Chad Ford's Mock Draft

Hey guys, Chad Ford here. With the lottery complete, the pre-draft tournament nearing to a close and the CSL Combine already in the books, I think it's time to get one last mock draft in.

1. Orlando Magic - Andrew Wiggins Can't picture them picking anyone else. They could go Alex Len, but after Wiggins's strong tournament showing, he should be the unquestioned #1 pick.

2. Boston Celtics - Alex Len After trading Vucevic, this is the obvious #2 pick.

3. Phoenix Suns - Andrew Harrison The Suns don't possess a PG to Jestor's liking, and we all know how much he loves size. Harrison being a 6'5" point guard should be too much for Jestor to resist, and I imagine he'd make a very small reach here to get him rather than risk him being there at #6.

4. Atlanta Hawks - Shabazz Muhammad Honestly no clue who's left on this roster except for Josh Smith, so I just picked BPA here. Muhammad is a talented scorer and his talent should allow teams to look past his red flags.

5. Memphis Grizzlies - Julius Randle Randle is BPA and possibly the only "star" left, and the Grizzlies are in desperate need of talent. Randle goes here and becomes the face of that sad franchise.

6. Boston Celtics - Gary Harris Here's our first reach, but the Celtics need wings badly and Harris has emerged as the top SG so far. He's a two way player with the talent to make a difference on both ends of the court. He'll make a good young backcourt next to Schroeder.

7. Sacramento Kings - Willie Cauley They've traded all their talent for picks, including this one, and have a center oozing with potential here in Cauley. You know what they always say, you can't teach height.

8. Minnesota Timberwolves - Jahii Carson After losing Ricky Rubio, the Wolves are in need of a long-term PG since Lin isn't the answer there. To be honest, they NEED a center more, but there aren't any worth reaching on here at #8 once Cauley is off the board.

9. Sacramento Kings - Perry Ellis The Kings now have their frontcourt of the future with Ellis and Cauley, and Ellis has the versatility to slide over to the 3 spot which gives them options.

10. Phoenix Suns - Anthony Bennett If Anthony Bennett isn't picked by the Suns at #3, then he won't make it past #10. AB15 goes here to the GM with the biggest mancrush on him. It's a good pick too. Bennett is a very talented scorer who can score from virtually anywhere on the court.

11. Washington Wizards - Rasheed Sulaimon The Wizards need a wing to put next to Wall in the backcourt, and with Wall/Griffin/Val always attacking the lane, a shooter is always necessary. Sulaimon fits both of those well and he can play defense too, making him a solid two-way player here.

12. New Orleans Pelicans - AJ Hammons After his strong showing at the combine, Hammons finds himself moving up here to the lottery, where he makes a nice yin/yang pairing with Anthony Davis. Hammons is a strong offensive player who plays close to the basket.

13. San Antonio Spurs - Alec Brown It is absolutely no surprise the two things San Antonio needs: scoring, and a future in the post once TD and KG retire. Brown is raw, but if he hits his peak he should be a good all around player with height.

14. Miami Heat - Vasilije Micic The Heat have to guard themselves against the possibility that Isaiah Thomas leaves, so getting a PG here makes the most sense. Micic isn't the exact kind of player they probably would like to have running the point, but he's the best one on the board.

Great mock draft here, helps give me a better idea of the kids entering the league and who's even going to be worth paying attention to. Very nice.

Damn you Ford where's the rest of it?

Sulaimon that high? Would be a biiiiiiiiiiiiiig reach as it seems!
If we are going Gary Harris I believe a trade down is taking place. Said a lot of time I love that guy but Carson looks damn good.. cant pass on him.

orangeparka (MIA) wrote:Damn you Ford where's the rest of it?

Ford needs a short break after writing that much

Shabazz that high? Wow. I know he was good in the tournament and everything, but still, you can't put so much stock into that.

And as far as Lin not being a long term guy, not sure I agree, but Jahii could be nice at #8.

Harrison to the Suns makes too much sense not to happen. Shame. If I keep #4 I doubt I take Bazz. He seems like the lovechild of Maggette/Redd. Do not want.

I am rereading all the info that Swish and MSN - BC put out and came across this;

The Kentucky Boys (Re. Randle) wrote:"Easily the crown jewel of the crop of Kentucky players, everyone wants to know about Julius Randle...he's prime time, and he's definitely worth at least being considered for the first pick in the 2014 draft."

This is from a while ago, and obviously speculation (Randle isn't on the level of a Wiggins) but still he isn't dropping past #4 unless PHX takes Bennett no matter who is drafting at that spot.

I usually draft using a tier system, if two players are in the same tier I go for fit but a higher tier guy is available I'll him regardless.

From what I know (which isn't much) I have:

Tier 1: Wiggins/Len
Tier 2: Harrison/Randle
etc.

This is an awesome mock, thanks for the reasoning behind the picks too. Appreciate the time it took.

Very handy, thanks.

Mhhhh. Is myles going to pick for Memphis? If yes and he goes shabazz because he rated him here as the BPA over randle, it really could be we are ending up drafting Randle at 6!? :O insane.

Chad Ford wrote this, not me... He doesn't have perfect information.

Mr. Myles, stop killing my dreams!

Doesn't mean what he wrote was inaccurate, I'm just saying... don't take anything Swish or MSN-BC writes as the gospel truth...

It could be true or it could be not true... you'll never know...

I wont^^.. dont take it to serious, just trying to kill the time BI needs for his pick   

With Bennett off the board, Memphis has no choice but to go with Julius Randle.

That team desperately needs a building block.

Sorry Boston fans...

Hammons for us? Interesante.

Should be interesting to see how far Shabazz falls

If Randle is the only 'star' left, Grizz definitely go that way then.

Just got back, ended up stopping by U of Toronto and playing some pickup ball which is why I'm "late", though the clock hasn't started yet. I ran into an alum friend who was doing post grad work and ended up arguing about who was better when we played in intramural. 


Still got it!

Beat him 2 games to 1 and then we ran team ball and got destroyed because no one could guard the other teams center. Meh. I tried to trade him for a big but he complained that "we are friends" and it's "just for fun". I told him winning is fun and loyalty is overrated. No one offered fair value for him though.