Kotoch: Mock Draft 3.0: Noel to Cavaliers, Steven Adams on the rise

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With the NBA combine and draft lottery officially wrapped up, we can now update our Mock Draft to officially represent the 2013 NBA draft.

Cleveland won the lottery for the second time in three years and is primed to expedite its rebuilding effort with the first, 19th, 30th, and 33rd picks in the draft to go with tons of cap space and plenty of assets to pull off a big deal, including possibly trading center Anderson Varejao.

While in Chicago this past week, there was a lot of buzz on prospects such as Steven Adams, Reggie Bullock, Allen Crabbe, Cody Zeller and Rudy Gobert, among others. With the draft still over a month away, nothing is set in stone.

Players will continue to hone their skills as well as prepare for workouts and interviews with front offices in the hope of boosting – or in some cases, salvaging – their draft stock.

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Draft Lottery Day: Winners and Losers post-NBA Combine

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nbadraft13_300x250_3 (1)Woo-hoo! Draft lottery day has arrived, and there will be a whole new level of hope for some playoff outlier by the time the second half of the Spurs-Grizzlies game begins.

Do we know who is going to go No. 1?

No we don’t. As mentioned here, Orlando and New Orleans are likely to trade the No. 1 pick if they win.

But the way the ping-pong balls fly will change the landscape across the NBA, and could lead to a significant amount of wheeling and dealing by the time it is time to report to Brooklyn, where 30 players will be the last to have their names called by commissioner David Stern.

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Kotoch: Mock Draft 2.0.1: SDSU’s Jamaal Franklin on the Rise

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nbadraft13_300x250_3 (1)Between the NBA Combine and the upcoming lottery, this is the time of year where there is a lot of movement in projections for the NBA draft.

And no one is moving more than Jamaal Franklin.

Franklin entered the NBA draft after an impressive junior season at San Diego State in which he averaged 17.0 points and 9.5 rebounds. He is a long, explosive athlete who is at his best slashing and attacking the rim and locking up opponents on the perimeter.

Franklin is a close friend of fellow Aztec Kawhi Leonard and also signed with Impact Sports Basketball. Currently training in Las Vegas, Franklin is excited to show NBA GMs and scouts just what he can do at the next level, including improved ballhandling.

One well respected basketball insider compared Franklin to J.R. Smith in his explosiveness and overall game.

In talking to Franklin, you immediately notice how professional and hardworking he is. When asked if he uses Twitter or Facebook, he responded, “No, I have no social media accounts. I don’t use it.” That will be a breath of fresh air for NBA coaches and GMs.

In a league where teams have huge concerns about drafting immature players not ready for the spotlight or responsibility associated with being an NBA player, Franklin is an anomaly. He cites documentaries and books that he enjoys, creating separation from many of the underclassmen in this draft.

Plenty of players will blow up or burn out between now and draft night. But bank on Franklin going in the middle of the first round with a strong possibility of going in the lottery.’

So without further ado, here is Mock 2.0.1.

1. Orlando Magic – Ben McLemore, SG, Kansas (6’5, 15.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 42% 3pt)

Men's Basketball Newcomer Mugsimages-3Under first-year GM Rob Hennigan, the Magic have made tremendous strides in acquiring assets and prospects to expedite the rebuilding effort. While Nikola Vucevic and Tobias Harris have shown they can play in the NBA, the Magic desperately need backcourt help and scoring punch.

Enter McLemore, who earlier in the season played like the best player in the country but slipped a bit during the NCAA Tournament. McLemore is a gifted scorer, capable of lighting up in a variety of ways, but has never shown the ability to dominate or take over a game. Bill Self admittedly became frustrated with McLemore for not being more aggressive. But he would have that chance with Orlando.

2. Charlotte Bobcats – Nerlens Noel, C, Kentucky (6’10, 10.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 4.4 bpg)

Noel-Kentuckybobcats small logoIf the Bobcats are fortunate enough to win their first NBA lottery, they will likely go big with Noel, presuming they are comfortable with the medical reports on his torn ACL.

While Charlotte has Bismack Biyombo, who does many of the same things as Noel, you can never have enough athletic bigs. When healthy, Noel is a tremendous shot-blocker and aggressive defender who will play with tons of energy.

Offensively, Noel needs work as he primarily scores on dunks and putbacks. But if he can make a Tristan Thompson-like progression on the offensive end, then this could be a home run.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers – Otto Porter, SF, Georgetown (6’8, 16.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.7 apg)

OttoPortercavs small logoWith Mike Brown returning to Cleveland, there will be an emphasis on defense. While Porter is a not a spectacular defender, he is long, and Brown in the past has gotten every bit of defense out of poor defenders.

Cleveland is also in need of help in the post and will be closely watching Noel and Alex Len during pre-draft workouts. However, Porter’s offensive game is so smooth, and the Cavs’ front office knows it can’t make the playoffs with Alonzo Gee at small forward. While the Cavs will make a run at LeBron James in the summer of the hole at SF must be addressed, and the Cavs are fans of Porter, who is an efficient scoring wing with plenty of range.

4. Phoenix Suns – Anthony Bennett, PF, UNLV (6’8, 16.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.2 bpg)

Bennett-UNLVPhoenix_Suns_logosheetThe Suns fired GM Lance Blanks when the season ended and have hired Ryan McDonough to replace him. McDonough has the tools to rebuild as this is the first of Phoenix’s six first-round picks over the next three years.

While the Morris twins are reunited in the Valley of the Sun, Phoenix will have a hard time passing on Bennett, who at times played like the top prospect in the country. If Bennett were 6-11, he would be the top pick, but he is a tad short. His game is so diverse and he generates a lot of contact, which should get him to the line a lot in the NBA.

5. New Orleans Hornets – Trey Burke, PG, Michigan (6’0, 18.6 ppg, 6.7 apg, 3.2 rpg)

TreyBurkeHornets small logoNo chance the Hornets pass on Burke. New Orleans’ experiment with Austin Rivers at PG did not work. With Rivers and Eric Gordon, the Hornets are deep at SG and can even entertain trade offers for Gordon, who is signed to a massive extension.

With Anthony Davis looking like a future All-Star, the Hornets need to surround him with a real point guard that will give Davis easy scoring opportunities. No disrespect to Greivis Vasquez, but Burke will be much better. Just look at how he helped Tim Hardaway and Glenn Robinson III at Michigan this past season. Burke is quick and can blow by just about any player in the NBA and also is a tremendous passer.

6. Sacramento Kings – Victor Oladipo, SG, Indiana (6’5, 13.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.1 apg)

Oladipukings small logoThe Kings may let Tyreke Evans go this summer and have no replacement for him. While this is the most dysfunctional organization in the NBA over the last few years, Sacramento has assembled a lot of talent through the draft but with little to show for it in terms of wins.

After drafting Thomas Robinson and trading him at the deadline, I have little faith that GM Geoff Petrie and company can turn this club around. Oladipo is a hardworking and athletic wing best suited to play SG. He is a great defender who showed he can actually score and improved his jumper dramatically.

7. Detroit Pistons – Shabazz Muhammad, SG, UCLA (6’6, 17.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 0.8 apg)

Shabazz Muhammadpistons small logoAfter drafting his frontcourt of the future in Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe, Joe Dumars needs to address his wings and lack of scoring punch. Muhammad arrived at UCLA with huge expectations and definitely had an up and down year, capped by an age discrepancy.

When on the court, Muhammad showed he is a talented scorer and was solid for much of his freshman season. Unfortunately, he never dominated his opponents. But if he has good workouts and interviews well, he could rehabilitate his draft stock.

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Mock Draft 2.0 by Joe Kotoch: We Have a New No. 1

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draftlogoThe deadline to enter the draft for college players has passed, and while there were some surprise returnees – namely Marcus Smart and Isaiah Austin – there were plenty of early entrants as well. To be exact: 77.

Which thereby allows us to present Mock Draft 2.0, which includes the pre-lottery positions of all 30 teams based upon their records, and tiebreakers that were drawn at the Board of Governors meeting in late April.

The big news here is this: Sources around the NBA have told SheridanHoops that if the Orlando Magic or New Orleans Hornets win the lottery, they both would be strongly inclined to trade the pick to whichever fellow lottery team wants to pay the most for the right to draft Nerlens Noel.

The caveat for Orlando is that it does not want to lose out on Ben McLemore of Kansas, whom it covets the most, or Trey Burke/Victor Oladipo as a fallback. And it’s not that the Magic don’t like Noel. Rather, they don’t need him, already in possession of a top-tier NBA center on a rookie contract in two-year veteran Nikola Vucevic. Same with the Hornets and Anthony Davis.

The 2013 NBA draft lacks elite prospects of years past such as Davis, Kyrie Irving or Blake Griffin, clear  top picks regardless of who won the lottery. This year, Noel is the player atop the majority of draft boards but not quite on the same level as those other sure things.

In looking at the 2013 NBA draft, one position looks deep, especially in the first round, as we might see as many as nine centers drafted.

On the flip side, the wings in this draft are extremely thin; the second highest-rated prospect behind Otto Porter might just be 6-10 Giannis Adetokunbo the Greek-born Nigerian who played last season in the Greek Second Division. NBA executives flocked to Athens last month to see him, and he did not disappoint.

In the backcourt, Michigan’s Trey Burke not only won Player of the Year honors for his spectacular season but also played himself into the top five.

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Early Entry Draft Candidates Announced — Who is Missing?

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NEW YORK – The National Basketball Association announced today that 77 players, including 46 players from U.S. colleges and 31 international players, have filed as early entry candidates for the 2013 NBA Draft.

Players wishing to enter the 2013 NBA Draft were required to submit a letter to the NBA to be received no later than Sunday, April 28. Players who have applied for early entry have the right to withdraw their names by notifying the NBA of their decision in writing no later than 5 p.m. EDT on Monday, June 17.

So, who is missing?

These are the five that stand out:

Marcus Smart, PG, Oklahoma State

Marcus smartoklahoma-state-cowboysSmart was in the running to be the first pick in the draft but opted to return for his sophomore season almost immediately after his freshman campaign concluded.

While Smart is determined to improve his game, he was not pleased with the way the season ended for the Cowboys.

While Smart is an impressive prospect and likely to be in the mix for the top-5 next season there is no chance he goes as high as he would have this year.

Isaiah Austin, C, Baylor

IsaiahAustinbaylorNBA General Managers and scouts are always looking for athletic bigs, and there might not be a more athletic or explosive 7-footer than Austin. Running the floor like a gazelle and creating mismatches on the perimeter for opposing centers, there is no question Austin would have risen up draft boards during the pre-draft workouts.

Next year is not as deep from a center standpoint, so Austin returning might not cost him much in terms of money. But there is no doubt he would have been an intriguing prospect to watch coming out of draft night had he entered this year.

Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky

Willie CauleyKentuckyThe Wildcats may be the most stacked team in the country next year and have uber-prospect Julius Randle, who will be penciled into the starting lineup along with Dakari Johnson and others who will get minutes. After Nerlens Noel went down with a torn ACL the Wildcats began to rely on Cauley-Stein to man the post.

As a prospect Cauley-Stein is long, explosive and the type of prospect that will make scouts salivate. Sticking around for his sophomore season, Cauley-Stein might find a logjam in Lexington that could hamper his production.

Glenn Robinson III, SF, Michigan

MichiganWolverinesGlenn Robinson iiiRobinson III had an outstanding freshman year as the Wolverines fell short of winning a title. With Trey Burke gone, Robinson will have a chance to be the man for the Wolverines but will not have someone like Burke putting him in easy position to score.

Also, Robinson’s decision to return is somewhat surprising considering how thin the small forward position is in this draft. No question Robinson could have been a lottery pick and the second player at his position drafted, but a return to Ann Arbor could vault him into the top-10 next year.

Gary Harris, SG, Michigan State

GaryHarrisMichiganstateHarris was never a serious threat to bolt from East Lansing after one season, but with the way he played in March and his natural ability, NBA teams were disappointed he opted to return.

Harris will be expected to lead the Spartans next season and could be a very dangerous perimeter scorer in the Big 10. While the 2013 NBA Draft became weaker with Harris’ decision, the 2014 draft got even deeper.

After the jump is the full list of those who have applied for early entry into the 2013 NBA Draft, which will be held Thursday, June 27, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.:

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