NBA Draft 2011 Mock Draft, Kyrie Iiving Still #1

Sean Deveney - 1. Cleveland. KYRIE IRVING, PG, Duke. They’re weighing their options—namely Derrick Williams and Enes Kanter—but the guess here is still Irving.
2. Minnesota. DERRICK WILLIAMS, F, Arizona. Minnesota will hold the early key to this draft as it considers trade offers for this pick.

3. Utah. BRANDON KNIGHT, PG, Kentucky. Utah seems to like Knight with this pick, which could mean another trade for G Devin Harris.

4. Cleveland. ENES KANTER, C, Kentucky. Cleveland is still very much involved in trade talks for this pick, but Kanter is the safe bet.

5. Toronto. KEMBA WALKER, PG, Connecticut. The Raptors must decide if they can wait a year for C Jonas Valanciunas. If not, Walker tops the board.

6. Washington. KAWHI LEONARD, SF, San Diego State. The Wizards have worked out a long list of players for this pick, but Leonard was their first inclination.

7. Sacramento. JAN VESELY, SF, Czech Republic. There is some sentiment for the Kings to take G Jimmer Fredette, but Vesely fills a need.

8. Detroit. JONAS VALANCIUNAS, C, Lithuania. Valanciunas’ buyout might not matter if there’s a lockout. If he slips, the Pistons should pounce.

9. Charlotte. KLAY THOMPSON, SG, Washington State. The Bobcats need shooting badly. They’d hoped to get Thompson at 19, but he’ll be gone.

10. Milwaukee. ALEC BURKS, SG, Colorado. The Bucks are keeping close tabs on Thompson and Valanciunas, but they’ve liked Burks all along.

11. Golden State. TRISTAN THOMPSON, PF, Texas. The Warriors weren’t expecting to see Thompson here. If he drops into their laps, they’ll take him.

12. Utah. CHRIS SINGLETON, SF, Florida State. Still thinking they’ll pass on Jimmer if available. If they take Knight at No. 3, they’ll pick a forward here.

13. Phoenix. JIMMER FREDETTE, G, BYU. Morris, Thompson and Singleton are all high on the Suns’ list, but they’ll take Fredette.

14. Houston. MARCUS MORRIS, SF/PF, Kansas. Morris doesn’t necessarily fill a need, but it’s good value. The Rockets may make a draft night deal.

15. Indiana. MARSHON BROOKS, SG, Providence. Brooks has put up some very impressive workouts, and he has big potential as a perimeter scorer.

16. Philadelphia. JORDAN HAMILTON, SF, Texas. The Sixers could go big with Biyombo, Motiejunas or Markieff Morris. But they were impressed by Hamilton.

17. New York. BISMACK BIYOMBO, F/C, Congo. The Knicks may trade up to get him, but with a poor Euro workout, he could drop into their laps.

18. Washington. DONATAS MOTIEJUNAS, C, Lithuania. Motiejunas did not look good in the European workout, but he is a legit center with potential.

19. Charlotte. TOBIAS HARRIS, F, Tennessee. Harris is a versatile tweener forward who may be able to develop into a better perimeter player.

20. Minnesota. IMAN SHUMPERT, G, Georgia Tech. Shumpert, an excellent athlete and combo guard, has had a meteoric rise during workouts.

21. Portland. MARKIEFF MORRIS, PF, Kansas. The Blazers need depth, particularly in the frontcourt. Morris is a solid power forward.

22. Denver. KENNETH FARIED, PF, Morehead State. Tough, hard-nosed rebounder and defender who can fit right in with George Karl’s style of play.

23. Houston. NIKOLA VUCEVIC, PF, USC. Vucevic has moved up some draft boards in recent weeks—to the point that the Rockets may consider him at No. 14.

24. Oklahoma City. JAJUAN JOHNSON, PF, Purdue. Johnson will draw interest from several teams, including Charlotte up at No. 19.

25. Boston. JUSTIN HARPER, PF, Richmond. Teams are getting more and more enamored with stretch power forwards, and Harper has a great shooting touch.

26. Dallas. DARIUS MORRIS, PG, Michigan. The Knicks are still keeping tabs on Morris, and if they can’t get a wild card like Biyombo, Morris may not get past No. 17.

27. New Jersey. SHELVIN MACK, PG, Butler. The NCAA Tournament hero is tough and tested, and can provide some combo-guard punch off the bench.

28. Chicago. DAVIS BERTANS, F, Latvia. Bertans can shoot. The Bulls would like to fill out their bench with a little more offense.

29. San Antonio. NIKOLA MIROTIC, PF, Montenegro. Somebody liked Mirotic enough to persuade him not to withdraw his name from draft consideration.

30. Chicago. CHARLES JENKINS, G, Hofstra. Jenkins is a scorer who has the kind of credentials the Bulls like—good leadership, a polished resume and a great reputation.

2010 NBA MOCK DRAFT: DRAFT DAY SUPRISE TOP 14 PICKS

It's a crazy notion, I know. Especially with all the buzz since before John Wall even declared that he'd be the top pick.

But it's an interesting thought. What if, at the last minute, the Wizards decided to keep Gilbert Arenas as their point guard, and viewed Evan Turner as the game-changer they need to get back to a competitive level?

Or what if the Nets were giving us all a head-fake this whole time, and wanted nothing to do with either Derrick Favors or Wesley Johnson?

Unlikely, yes, but in an NBA Draft that is never easily predictable with quickly rising and falling prospect and draft-day trades, this line of thinking at least deserves a second look.

Read on for a bizarre NBA Lottery that could happen if some of the NBA GM's quickly lose their minds:



1. Washington Wizards—Evan Turner , G/F, Ohio State

Either the Wizards like Arenas more than you do, or they trade him and land a different point guard to be their guy of the future. If either of those ring true, Turner could be the pick.

We're not saying he will be the pick, but it's interesting the fathom.



2. Philadelphia 76ers—John Wall, PG, Kentucky

Do you really think Louis Williams or Jrue Holiday have Philly's full backing right now? Holiday might have some potential, but Williams is a shoot-first scorer, and if Wall is magically here, there is no way the 76ers let him drop.

Of course it won't happen, but you know that Philadelphia would go crazy over a truly elite point guard.



3. New Jersey Nets—DeMarcus Cousins, F/C, Kentucky

Since the Nets are thinking illogically and trying to grab Wesley Johnson and hoping they can sign a big-name free agent to man the post with Brook Lopez, I'll be the one to spin some logic here.

They don't need Johnson. At least, not as bad as they need another inside presence that can really balance their offense and defense out. The Kings love Cousins and Cousins loves the Pistons. But what if the Nets were really enamored with Cousins this whole time? That might shake things up a bit.



4. Minnesota Timberwolves—Wesley Johnson, SF, Syracuse

Derrick Favors is a big man with big talent, but he's not nearly as polished as Wesley Johnson. Minnesota hasn't been shy about wanting to trade Al Jefferson, which means they could land an expiring contract much like Troy Murphy's, and they wouldn't be in desperate need of an inside man in 2010-11.

That would make it extremely easy for them to snatch Johnson with no regrets. After all, they could really use an upgrade over their underwhelming wing production.



5. Sacramento Kings—Derrick Favors, PF, Georgia Tech

Favors is too talented and has too much talent to slide, even in a "never going to happen" mock draft.

The fact is, the Kings love DeMarcus Cousins, can't have him, and will be forced to take the next best thing. Turns out, the next best thing is arguably going to be better than, well, that other guy.



6. Golden State Warriors—Ekpe Udoh , PF, Baylor

It both makes sense and is all sorts of crazy. Rumors suggest that the Warriors will make the smart choice and grab the more reliable Greg Monroe, or take a stab at a versatile forward in Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu.

But other news has them loving Ekpe Udoh, a guy that wasn't even necessarily a top-20 pick a few weeks ago.



7. Detroit Pistons—Greg Monroe , F/C, Georgetown

All of this talk about Ed Davis and Cole Aldrich is just irritating. Even more so when the Pistons see their second favorite man, Greg Monroe, slipping to the seventh spot.

Yes, if Aldrich and Davis are the best available, it's probably between them, but not if Monroe or Cousins fall here. In an illogical mock draft, this is just one of those picks that is too logical to not pencil in.



8. Los Angeles Clippers—Al-Farouq Aminu , SF, Wake Forest

The Clippers draft badly. Usually. And even if they don't, they somehow get a guy who will get hurt or doesn't necessarily have a true position.

That's why I'm going out on a limb and saying the trend stops here, and they actually make a sensible pick for once.

Aminu is a well-balanced player with a nice game, and he still has a lot of potential. It's arguable that he shouldn't even be this far down, but if he is, even the Clippers know better than to let him slip through their fingers.



9. Utah Jazz—Patrick Patterson , PF, Kentucky

I know everyone wants to see Luke Babbitt here, but the Jazz need to make sense of the whole "losing Carlos Boozer" thing. If he jets (and he will), they need someone to replace him.

Let's see, draft Luke Babbitt to replace Kyle Korver, or draft a stud to replace Boozer? As much as I love Babbitt's offensive game and potential, you can't pass up an under-rated beast like Patterson.



10. Indiana Pacers—Gordon Hayward , G/F, Butler

Larry Bird and Co. can try to hide the smiles all they want, but this "trading the 10th pick" talk is a huge joke.

Hayward loves Indiana, and Indiana loves Hayward. Unless someone snags him early, this story only has one ending.



11. New Orleans Hornets—Paul George, SF, Fresno State

See how this ridiculous mock is shaking things up? Cole Aldrich, Luke Babbitt, and Ed Davis are all slipping a bit more than "experts" had predicted.

The funny thing is, even if the draft goes as many experts plan, George should still be available here. There's talk that the Hornets want to trade this pick, Chris Paul, and their entire franchise (in a sense), but if they stick here, George's offensive ability and potential are a perfect fit. Sit back down, Peja Stojakovic.



12. Memphis Grizzlies—Luke Babbitt , G/F, Nevada

Memphis could really use an insurance policy for the guy who needs a major attitude adjustment, Zach Randolph, but they also need to be weary of losing Rudy Gay.

If he does jet, Babbitt should be able to step in and take over as the number three scoring option behind Randolph and O.J. Mayo.



13. Toronto Raptors—Ed Davis , PF, North Carolina

Here's another pick that makes way too much sense to not happen. If Davis is here, the Raptors need to think about replacing the obviously departing Chris Bosh.

They could consider grabbing Cole Aldrich at center or Daniel Orton to play either position, but Davis has seen his stock rise quite a bit, and seems a lock to land in the Lottery.



14. Houston Rockets—Cole Aldrich , C, Kansas

Everyone keeps talking about Aldrich being a bust because his lack of elite offensive ability. The guy is a blocking machine, and once he starts learning angles better, he'll be cleaning glass better than Mr. Clean.

The fact is, no one knows what to think about Yao Ming these days, and the Rockets are all about defense, which makes this pick a no-brainer. Besides, Houston has Aaron Brooks, Kevin Martin, and Ming (if he returns) for offense. Aldrich can simply locate his role as a defender.