Poll: Who should the Wolves take with the #1 overall pick?

[jpatrick]

I actually think Okafor will improve a lot as a free throw shooter. No guarantees, but his form isn't awful, and he has nice touch.

Agreed. A lot of people improved FT shooting once they got to the NBA. Blake shot 59% over his first two seasons (52% as sophomore), 72% over last two seasons. Tim Duncan was sub-65% four times in the first half of his career, but has his career average at 70%.

I generally tend to agree with this, but we've also all heard how difficult it is for people with giant hands to shoot free throws and the size of Okafor's hands is well documented.

[Merc_Porto]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjwjtNp6L5g[/youtube]

Looks like he doesn´t mind to come to Minnesota.

[MaxMN]

I think we need to take Towns, we need his elite defensive abilities in the paint.

Sure Okafor can use his strength to have his way under the basket, but wouldn't that make him Pek 2.0?

[Klomp]

Sure Okafor can use his strength to have his way under the basket, but wouldn't that make him Pek 2.0?

No. That's a lazy comparison. Okafor will be better than Pekovic the second he styeps on an NBA court.

[C.lupus]

This is going to be a long six weeks.

[kmgarnett21]

From CBS Sports/Sam Vecenie

"The two players are close enough that you can take the player who best fits your team, and for the Wolves I like the versatility of Towns. He's physical enough to get a bucket in the paint, but also skilled enough to stretch the floor with his solid jump shot. That ability to stretch the floor is a big reason why he makes more sense for them, as Towns has the potential to keep the paint open for Ricky Rubio and Andrew Wiggins, which will be essential to their offensive success. The Wolves are also in need of a rim protecting center, and Towns likely profiles a bit better in that regard than Okafor if he can fix his foul issues."

Agreed 100%. I love both players, like I've said 100 times. But I think KAT fits our team better. With Okafor, there won't be much space down low and the lanes will be clogged. With Towns, the spacing would be so much better, plus Towns has shown the ability to score down low when needed, and I'm sure he'll be able to improve his low-post game also.

[paulpressey25]

This is going to be a long six weeks.

You guys are lucky to have this debate versus getting screwed in the lotto like you usually do. And you dumped Love, who was a flawed prima donna for a boatload of talent. Still not sure you can overcome a bad basketball owner in Taylor though.

Modern NBA would say Towns. Post defense and offensive spacing much more important than old time post scoring ala Al Jefferson.

[Dewey]

I see 12 ...
Towns, Pekovic, Dieng rotation ... KG 15m ... Payne sparingly
Bjelica, Wiggins, Bazz rotation ... Hummel sparingly
Martin, Lavine, Rube rotation ... ?? Combo guard

Combo-guard sparingly (Lin?) (acquired via Bud/Bennett)

Neal slight chance he returns but likely gone
Brown gone

[Mattya]

I don't get why people were saying Towns looked mad at the lotto results. Well I mean I do understand why, but if you actually watch after Glen Taylor shook Nerlen's hand Towns has a big smile on his face.

[C.lupus]

This is going to be a long six weeks.

You guys are lucky to have this debate versus getting screwed in the lotto like you usually do. And you dumped Love, who was a flawed prima donna for a boatload of talent. Still not sure you can overcome a bad basketball owner in Taylor though.

Modern NBA would say Towns. Post defense and offensive spacing much more important than old time post scoring ala Al Jefferson.

Oh, no doubt. I'm just already driving myself crazy going back and forth.

I don't think Taylor is going to be majority owner for that much longer, tbh. Nothing to back that up, just a gut feeling.

[The J Rocka]

I don't get why people were saying Towns looked mad at the lotto results. Well I mean I do understand why, but if you actually watch after Glen Taylor shook Nerlen's hand Towns has a big smile on his face.

It's all a bunch of crap. These guys are going to be happy that their dream is about to come true.

There's nothing more satisfying than to be picked first overall. Not selected first? You get to play in LA. Not much to be upset about.

Who wouldn't want to play with a pass first PG and an uprising Andrew Wiggins? Also, to have the opportunity to be KG's protege? Yeah, what a bad situation to be in...

[mondry]

Something I've always thought about our team is that it's more important for our big's to be better defenders than scorers because of Rubio's passing ability and how he can set up another player. In other words, Rubio can elevate Town's offensive game but he can't really do anything to help Okafor's defense. You could say Rubio would make Okafor even more elite on offense but I think there are limits to how that works, like what's the difference between Towns getting a good feed for an easy dunk to okafor getting the same feed / easy dunk. I don't think Towns is such an offensive liability that that would be a plus when considering okafor.

Obviously Ronny Turiaf shouldn't ever be mentioned in the same sentence as Towns but he's kind of the only defensive minded player we got to see (in small amounts) with rubio and even Turiaf was able to put up some 10 point games while having a positive defensive impact when Pek was hurt. I see no reason towns couldn't put up 12 PPG as a rookie playing with Rubio while taking another +5 off the opponents score for a net +17.

Okafor may score more from the get go, say 22 PPG but he's more likely to be Ennes Kanter on defense than Tim Duncan to me and that means he's giving up a big portion of that 22 PPG back to the other team on defense, say -10 which puts him at +12.

The good thing here is that we're getting a + player either way, it seems like we can't really go wrong so as negative as I am about Okafor we really are in a great position, it's just about which guy will edge out the other in the long run. Personally I feel like Towns' game fits the current NBA better, he fits this team better, and he's easier to build around because a Kevin Love / Okafor type combo while ridiculous on offense probably can't stop anyone in the playoffs and I'm not convinced we can find a stud defensive PF later on. After this draft, as long as we're healthy I don't see us picking in the top 10 for much longer, our chances of finding the "perfect" guy to put next to Okafor will start to become limited, I don't see that problem with Towns.

Towns (while messing around of course) has the range to beat Wiggins in a 3 point shooting contest while Okafor barely makes 1 out of 2 free throws and I just don't see Okafor's defense improving that much, I just think he lacks the heart / hustle / motivation / mentality to ever care as much as he needs to on the defensive end. I also don't see Okafor improving that much offensively from what he is already. Part of that isn't his fault because he's already SO GOOD at what he does.

If I had to put numbers on it I'd say Okafor is already at about 80% of what he is both offensively and defensively. He has some room to improve but I have a feeling what you see from him is pretty close to what his end game is. Towns I'd say has unlocked 60% of his offensive potential and 70% of his defense but that leaves a bit more room for a higher end game.

While looking at all these factors, I have to prefer Towns, I think defensively and his 6-16 foot range is a lot closer to mirroring tim duncan than Okafor who seems to only really be superior as a post up player.

Obviously I could be completely wrong about Okafor so if Flip thinks he's the way to go then so be it. I think Okafor's offense would have to be in the 28-30 PPG range for me to really be swayed on him and maybe with Rubio that's his legit ceiling but we'll see. I just wanted to put all my thoughts out there in one go, I've made my peace with it, thanks for listening haha.

[Adenusi]

Welcome to MN Towns!

http://7online.com/sports/jahlil-okafor-hype-about-no-1-is-more-for-the-fans/732375/

"I don't know that I should go No. 1," Okafor told SI Now. "I don't care. I just want to go to the right environment for me and the right team. I think the hype about No. 1 is more for the fans."

[TaylorTag]

Welcome to MN Towns!

http://7online.com/sports/jahlil-okafor-hype-about-no-1-is-more-for-the-fans/732375/

"I don't know that I should go No. 1," Okafor told SI Now. "I don't care. I just want to go to the right environment for me and the right team. I think the hype about No. 1 is more for the fans."

LOL. What a dope.

I was impressed with Towns' interview. The kid is composed and said all the right things, unlike Okafor. I've always been Team Towns, so I'm perfectly OK with this (pun not intended)

[rugbyrugger23]

If I were Flip, I would take the landing of #1 overall (finally) as a sign, an omen if you will. Time to firmly place the Wolves on the NBA franchise powerhouse map for a decade.

Step 1: Assume Wiggins and #1 overall are your 2 pillars and future superstars.

Step 2: Trade your current roster of quarters, dimes, and nickels for that dollar, who with Wiggins and #1 are the big three pillars for 10 years to come. Everyone outside Wiggins and #1 is on trade block, yes even Rubio (maybe he is a 50 cent piece, but I would move him with quarters and nickels for another gleaming silver dollar).

Step 3: Whoever that player is received via trade in step 2, help dictate who is picked at #1. Say it's a defensive PF, then obvious OAK becomes a better option. Say it's a guard, maybe doesn't change his selection at all. Say it's a center, that would change who is selected as well.

To put names to this solution:

I think Vonleh, Randle, or Gordon from last years draft could be traded for starting with Dieng, while including some combo of Martin, Bazz, and Bennett/Payne (and #31).

Same with Kings pick at 6 if Flip wants WCS or Porzinigis. Kings want wins now for new brass and to appease Boggie and they have bad contract(s) to dump and they were just burned last year by their high pick bust.
Dieng=nice fit next to Boggie
Martin=vet SG to mentor McLemore
Choose Bazz, and/or Payne or Bennett, add in 31 while taking on worst contract.

Whatever the trade details, Flip should ultimately leave 2015 draft with the most ideal F-C pairing as he sees it.
C: OAK or KAT or WCS
F: KAT or Porzinigis or Vonleh or Randle or Gordon

[FinnTheHuman]

When I compare Towns and Okafor on the court without hearing a word from them, I'm leaning towards Okafor, but given how inarticulate Okafor is, I'd go Towns. When you have such 2 talented guys to chose from, you go for the one who seems more intelligent.

[Devilzsidewalk]

I actually think Okafor will improve a lot as a free throw shooter. No guarantees, but his form isn't awful, and he has nice touch.

Agreed. A lot of people improved FT shooting once they got to the NBA. Blake shot 59% over his first two seasons (52% as sophomore), 72% over last two seasons. Tim Duncan was sub-65% four times in the first half of his career, but has his career average at 70%.

I generally tend to agree with this, but we've also all heard how difficult it is for people with giant hands to shoot free throws and the size of Okafor's hands is well documented.

Giannis hit 74% this year. Okafor needs to man up.

[jpatrick]

Zgoda spends alot of time with the Twolves brass and is convinced that Okafor is the guy. He said Towns could be the pick, but Flip would have to change his mind over the next 6 weeks. He also noted that when Flip went to see Towns, he only played 13 minutes and had 2 points. This is one of the problems with having a GM/Coach, very limited opportunities to see these guys play actual games in person.

[Devilzsidewalk]

When I compare Towns and Okafor on the court without hearing a word from them, I'm leaning towards Okafor, but given how inarticulate Okafor is, I'd go Towns. When you have such 2 talented guys to chose from, you go for the one who seems more intelligent.

I think Okafor is just subdued when a mic is on him. The biggest extraneous variable outside of on-court production will probably be Bill Duffy. I suspect he played a big part in getting Wiggins and Lavine's in the right mindset to be on-board early with playing in Minnesota. I'd have to imagine Flip likes the idea of dealing a trustworthy agent that won't be working behind his back against the interests of the team.

[FinnTheHuman]

When I compare Towns and Okafor on the court without hearing a word from them, I'm leaning towards Okafor, but given how inarticulate Okafor is, I'd go Towns. When you have such 2 talented guys to chose from, you go for the one who seems more intelligent.

I think Okafor is just subdued when a mic is on him.

I don't like the way he struggles to find words that turn out to be the biggest possible cliche of an answer. That ping pong video made me feel that way.