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Nickb23- Vote Bullet Bob won the Throwdown.

thehemogoblin...

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TDAholics Championship Take 2. NBA Mock Draft 11 through 15.

Nickb23- Vote Bullet Bob said 05/31, 11:38 AM
1 through 10 in comments.

11. Pacers

DJ Augustin- They are in desperate need of a true point and he is just that.

12. Kings

Anthony Randolph- This is a guy who will probably go higher. If he is their the Kings will pounce, as he fills one of their two needs. Mikki Moore is decent but Randolph is a young athlete that could help this team greatly.

13. TrailBlazers

Brandon Rush- Their biggest need is a point, I see them trying to move up for DJ. If not they don't have great depth after Roy and Rush could be a good guy off the bench and give then the option to use a Roy/Rush backcourt at times as well.

14. Warriors

Darrell Arthur- The Warriors just want to run run run and Arthur is another guy that can do just that. With them positions don't matter too much and he is a great athlete that could fit very well into that offense.

15. Suns

Joe Alexander- They are getting old everywhere but other than Shaq, Hill is the one guy that definitely could use some help. He can stroke it and has tremondous upside. He also could contibute right away, which is something they need if they want to keep contending.

thehemogoblin... said 05/31, 03:09 PM
Pacers- DJ Augustin

There's no way around this, Jamaal Tinsley, while a good player, is not a good fit for Jim O'Brien's system.

Kings- Anthony Randolph

With the relatively unathletic Spencer Hawes and Brad Miller at the center position, the Kings really need a player who can jump out of the gym in the post, Randolph is in that mold.

Trail Blazers (there's a space there)- Joe Alexander

The Blazers have their post set for a long time with Channing Frye, Lamarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden, and in the backcourt with Brandon Roy and Steve Blake (who's underrated), but the Blazers really need someone on the wing who can slash to the bucket or spot up from wherever he is on the court, and that man is Alexander.

Warriors- Darrell Arthur

Athleticism everywhere is what makes Nelly-ball work, and whoa nelly, does Arthur have it. He can run all day, and he is a very good defender in the post as well.

Suns- Brandon Rush

Rush has a lower ceiling because of his knee injury among other things, but he's one of the more polished offensive players in this entire draft. With Grant Hill being up there in age, and nobody who replaced Shawn Marion offensively, this is where Phoenix has to go.

Nickb23- Vote Bullet Bob said 05/31, 03:44 PM
Alexander or Rush to Portland?

Let's start with Portland...Small forward does not exactly appear to be a position where very many minutes are available. Martell Webster is 21 and is slowly reaching his potential, he gave them over 28 minutes a night and will only get better. Backing him up is 23 year old Travis Outlaw, who gave them over 26 minutes a night and is also still getting much better. They do not want to steal minutes from these guys. You say Blake is underrated, I say these guys are even more underrated and still have room to grow. Do they really need a 3rd SF?

Blake and Jack are decent but everyone knows that Roy is an all around stud and would serve them better running the point at times, as he is a great distributor. Even if he stays at the 2 only. His backup is Von Wafer. Roy can't play 48 and Rush would make them 2 deep at every position.

Rush is a phenomenal defender who can stroke the 3 much better than Alexander. Offensively they are both good scorers but Alexander has only had one year where he has been expected to do much at the college level. Rush has shown the ability to play whatever role is needed at Kansas for 3 years and was healthy last year.

thehemogoblin... said 05/31, 04:04 PM
Portland's still not in a "win this very minute" scenario. If they were to sell out to try and win right now, it would cripple their rebuilding efforts.

Martell Webster can play the two as well, as can Jarrett Jack, which is where he spent most of last year.

The thing about Roy running the point, which he does a lot, especially towards the end of games, is that Blake can shift over to the shooting guard position, and then defend the point guard on the other end. Blake shoots well enough from distance that it affords Portland the flexibility in the back court.

Portland also has Spaniard Rudy Fernandez's draft rights, and he's heralded as the best shooting guard in Europe. The last thing Portland wants to do is block his path to the NBA.

Travis Outlaw has been a very effective sixth man. He's only started 20 of 285 career games, and is effective in that role because he can seamlessly shift from the three to the four, backing up both positions effectively.

Joe Alexander's untapped potential is what makes him so appealing for the Trail Blazers, he's got much more room to grow, just like the entire franchise. Portland needs to make a pick that helps them now and in the future.

Nickb23- Vote Bullet Bob said 06/01, 12:41 PM
I agree they do not need to sell out to win right now. That is why they should take Brandon Rush. I am going to go that way with this, since we agree they need to take the best player here.

So Rush or Alexander, who would you rather have?

I realize everybody is all over this flavor of the month Alexander. But what has he proved?

He gave West Virginia ONE good year. He barely played as a frosh and then gave them a little more as a sophmore. He had a strong junior season and helped them beat a highly overrated Duke squad. He is a solid midrange shooter and a good rebounder. He has no stroke from the outside (26.8%). He is also a weak ball handler. He didn't hire an agent cause he isn't even sure if he is NBA ready.

As for Rush he was a 3 year starter at Kansas and was part of a championship team. He gave over 13, 5 and 2 every year. He has a great stroke from the 3 point line and is a terrific defender. The biggest knock on him is the biggest reason their front office will find him as a great fit. He is considered too unselfish. They are full of talented players and he brings a ton to the table and will fit right in their mix of young unselfish talent.

thehemogoblin... said 06/01, 12:57 PM
Hey, this is a mock draft, not a "What should they do". That's why I have Alexander there. I think Rush WOULD fit better, but that's not what Portland's not going to see. They'll find a knock on Rush, be it his unselfish play, his tendency to disappear for streaks, or fears of his knee injury. Alexander, on the other hand, seems like a flawless person to GM's right now. He may be the flavor of the month, but look at how that's made him stand out to the NBA executives more than Rush because he's a consistent player.

When does the small forward handle the ball? Point-forwards are few and far between in the NBA. Other than that, it's only when he's slashing, and generally, you're not in a good place for a defender to strip you.

With all of the unselfish players in the offense in Portland, having a player who will assert themselves more frequently could be a good thing. I don't consider his drive to score as a knock on him.

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TDAholics Championship Take 2. NBA Mock Draft 11 through 15.

thehemogoblin... beat Nickb23- Vote Bullet Bob 9 to 7

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