1997 SLN Draft Mock Top-10 (Author - Heimer)

[heimer]

1997 SLN Mock Draft: (Draft order 1-21 based on record, team with worse home record gets higher pick) The ’97 draft is loaded, featuring 9 stars equipped with A potential and a bunch of other players that can contribute on a winning team.



1. Seattle Supersonics – (Tim Duncan) Do I really need to explain this pick? The 1st pick was always Timmy Time. Seattle isn’t ready. Move over Starbucks, everybody runs on Duncan.



2. Boston Celtics – (Tracy McGrady) The Boston Celtics finished the season with the 2nd worst record in the entire league in the ’97 season. There is usually little short-term hope for a team with 26 wins and -7 differential. But, when you get into the weeds of this young Celtics team, it’s obvious this team can be special. There are two options that make sense to me: (1) Draft Tracy McGrady, (2) Draft Keith Van Horn. Now, I know what you’re thinking: How the fuck does anyone even think of drafting Keith Van Horn over Tracy McGrady? Only a team with very little production from the 4 spot and plentiful production from the 3 spot would consider it. And that’s exactly what we have here with the Celtics. They currently have Kobe “bean” Bryant and Juwan “punch your coach in the face” Howard listed at SF. However, logic and reason bring me back to McGrady. Take the best player on the board and figure out the positions later. Can Juwan play the 4? I think so. Does Kobe play better at the 2? I think so. Does a team with Kobe and T-Mac scare the shit out of me? Yes. I absolutely just pooped myself.



3. Utah Jazz – (Peja Stojakovic) This team simply got no production from the 3. That is from players designated to play SF. The Jazz played Shareef Abdur-Rahim at the 3 for most of the year. He played well and deserves a continued role on this budding Jazz roster. On 30 minutes a game he averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds while offering a steal and a block per game on the opposite end of the floor. If I’m drafting here, I take Peja and move Abdur-Rahim to the backup 3/4/5 spot. Shareef would feast in this role. Meanwhile, the Jazz would add arguably the best shooter in the draft – allowing them to stretch the floor properly and create added buckets for both the starting 5 and the bench.



4. Detroit Pistons – (Ricky Davis) Where do I start with the Pistons? I’ll start where they started - with their first pick in the creation draft, Antoine Walker. This season Antoine Walker averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds with a solid 3 assists from the block. He was the lone bright spot for the Pistons offensively. The Pistons averaged 92 points a game this past season – putting them second to last in the league. Their mighty struggle on offense is only half the picture, with their defense ranked second in the league in points allowed. The Pistons seem to be close to competing with another star and some time. Ricky Davis is 18 and needs time himself. If rushed, he could have some problems becoming a star. Put him on the Pistons – with a strong scoring big and a stout defensive team all-around – he might just be a superstar in this league.



5. Vancouver Grizzlies – (Chauncey Billups) The Grizzlies are an interesting bunch. Their two best players in Grant Hill and Shawn Kemp both have serious upside potential, but that upside comes with considerable downside. Hill and Kemp combined for a total of 6 turnovers per game – costing their team points on offense and allowing points on defense. If the Grizz want to improve immediately they draft Brevin Knight to help keep turnovers at bay. With that said, I don’t see the Grizz competing for some time. A team ranked at the bottom of the league in scoring needs to address that and worry about the turnovers later. A Billups / Hill / Kemp big 3 has a lot of potential going forward. I like Billups here.



6. Washington Bullets – (Keith Van Horn) The minor slide of KVH has ended and boy are the Bullets happy. Ranked bottom 5 in scoring and lacking a quality 4 – drafting Keith Van Horn 6th is a no brainer. Van Horn – who averaged 18/8 for the University of Utah – would fit in beautifully at the 4 with this young upstart Bullets team. A studded lineup from PG to PF – featuring Lindsey Hunter, Ray Allen, Byron Russel and the newly drafted Van Horn – the Bullets are seemingly a center and some time away from competing.



7. Golden State Warriors – (Maurice Taylor) For most teams, drafting Taylor 7th would be a bit of a reach – but not for the Warriors. Taylor brings power in the paint offensively, but his defense is another story. Taylor is a liability defensively, which is why I have him going here. He’d play alongside Greg Ostertag, who averaged 2 blocks a game this past season. Simply put, the team drafting Maurice Taylor needs an Ostertag type player at the 5 and some serious RPs to dedicate to his defensive development. If they draft Taylor, this young burgeoning Warriors team would have every penis it needs.



8. Indiana Pacers – (Zydrunas Ilgauskas) The native Lithuanian – Big Z – comes in to the draft at a massive 7’3” at 240 pounds. Big Z looks like a real difference maker – boasting attributes of B inside, B- in both defense and rebound, and A potential. The draft notes say he should be injured early and often, however if he makes it through the first 3 seasons without a either a stress fracture (foot) or a broken foot, he will receive an added 25 points toward his potential. The Pacers desperately need a center and Big Z is the guy. If he can stay healthy, Big Z will be a steady contributor to a young team that already is showing flashes of a star defense – having limited opponents to a 3rd best in the league 98 points per game.



9. LA Clippers – (Mikki Moore) The Clippers were eyeing Big Z and are sad to see him taken a pick prior, however, I’d argue it was a blessing. This Clippers team finished dead last in points against – allowing 108 points a game. Mikki Moore – a tall, slender, and bouncy center – isn’t much of a scorer, though he is highly efficient. Moore looks like a high quality SLN big that knows his role. He won’t shoot too much and will be a relentless contributor on the defensive side of the ball. The Clippers improve here by selecting Mikki Moore and, most importantly, are able to rely on Moore staying on the Floore.



10. SA Spurs – (Derek Anderson) Derek Anderson is your prototypical wing. He doesn’t excel in any one area, yet he does a good job at everything. And this Spurs team needs help at everything. Take a project in Anderson here. He has a quality jump shot and won’t hurt you on the other end of the floor. He should get some steals and rebound more than your average swingman coming out of the draft. With a camp on his “handles” he should show teams why he deserved to be the 10th pick in the draft.