Masai Ujiri's Pre-Draft Presser

[Wo1verine]

We don't need anyone to come in and contribute right away... Skal is high risk, high reward, so i am fine with him.

[Mr Burns]

The Skal hype around here is almost as bad as the time people thought Anthony Randolph was going to be the next Tracy McGrady.

[0 - 100]

Ha - Masai talking as if Skal is a lock if no one drops.

Gotta love all the pre draft smoke. Can definitely see all this Sabonis hype thrown out there from us so SAC can take him instead of Skal or one of the top 8.

But then why would Ujiri do that and then talk Scal as a lock?

Good point.

Everyone is confused and has no idea which way he will go. He always has worked this way.

[McFurious1]

The Skal hype around here is almost as bad as the time people thought Anthony Randolph was going to be the next Tracy McGrady.

Don't forget about Gerald Green.

[CoachJReturns]

I'd be piss if we didn't take Skal if none of top 8 drops to us; Also for all the Skal haters they tend to forget we have D-Leauge

Yep, we do appear to have a pretty good farm team(Although not all teams use the D League that way, we certainly do.)
I actually think Murmys and his assistants did a terrific job last year with the only guy not showing much improvement being Bennett. And Bennett was just a bizarre case. I'm hoping whoever replaces Murmys does just as well with the young guys. Bruno and Skal, if we take him, should spend a lot of time training together. They have many of the same strengths and weaknesses.

[CoachJReturns]

The Skal hype around here is almost as bad as the time people thought Anthony Randolph was going to be the next Tracy McGrady.

Don't forget about Gerald Green.

I was definitely a big Gerald Green fan. I only saw him play in the All American game and in the dunk contest and was sold.

[jimross]

The Skal hype around here is almost as bad as the time people thought Anthony Randolph was going to be the next Tracy McGrady.

I don't see too many posters "hyping" up Skal. Think most of us are aware of who he is as a player atm. But you can't deny his upside and fit if he can reach it. Considering how bad this draft class is and where we are as an organization taking a chance on Skal makes alot of sense to some of us.

[LegendaryXD]

Skalll


Sent from my sexy electronic device

[LJKO]

If only Rabb didn't go back to college but I guess that's Raptors luck; btw if we draft Skal is he our first Kentucky product?

[Mr Burns]

The Skal hype around here is almost as bad as the time people thought Anthony Randolph was going to be the next Tracy McGrady.

I don't see too many posters "hyping" up Skal. Think most of us are aware of who he is as a player atm. But you can't deny his upside and fit if he can reach it. Considering how bad this draft class is and where we are as an organization taking a chance on Skal makes alot of sense to some of us.

Why do we need more projects though?

1) We don't have much cap space to work with (still not sure we can even get Biz back)
2) Our team was 2 wins away from the finals
3) We need upgrades at PF and backup SF
4) Not sure how many years Kyle Lowry has left at his current production

so why are we using up one of our best assets to draft a guy who is a HUGE risk just to send him off to our farm team. It just doesn't make sense

[tecumseh18]

The Skal hype around here is almost as bad as the time people thought Anthony Randolph was going to be the next Tracy McGrady.

Don't forget about Gerald Green.

Lots of us were Jeremy Lamb fans in 2012. I wanted Drummond, but wouldn't have been disappointed with Lamb.

[super_balls]

I'd be piss if we didn't take Skal if none of top 8 drops to us; Also for all the Skal haters they tend to forget we have D-Leauge

Yep, we do appear to have a pretty good farm team(Although not all teams use the D League that way, we certainly do.)
I actually think Murmys and his assistants did a terrific job last year with the only guy not showing much improvement being Bennett. And Bennett was just a bizarre case. I'm hoping whoever replaces Murmys does just as well with the young guys. Bruno and Skal, if we take him, should spend a lot of time training together. They have many of the same strengths and weaknesses.

I think it will be Jama Mahlalela.

[jimross]

The Skal hype around here is almost as bad as the time people thought Anthony Randolph was going to be the next Tracy McGrady.

I don't see too many posters "hyping" up Skal. Think most of us are aware of who he is as a player atm. But you can't deny his upside and fit if he can reach it. Considering how bad this draft class is and where we are as an organization taking a chance on Skal makes alot of sense to some of us.

Why do we need more projects though?

1) We don't have much cap space to work with (still not sure we can even get Biz back)
2) Our team was 2 wins away from the finals
3) We need upgrades at PF and backup SF
4) Not sure how many years Kyle Lowry has left at his current production

so why are we using up one of our best assets to draft a guy who is a HUGE risk just to send him off to our farm team. It just doesn't make sense

Because although we made in within 2 games of the finals it still took us two game sevens to get there. We aren't a role player away from making the finals. There's nobody at #9 who's going to make us all the sudden surpass the Cavs. If Skal pans out then transitioning from Lowry becomes a whole lot easier and who's to say he can't be impactful while Lowry is still in his prime (2018?). If you really want to go for it while Lowry is here then flipping #9 + for someone like Milsap makes way more sense then drafting a high floor/low ceiling prospect just so we can get some usefull minutes out of that player whatever those "usefull" minutes might provide. If this team is ever going to make the finals we need a star and Skal if he pans out could be that guy.

[Spex]

If only Rabb didn't go back to college but I guess that's Raptors luck; btw if we draft Skal is he our first Kentucky product?

Drafted I believe so. 2Pat's a Kentucky guy though, as is Casey.

[Morris_Shatford]

Just to toss this out there;

You hold a press conference to basically indirectly imply you may take a player who could take more time to develop, which we immediately assume is Skal.

Last time there was some degree that it was implied we liked a player (Ennis) the Suns basically took him to try to shake us down for a move up.

Is this about liking Skal or is this about trying to get a team above us to take Skal?

[soloxylo]

Skal has been my lock at #9 for awhile now. Outside of the projected top 5 or so, there isn't much NBA ready talent in this draft. However, there's a lot of talent with upside, that can pan out possibly if developed right. His freshman series was a wash, considering he was low in the pecking order from a developmental and rotational point of view.

Skal is still relatively new to the game, think people lose sight of that; and use his poor freshman season to marginalize his potential. Instead, of looking at what he is at the moment; you have to look at the possibility of what he can become in the next 3-4 years. Especially, with the winning program we're currently building, our D-League team; and the attention to his development he'll recieve as a result.

You add Skal to that young nucleus of length and athleticism in Cabloco, Wright, Powell, Bebe and you have a promising young core in place for the future. I like how Masai is thinking win now, without compromising the future unlike a lot of GM's and organizations.

[TdotRap4Lyfe]

"We will take someone who we can grow"

Marcus Stroman plz

He is a little too tall to play the 4.

[720]

Masai with the smokescreens.

[Clementine9]

The Skal hype around here is almost as bad as the time people thought Anthony Randolph was going to be the next Tracy McGrady.

I don't see too many posters "hyping" up Skal. Think most of us are aware of who he is as a player atm. But you can't deny his upside and fit if he can reach it. Considering how bad this draft class is and where we are as an organization taking a chance on Skal makes alot of sense to some of us.

Yeah, I'd agree with this. I recently jumped in on the draft discussion and was surprised by that "hype" label being thrown around. A lot of people liking someone doesn't equal hype. Hype is when you lack the ability to try and objectively evaluate someone. As you point out, pretty much everyone seems to understand what his current limitations are. He seems to be hated by a lot people who think we're drafting someone to put us over the top at #9. Now, I'm not saying that's impossible, but the general idea seems to be that this draft is not where you're going to find that guy. If that's the case then who cares if we draft a project? Skal might have the most value to us in a trade as well. Have to look at it from all angles.

[McFurious1]

I'd be piss if we didn't take Skal if none of top 8 drops to us; Also for all the Skal haters they tend to forget we have D-Leauge

Yep, we do appear to have a pretty good farm team(Although not all teams use the D League that way, we certainly do.)
I actually think Murmys and his assistants did a terrific job last year with the only guy not showing much improvement being Bennett. And Bennett was just a bizarre case. I'm hoping whoever replaces Murmys does just as well with the young guys. Bruno and Skal, if we take him, should spend a lot of time training together. They have many of the same strengths and weaknesses.

I think it will be Jama Mahlalela.

Who's the green room invite would surprised getting the an invite?