With the 13th pick...

So a quick programming note before we get going with the Pacers. Because of life intervening (weddings, work, road trips, etc.), we will only do the lottery for the mock draft. Hey, we're a fledgling website and we can do whatever we want. So, I'll do the next two picks and that will close the books on the YGLS Mock NBA draft.

Indiana Pacers - DeJuan Blair (F/Pittsburgh)

So, it's looking less and less like this is going to happen tonight, but I'm still picking it for Indy. Blair is exceptionally good at one thing, which is rebounding. He is a great defensive rebounder, but it is on the offensive glass where he will really make his money. Rebounding stats are the most likely to translate equally from college to the pros, so that's a plus for him. The rebounding rates show that he was the best rebounder of the decade; this suggests he will be able to rebound in the NBA.

There are a lot of concerns about two things: his height and his knees. His height is a stupid issue; so, he'll be an undersized 4. He has the reach of a 7'2 guy, so he'll be OK in this respect. His knees are something that can't be controlled; if its an issue for a team, they shouldn't draft him. Players get hurt, and players who play hard will get hurt more, and Blair plays as hard as most people. His face up game needs to be improved drastically, but he'll be able to score a lot of garbage points because he dominates the offensive glass so much.

In short, Blair is the pick here. He fits the grittiness that the Pacers need inside.

Phoenix picks next, so...

Phoenix Suns - Terrance Williams (F/Louisville)

This is beyond the point of the draft where no one has any idea what will happen. What do the Suns need? Guys to play on the wing, and maybe an inside presence to pair with Stoudemire assuming he doesn't get traded.

Terrance Williams is the pick here because I like him a lot. He's very versatile; he can shoot, pass, defend and rebound very well for a guy his size. He has a lot of heart, and he will work to improve his game (especially his shooting). His ceiling isn't as high as some of the other guys left (and I like him only as much as Sam Young but then again, I'm biased). Also, guys who are good at everything but not great at one thing sometimes struggle to find their role if it isn't defined for them. I think he'd be a good fit with Steve Nash, hitting open threes on the secondary break and providing a good presence on defense for a team that is trying to learn how to defend (or at least should be).