With the 30th Pick in the 2015 Draft, Champions Golden State Warriors select Kevon Looney

[floppymoose]

I think a really good comp for Looney is an LA Lakers Lamar Odom.

Odom was a #1 overall pick. He had an above average leap for an nba player. He was quicker than Looney.

[watch1958]

What worries me about the pick is that it feels like they gave up on the idea that they could help themselves next year through this pick. Like drafting Nedo or Kooz. Could be they figured the guys who can givet you bench minutes right away are available as UDFAs. They could be right. Still, that feels to me like 'we don't need to find a Dray type, we are th champs.'

[lars_rosenberg]

I think a really good comp for Looney is an LA Lakers Lamar Odom.

Odom was a #1 overall pick. He had an above average leap for an nba player. He was quicker than Looney.

#4 pick actually

[NBAfan3024]

What worries me about the pick is that it feels like they gave up on the idea that they could help themselves next year through this pick. Like drafting Nedo or Kooz. Could be they figured the guys who can givet you bench minutes right away are available as UDFAs. They could be right. Still, that feels to me like 'we don't need to find a Dray type, we are th champs.'

How many others picks would help straight away at 30? Looney fits in perfectly in what we currently do IMO. Maybe not next season but still....

[floppymoose]

I think a really good comp for Looney is an LA Lakers Lamar Odom.

Odom was a #1 overall pick. He had an above average leap for an nba player. He was quicker than Looney.

#4 pick actually

I stand corrected. What an insane draft 1999 was. So much talent.

[hamncheese]

What worries me about the pick is that it feels like they gave up on the idea that they could help themselves next year through this pick. Like drafting Nedo or Kooz. Could be they figured the guys who can givet you bench minutes right away are available as UDFAs. They could be right. Still, that feels to me like 'we don't need to find a Dray type, we are th champs.'

I don't think it's a matter of giving up, but having the luxury to make that decision to look for immediate help (which is very unlikely anyway at 30) versus get someone who has potential to eventually be an everyday contributor. Maybe that translates to "we don't need to find a Dray type..." mentality, but I like the fact you could take on a project or long-term investment at 30 and not affect the team. Hard to say if the mentality was for picking Looney was the same as picking Nedo or Kuz. Kuz was a 2nd round draft and stash, and Nedo was just a bad pick (if the W's had drafted Gobert instead, this would've looked good).

[The-Power]

I have to say I'm just not seeing it for Looney in the nba. I just don't see the athleticism needed to succeed.

Why do you put so much - apparently - emphasis on athleticism for a PF?

I don't. Instead, there is a baseline of athletic talent that you need to succeed, period. I've played against guys at the Y who shoot 22 fotters as well as Klay does. But they are ancient and can't move or jump. It's not that I need him to be a high flyer or super fast in order to think he will succeed, but to me he looks waay too slow and too groundbound and too weak. Check out his dx "Strengths" video. The only guys he can drive around are not nba quality defenders. His release is sloooow. He can't finish inside. He's the division I version of me: a tall guy who wants to play like a guard on offense but just isn't quick enough to do it at the nba level.

So your concerns are about his offense? Okay, I wasn't expecting that. I believe smart players who can pass and shoot the ball are fine playing as a big man on offense in our system. I've mentioned he has to work on setting screens but this guy's just 19 years old and will bulk up soon. He doesn't need to drive and I can live with potential struggles to finish inside with contact, but he is going to be able to convert what he has to convert (i.e. after offensive boards or cuts). His release is slow, true, but look at how much space defensives give Draymond - I don't really care if his release is slow or quick, as long as he hit his threes with at a sufficient rate.

I'm not saying he will be a valuable player for us in the future but I don't think he doesn't even have the tools to be a rotational guy.

[Bandito]

I have to say I'm just not seeing it for Looney in the nba. I just don't see the athleticism needed to succeed. He knows how to play - that part is nice. But Kobe Carl really knew how to play and he wasn't nba material either.

Not a twitchy athlete by any means. But he moves pretty well for a kid with that type of length and standing reach, and was apparently playing through some ailments. This is where the NBA trainers, strength and conditioning guys, player development guys etc make their money. There's a ton of room for physical progression for most any kid that age, he's just gotta have the desire and the guidance.

TBH I didn't think Draymond had the athleticism to defend 5 positions in the NBA when he was coming out of Michigan St, but look how he's progressed as an athlete. And he was a senior. This kid is 19 years old. Hard work goes a long way.

While I understand what you're trying to say in regards to Draymond......what everyone seems to discount or not fully acknowledge is that Draymonds mental side is what made him special. The measurement and body fat stuff are why he dropped so far in the draft. The mental side is why he is a champion and about to get the max.

So when looking at guys who aren't very athletic, and then comparing them to Draymond, you can't do that unless they are mentally tough and uber smart basketball players.

I don't see Looney as a Draymond type at all. Their doesn't seem to be that mental animal that Draymond is.

Is see Looney as a possible offensive rebounder and guy who can help, but not a huge impact. Would love to be surprised by him though. He seems to be willing to work, and he's only 19 or 20, so there's room to grow there.

I was just pointing to Draymond as an example of what hard work can do to improve athleticism. He was always a bulldog mentally, no denying that and certainly not saying anybody can be like Draymond.

Was more tipping towards just the pure physical progression of players under this staff. Another example of a guy whose athleticism and conditioning has improved immensely under this staff would be Mo Speights. He was in his mid 20's when the Warriors signed him, and has also undergone a bit of a physical transformation in his time in Oakland. There's no doubt that this team works hard as a group, and this staff has them working smart as well.

So being just 19 years old and clear by just looking at him he's got a lot of growing left to do, I'm excited to see what he becomes under the guidance of this particular staff and these players. I don't think he will ever be an explosive or fast twitch athlete, but I think he can develop enough strength, mobility, endurance, to put his length and versatile skillset to use at the next level.

I think a realistic comparison for Looney is Channing Frye. He could be that type of player in a couple years without any shocking development taking place.

[lars_rosenberg]

It doesn't make sense to draft a lesser talent just because you assume he could contribute in the next season and passing on a better prospect when your team is already the best in the league hence an attractive place for veterans.
If you're in win now mode you sign players that you are sure that will help the team and draft player with upsides to extend the contending window.
No rookie is a safe bet, not even top lottery picks. How many players picket at the #30 can reasonably be a plus in a playoff final in a year?
The Spurs keep drafting euro stash guys and wait for them to develop and it's working.

[Mylie10]

I don't think Looney at #30 is a lesser talent Bob Meyers said they had him rated much lower. Making it a value pick in their eyes.

With Looneys wingspan and wide shoulders I think he will naturally mature like everyone does and fill out more. With strength and conditioning at the NBA level he could add needed bulk. 7'3" wingspan is no joke and is part of the reason he can offensive rebound like he does. He mentioned using angles and understanding where the ball will go for rebounds....I love that kind of talk from a young kid, because it tells me he gets it.

While rebounding is often desire based, it's also about having a good understanding of the angles on the floor, and a sense of where the ball will go based off of what type of shot is taken.

Honestly all I want from the kid is to pattern some of his game after Tristan Thompson. Be an offensive rebounding beast if possible, and play good help defense. Any offense he gives us early on is just gravy.

[Mylie10]

I don't see the Channing Frye comparison at all. Frye is a really good shooter. A knock down shooter. Looney has the ability to hit a shot here and there. Not necessarily a shooter.

Also Looney is going to be a better defender than Frye, because honestly Frye is crap on that end. I expect that over the course of time Looney will be a better rebounder the Frye.

[TaylorMonkey]

I have to say I'm just not seeing it for Looney in the nba. I just don't see the athleticism needed to succeed.

Why do you put so much - apparently - emphasis on athleticism for a PF? Maybe Looney struggles to guard smaller guys for long stretches, maybe he can't deal with switches onto guards as well as say Draymond. But there are plenty of less athletic 4's in the league and I'll take a decent shooter with playmaking skills and great length over an athletic beast at this position all day. Or do you believe he's not athletic enough to deal with most of the 4's in the league after he gained some more weight?

Looney manned UCLA's defense from the top of the key and has a pretty good lateral so I think he should do fine on switches. In fact I think that's precisely why the front office picked him up. He fits into our platoon of long, mobile guys who can switch, play D, and has a few offensive skills (as a stretch 4 in his case).

While rebounding is often desire based, it's also about having a good understanding of the angles on the floor, and a sense of where the ball will go based off of what type of shot is taken.

Honestly all I want from the kid is to pattern some of his game after Tristan Thompson. Be an offensive rebounding beast if possible, and play good help defense. Any offense he gives us early on is just gravy.

A three point shooting Tristan Thompson would be just fine.

[a8bil]

I think a lot of you guys are just not assessing Looney properly. He's a guy who grew up ball in hand, face to the basket. Now he's going to have to transition to playing at PF, which requires different skills. Even lifetime front line players require 3-4 years to reach their potential. Looney's going to take some time to develop, but he's got abilities that most front line players will never develop. He can face up, he drive the hoop, he can handle the ball, he can shoot, he can see the floor, he can pass, he can rebound effectively...a lot of things that are very difficult to teach. Add to that he has incredible wingspan and good hands, and I think that health permitting, he'll be a very good starter quality player in the NBA. At the 30th pick, that's hard to find.

[shazam_guy]

He's also only 19, played PG in high school, and played one year of college ball while recovering from a hip injury. So I'd say "upside" is the key word here for a 30th pick going to the champions.

I'm not going to waste a huge amount of time arguing about it. We'll check back in a year or two and see how the pick looks then. But the Lacob/Myers/West machine is doing pretty well so far. Three of their picks from 2012 contributed heavily to the playoff run and the win, and even Kuzmic is still with the team, although that may be the most we can ever say. Klay was theirs, too, and is now an All-Star in his own right. Not too shabby, and certainly worth the benefit of the doubt on Looney.

[Bandito]

I don't see the Channing Frye comparison at all. Frye is a really good shooter. A knock down shooter. Looney has the ability to hit a shot here and there. Not necessarily a shooter.

Also Looney is going to be a better defender than Frye, because honestly Frye is crap on that end. I expect that over the course of time Looney will be a better rebounder the Frye.

The comparison isn't meant as an exact parallel. Both guys are face up, pick and pop, stretch 4/5's with similar physical dimensions.

Frye barely shot 3's at all at Arizona, and when he did wasn't as good as Looney was his lone season at UCLA. It took a few years for Frye to become a knockdown 3 point shooter in the NBA. You might want to do some more research regarding Looney, he is definitely a shooter, that's how he scored the majority of his points. Jump shots and put backs.

Looney offers more defensive versatility than Frye at the same stage, but just like Frye, needs to improve his strength to adaquetely defend 4's/5's at the next level.

Looney has a big edge as a rebounder, so no doubt he compares favorably to a young Frye. Pretty damn good at #30.

[Coxy]

I think Looney's ceiling is Amare on offense and KG on defense. Right Turk?

[ChuckDurn]

It doesn't make sense to draft a lesser talent just because you assume he could contribute in the next season and passing on a better prospect when your team is already the best in the league hence an attractive place for veterans.
If you're in win now mode you sign players that you are sure that will help the team and draft player with upsides to extend the contending window.
No rookie is a safe bet, not even top lottery picks. How many players picket at the #30 can reasonably be a plus in a playoff final in a year?
The Spurs keep drafting euro stash guys and wait for them to develop and it's working.

This makes too much sense.... Please don't post such sensible things in the future, there's no place for logic on the board....


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[watch1958]

It isn't just who will be important in the Finals. There's also getting through the grind of the regular season healthy and rested, and expending as little energy as possible early in the playoffs. Rookie Ezeli and Green seemed pretty valuable if I remember right.

[ILOVEIT]

I see him as a taller longer Green. He has play making abilities for his size, ability to stretch the floor...and rebound. If he has any kind of motor like Green then he'll be a plus. Imagine if he gets any kind of polished 3 pointer....and then imagine him at center and Green at PF....You would have two guys that can bang, defend and shoot from three....

Anyway...he's a HUGE upgrade over Kuz (sorry...he's a stiff)....

I see him getting time in the first year - 5-7 minutes on average....with maybe some time backing up Green at PF or Bogut at center.

[FNQ]

this kid is so much better than the #s show.. he's a calmer version of Anthony Randolph. And when he's actually told to rebound and play defense, he rebounds and plays defense.

Hating on this pick is just nutty.. we took a guy with tons of translatable talent at #30. You hope he deals with his sciatica (degenerative back condition) and asthma accordingly. He looks to be a great role player in the future. Lotto type talent if 100% healthy.