We're Mocking You: NBA Mock Drafts 2007- 2nd Edition

by Fantasy Junkie on Jun 12, 2007 8:55 AM PDT in NBA Draft Comment 12 comments

I'm mocking you

It's been about 3 weeks since the last mock draft update and quite a bit has changed. With just over 15 days left before the draft, expect more and more rumors to start flying around about teams trading up, down, and all around.

For the Warriors, they'll be busy working out a lot of college players. For the next two weeks, they have 28 players coming in, most will be potential 2nd round draft picks.

In other news for the Warriors, trade rumors have been swirling around moving up with Boston to draft The Yi Movement. In my mind, the Warriors don't have the right mix of players to move up that far in this loaded draft without giving up too much. Even if we were to get that pick, I'm not sold on taking Yi with that pick. I'd take the best player available and that player is Corey Brewer. Take the most talented guy and fix the big man needs with a post-draft day trade. But that's all just speculation because the Warriors may not make a big move on draft day and may wind up using just their first round #18 pick.

The best player on the best college team

So who do the various mock drafts around the WWW have the Warriors taking?

HoopsWorld.com (Each of their 5 writers made a pick)

(Greg White) #18 Thaddeus Young
(Pree Bhattacharya ) #18 Nick Young
(Joel Brigham) #18 Tiago Splitter
(Tommy Beer) #18 Rudy Fernandez
(Steve Kyler) #18 Gabe Pruitt

NBA Draft.net: #18 Rudy Fernandez, #36 Sean Williams, #46 Stephane Lasme

Rudy Fernandez and especially Sean Williams have been discussed in the GSoM diaries, but I haven't heard of Stephane Lasme before. What's the scouting report?

Stephane Lasme

Strengths: Extremely mobile and athletic player ... Runs the court like a guard and shows rare lateral quickness for a player his size ... Fluent shot blocker capable of dominating the lane ... Shows pro timing and great explosive leaping ability to continue this skill on the NBA level ... Long arms and mobility allow for him to be a solid help defender

Weaknesses: Lasme will turn 25 in December which makes it hard to gauge how much potential he has left ... Body type suggests that he may have problems adding more weight to his body ... Offensively his back to the basket skills are still in need of refinement ... Has problems setting up in the low post as he is often rooted out due to lack of body strength ... Still learning the nuances of the game which really show up in his court awareness

Draft Express: #18 Tiago Splitter

Coming from the lately very prolific Brazilian talent pool, Tiago Splitter is one of the most consistent big men the emerge out of the international scene in the past few years. Long, athletic, tough, intense, but also featuring a few promising skills, Splitter has made a name for himself in Europe by becoming a very important cog (the starting center) on one of the top teams in the Old Continent, Tau Vitoria. This is a team whose place amongst the elite teams in Europe was established by reaching the Euroleague Final Four both this season and last.

RealGM.com: #18 Sean Williams

Don Nelson and Chris Mullin have no problems bringing in players with a past and Williams' past does include being a jaw-dropping shot blocker. No player outside of Oden and Durant would be better for the Warriors than Williams.

HoopsHype.com: #18 Thaddeus Young

Long and athletic lefty combo forward who passes the "airport test" and then some. Can hit shots at a nice rate from the perimeter or from mid-range, but struggles putting the ball on the floor. Perimeter defense is pretty shaky. Has good hands, a beautiful jump-hook and is a solid offensive rebounder, but is a little too soft to use his tools consistently in the post. More of an upside pick than anything, he's very much stuck in between the 3 and the 4 spots and likely won't contribute much in his first few years in the NBA. Solid attitude off the court, but could really use another year in school.

ESPN (Chad Ford): #18 Jason Smith

Smith is the perfect type of player for Nellie. He is tall and athletic, gets up and down the floor and can score from just about anywhere on the floor. He also plays with great energy. Smith could be a real sleeper in the draft.

Inside Hoops: #18 Josh McRoberts

A fairly complete, pretty athletic player who can do everything except shoot outside. Passes better than most forwards on this list. We're not sure what his ideal position is in the NBA.

About.com (Dennis Velasco): #18 Josh McRoberts

Team Needs: We know that they like to shoot and can hit the three, but at some point, it's just not going to fall in. There are perimeter players galore, so time to infuse some post play into the playbook... at least to fake like they're actually going to run some half-court sets.

Player Comment: McRoberts has a lot of offensive skill - able to run the floor, face the basket, or score with his back to the basket. That versatility makes McRoberts a great addition here as he can hang with all the runners on the team and give the Warriors a new dimension down in the box.

Pro Basketball news: #18 Javaris Crittenton, #36 Dominic McGuire, #46 Jermareo Davidson

CBS Sportsline (Tony Meija): #18 Thaddeus Young

CBS Sportsline (TSX): #18 Jason Smith

Who do you think the Warriors will take with the #18 pick?

Help make this We're Mocking You: NBA Mock Drafts 2007 edition even stronger by posting links to excellent mock drafts around the web in the comments.

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i predict...

we won't be there at 18. we'll either move up, move down, or move out. change is more likely than status quo.

by OaktownWarrior on Jun 12, 2007 9:18 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Lasme

Lasme's biggest strength is his shotblocking- despite being PF-sized, he still broke Marcus Camby's blocks record at UMass. Saw a little of him on TV the last two years and was blown away with his defensive instints/timing. If the Warriors can't pull a guy like Varejao or Warrick, Lasme would be a fantastic fit.

BTW, if I were the Warriors, I'd love to see something like this:
J-Rich and the #18 pick for the #5 pick and change (Theo and a smaller contributor like Tony Allen)
#5 pick- Corey Brewer
#36 pick- Glen Davis (or possibly Jermareo Davidson)
#46 pick- Aaron Brooks (or any other PG/SG type who can play the energizer role)

And then re-sign Barnes and try to move a guy like Harrington for a more rebounding (Harrington + _ for Varejao would be a dream and justifiable for the Cavs if they realize that they need competent scorers around King James)

The Roster:
PG- Baron
SG- Monta
SF- SJax
PF- Varejao or Harrington
C- Biedrins
6th- Corey Brewer (Mostly SG, with some SF when necessary)
7th- Matt Barnes (SF and a little PF)
8th- PF/C Pietrus is S+T'd for (Wilcox, Mikki Moore, Warrick, etc)
9th- Glen Davis (C/PF)
10th- Kelenna Azibuke
11th- Aaron Brooks (or other spark plug G)
12th- Stephane Lasme (or Josh Powell)
IR: Foyle, POB, and Bobby Sura (JazzyCabbages for Sura to save cash and give him a chance to play)

How I'd do the minutes (I'll say the Warriors get Wilcox for MP, keep Harrington, and sign Lasme for simplicity's sake)
PG: Baron (33) / Monta (10) / Aaron Brooks (5)
SG: Monta (24) / Corey Brewer (22) / Kabuki (2)
SF: Action Jackson (28) / Barnes (18) / Kabuki (2)
PF: Harrington (28) / Wilcox (10) / Jackson (4) / Big Baby (2) / Lasme (4)
C: Biedrins (28) / Wilcox (18) / Big Baby (2)

by dprodigy19 on Jun 12, 2007 9:53 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

trade Harrington for Varejao???

Harrington is a bonafide NBA starter, and a big offensive threat as well. Varejao is a decent rebounder, and that's about it. All he does is flop around on defense and put up ugly looking uncoordinated "layups" on offense. I don't think he'll ever be starter-worthy.

Glen Davis is too fat to play on the Warriors. He makes Adonal Foyle look like Tayshaun Prince. There's simply no way "Big Baby" could run with this squad.

I don't think we can any of those power forwards for Pietrus either, I think you're over-valuing him a bit.

I got nothing wrong with trading up for Corey Brewer though.

by jlagace on Jun 12, 2007 6:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hell Yea!

I would trade in a second for Varejao! Harrington is good, but hes not what we need. We already have tons of players like Harrington, but we are missing a rebounder like Varejao who will work his ass off to get a rebound!

"Intensity, Integrity, Intelligence" - Kurt Angle

by ballin on Jun 12, 2007 9:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

LoL

did you even see the finale to tonight's Spurs-Cavs game? Varejao did exactly what I said he does.

It's nearing the end of the game, with the game on the line, last possession, down by 2; instead of passing it back to the best player on your team (and maybe in the NBA in the next few years) in Lebron James, he decides to try to pull off this ugly slow motion spin move on defensive-elite Tim Duncan.

Then he flips ups this uncoordinated one handed scoop shot prayer of a layup that I'm sure had the nation pulling their hair out. Even worse he didn't even have to take that shot, plenty of time on the shot clock to pass it back out and reset.

That single ill-advised monstrosity of offensive tomfoolery was way worse than anything Adonal Foyle could've mustered up, and it cost the Cavs their season.

If the Warriors were in that position with Varejao on the team and he did that, you'd be singing different praises. The guy is plain UNSKILLED.

by jlagace on Jun 12, 2007 11:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Glen Davis

Hey whats wrong with Glen Davis? I mean he can sit on the bench with me and POB. Besides I could use the company, since Jasekeviscius or however you spell his name is gone. And while he's on the bench with me, its not like he would be eating food, just cap space.

by Aluminum Foyle on Jun 12, 2007 10:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Splitter or one of the Youngs

If Mully re-signs Barnes, and assuming Pietrus is gone, I'd like to see Splitter. He's internationally tested, and we really need a long rebounder. His lack of bulk won't hurt him much on the Warriors, and it sounds like he can get up and down the court with the best of them.

If Barnes fetches too rich a price from another team, and we end up losing both him AND Pietrus, I think Mullin has to address that sudden loss of depth at the swing position. If Nick Young drops, I say he's a must-pick, as he'll be able to contribute right away. Thaddeus Young would be great as well, if he falls that far, though he certainly sounds like more of a project.

In the 2nd round, I'd love to see everybody's favorite Sean Williams, if he falls that far (unlikely), Reyshawn Terry, or Jared Dudley.

by ffgolden on Jun 12, 2007 11:38 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

please not

mcroberts. the warriors dont need another dukie (dookie).

by llamalimbo1 on Jun 12, 2007 5:33 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

2nd round

I'd take a gamble with Sean Williams like others would, but that Lasme dude is pretty beastly in the Blocks category. I wonder how much of that was man-to-man versus weak-side.

by mojo X on Jun 12, 2007 6:00 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

At 18, I'd say one of...

the Youngs.

Nick Young will be an NBA stud.

Thaddeus Young, 2 years ago, was touted as a sure-fire NBA star, and lit it up at the McDonalds all-american game. I'd go with him, and all that potential!

by bigcity7 on Jun 12, 2007 7:00 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree

Thaddeus Young not only lit it up in the McDonalds All-American Game, but also the Jordan Classic where he made Durant look like a girl and exposed his flaws. Thaddeus Young is fast, strong, and a high flyer, and out of the two Nick and Thadd, I'd go with Thad because of the potential, Nick to me seems to be a reliable player someone like a Shane Battier. But Thaddeus on the other hand could be a Tracy McGrady or maybe the 2nd coming of a Richardson if he continues to improve.

Just think... Monta Ellis, Thaddeus Young, Andris Biedrins... Future.

Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Fire!

by jeppalepala on Jun 15, 2007 1:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's actually nice to have that many choices

at 18. However, I'm still in favor of moving J-Rich to Boston, especially since Pho just said they are not moving Marion. If that's true, Boston might give us the fifth pick and some of the trades previously discussed in making that move. We get younger, bigger, get some expiring contracts and also some talent, including the much-coveted Telfair (LOL).

However, if that doesn't happen, then it seems we have a diversity of opinion that leads me to believe there is good value at 18, especially Splitter. I see no reason to move down.

by commish on Jun 13, 2007 6:48 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs