The end of the NBA finals means the NBA Draft is vastly approaching. Mock Drafts are beginning to show up all over the internets. Some take the word “Mock” all too literally. Actually, the literal definition of Mock when used in its common sports vernacular is “sham” or “a contemptuous or derisive imitative action or speech.” Whoever first coined the phrase in the sports world apparently failed to consult the dictionary. Mock Drafts are nothing but speculation. The media turns into a domain of speculators, rather than reporters. Isn’t speculation what led to our current economic crisis?
Crazy draft day trades and rumors begin to surface. (Boston to trade Ray Allen for a top 5 pick?) Labels such as; undersized, prototypical, court awareness, athleticism, length, all these words can define a player’s draft position, and career. Case and point, Ty Lawson. Here is how we see the NBA Draft playing out, call it our Mock Mock Draft:
1. Clippers – Blake Griffin
2. Grizzlies – Darko Millicic Danilo Gallinari Nikoloz Tskitishvili Ricky Rubio
3. Thunder – John Wall Tyreke Evans
4-17 – We watch in agony as team after team passes on Tyson Lawson.
18. TWolves – Tyson Lawson, yes!!!
19-60 – Who Cares
Because he’s not considered the “prototypical” PG, maybe being a little “undersized,” team after team will pass on Lawson in the first round. As of now, he is projected as a late round pick. UNC without Ty Lawson looked like a 5 or 6 seed in the ACC tournament, needing help from the referees to make it past Virgnia Tech in the 1st round, subsequently losing in the Semi-Finals. With Lawson, they cruised through March Madness to an NCAA Championship. Winning every game in dominating fashion.
His quickness and “court awareness” overcome his small 5’11 frame. The comparison to former UNC standout Raymond Felton, who is slightly taller at 6’0, is imminent given their success and role at UNC. Felton has been a decent player thus far, 14.2 PPG 6.7 ASST in 2008-2009 season. Lawson is faster, and had more glaring effect on UNC’s performance when he played than Felton. But the NBA GM’s, gutless, predictable, will either overlook, or be scared of the criticism they might face from the media and fans, by “reaching” on a PG that is “undersized” in the early stages of the 1st round. Too much analysis, overthinking, goes on in the NBA. Lawson will also get the inevitable comparisons to Mateen Cleaves and Khalid El-Amin. Cleaves and El-Amin, both undersized, yet both not nearly as fast, both not nearly the ball handler, and neither one elevated his team to the level Lawson did.
Real Mock Draft v1.0 is here, updated version will come later.
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