The 2015 Mock Draft Extravaganza!

I know I say this every year but between the NBA Trade deadline and the NBA Draft you will be hard pressed to find me without the biggest damn grin on my face. And now I will jump into what will inevitably be one of the worst mock drafts in recent history as I will not try and figure out trades.


1. Minnesota: Karl Anthony Townes: C - Kentucky

The consensus top talent in the draft. This will give Minnesota flexibility to trade Nikola  Pekovic, a talented center and not lose much in terms of production and another cornerstone to add with Andrew Wiggins. Wide array of post moves and pretty good defensively. 

2. LA Lakers: Jahlil Okafor: C - Duke

If Okafor is the consolation prize for missing out the number one pick I think the Lakers will be just fine with it. Offensively he is the best center in the draft, he does not shoot free throws particularly well and his defense leaves much to be desired but his upside is just to ridiculous to pass up.

3. Philadelphia: D'Angelo Russell: PG - Ohio State

Russell could be the best player in this draft when it's all said and done. A gifted passer with the ability to create his own shot and plays amazing defense. I can't wait till the Sixers trade him in 2 years for more draft picks.

4. New York: Kristaps Porzingas: PF- Latvia

Please be good...please be good...

 I admittedly know nothing about this guy. Just seems like a very Knicks move.

5. Orlando: Justise Winslow: SF - Duke

The player who can steap in and contribute from day one. Good defensively, with the potential to be an anchor on that end for years to come. Offense is something that needs work but he is quite adept at getting to the basket, operimeter game will improve with time which he'll have with a team that already has Victor Oladipo, Elfrid Payton, and Nikola Vucevic.

6. Sacramento: Willie Cauley-Stein: C- Kentucky
When you're running a star center from Kentucky away who better to replace him than a star center from Kentucky. Cauley Stein is without a doubt the top defensive player in this draft as he exhibited the ability to guard all five positions on the floor. His ceiling offensively may be Tyson Chandler but that certainly isn't the worst thing that could happen.

7. Denver: Emmanual Mudiay: G- Congo

This kid personifies toughness, swagger, and leadership. Very strong for his size and incredibly quick he will be a perfect replacement for Ty Lawson who appears to be on his way out the door.

8. Detroit: Mario Hezonja: SG- Croatia
He's been compared to Peja Stojakovic and if it's the Kings version of Peja then this pick will definitely be worth it. The only downside to this kid that I have seen reported is that he at times
can be a bit of a head case. Not exactly what's needed in the Motor City. Ask Josh Smith about that.


9. Charlotte: Devin Booker: SG- Kentucky
This is a team in need of scoring and the best available shooter at this point in the draft would be the talented two guard from Kentucky. With Gerald Henderson being traded to Portland that opens up a spot for him to come in and contribute valuable minutes right away. The big question is will he be able to improve his perimeter defense.

10 . Miami: Sam Dekker: SF- Wisconsin

Dekker surprised his fair share of basketball fans with his tenacity and versatility. A stretch forward who has absolutely no problem being the on court emotional backbone he can go to Miami and be a valuable contributor from day one. 


11. Indiana: Myles Turner: C- Texas
Roy Hibbert for all intents and purposes is done. A breath of fresh air is needed and that can come from the versatile big man from Austin. Great defensive instincts and a massive 7'4 wingspan will definitely be welcome. He also shows great range as he can easily hit shots from the three point line as well. 


12: Utah: Frank Kaminsky: PF- Wisconsin
The player of the year last year will be able to start from day one. A high basketball IQ and the ability to knock down shots from all over the floor will definitely be welcome in Utah where he can play with wither Rudy Gobert on the floor or Derrick Favors.


13: Phoenix: Stanley Johnson: SF- Arizona

One of the safer bets in this years draft is the 6'7 freshman from Arizona. Stanley Johnson can go to any team and start tomorrow. Already a very legit perimeter defender he expanded his offensive game to being able to drive, shoot, and finish emphatically while at Arizona.

14: Oklahoma City: Cameron Payne: SG- Murray State

The Thunder have been looking for that lead dog off the bench since James Harden left. Insert the high scoring point guard from Murray State. He's able to create his own shot and is also a very good facilitator as he averaged over 6 assists a game as well. And if Westbrook leaves you could have his successor (granted a less athletic juggernaut of a successor but a successor nonetheless.)

Well there you have it. Arguably one of the best mock drafts I have done in recent memory (operating under the notion that 10 of the 14 will probably be wrong.)  Feel free to take any of the words I have used in this and turn them against me when I am inevitably wrong (See Lillard, Damen.)

Puma gone ya'll.

Imitiation of Black

This is the weirdest damn story I’ve ever seen. In America we have a white woman pretending to be black. I mean that alone is just damn hilarious. 

"I'm black y'all, and I'm black y'all and I'm blackety black and I'm black y'all"

However the further down the rabbit hole we all fall with Rachel Dolezal the more insulted we should all feel. Now don’t get me wrong, I got my jokes off on this subject, and I definitely will continue to make jokes about this lady for one reason, she is not someone to be taken seriously. Why go through all of this when you could have made a bigger impact just being yourself. I’m gonna break down why this clown isn’t going to be getting the benefit of the doubt from this guy.

“She’s done more for the community than most so why not?”

What has she done? Other than be named the Spokane chapter president of the NAACP I have yet to hear what she has done that would make me look at her as something other than a sociopath. What I have heard is her question her own student’s race, provide road blocks for white speakers who actually want to help and constantly gave tips on what black people should do.

What a hero!

1That doesn’t sound like someone worthy of getting the benefit of the doubt. Hell she sued Howard University claiming she was discriminated against because she white, now I’m to believe she’s the world’s greatest champion of civil rights? 

  

“Well if Bruce Jenner can become Caitlin Jenner then why can’t she be black?”

Chocolate Puma here, if you use this line of thinking I hate to be the one to break it to you but your transophobia is showing. When a transgender makes a transition it them becoming their true self, what she did was a perverse form of racial tourism. Whereas she can get the props she wants in the black community but at any point she can tap out and just lay off the bronzer. That’s definitely not a courageous act.

“Well if black women can have blonde hair then how come she can’t be black?”

If this ain't the dumbest...

I don’t even know where to begin with this idiocy. So let me get this straight, every black woman has to have the exact same hair color/style in order for anyone to be upset at this Kirk Lazarus wannabe? Nah son, that don’t compute.

What upset me the most is that this woman faked hate crimes. She took the time to come up with hate mail and pass it off as a credible threat against herself and her organization.There are black women activists out there who regularly receive threats and this is just a slap in the face to the very real danger that they face. IF she did any good in this world, and that' a big if at this point all of that is negated because she showed no respect for the very real danger that black women face.

Sounds like somebody who should totally get the benefit.

So Long to the American Dream

I am an avid wrestling fan. I have been my entire life. I was saddened to hear of the passing of one of my childhood favorites, the master of the bionic elbow, the son of a plumber, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes. While past his prime physically he was influencing an entire generation of new wrestlers to be as charismatic and entertaining as he was. Judging by the reaction of the wrestling world his influence was widespread and he will be missed. I'll leave you with maybe his most famous promo of all time. So long Dream.

Just a few thoughts

It's been a while since young Puma has blessed you all with a delightful ranting post. Well between a pretty damn fun wedding, a pretty damn fun honeymoon and just trying to get back into the swing of things at work I've been just a tad busy. But I am now free to give you all the amazing point of views that you, my loyal readers demand. Today I believe I will hit you with just a quick rapid fire edition of my ambling style that at least one of you has to like. Law of averages right?

• Ah yes, the NBA finals are among us. I have to say when Kyrie Irving went down I said the Warriors would win in 5. After the valiant effort in game two to sneak a win away in one of the most hostile territories in the NBA last I have this to say. IT WILL STILL END IN 5! Why am I not moved by what I saw? Because I’m petty.  I don’t like the Cavs so the odds of me favoring them for anything short of deportation is very slim.
• I know this isn't happening for another 2 years but the excitement I have for the new Black Panther can't be quantified by words. It takes everything in my body to not walk around screaming "THIS IS WAKANDA!"

Soon...soon.

• This season of Game of Thrones...holy hell. From the "controversial" scene involving Sansa (You know what I'm referring to) to the White Walkers hitting us with some oh shit moments I am terrified to watch the season finale next week because let's be honest, the producers love to torture us.
• As I write this it is Kanye West's birthday, in honor of his glorious birth I will now give you my favorite track from each of his studio release because my life is dope and I do dope shit.

College Dropout: All Falls Down

Late Registration: Drive Slow

Graduation: Homecoming
808s and Heartbreak:The Coldest Winter
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: Devil In a New Dress

Yeezus: Black Skinhead

Alright, here I go wading into the most recent example of police over reach. In case you haven't been paying attention in McKinney, Texas a pool party unraveled into a war between the forces of good against the most dangerous thing on the face of the planet...teenagers at a pool party. In a video I won't post a cop barrel rolls into the shot and begins running around chasing people like it's a damn John Woo movie. A girl apparently disobeys him so he grabs her by the hair, flings her down and puts his knee into her back.

Who's the fat bastard chilling in the background?

A 14 year old girl in a swimsuit disrespected his "autoritah" or was such a public nuisance that he felt the need to forcibly throw her down and then pull his gun on clearly unarmed teens. He does nothing to the instigator of the entire situation who apparently yelled at black children "Go back to your section 8 housing" but thought this was a proper reaction. Maybe it's just me but if teens who at worst crashed a pool party scares you to this point then maybe you shouldn't be a cop. It amazes me that we see examples of this all the time yet the response most of the time is to yell well "there are good cops too." I'm sure there are, so I'm gonna need some of them to step in and maybe just maybe corral these abusive ass clowns.