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2010 NBA Mock Draft
2011 NBA Mock Draft
Posted: June 17, 2010.
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Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin, PF, Oklahoma, 6-10, So.
Original Pick: Blake Griffin, PF, Oklahoma, 6-10, So.
Does it really matter? If Evans or Curry were they pick, don’t they bust up their knee and miss the entire season too? Griffin figures to be a beast in the league and would still be the pick because let’s be honest, add any of these players to the Clips this past season and they still don’t make the playoffs.
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Memphis Grizzlies: Tyreke Evans, G, Memphis, 6-6, Fr.
Original Pick: Hasheem Thabeet, C, UConn, 7-3, Jr.
First of all, I need to say, “I told you.” I had been whoring Evans since I saw him in the McDonald’s All-American game and had him in my lottery all season long while other NBA Mock Draft sites barely had him in the first round for most of the year. With Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph playing well up front, imagine if you added Evans on the wing alongside O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay. The Grizzlies are not sold on Mike Conley being their long-term answer at the point, and Evans would allow him to come off the bench.
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Oklahoma City Thunder: Stephen Curry, G, Davidson, 6-3, Jr.
Original Pick: James Harden, SG, Arizona State, 6-5, So.
Imagine Curry’s sharp-shooting ability alongside the league’s leading scorer Kevin Durant and the speedy Russell Westbrook running the show. WOW! I mean, seriously, WOW! Talk about being set for the future. Oklahoma City wins about five more games with Curry this year, right?
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Sacramento Kings: Ricky Rubio, PG, Spain, 6-4, 1990
Original Pick: Tyreke Evans, G, Memphis, 6-6, Fr.
Point guard is the obvious choice here and there is a plethora to choose from. With the Kings being a team in complete re-building mode, rolling the dice on Rubio would be worth the gamble. Plus, you never know; maybe Rubio does come over this season rather than staying in Spain for two years since Sacramento is a slightly more attractive destination than Minnesota.
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Minnesota Timberwolves: Brandon Jennings, PG, Italy, 6-0, 1989
Original Pick: Ricky Rubio, PG, Spain, 6-4, 1990
Jennings quickly quieted all the critics with an outstanding start to his rookie season and would be the long-term solution at the point that the T-Wolves were hoping to get during the 2010 NBA Draft.
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Minnesota Timberwolves: James Harden, SG, Arizona State, 6-5, So.
Original Pick: Jonny Flynn, PG, Syracuse, 6-0, So.
This is what Minnesota SHOULD have done. Drafted a point guard AND a shooting guard rather than TWO point guards. Harden didn’t have a sexy rookie season by any means, but he was productive and showed that he will have a long, successful career in the league. Pair him up with Jennings in the backcourt and throw in Corey Brewer, and Minnesota’s backcourt is set for the future.
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Golden State Warriors: Ty Lawson, PG, UNC, 5-11, Jr.
Original Pick: Stephen Curry, G, Davidson, 6-3, Jr.
Lawson pretty much replaces Curry and would be a great fit in the up-tempo “Nellie Ball.” That is why I would give him the edge over Flynn.
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New York Knicks: Jonny Flynn, PG, Syracuse, 6-0, So.
Original Pick: Jordan Hill, PF, Arizona, 6-10, So.
Flynn stays home and becomes the point guard of the future for the Knicks or maybe gets shipped out like Hill was during the season in order to clear space.
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Toronto Raptors: Darren Collison, PG, UCLA, 6-0, Sr.
Original Pick: DeMar DeRozan, SG, USC, 6-6, Fr.
Remember, the 2010 NBA Draft occurred before the Raptors signed Jarrett Jack so there was still a need for a young point guard. Collison filled in admirably when Chris Paul was sidelined and would have been a huge get considering how terrible Jose Calderon played this past season. He definitely showed potential of being a franchise-caliber point guard.
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Milwaukee Bucks: Jrue Holiday, G, UCLA, 6-3, Fr.
Original Pick: Brandon Jennings, PG, Italy, 6-0, 1989
Holiday doesn’t save the franchise and get them to the playoffs like Jennings did this past season, but maybe becomes the point guard of the future for a team that was badly searching for one last summer.
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New Jersey Nets: DeJuan Blair, PF, Pittsburgh, 6-7, So.
Original Pick: Terrence Williams, SF, Louisville, 6-6, Sr.
It still baffles me that Blair fell into the second round. He averaged almost eight points and 6.5 rebounds per game in just 18 minutes of action for the Spurs. Imagine if he was getting starter playing time and paired with Brook Lopez… Blair puts up at least 14 and 11 a game on an awful Nets team.
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Charlotte Bobcats: DeMar DeRozan, SG, USC, 6-6, Fr.
Original Pick: Gerald Henderson, SG, Duke, 6-5, Jr.
This could have been the worst thing to happen to Charlotte. Let’s say DeRozan comes in and plays well from the start. Then the Bobcats maybe don’t deal for Stephen Jackson and probably miss the postseason. Then again, maybe the Jackson trade still happens and DeRozan becomes a weapon off the bench.
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Indiana Pacers: Taj Gibson, PF, USC, 6-9, Jr.
Original Pick: Tyler Hansbrough, PF, UNC, 6-9, Sr.
Gibson played so well that the Bulls were able to trade Tyrus Thomas and still make the postseason. He would be a more athletic option for Indy which is what they were really in need of finding last year.
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Phoenix Suns: Omri Casspi, F, Isreal, 6-9, 1988
Original Pick: Earl Clark, SF, Louisville, 6-10, So.
Casspi went from a relatively unknown commodity to making an immediately splash in Sacramento before being hampered by injury the latter part of the year. Wouldn’t he be a great fit in Phoenix coming off the bench?
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Detroit Pistons: Hasheem Thabeet, C, UConn, 7-3, Jr.
Original Pick: Austin Daye, F, Gonzaga, 6-11, So.
Detroit made this pick before signing Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon so take that into account, even though it doesn’t change anything. What Detroit needed to find through the 2010 NBA Draft was a young center, but since it was a weak draft of big men, they went with Daye. While Thabeet is even more of a project that most anticipated, the Pistons would still take him here considering they have washed up bodies in the frontcourt.
Go to 2009 NBA Mock Re-Draft: Picks 16-30
Sorry for cutting this into two halves; I’ve received complaints about load times and putting the mock draft on two pages saves bandwith.
Go to 2010 NBA Mock Draft
Go to 2011 NBA Mock Draft
Written by Paul Banks of the Washington Times, and David Kay of the The Sports Bank.
Send Paul an e-mail here: [email protected].
All other e-mail, including advertising and link proposals, send to: [email protected]
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