Nugglove Mock Draft 3.0

A week to go until the 2012 Draft and it seems the field changes every day, the only guarantee is Anthony Davis is the lock for the top pick.

1. NEW ORLEANS: Anthony Davis, 6-foot-11  222 pounds, 19 years old, Kentucky, Freshman, Power Forward
   Davis is a mix between Marcus Camby and Kevin Garnett (defensively) and is the perfect fit for the Hornets.
2. CHARLOTTE: Thomas Robinson, 6-10  244, 21 years old, Kansas, Junior, Power Forward
   Mike Dunlap needs hard workers and competitors to be a successful coach for the Bobcats. Robinson is that and much more. He is the probably the most NBA ready player in the draft and somebody that can start from Day 1.
3. WASHINGTON: Bradley Beal, 6-5 202, 18 years old, Florida, Freshman, Shooting Guard
   (Previous pick: Michael Kidd Gilchrist)
   The Wizards made it pretty apparent that they were going to draft Beal after they traded for Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza. Beal should help immediately at shooting guard and give John Wall a consistent scorer/shooter to depend on.
4. CLEVELAND: Harrison Barnes, 6-8  223, 20 years old, North Carolina, Sophomore, Small Forward
   (Previous pick: Bradley Beal)
   A lot of mock drafts have the Cavaliers drafting Michael Kidd Gilchrist with this pick. However, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see Cleveland go for Barnes instead. He is a better offensive threat and is friends with Kyrie Irving.
   
5. SACRAMENTO: Andre Drummond, 7  279, 18 years old, Connecticut, Freshman, Center
   (Previous pick: Harrison Barnes)
   Not a lot of prospects are interested in playing for the Kings and they have shown in the past that they may go for the bling instead of the bang. Drummond is definitely a reach with the fifth pick, but if he pans out he would create a nice pair in the post with DeMarcus Cousins. 
6. PORTLAND: Damian Lillard, 6-3  189, 21 years old, Weber State, Junior, Guard
   (Previous pick: Andre Drummond)
   The Blazers can go in many different ways with the sixth pick; they can draft Lillard and hope he is their starting point guard for the present and future. Dion Waiters may be an option as his stock continues to rise. Lillard may be the safest pick, he has proven time and time again what he can do and he’d look good playing with Aldridge.
7. GOLDEN STATE: Michael Kidd Gilchrist, 6-8  233, 18 years old, Kentucky, Freshman, Small Forward
   (Previous pick: Terrence Jones)
   This may not be the ideal place for Kidd Gilchrist, but it may be the perfect fit for everybody involved. The Warriors want a small forward and Kidd Gilchrist is the best one in the draft. He doesn’t provide much scoring, but the Warriors have two guards (Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson) that do. He is a competitor, hard worker and potentially could be a shutdown defender. When was the last time the Warriors had one of those players?
8. TORONTO: Dion Waiters, 6-4  221, 20 years old, Syracuse, Sophomore, Guard
   The Raptors biggest need is a star player and outside of Davis, Waiters has the highest ceiling. He has killer instinct and has the power and speed to drive by just about anybody. Waiters doesn’t really fit a need for a position (he is a combo guard) for the Raptors, but his potential may be too much to pass up.
9. DETROIT: Meyers Leonard, 7 -1 250, 20 years old, Illinois, Sophomore, Center
   A lot of mock drafts have the Pistons selecting Henson here to team up with Greg Monroe. However, with how high Leonard’s stock is rising it’s hard to see the Pistons passing on this big man. He is very athletic and has a much higher ceiling than Henson.
10. NEW ORLEANS:  Terrence Jones, 6-10  252, 20 years old, Kentucky, Sophomore, Forward
    (Previous pick: Jared Sullinger)
    Jones may not be an ideal pick for the Hornets, but adding two players from the National Title Wildcats may be too much. Jones can shoot the ball, rebound and defend. His versatility would fit with almost any team.
    
11. PORTLAND: Austin Rivers, 6-4  203, 19 years old, Duke, Freshman, Shooting Guard
    (Previous pick: Andre Drummond)
    The Blazers drafted Lillard with the first pick and would love to solidify their backcourt in the draft. Rivers may never pan out to his expectations, but he does have a role in the NBA. It also helps that he will play next to Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge
12. MILWAUKEE:  Perry Jones, 6-11  234, 20 years old, Baylor, Sophomore, Forward
    (Previous pick: Jeremy Lamb)
    Jones stock may be dropping, but the Bucks may gamble with this pick and draft the Baylor star. He has the length to play some power forward, but will be a matchup nightmare at small forward.
13. PHOENIX: Jeremy Lamb, 6-5  185, 20 years old, Connecticut, Sophomore, Shooting Guard
    (Previous pick: Austin Rivers)
    The Suns will most likely go for the best player available and that is Lamb. It seems some scouts aren’t smitten with him, which could cause his stock to drop but it is hard to find a real flaw in his game. He has great length, has a nice jump shot and potential on defense.
14. HOUSTON: Tyler Zeller, 7-1 247, 22 years old, North Carolina, Senior, Center
    (Previous pick: Perry Jones)
    The Rockets are rumored to be trading Samuel Dalembert, if so it wouldn’t be out of the question for them to draft Zeller. Zeller doesn’t have that high of ceiling, but he can play right away.
15. PHILADELPHIA: Terrence Ross, 6-7  197, 21 years old, Washington, Sophomore, SG/SF
    (Previous pick: Moe Harkless)
    The Sixers want to go big, but they also are in a position where they may go for the best prospect available. Ross is a talented wing player that can help on defense and hit some shots.
16. HOUSTON: Moe Harkless, 6-9 207, 19 years old, St. John’s, Freshman, Forward
    Harkless has impressed a lot of teams with his confidence and work ethic. It also doesn’t hurt that he is one of the younger prospects and has a high ceiling.
17. DALLAS:  Kendall Marshall, 6-4  197, 20 years old, North Carolina, Sophomore, Point Guard
    (Previous pick: Meyers Leonard)
    The Mavericks want to find a player that can help out right away and Marshall is one of the few that is left. Marshall is a pure passer, but not an outstanding shooter. He is a great leader and is a nice backup plan in case Deron Williams doesn’t sign with Dallas.
18. MINNESOTA: Evan Fournier, 6-7  206, 19 years old, France, Shooting Guard
    The Timberwolves really don’t have a need. They are set pretty much all over the floor, except at shooting guard. And while there aren’t any shooting guards worth reaching at, Fournier may be intriguing. He is young and has great size. The T-wolves have already added some young European talent with Ricky Rubio and Nikola Pekovic, Fournier may be the next in line, Blazers’ small forward Nicolas Batum has even compared him to Manu Ginobili.
19. ORLANDO:  Jared Sullinger, 6-9  268, 20 years old, Ohio State, Sophomore, Power Forward
    (Previous pick: Kendall Marshall)
    Sullinger may be the player that keeps Dwight Howard with the Magic. He has been red flagged due to medical issues, but should step in and help Orlando right away.
20. DENVER: John Henson, 6-11  220, 21 years old, North Carolina, Junior, Power Forward
    (Previous pick: Tyler Zeller)
    Henson with his mammoth wingspan would be George Karl’s dream. Henson has the versatility to defend all five positions on the floor and be a factor on the defensive side of the floor on any given night.
21. BOSTON: Royce White, 6-8 249, 21 years old, Iowa State, Sophomore, Power Forward
22. BOSTON: Andrew Nicholson, 6-9  220, 22 years old, St. Bonaventure, Senior, Power Forward
    The Celtics can’t be looking for more than depth with these two picks and Nicholson and White are the two best players available. Nicholson has great range on his jumper, while White is probably the most versatile player in the draft. Boston’s biggest need is size, but their second biggest need is depth.
23. ATLANTA: Arnett Moultrie, 6-11  233, 21 years old, Mississippi State, Junior, Power Forward
    The Hawks need size and Moultrie is the best big man available. He is a good rebounder and has range on his jumper. Moultrie also has a lot of fire too, with the plethora of big man in Atlanta it wouldn’t be surprising if Moultrie is part of Atlanta’s rotation.
24. CLEVELAND: Fab Melo, 7-0  255, 21 years old, Syracuse, Sophomore, Center
    The Cavaliers don’t have any 7-footers on their roster, and Melo’s size and defensive ability is intriguing. Not to mention it probably would be nice for Melo to play with a fellow Brazilian (Anderson Varejao).
25. MEMPHIS: Marquis Teague, 6-2  189, 19 years old, Kentucky, Freshman, Point Guard
    The Grizzlies desperately need a backup point guard as they turned to OJ Mayo to run the point at times during the playoffs and it didn’t turn out well. Teague isn’t a traditional point guard, he struggles with his decision making and tends to be out of control at times. However, he is still young and is very aggressive and could be a nice piece for Memphis.
26. INDIANA: Jeff Taylor, 6-7  226, 23 years old, Vanderbilt, Senior, Forward
    The Pacers have been making a living on finding players late in the draft (Roy Hibbert, Danny Granger…) and Taylor may be another one. He is very undervalued, mainly due to his age. However, he is a lockdown defender and has range on his jump shot. He could play right away.
27. MIAMI: Draymond Green, 6-8 236, 22 years old, Michigan State, Senior, Forward
    Green would be another great role player for the Heat. He is very versatile, who can pass the ball, grab a rebound and score the ball.
28. OKLAHOMA CITY: Quincy Miller, 6-10 219, 19 years old, Baylor, Freshman, Forward
    Miller is a poor man’s Kevin Durant. It’s still unclear if Miller can recover from his high school injury, but if he does he’d bea steal for the Thunder.
29. CHICAGO: Orlando Johnson, 6-5  223, 23 years old, UC Santa Barbara, Senior, Shooting Guard
    This is a tough pick to predict. The Bulls will be without Derrick Rose for part of next year and could go for a prospect here or look more towards a player to help now. Some mock drafts have the Bulls drafting John Jenkins here, but Jenkins may not be enough of a scorer for Chicago which tended to struggle offensively down the stretch. Johnson is a very prominent scorer who can score in many ways. He can take smaller players into the post, he can drive by slower wings and also take bigger defenders outside. Johnson doesn’t have the upside but the Bulls may not be looking for upside with this pick.
30. GOLDEN STATE: Will Barton, 6-6 174, 21 yeras old, Memphis, Sophomore, Shooting Guard
    Barton is a very talented prospect, great length with an ability to score and share the ball. The issue with Barton is he lacks the strength to play in the NBA. Of course, the same thing can be said about Durant. However, unlike Durant, Barton’s growth is limited due to his inconsistent jump shot and strength.
    NEXT UP: John Jenkins, Tony Wroten, Jared Cunningham, Doron Lamb, Khris Middleton