The #2 Pick

[TyCobb]

Kobe would fall in love with this guy...

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/20-old-croatian-prospect-nbas-202703577.html
http://www.sbnation.com/2015/6/18/8793459/mario-hezonja-nba-draft-scouting-report-cocky
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/whos-that-guy-future-lottery-pick-mario-hezonja/

He's the only player that I want more than Okafor.

[john248]

Why did you expect the opposite? He's known to jog back on defense and take defensive plays off. It's why his leadership has been mentioned as questionable since you want your best player to also be the hardest working...

This has nothing to do with taking plays off and not being in the best shape. For example, WCS is someone who's in great shape/condition but one of the major questions with him is his potential interest/love for the game. Okafor's love for the game was something that's always been advertised. Both of his parents played bball at a high level, he lost his mother at a young age and used bball as an escape, etc. In terms of his leadership ability, I've read nothing but praise about him as a teammate (from Krzyzewski and his teammates).

Well, it has a lot to do with that. If your potential franchise player isn't hustling and is the cause of plays breaking down, that trickles down to the rest of the team. Okafor can be a nice guy and friendly to his teammates, but that isn't the same as being a leader.

Okafor can love the game all he wants, and that's fine. But it was apparent he wasn't loving playing defense. Even when he hustled during the tournament, he was still a liability; Duke made their comeback in their championship game when he was in foul trouble and on the bench.

[kblo247]

Kobe would fall in love with this guy...

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/20-old-croatian-prospect-nbas-202703577.html
http://www.sbnation.com/2015/6/18/8793459/mario-hezonja-nba-draft-scouting-report-cocky
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/whos-that-guy-future-lottery-pick-mario-hezonja/

He's the only player that I want more than Okafor.

I said Mudiay or Mario .. The fact Mario hasn't given any team a workout is hurting his stock since the attitude stories came out

[kblo247]

And I maintain Okafor will be like Pau. Plenty of ability to score from the post, solid hands, passing vision, and the overall lack of defensive mentality consistently. There will be nights he will man up, nights he blocks a shot, and actually hunts a board, but there will be more nights where he just uses his arms to half way contest and offensive board, while depending on Randle to hit the defensive glass like Odom did. I maintain that getting Okafor and Randle together is trying to recreate Pau and Lamar just at a younger age

[Rosque]

http://www.sbnation.com/2015/6/18/8793459/mario-hezonja-nba-draft-scouting-report-cocky



pls

Reminds me of Rudy Fernandez

He's nothing like Rudy, not skillwise nor mentally. This is like comparing Vesely to Porzingis

[dipstick]

Mudiay's 2nd workout done:

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/06/19/emmanuel-mudiay-has-second-workout-with-lakers-in-advance-of-nba-draft/

Wondering if Russell or Okafor would agree to 2nd workouts too. Getting close.

[Rosque]

I've seen his videos. He has some nice highlights but hearing about his poor attitude and how he can't work in a offensive system is a big red flag.

He DOES not have poor attitude. He had no problems with his teammates and none have complained about his behaviour in the locker room. Sure he was overly confident when he arrived there but he calmed down with that as he spent time with Navarro, Tomic and other senior players.

He CAN work in a offensive system which is proven by him standing in the corner every game and waiting for the open three or a drive to the basket. He can and has accepted being role player.


Don't be a sheep.

[mjba]

To be fair, bad defense from the guard position is relatively not as significant as bad defense from the last line, which is the center position. Your center almost always has to be a plus defender for a good team defense.

That and the free throw thing frighten me...

me too.

more than being a 'rim protector', his inability to defend the p&r scares me the most. if he can't do that, you almost can't have him in the game.

watching that finals series, there is still definitely a place for legit low-post offence in the L. however, in order to actually utilise that skill-set, JO would need to be able to: a) not be a liability on D; and b) shoot FTs at a respectable clip. can he do either? i'm still not sure.

my point here is that for all those saying 'well, he do XYZ on O', it doesn't matter if he can't stay in the game. and if he can't do these things ^^^, then whatever he can do on O is moot.

i still haven't voted yet, but i'm starting to get close to committing to DR.

good chat here, in any case.

[mjba]

y'all should listen to mike schmitz (draftexpress) on the dunc'd on (RGM) podcast. he seems not to be so high on DR; calls him a shot-maker rather than a great shooter. personally, i don't have a problem w that, but food for thought nonetheless.

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/238244/Duncd-On-Basketball-Pod-Mike-Schmitz-Of-DraftExpress-On-High-Lotto-Picks

[Slava]

Kobe's a shot maker too, not a great shooter. More than the shooting the whole point of Russell is how smart and unselfish he is and how patient he can with manipulating the defense to get a high quality shot for himself and his teammates.

[mjba]

Kobe would fall in love with this guy...

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/20-old-croatian-prospect-nbas-202703577.html
http://www.sbnation.com/2015/6/18/8793459/mario-hezonja-nba-draft-scouting-report-cocky
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/whos-that-guy-future-lottery-pick-mario-hezonja/

He's the only player that I want more than Okafor.

quoted.

for better or worse

[mjba]

Kobe's a shot maker too, not a great shooter. More than the shooting the whole point of Russell is how smart and unselfish he is and how patient he can with manipulating the defense to get a high quality shot for himself and his teammates.

absolutely. (and i think there's no question he's better shooter than kobe ever was). my point was more directed to those who are expecting more curry than harden. (ridiculous comp on both parts, i know)

[Sedale Threatt]

Kobe's a shot maker too, not a great shooter. More than the shooting the whole point of Russell is how smart and unselfish he is and how patient he can with manipulating the defense to get a high quality shot for himself and his teammates.

Based strictly on highlight videos, which can make anyone look good, his passing looks drool-worthy.

[Slava]

Kobe's a shot maker too, not a great shooter. More than the shooting the whole point of Russell is how smart and unselfish he is and how patient he can with manipulating the defense to get a high quality shot for himself and his teammates.

Based strictly on highlight videos, which can make anyone look good, his passing looks drool-worthy.

His vision is amazing, which is why I find it rather surprising people see him as a SG, he is a top quality PG with size.

If you haven't followed Ohio State, you'd be surprised how many times he unselfishly advances the ball even if he is behind the play and sees an advantage developing on the break. Him and Cameron Payne in this draft are probably the best passers I've seen in a while.

[HINrichPolice]

Bulls fan here. Personally, I'm a big Okafor fan. I know he has his faults on defense, and the NBA champions won with small ball, but I think he's as good of a talent offensively as you'll find in a big. So what kind of deal could we create involving Jimmy Butler and the #2 pick?

[Sedale Threatt]

Kobe's a shot maker too, not a great shooter. More than the shooting the whole point of Russell is how smart and unselfish he is and how patient he can with manipulating the defense to get a high quality shot for himself and his teammates.

Based strictly on highlight videos, which can make anyone look good, his passing looks drool-worthy.

His vision is amazing, which is why I find it rather surprising people see him as a SG, he is a top quality PG with size.

If you haven't followed Ohio State, you'd be surprised how many times he unselfishly advances the ball even if he is behind the play and sees an advantage developing on the break. Him and Cameron Payne in this draft are probably the best passers I've seen in a while.

At such a young age, too. I could get used to watching an elite passer every night for a decade-plus. It's probably my favorite skill in basketball. (Thanks, Magic.) I have to admit, I don't know if Russell is a better pick than Okafor, but I'll be a little disappointed if we don't take him.

[crazyeights]

Based strictly on highlight videos, which can make anyone look good, his passing looks drool-worthy.

His vision is amazing, which is why I find it rather surprising people see him as a SG, he is a top quality PG with size.

If you haven't followed Ohio State, you'd be surprised how many times he unselfishly advances the ball even if he is behind the play and sees an advantage developing on the break. Him and Cameron Payne in this draft are probably the best passers I've seen in a while.

At such a young age, too. I could get used to watching an elite passer every night for a decade-plus. It's probably my favorite skill in basketball. (Thanks, Magic.) I have to admit, I don't know if Russell is a better pick than Okafor, but I'll be a little disappointed if we don't take him.

I want Russell too, but odds are this is probably our last chance to draft a great big man for at least another generation.

I'm looking at it like this:

Which is better? A core of:

Russell/Randle/Clarkson

or

Okafor/Randle/Clarkson

[Sedale Threatt]

His vision is amazing, which is why I find it rather surprising people see him as a SG, he is a top quality PG with size.

If you haven't followed Ohio State, you'd be surprised how many times he unselfishly advances the ball even if he is behind the play and sees an advantage developing on the break. Him and Cameron Payne in this draft are probably the best passers I've seen in a while.

At such a young age, too. I could get used to watching an elite passer every night for a decade-plus. It's probably my favorite skill in basketball. (Thanks, Magic.) I have to admit, I don't know if Russell is a better pick than Okafor, but I'll be a little disappointed if we don't take him.

I want Russell too, but odds are this is probably our last chance to draft a great big man for at least another generation.

I'm looking at it like this:

Which is better? A core of:

Russell/Randle/Clarkson

or

Okafor/Randle/Clarkson

Yeah, it's probably the smarter choice, or at least a little bit safer. The thing is, I'm not sure if I trust Clarkson yet to be one of our foundational pieces. Great rookie season, great pickup in the second round, but is he a legitimately good player or did he just put up numbers on a horrible team? I'm not saying he did, I just want to see a little bit more from him before I'd be ready to dissuade taking a player who, in my eyes, will be significantly superior, especially as he's actually a true PG rather than an undersized SG.

[Rosque]

Clarkson's not undersized SG. He's 6'5. That's good height

[BullsLakersFan]

If anyone wants to see some Hezonja, Barça is about to play the Finals against Madrid in 15 minutes. There are a lot of streams out there, you shouldn't have a problem to watch it.

Also, a good read about Towns and Okafor: http://www.awolfamongwolves.com/2015/06/karl-anthony-towns-vs-jahlil-okafor-one-mans-opinion/