BREAKING NEWS : NBA DRAFT

Ill say
Wolves - towns
lakers - okafor
philly - russel
knicks - mudiay
magic - winslow

Love the draft every year and i really like okafor. Will be a interesting offseason

nichj99 said:

I think you are fairly close, however you got towns and Okafor around the wrong way. Okafor isn't athletic at all and a better offensive game (think al Jefferson) but towns has more potential, more athleticism and the showings of a mid range game offensively - this ability to stretch the floor would compliment Randle who is a tweener that hasn't yet showed he'll be able to score outside of the paint.

In regards to Russell - I followed him all year at OSU, drove some friends mad. His game is almost an exact clone to that of Brandon Roy. Combo guard, ability to handle the Rock and silky scorer. Lacks the ability to draw fouls like Westbrook and Harden due to not having the same explosiveness so for that reason Roy is a better comparison.

Mudiay - haven't seen much of him, but I'm hearing he's a very young and very raw Derrick Rose type (pre injury - loves to drive to the hoop)

Winslow - defensively has similarities to MKG you are right. However more upside offensively not too different to that of Wilson Chandler. Has a risk to be a bust of his shot doesn't translate (like that of Stauskas) but hopefully that won't be the case.

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this is the best description that i have seen Josh! i've watched alot of highlights of Okafor and KAT but from what i see from Russell he excites me so much! lefty with a silky smooth shot from 3, if he falls to Sixers they are going to be amazing in 2-3 years mark my work with noel and embiid down low jesus.

I am a Lakers fan and i actually think its better in our future interested to trade down (reasons why?).

We have a better chance of getting a big man like LMA imho i like his game but we have Randle who i would rather have (because he cost us next to nothing).
i would prefer to see GASOL or DJ! yes i said it DJ to come and be our anchor, then add a D'angelo Russell & Kobe/Clarkson & fill another spot with the likes of someone like Demare Carroll or a Ironman (wes Matthews type player).

That imho is better than a Okafor + anyone willing to come over (as we can gain either future assest from the likes of the Knicks for trading our #2 pick to them for their 4th but then we run the risk of getting a Mudiay who imo is an attack first PG who i personally like)

time will tell

Grindnation said:

this is the best description that i have seen Josh! i've watched alot of highlights of Okafor and KAT but from what i see from Russell he excites me so much! lefty with a silky smooth shot from 3, if he falls to Sixers they are going to be amazing in 2-3 years mark my work with noel and embiid down low jesus.

I am a Lakers fan and i actually think its better in our future interested to trade down (reasons why?).

We have a better chance of getting a big man like LMA imho i like his game but we have Randle who i would rather have (because he cost us next to nothing).
i would prefer to see GASOL or DJ! yes i said it DJ to come and be our anchor, then add a D'angelo Russell & Kobe/Clarkson & fill another spot with the likes of someone like Demare Carroll or a Ironman (wes Matthews type player).

That imho is better than a Okafor + anyone willing to come over (as we can gain either future assest from the likes of the Knicks for trading our #2 pick to them for their 4th but then we run the risk of getting a Mudiay who imo is an attack first PG who i personally like)

time will tell

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Agree with you buddy, apart from the trade partner being the Knicks, they have near no assets (from the melo trade and other bad moves) so phil won't trade the little they have left to move up a couple of spots I think, even they might trade down to try and get more picks, think the Kings may be the lakers trade partner, a lot of young talent, Kings are hungry to improve with a new owner, so if the Lakers are smart they could pick up a young player from the Kings and only drop Down a few spots, just an idea, one of the reasons I love draft day, anything can happen lol

I don't see the kings assets as being desirable at all, with the exception of Boogie Cousins - who they said the other day was untouchable by any other of the 29 teams.

Darren Collision (backup PG at best IMO), Andre Miller (ancient), Ray McCollum (bench / energy mob guy)
Ben McLemore (a rotation guy only who is close to his ceiling already, a poor mans Jason Richardson)
Nik Stauskas (may not even be in the league in 3 years at this rate)
Omri Casspi (being realistic he's a bench guy)
Derrick Williams (draft bust)
Rudy Gay (lets face it, he has peaked)
Jason Thompson, Carl Landry & Eric Moreland (Landry is the best one here but is now 31 years old and broken)
Reggie Evans (Good energy big guy as a backup), Ryan Hollins (meh).

I would be far from thrilled if the Lakers took anyone here. From this group if i was the Kings I'd only keep longterm:
McLemore, Cousins- maybe Derrick Williams and Evans (depending on the $$ he's asking).

i feel that the lakers should go for KAT or Russell

Okafor & Randle would be a terrible duo in the front court imho absolutely no shot blocking presence, and a horrid defensive duo.

Grindnation said:

i feel that the lakers should go for KAT or Russell

Okafor & Randle would be a terrible duo in the front court imho absolutely no shot blocking presence, and a horrid defensive duo.

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I agree here.

Plus taking Russell would mess with the sixers plans - they can't take Okafor (probably watch them try to fit them in around Embiid, Noel & Saric...).

Otherwise they would take Mudiay and the knicks would still win with Okafor.

I just don't think they would turn down Okafor given Lakers history of bigs!

nichj99 said:

I don't see the kings assets as being desirable at all, with the exception of Boogie Cousins - who they said the other day was untouchable by any other of the 29 teams.

Darren Collision (backup PG at best IMO), Andre Miller (ancient), Ray McCollum (bench / energy mob guy)
Ben McLemore (a rotation guy only who is close to his ceiling already, a poor mans Jason Richardson)
Nik Stauskas (may not even be in the league in 3 years at this rate)
Omri Casspi (being realistic he's a bench guy)
Derrick Williams (draft bust)
Rudy Gay (lets face it, he has peaked)
Jason Thompson, Carl Landry & Eric Moreland (Landry is the best one here but is now 31 years old and broken)
Reggie Evans (Good energy big guy as a backup), Ryan Hollins (meh).

I would be far from thrilled if the Lakers took anyone here. From this group if i was the Kings I'd only keep longterm:
McLemore, Cousins- maybe Derrick Williams and Evans (depending on the $$ he's asking).

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Swap picks this year, Mclemore and a 1st rounder next year will make the Lakers take notice I think lol

Jordan sad face will never get old

nah i still wouldnt, only because next years pick would likely be outside the top 10. They're already at what 6 or 7? Plus a top 2 talent will mean next years pick will be a role player at best.

Interesting fact - the same combination of draft spots has never been drawn twice in the top three.

eg last year the cavs were 9, the bucks were 1 and the sixers 3. so it would be 9-1-2.

Something i read about Randle and his abilitys and projections :

A 6'11'' wingspan is enormous in most contexts, but not the super-sized world of the NBA paint. When matched up against the best power forwards in the world, he's going to have a significant length disadvantage, a problem that could impact his game on both sides of the ball.
Among starting PF's in the NBA, Randle's wingspan would rank dead last. The average is well over 7'0; even undersized 4s like Paul Millsap (7'1.5) and Brandon Bass (7'2.5) have an advantage.
That doesn't mean Randle won't be able to score at the next level. Even without great length, he's got a massive frame, a high motor and a nose for the ball. However, he will have to diversify his offense to thrive. In college, he mostly bullies power forwards who can't match up with him physically. In the NBA, he will have to be a better shooter and he will need to use his right hand. No matter where he is on the floor, he always goes back to his left. It's funny when you start watching for it.
The real concerns are on the other end of the floor. Randle averages 0.1 steals and 0.7 blocks, awful for a big man with his athleticism. Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider has found that block and steal rates in college are important tools when projecting big men prospects. I suspect that's because they capture the problems players with comparatively short arms can have.
It's hard to build around a player with Randle's skill-set. He is a post-scoring big man who can't protect the rim. If you play him with a big man who can't stretch the floor, there won't be much room in the paint for him to operate. If you play him with another big man who can't protect the rim, your defense will be limited. There aren't many NBA centers who can shoot, block shots and play hi-low to preserve proper spacing. Randolph didn't find much team success until he started playing with Marc Gasol, one of those rare birds. The same dynamic has blunted the impact Al Jefferson and DeMarcus Cousins make on their teams despite gaudy offensive numbers.
And while Randle should average a double-double in the NBA, his style of play is not conducive to the way the league is going. More teams are spreading the floor and playing with four shooting threats, which won't work with Randle, since he doesn't have the defensive chops to be the lone big man on the floor. He will have to be on a two-post team like Indiana or Memphis, one that slows the tempo, maintains spacing and throws the ball inside. However, that's a style many guards aren't comfortable managing.
In the right situation, playing next to one of those rare floor-spacing and rim-protecting big man like Serge Ibaka or Anthony Davis, Randle could be a really good player on a championship-caliber team. In the wrong one, though, drafting Randle could end up setting a team back significantly. In the NBA, the shorter your arms, the harder it is to reach your ceiling.

I'll be honest, I see Randle's star power and role on the Lakers being similar to that of Lamar Odom. I think he's that all important third big man that championship teams need to be successful and will give you a different look to go with depending on the matchups.