2012 NBA Mock Draft

[Scrap Irony]

Ralph Sampson is in the Hall of Fame.

I'd go Robinson and grab a shooter early in the Second Round. Right now, it looks like Darius Miller or Jeffrey Taylor (perhaps Jenkins) are the best shooters available. They'll also have some decent cash for free agents.

That team, with free agents and draftees, looks solidly average:
K. Walker PG
JR Smith SG
Magette SF
Robinson PF
Biyombo C
Augustin PG
Henderson SG
Miller/ Taylor SG
Novak F
Mullens C

[Assembly Hall]

Originally Posted by Scrap Irony

Ralph Sampson is in the Hall of Fame.

I'd go Robinson and grab a shooter early in the Second Round. Right now, it looks like Darius Miller or Jeffrey Taylor (perhaps Jenkins) are the best shooters available. They'll also have some decent cash for free agents.

That team, with free agents and draftees, looks solidly average:
K. Walker PG
JR Smith SG
Magette SF
Robinson PF
Biyombo C
Augustin PG
Henderson SG
Miller/ Taylor SG
Novak F
Mullens C

So is Cheryl Miller. She had quite the NBA playing career!

I cant disagee with what you put up there. Solidly average very well could land a play-off spot.

[Revering4Blue]

Do you really believe that Biyombo's natural position is center? I don't.

Biyombo is better suited for PF, so is Robinson, of course. Robinson projects as a Derrick Williams/Patrick Patterson type. IDK, but it seems as if the #2 overall pick's ceiling should be higher than that.

http://nbadraft.net/players/thomas-robinson

[texasdave]

xxx

[WVRed]

Originally Posted by improbus

My love affair with Davis knows no bounds (I wore a unibrow to work often during the tournament), but I hope people aren't expecting Tim Duncan. He is much closer to the Tyson Chandler/Marcus Camby range of center, with better shooting range (if NBA teams let him do it).

Speaking of shooting range, that reminded me of a story about Camby. In the NBA, he gets putbacks and dunks and that is about it on the offensive end. But, I have a friend who played against him in a pickup game when Marcus was younger. MArcus decided that he wanted to run the point, and so he ran the offense and shot 3's...and dominated. It just goes to show you how good these guys are.

Not expecting Tim Duncan at all. I was responding to how Withey shut Davis down in the national championship. He still had 16 rebounds and six blocks and his defensive presence changed the way teams attack the rim.

I think it will be interesting to see where Davis plays, if its at center or PF. If he's a center, he will either have to bulk up or he will be pushed around by the likes of Dwight Howard. PF would be a better fit in that if he keeps showing his shooting touch toward the end of last season he will make it even harder to guard him.

[Scrap Irony]

Originally Posted by Revering4Blue

Do you really believe that Biyombo's natural position is center? I don't.

Biyombo is better suited for PF, so is Robinson, of course. Robinson projects as a Derrick Williams/Patrick Patterson type. IDK, but it seems as if the #2 overall pick's ceiling should be higher than that.

http://nbadraft.net/players/thomas-robinson

From that same blurb about Robinson:

Overall: Robinson is one of the safer picks around the top of the draft ... He has the tools and the work ethic to become an ideal pick-and-roll/pick-and-pop kind of power forward ... Once Robinson polishes his post moves and jump shot, he should be a fixture in a team's starting lineup for a long time ... A likely top-5 pick ...

From WalterCamp

Strengths:
NBA-ready body
Strong rebounder
Toughness
Fierce competitor
Athleticism
Explosive at the rim
Footwork in the post
Has blow-by ability with a couple power dribbles
Decent mid-range jumper
Great outlet passer
Brings terrific energy to the floor
Guards on the perimeter well for his size

In Charlotte, he will defend, rebound, and pick and roll with both Kemba and Henderson to great effect. He's NBA ready right now, and there's not another power forward in this draft who's as good at as many things as Robinson. He also has upside he hasn't touched yet.

[Assembly Hall]

The one thing that bothers me about T-Rob is where in the hell was he two years ago? This aint some raw, high school kid that played one year and is done at the college level. All of the sudden he is a safe pick? To me that means the pickens are slim.

[Revering4Blue]

Originally Posted by Assembly Hall

The one thing that bothers me about T-Rob is where in the hell was he two years ago? This aint some raw, high school kid that played one year and is done at the colllimege level. All of the sudden he is a safe pick? To me that means the pickens are slim.

Well, I'm not going to go that far. I actually agree with Scrap's overall assessment of this draft class--Lots of solid players, some of which may prove to be outstanding. I just disagree with the direction in which the Bobcats should take.

Again, Robinson should be a nice player, a good piece for an established team/team with cornerstones (I.E Washington) in place, but he has a very limited chance of blossoming into a franchise player.

Until last year with Biyombo, who appears to be the best pick in franchise history already, the Bobcats have always gone for the safe, good looking college player that is a "winner" and has "heart' (Okafor, Felton, May, Morrison, Henderson, etc.) Where has that gotten them?

Choose the most likely franchise player. Higher Risk-Higher Reward. You're a lottery team next year, anyway, so you may as well go down swinging for the fences.

[Assembly Hall]

Originally Posted by Revering4Blue

Again, Robinson should be a nice player, a good piece for an established team/team with cornerstones (I.E Washington) in place, but he has a very limited chance of blossoming into a franchise player.

Until last year with Biyombo, who appears to be the best pick in franchise history already, the Bobcats have always gone for the safe, good looking college player that is a "winner" and has "heart' (Okafor, Felton, May, Morrison, Henderson, etc.) Where has that gotten them?

Choose the most likely franchise player. Higher Risk-Higher Reward. You're a lottery team next year, anyway, so you may as well go down swinging for the fences.

Agreed.

[improbus]

Originally Posted by Assembly Hall

Agreed.

This is the ultimate excuse machine for GM's as well. "Well, the kid didn't pan out the way we wanted him to."

[improbus]

Originally Posted by Assembly Hall

So is Cheryl Miller. She had quite the NBA playing career!

I cant disagee with what you put up there. Solidly average very well could land a play-off spot.

That is a team that will have the worst FG% in the NBA. There isn't an efficient offensive player (outside of maybe Maggette - who is a train wreck) on the roster.

[improbus]

Originally Posted by WVRed

Not expecting Tim Duncan at all. I was responding to how Withey shut Davis down in the national championship. He still had 16 rebounds and six blocks and his defensive presence changed the way teams attack the rim.

I think it will be interesting to see where Davis plays, if its at center or PF. If he's a center, he will either have to bulk up or he will be pushed around by the likes of Dwight Howard. PF would be a better fit in that if he keeps showing his shooting touch toward the end of last season he will make it even harder to guard him.

I agree. But the current narrative is that Davis is going to turn around a franchise, and I'm still not completely convinced he's that player. He could be Garnett, but it is hard to equate college big man play to the pros. He will need to play on the right team with the right guys around him. He needs another guy who can play man defense against the better post up players, because he is not nearly as good at man defense.

Really, his best current comp in the NBA might be Serge Ibaka. Davis is taller, but they have similar offensive games.

[Assembly Hall]

Originally Posted by improbus

I agree. But the current narrative is that Davis is going to turn around a franchise, and I'm still not completely convinced he's that player. He could be Garnett, but it is hard to equate college big man play to the pros. He will need to play on the right team with the right guys around him. He needs another guy who can play man defense against the better post up players, because he is not nearly as good at man defense.

Really, his best current comp in the NBA might be Serge Ibaka. Davis is taller, but they have similar offensive games.

Cant disagree with a word you said there. I do think Davis will be an immediate impact player. Does he need help? Yes. One piece is already there in one Eric Gordon. And Gordon's game does fit in to what Davis was used to at UK. I also think he needs the help in the post and I am sure they will address that.

[Scrap Irony]

Originally Posted by improbus

I agree. But the current narrative is that Davis is going to turn around a franchise, and I'm still not completely convinced he's that player. He could be Garnett, but it is hard to equate college big man play to the pros. He will need to play on the right team with the right guys around him. He needs another guy who can play man defense against the better post up players, because he is not nearly as good at man defense.

Really, his best current comp in the NBA might be Serge Ibaka. Davis is taller, but they have similar offensive games.

Okafor is there already.

Between them, one will stand up a defender while the other swats the shot from the weakside. That should make New Orleans' interior defense among the best in the league. Davis will likely be paired with power forwards (which should, in part, negate the need to gain weight immediately). He's so good at challenging jump shooters, he should be outstanding on the perimeter and still have the quickness to alter shots on the inside.

Offensively, he'll need a deep shooter or three and a guard adept at the pick-and-roll. Voila-- Eric Gordon is a very good deep shooter/ slasher and Jarrett Jack was a great find as a pick and roll PG last season. (Second in the league in assists, mainly off the p-&-r set.)

He's compared to Garnett because he has a similar jump shot out to 20 feet, blow by ability with the ball, and athelticism that few possess. His handle is phenomenal as well.

In short, he'll create mismatches with anyone opposing coaches choose to guard him with. If you go big, he'll pick and pop with a PG or shoot from 15. If you go small, he'll post up.

Add in an outstanding basketball IQ, and he'll make moves as he matures, a la Garnett, that few will match.

Right now, he's probably a 15/10/5 guy as a tertiary option. As a secondary option, bump his points up two or three, perhaps four. As the primary option, he'll go for 23/11/5.

Since high volume shooters like Gordon need the ball in their hands, and Davis is adept at playing for tips and offensive rebounds most of the time, I suspect NOLA will run a pick-and-roll variation with both Gordon (or Jack, depending on hot hand/ guarding options) and Davis.

I think that will make him the secondary option behind Gordon, with Jack/ draftee PG (Lillard, if he's available, would be ideal) as the third option. (The Hornets could also use a long-distance bomber as a SF to pair with Ariza as a slasher. Xavier Henry may develop as that long-range guy-- he did shoot 41% from 3-point range last season.) Okafor is the garbage man, cleaning up the misses.

[Assembly Hall]

Good stuff Scrap. Too bad they are in the West. I think the addition of Davis would get them into contention for the play-offs in the East. I wonder if Davis would be better utilized at the 3 spot? Hmmmmmmm