Chad Ford's Insider Mock Draft

[50 cent]

Will somebody post the 2nd half of the first round???

[50 cent]

anybody?

[AFBlue]

Detroit
(via Orlando)
Rodney Stuckey Position: SG

(Stuckey's previous position: No. 15 to Detroit)

The skinny: At this point the Pistons will take the best player that slides to them. Al Thornton, Nick Young and Stuckey are all on the radar screen here.

Stuckey would be an excellent fit in Detroit. The Pistons need someone who can put pressure on defenses and play both positions in the backcourt.


Washington

Thaddeus Young Position: SF

(Young's previous position: No. 18 to Golden State)

The skinny: Young has the most upside of anyone left on the draft board. He's just a few years away from being a dominant player in the league.

The Wizards don't really need him with Caron Butler locked in at the 3, but Young's just too good to pass on here.


New Jersey

Jason Smith Position: PF

(Smith's previous position: No. 16 to Washington)

The skinny: The Nets desperately need some interior defense, but it sounds like they are getting cold feet concerning Sean Williams after he refused to work out in New Jersey.

Instead it looks like they're leaning toward Smith, a tall, athletic, face-the-basket 4. He sounds a little like New Jersey's Nenad Krstic, but the Nets love him.

Josh McRoberts and Glen Davis are also possibilities here.


Golden State

Gabe Pruitt Position: PG

(Pruitt's previous position: No. 20 to Miami)

The skinny: The Warriors worked out Yi Jianlian last week and will try to move up in the draft to get him. They can try to target the draft picks of the Grizzlies at No. 4, the Celtics at No. 5, the Bobcats at No. 8 or the Bulls at No. 9.

If they can't get Yi, then look for them to start thinking about a backup for Baron Davis. Pruitt's athleticism and shooting touch would endear him to Don Nelson.


L.A. Lakers

Rudy Fernandez Position: SG

(Fernandez's previous position: No. 24 to Phoenix)

The skinny: This pick is really up in the air until we know what's happening with Kobe Bryant. Assuming the Lakers keep it, we hear they like Fernandez, an athletic guard who loves to play above the rim. The Lakers believe Fernandez has enough ball-handling ability to play the point in their system.

Given his extensive experience in the Euroleague and ACB, he could be a guy who can come in and play right away ... if they can get him out of his contract.


Miami

Javaris Crittenton Position: PG

(Crittenton's previous position: No. 11 to Atlanta)

The skinny: The Heat are hurting at the point. Jason Williams is coming up on a contract year and the Heat prefer to play Dwyane Wade at the 2.

Crittenton has big upside as a point guard. He has great size for the point, excellent athleticism and a beautiful stroke on his jumper. However, he's going to take awhile to develop.

Miami is a likely candidate to trade its pick.


Philadelphia
(via Denver)

Josh McRoberts Position: PF

(McRoberts' previous position: No. 30 to Philadelphia)

The skinny: Power forward is Philly's biggest need, and McRoberts has the most upside of the 4s on the board.



Charlotte
(via Toronto)

Sean Williams Position: C

(Williams' previous position: No. 17 to New Jersey)

The skinny: The Bobcats need rebounding, shot-blocking and athleticism in their frontcourt. Williams' off-court mistakes have dropped him out of the lottery, but at some point a team is going to take a chance on him because his upside is tremendous.


New York
(via Chicago)

Wilson Chandler Position: SF

(Chandler's previous position: No. 23 to New York)

The skinny: The Knicks are rumored to have made a promise to the DePaul forward. That might explain why he's been dropping out of workout after workout. If it's not the Knicks, it sure sounds like someone in the first round has gotten ahold of him.

Chandler is an interesting player -- he's one of the best athletes in the draft and can play a little 3 and 4. But he doesn't quite have the motor that Isiah Thomas usually prizes in a prospect, and he isn't the shooting guard they've been searching for.

Sean Williams, Daequan Cook and Jared Jordan are the other players the Knicks are rumored to be looking at.


Phoenix
(via Cleveland)

Tiago Splitter Position: PF

(Splitter's previous position: No. 21 to Philadelphia)

The skinny: The Suns have been trying to package this pick along with No. 29 to move up a few spots in the draft or to facilitate a trade to get rid of Marcus Banks or Boris Diaw. If they do keep it, I suspect they'll go international so they can keep the player in Europe and off the payroll.

Splitter can't get out of his contract in Spain until the summer of 2008. He's a tough defender, but not much of an offensive player at this point.


Utah

Derrick Byars Position: SF

(Byars' previous position: No. 25 to Utah)

The skinny: Byars is a bit of a sleeper. He really didn't come on strong at Vanderbilt until his senior season.

The Jazz want to add a shooter who can play the 2 and 3 and add some defense. Italy's Marco Belinelli, UCLA's Arron Afflalo and Rice's Morris Almond are also possibilities here.


Houston

Nick Fazekas Position: PF

(Fazekas' previous position: Not in first round)

The skinny: Rockets GM Daryl Morey is a stats guy and Fazekas ranks very high on various sabermetric equations. They also need a power forward and a shooter ... making Fazekas an obvious pick.


Detroit

Morris Almond Position: SG

(Almond's previous position: No. 22 to Charlotte)

The skinny: The Pistons could use another perimeter shooter who knows how to score. Almond is one of the top two or three shooters in the draft.

Marco Belinelli is another possibility here.



San Antonio

Jared Dudley Position: SF

(Dudley's previous position: Not in first round)

The skinny: Bruce Bowen is 36 years old and the Spurs eventually will have to find a replacement. Dudley is the type of gritty, intelligent forward who could fill a big role for the team right away with his hustle and shooting touch. He's this year's Shane Battier.


Phoenix

Petteri Koponen Position: SG

(Koponen's previous position: No. 28 to San Antonio)

The skinny: The Suns likely will try to move this pick, but if they keep it they'll likely go international again.

Koponen is one of the hottest names in the draft. The 19-year-old Finnish point guard has excelled in workouts. He could serve as excellent trade bait for a number of teams trying to move up to get him.


Philadelphia
(via Dallas)
Marco Belinelli Position: SG

(Bellinelli's previous position: No. 27 to Detroit)

The skinny: According to our mock draft, the Sixers will add a scorer and power forward with their first two picks. This time they'll go for an experienced shooter who can spread the floor. Belinelli has the talent to step in right away and be a contributor.

[mardigan]

Hmmm, I doubt the Spurs pass on Marco if he is there

[AFBlue]

Here's his second round...FYI


31. Seattle SuperSonics (from Memphis)

Glen Davis | PF | LSU
Sonics go big with a guy who can use his strength and skill to score in the paint. If Davis can keep the weight off, he could be the steal of the draft.

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32. Boston Celtics

Daequan Cook | SG | Ohio State
Celtics land a talented shooter who might have been a lottery pick had he stayed in school another year.

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33. San Antonio Spurs (from Milwaukee)

Zabian Dowdell | PG | Virginia Tech
Spurs desperately need a backup to Tony Parker. Dowdell's size, toughness and shooting ability make him a natural fit.

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34. Dallas Mavericks (from Atlanta)

Arron Afflalo | SG | UCLA
Afflalo is a tough, physical swingman with a beautiful mid-range game and great defensive mind-set. Avery Johnson should love the grit he delivers.

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35. Seattle SuperSonics

Renaldas Seibutis | SG | Lithuania
Sonics likely will let Seibutis continue to develop in Greece. We hear they think his toughness and mid-range game is a nice complement to Ray Allen down the road.

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36. Golden State Warriors (from Minnesota)

Reyshawn Terry | SF | North Carolina
Terry has the prototypical body and game of an NBA small forward. He got lost in the shuffle at UNC, but the Warriors are already planning ahead should Matt Barnes leave via free agency.

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37. Portland Trail Blazers

Ramon Sessions | PG | Nevada
Adding a third point guard is a priority. Jarrett Jack is big. Sergio Rodriguez is crafty and Sessions is super quick and knows how to get to the basket.

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38. Philadelphia 76ers (from New York via Chicago)

Sun Yue | SF | China
Sixers will consider Yue at No. 30. This 6-foot-9 point forward really impressed in Orlando with his feel for the game. He can be an understudy to Andre Iguodala for a few years.

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39. Miami Heat (from Sacramento)

Taurean Green | PG | Florida
Talented Florida point guard stays home. Miami has a lot of needs at the point and Green has proven poise and a great jump shot.

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40. L.A. Lakers (from Charlotte)

Marcus Williams | SF | Arizona
Williams is a small forward with an excellent mid-range game. He doesn't fit a huge need for the Lakers, but there's just too much value here to pass on.

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41. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Philadelphia)

Joao Gomes | SF | Portugal
Wolves take a flier on an athletic small forward with a good shooting touch. They can leave him in Europe to develop and hope he delivers dividends down the road.

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42. Portland Trail Blazers (from Indiana)

Alando Tucker | SF | Wisconsin
Blazers are still searching for a small forward. They could do worse than the Big Ten player of the year. Tucker is tough and gritty in a Desmond Mason-type way, but they still need a shooter.

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43. New Orleans Hornets

JamesOn Curry | SG | Oklahoma State
Scoring combo guard could eventually give the Hornets a nice pick-me-up off the bench.

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44. Orlando Magic

Trey Johnson | SG | Jackson State
One of the best scorers in college basketball adds some depth to the Magic backcourt.

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45. L.A. Clippers

Kyrylo Fesenko | PF | Ukraine
Aggressive big man from Ukraine is a mystery man but he could help the Clippers down the road in the middle.

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46. Golden State Warriors (from New Jersey)

Jermareo Davidson | PF | Alabama
Nellie likes big men who think they're guards, so our guess is he'll love Davidson.

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47. Washington Wizards

Aaron Gray | C | Pittsburgh
Gray's lack of athleticism has caused his stock to drop. But he's got the chance to be a solid rotation player down the road.

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48. L.A. Lakers

Herbert Hill | PF | Providence
Hill is a meat and potatoes power forward who came on huge this year. If he continues to develop, he could be a steal this late.

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49. Chicago Bulls (from Golden State via Phoenix, Boston and Denver)

Marc Gasol | C | Spain
John Paxson couldn't land Pau Gasol at the trade deadline, but he does get his brother Marc. Marc is more of a lumbering big man, but he's tough and he'll rebound.

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50. Dallas Mavericks (from Miami via L.A. Lakers)

Stanko Barac | C | Bosnia
Dallas doesn't have any real room for rookies, so they take a flier on a Serbian big man who's started to make progress in Europe. They'll check back in on him in a couple of years.

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51. Chicago Bulls (from Denver)

D.J. Strawberry | SG | Maryland
Some believe Strawberry could turn himself into a lock-down defender in the NBA. His ability to play both the 1 and the 2 help his cause.

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52. Portland Trail Blazers (from Toronto)

Demetris Nichols | SF | Syracuse
One of the best shooting forwards in the draft drops into the Blazers' lap at No. 52. Not sure where they'll put all of these guys, but they are getting talent in the second round.

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53. Portland Trail Blazers (from Chicago)

Brad Newley | SG | Australia
Newley is a gritty scorer who can continue to develop his game in Australia until the Blazers find a roster spot for him.

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54. Orlando Magic (from Cleveland)

Dominic McGuire | SF | Fresno State
Athletic forward can handle the ball, rebound and block shots. But he's still figuring out his offensive game. He's kind of a poor man's Andrei Kirilenko.

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55. Utah Jazz

Jared Jordan | PG | Marist
Jordan is a pure point guard with some of the best court vision in the draft. His lack of size and athleticism will cause him to slide, but he should be very popular in Utah as the starting point guard on their new NBDL team.

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56. Milwaukee Bucks (from Houston)

Stephane Lasme | PF | Massachusetts
Athletic forward is one of the best shot-blockers in the draft. He's undersized, but could add a much needed defensive presence to the Bucks' frontline.

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57. Detroit PIstons

Aaron Brooks | PG | Oregon
Pistons pick up a one of the fastest guards in the draft for cheap. He's more of a scorer than a point guard, but so was Lindsey Hunter.

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58. San Antonio Spurs

Ali Traore | PF | France
Spurs don't have a roster space, so they make Tony Parker happy by drafting his fellow Frenchman. Actually, Traore is a load on the block and could be a nice prospect down the road after a few more years developing in France.

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59. Phoenix Suns

Zoran Erseg | PF | Serbia
Thin big man with a sweet shooting touch really came on in Serbia this year. A nice prospect for down the road.

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60. Dallas Mavericks

Marko Tomas | SG | Croatia
Once considered a potential lottery pick, Tomas has battled injuries and confidence issues in Spain the last two years. He can't come to the NBA for two more years, but that shouldn't dissuade the Suns. They don't have the room or money for him anyway.

[Mr. Body]

There are some serious problems with his first round mock -- Gabe Pruitt to Golden State? WHY?

[coopdogg3]

There are some serious problems with his first round mock -- Gabe Pruitt to Golden State? WHY?

Baron Davis is injury-prone, that might be one reason. Maybe they're looking to trade Baron? I'm pretty sure Ford will get maybe 5-7 picks right, max. NBA Draft is just too hard to predict IMO.

[AFBlue]

There are some serious problems with his first round mock -- Gabe Pruitt to Golden State? WHY?

Yeah, don't get that one...but Ford seems to be higher on Pruitt than some of these other sites. If Pruitt doesn't go to Miami @ #20, where he's said to have a "bottom-handed" promise :lol , I think he could slip to the Spurs at #28 or even #33.

[Mr. Body]

Does he think Monta Ellis blows?

[AFBlue]

Baron Davis is injury-prone, that might be one reason. Maybe they're looking to trade Baron? I'm pretty sure Ford will get maybe 5-7 picks right, max. NBA Draft is just too hard to predict IMO.

Monta Ellis is just as athletic, just as good a shooter, and even younger....

I'd say the Warriors can do without Pruitt.

[Vito Corleone]

Nellie is famous for taking the best available player regardless of position. I don't think Pruitt is the best player available but I also never thought Robert Trailer was better than Paul Pierce when he drafted him.