I hate to keep trying to guess what Mitch is going to do - but this mock draft is bad news for us fans:
Nik at 11
Mitch at 26
Glenn at 30
If Mitch is still considerend first round material - then he has to go in my POV
BOO. YA.
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Latest NBA mock draft from SI
April 17th, 2014 at 2:15 PM
#1
Latest NBA mock draft from SI
April 17th, 2014 at 2:21 PM
#2
GRIII would love to go to the
GRIII would love to go to the spurs I would think, they would let him develop like he needs
April 17th, 2014 at 2:33 PM
#3
Oddly enough
I thought the one team that would be likely to take Mitch in the first round would be the heat. The team will allow him to develop and work his way back, and they can take a high risk/reward type player with the collection of talent on the team.
April 17th, 2014 at 3:28 PM
#4
What's odd about the heat taking him?
I think the clippers are another good candidate as they lack front court depth.
April 17th, 2014 at 3:37 PM
#5
"Odd"
As in I think the teams that both GRIII and Mitch were mocked too were the two teams I thought would be good fits.
April 17th, 2014 at 5:46 PM
#6
So, what you are saying
is that you are odd?
April 17th, 2014 at 3:35 PM
#7
Interesting
I think the exact opposite. First, the Heat are in win-now mode, as Wade and Bosh are getting old and there is the possibility that the big three could all leave as free agents. Second, the Heat have built a unique offense that utilizes essentially no inside presence. It all relies on James or Wade penetrating into the lane and either scoring or kicking out to a shooter. I don't see where a guy with McGary's skill set fits into that.
I actually think McGary would fit better on the Spurs. Their offense relies on big men being active screeners and making intelligent passes and cuts, which are all strengths of McGary's.
April 17th, 2014 at 3:46 PM
#8
Do you think Lebron is
Do you think Lebron is getting old since both he and Bosh were born in '84?
April 17th, 2014 at 5:22 PM
#9
The Heat offense
The Heat offense is the way it is because they don't have any good bigs. Not because its some special offense that seeks to eliminate bigs from scoring. Mitch would fit perfect on that team (and many others). His energy and rebouding would make him an excellent off the bench big. And when Wade/LeBron/Chalmers drive the lane, Mitch would be one of their best options at cleaning up any mess.
April 17th, 2014 at 2:40 PM
#10
When listening to WTKA
When listening to WTKA this morning as they were discussing GR3, my instant thought was that if he could land on a team with a great coach like the Spurs, he could really learn what he needs to learn to have a long productive career.
He needs to land somewhere that knows how to take advantage of his particular set of skills.
April 17th, 2014 at 3:14 PM
#11
So...
...he should be drafted by Bryan Mills?
April 17th, 2014 at 3:51 PM
#12
You mean he should be TAKEN
You mean he should be TAKEN by Bryan Mills?
April 17th, 2014 at 5:26 PM
#13
The NBA is not a learning league
I don't know why people keep thinking "oh, he can sit and learn how to play on team X". That's not how the NBA works. Either you can contribute in your first two years, or you are out of the league and replaced by the next young hyped guy (like D. Morris). Roster spots are at a premium, practice and teaching time is limited, and coaches don't have the time to teach some green kid how to play when they are worried about trying to win 50 games a season to save their own jobs.
This is why I don't think GR3 will make it. He needs to get a lot better at a lot of things, and the NBA isn't a place to do that. The jury is out on Mitch, but he's a big, and they'll give bigs more chances than athletic 3's.
April 17th, 2014 at 5:58 PM
#14
The World Wide Leader had a piece last night
on Shaun Livingston of the Brooklyn Nets. Good player that blew out his knee on a freak play. He's played for a bunch of teams (including the Heat) who all took a chance that he would get better. IIRC, he's been in the league for 7 years on multiple teams. A lot of those years have been on the bench.
Bunch of guys sit at the end of the bench for many years and get minimal (if any) minutes. The Heat had one familiar Fab Five player on their bench last year taking up "premium roster spot".
April 17th, 2014 at 6:53 PM
#15
Yes, but...
Yes but Livingston was a proven commodity. Dude was gonna be a star before he blew out his knee. Teams were taking a chance he would get back to what he was. Even 60-75% of what he was would be serviceable. Same goes for Oden on the Heat. And J. Howard on the Heat last season was also a proven commodity. The Heat could plug him in if they needed him and knew what they were getting.
The bench in the NBA is filled with guys coaches can rely on in a pinch. Guys that need development don't last long because they can't be trusted. Project players (like Morris) get their two seasons, then either get cut or traded and quickly disappear into 10 day contract land to never be heard from again.
April 17th, 2014 at 2:50 PM
#16
In the long run
he's blocked there by Kawhi Leonard. Think he'd be better off with a team like the Clippers who offer him a chance to develop, but where he isn't blocked.
April 17th, 2014 at 2:21 PM
#17
What is guiding Mitch?
One would think he's listening to people other than journalists who sit around guessing at these things.
I also wonder if the same people who helped GRIII make his decision are helping Mitch get a better idea.
I would love to see him stay since he really only showed his true potential in the tourney last year.
Doesn't he have to make his decision soon, like in the next week?
Plotting my revenge deep in Bolivia
April 17th, 2014 at 2:27 PM
#18
Guys like Chad Ford are
Guys like Chad Ford are well-connected and their predictive power gets better as the early entries clarify, things begin to settle, and they start getting real feedback from real GMs and scouts.
This is a huge jump for McGary. I guess the question is, how well-connected is this Chris Mannix dude?
April 17th, 2014 at 3:22 PM
#19
Mannix like a lot of the national NBA reporters have NBA sources
But even with the early entry list finalized next week so much can change in the NBA workouts. The NBA workouts are where a lot of these guys get their true evaluations from teams and that eventually works its way to the agents and media. The predictive power is pretty low until a week or two until the draft. A mock NBA Draft now is like a mock NFL Draft before the Combine--way too early to be accurate.
The problem for McGary: is he healthy enough to compete in workouts? If he can't, I don't see how any NBA team can take him in the 1st round.
April 17th, 2014 at 9:51 PM
#20
well said, your final point.
I think McGary wants to go, but he knows, or has been told, that he will have to be able to perform in work outs over the next month or so.
I assume he is not ready to perform at a premium level and therefore he will have to wait, return, and prove that he can play.
I honestly think if he was leaving he would have had a conference with stauskus and GRIII. And I think he is waiting to see how he feels. The other issue being that maybe as unproven commodity he is better off than an injured junior next year...
just my opinion and lord knows I have no inside connections, but I do have decent perceptive powers and this is how I read the situation.
jdon
April 17th, 2014 at 2:51 PM
#21
He has 10 days
to make his final decision. Early entry deadline is April 27th this year.
April 17th, 2014 at 2:23 PM
#22
Why? He could play a full
Why? He could play a full season next year and go much higher in a weaker draft.
April 17th, 2014 at 2:34 PM
#23
and because
and because performance/alleviating health concerns will push him up to.
April 17th, 2014 at 2:40 PM
#24
cause if his back goes out
cause if his back goes out again, he's done. No NBA team would draft him.
April 17th, 2014 at 2:54 PM
#25
The 2015 Draft
is a bit weaker overall, but the depth of big men in that draft is much better than this year's, especially after Cauley-Stein and Harrell both returned to school. Positionally, he might be higher as a PF or C in this year's draft.
April 17th, 2014 at 3:11 PM
#26
Just Yesterday...
According to this, Beilein was asked about health being a consideration for McGary - HERE
He indicated that it likely would not be, and according to this piece, Mitch is progressing well enough if folks are to be believed, although this article mentions him as a 2nd round pick potentially. Some sites would agree, others don't - forunately, they are mock drafts, right?
In any case, as of yesterday, Mitch's dad was only saying that he is "back and forth" on the issue of declaring and has not really made any decision either way. Brendan Quinn does bring up something I'd rather forgotten about though:
Having lost the majority of his sophomore campaign to injury, McGary is eligible for a medical redshirt to retain his lost year of eligibility. While most assume it's a foregone conclusion that McGary will not spend four years at Michigan, a redshirt would serve as a logical contingency plan should he return to school.
April 17th, 2014 at 2:27 PM
#27
I think every athlete should
I think every athlete should stay no matter what.
April 17th, 2014 at 2:34 PM
#28
Parker officially declared
Parker officially declared for the draft today. I would expect him to go in the top 2.
April 17th, 2014 at 3:01 PM
#29
Higher than Wiggins and
Higher than Wiggins and Embiid?
April 17th, 2014 at 3:10 PM
#30
Probably will
come down to who has the top three picks and in what order. A lot of people see Wiggins and Parker as equals. Plus, Embiid's draft slot will depend a lot on how healthy his back is.
April 17th, 2014 at 4:49 PM
#31
Well the way they are
Well the way they are painting them right now is Wiggins is like a poor man's Durant - you will get an all around game - has work to do on his offense; Parker is Carmelo Anthony - you will get serious offense, forget defense.
April 17th, 2014 at 3:02 PM
#32
I didn't realize Philly had
I didn't realize Philly had two top ten picks. I would love for Mitch to play for the Heat. Great team for him to develop and learn on.
April 17th, 2014 at 3:30 PM
#33
He can learn from Juwan
He can learn from Juwan Howard.
April 17th, 2014 at 3:02 PM
#34
Having a mock draft with guys
Having a mock draft with guys in it who haven't declared seems in poor taste.
April 17th, 2014 at 3:36 PM
#35
as opposed
to random speculation on a blog?
April 17th, 2014 at 3:41 PM
#36
Yup!
I thought the same thing as JMBLUE. Ethical journalism in the main stream media is gone!
On the other hand, I thought blogs were exactly that, a place for random speculation by unprofessional, unethical, rapid fans!
April 17th, 2014 at 3:07 PM
#39
Listened to Spike
talking after the awards banquet (posted on umhoops.com) and there was some banter about him being the oldest person on the team now. Shortly after that back and forth, someone asked, "What about, Mitch?" I am paraphrasing, but Spike's reaction was, "Oh yeah, I forgot about Big Mitch - hope to have him back..." I always thought those two were close, so I am interpreting that as though he's gone. That was the first time I thought that. Prior to that interview I had firmly believed he would be back to try and cement his 1st round status.
April 17th, 2014 at 4:06 PM
#40
Yeah I heard that too and it
Yeah I heard that too and it definitely didn't sound very promising. Caris also left Mitch out when talking about who the leaders of the team would be next year. It is entirely possible they are not mentioning him out of respect until he completes the decision making process but my personal feelings about Mitch returning have shifted.
April 17th, 2014 at 3:10 PM
#41
as much as many say gr3 needs a year
in college his chances of no pressure bench player year 1 on a good team beats his dad going to the sucky bucks and succeeding. He reminds me a young Gerald Wallace, lots of flash but unkown talent. His dunking will win over fans, kings fans wanted Wallace on the floor when they were a playoff team just for the dunks.
April 17th, 2014 at 3:35 PM
#42
Wallace was a rebounding machine with an ugly shot.
They couldn't be more different other than being black and having great leading ability.
April 17th, 2014 at 3:18 PM
#45
I think if Mitch's back is
I think if Mitch's back is going to heal 100% he needs to come back to school, if his back isn't ever going to heal properly then he should go to the NBA now. I say this because another year of school at full strength and I think mcgary is a top 10 pick, however another year like this and he may go undrafted.
April 17th, 2014 at 3:31 PM
#46
If Mitch goes to the NBA who
If Mitch goes to the NBA who is Andrew Dakich going to celebrate with on the bench??
Sad Andrew Dakich is bad karma.
April 17th, 2014 at 4:46 PM
#47
Ahhh, if Mitch comes back,
Ahhh, if Mitch comes back, Dakich won't have Mitch to celebrate with on the bench either. Unless, Mitch runs to the sideline after every three. Not sure JB would appreciate that.
April 17th, 2014 at 5:26 PM
#48
If Mitch goes pro then Dakich
If Mitch goes pro then Dakich may have to be our back up 4/5
April 17th, 2014 at 3:54 PM
#49
MItch potentially has a lot to gain
If he comes back. Being a top 10 pick pays him a lot more money than going #26-#30. It's certainly a risk, but there is a lot of reward there as well. If he comes back and plays well I can't see him going any lower than #15.
April 17th, 2014 at 4:01 PM
#50
The thing with Mitch
All the secrecy about his back is pointless. NBA GM's are going to want to see X-Rays and medical reports before they draft him.
Whenever Mitch jumps, where he goes will be determined by A. What he has shown(an excellent tournament) vs. B. health risk factor(which we wont know but NBA GM's will.)
The argument for staying is that you can boost A substantially. We don't(and wont) have a value for B unless things go very very badly.
Things going very very badly is the argument for going.
April 17th, 2014 at 4:14 PM
#51
As a Nuggets fan,
I heartily approve- especially if this means no more Randy Foye. Stauskas/Fournier would be a potent combo at SG.
