The Dream Shake 2012 Mock Draft: Pick Eight

So, the draft order has been established. Your devoted writers here at the Dream Shake have set up a mock draft, pick by pick, to be delivered to you daily. We will be going through the first round of the draft with our selections and our reasons why we think we will correctly predict the whole damn thing.

So far the chips have fallen this way:

1. New Orleans Hornets: Anthony Davis

2. Charlotte Bobcats: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

3. Washington Wizards: Andre Drummond

4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Harrison Barnes

5. Sacramento Kings: Thomas Robinson

6. Portland Trailblazers: Bradley Beal

7. Golden State Warriors: Terrence Jones

The Raptors hold the eighth pick in the draft and are perusing the free agent market after finishing 4^th in their division and have Jonas Valunciunas looking to come over and play in the NBA. I’m not sure there’s a European expected to go this high so that made my decision for the Raptors that much more difficult. Right now my choices are stuck between a popular pick that I don’t think makes 100% sense, a need pick, which never really makes sense, and a flyer "screw it" type pick. I hold out hope that this pick might come to Houston for Kyle Lowry.

With the eighth pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, the Toronto Raptors select Perry Jones III SF/PF from Baylor. I wrestled with this pick but I look at Jones’s physical attributes and skills and I can’t help but be amazed. He has to work on his demeanor, which if it’s intermingled with winning, may pose a problem in Toronto, but I’ve never heard of malcontents in that city not named Tracy McGrady or Vince Carter. Maybe it will do him some good to ship him up to a world-class city like Toronto anyway. Jones can come in and man the 3 with immense size for the position (6’11") and continue to grow in his skills. Jones represents my flyer pick but it’s a flyer pick I think that pays huge dividends long term for Toronto (Which seems to be Bryan Colangelo’s style).

I was tempted to select Jeremy Lamb (popular pick) with this pick but if Toronto wants immediate returns I don’t think you do it by selecting a SG and moving DeRozan to SF nor do I think you want to select a guy who can fathomably place DeRozan if management has faith in him (Which I think they do). I was also tempted to select Damian Lillard (Need) because of Toronto’s point guard aspirations. I backed away because I felt like Marshall would suit more needs for the team and, at the end of the day, Toronto can address the point guard need in free agency or via trade (Which I am going to reiterate, number 8 for Kyle Lowry please!). The Detroit Pistons are now on the clock.