ROUND 9
73. David West
74. Caron Butler – My Pick
75. Ricky Davis
76. Troy Murphy
77. Tyson Chandler
78. Steve Francis
79. Adam Morrison
80. Shane Battier
81. Pau Gasol
My Pick: I was all set to take David West and then the owner right before me swoops. I’m fine with Butler, however, as he really took to playing for Washington last year. With Hughes and Butler, I certainly improved my steals category in a hurry.
Best Value: Let’s go with Murphy, who before long will be available at center in the run and gun Nelly offense.
Surprise Selection: Pau Gasol would have been a likely first round pick if healthy, but if it truly takes four months for him to return, I think he should’ve gone a little later.
ROUND 10
82. Brevin Knight
83. Damon Stoudamire
84. Rip Hamilton
85. Jamal Crawford
86. Andres Nocioni
87. Tayshaun Prince
88. Kendrick Perkins
89. Luol Deng – My Pick
90. Corey Maggette
My Pick: I really wanted to pair Felton with Knight this round, but he didn’t fall to me. Knight has arguably been the most underrated fantasy player the last two seasons, going late in drafts yet finishing top-3 in assists both years. Hopefully he doesn’t cut into Felton’s PT too much this year. Nocioni may have gone before him, but there’s no way I’d trade Deng for him.
Best Value: Damon Stoudamire is back to full strength and could surprise this year. There aren’t many scoring options in Memphis. Still, it’s hard not to like Knight’s assist potential this late in the draft.
Surprise Selection: Kendrick Perkins?
ROUND 11
91. Sam Cassell
92. Ben Gordon – My Pick
93. Morris Peterson
94. Marvin Williams
95. Danny Granger
96. Cuttino Mobley
97. Brandon Roy
98. Jarrett Jack
99. Andrew Bogut
My Pick: I was lacking some in threes, and Gordon should be a threat for 20 a night now inserted into the starting lineup. He’s worked hard this offseason and is determined to be a better defender, which will result in more burn for him this year.
Best Value: I like a few picks this round. Marvin Williams offers some pretty big upside here, while Jarrett Jack is getting overlooked as Portland’s clear-cut starting PG. Bogut’s stock obviously fell because of his injury, but he’s definitely worth taking at this point.
Surprise Selection: No huge surprises for me, but I will say ROY is going to win ROY this year. He’s another pick I liked this round.
ROUND 12
100. Darko Milicic
101. Channing Frye
102. Mike Dunleavy
103. Jason Williams
104. Mo Williams
105. Sebastian Telfair
107. Luke Ridnour
108. Kenyon Martin – My Pick
109. Darius Miles
My Pick: K-Mart’s knees are supposedly feeling much better, and he’s also healed his sour relationship with George Karl. He doesn’t come without risk, but round 12 is officially too late for him to be left undrafted.
Best Value: I like the Mo Williams and Sebastian Telfair picks.
Surprise Selection: Darko!!!
ROUND 13
110. Randy Foye
111. Alonzo Mourning – My Pick
112. Drew Gooden
113. Ike Diogu
114. Smush Parker
115. Vladimir Radmanovic
116. Hedo Turkoglu
117. Grant Hill
118. Bonzi Wells
My Pick: I had to get Zo insurance after my Shaq pick, and frankly felt fortunate to get him this late. He’s still one of the very best shot blockers in the game.
Best Value: Nothing wrong with gambling on Grant Hill here, and if Bonzi Wells was still on Sacramento, I would have taken him a few rounds ago. If he gets enough playing time, there’s not a better rebounding guard.
Surprise Selection: I like Ike Diogu’s potential, but he went a little early here.
ROUND 14
119. Shareef Abdur-Rahim
120. Marquis Daniels
121. Mike Miller
122. Dajuan Wagner
123. Bobby Simmons
124. Monta Ellis
125. Eddie Jones
126. Shaun Livingston – My Pick
127. Kurt Thomas
My Pick: Livingston could easily enter the year as a backup, but there’s no one going at this stage in the draft with his potential. It wouldn’t be a shock if he were a pick in the top-5 rounds next year. He’s a future superstar.
Best Value: I’ve always liked Marquis Daniels a lot, but I wouldn’t trade Livingston for anyone taken in this round.
Surprise Selection: Apparently, people are pretty excited about Nelly running the show in the Bay Area, evident by the Wagner and Ellis picks. Wagner looked like a future All-Star before injuries derailed his career.
ROUND 15
128. Jamaal Tinsley
129. Devin Harris – My Pick
130. Stephen Jackson
131. Kwame Brown
132. Jamaal Magloire
133. Nick Collison
134. Raja Bell
135. Erick Dampier
136. Derek Fisher
My Pick: Devin Harris is dealing with a nagging injury, and Anthony Johnson could easily cut into his minutes. If Harris wins the PG spot outright, however, he should be solid enough.
Best Value: I really wanted Tinsley with my pick. He’s one of the more injury-prone guys in b-ball, but he’s certainly worth taking here. I also think this is the year Kwame Brown becomes a startable fantasy center; he really came on at the end of last year. Raja Bell slipped quite a bit.
Surprise Selection: No egregious errors here, but it will be interesting to see if Stephen Jackson avoids jail time.
ROUND 16
137. Wally Szczerbiak
138. Kyle Korver
139. Earl Watson
140. Rajon Rondo
141. Delonte West
142. Josh Childress
143. Zaza Pachulia
144. Eddie Curry – My Pick
145. Donyell Marshall
My Pick: The Eddie Curry hype train has officially stopped. Remember, he is still pretty young, and with Thomas coaching the team, he’ll give his guy plenty of burn. At minimum, he’ll score and shoot a high fg%.
Best Value: Watson could easily win the Seattle PG job because of his superior defense, and I’ve always liked his game. Don’t forget about him. The only thing stopping Delonte West from producing solid fantasy numbers is a crowded backcourt. Wally is more than a solid last round pick here as well.
Surprise Selection: Rondo is the obvious choice, but watch out for this rookie; the kid’s got game.
My Team:
PG – Allen Iverson
SG – Larry Hughes
G – Raymond Felton
SF – Lamar Odom
PF – Kevin Garnett
F – Caron Butler
C – Shaquille O’Neal
C – Samuel Dalembert
UTIL – Rafer Alston
UTIL – Luol Deng
Bench – Ben Gordon, Kenyon Martin, Alonzo Mourning, Shaun Livingston, Devin Harris, Eddie Curry
Leave a Reply