The Official 2015 NBA Draft Thread

[GreenRiddler]

Hey I really like how you guys are handling KCP this year vs. last year. I really liked him in that 13 draft and thought you guys got a steal at the 9th pick, kinda salty given we were gonna draft him if y'all and Minny didn't.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhEbKN-hLlw&list=UUmJen5_cQofZXbtzulZj9MQ[/youtube]

[Hotmayo]

Hey I really like how you guys are handling KCP this year vs. last year. I really liked him in that 13 draft and thought you guys got a steal at the 9th pick, kinda salty given we were gonna draft him if y'all and Minny didn't.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhEbKN-hLlw&list=UUmJen5_cQofZXbtzulZj9MQ[/youtube]

He was agressive that game. He gets kinda complacent an all bc hes still young in some games, but if he can be agressive and take more shots, then he will develop into a star player over some time.

[whitehops]

Hey I really like how you guys are handling KCP this year vs. last year. I really liked him in that 13 draft and thought you guys got a steal at the 9th pick, kinda salty given we were gonna draft him if y'all and Minny didn't.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhEbKN-hLlw&list=UUmJen5_cQofZXbtzulZj9MQ[/youtube]

he's improved a lot since last year, last year he couldn't really dribble and was still adjusting to shooting, in the nba.

now he's able to handle the ball a little more and can drive it occasionally. he's shooting better and can shoot it off of screens, as well as pull up off the dribble from midrange. isn't the best passer, and doesn't really show many flashes of having the ability to create offense for others.

defensively he always plays with intensity, he's almost always low in his defensive stance and it seems like he really prides himself on trying to shut down his man. he still has to pick up the nuances of playing man defense, as he usually sticks on his man and always has a hand in their face when they shoot, but doesn't 'take away' his opponents shots like good man defenders. he's also not a good team defender, probably because he's trying to lock down him man overzealously. the potential is definitely there though, with his lateral quickness, length and overall effort it's only a matter of time before he turns into a good/great defender.


overall I think he can have a derozan-like progression, with better defense and probably a little less offensive ability. he is probably the brightest spot on the pistons roster so far this year.


how has McCollum looked? unfortunately I don't get to watch the blazers much.

[princeofpalace]

I wish we could land Okafor and trade Drummond for Wiggins

[MotownMadness]

Man im really starting to like Stanley Johnson. I just hope we dont mess it up this year and actually get a top 5 pick. Our defense and youth potential would look nice with KCP, Drummond and Johnson. Or even draft Towns and make a real good looking twin towers out of him and Dre.

[bkseven]

Watched a few mixtapes of Mudiay. Surprised at how athletic he is and his ball handling skills look great. Tank for Mudiay!

[rmfc]

Tank for Mudiay!

[Notanoob]

I wish we could land Okafor and trade Drummond for Wiggins

Okafor is overrated. He's Al Jefferson without the paint protection but passing on offense.

Check his free throw rate- it's .19! There are three point specialists who draw more fouls than Okafor does. Just like Al Jefferson, he's gotten too good at creating space with his moves that he simply can't draw contact, and that will always murder his TS% compared to other guys.

His blocks numbers are really weak too- Big Al may be a poor defender, but at least he can block shots. Okafor shows no such ability.

Towns has the better potential between the two. I rather like Porzingis, honestly.

I have little interest in Mudiay. PG is such an overloaded position these days that having a good one really doesn't mean much unless you're talking about a Chris Paul or Steph Curry- after that, we're looking at a bunch of guys who have basically equal impact, like Irving, it's not nearly as much as a legit wing or big man can have. This draft we should be spending our pick on a wing or big, depending on how things play out through March.

[MotownMadness]

I wish we could land Okafor and trade Drummond for Wiggins

Okafor is overrated. He's Al Jefferson without the paint protection but passing on offense.

Check his free throw rate- it's .19! There are three point specialists who draw more fouls than Okafor does. Just like Al Jefferson, he's gotten too good at creating space with his moves that he simply can't draw contact, and that will always murder his TS% compared to other guys.

His blocks numbers are really weak too- Big Al may be a poor defender, but at least he can block shots. Okafor shows no such ability.

Towns has the better potential between the two. I rather like Porzingis, honestly.

I have little interest in Mudiay. PG is such an overloaded position these days that having a good one really doesn't mean much unless you're talking about a Chris Paul or Steph Curry- after that, we're looking at a bunch of guys who have basically equal impact, like Irving, it's not nearly as much as a legit wing or big man can have. This draft we should be spending our pick on a wing or big, depending on how things play out through March.

Im definitely not as high on Okafor as I was originally. Hes just lacks athleticism which makes him poor at blocking shots and rebounding. He is a fantastic low post player and I think the Al Jefferson comparison is spot on. I would much rather move forward with Dre then Okafor. Mudiay looks like a great prospect to me but right now my top 3 favorites are Towns, Johnson and Winslow in that order.

[MrBigShot]

You draft BPA period when you're at the top of the draft, position should not be taken into account whatsoever. You take the guy you think has the chance to become the best player out of who is available. If we're picking top 3-5 and Mudiay is the consensus top prospect where we are drafting, you take him no questions asked. If it's Towns, you take him no questions asked. If it's Okafor, you take him no questions asked.

[MotownMadness]

You draft BPA period when you're at the top of the draft, position should not be taken into account whatsoever. You take the guy you think has the chance to become the best player out of who is available. If we're picking top 3-5 and Mudiay is the consensus top prospect where we are drafting, you take him no questions asked. If it's Towns, you take him no questions asked. If it's Okafor, you take him no questions asked.

True but right now I still think Towns and Johnson look the best.

[RSCD3_]

I wish we could land Okafor and trade Drummond for Wiggins

Okafor is overrated. He's Al Jefferson without the paint protection but passing on offense.

Check his free throw rate- it's .19! There are three point specialists who draw more fouls than Okafor does. Just like Al Jefferson, he's gotten too good at creating space with his moves that he simply can't draw contact, and that will always murder his TS% compared to other guys.

His blocks numbers are really weak too- Big Al may be a poor defender, but at least he can block shots. Okafor shows no such ability.

Towns has the better potential between the two. I rather like Porzingis, honestly.

I have little interest in Mudiay. PG is such an overloaded position these days that having a good one really doesn't mean much unless you're talking about a Chris Paul or Steph Curry- after that, we're looking at a bunch of guys who have basically equal impact, like Irving, it's not nearly as much as a legit wing or big man can have. This draft we should be spending our pick on a wing or big, depending on how things play out through March.

Im definitely not as high on Okafor as I was originally. Hes just lacks athleticism which makes him poor at blocking shots and rebounding. He is a fantastic low post player and I think the Al Jefferson comparison is spot on. I would much rather move forward with Dre then Okafor. Mudiay looks like a great prospect to me but right now my top 3 favorites are Towns, Johnson and Winslow in that order.

someone else stated a comparison of him to a shorter Andrew Bynum with a little more athleticism, Bynum was pretty good at finding open shooters out of the post, I also think he is a more athletic al Jefferson and I think he'll be a better defender in the pro

[bstein14]

After losses to LA and the Celtics I'm officially on the tank bandwagon... Hope for this season is gone... hope for Monroe staying is gone... can only hope to land a once in a decade type superstar in the draft because nothing else is going to pull this team out of its 7 year hole its been in.

[ImHeisenberg]

I wish we could land Okafor and trade Drummond for Wiggins

Okafor is overrated. He's Al Jefferson without the paint protection but passing on offense.

Check his free throw rate- it's .19! There are three point specialists who draw more fouls than Okafor does. Just like Al Jefferson, he's gotten too good at creating space with his moves that he simply can't draw contact, and that will always murder his TS% compared to other guys.

His blocks numbers are really weak too- Big Al may be a poor defender, but at least he can block shots. Okafor shows no such ability.

Towns has the better potential between the two. I rather like Porzingis, honestly.

I have little interest in Mudiay. PG is such an overloaded position these days that having a good one really doesn't mean much unless you're talking about a Chris Paul or Steph Curry- after that, we're looking at a bunch of guys who have basically equal impact, like Irving, it's not nearly as much as a legit wing or big man can have. This draft we should be spending our pick on a wing or big, depending on how things play out through March.

It's too early to make a call on any of these 1-and-done players, beyond just your initial impressions.

I'm high on Mudiay. Sure, the league is loaded with high quality point guards- that's why having one is paramount. We've had mediocre PG play since trading Billups and it shows. Poor ball movement, poor shooting, poor results.

Plus, Mudiay is so big, he has high defensive potential as a 6'5 PG that can smother elite PG's.

The stock of wings have look disappointing thus far to me. Oubre is the highest rated small forward on DX, and he's not even averaging 3 PPG!

[rmfc]

Need a difference maker on the perimeter. ...with an extremely aggressive game.

Unless his game suddenly falls off a cliff, Mudiay is my pick.

[rmfc]

I wish we could land Okafor and trade Drummond for Wiggins

Okafor is overrated. He's Al Jefferson without the paint protection but passing on offense.

Check his free throw rate- it's .19! There are three point specialists who draw more fouls than Okafor does. Just like Al Jefferson, he's gotten too good at creating space with his moves that he simply can't draw contact, and that will always murder his TS% compared to other guys.

His blocks numbers are really weak too- Big Al may be a poor defender, but at least he can block shots. Okafor shows no such ability.

Towns has the better potential between the two. I rather like Porzingis, honestly.

I have little interest in Mudiay. PG is such an overloaded position these days that having a good one really doesn't mean much unless you're talking about a Chris Paul or Steph Curry- after that, we're looking at a bunch of guys who have basically equal impact, like Irving, it's not nearly as much as a legit wing or big man can have. This draft we should be spending our pick on a wing or big, depending on how things play out through March.

Excellent post. I never really knew about that part of Okafor's game. Thanks for that.

Disagree about the opinion on PGs. The league may be loaded with good/decent PGs....but the Pistons have not found even a starting quality PG since Billups'so departure. That says a lot about the franchise. If Drummond is going to our Center, we desperately need an attacking, playmaking PG who can feed the big man right where he needs it. If Mudiay can do that, he should be the pick.

We already have more than enough docile players on the roster. We need an aggressive difference maker on the perimeter.

[ImHeisenberg]

Need a difference maker on the perimeter. ...with an extremely aggressive game.

Unless his game suddenly falls off a cliff, Mudiay is my pick.

Completely agree. He needs to work on his outside shot, but he's very aggressive getting to the basket, is regarded as a creative passer (even though he has a score-first mentality) and has great size and athleticism for a PG.

[Piston Pete]

Mudiay....

then throw MAX at Leonard


Mudiay / Dinwiddie
KCP
Leonard
???
Drummond



I'm still on the trade Monroe to Charlotte for Vonleh+ bandwagon.

I agree with bstein - we need to get all-on the tank!!

[MrBigShot]

We can throw the max at Leonard all we want. Spurs will match whatever.

[Kilo]

Mudiay injured his ankle - Will Bynum signed to replace him on Chinese team. I guess this means Philly is a lock to draft him now...