Countdown to NBA Draft: Prospect Talk

[El Poochio]

Jeff Goodman did a mock draft with the back-up of five execs...

4. D'Angelo Russell, PG

New York Knicks
College: Ohio State | 6-foot-5, 176 pounds

Analysis: Phil Jackson and the Knicks are still licking their wounds after falling to No. 4, but Russell will make them feel better. He has such a tremendous feel for the game, and while just an above-average athlete, he finds a way to score in a variety of ways while also possessing tremendous court vision and passing ability. Carmelo Anthony will love him.

Pick from our NBA executives survey: Russell (4), Kristaps Porzingis (1)

"I'd take Porzingis, but I'm also not in New York -- where they will probably get crucified for taking him."

"Russell makes the most sense for New York, and I think he works well in the triangle."

OOOOOOOOHHHHH

I am falling for the tease again

How come 2 executives say Philly will pick Russell and only one say Porzy to us though?

[beasonu]

Jesus.

Every Mock lately released has Mudiay going 3. FML

That just means Russell or Okafor is a Knick. Unless Phil mistimes his next peyote trip, we're bringing in a bit time prospect.

No it means Porzongus is

[E-Balla]

As I've been saying Philly will **** around and take Mudiay. You know Hinkie loves potential and the whole time Russell was lighting it up all rumors said they were taking him first if they got it.

[El Poochio]

As I've been saying Philly will **** around and take Mudiay. You know Hinkie loves potential and the whole time Russell was lighting it up all rumors said they were taking him first if they got it.

D'Angelo needs the bigger stage, brighter lights more. Mudiay might use the lower expectations in Philly as a great advantage to him while working on his shooting. Being a cheekyLaad

[Thugger HBC]

As I've been saying Philly will **** around and take Mudiay. You know Hinkie loves potential and the whole time Russell was lighting it up all rumors said they were taking him first if they got it.

I'd be perfectly happy with this since Russel is second on my draft board.

[Signature NYK]

:lol: Yo Jason Todd you mad I'm not responding? Word? You gotta send PMs?

No one's mad at you I don't know you or care enough about any of this it's recreational. I could meet you tomorrow and I'd have no idea it was you most likely. I'm just not wasting my time debating with someone that'll never change their stance. You showed your colors when you got shut down debating Jah and KAT, wasted an extra page of posts debating something you knew was wrong, admitted to it, then kept having the same wrong opinion after.

Simply put your posts aren't worth my time.

did you just put the government on blast?

Lmao nah man Jason Todd is different robin's name in the Batman comics

[whocares1]

Because people would be heart broken to get Russell? I think I'm the least excited about him as a prospect and I'd be pretty happy to lock him in.

lol you can't be serious. No one talks about Russell because deep down everyone knows that he'll get picked before the Knicks even get a turn. It's called being optimistic now, and hoping that whoever is available at 4 can be the best player for us.

Maybe re-read my statement. There aren't any comments about no one talking about Russell and there are no digs at him as a prospect, I gave him a compliment.

You're right, my bad. I guess I'm a little jumpy this morning and read it wrong.

[Bklyn&company]

I'm sure Phil and all of us are just praying one of KAT, OK4 or Russell fall to us on draft night...

Also could easily see Phil trading #4 on draft night if neither falls to us.. which I would be ok with. Not a huge Mudiay fan and I don't think Phil is also...

[E-Balla]

:lol: Yo Jason Todd you mad I'm not responding? Word? You gotta send PMs?

No one's mad at you I don't know you or care enough about any of this it's recreational. I could meet you tomorrow and I'd have no idea it was you most likely. I'm just not wasting my time debating with someone that'll never change their stance. You showed your colors when you got shut down debating Jah and KAT, wasted an extra page of posts debating something you knew was wrong, admitted to it, then kept having the same wrong opinion after.

Simply put your posts aren't worth my time.

did you just put the government on blast?

Lmao nah man Jason Todd is different robin's name in the Batman comics

He's the Robin that got killed off by the Joker because fans didn't like him. Dick Grayson shouldn't have his name disgraced like that.

[dreamer3kx]

Haven't been really up to date but man Winslow looks good in highlights, I know its highlights but I really really like him, looks NBA ready, polished.

[Blue Ninja]

Not really.

Winslow has a better offensive game. MKG is a top 3-5 defender in the world right now. He could be #1 next season, dont be surprise to see him run for defensive player of the year next year.

Winslow can guard all positions from 1-4. His defense is excellent with more room to go, definitely NBA ready defender.

Winslow and MKG are similar rebounders.

13.5 and 14.5 TRB as college freshmen. Definately will grab a lot of boards from the 3 in their future in the NBA.

Winslow however is the better offensively player. MKG slashing game isn't as strong and Winslow can hit a 3. FT shooting, MKG hasn't improved since he was a freshman. Winslow shooting form is better than MKG who has a broken jump shot till this day, I could see Winslow being a 75-80% FT shooter. Wade shot 69% his freshman season at Marquette from the free throw line. High motor players tend to improve their FT quick rapidly.

Winslow certainly does not have a better offensive game. MKG had a slightly better handle, was a better slasher, ran the court among the best of them, better in the post and got to free throw line/made free throws better.

So could MKG, but MKG is a little more athletic and a little better rebounder.

MKG was a great slasher. How is Winslow better in that aspect? Winslow does shoot the three better, in one spot, off wide open looks. Not sure how much it's going to translate in the NBA. We can't use MKG's improvement or lack-thereof when talking about prospects. Sure his form is better but when has a below 65% free throw shooter in college gone to become above 78% without a small sample size? Legit question. I'd like to know.

[kej718]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSxPDMXwR3Y[/youtube]
I can see why the Knicks have given him a look, but I think they still go for a PG.

[djphan]

I think most fans are impressed by his vision and ability to get into the lane (not just off of his athleticism but through changing speeds and directions in a way that most young point guards just don't fully comprehend) more than anything. As for Wade or Harden not having hard times against a weak league...Wade was a Junior when he came out of college, Harden was a sophomore who came into the league in a sixth man role. Expecting an 18 year old to come into a league full of a grown men and dominate at the rim is seems unfair to me, especially with the fact that physical play gets more lenience in every other country.

But yeah, I just hope we make a decision that brings in an impact player. It doesn't have to be Mudiay to be a good decision. I just hope we don't play it safe at the expense of a player with star potential...we could really use star, rather than just another rotation guy.

in the case of harden and wade... they were both great at the rim in college.. which isn't an easy thing to do due to the spacing and the prevalance of zone...

if he doesn't have john wall or derrick rose athleticism and his jumpshot is iffy... what's the upside on a player like that could struggle to finish in the pros and doesn't have a jumpshot? i'll tell you.. it looks a lot like elfrid payton...

i tend to him give him credit for his passing ability and his ability to find the ball and grab a board... those are skills you can easily see and demonstrate and he's done that... but if we're talking crazy upside nuclear potential i think ppl are overrating that a bit much due to the lack of information that's out there... and it happens all the time anytime there are few games on a highly regarded prospect...

and yea in a weak draft you could roll the dice with mudiay at 4 but there are better and quantifiable options ...winslow for one is a a great defender... despite what ppl think he's a good to decent ballhandler.. he can spot up at 3... and he gets to the basket and he finishes..

and when ppl talk about willing to take a risk.. if mudiay has the year exum had last year and the knicks not having their pick next year... let's just say you are going to regret 'rolling the dice' on a player you couldn't really justify that risk with...

[djphan]

Winslow certainly does not have a better offensive game. MKG had a slightly better handle, was a better slasher, ran the court among the best of them, better in the post and got to free throw line/made free throws better.

So could MKG, but MKG is a little more athletic and a little better rebounder.

MKG was a great slasher. How is Winslow better in that aspect? Winslow does shoot the three better, in one spot, off wide open looks. Not sure how much it's going to translate in the NBA. We can't use MKG's improvement or lack-thereof when talking about prospects. Sure his form is better but when has a below 65% free throw shooter in college gone to become above 78% without a small sample size? Legit question. I'd like to know.

he shot more and in the second half he shot with much greater efficiency than MKG.... that proves that he's a much better scorer than him... A/TO ratio is better and winslow even avg'ed more steals....and he has better 3pt fg%

this is not even a question... he has the edge in all the important categories...

[drj]

Question: why is WCS not getting more love? He has elite quickness and defensive skills. On the defensive side of the ball I'd say he's arguably the best player in the whole draft, and clearly defensive BPA (I don't believe in drafting for need but also: we need an NBA ready defensive big pretty desperately. WCS can basically step in and anchor our defense from day one.)

I understand that people worry whether WCS will be a liability in half-court offense, but every prospect has flaws and needs to learn some things. WCS only needs to learn how to hit the fifteen footer reliably and he will be able to contribute on o. His FT% has improved noticeably through college (37.2%, 48.2%, 61.7%) which shows work ethic and some ability, and he has occasionally flashed the fifteen jumper with decent form in games (you can see this in his DX scouting vid). So it seems to me that there is a good basis to think that WCS can develop the one last skill he needs.

Imagine WCS with a 15 foot jumper, anchoring the d, while still contributing on o. Think Camby, or what Tyson could have been had he developed a jumper. Why aren't we lining up for this??

[GONYK]

Question: why is WCS not getting more love? He has elite quickness and defensive skills. On the defensive side of the ball I'd say he's arguably the best player in the whole draft, and clearly defensive BPA (I don't believe in drafting for need but also: we need an NBA ready defensive big pretty desperately. WCS can basically step in and anchor our defense from day one.)

I understand that people worry whether WCS will be a liability in half-court offense, but every prospect has flaws and needs to learn some things. WCS only needs to learn how to hit the fifteen footer reliably and he will be able to contribute on o. His FT% has improved noticeably through college (37.2%, 48.2%, 61.7%) which shows work ethic and some ability, and he has occasionally flashed the fifteen jumper with decent form in games (you can see this in his DX scouting vid). So it seems to me that there is a good basis to think that WCS can develop the one last skill he needs.

Imagine WCS with a 15 foot jumper, anchoring the d, while still contributing on o. Think Camby, or what Tyson could have been had he developed a jumper. Why aren't we lining up for this??

Because you don't lose as many games as we did to end up with Tyson Chandler...again. That's a role player.

He's a consolation prize. We're in the headliner part of the draft where potential stars are.

[j4remi]

in the case of harden and wade... they were both great at the rim in college.. which isn't an easy thing to do due to the spacing and the prevalance of zone...

if he doesn't have john wall or derrick rose athleticism and his jumpshot is iffy... what's the upside on a player like that could struggle to finish in the pros and doesn't have a jumpshot? i'll tell you.. it looks a lot like elfrid payton...

i tend to him give him credit for his passing ability and his ability to find the ball and grab a board... those are skills you can easily see and demonstrate and he's done that... but if we're talking crazy upside nuclear potential i think ppl are overrating that a bit much due to the lack of information that's out there... and it happens all the time anytime there are few games on a highly regarded prospect...

and yea in a weak draft you could roll the dice with mudiay at 4 but there are better and quantifiable options ...winslow for one is a a great defender... despite what ppl think he's a good to decent ballhandler.. he can spot up at 3... and he gets to the basket and he finishes..

and when ppl talk about willing to take a risk.. if mudiay has the year exum had last year and the knicks not having their pick next year... let's just say you are going to regret 'rolling the dice' on a player you couldn't really justify that risk with...

Every player at 4 is going to be a roll of the dice. Winslow has offensive question marks just about everywhere, and I like the kid. The reality is there are no sure things at 4 and out of the options, it's widely recognized that 4 (5 if you count Porzingas who is really starting to catch on with analysts) of those guys have superstar potential. You can't run from that and play it safe after the season this team just had. When the workouts start and we hear more about these guys performing under the microscope, maybe things will change and Justise will make his case...but for now, if my worst case scenario is Elfrid Payton and best case scenario is prime Deron Williams or Stephon Marbury with a better attitude. I'm willing to take that risk, hell Payton looked pretty good the last 20-25 games of the season anyway.

[Dkillanyk4lyf]

Question: why is WCS not getting more love? He has elite quickness and defensive skills. On the defensive side of the ball I'd say he's arguably the best player in the whole draft, and clearly defensive BPA (I don't believe in drafting for need but also: we need an NBA ready defensive big pretty desperately. WCS can basically step in and anchor our defense from day one.)

I understand that people worry whether WCS will be a liability in half-court offense, but every prospect has flaws and needs to learn some things. WCS only needs to learn how to hit the fifteen footer reliably and he will be able to contribute on o. His FT% has improved noticeably through college (37.2%, 48.2%, 61.7%) which shows work ethic and some ability, and he has occasionally flashed the fifteen jumper with decent form in games (you can see this in his DX scouting vid). So it seems to me that there is a good basis to think that WCS can develop the one last skill he needs.

Imagine WCS with a 15 foot jumper, anchoring the d, while still contributing on o. Think Camby, or what Tyson could have been had he developed a jumper. Why aren't we lining up for this??

Because you don't lose as many games as we did to end up with Tyson Chandler...again. That's a role player.

He's a consolation prize. We're in the headliner part of the draft where potential stars are.

Totally agree, I don't understand how people don't get this.

[Jeff Van Gully]

[redundant]

[Jeff Van Gully]

did you just put the government on blast?

Lmao nah man Jason Todd is different robin's name in the Batman comics

He's the Robin that got killed off by the Joker because fans didn't like him. Dick Grayson shouldn't have his name disgraced like that.

been out of the DC loop for years.