Hoopshype says Aldridge going pro

Hoopsworld has an interesting lottery mock draft:

With the first pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Portland Trailblazers select… Tyrus Thomas of LSU. So far, he’s been the consensus #1 guy, and Portland has a whole bunch of guards. A solid, potential star down low would be the right way to pick for them. Joakim Noah is a possibility here, too, however Thomas seems to be The Man right now, and he is expected to go first, no matter who’s picking here.

With the second pick in the 2006 Draft, the Charlotte Bobcats select… Adam Morrison of Gonzaga. The top four guys in this draft are post players, but Charlotte doesn’t need another one with Okafor, May, Brezec, and Ely already on the roster. They need someone who can score buckets and take it to the basket, and Morrison is that guy.

With the third pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls select… Joakim Noah of the University of Florida. He thinks he’s staying for his junior season right now, but all things considered, he’ll declare. Noah fits perfectly into the Bulls system. He’s coachable, hard-working, and he plays defense. Chicago should keep their fingers crossed that he stays in.

With the fourth pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks select… LaMarcus Aldridge of the University of Texas. This is another guy that may go back to school, but it would be wise for him to come out now. Atlanta has about 37 small forwards, so any point guard or big man available here would be the winner. Randy Foye is the only serviceable PG in the draft, but it’s doubtful he would go this high, especially if Aldridge was still available.

With the fifth pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Toronto Raptors select… Rudy Gay of the University of Connecticut. They need an athletic perimeter guy to compliment Villanueva and Bosh. Mike James has the point locked up, so a big, athletic 2 or 3 would be the perfect order. Gay fits that better than almost anyone in the draft. Rodney Carney of Memphis could be another possibility here, but I’d expect Gay to go higher than him.

With the sixth pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors select… Andrea Bargnani of Italy’s Benneton Treviso. Many say he’s the biggest talent in the draft pool this year, that he’s the next Dirk Nowitzki. We’ll see about all that, but if no one’s taken a risk on the guy by #6, expect the Warriors to do just that. They need tall people.

With the seventh pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select… Randy Foye of Villanova. Garnett wants real ballers around him, and probably the most pressing need is a point guard (why else would there be rumors about Starbury heading back to Minny this summer?). Foye would be a great fit, and may be a nice first step in Garnett’s last chance for an NBA championship.

With the eighth pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Orlando Magic select… Rodney Carney of the University of Memphis. Carney would be a great fit for this team. Milicic and Howard are the team’s frontcourt of the future, and Jameer Nelson has been nice at point for them. Like Toronto, the Magic need an athletic guard to take the ball to the cup and dunk a little. Carney would quickly turn Orlando into a very exciting team.

With the ninth pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics select… Josh McRoberts of Duke University. There’s got to be one huge white guy selected in every lottery, and McRoberts is the guy this year. He showed some really nice things in the Final Four tournament this year, and even though he could probably benefit from another year of school, he’ll most likely come out and do some damage for a team like Boston. God knows they need help anywhere they can get it—especially down low.

With the tenth pick of the 2006 NBA Draft, the Seattle Sonics select… Brandon Roy of the University of Washington. Roy is an NBA-ready guard, and even though the Sonics don’t have pressing needs in the backcourt with Ridnour, Watson, and Ray-Ray, Roy-Roy could be a great bench player and eventually take over when Allen retires or heads elsewhere. To get Roy at #10 would be a steal.

With the eleventh pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets select… Shelden Williams of Duke University. The man is huge, and he’s very tough. The Rockets need a guy to play power forward next to Yao. Having somebody in the paint who can take some of the pressure off Yao will only improve the big guy’s game. Williams would be the perfect player to do that.

With the twelfth pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select… Al Horford of the University of Florida. Horford’s stock went up in the tournament as well. Like Noah, he’s said publicly he’d like to come back next year to defend the title, but the allure of the NBA may be too much. Philly needs help everywhere except at the 2 and the 3. A big power forward like Horford would certainly help take some of the pressure off the aging Chris Webber. Philly has zero depth at 4. Horford could help that.

With the thirteenth pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Hornets select Ronnie Brewer of the University of Arkansas. Brewer is a tall, lean, defensive-minded guard who would be good for the young Hornets. He’d probably come off the bench for them, but would be a great defensive spark when such a thing was needed. He would be the most NBA-ready player left at this point in the lottery, assuming all the above guys went before him.

With the fourteenth pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz select… JJ Redick of Duke University. It’s been general knowledge for a while now that Utah wouldn’t let the NCAA’s player of the year slip past them at #14. He’s basically Jeff Hornacek anyway, and I ask you—where would Redick be a better fit? Exactly. Utah is the place for him.