Daily Thunder.com

@DXL
Ford didn't say anything about it being the GM of a team drafting outside the top 20, so pointing out that Presti doing something like a mock draft for ESPN would be totally out of character isn't labeling Ford as a liar.

As far as Mullens, looking back at all the mock drafts, none of then had him falling to the 24th pick. He was mentioned for the Pistons, T-Wolves, Hornets, Kings, etc. Now to Ford's credit, he did hear a rumor that OKC liked Mullens and was talking to the Suns about trading the 25 pick and this year's pick from the Suns for last year's 15th pick to get him. I tend to think Ford heard that from the Suns side. In talking about the third pick, he compared the Thunder to Fort Knox and admitted that his belief that they would take Rubio was his own opinion and unsourced.

Anonymous :@ThunderHorn presti knows talent when he sees it thats exactly what people said about westbrook

so he's never wrong? anyone with a different opinion is wrong?

It might not be smokescreen, I was searching for several lines of thought, but those are the main names I could think of if it is a smokescreen.

@Crow
Both Sanders and Whiteside being missing from the top 20 doesn't feel like a smokescreen to me. I think Sanders is just an okay player, a center without right body to play center, and Whiteside might drop into the 2nd round. Whiteside is incredibly immature, naive, and has major deficiencies on the basketball court--he says he's a defensive player but he can't guard anybody one-on-one right now.

34 is a good spot. Wonder how much cash was involved. The full $3 million? Half? In between?

I guess someone might be secretly trying to protect the option to take Whiteside.

Royce Young :

Jax Raging Bile Duct :
Also, I’ve heard rumblings and rumors of a Daily Thunder draft party. Any news?

This doesn’t appear to be happening I don’t think. There’s still hope, but we’ll see.

:'-( :'-( :'-(

Buford trying to shake down or fake Presti? That would be rich if true.

Ainge may love the fake too. Seems like a big fan / user of Ford.

@ThunderHorn
12' reach is a lot. I want to see him and serge do a jumping high 5

Who is not on that top 20 that is on other boards?

Is Sanders the big one?

@Bob

That trade would be too much loss of face for Kahn but I'd take it.

@MartzMimic
If Chad Ford tells the truth, and I believe he does, it has to be a GM without a pick in the first 20 picks of the draft. The only ones without a pick in the first 20 who could conceivably be called "one of the best drafting GM's in the league" would be: Presti and Pritchard. Pritchard likely has his own problems to deal with right now, so my guess is Presti.

The rumors about Thunder interest in Mullens last year were very loud and turned out to be true: OKC was desperate for him and they traded up for him. Who broke the story of OKC's interest in Daniel Orton? Chad Ford. Let's see if Ford really does have an inside source at OKC.

Jax Raging Bile Duct :
Also, I’ve heard rumblings and rumors of a Daily Thunder draft party. Any news?

This doesn't appear to be happening I don't think. There's still hope, but we'll see.

or d) hoping someone will be left after 20 that might be on other boards

Pritchard apparently trading up from 44 to 34.

He might be more talkative than normal.

http://twitter.com/Wells222/status/16717504409

He was drafted 5th overall last year and they offer the 10th. I think he's worth a late first rounder from what i've seen...

Which GM might put out a mock draft for ESPN?

Some possibilities

a) someone who is in a spot where they aren't facing much uncertainty or thinks they are

b) somebody trying to scare somebody into paying more to move up

c) somebody who is a big fan of Ford, who uses him for intelligence reports, who might be a frequent guest

In the GM mock draft article, Ford mentions that Monroe was outplayed by Omar Samhan? Ouch . . .

@Greg

Davis: HT w/ shoes: 6'9.75"; wingspan: 7'0"; reach: 9'0", no step vert: 31"(reach:11'7"), max vert: 36"(reach:12'0")

MartzMimic :
Why in the world would anybody think Sam Presti is doing a mock draft for ESPN? For God’s sake, nobody has been more closed-mouth about what he’s planning.

I agree. I think Ford cut it off at 20 to stoke speculation or to defect and make it harder to tell who else this came from, if any.

@DXL
That's quite a vertical. I think it could also be Pritchard doing that GM mock draft, but it's rather ironic that it ended at 20. One commenter on the article even said, "so this is what the Thunder think huh?".

@Greg
Davis is 6'9" w/o shoes, 227 pounds, 7'0" wingspan, 9'0" standing reach, 36" max vertical.

Davis may not be available at 10 or 11, according today's ESPN trade buzz article:

Ed Davis or Ekpe Udoh

Davis came into the season with all the momentum, but a so-so year combined with injuries and an underperforming Tar Heels squad hurt his stock a bit. Meanwhile, Udoh resurrected his draft stock by vastly improving at Baylor.

The two haven't gone head-to-head because Davis is still recovering from a wrist injury, but a number of teams including the Pistons, Pacers, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz are all trying to get a feel for who they'd prefer if both were on the board.

Right now, Udoh seems to have the buzz. He is more polished, is a better offensive player and has the ability to contribute right away. Davis is a better defender, is more explosive athletically and is bigger. He impressed the Jazz and Pacers in recent workouts with his improved shooting ability, but everyone knows he's a project.

The question really comes down to this: Udoh is 23, and Davis is 21, so in two years, would Davis be as good or better than Udoh is now? If the answer is yes, then the Davis is the best pick. But sometimes it's easier to take the guy you know can get some stuff done right now.

From what I can gather, I don't think Davis will slip past the Jazz at No. 9. Udoh probably won't get past the Pacers at No. 10 if they keep their pick.

Can anyone pull up Davis' measurements (i.e. reach, vert)?

I am beginning to get this strange feeling Presti is in 2008 mode and is gonna pull a no-one-saw-it-coming move like he did with Westbrook by picking Ed Davis......IF he's able to trade up

Based purely on potential, Davis might be a top-2 big man in this draft. If Presti is convinced after doing his homework that he can channel that potential and turn him into a stud, he might pull the trigger.

The downside is that Davis has a long way to go physically. He is way too weak for the league right now. But if he pans out, in a few years he might be a stud.

@DXL
Was also saying I wasn't really under the notion that his offensive game was "raw". I thought he has a much more developed back-to-the-basket game than Ibaka, but I could be wrong. I thought the main things that dropped his stock out of the top 5 were his injury, inability to carry the team into the NCAAs (IMO not a fair point due to lack of talent around him), and the question of whether he can develop the strength to play down low in the NBA. But I could be wrong? Moreso just looking for confirmation.

Why in the world would anybody think Sam Presti is doing a mock draft for ESPN? For God's sake, nobody has been more closed-mouth about what he's planning. The Thunder isn't even releasing the names of the guys they're working out. I'm sure they do have a war room with what they see as possible picks for other teams, but to share any of it with anyone else would be out of character, and I can't remember Presti ever breaking character.

Neither do i remember a lot of talk about Mullens before the 2009 draft, other than the still-present concern that the Thunder needed a big man, and Byron was one of the few available last year. Shoot, we weren't even sure they would take Harden until David Stern announced it.

That said, it doesn't surprise me that the Thunder would be one of the most active in trying trade talks. Presti seems like someone who is constantly looking at every option available before making a decision. He's shown a willingness to pull the trigger whenever a move or acquisition will benefit the team within their well-defined parameters.

@Greg
I'd take 2, 3 or 4 Ibakas. Can never have enough athletic big guys (because they're so damn rare).

@DXL
He put up a good amount of 20-pt games this year and against solid competition. His offensive post game is better than Ibaka's, right? If he's really "raw" on offense but good at shotblocking, we already have a rangy, shotblocking "raw" offensive talent in Ibaka. Unless Presti plans to play Ibaka at C or trade Green, not sure he trades up that high just to get Ed Davis.

By the way, word out here in Detroit is that Joe D is going to do everything in his power to swap picks with Sacramento in order to land Cousins. So unless we have the picks/players to trump the 7th overall and whatever hodge-podge of lesser players Joe D offers, Cousins is pretty much out the window.

@ThunderHorn
Does it seem odd to anyone else that Davis is getting lambasted for not doing enough for UNC in an obviously poor situation but Favors is getting extra praise for surviving pretty much the exact same? Davis actually put up better numbers AND outplayed Favors head to head. The only real difference is 2 inches of length and 20 lbs. That's not to say those don't matter, but both guys are almost the same. If we moved up to the 10/11 range to grab Davis, I wouldn't be upset.

@Mark!
agreed. I'd be fine with him at 21 but not to trade up to 10 for him. yuck.

Davis is a raw offensive player but his rebounding and defense are exactly what the Thunder want from big men. I was shocked by how good his shotblocking #'s are. And this is at UNC, not small schools like VCU or Marshall.

@Greg
Ed Davis, 2009-10 season:
26.9 minutes, 12.9 ppg, 9.2 rbds, 2.7 blocks, 57.8% shooting
PER40 minutes: 19.2 ppg, 13.6 rbds, 4.0 blocks

ThunderHorn :I hope we don’t trade up for Orton. There is so much talk about how much Presti likes him, similar to all the Mullens talk last year.

I'm just praying we don't trade up to #10 and take Orton. I've been dreading this for a few days now.

Pleeeeeease noooooo

injuries were a big part of Davis' problems last year but he was also stuck with some pretty below-average guard play.

@DXL
And can you maybe post those said per-min #'s?

@DXL
Ed Davis . .. I've been unsure about the guy for a while now. Really liked him at the end of his freshman season, not so much after last year. But I suppose injuries could've had something to do with it.

Maybe we won't have to deal with an Evans-Cousins duo:

Cousins favoring Detroit?
3:30
PM ETDeMarcus Cousins Top Email
DeMarcus Cousins is high on Sacramento's (No. 5), Golden State's (No.6) and Detroit's (No. 7) list for the draft on Thursday.

But according to ESPN's Andy Katz, Cousins prefers the Pistons.

Katz writes: "His desired location is Detroit (No. 7), especially after spending two secretive days with the Pistons two weeks ago, but Detroit knows it probably will have to trade up to get him."

Johnathan Givony of Draft Express tweets similarly on Monday: "A source close to DeMarcus Cousins indicates his preference is to land in Detroit. Feeling is mutual. Not a fan of Sacramento apparently."

But Cousins took to his Twitter account on Monday to say this: "Draft express needs to get there (sic) facts straight ....ME nor ANYBODY close to me made those comments ..."

@Greg
This mock is of who this GM thinks the OTHER teams will pick. It gives away nothing of his own preferences, which is why I think it cuts off at 20.

I think Presti would trade up to 10 if there's a shot at Ed Davis. He's an underrated asset right now because of his wrist injury and UNC's bad year. His Per40 rebounding and shotblocking #'s, at the highest level of college basketball, are incredible. He's a top 5 talent.

It would have been funny to see that list go through the first round, and then watch Ford's mock draft 6.0 change to mimic picks 21 and 26. Then the speculation that it is Presti would instantly become so much more than speculation.

@DXL
Interesting that the GM likes Davis and Udoh ahead of Aldrich. If that's Presti, I hope he's sandbagging the order of Alabi and Orton.

Jax Raging Bile Duct :
Also, I’ve heard rumblings and rumors of a Daily Thunder draft party. Any news?

i know, where is the post from royce telling us where to go?

Another interesting tidbit in Ford's draft blog. He persuades "one of the best drafting GM's in the league to share his team's mock with me." This mock just happens to be only the first 20 picks in the draft, cutting off right before OKC picks at 21. This anonymous GM sounds like it may be Presti. The mock:

1. Wall
2. Turner
3. Favors
4. Johnson
5. Cousins
6. Monroe
7. Aminu
8. Hayward
9. Davis
10. Udoh
11. Aldrich
12. Babbitt
13. Bledsoe
14. Patterson
15. Henry
16. George
17. James
18. Bradley
19. Alabi
20. Orton

If this is Presti's mock, then I think he's trying to jump a few spots in front of Boston and San Antonio to make sure he gets his preferred center.

@ThunderHorn

If we do trade up, I think that's the target. In that same article, Ford published the mock draft of a league GM that projected Orton to San Antonio at #20.

Aldrich's picks and pick and roll finishing sound good to me in addition to rebounding, blocks and defense.

Udoh has the Oklahoma hometown thing that media types may play up more than the team but we'll see. I was higher on him earlier but it comes down to the video and live workout.

With Patterson it would be key to gauge how well he can get good inside shots off against NBA level players.

I hope we don't trade up for Orton. There is so much talk about how much Presti likes him, similar to all the Mullens talk last year.

Also, I've heard rumblings and rumors of a Daily Thunder draft party. Any news?

The only option I can see us taking is the Kings option at 5. Everyone else reportedly willing to trade down are in the 10 to 15 range, and I think the difference in talent is small from picks 10 to 25.

Monroe or Cousins will be there at 5. I've heard that we like Ed Davis most mocks have him going around the 10-15 range.

I'm just not buying any of it. I think we'll stay where we are. I definitely dont' see us trading into the 5th spot.

I could see Aldrich the most. Udoh or Patterson would give Green competition or make a trade easier.

@justin
I tend to agree. It might make sense if that were a bridge to then try and get up to 5 or so to have a shot at Favors/Monroe/Cousins. HIGHLY doubtful, but it depends on what Presti's thinks we need to do. Grow what we have, get a FA, or draft a legit big man.