1st ROUND
1 Cleveland – JABARI PAKER – Small Forward – Duke – 6’9 – 241
Joel Embiid was the pick in my first mock draft, then he needed foot surgery. Andrew Wiggins was my choice in Mock Draft 2.0. Now, if the Cavs decide to keep the pick and not trade it, as there is some intel out there that they could make a deal. But if they don’t, and after going back and listening to G.M. David Griffin’s comments from May 13th as well as with the hiring of David Blatt as head coach and LeBron James opting out early to be a free agent, I have changed my mind again and went with Parker as the Cavs pick. I personally have always wanted and still want Wiggins. However with LBJ as a free agent, Griff as an offensive G.M., the Cavs may feel the need to win right away and Parker gives you that best chance because his body is far more developed than Wiggins at this point and he’s more polished and potent offensively right now than Wiggins. He has an extremely high basketball IQ and Parker is also more of a catch and shoot guy than Wiggins, and with two ball-dominate guards in Kyrie and Dion, Parker looks to be the better fit. So by the slimmest of margins, and even though I think Wiggins has more upside in a few years, I’ll say the Cavs take Parker. The good thing here is, with either player, the Cavs are going to be a better team and fill a major need. Not bad for a team who before the lottery was scheduled to pick 9th!
2 Milwaukee – ANDREW WIGGINS – Small Forward – Kansas – 6’8 – 200
3 Philadelphia – DANTE EXUM – Point Guard – Australia – 6’6 – 195
4 Orlando – NOAH VONLEH – Power Forward – Indiana – 6’10 – 245
5 Utah – AARON GORDON – Power Forward – Arizona – 6’9 – 225
6 Boston – JOEL EMBIID – Center – Kansas – 7’1 – 260
7 LA Lakers – JULIUS RANDLE – Power Forward – Kentucky – 6’9 -240
8 Sacramento – MARCUS SMART – Point Guard – Oklahoma St. – 6’4 – 220
9 Charlotte – DOUG McDERMOTT – Small Forward – Creighton – 6’8 – 220
10 Philadelphia – NIK STAUSKAS – Shooting Guard – Michigan – 6’6 – 205
11 Denver – JAMES YOUNG – Shooting Guard – Kentucky – 6’6 – 215
12 Orlando – ELFRID PAYTON – Point Guard – Louisiana Lafayette – 6’4 – 185
13 Minnesota – GARY HARRIS – Shooting Guard – Michigan St. – 6’4 – 210
14 Phoenix – RODNEY HOOD – Small Forward – Duke – 6’8 – 210
15 Atlanta – ZACH LaVINE – Shooting Guard – UCLA – 6’5 – 181
16 Chicago – SHABAZZ NAPIER – Point Guard – U-CONN – 6’1 – 175
17 Boston – P.J. HAIRSTON – Shooting Guard – UNC/ NBA D-League – 6’4 – 228
18 Phoenix – DARIO SARIC – Small Forward – Croatia – 6’10 -235
19 Chicago – CLEANTHONY EARLY – Power Forward – Wichita St. – 6’7 – 210
20 Toronto – ADREIAN PAYNE – Power Forward – Michigan St. – 6’10 – 240
21 Oklahoma City – KYLE ANDERSON – Small Forward – UCLA – 6’9 – 230
22 Memphis – T.J. WARREN – Small Forward – North Carolina St. – 6’8 – 220
23 Utah – TYLER ENNIS – Point Guard – Syracuse – 6’2 – 181
24 Charlotte – GLEN ROBINSON III – Small Forward – Michigan – 6’7 – 212
25 Houston – CLINT CAPELA – Power Forward – Switzerland – 6’10 – 210
26 Miami – JORDAN CLARKSON – Point Guard – Missouri – 6’5 – 186
27 Phoenix – K.J. McDANIELS – Small Forward – Clemson – 6’6 – 200
28 LA Clippers – JERAMI GRANT – Small Forward – Syracuse – 6’8 – 215
29 Oklahoma City – JARNELL STOKES – Power Forward – Tennessee – 6’8 – 260
30 San Antonio – JUSUF NURKIC – Center – Bosnia – 6’11 – 280
2nd ROUND
33 Cleveland – WALTER TAVAREZ – Center – Spain – 7’3 – 265
After taking Parker with the first pick to provide offense from day one, the Cavs need to add defense to David Blatt’s team. So they take a 22-year old true center who is all about defense at this point in his career from what I’ve read and seen on youtube. He’ll give the Cavaliers a low post defender who will protect the rim and rebound. He’s very raw offensively, but the Cavs won’t care and need some depth at center with Anderson Varejao in the final year of his contract. Also in play here could be Russian center Artem Klimenko. A 7’1 – 228 center with a 7’4 wing span and a 9’4 standing reach. I’ve got to believe that David Blatt knows of him and may have some say in taking Klimenko.
