The Daily Dose: Dose: Draft and Delly

It was a boring morning and afternoon on Saturday with NBA news, but the evening was all about the latest sad turn to Joel Embiid‘s career.

The 76ers announced Embiid had “less healing” than the team expected in his right foot. He has been out since last summer with a broken foot, which almost never takes more than eight months to get over. In fact, he had surgery over 350 days ago. The Kansas product would have been the first pick in the draft last year, but many had him falling out of the top 10 because of the foot scare. He’s had a couple setbacks along the way and we can probably rule him out for summer league. It’s too hard to even speculate what this means for his upcoming season.

The 76ers were probably going to stop tanking, but this news may change that. They’re unlikely to get Dario Saric from Turkey and they’re only going to have the No. 3 pick help them out next year, assuming they don’t make a splash in free agency. The 76ers will likely have an update before the draft, but Embiid is totally hands off in fantasy right now. This stinks.

Moving on, let’s look at the upcoming draft. I’ll admit I’m not too keen on the prospects, so this mock is based more around needs and what I’ve seen, heard or read on these prospects. Here we go.

1. Timberwolves – Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky C – The Wolves may like Jahlil Okafor more than KAT, but it’s too tough to pass on him. They’ll do whatever they can to unload Nikola Pekovic and signing him to a multi-year deal was a mistake. This would certainly hurt Gorgui Dieng because he doesn’t play well at PF and doesn’t get many chances there either.

2. Lakers – Jahlil Okafor, Duke C – It’s too bad the Lakers don’t get KAT because he would be a perfect fit. With Okafor, the Lakers have two similar post players along with Julius Randle. Randle played very well away from the basket in Las Vegas and Okafor was a dominant low-post presence, so they kind of make sense schematically. On the downside, their defense is going to be an issue. Although, it seems like Okafor being sub-par on D is being overblown. He’s a beast.

UPDATE: With Joel Embiid having a setback, the 76ers are more likely to take Kristaps Porzingis now. As for Embiid, this is horrible news. He’ll have another exam soon and hopefully it’s just a slow recovery. Still, it’s been almost a year! Not good. Not good at all.

4. Knicks – Emmanuel Mudiay, China G – The Knicks are in a similar position. They absolutely need a point guard. Carmelo Anthony’s career is on the decline and they really need to swing for the fences for a playmaker. By the time Melo’s deal is done, Mudiay could be ready to get going. He probably won’t be doing much in his rookie year, though.

5. Magic – Kristaps Porzingis, Latavia PF/C – Ah, the draft darling. Apparently, everyone loves Kristaps Porzingis and NBA Twitter was going crazy about his workout in Vegas yesterday, which caused some rumors of him going second in the draft to the Lakers. Zinger has a gorgeous jumper and is exactly what teams want right now. A stretch four with true range and the ability to make plays. All that said, he’s still a wildcard and several European guys don’t pan out. Nikola Mirotic looks like the real deal and maybe Zinger can bring that type of production. Plus, you can’t think a Euro top-five pick and not remember Darko Milicic. Side note: That Channing Frye deal for the Magic looks awful.

6. Kings – Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky C – Thrill is apparently tight with former Wildcat DeMarcus Cousins, so it makes sense there. The Kings have been looking for a DMC PF sidekick and maybe WCS is their guy.

7. Nuggets – Justise Winslow, Duke SF – The Nuggets want to rebuild and Winslow is a great start. He was terrific in the NCAA Final Four showcase and his 6’7 frame definitely makes him a stretch four in an up-tempo scheme. Winslow also made 41.4 percent from deep and a respectable 64.1 percent at the line. Expect him to be in the low 70s there, which makes him a very desirable fantasy prospect. If Denver takes him, he’s a good bet to be a top-three fantasy rookie. Maybe even one or two.

8. Pistons – Mario Hezonja, Croatia SF – The Pistons picked up Ersan Ilyasova, so they don’t need a power forward as much. Coach Stan Van Gundy can’t get enough shooting, so Mario looks like the guy here. He could be a stretch four behind Ersan right off the bat and he can really make plays with the ball, too.

9. Hornets – Devin Booker, Kentucky SG – The Hornets need shooting in the worst way. They were dead last in the NBA in 3-point percentage last season and they had a bottom-10 3-point percentage in NBA history, too. Booker is going to have to earn his playing time, but he could get some run around January.

10. Heat – Stanley Johnson, Arizona SF – This pick would be a steal. The Heat are dying for a small forward because Luol Deng is one of the most injury-prone players out there. Plus, they also play Dwyane Wade at the three quite a bit. Johnson has a high ceiling, but he won’t get much run while Deng is healthy. He would compete with James Ennis.

11. Pacers – Myles Turner, Texas C – The Pacers had no depth at center last season and Roy Hibbert, who has a player option, could be on his way out. Turner has a ton of length with a 7’4 wingspan and he could emerge as a defensive stopper around the rim.

12. Jazz – Jerian Grant, Notre Dame PG/SG – The Jazz had him in for two workouts and he seems to be on their short list. They really don’t have any glaring weakness with depth, which is a credit to how well they drafted in the past few seasons. Whoever they draft, that guy is really going to have to light it up to get any run. That Alec Burks deal doesn’t look good right now.

13. Suns – Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin PF – For years, the Suns have been trying to turn Markieff and Marcus Morris into stretch fours. Frank the Tank could be the answer, but the Suns could go any direction. Additionally, they are considering dealing this pick. That makes sense because they already have a bunch of talented young players on their roster, but no difference makers. It might be wise to just unload this pick for future first-round compensation.

14. Thunder – Cameron Payne, Murray State PG – Remember how bad OKC was without Westbrook? Yeah, they need a backup PG. Murray was not highly recruited out of high school, but he’s definitely in the lottery convo. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some team trade up. Suns’ pick?

15. Hawks – Sam Dekker, Wisconsin SF – Paul Millsap appears to be the higher priority and the Hawks do have some decent depth at power forward with Mike Muscala and Mike Scott. If some team overpays for DeMarre Carroll, the Hawks will need a wing badly. Dekker’s range on offense should fit their system nicely.

16. Celtics – Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona SF – He’ll be a fan favorite in no time with his personality. RHJ did have some solid offensive games, but the team drafting him will pick him up for his defense.

17. Bucks – Bobby Portis, Arkansas PF – The Bucks could really use a big body at the four. They are going to give Jabari Parker most of their PF minutes, but coach Jason Kidd refuses to play John Henson and Zaza Pachulia together. Portis averaged 14.9 points and 7.9 boards in his two seasons at Arkansas. He might go a lot earlier and I could see any team in the 10-20 range grabbing him.

18. Rockets – Tyus Jones, Duke PG – We all found out how badly the Rockets need a backup point guard. They should be able to bring Patrick Beverley back, so they won’t be in dire straits. Jones made 37.9 percent from deep last year, but his lack of size at 6’1 will hurt.

19. Wizards – Kelly Oubre, Kansas SF – Another wild card here. Oubre has gone as high as nine in some mocks I’ve seen, but there aren’t a lot of teams really needed an offensive small forward. With Paul Pierce about done, the Wizards are going to need some depth badly here. Otto Porter Jr. was something else in the playoffs, though.

20. Raptors – Kevon Looney, UCLA PF – I’ll admit I really want the Jazz to take Looney so we can call him Looney Tunes (GET IT??). Anyway, the Raptors really struggled with depth up front and Looney could help them there. Plus, they have some more depth at the three with Bruno Caboclo a year closer.

21. Mavericks – Trey Lyles, Kentucky PF – Interestingly, Lyles is rumored to go as high as four, which would be CRAZY. He would be a nice pick here for the Mavs, but wouldn’t get playing time off the bat, obviously.

22. Bulls – R.J. Hunter, Georgia State SG – He hit the best shot of the NCAA tourney, but he’s fairly unproven. Plus, his dad won’t be his coach in the NBA.

24. Cavs – Terry Rozier, Louisville PG/SG – He had close to a 40-50 grade before the Draft Combine, but now he’s really rising up the draft boards. The Cavs could use another combo guard to add some depth to the bench. Plus, he can make plays a la Kyrie Irving. To be clear, I’m not comparing the two at all.

25. Grizzlies – Justin Anderson, Virginia SF – The Grizzlies have been looking for the right small forward for a long time. Jeff Green didn’t quite work out and taking a stab at a guy like Anderson makes sense. His defense-first style seems like a nice fit.

26. Spurs – Christian Wood, UNLV PF – He’ll probably end up being an All-Star with coach Gregg Popovich. Kidding aside, he’ll be behind a host of players.

27. Lakers – Guillermo Hernangomez, Spain C – The Lakers might as well take a flier on an overseas guy. They also have some many depth issues in their frontcourt because Jordan Hill is likely gone.

28. Celtics – Rashad Vaughn, UNLV SG – The Celtics have a lot of picks, so this might be the toughest pick to predict in the entire draft.

29. Nets – Delon Wright, Utah PG – The Nets have to start preparing for a post-Deron Williams era. At least these two have the same initials.

30. Warriors – Chris McCullough, Syracuse PF – The Dubs don’t really have a weakness, so why not just grab the guy with the highest vertical leap?

Unless we get a Game 7, this will be my last Daily Dose of the season. I just wanted to thank all of you guys for reading and checking out all of the stats from the columns all season. I’ll still have plenty of offseason stuff, including what I hope to be the most comprehensive coverage at Las Vegas Summer League next month. That said, I thought I’d change it up and finish this column without a stat.

Matthew Dellavedova has been a lightning rod for the media and he’s this year’s surprise player. We get it every year, though. Last year it was Gary Neal, who is also an Australian guard from St. Mary’s.

Delly is always diving for balls, so he should get a shoe deal with a silhouette of a guy falling down, right? With that, a follower of mine (@iamoaklandsown ) hit me with this:

Twitter is so awesome some of the time. By the way, follow me on Twitter @MikeSGallagher

Another thing about Delly is there are some great sandwich possibilities for deli restaurants in Cleveland. With that, I give you the Delly Burger (it’ll be gross, I’m sure):

The Delly Burger

Ground beef (because he’s on the ground a lot)

Goat Cheese (because Cleveland fans think he’s the GOAT)

Applewood bacon (because he’s on the hardwood so much)

Honey chipotle sauce (because he seems sweet at first, but he’ll burn you later)

Vegemite (Aussie factor and this is probably why it’ll be gross; if I actually made this for real, I’d take this out)

Onion (because when you cut him, he’ll try to make you cry)

On a bagel (because his game is empty on the inside)

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.

Sharing is caring! Share this FreeWinningPicks post with your friends!