Miami Herald Mock Draft (Version I)

Now that the draft lottery order has been set, with the Miami Heat picking second behind the Chicago Bulls, it's time to roll out the Herald's first version of our NBA mock draft. And we emphasize "first" because our predictions could change before the June 26 draft. Heck, they could change before next week. But we present our projected order based on team needs and best players available.

1. Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose, 6-3 PG - Memphis. The Skinny: The Bulls turned their 1.7 percent shot at winning the lottery into a spot in the driver's seat. And that's exactly where Rose is at his best. The Bulls could use Beasley's scoring and rebounding at the four just as much as it could use Rose at the point. But it will be tough to pass over the hometown kid - and once-in-a-generation type point guard - in Rose. Kirk Hinrich, coming off his worst season, can move to shooting guard and Ben Gordon can move on to another team.

2. Miami Heat: Michael Beasley, 6-10 PF - Kansas State. The Skinny: The Heat desperately hopes the Bulls go the other way and take Beasley, because it prefers Rose by a wide margin. But Beasley's inside game would be quite the consolation prize - should the Heat keep the pick. You won't find many trios in the league more balanced and explosive than the Wade-Marion-Beasley show.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves: Brook Lopez, 7-0 C - Stanford. The Skinny: If the T-Wolves go for need, Lopez is the best option. The skilled big man would fit nicely alongside budding superstar Al Jefferson. There are still needs on the perimeter, namely deciding if Randy Foye is a point or shooting guard. But adding Lopez would be another huge step along the path to rebuilding the team post-Kevin Garnett.

4. Seattle SuperSonics: Jerryd Bayless, 6-3 PG/SG - Arizona. The Skinny: Instead of moving one up from second to first in the draft order and taking a shot at Rose, the Sonics fell two spots back to fourth, where they'll have to settle for Bayless. Seattle adds to an impressive collection of young talent, with Bayless teaming with rookie of the year Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. But Bayless must commit to being a PG.

5. Memphis Grizzlies: O.J. Mayo, 6-4 SG - Southern Cal. The Skinny: The Grizzlies are struggling to sell tickets, but they would address that problem by drafting the player with arguably the biggest star potential in Mayo. Beasley would have been the perfect addition to a tissue-soft frontcourt. But a Mike Conley-Mayo backcourt, with Rudy Gay at small forward, would be fun to watch - and build around.

6. New York Knicks: Danilo Gallinari, 6-9 SF - Italy. The Skinny: New Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni played with Gallinari's father and loves the versatility in the son's game. Gallinari's combination of size and perimeter skills would allow D'Antoni to employ his up-tempo system much quicker in New York. D'Antoni knows he would have never had a shot at drafting this kid had he stayed in Phoenix.

7. L.A. Clippers: Eric Gordon, 6-4 SG - Indiana. The Skinny: It might be very tempting for the Clippers to go with a local college star. But USC's Mayo will be gone. UCLA big man Kevin Love plays the same position as Elton Brand and athletic Bruins guard Russell Westbrook isn't likely to jump this high. So Gordon's shooting would provide a nice option for Brand, Al Thornton and a healthy Shaun Livingston.

8. Milwaukee Bucks: Joe Alexander, 6-8 SF - West Virginia. The Skinny: If anyone makes a surprising jump into the top 10, it will likely be Alexander. The Bucks need help and consistency at small forward in addition to defensive toughness. Alexander is quick and athletic enough to move over to SG as insurance in case the Bucks ship Michael Redd. Or he can settle in nicely alongside Redd.

9. Charlotte Bobcats: Kevin Love, 6-10 PF - UCLA. The Skinny: Would be as natural of a fit as they come for Larry Brown's system. A big man with skills and toughness would complement Emeka Okafor if the Bobcats have plans to re-sign him. Love would be the low-post answer the Bobcats thought they had in Sean May before injuries sidelined him the past two seasons.

10. New Jersey Nets: Anthony Randolph, 6-11 PF - LSU. The Skinny: It's been a long time since the Nets have had pure athleticism along the front line. Randolph is very raw, but he's an athletic beast despite his skinny frame. But he's fully capable of running the lane, blocking shots and finishing in transition. The Nets could also opt to go for a pure center in DeAndre Jordan here.

11. Indiana Pacers: DeAndre Jordan, 7-0 C - Texas A&M. The Skinny: With Jermaine O'Neal nearing the end of his contract - and possibly on the trading block - the Pacers can turn back the clock and start fresh with the oncourt development of a near clone in Jordan. Larry Bird would consider himself lucky if Jordan falls to this spot and bolsters the Pacers retooling process.

12. Sacramento Kings: D.J. Augustin, 6-0 PG - Texas. The Skinny: Having drafted Spencer Hawes, signed free agent Mikki Moore and traded for young prospect Sheldon Williams for low-post roles all in the past 12 months, the Kings can address its lack of depth at point guard. Augustine is the best pure point available behind Rose. He would also be insurance if Beno Udrih bolts in free agency.

13. Portland Trail Blazers: Darrell Arthur, 6-10 PF - Kansas. The Skinny: Already the youngest team in the NBA, chances are Portland trades this pick for proven veteran to help carry the team into the playoffs. So the best thing they can do here is grab the best prospect available and work the phones - if they haven't already dealt this pick by draft night.

14. Golden State Warriors: Russell Westbrook, 6-4 PG - UCLA. The Skinny: The uncertainty of Baron Davis' future  isn't the only thing that makes this a great pick for the Warriors. Westbrook's athleticism and defense at the point would allow him to fit right into Don Nelson's up-tempo, free-flowing system out in Oakland. Even if Davis is back, Westbrook would be an excellent backup.

Comments

[heatstroked]

good stuff. interesting angle on d'antoni & gallinar though you wonder what walsh wants. for instance, walsh was notably receptive to riley's preliminary bait on trading the pick while the knicks do have about $28 million tied up in 3 would-be points.

no, i'd don't see riley renewing his crush on starbury but riley has displayed interest in past heat killers. crawford would fit that description. i'm not big on crawford but i could see him as a pawn in one of several lesser fallback swap up/down scenarios because the more i read/see/hear about beasley, the stronger my urge to shout *just say no*.

beasley has all the red flags of the next ryan leaf or, according to one espner, derrick coleman. but even colemen -- as antisocial and authority-challenged as they come -- was never as fundamentally dumb or clueless as beasley appears.

see http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/11/AR2007031101466_pf.html

this is someone who actually thought it was "funny" to autograph his principal's truck *after* he was busted for tagging the entire school with *his* signature.

i mean, what kind of fool tags an entire school using his real name? the kind of fool who ends up leaving 6 high schools spanning 5 states (not including a home-schooling stint when no one would accept him) for behavior unbecoming.

sure, it's no big deal, just like most of his pranks. and it's not like beasley has a rapsheet full of juvey vacations. but still, you almost wish for something more edgy because it's the sheer lack of imagination and mindless excess that beasley inflicts & apparently finds so funny that should alarm.

it can't be coincidence that almost every elite big in nba history seemed to possess above-average intelligence. in fact, i can't think of a single nba superstar who isn't/wasn't intrinsically "smart" in a spatial reasoning, problem-solving, self-aware sort of way.

but beasley seems to be striving for new stratospheres of empty-headed cluelessness. no one should blame riley or the heat if they end up trading this pick for someone or something more dependable.

http://youtube.com/results?search_query=michael-beasley+interview&search_type=

[Heatfan318]

In my opinion they're insane if they trade the pick.

Beasley went overboard with the practical jokes in the past, but they say he's been on his best behavior this year at K-State. Even that article says he started to clean up his act toward the end of his high school career.

The kid just gets buckets. He's likely to be a perennial 20-10 guy.

You can't pass that kind of talent up.

[DSKZ]

A well written and objective piece.