2012 NBA Mock Draft – Boston Celtics Top...

Boston GM Danny Ainge has some tough decisions to make this summer as the Celtics have an aging NBA team and deciding if this team stays together for another year or they head into rebuilding mode is going to cause headaches in the front office.

The team has two picks in the first round and another in round two and that could make his decision easier as this year's draft is deep in talent and Boston has plenty of room under the salary cap to make some good free agent signings this off-season.

The latest mock from Draft Express has the Celtics taking center Fab Melo and small forward Quincy Miller with their top picks. Melo has good size as a seven-footer and impressed scouts at the recent combine, but he didn't produce good numbers in college. This past year at Syracuse the youngster averaged just 7.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, not great numbers for a player with his size and athleticism.

Miller averaged over 10 points and five rebounds at Baylor as a freshman, but his outside shot needs work. Miller is a tremendous talent with good quickness and a decent player inside the paint, but how he competes against better players in the NBA is a big question mark for this youngster as he begins his professional career.

Round two has the Celtics finding a backup for Rajon Rondo, and Scott Machado is that player. Last year at Iona, the senior averaged over 13 points and nearly 10 assists per game. His outside shot is decent and could give Boston some much-needed depth in the back-court.

This team reached the Eastern Conference Finals this season, but big changes are likely and that would make it tough to repeat this year's success. Boston can still make some noise in free agency and with the right moves this summer, fans could get excited about next year.

Comments: 1

Dave Richards Jun 13, 2012, 1:36pm UTC

The first round projections made by Draft Express for the Celtics are utter nonsense. Ainge generally takes guys who have produced fairly good numbers for their college teams. Also, he and Rivers have basically said they will no longer draft any players who have character issues. My guess is that they would love to take someone like Austin Rivers, Tyler Zeller, or Kendall Marshall. The only way they will be able to get any one of those three, though, is to package their top two picks and trade up. If they can't trade up, they might seek players like Lamb, Teague, and Jones of Kentucky; Draymond Green of Michigan State; the shooting guard and center from Vanderbilt, Jenkins and Ezeli; and Dion Waiters of Syracuse. I suppose they could pick Sullenger of Ohio State, if he slides, but his lack of jumping ability might discourage them from picking him.

Machado is a guy I really like and that projection makes a lot of sense. The Celtics need a backup point guard and he is a great distributor who can really make some "Wow!" passes. (Ainge is big on the "Wow!" factor, so that is important.) He also is very good running the break. He does not have Rondo's speed, but he is somewhat similar to him. And he can make his free three throws and shoot from the outside. The big question about him is whether he is a good enough athlete to make the transition from little Iona to the NBA. I think he is, but he might have real trouble defending guys like John Wall and Ty Lawson.

Another guy I can picture the Celtics taking is Ricardo Ratcliff (Or is it Ratliff?) of Missouri. He is a real good rebounder and Doc would love his energy.

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2012 NBA Mock Draft – Boston Celtics Top Options in Both Rounds

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