McGuire SF Fresno State The pick of this super-athletic wing will team with Durant and officially put Rashard Lewis on the sign-and-trade block.
36. Golden State- Demetris Nichols G/F Syracuse Yes, they already took Derrick Byers, but Don Nelson collects long-armed three-point gunners like Jon Gruden collects crappy quarterbacks. Nichols is a perfect fit, and could get play a big role for the Warriors if Matt Barnes and Mikael Pietrus bolt during free agency.
37. Portland- Alando Tucker SF Wisconsin The Blazers are apparently high on DePaul’s Wilson Chandler (I am also), but Tucker is ready to contribute right away and will help them turnaround the state of the franchise quickly. Well…Tucker and Greg Oden.
38. Philadelphia- Aaron Afflalo SG UCLA Afflalo is an easy pick here. Philly has already taken a center (Hawes), a power forward (Splitter), and a point guard (Brooks), so drafting a shooting guard makes perfect sense because they are set at small forward with Andre Iguodala and Rodney Carney.
39. Miami- Jared Dudley SF Boston College The Heat would like to add a point guard here, but there aren’t any worth taking this high. Dudley (and 1st round pick Nick Young) will be tremendous role players alongside DWade and Shaq as Miami prepares to reclaim the Larry O’Brien trophy.
40. LA Lakers- Carl Landry PF Purdue Landry dominated the Big Ten and is a great value here. Should LA decide not to re-sign Luke Walton, Landry will be able to give them some minutes and production inside.
41. Minnesota- Zoran Erceg PF Croatia Erceg is a classic European big man…he can shoot the lights out but is a bitch inside. His sissiness will complement the muscularity of Craig Smith and potential T’Wolve Al Jefferson.
42. Portland- Marko Tomas SG Croatia Portland is all about the youth movement, but between last year and this year’s draft, they’ll have added eight new players to the roster. Tomas is a talent that they can keep overseas for a little while (like Joel Freeland last year) and bring over when they are needed.
43. New Orleans- Wilson Chandler SF DePaul Chandler is a big-time athlete with a good outside shooting stroke. He is a first-round talent but work ethic issues push him down to the middle of the second round.
44. Orlando- Russell Carter SG Notre Dame Steal of the draft. Carter is Corey Maggette with a better jumpshot. He would be a great fit alongside Jameer Nelson, Dwight Howard, and (ahem) Vince Carter. Congrats, Billy Donovan…not bad for your first draft.
45. LA Clippers- Kyle Visser C Wake Forest Visser is considered a fringe first-rounder and the Clips would be ecstatic to see him on the board here. He’ll give them some more depth behind Elton Brand and Chris Kaman.
46. Golden State- Stephane Lasme PF UMass Lasme is a long-armed shot blocker that will give them the same presence that Andris Biendris does without being so awkward.
47. Washington- Petteri Koponen PG Finland Kopenen is a tall, lean PG who can shoot. He’ll give the Wiz some options should Gilbert Arenas’ knee problems linger.
48. LA Lakers- Ron Lewis SG Ohio State Lewis might be a little undersized, but he is a legit scorer. LA will continue to add weapons to help keep Kobe in town.
49. Chicago- Aaron Gray C Pittsburgh Gray is falling fast, but will be a perfect fit in Chicago. He will give the Bulls some semblance of a low post scorer.
50. Dallas- Milovan Rakovic F/C Serbia Rakovic isn’t your typical Serbian big man. He is 6’10’’ 265 and is extremely physical inside. He’ll fit well around all of the Mavs finesse players.
51. Chicago- DJ Strawberry SG Maryland Strawberry is a terrific athlete and defender who may have trouble finding minutes on Chicago’s current squad, but should the Bulls trade away Luol Deng and Ben Gordon for Kevin Garnett, he could get some minutes as a back-up.
52. Portland- Mustafa Shakur PG Arizona Shakur will add some depth to a relatively weak Trailblazer backcourt.
53. Portland- Kyrylo Fesenko F/C Ukraine The Blazers have a lot of picks and can afford to bolster depth down low behind Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge. Fesenko will likely wait a few years (as will last year’s #30 pick Joel Freeland) before joining the roster.
54. Orlando- Herbert Hill PF Providence Hill is a good athlete who blossomed in his late college years. He’s a good value at 54.
55. Utah- Stanko Barac C Bosnia Its only fitting the Jazz would take the best Bosnian available.
56. Milwaukee- Bobby Brown PG Cal State-Fullerton Brown is expected to go higher and would provide some insurance should Mo Williams leave as a free agent.
57. Detroit- Glen Davis PF LSU This pick is purely for one reason…they need some big bodies to defend Shaq in the playoffs if they are going to make it back to the NBA Finals.
58. San Antonio- Nick Fazekas PF Nevada Fazekas was a tremendous college player who has the face-up game and feel for the game to contribute off the bench as a Spur.
59. Phoenix- Jared Jordan PG Marist There’s no better player for Jordan, the two-time NCAA assist leader, to learn under than Steve Nash.
60. Dallas- Chris Richard PF Florida This year’s last pick is hardly Mr. Irrelevant. Richard is used to coming off the bench, and will give the Mavs a bruiser inside.
