| Orlando Magic Draft Preview Authored by Howard Mass - June 28, 2005 - 8:05 am
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Yes, I like the Draft even more than Christmas and my own birthday but that is me, Howard Mass is a Draft junky.
This year, the Magic have the #11th, 38th, and 44th selections.
Most of the talk centers around the 11th pick and Magic fans all have their opinions on who they think the team should grab.
It seems most fans just want the best player available but are divided on who that is.
Still, we will not know who the best player is until the 10 teams ahead of the Magic pick.
However, I have an idea.
Here is my mock draft for the top-10 picks.
1) Milwaukee- Andrew Bogut
2) Atlanta- Marvin Williams
3) Portland- Deron Williams
4) New Orleans- Chris Paul
5) Charlotte- Gerald Green
6) Utah- Martell Webster
7) Toronto- Danny Granger
8) New York- Channing Frye
9) Golden State- Hakim Warrick
10) L.A. Lakers- Andrew Bynum
Note: I believe that Portland and Utah will be swapping picks.
I know, I was hoping for Martell Webster to slip as well but the Magic will need to trade up to snatch him. Sadly, that is unlikely to happen as the price is probably too high.
From what I have been told, he will be gone when the pick at #11.
So, who is left?
Ike Diogu- Ike is an undersized power forward that has some nice athletic and defensive ability.
However, that size just kills him.
I do not think he would be a bad pick though.
Raymond Felton
- Maybe he is the best player on the board but this team does not need another small point guard. If he drops this far, maybe the Magic can bait the Charlotte Bobcats into trading up from #13. I think this is unlikely though
So, if the Magic want a shooter, this is their guy.
Joey Graham
- Last night rumors really started to fly about Graham and just about everyone I have talked too has said the same thing.
I am real iffy on Graham’s offense and even though he has a good mid-range shot and is said to be an outstanding defender, my gut just tells me no here even though he could very well be the pick.
Sean May
- Ever since the NCAA tourney, many have thought he would be a bust but he has grown on me a bit.
The guy has a good work ethic but like Jonathan Watters will say below, he is not the right guy to team with Dwight Howard.
Antoine Wright- We all love his shooting and the Magic desperately need another one. Some say the Magic should wait until the second round to get a shooter. I disagree. Besides Michael Redd, how many shooters have been found in the 2nd round who actually play?
My Pick
When you pick this high, you need to make the right pick.
To me, this team needs a shooter, defender, and a defensive big to pair with Dwight Howard.
Unless Danny Granger, Martell Webster, or Gerald Green miraculously drops to #11, the choice comes down to Antoine Wright and Joey Graham.
Offense vs. Defense.
With Wright, the Magic get a guy who is a bullseye three-point shooter with tons of offensive potential as well as some defensively if he works at it more.
On the other hand, Graham is a great defender and like Erik Williams with athleticism.
In the end though, even though Graham might be able to be a good defender, his offensive shortcomings scare me off.
While taking Wright could be a chance, he just has so many more tools and I would rather look for a proven veteran defender in free agency.
So, while sources tell me Graham is likely going to be the guy at #11, Antoine Wright would be my pick.
#38 and #44
Like I said in my Ask Howard column last week, I expect the Magic to do something with at least one of their two second-round picks.
While it might be doubtful they can get into the first round with #38 and #44, I would love to see the Magic take a shot on Kansas forward Wayne Simien, high-schooler Andray Blatche, or a European center if they can get him.
Simien could be a useful guy to possibly pair up with Dwight Howard even though he is injury prone.
The real question will be whether he can defend NBA bigmen in the post and if all it costs is two second-round picks to move up in the late first or early second round, it is worth a shot.
The above also goes for Blatche.
Either way, the second round should be just as exciting as the first.
The Fans’ Take: Who to pick at #11
I tried to get more responses from fans but due to time constraints, only three writers/posters were able to get their takes in.
Spenser Strode
Of all the available candidates to be drafted at #11 by the Magic, I believe the perfect fit would be Antoine Wright, from Texas A&M. At 6'7'', with some college coaching and experience, he is ready to step in and assume the role of starting shooting guard on this team. Wright would fill one of our biggest voids, and form an incredible duo with our rising star Dwight Howard. He's been praised for his basketball IQ, and has the ability to knock down the outside shot, which he will find himself open to take many times each game when Howard will see double teams in the post. Of all the options, this one makes the most sense for the Magic.
Herman de Vries
Draft Antoine Wright, I’ve come to believe that he’s clearly the best fit for the Magic. The Magic need a two guard that can knock down jumpers bad. Antoine Wright has a smooth stroke and can knock down jumpers from anywhere on the floor. At 6’6” Wright has the size to complement Jameer Nelson well when they’re on the floor together. While a lot of people will fall for the undeniable upside high school shooting guard prospects like Gerald Green and Martell Webster have to offer, at age 21 Wright is still very young himself and has a very promising future as well. The fast improvements he made during his junior year at Texas A&M last year (scoring went from 13.5 to 17.8, his rebounds from 4.1 to 6.0, his field goal percentage from .368% to .501% and his three point percentage from .297% to .447%) confirm that. What makes me plead for Wright is that he’ll be able to come in and help the Magic right away. Wright shot the lights out in his workout with the Magic earlier this week, and even though newly appointed Magic coach Brian Hill kept confusing him with Danny Granger, the Magic came away impressed. Hopefully he’ll still be on the draft board when the Magic are due to select a player with their 11th pick, because he would be an awesome addition to the team.
Jason Willis
Joey Graham - 6'7" SG/SF - Oklahoma State University
At the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp Combine, Graham tested as the best athlete in the draft, period. He tested with a 36" vertical leap, bench pressed 185 lbs 26 times, 5 more times than the next best score, scored a 10.62 in the lane agility test, and a 3.05 in the 3/4 court sprint. Of those considered the fastest in the camp, only Felton and McCants scored better on the lane agility, and no one scored better in the 3/4 court sprint. Joey Graham is built like a rock and was great on defense in college, and has all the skills to be a defensive force both outside and inside in the NBA, and not only that but he's got the ability to handle the ball on the wing and shoot the ball. He leads me to draw comparisons to Ron Artest and Antawn Jamison. Yes the Magic need a shooter, but with so many shooters in the draft, the Magic can easily trade up for one or get one in the second round, but finding a player who could be a defensive force is something entirely different, and much harder to do.
Magic Front Office Questions For DraftExpress' Jonathan Watters
I would like to thank the posters on the RealGM/MFO message board for helping me put together these question for our 2005 Draft Expert DraftExpress.com’s Jonathan Watters.
MFO Asks:Would Sean May and Dwight Howard be a good PF and C combination for the Magic or should they go a different route at #11 and try to get a PF in the second round like a David Lee if he slips to them?
Jonathan Watters’ Response: If the Magic are looking for a defender to pair with Howard, Sean May might not be the best way to go. May is a bulky big man that isn’t going to get knocked around in the paint, but his lack of height and lift leave him a bit limited as a defender. I don’t doubt that he could be very effective offensively next to Howard, but the common logic is that Howard develops into that go-too post scorer for the Magic. If Orlando decides to draft a PF that can contribute now, I would be partial to Ike Diogu, who is rapidly improving as an athlete, and might be able to contribute more on the defensive end.
The second round is stacked. David Lee doesn’t strike me as a guy with a ton of upside, but he could definitely come in and contribute for an NBA team. The guy people are forgetting about is Brandon Bass. He ia a bit undersized but strong as an ox, and improved skill wise. He could make people regret passing on him at the end of the first round.
MFO Asks: If Raymond Felton falls to the Magic, do you see them taking him since they have been talking about moving up for DeRon Williams?
Jonathan Watters’ Response: If Felton is still on board at #11, I think it’s a mistake for any team to pass up on him. However, if there is one team that doesn’t need a player like Felton, it’s the Magic. Jameer Nelson is a very similar player size and skill wise, and obviously Francis is still around. Deron Williams plays the PG position quite a bit differently, but I would assume that Nelson or Francis would be on the way out if Orlando took a PG at #11.
MFO Asks: What is going on with Gerald Green's stock? I have seen a mock or two that have him available when we pick, which somehow does not seem plausible.
Jonathan Watters’ Response: If Green is available at #11, Orlando fans should be jumping for joy. I have no idea where people are getting the idea that he might fall, other than the fact that Martell Webster seems to be the “high schooler of the moment.” Green still has that extremely rare combination of length, athleticism, and size. He really shouldn’t fall out of the top half of the lottery.
MFO Asks: Who do you see as the best pickup in the second round? (Name any player you feel should be picked.) Also, how deep do you believe this draft is and is it worth trading a conditional future first for a mid-late pick in the 1st round to perhaps snag a sleeper?
Jonathan Watters’ Response: There are all sorts of intriguing prospects jostling for a 2nd round spot. If the Magic really want to add a point guard, John Gilchrist was playing at a different level than everybody else in Chicago. Travis Diener looked very good as well. In addition to Bass, Linas Kleiza and Rony Turiaf are a couple of big guys that could really make an impact as early as next season. I have a hard time believing that Turiaf slips out of the first round in most years. If he does, we are talking about a Udonis Haslem type emergence within a couple of years. Another guy that I pretty much have to mention is Jason Maxiell. I don’t care if the guy is 6’5 – he’s a downright dominant athlete. If it’s a wing you want, Eddie Basden impressed me at Moody. It turns out he has the size to play wing in the NBA, and is very nice slashing to the basket.
MFO Asks: Who do you see the Magic picking at #11 and will the player be a bench warmer or contribute right away?
Jonathan Watters’ Response: This is such a tough draft to project, as things are pretty much a crapshoot from #3 on down. Orlando is in a good spot, but I do not think its clear cut that the player at #11 is going to be any better than the one taken at #25. That is more of a testament to the depth of this draft than anything else. Orlando is in a position where they could draft for need if they want to make a playoff push next season, but can also take a flier on a guy that might take a bit longer to develop. The options are there, whether it’s Martell Webster vs Joey Graham, or Ike Diogu vs Charlie Villanueva. Granger, Wright, Warrick, Bynum? They are all possibilities. It probably all comes down to who gets snatched up before the Magic pick, and what the Magic decide they need in terms of immediate contributions.
Contact
If anyone has any questions for me, just send me an E-Mail howard.mass@realgm.com and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
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