Hornets Select Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard in ESPN TrueHoop Mock Draft

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Published: June 26, 2012

With the first pick in the 2012 TrueHoop Network Mock Draft, Hornets247 selected Anthony Davis. With the 10th pick we added the point guard of the future, Damian Lillard.

Anthony Davis at #1

The rumors you’ve all heard are true– Anthony Davis is the first pick in the TrueHoop Network’s 2012 Mock Draft. Quite frankly this was a no-brainer. The guy had a PER over 36 in college. He’s a game-changing defensive talent. His offensive game may be raw, but it oozes potential. Oh, and he had the highest score everin highest score ever in John Hollinger’s Draft Rater. There simply isn’t another player in the draft who is on the same level as Davis.

Y’all know all about him, so I’ll spare you from hearing too much more. I will say that his head appears to be on straight, and he’s a proven winner. With some luck, we could one day look back on this draft (the TrueHoop version, of course) as one of the greatest days in Hornets history.  Cross your fingers. It clearly worked last time.

 

Damian Lillard at #10

The decision to draft Damian Lillard at number ten was infinitely harder than going with Davis at number one, but still fairly simple. Although the Weber State product has refused to participate in group workouts against his peers, he’s still the best point guard prospect in the draft. Not only that, but as a score first point guard who can shoot from the outside as well as penetrate, he’s a natural fit next to Eric Gordon.

While many have predicted that Lillard would wind up being taken as high as number six by Portland, my colleague, Sean Highkin from Portland Roundball Society, went with Andre Drummond instead. If this is how the real NBA Draft plays out, it won’t be the first time a big man with potential has convinced a team to choose them over a less risky smaller player.

At number seven and eight two guards — Lamb and Waiters– came off the board. With Detroit at the nine spot and in need of a complementary big man for Greg Monroe, I knew that we would be in the clear to take Lillard at number ten. John Henson’s name was predictably announced by Dan Feldman of PistonPowered (who runs this draft every year and writes an excellent blog), and then it was Damian Lillard’s turn to head to the TrueHoop podium to be introduced as the the newest member of the Hornets.

While there are question marks regarding how Lillard would have fared against better talent in college, his numbers were remarkably impressive. At this point in the draft not only is he the top tiered player remaining on my board, but he’s also able to fill an existing need on the Hornets. In my opinion he’s a slam dunk pick here if there ever was one.

From what we’ve heard, the Hornets and GM Dell Demps would be mighty happy if the real draft plays out similar to this version. From the looks of the Hornets247 tenth pick tournament, Hornets fans would be also. Damian Lillard and “trading up” are currently matched up in the finals.

Here are the full results, along with who made each pick and their organization:

 

1. New Orleans: Anthony Davis (Joe Gerrity, Hornets247)
2. Charlotte: Thomas Robinson (Spencer Percy, Queen City Hoops)
3. Washington: Bradley Beal (Kyle Weidie, Truth About It)
4. Cleveland: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Colin McGowan, Cavs: The Blog)
5. Sacramento: Harrison Barnes (James Ham, Cowbell Kingdom)
6. Portland: Andre Drummond (Sean Highkin, Portland Roundball Society)
7. Golden State: Dion Waiters (Rasheed Malek, WarriorsWorld.net)
8. Toronto: Jeremy Lamb (Sam Holako, Raptors Republic)
9. Detroit: John Henson (Dan Feldman, PistonPowered)
10. New Orleans: Damian Lillard (Joe Gerrity, Hornets247)
11. Portland: Kendall Marshall (Sean Highkin, Portland Roundball Society)
12. Milwaukee: Perry Jones III (Jeremy Schmidt, Bucksketball)
13. Phoenix: Terrence Ross (Ryan Weisert, Valley of the Suns)
14. Houston: Tyler Zeller (Jared Dubin, Hardwood Paroxysm)
15. Philadelphia: Terrence Jones (Carey Smith, Philadunkia)
16. Houston: Austin Rivers (Robert Silverman, KnickerBlogger)
17. Dallas: Quincy Miller (Connor Huchton, The Two Man Game)
18. Minnesota: Meyers Leonard (Steve McPherson, Hardwood Paroxysm)
29. Orlando: Tony Wroten (Eddy Rivera, MBN)
20. Denver: Andrew Nicholson (Kalen Deremo, Roundball Mining Company)
21. Boston: Jared Sullinger (Brendan Jackson, CelticsHub.com)
22. Boston: Moe Harkless (Brendan Jackson, CelticsHub.com)
23. Atlanta: Royce White (Bret LaGree, Hoopinion)
24. Cleveland: Arnett Moultrie (Colin McGowan, Cavs: The Blog)
25. Memphis: Fab Melo (Red Coleman, 3sob.com)
26. Indiana: Marquis Teague (Tim Donahue, 8p9s)
27. Miami: Jeff Taylor (Beckley Mason, HoopSpeak)
28. Oklahoma City: Draymond Green (Royce Young, Daily Thunder)
29. Chicago: Will Barton (Matt McHale, Bulls by the Horns)
30. Golden State: Jared Cunningham (Rasheed Malek, WarriorsWorld.net)

22 Comments

  1. Pingback: Truth About It » Brad Beal Without A Deal: TrueHoop Network 2012 NBA Mock Draft

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