Taylor: I think it's most likely we'll keep the pick

[Krapinsky]

What I want to know is what does JG over at draft express know. JG seems to travel to Europe quite a bit and I think he scouts some for Euro teams (could be wrong about that) therefore you'd think he has quite a few overseas contacts. He has Kanter listed at #12 on his top 100 list and has him going #6 in his mock.

He hasn't seen him play in two years. No one has.

[horaceworthy]

Randolph/Gasol is a huge frontline though, and while Love/Kanter has the bulk, both are undersized from a length standpoint for the positions they'd play in that scenario. Memphis also has quick, disruptive perimeter players to take some of the pressure of Gasol/Randolph.

Also, who is this everyone of which you speak?

I remember reading in here somehwere about asking if we should follow the "memphis blueprint".

Randolph and Gasol have good size, but they aren't massive. Randolph is only 6'9" and Gasol is 7' or maybe 7'1".

Love is 6'9" and Kanter is 6'11" and I'd say that Kanter is a better athlete than Gasol who is kind of a big lumbering oaf.

I said length, not height. Love's reach/wingspan are smallish for a PF, Kanter's are smallish for a center. I'm not against taking Kanter, I just think there are differences between that frontline and Randolph/Gasol.

[horaceworthy]

The main problem with Al and Love wasn't half court (although that wasn't ideal), it's that neither of them could run the floor (this is also a problem with Darko and Love). Kanter runs the floor very well and should be good in transition. He also moves his feet well and has good awareness in the half court to make rotations Jefferson could not, and should also be able to defend the perimeter and switch on pick n rolls much better than Love or Jefferson.

Al and Love's shortcomings were a pretty big drawback in the halfcourt as well. Made it tougher to cover for perimeter defenders and did nothing to take away from the opponent's effectiveness in the post either.

Kanter does move quite well for his size and he plays heady on the offensive end from the little I've seen. I haven't seen enough to say that he doesn't have good defensive awareness and the wherewithal to make good rotations and show competence when drawn out onto the perimeter, but I don't think any around here have seen enough of him to say that he does. Seems more like an attempt to sort of speak those traits into existence (it would make the choice a hell of a lot easier if they did).

[Krapinsky]

The main problem with Al and Love wasn't half court (although that wasn't ideal), it's that neither of them could run the floor (this is also a problem with Darko and Love). Kanter runs the floor very well and should be good in transition. He also moves his feet well and has good awareness in the half court to make rotations Jefferson could not, and should also be able to defend the perimeter and switch on pick n rolls much better than Love or Jefferson.

Al and Love's shortcomings were a pretty big drawback in the halfcourt as well. Made it tougher to cover for perimeter defenders and did nothing to take away from the opponent's effectiveness in the post either.

Kanter does move quite well for his size and he plays heady on the offensive end from the little I've seen. I haven't seen enough to say that he doesn't have good defensive awareness and the wherewithal to make good rotations and show competence when drawn out onto the perimeter, but I don't think any around here have seen enough of him to say that he does. Seems more like an attempt to sort of speak those traits into existence (it would make the choice a hell of a lot easier if they did).

I am connecting the dots.

DX writes:

Defensively, Kanter had some excellent possessions in practice, coming up with some blocks by being a step ahead of the play and contesting shots with his positioning, rather than his athleticism. His body helps him fight for position on the block, and his physical nature allowed him to deny penetration when his man attempted to take him off the dribble. Once the shot goes up, Kanter does a nice job of sealing off his man and pursuing the ball. Though his ability to rebound outside of his area wasn’t as apparent as it was in junior play, he’s still, more often than not, the player coming down with the ball in a crowd.

From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Ene ... z1NIkP1rx2
http://www.draftexpress.com

Add in the fact that he showed nice athleticism at the combine and was earlier known for his high BBIQ. From the evidence I can gather I would say he is going to be able to do those things.

[horaceworthy]

Hopefully some excellent possessions in practice for an exhibition game translate to actual game situations in the NBA (although the snippet doesn't talk about what happens if he's drawn onto the perimeter). I just don't think it's nearly enough evidence to say that he will be able to do those things. If you do, more power to ya.

I've got nothing against the Wolves taking Kanter. Aside from Jimmy Butler and Cory Joseph (neither of whom are in the running for the #2), there's not a Greg Monroe or Darington Hobson that I'm irrationally high on compared to the rest of the world. There are a number of guys I could get excited about the Wolves taking. Kanter's one of them, I just have more questions about him than you do.