Towns or Okafor or Mudiay or Russel?

[NoLayupRule]

I think the biggest difference between today's players and yesteryear's in Todays advantage is size and athleticism. 6-8 SGs, 6-4 PGs, 7foot sfs. You have an athleticism that's no where close to then. In part because of the body and diet training and conditioning that didn't exist then.

However players of previous generations had massive advantages in fundamentals, physicality and defense. No one practically in today's generation - Duncan an obvious exception - has fundamental understanding of the game like the players used to. Also defense was so tight on the perimeter that guys like curry would struggle to get their shots.

But superstars would always have been superstars. Kobe, LeBron, dirk etc.

It's guys like Howard who wouldn't have been nearly as effective back in the day.

Do you think Melo can be a superstar or one tier below in every era of basketball?

my definition of superstar is different than most I think

However I think Melo can be a Gervin level superstar
or Drexler perhaps
even Barkley level

hes an unstoppable scorer, very very good rebounder and average defender and passer. He's not below average at anything. I don't think he's good enough to win all by himself but then again I don't know who is. no one it seems.

Id say he is in the same level as anyone in todays NBA minus LBJ who is just so complete that its scary, and potentially Davis and the Greek Freak who might change the way the game is played. Durant, Kobe, Rose, George, Paul, Harden, Dirk, LMA, etc are all as good as him within shades of his level but everyone of them, minus Kobe now, has much more quality around them

[newyorker4ever]

Say what? I was never a big fan of OK4. What I had been saying is that I think Kaminsky is a much better pick than the "14th" most mocks have for him. But I was never a huge OK4 fan. If for some reason (heaven forbid) we dropped down to 7/8 I would favor Kaminsky, presuming all the big names, including WCS are gone.

Also, in the past two games Towns has improved a great deal. Quite possibly enough to surpass OK4. I was a middle-of-the-roader previously on Towns. I was never wild about him and said that he had NOT yet impressed me in college and that he was living on his pre-college rep. But again, I now see considerable improvement, albeit against mediocre competition.

That's right it was Kaminsky you were a fan of over Towns and you gave a lot of crap to the Towns fans. My bad i thought it was OK4 but now i remember it was Kaminsky. Glad to see you coming around on Towns though cause the kid is getting better and better as he grows.

I am a HUGE Kentucky fan. Have been for thirty yrs. I once lived in Lexington, KY and attended dozens of games. So I would be happy if this "new and improved" Towns continues to improve and gets picked by PJax.

Ok i'm not saying you wouldn't, i was just bringing up the fact that you pretty down on the people (like myself) that were pro Towns and i'm happy you're now seeing that this kid is the real deal and is getting better and better the more he touches the ball. Don't know why you're going into the speech about you being a Kentucky fan. How bout that dunk by WCS though?? That was great and i think you are also a fan of WCS right? I really like WCS to and think although he'll need more time to grow that he'll be a really good player in the NBA after a few year especially on the defensive end.

[E-Balla]

I think the biggest difference between today's players and yesteryear's in Todays advantage is size and athleticism. 6-8 SGs, 6-4 PGs, 7foot sfs. You have an athleticism that's no where close to then. In part because of the body and diet training and conditioning that didn't exist then.

However players of previous generations had massive advantages in fundamentals, physicality and defense. No one practically in today's generation - Duncan an obvious exception - has fundamental understanding of the game like the players used to. Also defense was so tight on the perimeter that guys like curry would struggle to get their shots.

But superstars would always have been superstars. Kobe, LeBron, dirk etc.

It's guys like Howard who wouldn't have been nearly as effective back in the day.

Do you think Melo can be a superstar or one tier below in every era of basketball?

my definition of superstar is different than most I think

However I think Melo can be a Gervin level superstar
or Drexler perhaps
even Barkley level

hes an unstoppable scorer, very very good rebounder and average defender and passer. He's not below average at anything. I don't think he's good enough to win all by himself but then again I don't know who is. no one it seems.

Id say he is in the same level as anyone in todays NBA minus LBJ who is just so complete that its scary, and potentially Davis and the Greek Freak who might change the way the game is played. Durant, Kobe, Rose, George, Paul, Harden, Dirk, LMA, etc are all as good as him within shades of his level but everyone of them, minus Kobe now, has much more quality around them

Did you just imply that Giannis "I can't make a bucket outside the restricted area for ****" Antetokounmpo can be better than Kevin "already a first ballot hall of famer" Durant and consensus top 15 player ever Kobe Bryant? That is one of the most asinine things I've read on this board phelghboi.

[NoLayupRule]

Do you think Melo can be a superstar or one tier below in every era of basketball?

my definition of superstar is different than most I think

However I think Melo can be a Gervin level superstar
or Drexler perhaps
even Barkley level

hes an unstoppable scorer, very very good rebounder and average defender and passer. He's not below average at anything. I don't think he's good enough to win all by himself but then again I don't know who is. no one it seems.

Id say he is in the same level as anyone in todays NBA minus LBJ who is just so complete that its scary, and potentially Davis and the Greek Freak who might change the way the game is played. Durant, Kobe, Rose, George, Paul, Harden, Dirk, LMA, etc are all as good as him within shades of his level but everyone of them, minus Kobe now, has much more quality around them

Did you just imply that Giannis "I can't make a bucket outside the restricted area for ****" Antetokounmpo can be better than Kevin "already a first ballot hall of famer" Durant? That is one of the most asinine things I've read on this board phelghboi.

hes no where close but his potential is off the charts

he might be the next evolution in player

his skills and size are unique
WTF is "phelghboi"?

[E-Balla]

my definition of superstar is different than most I think

However I think Melo can be a Gervin level superstar
or Drexler perhaps
even Barkley level

hes an unstoppable scorer, very very good rebounder and average defender and passer. He's not below average at anything. I don't think he's good enough to win all by himself but then again I don't know who is. no one it seems.

Id say he is in the same level as anyone in todays NBA minus LBJ who is just so complete that its scary, and potentially Davis and the Greek Freak who might change the way the game is played. Durant, Kobe, Rose, George, Paul, Harden, Dirk, LMA, etc are all as good as him within shades of his level but everyone of them, minus Kobe now, has much more quality around them

Did you just imply that Giannis "I can't make a bucket outside the restricted area for ****" Antetokounmpo can be better than Kevin "already a first ballot hall of famer" Durant? That is one of the most asinine things I've read on this board phelghboi.

hes no where close but his potential is off the charts

he might be the next evolution in player

his skills and size are unique
WTF is "phelghboi"?

The next evolution in player? How? How is he that different from say a young Scottie Pippen?

[NoLayupRule]

Did you just imply that Giannis "I can't make a bucket outside the restricted area for ****" Antetokounmpo can be better than Kevin "already a first ballot hall of famer" Durant? That is one of the most asinine things I've read on this board phelghboi.

hes no where close but his potential is off the charts

he might be the next evolution in player

his skills and size are unique
WTF is "phelghboi"?

The next evolution in player? How? How is he that different from say a young Scottie Pippen?

the word potentially was used

it was just an effort to try to mention some potential game changers

and Pippen was a good comparison though the greek is 3-4 inches taller and still growing

[DickGrayson]

I hope you meant 2.5 not 5 blocks per game...

And I think Towns can be a 20/10 guy possibly (maybe like 21/11/3 for an 8th seed) while being a good defender (not All Defense but that next tier).

On the other hand I expect Jahlil to be a 18/9 guy out the gate if his conditioning is fine (I have no reason to believe its not especially since he usually plays better as the game goes on). Coming into the season I expected him to be the C version of Jabari (who happens to be the SF version of Kyrie Irving) but he's shown more refinement in the post than 90% of Cs in the league right now.

Honestly, I can see Okafor averaging 22-24+ points in the NBA.

His overall post game is almost perfect. I think once he adds more conditioning and becomes a stronger athlete, he will be very effective offensively.

btw, thanks for correcting my typo. hard to do post on my android phone.

Maybe so, but how many points will he give up on the other end?

I'm becoming much more enamored with Towns than OK4 of late. And I have a sneaky feeling if given the choice PJax might agree with me.

I like Towns more than Okafor.
Town has Boris Diaw like passing skills. His post game needs work as well as his conditioning(since he doesn't have a freakish wingspan, he needs to be elite at other physical attributes).
He's very skillful for his age. He is foul prone and sloppy, but I think Towns will become a better all around NBA player.

Similar to how Joakim Noah is better than Brook Lopez.

[Retired_Doc]

That's right it was Kaminsky you were a fan of over Towns and you gave a lot of crap to the Towns fans. My bad i thought it was OK4 but now i remember it was Kaminsky. Glad to see you coming around on Towns though cause the kid is getting better and better as he grows.

I am a HUGE Kentucky fan. Have been for thirty yrs. I once lived in Lexington, KY and attended dozens of games. So I would be happy if this "new and improved" Towns continues to improve and gets picked by PJax.

Ok i'm not saying you wouldn't, i was just bringing up the fact that you pretty down on the people (like myself) that were pro Towns and i'm happy you're now seeing that this kid is the real deal and is getting better and better the more he touches the ball. Don't know why you're going into the speech about you being a Kentucky fan. How bout that dunk by WCS though?? That was great and i think you are also a fan of WCS right? I really like WCS to and think although he'll need more time to grow that he'll be a really good player in the NBA after a few year especially on the defensive end.

Oh I am very much a fan of WCS....and yeah that dunk was tremendous. I have been supporting WCS all year. IF we are forced to drop below the top 5 I would definitely accept WCS. Great defender, rebounder, fast as hell for a 7 footer, makes many steals and can score enuff. I see WCS as Tyson 2.0, maybe even better. Better attitude and quicker.

[isiah_thomas]

Towns train picking up, some people changing votes lol

[NYKBaller]

Whoever we pick gnna decide our free agent targets

[newyorker4ever]

Whoever we pick gnna decide our free agent targets

What is the exact date of the nba draft and the day free agency starts? I'm pretty sure the draft is late June and free agency starts July 1st is that correct?

[Workforce250]

Don't sleep on Kaminsky from Wisconsin, this kid is the co-favorite for College Player of the Year. I'm watching him play and he looks good. The only thing is that Wisconsin uses him in the high post, so I can't see how good his low post game is.
He may be more Pro ready and well-rounder than Okafor.

[newyorker4ever]

Don't sleep on Kaminsky from Wisconsin, this kid is the co-favorite for College Player of the Year. I'm watching him play and he looks good. The only thing is that Wisconsin uses him in the high post, so I can't see how good his low post game is.
He may be more Pro ready and well-rounder than Okafor.

I don't think you can sleep on a big guy that's playing as good as he is. But if i'm drafting a big then i want one that can play in the paint and i know he can but i'd still take OK4 and Towns over him easily but wouldn't be upset with Kaminsky if our pick was in the middle of the 1st so who knows if Phil would maybe trade the top pick if we got it for a couple of 1st rounders.

[Workforce250]

Don't sleep on Kaminsky from Wisconsin, this kid is the co-favorite for College Player of the Year. I'm watching him play and he looks good. The only thing is that Wisconsin uses him in the high post, so I can't see how good his low post game is.
He may be more Pro ready and well-rounder than Okafor.

I don't think you can sleep on a big guy that's playing as good as he is. But if i'm drafting a big then i want one that can play in the paint and i know he can but i'd still take OK4 and Towns over him easily but wouldn't be upset with Kaminsky if our pick was in the middle of the 1st so who knows if Phil would maybe trade the top pick if we got it for a couple of 1st rounders.

I hear you. But if we draft 4, for instance, Kaminsky will be a great pickup. Why? because if we can get Matthews then Russell is not pessary.
However, he is a dominant big man. Very smart, low turnover and can shoot the heck of the ball. If Bargs is still on the team, they may be a little redundant but with Kaminsky and Bargs at 5 / 4, would be interesting. Plus we still have loads of money to get a tough big via free agency. Whitehead is a restricted free agent and I would load up some serious dollars for him.

[Bill Pidto]

Who is the real star of this group? As someone who doesn't watch college basketball, I'm having a real hard time trying to guess by just reading analysis and watching videos.

The Knicks need an all-star in this draft. Preferably a superstar. It's make or break, no question.

Okafor and Towns scare me. I'm imagining a worst-case scenario where the Knicks go for the big man and he winds up being a bust, while either Russel or Mudiay or both blossom into stars.

In one way, it's nice that there's no clear-cut #1, surefire star. Because as of now, the Knicks are all but guaranteed to pick at least one of these guys. But on the other hand, if the Knicks do win the lottery, it's kind of disappointing to know there's no LeBron, Durant or Anthony Davis to save the day.

Fingers crossed. This is a pretty crazy time to be a Knicks fan.

[Manhattan Project]

Who is the real star of this group? As someone who doesn't watch college basketball, I'm having a real hard time trying to guess by just reading analysis and watching videos.

The Knicks need an all-star in this draft. Preferably a superstar. It's make or break, no question.

Okafor and Towns scare me. I'm imagining a worst-case scenario where the Knicks go for the big man and he winds up being a bust, while either Russel or Mudiay or both blossom into stars.

In one way, it's nice that there's no clear-cut #1, surefire star. Because as of now, the Knicks are all but guaranteed to pick at least one of these guys. But on the other hand, if the Knicks do win the lottery, it's kind of disappointing to know there's no LeBron, Durant or Anthony Davis to save the day.

Fingers crossed. This is a pretty crazy time to be a Knicks fan.

At the end of the day the composite board would look like

Okafor
Towns
Mudiay
Russell

[Workforce250]

Who is the real star of this group? As someone who doesn't watch college basketball, I'm having a real hard time trying to guess by just reading analysis and watching videos.

The Knicks need an all-star in this draft. Preferably a superstar. It's make or break, no question.

Okafor and Towns scare me. I'm imagining a worst-case scenario where the Knicks go for the big man and he winds up being a bust, while either Russel or Mudiay or both blossom into stars.

In one way, it's nice that there's no clear-cut #1, surefire star. Because as of now, the Knicks are all but guaranteed to pick at least one of these guys. But on the other hand, if the Knicks do win the lottery, it's kind of disappointing to know there's no LeBron, Durant or Anthony Davis to save the day.

Fingers crossed. This is a pretty crazy time to be a Knicks fan.

At the end of the day the composite board would look like

Okafor
Towns
Mudiay
Russell

Honestly Towns is falling rapidly in many mock drafts. How Kaminsky is not top 10 is ridiculous.

[Manhattan Project]

Honestly Towns is falling rapidly in many mock drafts. How Kaminsky is not top 10 is ridiculous.

Towns is falling after some of his best games this season? Why would that be?
Kaminsky in the top ten? Not really sure why he would be considered. He is what he is, not many teams in the lottery are clamoring for a stretch five. Kaminsky is an excellent college player who doesn't quite have a NBA game that's going to allow him to excel in the same way. He had a nice run last year in the tournament and is enjoying a good year but if you're a team in the lottery you can't go bunting for singles. Fringe lotto/late teens. Nothing wrong with that, but my god he's not even close to what Hansbrough was as a college player.

[newyorker4ever]

Who is the real star of this group? As someone who doesn't watch college basketball, I'm having a real hard time trying to guess by just reading analysis and watching videos.

The Knicks need an all-star in this draft. Preferably a superstar. It's make or break, no question.

Okafor and Towns scare me. I'm imagining a worst-case scenario where the Knicks go for the big man and he winds up being a bust, while either Russel or Mudiay or both blossom into stars.

In one way, it's nice that there's no clear-cut #1, surefire star. Because as of now, the Knicks are all but guaranteed to pick at least one of these guys. But on the other hand, if the Knicks do win the lottery, it's kind of disappointing to know there's no LeBron, Durant or Anthony Davis to save the day.

Fingers crossed. This is a pretty crazy time to be a Knicks fan.

At the end of the day the composite board would look like

Okafor
Towns
Mudiay
Russell

Honestly Towns is falling rapidly in many mock drafts. How Kaminsky is not top 10 is ridiculous.

Maybe he is top 10 in the eyes of the real scouts/GM's? It's not like the draft ever falls the way fans and writers or so called experts say it will.

[bigfnjoe96]

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/23 ... uel-Mudiay