SB Nation Boston - 2011 NBA Mock Draft: Jimmy Butler To Celtics, BC's Reggie Jackson To Heathttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48863/boston-fave.png2011-06-23T16:34:40-04:00http://boston.sbnation.com/rss/stream/19153902011-06-23T16:34:40-04:002011-06-23T16:34:40-04:002011 NBA Mock Draft: Jimmy Butler To Celtics, Reggie Jackson To Heat
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<p>Tom Ziller has spoken (or written, rather, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/6/23/2238607/2011-nba-mock-draft-cleveland-cavaliers-kyrie-irving" target="_blank">his final mock draft</a>), and with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Boston Celtics</a> will draft Marquette's <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/52442/jimmy-butler">Jimmy Butler</a>. </p>
<p>Butler, who played four seasons with the Golden Eagles, averaged 15.7 points and 6.1 rebounds last season. Butler also averaged 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 34.5 percent from three-point range.</p>
<p>In addition, Ziller has the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Miami Heat</a> selecting Boston College guard Reggie Jackson with the No. 30 overall pick in the first round. Jackson averaged 18.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game for BC last season.</p>
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<p>The Miami Heat adore Boston College's Reggie Jackson with the 31st pick, but there are questions about him. Jackson has provided no medical records on his knee to teams, and has refused workouts as well as even the most rudimentary of interviews. <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-wojnarowski_nba_draft_cavaliers_irving_062311" target="_blank"><b>(via Yahoo! Sports)</b></a></p>
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<p>Jackson has also been associated with the Celtics since the start of the NBA Draft rumors, but Butler's name is relatively new to the mix. However, it seems likely that Butler might be the C's top target, as both Ziller and ESPN draft insider Chad Ford have pegged him to Boston.</p>
<p><i>For more 2011 NBA Draft coverage, <a href="http://sbnation.com/nba/2011/5/21/2182746/nba-draft-rumors-2011" target="_blank">visit SB Nation</a> and <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/boston-celtics/2011/6/9/2215766/nba-draft-2011-boston-celtics-draft-picks-danny-ainge">follow our StoryStream</a>.</i></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-celtics/2011/6/23/2239930/2011-nba-mock-draft-jimmy-butler-celtics-reggie-jackson-heatGethin Coolbaugh2011-06-23T14:17:41-04:002011-06-23T14:17:41-04:00NBA Mock Draft 2011: Jimmy Butler To Boston Celtics At No. 25 Overall
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<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/52442/jimmy-butler">Jimmy Butler</a>, a guard/forward from Marquette, is the projected pick of the Boston Celtics at No. 25 overall according to Chad Ford of ESPN <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/BostonCeltics/post/_/id/4685169/fords-mock-draft-version-7-0" target="_blank">in his final mock draft</a> prior to Thursday night's 2011 NBA Draft.</p>
<p>Butler, who played four seasons with the Golden Eagles, averaged 15.7 points and 6.1 rebounds last season. Butler also averaged 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 34.5 percent from three-point range.</p>
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<p>If the Celtics are going to keep competing for a title, they need players who know their roles, can play without the ball in their hands and meld in. Butler brings toughness, defense and heart.</p>
<p>Butler epitomizes that approach with his game and would be a great fit with the Celtics as a player who can play multiple positions off the bench. Reggie Jackson is another strong possibility here, as is Norris Cole. <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/BostonCeltics/post/_/id/4685169/fords-mock-draft-version-7-0" target="_blank"><b>(Chad Ford, ESPN)</b></a></p>
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<p>Here's some more analysis on Butler from Ryan Hannable on Green Street, WEEI.com's Boston Celtics blog.</p>
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<p>Butler does not have one particular part of his game that will blow anyone away, but he is a solid all-around player. He is very versatile as he can play guard and forward, but he will, in all likelihood, be a guard in the NBA. He is most known for being an active defender and understanding the game well. He has a good mid-range game but needs to work on his 3-point shooting. He also posts up well for a guy of his size but does struggle with creating his own shot. <a href="http://greenstreet.weei.com/sports/boston/basketball/celtics/2011/06/14/nba-drafts-potential-celtics-marquette-gf-jimmy-butler/" target="_blank"><b>(via WEEI)</b></a></p>
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<p><i>For more 2011 NBA Draft coverage, <a href="http://sbnation.com/nba/2011/5/21/2182746/nba-draft-rumors-2011" target="_blank">visit SB Nation</a> and <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/boston-celtics/2011/6/9/2215766/nba-draft-2011-boston-celtics-draft-picks-danny-ainge">follow our StoryStream</a>.</i></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-celtics/2011/6/23/2239581/nba-mock-draft-2011-boston-celtics-jimmy-butlerGethin Coolbaugh2011-06-23T10:29:09-04:002011-06-23T10:29:09-04:00NBA Draft 2011: Jeremy Tyler Picked By CelticsBlog In SB Nation's Mock
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<p>Jeremy Tyler, the San Diego native who played in Japan last season, was selected by CelticsBlog with the No. 25 overall pick <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba-draft/2011/6/16/2228009/sb-nation-nba-mock-draft-2011" target="_blank">in SB Nation's collaborative 2011 NBA Mock Draft</a>.</p>
<p>Tyler is definitely a projected pick, but if groomed well, could play like a top-of-the-draft talent.</p>
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<p>There's no such thing as a sure thing this late in a weak draft, so why not swing for the fences with a big man that has top 10 talent? Will he contribute to a title contender right away? Well, under normal circumstances I'd say "doubtul," but we have exactly 2 bigs on the roster and injuries are pretty much a given with this team. So if he's on the roster, he'll probably play. <a href="http://sbnation.com/nba-draft/2011/6/22/2235524/nba-mock-draft-2011-boston-celtics-jeremy-tyler" target="_blank"><b>(via SB Nation)</b></a></p>
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<p>Tyler, who averaged 9.9 points and 6.4 rebounds for the Tokyo Apache last season, had originally committed to play for Rick Pitino at Louisville, but chose to forgo his senior year of high school and signed with Maccabi Haifa in Israel for $140,000. Tyler ultimately decided to leave the team after a problem with playing time.</p>
<p><i>For more Boston Celtics coverage, <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">visit our team page</a> and blog, <a href="http://www.celticsblog.com" target="_blank">CelticsBlog</a>.</i></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-celtics/2011/6/23/2239157/nba-draft-2011-boston-celtics-jeremy-tylerGethin Coolbaugh2011-06-22T12:01:12-04:002011-06-22T12:01:12-04:00NBA Mock Draft 2011: Jeremy Tyler To Boston Celtics At No. 25 Overall
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<p>Jeremy Tyler, a 6' 11"center from San Diego, is the Boston Celtics' projected pick at No. 25 overall in the 2011 NBA Draft in the second-to-last mock draft from Tom Ziller of SB Nation.</p>
<p>Tyler, who averaged 9.9 points and 6.4 rebounds for the Tokyo Apache last season, had originally committed to play for Rick Pitino at Louisville, but chose to forgo his senior year of high school and signed with Maccabi Haifa in Israel for $140,000. Tyler ultimately decided to leave the team after a problem with playing time.</p>
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<p><b>25. <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Boston Celtics</a>: Jeremy Tyler, C, Planet Earth</b></p>
<p>Boston needs size, and if there is one thing that Jeremy Tyler is, it's tall.</p>
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<p>Here's some analysis on Tyler, first from WEEI and then from Chad Ford of ESPN.</p>
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<p>Tyler is a project, no doubt, but it's not like an American has never made the leap from overseas to the NBA (see: Jennings, Brandon). As a junior at California's San Diego High, he averaged 28.7 points, 12 rebounds and nine blocks per game, vaulting himself to a top-five national recruit ranking in the Class of 2010 alongside guys like Kyrie Irving, Jared Sullinger and Brandon Knight. Whether or not Tyler still belongs in that conversation depends on who you ask. <a href="http://greenstreet.weei.com/sports/boston/basketball/celtics/2011/06/01/nba-drafts-potential-celtics-tokyo-apache-pfc-jeremy-tyler/" target="_blank"><b>(Ben Rohrbach, WEEI.com)</b></a></p>
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<p>"Jeremy Tyler continued to wow NBA teams on Friday with his athleticism, physical profile and defense. He measured out as the second-biggest player at the combine. He was 6-11, 260 pounds with a huge 7-5 wing and a 9-2 standing reach. Tyler told me he believed he'll have a 40-inch vertical, which is a fantastic number for a player his size. His measurements are on par with <span>Cole Aldrich</span>'s and just below <span>DeAndre Jordan</span>'s. Tyler also scored very high marks from NBA teams on his interviews. His offensive game is still a work in progress and there are still some skeletons in his closet from his botched season in Israel. But on sheer physical upside, Tyler played himself into a possible first-round pick with his week here. A number of teams, including the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.postingandtoasting.com/">Knicks</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.denverstiffs.com/">Nuggets</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thedreamshake.com/">Rockets</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">Spurs</a>, are giving him a look in the first." <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4684913/draft-profile-jeremy-tyler" target="_blank"><b>(Chad Ford, ESPN)</b></a></p>
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<p><i>For more Boston Celtics coverage, <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/" target="_blank">visit our team page</a> and blog, <a href="http://www.celticsblog.com" target="_blank">CelticsBlog</a>.</i></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-celtics/2011/6/22/2237123/nba-mock-draft-2011-boston-celtics-jeremy-tylerGethin Coolbaugh2011-06-21T12:34:26-04:002011-06-21T12:34:26-04:00NBA Mock Draft 2011: Justin Harper To Boston Celtics At No. 25 Overall
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<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/25637/justin-harper">Justin Harper</a>, a power forward from Richmond, is projected to the Boston Celtics with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft <a href="http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/feed/2011-03/2011-nba-draft/story/nba-draft-2011-mock-draft" target="_blank">in the latest mock draft from Sean Deveney of Sporting News</a>.</p>
<p>Harper, a 6'10", 225-pound senior, averaged 17.9 points and 6.9 rebounds last season with the Spiders. In addition, Harper shot 53.4 percent from the field and 44.8 percent from three-point range last year.</p>
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<p><strong>25. Boston. JUSTIN HARPER, PF, Richmond. </strong>Teams are getting more and more enamored with stretch power forwards, and Harper has a great shooting touch.</p>
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<p>Deveney left BC's Reggie Jackson out of the first round in his mock draft. Jackson, who averaged 18.2 points, 4.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds last season for the Eagles, is projected by many experts to be a first round pick.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/123465/kyrie-irving">Kyrie Irving</a> is the top pick in Deveney's mock, going to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fearthesword.com/">Cleveland Cavaliers</a>. Deveney also has Derrick Williams going No. 2 overall to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.canishoopus.com/">Minnesota Timberwolves</a>, Brandon Knight going to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.slcdunk.com/">Utah Jazz</a> at No.3, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/123766/enes-kanter">Enes Kanter</a> going to the Cavaliers at No. 4 and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/52415/kemba-walker">Kemba Walker</a> going to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.raptorshq.com/">Toronto Raptors</a> at No. 5.</p>
<p><i>For more Boston Celtics coverage, <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/" target="_blank">visit our team page</a> and blog, <a href="http://www.celticsblog.com" target="_blank">CelticsBlog</a>.</i></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-celtics/2011/6/21/2235297/nba-mock-draft-2011-boston-celtics-justin-harper-reggie-jacksonGethin Coolbaugh2011-06-20T12:28:03-04:002011-06-20T12:28:03-04:00NBA Mock Draft 2011: Charles Jenkins To Celtics, Reggie Jackson To Bulls
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<p>Charles Jenkins, a 6'3", 220-pound guard from Queens, is projected to the Boston Celtics with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba-draft/2011/6/20/2231629/nba-mock-draft-2011" target="_blank">in the final mock draft from Tom Ziller at SB Nation</a>.</p>
<p>Jenkins, who played four seasons at Hofstra University, averaged 22.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and shot at a 42 percent clip from three-point range last season. While Ziller projects Jenkins to the Celtics, he acknowledges that it's entirely possible that Danny Ainge might draft BC's Reggie Jackson.</p>
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<p><b>25. <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Boston Celtics</a>: <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/26854/charles-jenkins">Charles Jenkins</a>, G, Hofstra</b></p>
<p>The Celtics have been adamant that they didn't promise Reggie Jackson, leading him to cancel workouts. Danny Ainge would never lie to us, would he?</p>
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<p>Speaking of Jackson, Ziller projects that he will be drafted three picks later at No. 28 overall by the Chicago Bulls.</p>
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<p><b>28. <a href="https://www.blogabull.com/">Chicago Bulls</a>: Reggie Jackson, G, Boston College</b></p>
<p>I don't actually think the Bulls promised Jackson; Gar Forman is busy polishing his quarter of an Executive of the Year trophy. (He split the award with Pat Riley, then John Paxson demanded his half. Good thing <span>Joakim Noah</span> took metalworking at Boy Scout camp.)</p>
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<p>Jackson averaged 18.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists last year at Boston College.</p>
<p><i>For more 2011 NBA Draft coverage, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba-draft/2011/6/20/2231629/nba-mock-draft-2011" target="_blank">visit SB Nation</a> and <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/boston-celtics/2011/5/3/2151349/nba-mock-draft-2011-boston-celtics" target="_blank">follow our StoryStream</a>.</i></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-celtics/2011/6/20/2233350/nba-mock-draft-2011-boston-celtics-charles-jenkins-reggie-jacksonGethin Coolbaugh2011-06-20T12:00:58-04:002011-06-20T12:00:58-04:002011 NBA Mock Draft: Kyrie Irving, Enes Kanter Taken First, Second Overall In SB Nation's Collaborative Mock Draft
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<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/123465/kyrie-irving">Kyrie Irving</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/123766/enes-kanter">Enes Kanter</a> have been selected No. 1 and No. 2 overall, respectively, in <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba-draft/2011/6/16/2228009/sb-nation-nba-mock-draft-2011" target="_blank">SB Nation's collaborative mock draft</a>, which has each team's blog making their team's pick and providing explanation.</p>
<p>With the top pick, <a href="http://www.fearthesword.com" target="_blank">Fear The Sword</a> (Cavs blog) selected Duke point guard Kyrie Irving, saying that he is the safest bet at the top of the draft.</p>
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<p>In a draft that lacks a clear, potential superstar, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fearthesword.com/">Cavaliers</a> will take the guy who appears to be the safest bet. Despite a relatively small sample-size from college, Irving was certainly impressive when he did play. It makes sense for the Cavaliers to choose Irving and then take more of a risk with the No. 4 overall selection. <a href="http://sbnation.com/nba-draft/2011/6/20/2228038/nba-mock-draft-2011-cleveland-cavaliers-kyrie-irving" target="_blank"><b>(via SB Nation)</b></a></p>
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<p>In an interesting move, our <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.canishoopus.com/">Timberwolves</a> blog, Canis Hoopus, selected Enes Kanter - a center from Turkey - at No. 2, passing over Arizona forward Derrick Williams in the process.</p>
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<p>The Wolves can't draft Derrick Williams. They can't have a roster where their five best players are all power forwards (<span>Kevin Love</span>, <span>Anthony Randolph</span>, <span>Michael Beasley</span>, Williams and <span>Anthony Tolliver</span>). This leaves them having to choose between point guards like Brandon Knight and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/52415/kemba-walker">Kemba Walker</a> and bigs like Kanter and Bismack Biyombo. As much as I'd like to see the Wolves team up the oversized man panther (manther?) Biyombo with <span>Ricky Rubio</span>, I think Kahn takes the "safest" top center in the draft and pairs him with Love. <a href="http://sbnation.com/nba-draft/2011/6/20/2229152/nba-mock-draft-2011-minnesota-timberwolves-enes-kanter" target="_blank"><b>(via SB Nation)</b></a></p>
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<p><em><a href="http://sbnation.com/nba-draft/2011/6/16/2228009/sb-nation-nba-mock-draft-2011"><em><strong>Follow this StoryStream to see our entire SB Nation mock draft</strong></em></a> play out over the next couple days. See our <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba-draft"><strong>2011 NBA Draft hub</strong></a> for full coverage.</em></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-celtics/2011/6/20/2233089/nba-mock-draft-2011-kyrie-irving-enes-kanter-derrick-williamsGethin Coolbaugh2011-06-15T13:11:15-04:002011-06-15T13:11:15-04:002011 NBA Mock Draft: Celts Could Go Big, Or Stay Small With BC's Jackson
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<p>Well, the Finals are finally over and since we don't have <span>LeBron James</span> to kick around anymore, why not take another look at who our local pro basketball entry might be leaning toward in next Wednesday's 2011 NBA Draft?</p>
<p>We'll start at the mothership where our own Tom Ziller did some more mocking on Tuesday and came up with the <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Celtics</a> going big at No. 25 and taking Southern Cal center Nikola Vucevic, a 7'0, 260-pound behemoth whom Ziller has had linked to the Green before. Ziller, also mentions raw, 6'11, 263-pounder Jeremy Tyler, who skipped both college and his senior year in high school and played a year in Israel before moving on to Japan and a team called Tokyo Apache, as a possibility, but says that Tyler would "be Danny Ainge's home run swing while Vucevic could help next year."</p>
<p>Over on ESPN.com, draft guru Chad Ford's mock version 5.0 from Wednesday morning has the C's taking the leap of faith with Tyler, 19, noting that the Celts "need to hit a home run the same way they did with <span>Rajon Rondo</span>." Hard to see how that could happen with a guy whom the ESPN scouting reports say, "lacks emotional maturity," and "made a terrible decision to skip high school and college," but hey, how much worse than <span>Nenad Krstic</span> can he be? Tyler averaged 9.9 points and 6.4 rebounds in just over 15 minutes per game this past season in Japan.</p>
<p>Finally, conventional wisdom rules at SI.com, where Sam Amick has the C's still ready to ride the Reggie Jackson train, noting that Boston "apparently isn't concerned" about the BC product's May knee surgery while also pointing out that "a source" doesn't have Jackson getting past the C's at No. 25. "He would need some grooming," writes Amick, "but the lengthy, two-way player could eventually be a dynamic option behind Rajon Rondo."</p>
<p>In other Jackson news, Ford has him slipping two spots past the Celts to the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/new-jersey-nets" class="sbn-auto-link">Nets</a> at No. 27 (guess he and Amick have different sources), while Ziller has the 6'3, 208-pound point guard out of the first round entirely.</p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-celtics/2011/6/15/2225364/celtics-rajon-rondo-lebron-james-nenad-krsticJeremy Gottlieb