Hawks Picks in Mock Drafts Following the Lottery

[AHF]

Here are the guys the experts are predicting we will get:

Chad Ford - ESPN

Qunicy Pondexter - 6'6'' SF - Analysis: One of the best seniors in the country, Pondexter is an elite athlete who proved this season that he can really score. He's a jump shot away from being a star. Think the next Desmond Mason.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2010/insider/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=MockDraft-100518

Oooo...the next Desmond Mason. That is enticing. [Edit - Mason probably had a better career than I am remembering after looking at his numbers. Sounds like useful role player territory.]

Ian Thomsen - CNNSI

James Anderson - 6'6'' SG - Anderson will score off screens and off the dribble -- and he'll convert his free throws (81 percent last season). All told, not bad for the late first round.

I am seeing a theme...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/ian_thomsen/05/19/mock.draft.3/index.html

NBA Draft.net

Damion James - 6'6'' SF - Strengths: Well-built forward oozing with athleticism and agility ... Exhibits superb fluidity of movement, running the floor like a guard (3.09 sprint at pre-draft combine) and quick to the basketball. Has been a rebounding machine since the moment he took the court for Texas ... Possesses a 37 inch vertical leap, 7 foot wingspan and pursues every board relentlessly ... Very quick off his feet on multiple jumps ... He has taken his ferocious rebounding to another level through sixteen games as a Senior, averaging 11.2 per game ... His scoring average has seen significant growth each season, from 8 ppg as a freshman to 17 ppg as a senior ... The staple of his offensive game is the mid-range jumper ... Takes a few power dribbles to his right or left and gets great lift on his shot ... Combined with a high release, his jumper is virtually unblockable ... Prefers to face up opponents in the post and elevate over the top ... Displays range out to the college three, shooting 41% as a sophomore, 33% as a junior and 36% as a senior ... In constant motion on the offensive end looking for openings and easy buckets ... Shooting an efficient 48% from the field throughout his four years ... Explosive finisher at the rim ... Displays a great set of hands, retrieving even errant deliveries ... If he gets his hands on the ball, he doesn't let it go ... Plays with an extremely high motor on the defensive end ... Averages a steal and block per game for his career ... Has the strength and lateral quickness to guard multiple positions.

Weaknesses: Lacks a clearly defined position at the next level, but is so talented he is a "player" and will find a role regardless ... Ball handling needs further development. Appears very insecure when putting the ball on the deck. Rarely attacks all the way to the cup when being guarded. Dribbles with his head down ... Off the bounce moves are very methodical, more concerned with maintaining the dribble than getting by the defender ... His first step is hampered by lack of handle, restricting his ability to create shots for himself and others ... Needs to find more consistency with his jump shot, although this is an area which has shown improvement ... He's worked hard on his mechanics, but still a work in progress. Guide (left) hand falls off the ball too early on his shot, making it a little unnatural ... Doesn't possess a shooters touch. Settles for too many long range shots, out of his comfort range ... Shot selection is questionable. Free throw shooting is a major drawback of his game ... Has failed to reach the 70% plateau in any season, with a career 63% ... For an aggressive player, this is not up to par. While his scoring numbers have continued to accumulate, he is still not a primary offensive option ... He has benefited off the greatness of Kevin Durant, D.J. Augustin and a loaded 2009-2010 roster ... Fits the mold of a complimentary player, but not a go to guy. Although he's taken over the role this year for the Longhorns ... At 6'7 225 lacks the perimeter skills (ball handling and passing) to be a true NBA wing man, and lacks the size to defend the 4 position.

Athletic defender and outstanding rebounder with bad shot selection, prone to shooting long jumpers without good form or success, bad free throw shooter....hmmm...

http://www.nbadraft.net/mocks/2010_nba_mock_draft.html

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/damion-james

Draft Express

Kevin Seraphin - 7'0'' C - Seraphin is not a perimeter player like his future French national teammates, but he is similarly gifted from a physical standpoint, and he just happens to be represented by the same agent, Bouna Ndiaye. Ndiaye surely knows how to push the right buttons. The Senegalese-born, and incredibly jovial, Dallas native doesn’t need to say much more than “I don’t want you to make the same mistake again my friend” in his cheerful French accent to strike fear in the hearts of NBA personnel these days.

He may not even need to say that though. Seraphin’s case as an NBA prospect is made as soon as he steps foot on the court. He stands around 6-9 without shoes, has a huge wingspan, and sports a chiseled 268-pound frame. He runs the floor well, gets off his feet with ease and ranks as one of the top per-minute rebounders and shot blockers in the ultra-athletic French Pro A League.

Seraphin is still far from a finished product though.

A native of French Guiana, a colony on the northern coast of South America, he only started playing basketball at the age of 15 and has been in France for just four years now. He was discovered in his native country by Cholet junior team coach Jean-Francois Martin after growing up as a soccer player. In the years since, he has slowly but surely developed from project to prospect to a starter this season (in 13 of the last 20 games) on the top-ranked team in France.

Seraphin played just nine minutes per game in 2008-09 and barely saw minutes on the French junior national team the summer prior. He rode a strong showing in the U-20 European Championships this past July to a bigger role this season with Cholet, becoming a more prominent part of the rotation and landing a spot in the starting lineup in each of the last nine games.

He’s still averaging just over 16 minutes per game, but Seraphin has improved in virtually every statistical category this season: upping his scoring numbers, getting to the free throw line more often, doing a better job on the glass, contributing more as a shot blocker, doubling his assist rate and cutting down on his turnovers.

Offensively, Seraphin remains a raw prospect by NBA standards. He does a good job using his body to carve out space in the post (where he can finish above the rim in impressive fashion thanks to his tremendous length), but he is still lacking in terms of advanced footwork and post moves. He looks a bit limited at times when double teams arrive and he’s forced to improvise or make quick decisions.

Seraphin has good hands and is a terrific target for lobs and pick-and-roll finishes, but he’s not the type of player you want making plays with the ball at this point in his career. Improving his repertoire of spin moves, pivots and countermoves in the post will go a long way -- as will gaining experience and improving his all-around feel for the game.

With that said, Seraphin shows interesting potential with his jump hook. He’s able to get it off smoothly and convert it with either hand. He also appears to have a soft touch around the basket, particularly with a good-looking turnaround jump shot that he executes with a high release point.

Seraphin clearly has things to work on. His activity level and intensity seem to fluctuate quite a bit from game to game (leading to some inconsistent performances), he has limitations stepping away from the basket, his ball-handling skills are crude, and his mid-range jumper is very much a work in progress – all hints that his future position is clearly center, where his bulk and length should compensate for the inch or two he lacks in prototypical size for an NBA 5-man.

Defensively, Seraphin is much more useful at this point. He shows a much greater comfort level on the defensive end, where he’s a terrific presence inside the paint with his superb combination of length, strength and athleticism. He displays nice timing when rotating from the weak side and is especially effective at hedging pick-and-rolls, while still having the mobility to recover back onto his man thanks to his nimble feet and nice lateral quickness. He’s difficult to post up due to his wide frame, and he puts in a good effort on top of that. This puts him in a pretty rare class of prospects when considering his physical tools.

With that said, Seraphin’s inexperience shows on the defensive end as well.

He displays only average awareness and tends to leave his feet on pump fakes, causing him to get into foul trouble on occasion. From time to time he gets caught flat-footed watching a defensive rebound fly over his head. He’s not quite as effective in this area as you might hope, considering his tools. This is likely due to his so-so fundamentals. Seraphin is an incredible presence on the offensive glass, though, ranking in the Top five in France in offensive rebounds per-40 minutes.

Having only played basketball for five years, Seraphin is still very much playing catch-up with other prospects his age, but he is making up ground rapidly. His ceiling is extremely high, and he’s rumored to be a smart and humble player -- which is always a good sign.

Raw big man with upside...now that sounds like Sund first round pick to me!

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2010/

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Kevin-Seraphin-5278/

Sporting News

24. Atlanta. Jordan Crawford, SG, Xavier. The Hawks are bracing for the departure of Joe Johnson, and a versatile, athletic scorer like Crawford will help.

Hopefully he will be a dramatically better pro than his brother, who was the higher rated prospect out of HS.

http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Baseline/entry/view/66453

Edited May 20, 2010 by AHF

[KB21]

Poindexter is one of my favorites. He's a very athletic player who is a tenacious defender. He's not a great shooter, but he can slash to the basket and is an in your face defender.

[mrhonline]

I'm gonna sticky this. I think it'll be interesting to see how it progresses.

[drzachary]

Am I crazy for wanting us to just draft the best PG available? Anyone that has a good BBIQ and can distribute the ball would really help maximize Horford and Marvin in Year Zero A.W.

[AHF]

Am I crazy for wanting us to just draft the best PG available? Anyone that has a good BBIQ and can distribute the ball would really help maximize Horford and Marvin in Year Zero A.W.

This year there isn't much in the way of attractive PGs. I am not sure there is anyone who would fit the mold.

[AHF]

Poindexter is one of my favorites. He's a very athletic player who is a tenacious defender. He's not a great shooter, but he can slash to the basket and is an in your face defender.

Does the Desmond Mason comparison work for you? Mason never impressed me as an NBA player. To me comparing a first round pick to Mason is like saying, "the guy is great...think of him as the next Chris Crawford." (Well, not that bad but you get the point.)

[lethalweapon3]

((Aside: Feeling bad for the Mods having to move every other thread lately))

I've been leaning toward QP lately among SF options, but that reference to The Artist gave me pause as well. But his shooting %s have improved markedly in his senior year. He might be the only senior who did himself well by not jumping early.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

From our good friend Sean Deveney... the antidote to LeBron James is on the way...

Sporting News

24. Atlanta. Jordan Crawford, SG, Xavier. The Hawks are bracing for the departure of Joe Johnson, and a versatile, athletic scorer like Crawford will help.

Good side is it will add to the confusion for opposing coaches "You... guard J. Crawford! Same way you guarded J. Smith last year!"

Bad side is Nike may block all the Hawks-LeBron contests.

~lw3

[Dsinner]

Am I crazy for wanting us to just draft the best PG available? Anyone that has a good BBIQ and can distribute the ball would really help maximize Horford and Marvin in Year Zero A.W.

Two years in a row? I think we should give Teague a legit shot first as I don't think there will be even a remotely better option at that pick. We need to trade for a legit C and draft a SF or vice-versa.

[KB21]

Does the Desmond Mason comparison work for you? Mason never impressed me as an NBA player. To me comparing a first round pick to Mason is like saying, "the guy is great...think of him as the next Chris Crawford." (Well, not that bad but you get the point.)

The comparison does fit, and to Des's credit, during his prime years, he was a consistent 14-15 PPG scorer who shot well from the field. He was never a good perimeter shooter, and he didn't act like one. Overall, he was a solid role player who could defend.

[mrhonline]

((Aside: Feeling bad for the Mods having to move every other thread lately))

Not gonna move draft threads anymore. It's really the only thing to talk about since the coaching threads seem to be collected neatly by Diesel. :)

[Guest]

I say we go sf and center. Whichever best one falls to us at #24. It's kinda ironic but #24 for us could be the end of #24 for us. I always supported Marv and kept saying he's growing, he's maturing...but I don't think I can continue it any longer. He is a weak link in our lineup. Oh, and speaking of Marv, wasn't he doing really well shooting 3's up until the all star break or so, then they disappeared. Was that on him or Woody? It's funny me and my friends always joke around when the draft comes around on players predicting how good they'd be just on their mugshot. I always thought Marv had a hall of fame face. But I also thought the same about cp3 that year. One outta two ain't bad.

ps I think we should give Teague a shot. I think he has some special skills we never saw due to Woody.

[Brotha2ThaNite]

From our good friend Sean Deveney... the antidote to LeBron James is on the way...

Sporting News

Good side is it will add to the confusion for opposing coaches "You... guard J. Crawford! Same way you guarded J. Smith last year!"

Bad side is Nike may block all the Hawks-LeBron contests.

~lw3

This who I would like.... He is also, Crawford's cousin :thumbsupsmileyanim:

[mrhonline]

If you are gonna look at needs (not sure it's the right way to go), I think you've gotta look at the team you know you have for each year:

2010-11:

Guards: Crawford/Bibby/Teague

Forwards: Smith/Marvin

Bigs: Horford/Zaza

2011-12:

Guards: Teague/Bibby

Forwards: Smith/Marvin

Bigs: Horford/Zaza

2012-13:

Guards: Teague

Forwards: Smith/Marvin

Bigs: Horford/Zaza

It's the guard position that is getting trimmed each year...

[Brotha2ThaNite]

It would be good if you all gave links to these sources too :biggrin:

[DrReality]

Saw the French guy and he has some intrigue but the level of competition just doesn't compare. Can't see us draft him. Bet we go for a SG or SF.

[lethalweapon3]

It would be good if you all gave links to these sources too :biggrin:

Sporting News' current Mock Draft link:

http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Baseline/entry/view/66453

~lw3

Edited May 20, 2010 by lethalweapon3

[jezmund]

Dominique Jones, Quincy Pondexter, Solomon Alabi or Paul George.

[mrhonline]

Saw the French guy and he has some intrigue but the level of competition just doesn't compare.

Won't matter to NBA GM's. If anything, Seraphin will be gone before the Hawks can take him - Portland and San Antonio are prime suspects. In fact, if Minny keeps that #23 pick, he's possible there...

[Sothron]

I like James Anderson. If we're losing Joe and Craw becomes the de facto starter at SG then Anderson can fill in fine as the backup two.