The #2 Pick

[moonpie]

Thanasis instead of THJ if that's the case

[LApwnd]

Probably wants LA or NY only.

Deal with the Knicks? Pick Russell at #2 and trade with the Knicks Okafor at #4, Hardaway Jr and future 2nd rounder. The Sixers wouldn't dare take Okafor at 3 and if they did we'd have more leverage with them to get Russell. Or we could just keep Russell. Either way I like the gambit.

don't be so confident as to what Phi will or wont do....they'd easily take Okafor and start their bidding war for him and NYK actually wants Okafor, so why would they trade him if they get him at 4?

[dockingsched]

I think the knicks have committed to picking him and told them so that he could cancel on Philly and try to drop.

[reds622]

A trade with NY actually makes some sense..

We could draft Russell.. Philly will not take another big man, just don't see it. Package Russell with Nick Young to create more cap space and send them to NY for Okafor and a few other assets.

Knicks have cap room. They might feel the difference between Russell and the guys that might be there at #4 is worth sacrificing cap space for.

Or, Minny and/or the Lakers have promised to take him. A trade with NY, though, does make sense, especially given the connections between Phil and the Lakers. I don't think LA would be against doing him a "favor," especially if we get more assets and/or more cap space in return. Something to think about.

[LApwnd]

A trade with NY actually makes some sense..

We could draft Russell.. Philly will not take another big man, just don't see it. Package Russell with Nick Young to create more cap space and send them to NY for Okafor and a few other assets.

Knicks have cap room. They might feel the difference between Russell and the guys that might be there at #4 is worth sacrificing cap space for.

Or, Minny and/or the Lakers have promised to take him. A trade with NY, though, does make sense, especially given the connections between Phil and the Lakers. I don't think LA would be against doing him a "favor," especially if we get more assets and/or more cap space in return. Something to think about.

its a bad gamble IMO, if we want Okafor you have to take him. Phili can easily muck up this arrangement if Mitch/Phil have that agreement in place, they have no quam in taking Okafor IMO. I mean don't mind Russell either but don't pick him to trade him it might blow up in our face.

[Slava]

I think the knicks have committed to picking him and told them so that he could cancel on Philly and try to drop.

I don't know, this appears very similar to the Bynum pick in 2005. Russell has not worked out for Wolves either and it is scheduled for 18th.

[NYKnicksTAPE]

A trade with NY actually makes some sense..

We could draft Russell.. Philly will not take another big man, just don't see it. Package Russell with Nick Young to create more cap space and send them to NY for Okafor and a few other assets.

Knicks have cap room. They might feel the difference between Russell and the guys that might be there at #4 is worth sacrificing cap space for.

Or, Minny and/or the Lakers have promised to take him. A trade with NY, though, does make sense, especially given the connections between Phil and the Lakers. I don't think LA would be against doing him a "favor," especially if we get more assets and/or more cap space in return. Something to think about.

The Knicks want Okafor probably more than they want Russell. There's a reason they were initially upset to land the #4 pick.

[reds622]

I think the knicks have committed to picking him and told them so that he could cancel on Philly and try to drop.

I don't know, this appears very similar to the Bynum pick in 2005. Russell has not worked out for Wolves either and it is scheduled for 18th.

I was just going to say that it also reminds me of the Bynum pick at #10... Told him to shut down workouts, didn't work out with anyone else, etc. If Russell hasn't worked out with anyone else, that could be it.

Kobe was also shut down, wasn't he? I could be wrong on that.. Mitch did learn from the best in that regard.

[ArC_man]

Probably wants LA or NY only.

Deal with the Knicks? Pick Russell at #2 and trade with the Knicks Okafor at #4, Hardaway Jr and future 2nd rounder. The Sixers wouldn't dare take Okafor at 3 and if they did we'd have more leverage with them to get Russell. Or we could just keep Russell. Either way I like the gambit.

How does that make any sense? They're only making a deal with Russell because Okafor's not going to be available.

[LApwnd]

only thing I can see us do is if we took Okafor at 2 and then traded with NY for either Mudiay or Russell with us dropping more salary on them and asking them for their 2nd rd picks and future 1st rd pick (closest 1 is 2018) which wouldn't be such a bad idea, I see Melo braking down quite a bit by 2018 and and by then you never know what an injury here and there could do to that team.

[Slava]

If we get a free agency commitment from a guy like DeANdre Jordan, Russell won't be a bad pick at all. He's already an elite shooter, passer and manipulates pick and roll expertly well. He'd be ideally suited for an uptempo offense around Jordan, Randle and Clarkson.

[crazyeights]

I think the knicks have committed to picking him and told them so that he could cancel on Philly and try to drop.

Right. Guys usually cancel workouts to drop. I really doubt the Lakers would give him that sort of guarantee at all, especially this early in the process.

PJ was fined for commenting on Russell during the tournament, it's their only chance at having a shot at him.

And from D'Angelo's perspective, why go to a Philly team that might not let you fully develop before trading you? As much as I understand "optionality" in theory, I think young players and their agents might take pause about stalling their careers.

Reaching your potential is hard enough as it is, you don't need the added risk.

Regardless, Russell will be a top 4 pick for sure.

[LApwnd]

its a good gamble by Russell to cancel, the Porzingis at #3 could have more leg now with this cancellation. Phi could use either Por or Mudiay. Phi does need a pure PG like Mudiay to get Embiid/Noel easy buckets and Por would come over right away and could give Embiid the stretch 4 ability that Noel can't.

[Sofa King]

Are the Lakers clever enough to take Russell the #2 pick, forcing the 76ers to pick Mudiay, the Knicks pick Okafor, trade him to the Lakers for Russell as previously agreed upon and whatever assets the Knicks can offer?

[dockingsched]

I think the knicks have committed to picking him and told them so that he could cancel on Philly and try to drop.

I don't know, this appears very similar to the Bynum pick in 2005. Russell has not worked out for Wolves either and it is scheduled for 18th.

We'll see, I just don't see how the Lakers commiting this early benefits them for now unless they're trying to make a play for Towns and trying to get the intrigue on Russell even stronger. This I think would hinge on them actually being genuine about preferring Russell over Okafor cause if they don't it's too big of a convoluted situation where they commit to player they wouldn't really want and have to rely on orchestrating some trade to get their guy when they could've just picked him.

[dockingsched]

Are the Lakers clever enough to take Russell the #2 pick, forcing the 76ers to pick Mudiay, the Knicks pick Okafor, trade him to the Lakers for Russell as previously agreed upon and whatever assets the Knicks can offer?

The Knicks don't have an asset that would be worth gambling such a big part of the team's future on. A lot can go wrong with that plan and the Knicks just don't have anything that's worth the risk.

[Slava]

I think the knicks have committed to picking him and told them so that he could cancel on Philly and try to drop.

I don't know, this appears very similar to the Bynum pick in 2005. Russell has not worked out for Wolves either and it is scheduled for 18th.

We'll see, I just don't see how the Lakers commiting this early benefits them for now unless they're trying to make a play for Towns and trying to get the intrigue on Russell even stronger. This I think would hinge on them actually being genuine about preferring Russell over Okafor cause if they don't it's too big of a convoluted situation where they commit to player they wouldn't really want and have to rely on orchestrating some trade to get their guy when they could've just picked him.

Yeah, this pretty much relies on the idea that the Lakers think Russell is the best player in the draft because they only need the Wolves to pass on him, which is why Russell's workout with the Wolves or lack there of would determine if its the Lakers or the Knicks that made him a promise.

I'm thinking Its not a terrible stretch considering how strongly opinionated Jim Buss was regarding Bynum after his workouts.

[Sofa King]

Are the Lakers clever enough to take Russell the #2 pick, forcing the 76ers to pick Mudiay, the Knicks pick Okafor, trade him to the Lakers for Russell as previously agreed upon and whatever assets the Knicks can offer?

The Knicks don't have an asset that would be worth gambling such a big part of the team's future on. A lot can go wrong with that plan and the Knicks just don't have anything that's worth the risk.

Yeah, you're right. Knicks have nothing.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/PompeyOnSixers/status/609426529693515776[/tweet]

Must have partied too much and got hung over with Mitch.

[ArC_man]

I've solved the puzzle: Hinkie is in Vegas watching Porzingis. Why would Russell want to work out for Philly when Hinkie isn't there?

[tweet]https://twitter.com/PompeyOnSixers/status/609410307023212544[/tweet]

[KIT]

Interesting.