Countdown to NBA Draft: Prospect Talk

[melomax]

I believe the talk/rumor/hype is that he is still growing and that they expect him to be 7'2". Basically a 7'2" 3 point shooting version of Andrei Kirilenko is what folks are hyping him to be. If that comes true, that's a no.1 overall pick type player for sure.

I don't see AK47 in him, but there is a ton of potential there. I can see why Flip would love him. He is a very high potential player who with strength and experience can be an all around star. Just a terrible fit for us unfortunately. He needs a fast paced system, who will play him at SF at first and be patient with him. We can offer him none of that.

I honestly disagree. I think he would be a great fit for us. The only problem would be that the city isn't patient enough to let him develop.

I don't see a system that he can't fit in. His size, skill, and ability to stretch the defense is useful everywhere.

That's the key with Porzingis. He can play in literally any offensive system as a 4.

And against certain wing players (e.g. Allen, Demarre Carroll, Josh Smith, Dudley, Sefo) you can play him at the 3 as long as they arent slashers. So you can even hide his lack of strength his first year even more.

Seriously, this guy should be in the conversation at #4. He's a guy whose perfect for the 16-'17 season when we fill up our cap space permanently.

[ibraheim718]

We need some rumors or something. Workouts...Give us something. refreshing realgm every 10 seconds is not helping my work day go any faster with no stories.

Ask and ye shall receive .

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ulSWLjUeOQ[/youtube]

Is that Keith Van Horn?

[riter]

http://theknicksblog.com/knicks/report- ... t-combine/

Report: Knicks interviewed Kevon Looney at NBA Draft Combine

"It’s one thing for a team to explore all options, but it’s nevertheless a little surprising to see Looney’s name associated with the Knicks. He hasn’t really been heralded as a top five pick at all.
Nevertheless, perhaps he’s someone New York would consider if they end up trading down in the draft as part of a larger deal."

this could be nothing.
Or they could be prepping for a deal. This guy is Lamar Odom 2.0

[DickGrayson]

What does your current board/ranking now look like bro?

1. Towns
2. Winslow
3. Russell
4. Mudiay
5. Okafor

Wondering about the distance of Towns and Winslow in your rankings. You're willing to say that Winslow will have more value at the 4th pick than drafting Towns with the 1st?

I got Winslow Russell and Mudiay in the same tier. Towns in his own. I believe Okafor will be an extremely good scorer, but poor all around player and will be benched in certain spurts from being a liability. Similar to how DUKE got the lead on Wisconsin after they benched Okafor.

1. Towns
2. Winslow
3. Russell
4. Mudiay
5. Okafor

HE IS A ROLE PLAYER

March Madness says otherwise.

you know whats funny, take his top 5 in reverse, and you actually have everyone's ceiling in complete rank order.

I invite you to explain how Towns has a bottom 5 ceiling out of those 5?

btw, high ceiling means nothing if a player doesn't have a motor or work ethic to reach that ceiling. Give me the guys who battle on the court everyday over the "What can he be 5 years from now guys".

Josh McRoberts, Derrick Caracter, Lenny Cooke, Sebastian Telfair, Greg Oden, Kwame Brown, Eddy Curry, DeJuan Wagner...all guys with high ceilings who never panned out. I rather rank a player by his style of play and the attributes he presents on offense and defense. Everyone in this draft has high potential.

[DickGrayson]

Looks like my suspicion is right that Flip Saunders is the team executive that is high on Porzingis. Said to have gushed about him in an interview with Colin Cowherd. Mitch Kupchak also said that a lottery team has approached him regarding the #2 pick. I won't be shocked if there is going to be a trade involving the #1 pick and a team that could give Minny Porzingis.

If this is true, it would be a great chance for the Knicks to capitalized. Minnesota doesn't have great depth in the guard positions, they could use someone like Hardaway Jr/Calderon. It'll give a shot at Towns for the Knicks. However this is wishful thinking, maybe Phil may be comfortable at 4. I just don't want to dwell into this too much because I remember how hard I was going for the Knicks to trade up for Rubio/Curry.

[mos_def]

That's the key with Porzingis. He can play in literally any offensive system as a 4.

And against certain wing players (e.g. Allen, Demarre Carroll, Josh Smith, Dudley, Sefo) you can play him at the 3 as long as they arent slashers. So you can even hide his lack of strength his first year even more.

Seriously, this guy should be in the conversation at #4. He's a guy whose perfect for the 16-'17 season when we fill up our cap space permanently.

I heard some Bargnani comparisons for Porzingis cuz he lacks strength in rebounding. The Euro that fits the current system is Hezonja. Porzingis might turn out to be Vesely

[DickGrayson]

I don't get why people laugh and make fun of other people's draft boards..like they know who is going to be best in order already...

If someone had kawhi Leonard at the top of their board a couple years ago, everyone would have been RIPPING that dude for being an idiot and calling him a role player blah blah blah.

It's mostly out of insecurity, but it's okay that happens when everyone post their draft board. People tend to be more emotional and lash out more but that's all apart of the draft season. This isn't nothing new.

2011 Draft was tough.

Chandler Parson picked 38th
Jimmy Butler picked 30th
Kawhi Leonard picked 15th
Nikola Vučević picked 16th
Kenneth Faried picked 22nd
Nikola Mirotic picked 23rd
Reggie Jackson picked 24th



can 2015 be like 2011? I'm not sure. 2011 was really deep. Top 5 wasn't glorious, but the mid 1st round is where you wanted to be.

I also had Bismack Biyombo on my top 3 draft board and thought he would been a Ben Wallace clone by now, seems like the EBT version of him for the Hornets. It's okay to be wrong. I think people just struggle in taking it being told they're wrong and they cry out, call you a dick, douchebag, tell you have to have a nice day or report you to the mods. Some people need to grow up or go outside and get some fresh air. Weather is beautiful right now in NYC.

[2010]

Can someone find me a comp of another 6'5"+ penetrating true PG that has the combination of size, strength, and athleticism that Mudiay has? Remember, 6'5" and up. So no Westbrook, Wall, or Rose cuz those cats are 6'4" and below and they're thin wiry strong types. No Penny Hardaway either as he was 6'7" but thin as well with no power game. The closest I can come up with are J-Kidd and Magic but neither of them were as athletic as Mudiay. Not saying Mudiay is better than any of these cats. Just pointing out we may have a player with a truly rare combination of physical attributes within our reach. The closest person with his skillset was a young Stephon Marbury but even Marbury didn't have the size (although he had the skillset and physical strength).

[DickGrayson]

I don't see AK47 in him, but there is a ton of potential there. I can see why Flip would love him. He is a very high potential player who with strength and experience can be an all around star. Just a terrible fit for us unfortunately. He needs a fast paced system, who will play him at SF at first and be patient with him. We can offer him none of that.

I honestly disagree. I think he would be a great fit for us. The only problem would be that the city isn't patient enough to let him develop.

I don't see a system that he can't fit in. His size, skill, and ability to stretch the defense is useful everywhere.

That's the key with Porzingis. He can play in literally any offensive system as a 4.

And against certain wing players (e.g. Allen, Demarre Carroll, Josh Smith, Dudley, Sefo) you can play him at the 3 as long as they arent slashers. So you can even hide his lack of strength his first year even more.

Seriously, this guy should be in the conversation at #4. He's a guy whose perfect for the 16-'17 season when we fill up our cap space permanently.

What kind of role did Porzingis play for his club in Spain?

[melomax]

1. Towns
2. Winslow
3. Russell
4. Mudiay
5. Okafor

Wondering about the distance of Towns and Winslow in your rankings. You're willing to say that Winslow will have more value at the 4th pick than drafting Towns with the 1st?

I got Winslow Russell and Mudiay in the same tier. Towns in his own. I believe Okafor will be an extremely good scorer, but poor all around player and will be benched in certain spurts from being a liability. Similar to how DUKE got the lead on Wisconsin after they benched Okafor.

1. Towns
2. Winslow
3. Russell
4. Mudiay
5. Okafor

HE IS A ROLE PLAYER

March Madness says otherwise.

you know whats funny, take his top 5 in reverse, and you actually have everyone's ceiling in complete rank order.

I invite you to explain how Towns has a bottom 5 ceiling out of those 5?

btw, high ceiling means nothing if a player doesn't have a motor or work ethic to reach that ceiling. Give me the guys who battle on the court everyday over the "What can he be 5 years from now guys".

Josh McRoberts, Derrick Caracter, Lenny Cooke, Sebastian Telfair, Greg Oden, Kwame Brown, Eddy Curry, DeJuan Wagner...all guys with high ceilings who never panned out. I rather rank a player by his style of play and the attributes he presents on offense and defense. Everyone in this draft has high potential.

Ive listened to Okafor. He seems like he is a highly self aware person.


McRoberts unceremoniously left Duke
Cooke is a moron who didnt even play college
Oden was injured every single year he played basketball
Brown was HS dumbass
Curry couldnt think his way out of a paper bag

[DickGrayson]

I really dont understand all this winslow , porzingis, hergonza, wcs @4 talk.

I know everyone likes to think they found the next diamond in the rough, but let's just do the smart thing and stick with the highly touted top 4 prospects of the draft? You know - ones guaranteed to be all-stars at minimum?

Or do you guys really want to end up with the next bargnani? the next beasley? do you want to be detroit that went after darko?

No one is ever guaranteed to be an all star.

If that was true, Stephon Curry would of been drafted top 1-3 and Michael Olowokandi would of been playing his last season after a HOF career.

[DickGrayson]

Wondering about the distance of Towns and Winslow in your rankings. You're willing to say that Winslow will have more value at the 4th pick than drafting Towns with the 1st?

I got Winslow Russell and Mudiay in the same tier. Towns in his own. I believe Okafor will be an extremely good scorer, but poor all around player and will be benched in certain spurts from being a liability. Similar to how DUKE got the lead on Wisconsin after they benched Okafor.

HE IS A ROLE PLAYER

March Madness says otherwise.

you know whats funny, take his top 5 in reverse, and you actually have everyone's ceiling in complete rank order.

I invite you to explain how Towns has a bottom 5 ceiling out of those 5?

btw, high ceiling means nothing if a player doesn't have a motor or work ethic to reach that ceiling. Give me the guys who battle on the court everyday over the "What can he be 5 years from now guys".

Josh McRoberts, Derrick Caracter, Lenny Cooke, Sebastian Telfair, Greg Oden, Kwame Brown, Eddy Curry, DeJuan Wagner...all guys with high ceilings who never panned out. I rather rank a player by his style of play and the attributes he presents on offense and defense. Everyone in this draft has high potential.

Ive listened to Okafor. He seems like he is a highly self aware person.


McRoberts unceremoniously left Duke
Cooke is a moron who didnt even play college
Oden was injured every single year he played basketball
Brown was HS dumbass
Curry couldnt think his way out of a paper bag

I'm still can't see why Towns has a bottom 5 ceiling amongst the top 5 prospects, but you may know something I don't know.

[Fury]

Can someone find me a comp of another 6'5"+ penetrating true PG that has the combination of size, strength, and athleticism that Mudiay has? Remember, 6'5" and up. So no Westbrook, Wall, or Rose cuz those cats are 6'4" and below and they're thin wiry strong types. No Penny Hardaway either as he was 6'7" but thin as well with no power game. The closest I can come up with are J-Kidd and Magic but neither of them were as athletic as Mudiay. Not saying Mudiay is better than any of these cats. Just pointing out we may have a player with a truly rare combination of physical attributes within our reach. The closest person with his skillset was a young Stephon Marbury but even Marbury didn't have the size (although he had the skillset and physical strength).

[Marcus]

Can someone find me a comp of another 6'5"+ penetrating true PG that has the combination of size, strength, and athleticism that Mudiay has? Remember, 6'5" and up. So no Westbrook, Wall, or Rose cuz those cats are 6'4" and below and they're thin wiry strong types. No Penny Hardaway either as he was 6'7" but thin as well with no power game. The closest I can come up with are J-Kidd and Magic but neither of them were as athletic as Mudiay. Not saying Mudiay is better than any of these cats. Just pointing out we may have a player with a truly rare combination of physical attributes within our reach. The closest person with his skillset was a young Stephon Marbury but even Marbury didn't have the size (although he had the skillset and physical strength).

out of all the names i've seen associated I think Kidd might be the closest. its gonna be hard to find everything you're looking for to match the comp completely.

[DickGrayson]

as for the Porzingis hype train:

Andrea averaged 10.9 points, 4.1 rebounds (1.1 O), 0.9 blocks in over 21 minute per game in the Euroleague

PER 36 :

18.5 PTS / 6.97 RBS / 1.53 BLK

Porzingis averaged 11.6 points, 4.1 rebounds (0.9 O), 1.2 blocks in just under 21 minute per game in the Eurocup.

PER 36 :

19.9 PTS / 7.04 RBS / 2.06 BLK

So, as you can see, their stats are incredibly similar, porzingis is a bit better shot blocker. The main difference is that Bargs played in the Euroleague, which is a big bonus to him. Draw your own conclusions.

Not sure what's the fascination in Porzingis when we already have Bargnani.

[NBA Fan 1234]

Ask and ye shall receive .

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ulSWLjUeOQ[/youtube]

T Rex arms are hilarious

He's a stretch 4.

Why are you comparing his wingspan to 7foot centers?

His wingspan is fine for a PF.

It's an inch shorter than average for PF ( http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-dra ... ge=avepos& ) but his standing reach, which IMO is more important for bigs, is right where it needs to be. Could both be better? Yes, but it's not as bad as people are making it out to be.

I don't like how he starts his shot low, though.

[N Y K]

T Rex arms are hilarious

He's a stretch 4.

Why are you comparing his wingspan to 7foot centers?

His wingspan is fine for a PF.

It's an inch shorter than average for PF ( http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-dra ... ge=avepos& ) but his standing reach, which IMO is more important for bigs, is right where it needs to be. Could both be better? Yes, but it's not as bad as people are making it out to be.

I don't like how he starts his shot low, though.

Maybe he should work out with Mudiay and show him how to shoot with such a low/line-drive shot.

[2010]

That is being overly optimistic. The draft is full of uncertainty and no one is guaranteed to be anything.

Let me reword - they are basically guaranteed to become all-stars based on their current trajectories.

They are top prospects. The others are not.

If that is your definition, then Porzingis is right up there. His trajectory path is just longer.

C'mon bro. You have to realize that Porzingis is a bigger risk than Towns, Okafor, Mudiay, and Russell. Everyone has been saying the consensus top 4 of this draft has been those guys for the longest. Every year as we get closer to the actual draft you get Fran Fraschilla and Chad Ford hyping up some Euro as a darkhorse sleeper pick that's gonna guy higher than expected. Every year you get these comparisons to Dirk and Pau. Nevermind the fact that Dirk and Pau play NOTHING alike. Another thing is that Dirk and Pau came both came along when not all 30 NBA teams were extensively scouting European players. So the element of surprise or finding some underrated big is a lot less likely than in years past. How many busts or underwhelming bigs from the international leagues do we need to see before we stop being hoodwinked and falling for the hype. Basically what I'm saying is, I don't believe for a minute that Porzingis is worthy of being drafted before the top-4 projected guys. And any random anonymous quote coming from some NBA exec is probably a misdirection or smokescreen tactic. IMO, Porzingis is a helluva lot more of a risk than the consensus top 4 picks and a tier below them in talent as well as immediate impact. I mean, even if this guy does pan the team that drafts him won't likely reap the benefits until after his rookie deal expires. Think about that...

[GONYK]

Let me reword - they are basically guaranteed to become all-stars based on their current trajectories.

They are top prospects. The others are not.

If that is your definition, then Porzingis is right up there. His trajectory path is just longer.

C'mon bro. You have to realize that Porzingis is a bigger risk than Towns, Okafor, Mudiay, and Russell. Everyone has been saying the consensus top 4 of this draft has been those guys for the longest. Every year as we get closer to the actual draft you get Fran Fraschilla and Chad Ford hyping up some Euro as a darkhorse sleeper pick that's gonna guy higher than expected. Every year you get these comparisons to Dirk and Pau. Nevermind the fact that Dirk and Pau play NOTHING alike. Another thing is that Dirk and Pau came both came along when not all 30 NBA teams were extensively scouting European players. So the element of surprise or finding some underrated big is a lot less likely than in years past. How many busts or underwhelming bigs from the international leagues do we need to see before we stop being hoodwinked and falling for the hype. Basically what I'm saying is, I don't believe for a minute that Porzingis is worthy of being drafted before the top-4 projected guys. And any random anonymous quote coming from some NBA exec is probably a misdirection or smokescreen tactic. IMO, Porzingis is a helluva lot more of a risk than the consensus top 4 picks and a tier below them in talent as well as immediate impact. I mean, even if this guy does pan the team that drafts him won't likely reap the benefits until after his rookie deal expires. Think about that...

Nothing you said disagrees with anything I said.

If we are simply talking about a player's projected ceiling, then Porzingis is right up there with anyone in the draft. The size, the skillset, the age and his level of production all put him there.

Now whether or not he actually fulfills it? Who knows. It remains to be seen just like everyone else in the top 4.

I'm not commenting on how likely he is to become KG with a 3 pt shot (or whatever comparison you like best). I'm just saying that his potential makes that a possible projection, and that puts his ceiling up there with everyone else.

[2010]

Can someone find me a comp of another 6'5"+ penetrating true PG that has the combination of size, strength, and athleticism that Mudiay has? Remember, 6'5" and up. So no Westbrook, Wall, or Rose cuz those cats are 6'4" and below and they're thin wiry strong types. No Penny Hardaway either as he was 6'7" but thin as well with no power game. The closest I can come up with are J-Kidd and Magic but neither of them were as athletic as Mudiay. Not saying Mudiay is better than any of these cats. Just pointing out we may have a player with a truly rare combination of physical attributes within our reach. The closest person with his skillset was a young Stephon Marbury but even Marbury didn't have the size (although he had the skillset and physical strength).

out of all the names i've seen associated I think Kidd might be the closest. its gonna be hard to find everything you're looking for to match the comp completely.

Yeah man. I'm just throwing it out there cuz I feel like some of us are underrated the package of physical attributes Mudiay brings to the table. People keep throwing out he doesn't have Wall/Westbrook/Rose explosiveness, but those dudes don't have his height, strength, power game, and ability to post up. Usually the explosive types are very wiry and lean (Westbrook, Wall, Rose) with not as much potential as a post option. Usually guys that are Mudiay's height and bigger (Magic, Kidd, Penny, young Shaun Livingston) are great post options but lack the above the rim athleticism and dexterity Mudiay possesses. Then when you throw in his understanding of pace, changing speeds, and poise and I firmly believe he is a unique set of physical tools. We're basically looking at a bigger, stronger, more athletic Stephon Marbury with better mental makeup and a more willing passer. If he gets his shot together this kid may end up being right there with Towns in franchise changing upside.