With the draft coming up in three days, draft and trade rumors are starting to pick up. The Chicago Sports Guys have had tons of content preparing for the draft, including our Draft Express/John Hollinger/Chad Ford Composite Mock Draft from a week ago. Once again, our writers have gotten creative and we’ve made a Chicago Sports Guys Mock Draft. We split the 30 first round picks between four writers: Mikey Wonsover, Brett Zimmerman, the new Jordan Brash, and I. This mock shows the draft from a different perspective; who we would take if we were making the picks, not necessarily who we think the teams would pick. With that being said, enjoy.
Arik Wonsover- 1. New Orleans Hornets, Anthony Davis, PF/C, Kentucky- This is a no-brainer. He is a once in every 10 years type of talent and is by far the most talented player in this draft.
Mikey Wonsover- 2. Charlotte Bobcats, Thomas Robinson, PF, Kansas- The Bobcats already have Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson that can handle shooting guard, so Bradley Beal is not ideal. I've never been a huge fan of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, especially taking him this early in the draft. Robinson dominated college basketball and should finally give Charlotte a low-post option. He is a safe pick.
Brett Zimmerman- 3. Washington Wizards, Bradley Beal, SG, Florida- After the trade to pick up Ariza and Okafor, this team only has one hole remaining to complete a solid line-up. Beal fills that hole at the two, gives them the shooter they need in the backcourt, and provides a lot of hope in Washington.
Jordan Brash- 4. Cleveland Cavaliers, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, SF, Kentucky- The Cavaliers are bare, but have Kyrie Irving to build the team around. Adding a big-time character/defensive guy like MKG at a position of need will only add wins for the Cavs and give them more to build around.
Arik Wonsover- 5. Sacramento Kings, Harrison Barnes, SF, North Carolina- The Kings are loaded with guards and outside of Demarcus Cousins, they're in desperate need of some size, but Drummond or Leonard may be a reach this early. I'd take Barnes, he'd be an immediate upgrade over Outlaw and Salmons.
Mikey Wonsover- 6. Portland Trailblazers, Dion Waiters, SG, Syracuse- I love Waiters. He's a poor man’s Dwyane Wade and has loads of potential. Damian Lillard is available at this spot, but I'd rather have Waiters. Waiters could handle the point and could immediately help out the Blazers.
Brett Zimmerman- 7. Golden State Warriors, Austin Rivers, PG/SG, Duke- With Bogut, and my lack of faith in Drummond, and no 4’s (what they need) that I like here, I address the backcourt losing Monta Ellis. Rivers will provide some elite athleticism and what I believe to be an underrated defensive prospect and slide Klay over to the 3.
Jordan Brash- 8. Toronto Raptors, Jeremy Lamb, SG, UConn- The Raptors manage to get the best player left on my board in Lamb. He is a rangy, scoring 2 that will compliment Demar DeRozan's hyper-athletic arsenal. The Raptors can utilize them in a rotation or move DeRozan to the 3.
Arik Wonsover- 9. Detroit Pistons, Meyers Leonard, C, Illinois- I might be a little biased as a U of I student, but Leonard is one athletic dude with a huge 7'3" wingspan and Blake Griffin-like hops. He may be a little green, but with some time he could be a top 10 NBA center.
Mikey Wonsover- 10. New Orleans Hornets, Damian Lillard, PG, Weber State- If I'm the Hornets GM, I'm loving the idea of pairing Lillard with Davis. Lillard is a big time scorer and measured as well as anyone in the athletic measurements at the combine. Lillard immediately helps New Orleans forget about Chris Paul.
Brett Zimmerman- 11. Portland Trailblazers, Andre Drummond, C, Connecticut- After selecting Waiters, the Blazers need to find an athletic big to protect the rim to pair with Aldridge. Drummond comes with risk, but at this point, he’s worth the risk and they’ll hope that the play of the NBA revs up that motor of his. If it can, watch out.
Jordan Brash- 12. Milwaukee Bucks, Jared Sullinger, PF, Ohio St- The Bucks have a lot of talent with Jennings, Ellis, Sanders, and Ilyasova, but they have no one who can get dirty in the paint and get them points. His back is an obvious concern, but I believe he is worth taking a chance on at this point. Henson is another option but he is very similar to Larry Sanders and they need someone that can score.
Arik Wonsover- 13. Phoenix Suns, Terrence Ross, SG, Washington- I was tempted to select a PG, as Nash is expected to jet, but you gotta pick up Ross if he slips this far. Ross is lengthy, athletic, and a good shooter. Think Jason Richardson.
Mikey Wonsover- 14. Houston Rockets, Tyler Zeller, C, North Carolina- I understand John Henson is available, but I'd rather have Zeller. Zeller is as safe of a pick as there is in this draft. He reminds me of Pau Gasol with less upside and has four years of experience to prove that he is NBA ready.
Brett Zimmerman- 15. Philadelphia 76ers, Terrence Jones, SF/PF, Kentucky- The 76ers need shooting and need to find some bigs that can score in the post. Terrance Jones should be able to provide that, plus an NBA-ready body that will not wear down as easily through the NBA season.
Jordan Brash- 16. Houston Rockets, Fab Melo, C, Syracuse- This is definitely high for Melo but if you’re the Rockets and can add Zeller to team with Patrick Patterson, a rim protector like Melo would make a lot of sense. At this point in the draft, you can take a risk because you're not guaranteed any returns, even by taking a "safe" pick.
Arik Wonsover- 17. Dallas Mavericks, Kendall Marshall, PG, North Carolina- With Kidd a free agent and no guarantee of corralling Deron Williams, Marshall is a fit. He's a very traditional point guard with good length and stellar passing ability. He should be a serviceable starter or backup right away.
Mikey Wonsover- 18. Minnesota Timberwolves, John Henson, PF, North Carolina- With no good shooting guards available at this spot, I'd go with Henson. He's a bundle of talent and has a knack for blocking shots. The Wolves could use a shot blocker since the current frontcourt of Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic rarely protects the rim.
Brett Zimmerman- 19. Orlando Magic, Royce White, SF/PF, Iowa State (checkout Mikey's Interview with Royce White)- The Magic need better passers on their team, as well as some toughness along the frontcourt. I love Royce White as a fit for them. His point forward skills, alongside Dwight (for now) and all those shooters, will be a welcome addition to Orlando.
Jordan Brash- 20. Denver Nuggets, Andrew Nicholson, PF, St. Bonaventure- Nicholson is big and finds ways to get the ball into the hoop, which is exactly that's what the Nuggets need. Reminds me a lot of Jason Thompson from Rider a few years back.
Arik Wonsover- 21. Boston Celtics, Perry Jones, SF/PF, Baylor- Jones may represent the biggest risk-reward prospect in the entire draft, although, at this low I'd take the risk. Jones could thrive under a coach like Doc Rivers and would be a key piece to the Celtics potential rebuilding mode.
Mikey Wonsover- 22. Boston Celtics, Moe Harkless, SF, St. John's- Harkless was tremendous as a freshman at St John's. If I'm in the Celtics front office, I'm looking to draft a young player with a lot of talent. Harkless has a ton of upside and could be part of the Celtics future core along with Rondo and Perry Jones, in this scenario.
Brett Zimmerman- 23. Atlanta Hawks, Tony Wroten Jr., PG/SG, Washington- The Hawks need guard help, with the height to play shooting guard and the vision to play point guard, Wroten can play both backcourt positions. He’s an interesting project for a team that needs some help in the backcourt.
Jordan Brash- 24. Cleveland Cavaliers, Doron Lamb, SG, Kentucky- After taking Kidd-Gilchrist with their first pick, the Cavs will need someone who can help Kyrie with the scoring. Lamb provides an excellent spot-up jumper, along with the ability to create his own shot to some degree. With two early second round picks, the Cavs may look to move around to secure the players they want.
Arik Wonsover- 25. Memphis Grizzlies, Quincy Miller, SF, Baylor- With the Grizzlies listening to offers for Rudy Gay, they might soon need a replacement at SF. Miller represents another boom-bust pick, but with his athleticism and point forward type skills, he's a steal if he falls this far.
Mikey Wonsover- 26. Indiana Pacers, Marquis Teague, PG, Kentucky- This is a no-brainer for Indiana if he's available. Darren Collison and George Hill aren't bad, but clearly the Pacers could use an upgrade at point guard. Teague had a very disappointing season at UK, but he still started for a national championship team. If Teague ends up being as good as his brother Jeff, I think he's a huge steal this late in the draft.
Brett Zimmerman- 27. Miami Heat, Arnett Moultrie, PF/C, Mississippi State- What do you get for the team that has everything? Well, they could use any big with height and the ability to rebound/defend, and Arnett fits the bill. If he fell this far, that would be trouble for anyone trying to beat the Heat.
Jordan Brash- 28. Oklahoma City Thunder, Draymond Green, SF/PF, Michigan St.- Green has a has a little bit of Jeff Green (no relation) to his game. He would be able to play effectively with James Harden on the Thunder's second unit with his ability to pass, drive, and shoot.
Arik Wonsover- 29. Chicago Bulls, John Jenkins, SG, Vanderbilt- The Bulls are in desperate need of a SG, especially with the Bulls prepared to let Korver walk. Jenkins will give them the best shooter in college basketball last season, as well as a 20 ppg scorer in college. He doesn't have huge upside, but he can play right away.
Mikey Wonsover- 30. Golden State Warriors, Jeff Taylor, SF, Vanderbilt- The Warriors are in need of a small forward (as the Luol Deng rumors would indicate), so Taylor makes sense here. I love his athletic ability and he vastly improved his three-point shooting last season.
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