Chad Ford NBA Mock Draft 4.0
Chad Ford released his latest NBA mock draft (Insider) today. He has Stauskas going to the T-Wolves at 13, and no GRIII or McGary in the first round.
And for Pistons fans, he has them taking Noah Vonleh.
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:57 PM ^
To that I would argue: the Pistons' problem is chemistry, not talent. Nobody would argue that Monroe, Drummond, Smith, Jennings, etc. aren't very, very good at what they do. The problem is they can't do what they do, because the mix is bad. Too many players trying to do the same thing, and it forces some of them into doing what they're not good at. That problem isn't helped by taking someone who at best is only as good as the players they already have and plays the same position.
Smith and Jennings are terrible at what they do, since they aren't playing one-on-one or 2-on-2. They play 5 on 5 basketball which requires being a good teammate - part of which is shot selection. Yes, they have talent, but not enough to build a team around. Drummond's the only guy that fits.
The Pistons are a long way from contending and neither Smith or Jennings should be considered part of the solution anymore than Villanueva or Gordon or Dennis Damn Rodman. Short-term thinking is what landed the Pistons in this mess.
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:06 PM ^
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:43 PM ^
That, of course, doesn't mean that all super athletes become great pro players or that smaller and less athletic guys never prosper (and I'm no NBA scout so I take no credit or blame for their good or bad decisions). That just seems to be how they draft.
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:58 PM ^
That's the big disconnect between GMs and coaches in the NBA, and its a big part of the reason bad teams are bad. GMs will draft a played based on potential and being able to teach him something. But, then they expect their coach to win 50 games and make the playoffs leaving little time to coach up a player since the coach has to win with what he has this season and not what he might have in 1-3 years. Because frankly if he doesn't win right away, he might not be the coach in 1-3 years. So why waste time teaching some raw prospect?
The reason good teams like the Spurs continue to thrive is that they draft based on players that will fit into their system. They already do things well and they can plug them in and they fill a roll.
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:07 PM ^
Hope Vonleh is still there when my Cavs draft. Because what they really need is another developmental project at the PF spot to complement Bennett and Thompson.
Drafting the same position in the first round year after year worked for the Lions, right?
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:32 PM ^
Well, it did eventually lead to the Lions getting Megatron, so it kinda worked.
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:38 PM ^
I'd take Megatron at power forward right now over anyone on the Cavs roster.
Would the Lions take Bennett and Thompson in a trade?
I'd still take him.
should really just try and unload Thompson. Decent player, but would probably be better off coming off the bench. Think Vonleh would be a great fit for them.
If they had a different coaching staff. Mike Brown's strong suit has never really been offensive player development, especially for young bigs.
At any rate, the Cavs will probably draft whoever they think is NBA ready, rather than on overall potential, bc the owner is convinced that the promised land is a 38-44 record, 8th seed in the playoffs and a first round sweep at the hands of the Heat.
junkie, that all sounds very familiar to me.
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:17 PM ^
Ford says that Stauskas, at 13, "has unlimited range, a super-quick release, and as a bonus, he can play point guard in a pinch."
I know Nik has good handles for a guy his size, on the wing, but is he really quick enough to play PG in the NBA?
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:24 PM ^
He could bring the ball up the court, I don't think that would be a huge issue, but I don't really see him running a true point ever either. Maybe get the team into their offense and then go back to doing his thing on the wing and running the pick and role, but he won't be Chris Paul out there. And I would hope he wouldn't have to guard PGs.
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:33 PM ^
But his ability to dribble is good enough to keep defenders honest.
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:56 PM ^
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:18 PM ^
Is Mitch the only 1st roundish guy left who has not declared one way or the other? Deadline is Apr 27 and I cannot think of any other major player who has not made a decision. I know Beilein said health does not matter in decision but I have to believe that is a smokescreen of sorts to protect Mitch if he comes out. Makes me think Mitch might go to this weekend and the decision is essentially based on how he feels and how he projects he will feel a few weeks after in terms of can he physically go battle in individual workouts.
(of course pure speculation)
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:31 PM ^
Harrison Twins
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:33 PM ^
Other ones to look out for in addition to the Harrison twins: Clemson's KJ McDaniels, UConn's DeAndre Daniels, and Colorado's Spencer Dinwiddie. This article from last week is a little dated as some of the players listed have already made their decision:
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:35 PM ^
Thanks.
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:53 PM ^
Draft Express has an early entry list page that includes constantly updated lists of who's in, who's not, and who's undecided. Scroll down for the "Undecided/Unknown" list.
McDainels declared and is expected to go in round one.
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:19 PM ^
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:23 PM ^
... and Adreian Payne at 19.
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:53 PM ^
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:56 PM ^
many mock drafts have the Bulls taking Nik with one of those picks. At first blush, Nik didn't seem like a good fit with Thibodeau, but the Bulls really need someone to stick 3s. And Nik may learn to play better defense in that system.
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:59 PM ^
Derrick Rose-Jimmy Butler-Nik Stauskas-Taj Gibson-Joakim Noah.
That's a title-winning lineup right there.
That requires the old Derrick Rose and odds are we will never see him again. He is approaching Grant Hill territory in terms of injuries.
I should've added an "if healthy" caveat. I'm with you on Rose.
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:28 PM ^
He has GR III at #33 in his top 100. Ford also has Jerian Grant at #31, but most reports have Grant returning to Notre Dame for a 4th year after his academic suspension. I have a feeling GR III is going to sneak up into the bottom of the 1st round like Hardaway Jr. when it is all said and done though.
Ford is not as high on Mitch McGary as some other sites (like SI and DraftExpress) placing him at #43.
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:39 PM ^
Frankly, he's only a potential 1st rounder because of 'potential' and the fact that he's a really tall, muscular jumpy guy. He's going to work out for teams and do jumpy dunky things and someone is going fan themselves while saying "My stars!" and draft him around #20
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:54 PM ^
I think you're wrong about Robinson being a shooting or defensive specialist. He's neither of those things. And since he's not a threat to create and score on his own, there's no reason to place an athletic defender on him.
I hope I'm wrong, but I think he's going to have a real hard time making it in the NBA. He's going to have to up his energy level significantly and since the NBA season is such a long grind, I just don't see that happening. He drifted in and out of games for two years here, what makes you think that'll change when there's 2.5 times as many games to play?
I think this is another Darius Morris -- 3-4 years in the league before he's off to the D-League or Europe.
I didn't say he was a shooting or defensive specialist. His specialty would be using his althleticism in transition and off the ball on offense, which isn't as common for those types of players. He can create scoring his opportunities without the ball (as opposed to lingering at the 3-line while his defender plays help defense and in a different way than simply lurking for putbacks), which is important in a league where the role of superstars is to dominate the ball. He'll be able to play his game without everyone expecting him to be a dynamic one-on-one player, and the fact that he rarely forces shots or takes bad shots will be an asset (by giving away shot opportunities the superstar(s) could have had). He'll be a more talented version of the Battier or Fisher mold, and while not a 3-point specialist right now, he will develop into a long-range threat after a couple seasons in that role.
Sorry, misread your comment. But I don't think athleticsism off the ball is a viable skill in the NBA, because almost everyone (especially at the 3) is athletic off the ball. Especially for guys coming off the bench who don't have enough of a skill set to start. Just a bunch of dudes that are athletic that teams are hoping develop some other skills. So if you're on par with the rest of your peers, you need something else to set you apart. Glenn doesn't have that right now. And my personal opinion is that he's not going to have enough time in the NBA to develop that "something else" because it is such a sink or swim league. Being able to catch some alley-oops only buys you so much time.
That's not true at all. GRIII's bball IQ is very high, and he's more athletic and skilled than, as one example, Sefolosha, who's been doing it for almost a decade. It's more sink or swim in the NBA for one-on-one iso guys and less athletic skill players, since that's what the league is flooded with. Otherwise, it's really not superstar or nothing.
but I wouldn't use heady or 'brings intangibles' do define him. He couldn't create his own shot and couldn't ball handle at all (see: most of the time when he tried to bring it up court by himself). His only shots are GRAHHH dunks and 6 inches inside the 3 pt line.
I like the guy...but he doesn't create for himself. He needs to be assisted at all times. Hopefully he sticks but I am foreseeing bench time for him.
OTOH, he was playing the 4 for Beilein a lot so maybe a move to the 3 will be great for him.
No matter what the highlights and commericials say, basketball's really not all one-on-one isolation. He won't be asked to create for himself by penetrating off the dribble. And there's certainly not an abundance of efficient mid-range shooters in the NBA. He spaces the floor well, makes good decisions with the ball (unless you want "be more aggressive and score 30" to be the decision -- the team's offensive efficiency without him doing that says it wasn't necessary), and feeds off of, without detracting from, a team's primary offensive weapons.
Just takes one GM to fall in love with the potential and draft him. I could see someone like Charlotte at #24, Phoenix at #27, or the Clippers at #28 taking him.
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:34 PM ^
however, the T-wolves do not even have a head coach due to Adelman retiring. Not sure you can know what they want in the draft. That said - of course they would want Stauskus
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:37 PM ^
epic screen name...
April 22nd, 2014 at 12:41 PM ^