We spent two months going over draft strategies, discussing players and positions and categories.  Monday night it was put-up or shut-up time.  Here’s how it went for me:
 
Round 1, Pick #6
Elton Brand
I had decided on Elton Brand about 15 minutes after finding out I had the 6th pick of the draft.  During our mock draft we had identified a tier split right at pick 6, and with the clear top 5 gone, I had to choose between Brand, Dwyane Wade and Gilbert Arenas.  I went with Brand because, honestly, I just don’t like a lot of the big men this year but I like a lot of the guards that will be available later.  He was a Top-5 guy last year who’s not much of an injury risk and that’s better than I can say about either of the guards.  There’s another reason I went with him, which I’ll discuss in a sec.
 
Round 2, Pick #19
Joe Johnson
Safety first, risky later.  Johnson was by far the safest pick I could make here, with other options being Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Jermaine O’Neal, and Andrei Kirilenko.  Even the guys that went before him like Jason Kidd and Tim Duncan are big risks.  I had pegged Johnson about a week ago as my only real option in the second.  He’s a lock to be Top 30 and could very well challenge Ray Allen for the lead league in 3s.  Once I decided that Johnson was my main man in the second (I probably would have gone with Billups if he was gone), Brand was solidified as my top pick.
 
Round 3, Pick #30
Rashard Lewis
The classic luxury pick.  because I had drafted a PG and a big man who at least acts like a center in the first two rounds, i didn’t have to reach here.  I may have taken Brad Miller if he fell to me but I was happy to go with Lewis, another “safety first” player who will be top 40.  Paired with Johnson, I’ve now got 2 big deep threats who also won’t hurt my FG%.  I was really hoping for Carmelo here (my dark horse pick for league MVP) but Lewis suits me just fine.
 
Round 4, Pick #43
Raymond Felton
After three safe picks, here’s where I took my risk.  It’s no secret that I’m a big Felton fan - I even made him the “stud” in our Charlotte Preview over Gerald Wallace.  He’s got issues with FG% for sure, but he’s also got a great chance to be a Top-30 player at the end of the year.  I’m a little worried that both of my PG’s will end up playing more 2-guard than 1, but together they’ll be a fine complement to each other and I can certainly grab another PG further down the line.
 
Round 5, Pick #54
Caron Butler
It’s always good to have a guy from your favorite team and Butler fills that role quite nicely for me.  He’s also a classic safety pick.  At this point I’m pretty concerned about my center situation but to be honest, I don’t like any of my options here.  Boozer and Okur were both gone and next on the list was Chris Kaman, Shaq, Dalembert, and Okafor, none of whom were very exciting.  Still, I’m 5 rounds in and have no C’s and only one big boards/blocks guy.  Plus, I’m definitely going to take Shane Battier with my next pick so I’m going to be in trouble with big men.
 
Round 6, Pick #67
Emeka Okafor
Disaster strikes!  The guy I had targeted above all others, Shane Battier, goes 2 picks before me TO A GUY ON AUTODRAFT.  Damn you Yahoo for being the only other ones besides me to have Battier ranked so high!  But in the end (and yes, it took me a while to convince myself of this), this is probably for the best.  Okafor is really what my team needed.  While he’s technically my C1 he’s really my C2 because of Brand, and so this follows my preaching of Okafor being on a team where he’s not the leading big man.  Looks like I’m going to be watching a lot of Bobcats games this year.  I’m also still going to need to pick up some centers over the next few rounds.
 
Round 7, Pick #78
Jarrett Jack
After the Battier debacle, I basically had a new rule:  If you know who you want, go get him, even if conventional wisdom says it’s early.  I still wasn’t satisfied with my PG position because neither of my guys were true points, and I’m a big Jarrett Jack fan this year, so while it may have been a little early I pulled the trigger.  My other options were Speedy Claxton (don’t trust his health), Luke Ridnour (don’t trust Earl Watson), and Rafer Alston (Don’t trust his FG% after already taking Felton), so I went with the guy I wanted.  A day later, I think I went after Jack way too early, but hopefully it’ll work out.  He can certainly be a top-70 player.
 
Round 8, Pick #91
Nazr Mohammed
I got a lot of slack on this pick from both DM and PR, but they’re jerks.  Here’s what I know about Mohammed: He’s going to play at least 25 mpg, and probably more than 30.  He’ll be good for over 10 points and 7 boards every night, and that’s a bare minimum.  He could very well be a 15/10 guy.  Here’s the centers left on the board:  Tyson Chandler (who can’t be trusted for anything), Chris Wilcox (ditto), Kendrik Perkins and Joel Przybilla … you get my point.  My choice here was between Nazr and Nenad Krstic and I went with the guy who I think is really underrated this year.  DM and PR both suggested I could have waited a round or two but I was going with my new strategy: If you want the guy, you’d better take him.  A day later, I still feel pretty good about this pick.
 
Round 9, Pick #102
Luol Deng
I got him at pick #102, he placed in the 70’s on the player rater last year, and he’s supposed to improve this year.  What’s not to like?
 
Round 10, pick #115
Rudy Gay
I’ve been impressed by Rudy this preseason, and admittedly i’m a little cocky when it comes to rookie predictions.  Last year I said Charlie Villanueva would surprise, the year before I grabbed Andre Iguodala in the last round and the year before that it was Dwyane Wade.  This year, I’m rolling with Rudy.
 
Round 11, pick #126
Donyell Marshall
I said that if you can stash him on your bench he’s a great risk, and now that I’m drafting for my bench, I’ll take that risk.
 
Round 12, pick #139
Andrew Bynum
He’ll be on waivers by this weekend if he doesn’t perform well in his first few games, but he’s a fine risk and if he establishes himself as a decent C2 then this is a steal.  Plus, I’m still low on C’s and this potentially helps there.  After last night this pick is looking pretty good.
 
Round 13, pick #150
JR Smith
Like Bynum, he’ll be on waivers by this weekend if he doesn’t start fast, but he’s got the most upside of anyone you’ll find this late.
 
So there you have it.  I’m admittedly thin at C and will need some help in the big-man positions like blocks and boards, but I got almost all the guys that I thought were undervalued going in to the draft.  I went against conventional wisdom a few times but that’s why you play the game.  The first month of the season will be huge for me as I’ll have to make some tough calls on which of my risks panne dout and which didn’t.  Let’s see what happens, and good luck to everyone tonight.