DraftExpress: First-round Spurs get Jared Dudley, senior SF/PF, Boston College

[spurscenter]

DraftExpress: First-round mock draft
By DraftExpress.com

1. Portland Trail Blazers – Greg Oden, freshman C, Ohio State (7-foot, 257 pounds). Even if Kevin Durant is a better fit in terms of pure need, the Blazers don't want to risk passing up the next great NBA big man.

2. Seattle SuperSonics – Kevin Durant, freshman SF/PF, Texas (6-10, 215). Sam Presti's start with the Sonics gets a huge shot in the arm by taking arguably the biggest talent in this draft.

3. Atlanta Hawks – Al Horford, junior PF/C, Florida (6-10, 246). Billy Knight's job is on the line, so he goes for the rock-solid national champion who is ready to contribute immediately.

4. Memphis Grizzlies – Mike Conley Jr., freshman PG, Ohio State (6-1, 175). With Horford off the board, the Grizzlies look to solidify the most important position in basketball by selecting their point guard of the future.

5. Boston Celtics – Jeff Green, junior SF/PF, Georgetown (6-10, 228). Doc Rivers gets his wish by adding a smart, versatile, experienced forward who can give him minutes immediately.

6. Milwaukee Bucks – Brandan Wright, freshman PF, North Carolina (6-10, 200). The Bucks can't believe their luck in seeing possibly the No. 3 talent in the draft fall to them.

7. Minnesota Timberwolves – Spencer Hawes, freshman C, Washington (7-1, 244). Kevin McHale gets the skilled big man he has coveted for some time. Hawes should be a nice complement to Kevin Garnett.

8. Charlotte Bobcats – Corey Brewer, junior SF, Florida (6-8, 185). The Bobcats get another big-time college star with an NCAA championship. Brewer gives them depth at the swing positions and insurance should Gerald Wallace bolt.

9. Chicago Bulls (from New York) – Joakim Noah, junior PF/C, Florida (7-0, 223). Noah falls to the team that fits him best. Scott Skiles' hard-nosed mentality will allow Noah to contribute immediately.

10. Sacramento Kings – Yi Jianlian, PF/C, Guangdong Tigers (7-0, 230). Jianlian stays in California, like his agent wants. The Kings get a very nice piece for their rebuilding effort.

11. Atlanta Hawks (from Indiana) – Acie Law, senior PG, Texas A&M (6-4, 186). The Hawks finally draft a point guard and one-up themselves by taking someone who can play right away. Law has a winning mentality to boot.

12. Philadelphia 76ers – Al Thornton, senior SF/PF, Florida State (6-7, 221). More length and athleticism on the wing for a team that can afford to take the best player available. The Sixers need someone with a scoring mentality.

13. New Orleans Hornets – Nick Young, junior SG/SF, USC (6-7, 206). The Hornets satisfying their biggest need by picking arguably the best shooting guard in this draft.

14. Los Angeles Clippers – Javaris Crittenton, freshman PG, Georgia Tech (6-5, 194). The Clippers are desperate for a point guard, and Crittenton has the size and upside to help them cope with Shaun Livingston's injury.

15. Detroit Pistons (from Orlando) – Rodney Stuckey, sop re PG/SG, Eastern Washington (6-5, 207). The Pistons take an athletic and extremely talented combo guard to bring off the bench. Stuckey satisfies a need there.

16. Washington Wizards – Julian Wright, sop re SF/PF, Kansas (6-9, 211). The Wizards can't believe their fortune when a player projected for most of the year as a top-five pick falls to them.

17. New Jersey Nets – Jason Smith, junior PF/C, Colorado State (7-0, 233). The Nets need an athletic big man who can run the floor and fill the lane for Jason Kidd. That is exactly what they get with this choice.

18. Golden State Warriors – Tiago Splitter, PF/C, TAU Vitoria (7-foot, 245). Splitter probably won't come over this season, but picking him will prove to be a prudent move for Chris Mullin.

19. Los Angeles Lakers – Josh McRoberts, sop re PF/C, Duke (6-10, 240). McRoberts' skills are ideal for Tex Winters' triangle offense. McRoberts gets to stay in Los Angeles, where he is already based with agent Arn Tellem.

20. Miami Heat – Thaddeus Young, freshman SF/PF, Georgia Tech (6-8, 210). Miami covets an athletic small forward who can shoot. Young fits that description and possesses serious upside to groom alongside Dwyane Wade.

21. Philadelphia 76ers (from Denver) – Rudy Fernandez, SG, DKV Joventut (6-6, 172). With three first-round picks, the 76ers can afford to select a player with lottery talent who likely won't come over this year because of contractual obligations in Europe.

22. Charlotte Bobcats (from Toronto) – Morris Almond, senior SG/SF, Rice (6-6, 215). The Bobcats get one of the best shooters in this draft and a guy with arguably the best intangibles.

23. New York Knicks (from Chicago) – Daequan Cook, freshman SG, Ohio State (6-6, 203). The Knicks like this freshman who many feel may have developed into a lottery pick had he stayed in college another year. He also fills a need with his outside shooting ability.

24. Phoenix Suns (from Cleveland) – Marco Belinelli, SG, Climamio Bologna (6-5, 192). The Suns need help at the swing positions, and Mike D'Antoni loves all things Italian. Belinelli has great range and no conscience, which is a huge plus in the Phoenix offense.

25. Utah Jazz – Sean Williams, junior C, Boston College (6-10, 230). Stacked with young talent locked into long-term contracts, the Jazz can afford to gamble. Williams has lottery talent and minor-league intangibles, but fills a need.

26. Houston Rockets – Nick Fazekas, senior PF/C, Nevada (6-11, 225). Statistically, there is a case to be made for Fazekas to be considered the second best player in this draft. "Moneyball" disciple Daryl Morey values that as much as anyone. Fazekas can pass and shoot the ball as well as any big man in this crop.

27. Detroit Pistons – Derrick Byars, senior SG/SF, Vanderbilt (6-7, 215). After trading Carlos Delfino, the Pistons need a swingman who can contribute immediately. Byars also has the added benefit of being a defensive-oriented player from a structured college system. He can pass, shoot and will understand his role.

28. San Antonio Spurs – Jared Dudley, senior SF/PF, Boston College (6-7, 219). San Antonio gets an experienced player with a "Spurs mentality" who can play right away thanks to his perimeter shooting, passing and rebounding skills.

29. Phoenix Suns – Petteri Koponen, PG, Honka Playboys (6-5, 194). The Suns need to start grooming a point guard to help ease the load on aging superstar Steve Nash. Koponen has the intangibles to soak up Nash's lessons and even give Phoenix some help at the off-guard position as well.

30. Philadelphia 76ers (from Dallas) – Taurean Green, junior PG, Florida (6-1, 173). The 76ers are very shallow at the point with Andre Miller entering the final year of his contract. Green possesses the winning mentality that the Sixers sorely lack.

[Marcus Bryant]

I see the Spurs trading #28 or using it on an international prospect. It's highly unlikely that they bring in two rookies out of the draft next season. In addition, the cost differential between the guaranteed rookie contract at #28 and the type of contract they can negotiate at #33 is substantial. They will take a domestic player at #33 and give him a partially guaranteed 3 year contract starting at the league minimum or a little over. That way, if he pans out, then they will be able to keep him at a cheap price and have full Bird Rights on him when it ends. And it's not like there is a huge drop off in talent among the domestic players who will be available at #28 versus #33.

[Mr. Body]

Sean Williams to Utah makes no freaking sense.