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Today Draft Express updated their mock draft and for the first time they took team needs into account. Follow the link below to see the results but I'll spoil the suspense by telling you that they have the Celtics selecting Julius Randle at number 5 (behind the usual suspects, including Exum going at 4).
Clearly this is Kevin O'Connor's worst nightmare, which he explained here.
What was interesting to me was that Draft Express (whom I respect highly) describes the Celtics situation thusly:
DraftExpress: DraftExpress Extended 2014 Mock Draft #1
Boston has all kinds of needs to fill, and a starting power forward can surely be considered one of them. Randle is talented enough to get picked much higher than this in a normal draft, and at some point will be difficult to pass up.
I'm sorry but I just don't agree. I get that we were bad and therefore you could say we need help everywhere. But beyond point guard (assuming Rondo is healthy and not traded) the power forward spot appears to be our deepest position.
We've got upside potential in Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk and a veteran presence in Brandon Bass. Kris Humphries is a free agent, but the team has made some noises about wanting to bring him back. If anything, I'd say that this position is over-crowded.
Obviously the offseason could change a lot of that. Change could come swiftly and completely change the dynamic of the roster. So if we're adding another power forward via the draft, I'd have to expect Danny Ainge to move one of his excess 4's to fill needs elsewhere. In particular, I'd keep an eye on Sullinger since he could fetch the most in return.
In short, if Randle is drafted, it would make sense to move Jared Sullinger. All of which leads me to an interesting philosophical question. Who would you rather have? Sullinger or Randle?
I'll just leave that question open and let each of you react in the comments.