Can Danny: White.
I know that we're supposed to be in a post-racial society but when I see that Indiana and Utah have the up-coming picks, I can't only think - man, Gordon Hayward has a good shot of going here. Honestly, I don't think he has a good shot going there (and I think he could be a bust) but you can't help but think of these teams as marshmallows in the cut up of hot chocolate that is the NBA.
My prejudices aside, the Utah pick has been the source of much debate... actually no, there hasn't been much debate about it - it's been a source of much mockery for the Knicks and their former GM Isiah Thomas. The Knicks sent this deal off in the disastrous Stephon Marbury deal. But while Isiah gets a lot of crap for the trade, let's not overlook the fact that the Suns traded it just so they could get under the salary cap. They traded Tom Gugliotta's expiring deal and two first round and one second round draft picks for Keon Clark (who was also expiring but made a lot less.)
While taking on bad contracts was Isiah's undoing, you can't help but wonder what might have happened had the Suns been more frugal with their own money and not been forced to dump or outright sell the picks that they had. Over the past six years, the draft picks that the Suns traded or sold have been: Luol Deng (2004), Nate Robinson (2005), David Lee (2005), Sergio Rodriguez (2006), Rajon Rondo (2006), Rudy Fernandez (2007), Serge Ibaka (2008).
Now, obviously, it's hard to complain because the team has had a nice run and is now in the Conference Finals but if their front office had just found a way to hold onto a couple of these picks, they might be favorites to get to the Finals. Then again, they might have just blown the pick. From the three choices that they actually used in the last six year, they got Alando Tucker, Robin Lopez, and Earl Clark. Robin's not bad but Alando's out of the league and Clark hasn't looked like much this season.
But that's all in the past. The real question is, what are Utah and Indiana going to do with improve their future?
Utah is in a nice position because they're basically playing with house money. Their biggest need is at the small forward spot. Yes, they are potentially losing Carlos Boozer but Paul Millsap is no slouch and Andrei Kirilenko is actually better suited for the 4. Wes Matthew proved to be a great rookie free agent pick-up so the shooting guard position is in decent enough hands. They could use a backup center and Cole Aldrich is available; that seems like the obvious choice and, if Cole is available, I could see the Jazz taking him.
The thing I just don't like about Aldrich (or Xavier Henry) is that they seem to just keep the Jazz on their current path and their current path isn't getting them to the Finals. Henry has far more upside than Matthews does at the 2 but he doesn't seem to be a game breaker. Someone like Paul George might be worth the risk because he can knock down the three and defend. But he's a risk and I don't think the Jazz could really go for him over the steadier Aldrich or Henry.
In a later mock draft, I might come up with something for the Jazz to pull off but for now, I'm going to have them play it safe and do what everyone expects them to do - draft the white guy, Cole Aldrich.
That leaves the Pacers and while Avery Bradley is a bit of a reach here, he sounds like a PG that Jim O'Brien would love since he plays defense and can knock down the three. The biggest problem, however, is that he's more of a shooting guard in a point guard's body but the Pacers have Mike Dunleavy Jr., who can take care of some of the point guard duties.
But while Avery looks good on paper, he's still a reach and a project and I'm not sure if the Pacers, most notably Larry Bird and Danny Granger, are really looking for long term. The Pacers have to three nice expiring deals in Troy Murphy, TJ Ford, and Dunleavy Jr. and might want to try to win some games now. If the Sixers are really looking to give away Andre Iguodala if it means dumping Elton Brand, the Pacers should seriously consider swapping Murphy, Dunleavy Jr., Jeff Foster, and Brandon Rush. It would be great if they could hold onto the draft pick and have: Bradley, Iggy, and Granger but I'd be willing to throw it into the mix to get the deal done. Still, I don't think that's the right move for Philly.
Right now, I'd say they stick with Bradley. Like Utah, something else could shake out in the future but it seems like the most obvious move right now.
