thedcdime

By: Willis and Bohlin

Bohlin and I are going to throw on our GM hats and try to predict this draft for you readers. While there’s little certainty just yet with all these trade rumors floating around, we’re going to give it our best shot.

Willis:  ‪Can we just skip the first pick, or do you have an implausible trade scenario to offer up? Anthony Davis: Is he that good? Because he does approach John Henson weight.

Bohlin: ‪89.5″ wingspan. All you really need to say and yes, he’s that good

Willis:  ‪Okay he’s got more length than Lexington Steele, fine. But there isn’t even a bit of concern about how his body is going to handle being abused? This isn’t Kevin Durant, who was a perimeter player and no one realized he wouldn’t be posting up anyone until he got old and fat. This is a power forward/center. What happens if he goes up against Dwight Howard?

Bohlin:  ‪He’ll be a 4 in the league and its not like that frame cant put on more weight pretty easily. The sky is the limit, the kid has realistically played 30 games as a 6’10″ freak of nature

Willis:  ‪…I’d still take Dray.

Bohlin:  ‪well duh…I said the sky is the limit not an “anything is possssibleeeeeeeee” skill set.

Willis:  ‪Back to the second pick, where we get Michael Jordan, the guy who mauls every draft beyond repair on a year-to-year basis.

‪I know this offseason is all about conspiracy theories, so I’ll go ahead and say it. Have other GMs adapted a form of the Jordan Rules that applies to his off the court drafting? Is it because of misinformation and forcing him left that he ended up with Adam Morrisson and not Brandon Roy?This year, he inexplicably scooped up a declining Ben Gordon from the Pistons and all but negated his team’s ability to draft the top rated SG in this draft, Bradley Beal.

Bohlin:  ‪Ultimate wild card selection of the draft, if he doesnt trade it for Pau Gasol to try and make up for 2001…Cho has to lock MJ in a room and phone in the pick for Thomas Robinson before his Airness can do otherwise.

Willis:  ‪See, this is what the Wizards want. The Bobcats to draft, and wisely on their part because he fits a need, Thomas Robinson so Beal can fall to the Wizards.

I don’t see that happening because it’s too smart of a move, but I’m going to say that with the second pick, the Bobcats take Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. He fills a need for their team, and even though he’s got a broken jump shot, MKG is going to make everyone around him better. ‪He hustles, is a damn good athlete, and once he gets a jump shot he’ll be a true talent. Plus he’s won on every level, and that’s got to count for something, right?

Bohlin:  ‪Charlotte is such a mess they can take just about anyone but Drummond with this pick and come away feeling good

Willis:  ‪Imagine if they sported a starting five of KEMBA!, Ben Gordon, Michael Kidd Gilchrist, BJ Mullins, and Bismack Biyombo. Can you pencil them in for at least 60 losses, please?

Bohlin:  ‪Thats why they need to go Robinson so they can roll out KEMBA!, DJ Augustin, The artist formerly known as B.G., T-Rob and BigMack Biyombo

That team only loses like 50 games

Willis:  ‪The Jordan Rules prevent it. ‪Three undersized guards is tempting, though.

Bohlin:  ‪Ok more like 60. If they go MKG how will Gerald Henderson to continue to get the amount of looks he needs a game to score in the teens!?!?!? Answer me that! Cant do it.

Willis:  ‪Hey, Gerald’s last five games he averaged 19-5-5 (Five something’s, because he didn’t pass)

Moving On…

Bohlin:  ‪Wizards…pretty simple here. Got a PG who thrives on the break and a bunch of big slow guys and no spot up shooters surrounding him. Ernie Grunfeld does the prudent thing and takes the best shooting prospect in the draft in SG Bradley Beal.

Wall is at his best on the move. Since he hasn’t found that shooting stroke yet, and neither has anyone else on our roster, Beal steps in and is immediately our best look from the perimeter. When defenses collapse on Wall driving to the basket Beal will provide him an outlet he can be confident in knocking down tough jumpers from the outside.

He is also a great rebounder for his size, averaging just under 7 RPG as a freshman at Florida. I have a man crush on Bradley Beal and am praying he falls to the Wiz Kids tonight.

Willis:  ‪And it doesn’t alarm you at all that the number three draft pick can barely shoot 34% from long range in college? 14 points, 7 rebounds? I know people compare him to Ray Allen, but those aren’t Ray Allen type numbers

If he isn’t consistent in the NBA, the Wizards are a doormat.

Bohlin:  ‪Nope, not one bit. His shooting stroke is as pure as anyone I can remember in the past few drafts. The kid is a big time player and has largely flown under the radar his freshman year with Kentucky garnering much of the press in the SEC. Billy Donovan said before the NCAA Tournament that the Gators would go as far as Bradley Beal would take them. That is a lot of praise to have thrown onto a freshman especially when he shares the backcourt with upper classmen. If the Wizards can land Beal tonight I think they will have brought in the second best player available in this draft.

Having Erving Walker “distributing” the ball to you is a lot different than having John Wall running your offense as well.

Willis:  ‪Wall turns the ball over a lot more?

I actually convinced myself that Bradley Beal is who we think he is! That being said, I have a terrible feeling he is going to struggle going in.

Bohlin:  ‪Should have been more clear…Wall doesn’t take horrendous shots and make questionable decisions the majority of the nights he takes the floor.

Willis:  ‪Regardless of where Wall can deliver him the ball, he’s going to need to knock it down. I think he can, but there will be an adjustment period. If the kid is only 19 years old and has a chance to be Eric Gordon on bath salts? You take him

Which brings us, then, to the fourth pick. Ahh, Cleveland, what have we left you with

Bohlin:  ‪Other than matching father son suit/eyeglasses combinations?

Willis:  ‪Exactly. Now that Dan Gilbert can focus on basketball again since the Cavaliers won a championship before LeBron…

I know they’re going to try and trade up in the draft, but I’m not sure they’re willing to pick up Tyrus Thomas’ awful contract in exchange for the Bobcats #2 slot. Even though I do think Kyrie Irving/Old man Drew might actually get product out of him.

In that case, I’m confident that they take Harrison Barnes with their pick, and somehow manage to skip out on Thomas Robinson

I say this for two reasons:

Bohlin:  ‪Irving and Barnes being friends certainly doesnt hurt this prediction…He has probably been lobbying for his buddy since these workouts started

Willis:  ‪I think Barnes could actually be drafted higher, but there’s absolutely no way he slips past four because Kyrie is going to lobby for him. And Barnes can be a great player when paired with a great point guard. Who better than his best friend? I expect Barnes to be a much better pro, but it should be noted that I have a pure mancrush on the Black Falcon.

Bohlin:  ‪Well at least we both got those out of the way fairly early. I agree with Barnes going fourth overall, once he cancelled his workout with Sacramento I assumed he had received a promise in the top 4 picks.

Speaking of Sac-Town…That’s who is up next

The Maloof’s will be somewhere popping bottles of moderately priced champagne should Thomas Robinson fall to the Kings at the 5th pick. Pairing Robinson with DeMarcus Cousins would be one scary good front court out West.

Willis:  ‪Are you sure Geoff Petrie Dish doesn’t want, say, Andre Drummond?

You mean to tell me that they can’t be coaxed into taking ANDRE THE DRUMMER.

They just took Jimmer, Mike.

THEY TOOK JIMMER, TYREKE, AND COUSINS.

They thought a mormon and two big time triple OG’s would work!

This isn’t the Nationals.

Bohlin:  ‪Its got to be more than tempting but the fact that they did just take The Jimmer makes me believe they cant swing for the fences again and take the gift that would be Thomas Robinson falling into their laps.

Also…Have to note that in the 5 hours between now and the draft there is a 96% chance Darryl Morey makes three deals to acquire this pick.

Willis:  ‪At what point in time does Darryl Morey make a move for A.) My girlfriend B) Targuy Ngombo and C.) the fifth pick aka Andre Drummond

Bohlin:  ‪I’d imagine he has already beaten you to the punch on two of the three

Willis:  ‪I better call her….Nonetheless, I agree that Thomas Robinson makes sense for the Kings. I think it’s probably a mistake for Washington to pass on him. I think he’s better than Okafor, Seraphin, Booker, and anyone else we want to throw out there immediately. I was extremely impressed with him during the tournament, including the national championship game where he almost outplayed Anthony Davis! Really showed off his athleticism there. He did miss a lot of shots, and it scarily reminded me of when I said very similar things about a guy named Gordon Hayward

Where’s T-Rob’s upside

Bohlin:  ‪(Hayward) Who has turned out to be a pretty solid player for the Jazz, but that’s neither here nor there…I like Robinson’s motor, the guy never stops battling out there on the court. I don’t know if Robinson will ever be a star in the NBA but he is without a doubt going to be a serviceable starter in this league for a long time. Any team drafting in the top 5 could use players like that on their roster.

Willis:  ‪Agreement.

Now we come to Portland, whom ANY other year I’d say they draft Andre Drummond

But Greg Oden got three GMs fired during his stint in Portland, and I don’t think they’re going the center route for a long, long, time. Though they always seem to find themselves in this position.

So therefore, they’re going to take Damian Lillard, the Weber State guy who shot up draft boards when scouts watched some Youtube clips. He fits a need, and he did put up some nice numbers at Weber State….I keep going back to that. At Weber State….at Weber State….

I get that he might be good, but he’s a little old for a draft pick and hasn’t really been challenged on a consistent basis. The toughest team he played all year was BYU, and he didn’t even play well against them

Bohlin:  ‪He has killed it in his workouts though, Portland said he had the best workout of any player they have seen since Kevin Durant…They didn’t pick Durant however. Think they tipped their cap with where they are leaning with that comment at all? I sure do.

Willis:  ‪They didn’t even pick Durant! That should show you how stupid they are. I’m not sure what supposed basketball guy would ever say Greg Oden would be better than Kevin Durant…….

……

…..

Moving on!

Bohlin:  ‪Golden State Warriors…Or Whatever they will be called once they move.

Willis:  ‪The San Francisco Double Rainbows

Bohlin:  ‪The Double Rainbows select…..Dion Waiters!!!!

Willis:  ‪…Are you serious?

Didn’t they just get rid of Monta Elllis?

Bohlin:  ‪Yes…I think…

Look, GSW is chock full of shooters and thats about it.

Willis:  ‪The polar opposite of the Washington Wizards…

Bohlin:  ‪Curry…chucker, Klay Thompson…chucker, they dont have anyone who can put the ball on the floor and attack the basket with any finishing ability. That is basically a definition of what Waiters does well, he is a hard nosed Big East guard. Couple this with the fact that reports have Jerry West being infatuated with this player and I think I have a strong enough case to throw out Dion to the Bay.

Willis:  ‪You’ve convinced me. Dion to the Bay sounds so much like an Eazy E song it almost makes too much sense

You know who Dion Waiters reminds me of?

Bohlin:  ‪Gilbert Arenas? Or is it that I look for reasons to bring up the Hibachi in casual conversation?

Willis:  ‪The latter. But close in terms of team turmoil ability (which should be made into a statistic–get on it Hollinger)

Isaiah Rider. A worse, much worse, Isaiah Rider.

Character issues that are largely ignored in exchange for the best athlete in the draft with tremendous upside

Bohlin:  ‪That falls in line with the thought process of “You can’t teach height”

Willis:  ‪Can’t teach felons, either.

In all seriousness, I like Waiters because he’s the cockiest guy in any gym he goes to. The guy who wouldn’t hesitate to dunk on a seasoned but aging vet his very first game.

But alright, next pick…

The Toronto Raptors select….

Myers Leonard!

Just kidding, I think they take John Henson

Bohlin:  ‪Ah the old Meyers Leonard fake out pick…well played sir

Willis:  ‪Henson, who only in body looks like Anthony Davis, is a great player to put beside Andrea Bargnani. It does give them the softest front court ever assembled. It’s worse than Jahidi White and whoever else the Wizards put next to Jahidi White. But Henson gives them length, rebounding, and is an underrated defender.

Bohlin:  ‪I think the player you were referring to was NBA Champion Juwan Howard…I like Henson’s game though, he is a poor mans Anthony Davis on the defensive end which still makes for one damn good defensive power forward. He will need to try and add some weight to his frame but I like his prospects as a professional.

Willis: He’s not going to be much offensively, but with shooters on their team he’s bound to average ten points strictly based off of cleaning the offensive glass

Bohlin:  ‪Personally I had him slotted 9th to Detroit so were close to agreement on this one. Since my guy is no longer there I guess I will just go out on a limb and take the best player left available for the Pistons selection here.

ANDRE DRUMMMMMMMMMMMMMOND!!!!!!!!!

Willis:  ‪OHHHHHHHH YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

EVERYBODY DO THE PISTON’S DRUMMBLE

This guy has Kwame written all over him

And yet he still doesn’t slip into ten…. -___-

Bohlin:  ‪This would be approaching wet dream status for Joe Dumars and Detroit. Drummond is looked at as the top C prospect in this draft and could be a potential home run for any team that takes him. This selection would allow the Pistons the option of moving Greg Monroe to the PF, which I feel is his best spot in the NBA, and allow the 7’0″ 280 lb Drummond to man the middle giving them a more than formidable front court when stacked up with the rest of the Eastern Conference.

Willis:  ‪That’s assuming he doesn’t foul out in the first four minutes of the game, considering he knows about as much about basketball as Renardo Sidney does about weight management. Matter of fact, if we’re going off potential, why don’t they just take Renardo Sidney? I get why teams want him, hell if he could be had later in the draft I would want him

Bohlin:  ‪Well yeah…that’s why I called him a “potential” homerun. If he were eligible 8 years ago, maybe Renardo would have had a shot then.

Willis:  ‪Can we just pause to feel bad for Renardo Sidney?

No, let’s not. One hyped center is enough

Andre Drummond might actually become decent learning from Greg Monroe, a cerebral player who is wise beyond his years. I think him going to Detroit works out, but they have to be nervous given that this is the same franchise that took Darko.

Darko, Renardo Sidney, Kwame Brown, and Andre Drummond….all in one pick!

Bohlin:  ‪At least Darko won a ring…

Willis:  ‪Yeah and Lance Bass was a member of N’Sync…but he didn’t matter, either.

Bohlin:  ‪Duly noted. What you got brewing down in the Big Easy as we enter double digits?

Willis:  ‪New Orleans is in one of those precarious situations where the best player available is currently Jeremy Lamb, yet they already have a player there in Eric Gordon. I think they take Jeremy Lamb anyway instead of bolstering that front line of Rashard Lewis and Gustavo Ayon. I’m high on this guy, and not because he looks like he took Hydro to the head as a child. I’m high because he’s a pretty good shooter and even though he has a small frame, he’s smart. Lamb doesn’t take bad shots, and when he”s not asked to be a number one option, he should excel.

No, he’s never going to be a leading scorer on your team, but he’s still a very talented player, and provides them with insurance assuming Gordon bolts.

Bohlin:  ‪He will stretch the floor for opposing defenses though and when you have a slashing PG like Vasquez, who I am assuming would be the starter, and a big who will need space to operate effectively like Davis eventually will I cant really argue with the pick.

Willis:  ‪I like your thinking…but go on next pick

Bohlin:  ‪Going at #11 is a personal favorite of mine, mainly because he played in the SEC, but the Trail Blazers select Terrence Jones from Kentucky!

Willis:  ‪T.J. Hooker…how did he fall this far?

Bohlin:  ‪Jones could have easily come out last year and been a top 6 pick, but came back for his sophomore season under John Calipari and in my opinion improved as a player. He is hurt by being in such a deep draft this year but Jones became a leader for the national champion Wildcats and was one of the driving forces to them being as successful as they were this year.

Bohlin:  ‪A 6’10″ PF who can put the ball on the floor and attack the basket as well as spot up from the outside is a find in any draft and I believe that Jones will be a solid player in the NBA in his career.

Willis:  ‪NBA GM’s know exactly what they’re going to get. He’ll take plays off, but he’s going to rebound, defend, and is surprisingly a team player. He’s also an underrated athlete, and while he may be a bit of a tweener it doesn’t matter because he can play both the three and the four just fine. His frame isn’t going to be backed down that easily.

Bohlin:  ‪The fact of the matter is he has more or less been a professional the last two years playing under Coach Cal….moving on

Willis:  ‪And here we have Houston, who is guaranteed to pick some player needed in their ridiculous attempt to get Dwight Howard who just came off the first injury of his career, for guaranteed only half a season….

I get their logic, because the nerd running their front office is nothing but logic, but I’m not sure they’re making any headway for Dwight and Deron…so for now I have them snapping up Myers Leonard..

Bohlin:  ‪For reals this time?

Willis:  ‪Oh it’s real this time. Myers Leonard is coming off the books. How many times do white guys with freakish athleticism work out in the league?

Who’s that guy the Bucks drafted a few years ago? Joe Alexander?

Bohlin:  ‪Meyers Leonard, I’m beginning to think this is a clever troll attempt by misspelling his name but I’ll allow it, is one of my favorite prospects in this draft. Love his combination of size and skill, without a doubt one of the most fundamentally sound big men to come out in a while. Like most young big men he could still use additional weight on his frame but that is something that should come over time. While he may struggle on the block on the defensive end of the floor I believe Leonard is going to be a serviceable big man for a long time in this league.

Jumpin’ Joe Alexander from West Virginia…He didn’t pan out, but in his defense not many Milwaukee Bucks picks of late have panned out so it might not be entirely his fault.

Willis:  ‪FSWG

Can he change his name to FSWG?

Fundamentally Sound White Guy

Bohlin:  ‪I support that 100%…Great selection at 12 for Houston by taking the FSWG

Michael:  ‪Anytime you can youtube a guys highlight tapes and the only thing that shows up are his rebounding abilities

you know you’re drafting a bust.

I mean there’s nothing I like about this guy except that he’s going to give you great fouls

Lawrence Funderburke was fundamentally sound, too.

And a great athlete

and he was out of the league in a few years.

Bohlin:  ‪He was also the 51st pick in the draft…

Willis:  ‪Oscar Myers (and I’m going to keep misspelling his name because I sleep on him that much) isn’t good…

Bohlin:  ‪Lets head out to what will soon be Steve Nash’s former home…Phoenix

Willis:  ‪And my home state!

Who’ve you got

Bohlin:  ‪This one seems pretty easy for me, especially since the rumor of the promise being made is already out there but I have to go Austin Rivers out of Duke here

Willis:  ‪You mean Kobe? Have you ever seen Austin Rivers pass the ball?

Bohlin:  ‪I alluded to it earlier, Nash is all but packed his bags and is headed out of town. While I may not buy into it completely there is a feeling amongst some front offices that Rivers can play PG on the next level. The comparisons to other players, a la Jrue Holiday, who were off the ball in college but became floor generals in the NBA. While I am a firm believer in his ability to score the basketball in many different ways I am not sure I would want him running my offense. Because, as Mike notes above, he likes to put the ball up the majority of the times he touches it.

Willis:  ‪The majority of times he touches it? Try every time he touches it. It’s like the pass button got jammed on his basketball controller. He is never going to give up the ball. Sure, he’s a scorer in that he has a nice floater? But he’s not an elite athlete, not a great passer, not a great shooter, and so on and so forth.

His dad, however, can coach three Hall of Famer’s to a championship

Sooo…there’s that

Is it possible for a player to get drafted based on his dad’s credentials?

Bohlin:  ‪Basketball pedigree?

Willis:  ‪God I wish job interviews happened that way

Well if you want to go the basketball pedigree route, let me throw out Jeffrey Jordan

Bohlin:  ‪Dont get me started on the shortcomings of Michael Jordan off the floor by bringing up the younger Jordan’s.

Willis:  ‪Fair enough…at least we agree that Austin Rivers has Sebastian Telfair written all over him. And we head into the dregs of the lottery with the Milwaukee Does. It’s almost a guaranteed lock that they’re going to blow this pick, right?

Bohlin:  ‪There is one player, and one player only that I would take here.

Willis:  ‪Let’s hear it, so I can pick another player

Unless of course you’re referring to PJIII

Bohlin:  ‪PERRY JONES III!!!!!!!!!!!

Willis:  ‪AGREEEMENNNNTT

Seriously doesn’t Perry Jones just give your pickle a tickle?

I personally like the guy once you accept what he is: He’s an athlete who can get by on pure talent alone, but needs to work incredibly hard so that he never has to really push himself to the limit. I think if he only puts in a medium amount of work, then he’s going to be good. Yes, he’ll take plays off, but there are plenty of small forwards who do the exact same thing in the NBA yet still manage to carve out a niche.

The Bucks and Scott Skiles? A perfect match for a kid who needs a fire lit under his ass

Bohlin:  ‪Him and Brandon Jennings will immediately be boys as well, all positives as far as I am concerned.

Willis:  ‪Brandon Jennings sucks.

Perry Jones III should have come out last year, though. He would have likely been on the Washington Wizards. Imagine if Perry Jones III and Jan Vesely combined to make one, complete, player? Jan’s hustle and PJII’s handle and shooting touch?

We’d have Kevin Durant

Bohlin:  ‪I’d imagine his girlfriend wouldn’t mind at all either…I am not sure where the KD comparison is coming from however.

Willis:  ‪PJIII is long, can shoot, and is actually athletic. Durant.

To be continued….

Tags: Anthony Davis, basketball, beal, bradley beal, John Wall, NBA Draft, nba draft lottery, NCAA, sports, Thomas Robinson, Wizards