NBA Draft Preview/Thoughts

I know it's not as flashy as one of those mocks but I won't insult you by telling you I have any idea what these teams are thinking....we'll get to that later....but here's my thoughts....First to the guys I like in this draft (aka Higher than their being projected)

• Point Guards- Ricky Rubio (pass-first is the main reason, I feel like I'm uninformed generally), Jrue Holiday (size/skill-set are underrated), Ty Lawson (he does the things that I want my point guard to do....pass/make open shots/unselfish and is underrated due to size), Darren Collison (most underrated of the bunch, excellent defender, capable ball-handler and an NBA rotation guy for a decade), Eric Maynor (leadership, defense, falls b/c of lack of athleticism)
• Wings- Terrence Williams (versatile skill-set, defends, good ball-handler), Gerald Henderson (won't be a star but has NBA body/athleticism/effort/defense), Sam Young (has a wide skill-range, can defend), Chase Budinger (gets knocked for "toughness" but I don't think you can under-state his skillset), Dajuan Summers (do-everything guy who will stick on a team) Jack McClinton (no, he shouldn't be a first rounder, but he has an elite skill, he can flat-out shoot it), Earl Clark (probably the biggest upside in this draft other than Rubio or maybe DeRozan, has all the tools and if you can get him in the late lottery it's worth the shot)
• Posts- DeJuan Blair (I wouldn't reach but he has the rebounding/toughness to be a quality undersized power forward like a less athletic Paul Millsap, etc.), Jon Brockman (he's a 2nd round talent, but he may have been a top 7-8 player in all of college ball last year...great rebounder/tough guy who could be a 10th man), Goran Suton (I can't figure out why he's going undrafted in mocks...he was great in the tourney and provides a versatile Big at the next level who can make jumpers and rebound)

I purposefully left out Griffin from that list...I feel like he's the surest thing in the draft and will be a 15 ppg, 8 rpg guy at the very worst (barring injury)....To the guys I believe are OVER-valued (aka the guys I don't like at the spots they're being mocked)

• Point Guards- Jeff Teague (don't think he has the tools to run a team, a typical combo-guard that flat-lined late last year and won't make it as an NBA starter), Tyreke Evans (I don't hate him by any means...I've just seen the 6'5 PG thing fail so many times...and he still can't shoot)
• Wings- Marcus Thornton (has one marketable skill...scoring, and seems to be a little on the brash side), Wayne Ellington (I watched him for his entire college career and never thought he was even average at anything other than jump-shooting...that won't cut it), Demar DeRozan (The Vince Carter comparisons are purely-athletic...Vince can score/shoot the basketball in a way that Derozan simply can't...he's too raw and I don't think it's a lock he ever "gets" it), Austin Daye (the fact that he's a wing says it all...too skinny, too frail, too slow....I like him..but he'll have to adapt greatly),
• Posts- Hasheem Thabeet (this never works out that I can remember...totally one-dimensional player who doesn't use his size on offense at all...the Mutombo comparison is valid, but Dikembe was far more developed by this point), BJ Mullens (another instance where I don't see how a GM can fall into the trap....typical highly ranked "potential" high school big with no real skillset who drastically underperformed in college and came out before he could plummet further) Tyler Hansborough (I almost left him off this list...but reports of him climbing into the lottery are ludicrous to me...he'll never be more than a 8-10th man coming in for energy and boards)

In case you were wondering....That leaves the "top" guys that are neither list at Stephen Curry, Jordan Hill, James Harden, Jonny Flynn, Brandon Jennings...I like them all....all have flaws...but they are being fairly accurately mocked IMO....

And now...for the Hawks portion of the program...

• The Hawks have 1 choice in my opinion....it has to be a point guard...it has to be....#1) Point guard is the ONLY position in this draft with any sort of depth and at the 19th pick, you're getting the middle of the pack at the position you choose....#2) Acie Law isn't the answer AND I'm firmly against resigning Mike Bibby unless it's at 5-6 million a year and even then I'm skeptical.... and #3) Taking a swingman would make me see visions of Billy Knight in my head for years to come...and he isn't the GM....That said....
• Here's my PG list in order by who I'd want for the Hawks (Yes I know there will be a bunch of these guys gone): 1) Curry, 2) Holiday, 3) Jennings, 4) Lawson, 5) Collison, 6) Flynn, 7) Maynor, 8) Teague, 9) Mills..... Any of the top 7 (should the others be unavailable) would feel like a win to me....

Part 2 still to come...Basically it will be a top-10 mock based on what teams SHOULD be doing..not necessarily what they will be doing...