Official 2015 NBA Draft Discussion Thread [ft. TyCobb]

[TyCobb]

You guys need to pay attention to Melo Trimble tonight against WVU. It'd be a miracle if he's around with the Houston pick, but if any of these draft sites are accurate then he should be. I don't think so, but I really like his game. PG who can get to the line and knock down 3's all day long.

[TyCobb]

So good..(Okafor)

[ALL HAIL]

Am I crazy in thinking is probably take Winslow over Stanley Johnson?

Pretty sure I'd take neither if I had a top five pick.

[dockingsched]

Ty I see where you're going with the odom comparison and both players filling multiple roles with their multiple skills. I just see a limit to where Looney can contribute in meaningful ways. He's not going to handle the ball or playmake like odom. He's limited to crashing the boards and providing help d. His stroke is nice which points to a potential to be a floor spreading threat. Right now he can't defned pf due to his still developing strength. He'll probably always be too slow to effectively defend SF. I like your ak47 comparison, but there's a lot of room to improve his help d to reach a level where it's something that is game changing.

[TyCobb]

SDSU needs to just call in the forfeit at halftime. They just can't score like Duke and the game isn't ugly enough to where their grit will win out.

[ArC_man]

I want to see Duke and Kentucky reach the finals so badly.

[TyCobb]

Ty I see where you're going with the odom comparison and both players filling multiple roles with their multiple skills. I just see a limit to where Looney can contribute in meaningful ways. He's not going to handle the ball or playmake like odom. He's limited to crashing the boards and providing help d. His stroke is nice which points to a potential to be a floor spreading threat. Right now he can't defned pf due to his still developing strength. He'll probably always be too slow to effectively defend SF. I like your ak47 comparison, but there's a lot of room to improve his help d to reach a level where it's something that is game changing.

I guess I haven't seen too much of his one-on-one defense (to get an idea if he'll be too slow to effectively defend SF) since he plays at the top of UCLA's 3-2 zone and drops down to the bottom when the ball gets below FT line extended. He's very active and mobile defensively, but could be more aggressive and assertive in his help defense (as well as offensively). Going by some of his quotes, and his teammates quotes, you know he is holding back and just trying to do what the coach asks of him.

"I saw him in practice and the kid does so much more than he's really allowed to do on the court," one scout said. "UCLA needs him to play a certain way because they just don't have any real bigs to rely on. I think he has all the skills to be an NBA small forward. The more you see him in practice, the more you know there's more there than he's showing in games right now."

“It was one of my goals coming in and (making) an impact and have my team win,” Looney said. “I didn’t really focus on scoring. I really focused on doing little things and let the other things come to me. I set goals like rebounding, helping my team on defense, stuff like that.”

“His ceiling is crazy high, and we knew that in the summer, just seeing glimpses of him,” Bryce Alford said. “The dude can do just about pretty much anything, and his shot is starting to really come into play.”

“The thing I’ve been most impressed with him as a young player, as a freshman, someone who was highly touted … he wants to be taught,” said coach Steve Alford. ”He wants to learn and get better, and when you’ve got somebody like that, with that skill set, you’re going to see him keep getting better.”

“Every game, I just go out and play,” he said. “Whatever happens, happens. Some games, they might need me more than others. Sometimes ... I just go with the flow.”

“As far as calling plays for me, he really doesn’t do that that often,” Looney said. “A couple of pick-and-roll plays, pick and pop for me. But otherwise, it’s about me taking advantage, pushing the ball, or taking my open shots.”

[TyCobb]

Winslow and Okafor have been flawless in this game.

[moonpie]

My top 5 currently:

1. Russell
2. Towns
3. Okafor
4. Hezonja
5. Cauley-Stein

[TylersLakers]

Ty, Okafor or Towns?

This will be an argument that will take place up until draft time. I've been pro Towns the entire time however, that may be changing. I don't like Okafor's lack of athleticism, don't like the way he lumbers up and down the court but his hands are so good, he's a good finisher and he has the potential to be a super talented low post player.

With Towns you know you get a great rim protector, a guy who has a great feel for the game whether it's making a great interior bounce pass, a mid-range jumpshot, good free throw shooter, and you can see him absolutely take over games at times. My question is that.. Is he not more consistent with the numbers and stats because of Kentucky's well balanced approach or what? I saw the 3 Florida Gators games they played against Kentucky and Towns dominated every time.

But then you see season averages of 10 PTS, 6 REBS and you go, "Huh?"

VS Buffalo -- 10 minutes, 3 points (1-6 FG), 5 rebounds, 5 fouls
VS Boston U -- 23 minutes, 4 points (1-4 FG), 4 rebounds, 5 blocks
VS UNC -- 19 minutes, 2 points (0-0 FG), 2 rebounds, 1 block, 1 foul
@ Tennessee -- 16 minutes, 3 points (1-1 FG), 4 rebounds, 3 fouls

17 times this season, he attempted 5 shots or less.

It looks like the SEC portion of his schedule was better but there are some games where you just have to shake your head and wonder why. 0 FG attempts in 19 minutes vs UNC? 4 rebounds in 23 minutes against Boston U?

Are there any Kentucky fans out there who can break down as to why this is? Does he have the motive, mindset, and aggressiveness to be a dominant player or is he just kind of happy floating? Does he have an ON/OFF switch and lack of effort at times? I want to take him because I think he has the most potential in this draft and he could be dominant. But how much of a risk is that could word?

[TyCobb]

Ty, Okafor or Towns?

This is a matter of fit for me. They are both exceptional prospects. Okafor is a number one option on offense type prospect and Towns is a 2-way player that has a low post game and a mid-range game on offense. The entire Kentucky team, outside of Cauley-Stein, is hard to scout this season because of how ridiculously deep and talented they are over their opponents. Some games Towns get himself into foul trouble or does something dumb like hang on the rim and Cal will yank him immediately. They have Lee, Lyles, Dakari, and Cauley-Stein to spread the minutes around with Towns. The great thing I see with Towns is his ability to take over the game when the opponent is still in the game in the final minutes. It's a bit tough to see how good of a defender Towns actually is because his teams' depth allows him to be ultra-aggressive defensively. So yes, he has some shot-blocking skills, but he's also fouled out of 6 games despite playing in half his teams' minutes.

I'll take Okafor over Towns because he's got experience being the absolute focal point of an offense and at an incredibly efficient manner. Towns does seem more well-rounded, but Okafor is a true, dominant, back-to-the-basket Center and those are a rarity in this league.

[crazyeights]

I have concerns about Okafor's lumbering athleticism. Also wonder how he'll fair against the length, speed, and strength of the NBA.

But obviously his post-game has him light years ahead of most bigs.

[ALL HAIL]

Okafor is a shorter, better ball-handling Brad Daugherty.

Towns reminds me of Roy Tarpley without the coke habit.

If the Lakers got the number one pick, I'd want Towns.

[TyCobb]

Trimble time.

[TyCobb]

Dirty play by WVU player to injure Trimble.

[TyCobb]

WVU is like VCU on steroids. Maryland just can't handle the pressure.

[Slava]

Excellent write up (long) by David Aldridge on PGs in the draft.


HIs ranking:

David Aldridge's Big Board 2014: Point Guards

RANK | NAME | SCHOOL/TEAM | CLASS/AGE | HT | WT > Projected

1. Emmanuel Mudiay | Guandong Tigers (China) | 19 | 6-5 | 200 > High lottery

2. D'Angelo Russell | Ohio State | Freshman | 6-5 | 180 > High/mid lottery

3. Cameron Payne | Murray State | Sophomore | 6-2 | 180 > Mid/late first round

4. Delon Wright | Utah | Senior | 6-5 | 190 > Mid/late first round

5. Kris Dunn | Providence | Sophomore | 6-3 | 205 > Mid/late first round

6. Tyus Jones | Duke | Freshman | 6-1 | 190 > Mid/late first round

7. Jerian Grant | Notre Dame | Senior | 6-5 | 204 > Late first round

8. Joseph Young | Oregon | Senior | 6-2 | 180 > Late first round/Early second round

9. Ryan Boatwright | Connecticut | Senior | 6-1 | 175 > Second round

10. Terry Rozier | Louisville | Sophomore | 6-1 | 190 > Second round

Honorable Mention: Cedi Osman (19), 6-7, Anadolu Efes (Turkey); George Lucas (18), 6-5, 196, Pinheiros (Brazil)

Sleepers: Keifer Sykes, 6-0, 180, Wisconsin-Green Bay: Askia Booker, 6-2, 175, Colorado; T.J. McConnell, 6-1, 195, Arizona

Some Scouts Like: Andrew Harrison (SO), 6-6, 210, Kentucky; Monte' Morris (SO), 6-2, 170, Iowa State; Nigel Williams-Goss (SO), 6-3, 190, Washington; Tyrone Wallace (JR), 6-5, 200, California

[TyCobb]

Pft. It's insane how overlooked Melo Trimble is. Literally sickening.

[TyCobb]

My PG rankings:

1. D'Angelo Russell
2. Emmanuel Mudiay
3. Melo Trimble
4. Tyus Jones
5. Jerian Grant
6. Delon Wright
7. Kris Dunn
8. Terry Rozier
9. Joseph Young
10. Isaiah Taylor

Sleepers: Olivier Hanlan, Wesley Saunders, Briante Weber, Wade Baldwin

[Slava]

I didn't realize how deep the PG class was. With a bit of luck we could end up filling both the center and PG spots through the draft.