Mock Draft: Gregg Doyel
Most mock drafts, they're going to tell you how the 2006 NBA Draft might go. Me? I'll tell you how it should go.
How should it go? Like this, of course:
Updated May 24, 2006
| Doyel's Mock Draft |
| 1. Toronto Raptors | ||
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LaMarcus Aldridge, C/PF, Texas: In the same category as the Raptors' Chris Bosh, and Bosh is averaging almost 22-and-10 in his third year in the league. OK, maybe this isn't a fair comparison. Aldridge is, after all, two inches taller. | |
| 2. Chicago Bulls | ||
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Tyrus Thomas, PF, LSU: People compare him to Stromile Swift, presumably because both played for LSU. Get real, people. Swift is a pacer horse. Thomas is a thoroughbred. When T-Rex develops his perimeter game -- a little, not much -- he'll be unstoppable. | |
| 3. Charlotte Bobcats | ||
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Adam Morrison, SF, Gonzaga: Great scorer, can't defend, doesn't rebound ... he's perfect for the NBA. If Wally Szczerbiak can average 15.6 ppg in seven NBA seasons, what can Morrison do? He can do a lot better, that's what. | |
| 4. Portland Trail Blazers | ||
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Brandon Roy, SG, Washington: Huskies coach Lorenzo Romar insists the unselfish Roy, once he's surrounded by players better than himself, will take his game to another level. Expect Roy to make a big impact as a rookie, though he might never be an All-Star. | |
| 5. Atlanta Hawks | ||
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Marcus Williams, PG, UConn: Scouts aren't sure. Me? I love this guy. Don't let him near my laptop -- sorry, I'm a cretin -- but if Deron Williams can average 10.8 points and 4.5 assists as a rookie, Marcus Williams can become a star in this league. | |
| 6. Minnesota Timberwolves | ||
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Rudy Gay, SF, UConn: A great but indifferent athlete, Gay could be the best player to come out of this draft. Or he could be a cruel waste of potential who becomes the most talented seventh man in NBA history. | |
| 7. Boston Celtics | ||
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Maurice Ager, SG, Michigan State: The prototypical NBA shooting guard, I couldn't tell you why his draft stock isn't higher. He's a great athlete, above-average shooter and solidly built. Oh, I get it: He's a college senior. Obviously something's wrong with him. Stupid freaking NBA ... | |
| 8. Houston Rockets | ||
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J.J. Redick, SG, Duke: The best shooter to enter the NBA draft since Reggie Miller in 1987 or Chris Mullin in 1985. Those guys weren't all that quick, either, but they scored more than 43,000 points between them. Redick will be fine. | |
| 9. Golden State | ||
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Shelden Williams, PF, Duke: His strength and effort level can't entirely mask his lack of size and offense against the bigger power forwards he'll face. Understand, this is not Elton Brand. This is more like Ike Diogu. Not bad. But not great either. | |
| 10. Seattle SuperSonics | ||
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Andrea Bargnani, PF, Italy: He gets compared to Dirk Nowitzki. I'm calling bull crud. A Dirk Nowitzki doesn't come along very often, and just because this guy is 7-feet and foreign doesn't make him Nowitzki. It might, however, make him Darko Milicic. | |
| 11. Orlando Magic | ||
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Randy Foye, SG, Villanova: He's clearly one of the best guards in the draft, which tells you how thin the draft is for guards. Foye's good, but he's not ready to be an NBA point guard, and he's not big enough to defend most NBA shooting guards. | |
| 12. New Orleans Hornets | ||
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Hilton Armstrong, PF, UConn: For a guy with such size, he's got all sorts of explosion, agility and even ballhandling skills. Sounds like Kevin Garnett, no? Well ... no. But he's pretty good. Could be a 12-and-8 pro some day. | |
| 13. Philadelphia 76ers | ||
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Aaron Gray, C, Pittsburgh: Patrick O'Bryant ate him up in the NCAA Tournament, an outcome that still shocks me. Was that a fluke? Not sure, but I'm going out on a limb and saying Gray will be a better pro. But neither will be all that good. | |
| 14. Utah Jazz | ||
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Shannon Brown, SG, Michigan State: Guards come in all shapes and sizes ... and Brown's shape-size wins. He's not the tallest wing in the world, but he's so strong and thick, yet quick and explosive. With Deron Williams, Utah has one physical backcourt. | |
| 15. New Orleans Hornets | ||
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Ronnie Brewer, SG, Arkansas: He's gonna be a premier defender and a decent role player on offense considering his size and versatility, but the NBA team that picks Brewer needs to understand this guy won't be a star in the league. | |
| 16. Chicago Bulls | ||
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Rodney Carney, SG, Memphis: He's an elite NBA athlete, with a great body for a shooting guard and a stroke that looks good. Looks are deceiving. Carney is going to be picked too high by an NBA team that will be stunned to learn he can't dribble from here to there without a sherpa. | |
| 17. Indiana Pacers | ||
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Mardy Collins, PG, Temple: Point guards who stand 6-6 and can defend three positions don't come along all that often. Collins won't score big in the NBA, but he'll do enough of everything else to earn his keep for a long time. | |
| 18. Washington Wizards | ||
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Cedric Simmons, PF, N.C. State: He's going to look good on the end of someone's bench. Simmons has a great body but no clue on offense -- not yet -- so the team that drafts him better have the luxury of time. Because this guy needs it. | |
| 19. Sacramento Kings | ||
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Patrick O'Bryant, C, Bradley: No one's sure what position O'Bryant plays because of his poor body. He's too weak to defend most centers, but he's not skilled enough -- and probably not athletic enough -- to play power forward on offense. The Kings need a center, though, so here you go. The best of a bad remaining lot. | |
| 20. New York Knicks | ||
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Paul Davis, PF, Michigan State: A guy with this much size and weight, and that soft a shooting touch from 20 feet, can make a lot of money in the NBA. So I'm finally on the Paul Davis bandwagon? Nah. But he doesn't stink, I'll say that. | |
| 21. Phoenix Suns | ||
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Guillermo Diaz, SG, Miami: This guy has been underrated for years, as a college player and now as a projected draft pick. Diaz is in Ager's class as an athlete and a shooter. Not a bad class to be. | |
| 22. New Jersey Nets | ||
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Kyle Lowry, PG, Villanova: Hard to see Lowry starting in the NBA, not for a while anyway as he works on that jumper, but he has the strength, quickness, defensive ability and moxie to make an impact eventually. | |
| 23. New Jersey Nets | ||
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Tiago Splitter, PF, Brazil: Are you as sick of hearing about this guy as I am? Go ahead, Nets, and get him into the league so we can see just how over-hyped he's been. I've got to say 40 words. Can't. Life's too short. | |
| 24. Memphis Grizzlies | ||
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Rajon Rondo, PG, Kentucky: Workout reports say NBA scouts have been impressed with Rondo's shooting in certain drills. Those were probably the same scouts who were impressed with him last summer in international play. Hey, geniuses, does what Rondo did at Kentucky mean anything? Guy can't shoot. None. | |
| 25. Cleveland Cavaliers | ||
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Shawne Williams, SF, Memphis: Sort of a combo-forward, and combo-forwards aren't destined to star in the NBA. Is he better than Rodney White? Probably. Better than Marvin Williams? No way. | |
| 26. L.A. Lakers | ||
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Jordan Farmar, PG, UCLA: This is where the draft can break your heart. Farmar needs nothing more than a year at UCLA to get bigger and develop his shooting stroke. But this draft is so weak that Farmar is a late first-round pick if he comes out. So here he is, in my mock draft. Congrats Jordan. Ignore me. | |
| 27. Phoenix Suns | ||
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Steve Novak, SF, Marquette: He's the second-best shooter in the draft behind Redick, and he's six inches taller than Redick. So why is Novak so far down the draft board? Because he's a one-dimensional shooter -- can't drive or post -- who will struggle to defend anyone in the NBA. But damn he can shoot it. | |
| 28. Dallas Mavericks | ||
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Leon Powe, PF, Cal: Compares nicely to Ike Diogu, the former Arizona State power forward who averaged seven points and 3.3 rebounds this season as a Golden State rookie. Biggest difference? Diogu went too soon at No. 9 overall last year. Powe won't go that soon. | |
| 29. New York Knicks | ||
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P.J. Tucker, SF, Texas: He doesn't do anything great, but he does everything well. Toward the bottom of the first round, a player destined to become a longtime NBA veteran is a nice pick. | |
| 30. Portland Trail Blazers | ||
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James White, SG, Cincinnati: Scouts see him as a poor man's Rodney Carney, even though White hounded Carney into his worst game of the season this season at Cincinnati. White is a world-class athlete who doesn't shoot as well as Carney but handles the ball much better. You can them both, though. | |
