16. Houston Rockets – Moe Harkless, SF, St. John’s With two high picks, Houston will be one of the more aggressive teams on draft night, as GM Daryl Morey must propel the Rockets into the playoffs and is rumored to be willing to package whatever it takes to get Dwight Howard. As a fallback, don’t be surprised to see Houston package both of these picks to move up for a player like Andre Drummond. If the Rockets stand pat, Harkless was the
31. Charlotte Bobcats – Doron Lamb, SG Kentucky Lamb is one of the best shooters in the draft, can play either guard spot in spurts or come off the bench as a shooter. We had the ‘Cats taking Miles Plumlee here in Mock 4.0, but we are now thinking MJ goes for a scorer over a big. Of course, if the Bobcats wheel and deal as many expect, pick No. 30 could be someone else’s. 32. Washington Wizards – Festus Ezeli, C,
Our latest mock draft has some movement at the top. Not at the very top, where Anthony Davis is entrenched and will be going to the New Orleans Hornets. But right below him there has been some serious shuffling. Every player in slots 2 through 7 has changed positions. Some, like North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes, have skyrocketed through good workouts and interviews. Others, like Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger, have plummeted through medical red flags. And there was a trade this week between the
31. Charlotte Bobcats – Miles Plumlee, C, Duke Plumlee’s stock has soared with great performances in workouts as has flashed excellent athleticism. The Bobcats needed everything except a brand new head coach no one outside of St. John’s has ever heard of. 32. Washington Wizards – Doron Lamb, SG, Kentucky One of the best shooters in the draft, can play either guard spot in spurts or come off the bench as a shooter. 33. Cleveland Cavaliers – John Jenkins, SG, Vanderbilt Pure shooter with a sweet stroke
16. Houston Rockets – Perry Jones, PF, Baylor Jones is perhaps the biggest enigma in the draft because he has great size and special talent but never played to his potential in college. However, he is very skilled and comfortable facing the basket. Houston GM Daryl Morey needs to be bold here as there are questions about how much longer he can remain on the job without making the playoffs. 17. Dallas Mavericks – Terrence Ross, SG, Washington Ross would be a fine selection by
Draftniks, rejoice! Yesterday we posted Adam Zagoria’s Top 5 picks at each position. In the next 10 days, we will be posting Tommy Dee’s sleeper picks and his list of the 10 Worst Draft picks of the past 10 years. You want top-notch draft preview coverage? We’ve got it for you. And if you are new to the site, or if you missed these posts, check out A.J. Mitnick’s column on the Top International Early-Entry Prospects, along with Dee’s Top 10 early-entry American
16. Houston Rockets – Tyler Zeller, C, North Carolina The Rockets struggles to replace Yao Ming have been well documented. Having swung for the fences with their previous pick, Houston can play it safe and take Zeller. The 7-footer moves well for his size and has good hands and is efficient in the post but lacks the high-end upside to be an elite starter at his position. 17. Dallas Mavericks – Terrence Ross, SG, Washington The Mavericks need to infuse youthful talent on
31. Charlotte Bobcats – John Jenkins, SG, Vanderbilt Jenkins is one of the top shooters in the draft and the Bobcats sorely lack talent. If Jenkins falls to the second round, he is a steal. 32. Washington Wizards – Will Barton, SG, Memphis Barton can give the Wizards the spacing they need to allow John Wall to slash. Another wing that could easily go in the 20’s. 33. Cleveland Cavaliers – Festus Ezeli, C, Vanderbilt Cleveland has no true center on their roster, and Ezeli