A Different Mock Draft

While everyone else goes through their NFL Mock Drafts, I can't want for the NBA Draft at the end of June. I played lottery on ESPN.COM and came up with this draft order. Here's my early early early prediction of the lottery.

1. Chicago (from NY Knicks): Tyrus Thomas
Score another one for the Isaiah Thomas haters. The Bulls scored this pick in the Eddy Curry trade when Thomas failed to put any protection on the pick. The Bulls will happily scoop up Thomas, the top prospect in the draft as of now. Thomas will give the Bulls inside game an entirely new dimension with his athleticism, especially on defense. I see Thomas as a more athletic, but less physical version of Kenyon Martin.

2. Portland: Adam Morrison
The Blazers need a perimeter scorer, and Morrison fits the bill. His defense could be better, but his offensive ability more than makes up for it. Morrison should take over for Darius Miles at the small forward and be one of next year's top rookies. I see Morrison as a better version of Keith Van Horn.

3. Charlotte: LaMarcus Aldridge
Aldridge is a fantastic post scorer in the Jermaine O'Neal mode. His style will mesh well with the defensive prowess of Emeka Okafor. With Aldridge and Okafor inside, the Bobcats could feature one of the top inside duos in the NBA. I see Aldridge having a career like Jermaine O'Neal.

4. Atlanta-Marcus Williams
This is a bit of a reach, but it's no secret that Atlanta needs a point guard after inexplicibly passing on Chris Paul last year. Williams is the best point guard in the draft this year, and he could make Atlanta much better next season. I worry he's too much of a scorer, but pure point guards are so hard to find, so it shouldn't work too much against him. Williams reminds me of Andre Miller.

5. Toronto-Brandon Roy
The Raptors really could use some backcourt help. Mike James will definetly leave as a free agent, and Joey Graham and Morris Peterson aren't starter-material. Enter Roy. He has very little weaknesses in his game and has the type of all-around ability that will make everyone on the Raptors better. Roy reminds me a bit of Joe Johnson.

6. Minnesota-Randy Foye
The Timberwolves will grab who I believe is the best prospect in the draft. Foye looks like the second coming of Chauncey Billups to me. He has better point guard skills than one would think, so I don't think he will have too much trouble transitioning in the NBA. Foye can score with the jump shot and is adept at finishing in the lane. He also has Billups confidence and loves the ball in his hands at the end of the game. In the long run, Foye will be the best NBA player of the bunch.

7. Boston-Andrea Bargnati
I don't know too much about this guy, but Boston is set on the perimeter and many scouts compare Bargnati to Dirk Nowitzki. Boston would probably be happy if he was a better version of Raef LaFrentz.

8. Houston-Rudy Gay
Gay has incredible athletic ability, but hasn't seemed to get the most out of his abilities. I think Gay will be a fine NBA player, but he could easily be a Darius Miles-like bust. Fortunately, with T-Mac and Yao firmly in place in Houston, Gay won't need to be a big-time producer right away. If his career breaks right, he could be Houston's answer to Andre Iguodala on the perimeter.

9. Golden State-Patrick O'Bryant
The Warriors have been searching for a quality NBA center for years. Erick Dampier had one good year in a contract year, but other than that, it's been a wasteland for centers in Oakland. Many feel O'Bryant only started to achieve his full potential in the NCAA Tournament. O'Bryant could easily add a new dimension to the Warrior attack. NBADraft.net equates him with Brad Daugherty, and Golden State would certainly take that kind of production from O'Bryant.

10. Seattle-Cedric Simmons
Seattle has been stockpiling young inside players over the past couple years, and will add another one in Simmons. He will add to an inside rotation featuring Chris Wilcox, Nick Collison, Johan Petro, and Robert Swift. Simmons could carve out a career like Etan Thomas' as a reserve inside player.

11. Orlando-Rodney Carney
This is probably the absolute steal of the draft. The Magic already are in great shape with a nucleus of Jameer Nelson, Dwight Howard, and Darko. Adding Carney, a freak athlete with offensive ability, will give a new dimension to this team. The Magic benefited because teams in front of them had no need for a player like Carney. Orlando may have gotten a steal in the Tayshaun Prince mode here.

12. New Orleans-Richard Roby
I've said before that the one thing Chris Paul needs is a wing scorer. People may not know Roby, but he put up lots of points playing for Colorado over his career. Roby could give Paul a running mate in the backcourt. The knock on Roby is that he goes through the motions too much, like Rudy Gay, but his offensive ability is akin to Allan Houston's.

13. Philadelphia-Mardy Collins
The 76ers have long searched for a unique player such as Collins that has point guard ability in a shooting guard's body. This local product from Temple will bring back memories of Aaron McKie. That may not sound like much, but during Phily's championship run, McKie was an essential player. The Sixers get good value here.

14. Utah-Ronnie Brewer
Brewer sometimes struggles with his shot, but has all the other elements of a solid NBA swingman. Utah may prefer a spot-up shooter like J.J. Redick, but the Jazz would be much better off with Brewer, who has a more well-rounded skill set. Again, the Jazz get good value here.

Obviously, this is very, very early. But I'll be keeping an eye on these guys as the NBA Draft gets closer.