The three of us (Merencio, Sheed, and Houndy) have decided to present the NLL with a post lotto mock draft. Enjoy!

1. Houston Rockets (30-52)- Nerlens Noel, PF/C, Kentucky

The Rockets have jumped from number 8 spot to the number 1 spot, with an oppourtunity to pick a star. With that being said, the only pick that truly makes sense for the Rockets is picking Nerlens Noel with the number 1 pick. The Rockets need a stronger frontcourt with, and with Noel and Humphries, they can have one of the best rebounding frontcourts in the NLL. Even if Noel is out with his ACL tear, Houston is in no rush to have him play. The 2014 draft is pretty damn nice...

2. Utah Jazz (22-60) - Ben McLemore, SG, Kansas

GM Merencio got lucky to not slip down in this lottery draft and only have Houston Rockets up front. Utah need a star and McLemore is a promising player. Not a finished product indeed but McLemore freak athleticism and scoring ability will lift Utah a bit. Utah have a lot of time to wait until make any difference in West coast again but picking McLemore would make this journey quicker.

3. Charlotte Bobcats (22-60) - Trey Burke, PG, Michigan

With fan favorited Anthony Raldolph, Shumpert and Asik on front court, The Bobcats (or Hornets in a year) lack a true PG badly. Once Boyd’s oh so loved PG Nolan Smith and the unproved sophmore PG Kendall Marshall are not what Bobcats need to became relavant in Eastern conference. Michigan’s Trey Burke would be a wise choice. Trey would bring the leadership that Bobcats need, giving them the chance to trade away the injury prone Eric Gordon.

4. Sacramento Kings (57-25; pick from GSW)- Anthony Bennett, SF/PF, UNLV

Holy crap. The Kings, who were in the Western Conference Finals this year, have a top 5 pick. Thanks to WALLrus, the Kings are in position to pick a player that can help this team. We decided that Anthony Bennett would be a great fit for the #1 seed. If they pick Bennett, who is a strong low post presence and can stretch the court, then expect Kevin Love to play the center position, as a the two grab boards. Bennett has come out saying he can play small forward, however his true position is PF. He is 19, and full of potential; he helped UNLV achieve great things this year. It’s a match made in heaven for the Kings.

5. Detroit Pistons (35-47; pick from OKC) - Alex Len, C, Maryland

Detroit’s GM is a big mystery. But with Gay, Thompson and Hill on back court, they might let Otto Porter or Oladipo go to improve the inside game. The big man Alex Len has a big upside, mid range game that would unload Pau Gasol work inside. With this Detroit would become the most potent team in the paint with Gasol, Len, Valanciunas and Montiejunas.

6. Washington Wizards (25-57) - CJ McCollum, PG/SG, Lehigh

This pick has McCollum to the Wizards because they shut down the MKG project in favor of Gordon Hayward and we think CJ has the skills to be a distributor. Plus, he plays a a breed of the new NLL PG; the scoring type. If this works out as planned, the underrated McCollum can be this year’s Damian Lillard, who was also overlooked as a facilitator.

7. Minnesota Timberwolves (26-56) - Victor Oladipo, SF, Indiana

Minnesota made a big deal towards the end of the season, acquiring Jeff Green in a deal that saw them trade Brook Lopez, who looked like a different animal in Miami. Green can play the 4 position, which is why we leaned towards Oladipo for this pick. Victor Oladipo is an all-around player that every GM likes; hard worker, gets dirty on the glass, and can make assists. The problem with Oladipo is the fact that he isn’t a high-volume scorer. However, in Minny, he wouldn’t need to be a scorer. With Green and Jimmer, Oladipo can do what he does best; play defense and grab boards. Perfect fit for Minny right here.

8. Chicago Bulls (30-52) - Otto Porter, SF, Georgetown

Despite Bulls are so loaded of Small Foward king of the tanks GM Dazman would never let Otto Porter past him. Otto Porter is also a low risk pick at this point with so many like a bust big men in this posistion. Bulls could use his defensive game and athleticism off the bench helping the emerging stars Barnes and Butler on the wings

9. Atlanta Hawks (32-50) - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG, Georgia

Atlanta picks the best SG that falls to them, and that guy is the volume shooter KCP. His draft stock is a bit high to project because some say he’s a by-product of his system, which saw a Georgia team that had NOBODY every night, leaving Pope as the lone worthwhile player going 1-on-5 basketball. Even with that premisse, KCP showed saw his stats stay consistent and drop just a bit compared to other volume scorers, also he has a defensive upside.

10. Oklahoma City Thunder (24-58; pick from DET)- Michael Carter-Williams, PG,Syracuse

The Thunder need a Point Guard. Jason Terry won’t cut it at the PG spot for a team wanting to compete. Michael Carter-Williams is a pretty good pick. A 6’6 PG from Syracuse, Carter-Williams is a fast break beast. Multiple times, you’d see transition buckets by him in game. However, my issue with him is that he has to come from the 2-3 zone defense and become more used to Mano e mano. Remember Johnny Flynn? That’s who MCW reminds me of. He was good, but now is overseas. Boyd has been shpwing some interest in MCW.. will he pick him?

11.Indiana Pacers (36-46) - Shabazz Muhammad, SG/PG , UCLA

Indiana takes whatever SG drops on their lap as they have a desperate need to jumpstart their scorers on a nightly basis without having to ask Knight or Griffin to play hero-ball and score 35 in order for them to win. Shabazz has a lot of talent, his attitude is questionable and the reason why he slips this far. Say what you want, but he can score the ball in a variety of ways. I worry that teams will find a way to take away his left hand, and he might struggle against great defenders.

His will to win will ultimately guide him to a nice carrer and progress at a steady pace. One thing to keep in mind is what his attitude is. He does what Demarcus Cousins is doing in Sacramento with his “me-first” mentality, which might be a cancer to a locker room.

12. Portland Trailblazers (37-45) - Tyler Zeller, PF/C, Indiana

Portland needs a quality PF and the overpaid Emeka Okafor is not that player. Zeller has a face-up game along with the ability to take his man off the dribble, he also runs the floor really well and I think he can defense the new stretch fours that this league now possess. Questions about Zeller arose when Indiana saw hard-nosed player like Trevor Mbawke dominate Zeller inside and just flat-out bully him. He also dazzled in the NBA Combine and gave teams something to think about regarding his stock, but scouts are weary. What you see is probably what you get, and that’s not a bad thing in this draft.

13. Atlanta Hawks (32-50 ; pick from SAS) - Rudy Gobert, PF/C, France

With another pick in the first, Atlanta looks for the giant Gobert from France, who has a great upside and a monster wingspan 7-9”. His jumping ability and athleticism are questioned but when you are that tall, you don’t need to jump that high. If he puts up 20 pounds for the hits he’s gonna take down-low, he should be fine in a role like Roy Hibbert has, minus the offense, of course. Typical high-risk/high-reward stash euro player, remember Alexis Ajinca? Well...yeah!

14. Orlando Magic (42-40) - Dennis Schoroeder, PG, Germany

Dennis has burst onto the scene after performing admirably in the Nike Hoops Summit. He was projected as a late round pick, and now has skyrockted into possible lotto range. Schoroeder is a player that can possibly replace Brandon Jennings, if Laddas does not want to pay that money for him; he’s that good. Watching his highlights, he has a good off the dribble shot, and is very athletic. The problem with him is, as with a lot of Euro players, is that he is a little on the raw side. However, saying that, he has plenty of talent. I can see him as a starting PG in the NLL. Maybe Orlando let’s Jennings go, and then let’s the much cheaper Schoroeder develop. It’s a mystery right now.

THE END!!