The #2 Pick

[TyCobb]

That post had 'can of whoop ass', 'cakes', 'unibrow', and 'trill' in it. Well done.

[Curuch13]

Let's hope that Ok4 is dominating like Duncan and Shaq. Prove to the critics wrong about his shortcomings and is the right franchise center in this draft and not Towns.

Towns will be a PF and groomed by one of the 3 best PFs ever in KG. He's too frail to be a 5 and he loves the perimeter shot when Cal isn't forcing his ass down low. Poor mans Sheed IMO

You have no idea what you're talking about. Towns is not too frail to be a 5. He's athletic and strong. The guy is 250 lbs which is heavier than Ewing and Robinson and about even with Hakeem. He pretty much measures the same as Duncan.

What do you guys think of the Chad Ford writeup calling this draft:

Tier 1 - Towns
Tier 2 - Okafor, Russell, Mudiay, Porzingis

Towns is our guy but the only thing imo that is pushing him to #1 is that he has no glaring weaknesses. I still don't see this as a sure thing that he will be the best player in this draft. He could very well end up as a super role player while guys like Okafor, Russell, Mudiay and even Porzingis end up as all-stars.

I hope we develop him as a 5 although I am afraid that he will be forced to be a 4 to free up minutes for Dieng and Pek. He is too slow to guard most 4's and putting him there would keep him from one of his best skills which is being a defensive anchor.

[john248]

Towns will be a PF and groomed by one of the 3 best PFs ever in KG. He's too frail to be a 5 and he loves the perimeter shot when Cal isn't forcing his ass down low. Poor mans Sheed IMO

You have no idea what you're talking about. Towns is not too frail to be a 5. He's athletic and strong. The guy is 250 lbs which is heavier than Ewing and Robinson and about even with Hakeem. He pretty much measures the same as Duncan.

He's strong? He has twig legs that aren't proportionate with his body. He was a shot blocker in the NCAA sure, but he also was incredibly foul prone because guys would hit him with their body and he couldn't withstand the blow. Kaminsky served him a can of whoop ass inside and on the glass when they met. And he's never played real minutes even in college. Hell he couldn't even dominate in the tourney down low. He's lite in the cakes and going to get that ass served up out west at the 5 and at the 4 too whe ZBO, Unibrow, and Blake come to town. He will be a 4 in Minny along with KG and Pek/Dieng will be at the 5 to protect him, but make no mistake, his flaws will be exposed with real minutes and no Trill running around to cover for him

Again, you have no idea what you're talking about. You do realize that no one played over 25 mpg at Kentucky, and that Kaminsky owned Okafor in the championship game, right? Well, of course, you don't. This is what happens when you just punch out a bunch of words and press submit without knowing what the hell you're talking about.

What you described as guys hitting Towns with their body is called a charge. Towns bit on pump fakes which led to fouls. That was his problem. Most young bigs coming into the league are foul prone anyways. This generally goes down with more experience in the league after a few years.

Kaminsky had big games against a bunch of guys as a lottery pick after all. He had some range where Okafor wouldn't even step out to contest him. Then Okafor got into foul trouble then landed on the bench. Duke made their comeback since their defense tightened up. Where's the Okafor domination here?

But that's just it. There aren't any sure fire dominant guys in this draft. Towns could just be a taller Ibaka; Okafor is trash on defense; Russell isn't hyper athletic; Mudiay is a trash shooter and might not even be as good as John Wall; Krispy can't draw fouls and may be a black hole; Hezonja is more flash than actual effective play.

You're the guy who supports Rondo. That's enough said.

[TyCobb]

Draft Week Big Board

1. [1] (1) Jahlil Okafor – C – Duke – 6’11’’ – 272 lbs – 19 years old
- Best offensive player in the draft. Elite post moves, high BBIQ, great size.
2. [2] (2) Karl Towns – C – Kentucky – 7’0’’ – 248 lbs – 19 years old
- Best two-way player in draft. Can face up or post up. Rim protector. Excellent rebounder.
3. [3] (3) D'Angelo Russell – G – Ohio State – 6’5’’ -180 lbs – 19 years old
- Second best offensive player in draft. Elite handles, shooting stroke, and court vision. Very efficient.
4. [4] (4) Kevon Looney – F – UCLA – 6’9’’ – 220 lbs – 19 years old
- Versatile offensively and defensively. High BBIQ, very unselfish, excellent rebounding and length.
5. [5] (5) Mario Hezonja – SG – International – 6’8’’ – 200 lbs - 20 years old
- Athletic scorer with an aggressive offensive mentality.
6. [6] (6) Emmanuel Mudiay – PG – USA – 6’5’’ – 200 lbs – 19 years old
- Outstanding size and strength for a point guard. Sets up his teammates, attacks basket, and can defend.
7. [7] (7) Kristaps Porzingis – PF – International – 7’1’’ – 220 lbs – 19 years old
8. [8] (9) Willie Cauley-Stein – C – Kentucky – 7’0’’ – 240 lbs – 21 years old
- Versatile defender with elite athleticism.
9. [10] (17) Justise Winslow – SF – Duke – 6’6’’ – 229 lbs – 19 years old
10. [9] (10) Bobby Portis – PF – Arkansas – 6’10’’ – 235 lbs – 20 years old
- One of the most consistent players in the country. #1 in SEC in ORtg among players used in at least 24% of poss.
11. [11] (11) Stanley Johnson – Arizona - SF - 6’8’’ – 243 lbs – 19 years old
- Statistically… top 5 comps for college impact in order, Wiggins – Kidd-Gilchrist – Aaron Gordon – Jeff Taylor- Terrence Jones. Pretty good company.
12. [16] (16) Myles Turner – C – Texas – 6’11’’ – 242 lbs – 19 years old
13. [15] (15) Frank Kaminsky – C – Wisconsin – 7’0’’ – 242 lbs – 22 years old
14. [14] (26) Trey Lyles – PF – Kentucky – 6’10’’ – 250 lbs – 19 years old
15. [19] (19) Devin Booker – SG – Kentucky – 6’5’’ – 190 lbs – 18 years old
16. [NR] (NR) Cameron Payne - PG - Murray State - 6'2'' - 183 lbs - 20 years old
17. [17] (20) Kelly Oubre Jr. – SF – Kansas – 6’6’’ – 204 lbs – 19 years old
18. [13] (14) Jerian Grant – PG – Notre Dame – 6’5’’ – 205 lbs – 22 years old
19. [26] (13) Tyus Jones – PG – Duke – 6’1’’ – 184 lbs – 19 years old
20. [28] (28) Rondae Hollis-Jefferson – SF – Arizona – 6’6’’ – 212 lbs – 20 years old
21. [24] (21) Justin Anderson – SF – Virginia – 6’6’’ – 222 lbs – 21 years old
22. [20 (18) Christian Wood – PF – UNLV – 6’11’’ – 220 lbs – 19 years old
23. [12] (12) Jarell Martin – PF – LSU – 6’10’’ – 235 lbs – 20 years old
24. [25] (25) Delon Wright – PG – Utah – 6’5’’ – 179 lbs – 23 years old
25. [29] (27) Montrezl Harrell – PF – Louisville – 6’8’’ – 230 lbs – 21 years old
26. [27] (NR) Sam Dekker – SF – Wisconsin – 6’9’’ – 229 lbs – 21 years old
27. [NR] (NR) Terry Rozier - PG - Louisville - 6'2'' - 190 lbs - 21 years old
28. [NR] (NR) Rashad Vaughn - SG - UNLV - 6'5'' - 199 lbs - 18 years old
29. [NR] (NR) R.J. Hunter - SG - Georgia State - 6'6'' - 185 lbs - 21 years old
30. [NR] (NR) Vince Hunter - F - UTEP - 6'8'' - 208 lbs - 20 years old

Number in [ ] indicates April 1 ranking. Number in ( ) indicates March 1 ranking.

[john248]

Towns will be a PF and groomed by one of the 3 best PFs ever in KG. He's too frail to be a 5 and he loves the perimeter shot when Cal isn't forcing his ass down low. Poor mans Sheed IMO

You have no idea what you're talking about. Towns is not too frail to be a 5. He's athletic and strong. The guy is 250 lbs which is heavier than Ewing and Robinson and about even with Hakeem. He pretty much measures the same as Duncan.

What do you guys think of the Chad Ford writeup calling this draft:

Tier 1 - Towns
Tier 2 - Okafor, Russell, Mudiay, Porzingis

Towns is our guy but the only thing imo that is pushing him to #1 is that he has no glaring weaknesses. I still don't see this as a sure thing that he will be the best player in this draft. He could very well end up as a super role player while guys like Okafor, Russell, Mudiay and even Porzingis end up as all-stars.

I hope we develop him as a 5 although I am afraid that he will be forced to be a 4 to free up minutes for Dieng and Pek. He is too slow to guard most 4's and putting him there would keep him from one of his best skills which is being a defensive anchor.

You're going down a slippery slope where you think Towns can be not as special as the other guys you listed. My guess is that you've watched and followed the NBA just as much as anyone else. How many transcendent superstars are in a draft? Well, this just happens once every several years. I don't think anyone is calling any player in this draft that type of superstar (prime KG, Kobe, Duncan, etc). Now we're left with players who fall in between that superstar and all-star with Towns and Russell projecting as those guys.

With Towns, he may very well be that super role player you're talking about. Offensively, he may very well be the guy who is a roll/pop man, shoots assisted jumpers, goes for putbacks, and has limited time in the post. Defensively, he can be a very good player as a paint protector and the ability to defend screens. Being able to play the 4 and 5 is valuable. So even as a super role player as you describe, this may still be the best option for the TWolves. Towns will still have some value offensively as the screener for Rubio and Wiggins. Defensively, he can be the guy to build around. Not sure if Pek will be long term, but at least in the short term, Towns can still defend the paint and shoot the mid-range. He'll probably be exposed by quicker 4's, but keep in mind, you guys had Kevin Love at the 4 with his crappy defense. Of course this depends on Rubio staying healthy and being willing to improve his jumper. KG will be an excellent mentor.

With Russell, it'll just come down to how fast he is on the court. While he doesn't need elite speed, he does need to be able to turn the corner and attack the basket when he's coming off the screen. If he's able to do that in the NBA, we're talking about a special player since he can handle the ball, has great vision/feel for the game, and can shoot. If he can't, then we're talking about a player who can now be defended much easier. But this is why many feel he has the most upside but also may just be a solid starter type.

I think Okafor will be an all-star since he'll definitely be able to score in this league. No idea what his overall value will be since his defense is that bad. There aren't a lot of back-to-the-basket post scorers in the league, and Okafor's ability to defend in space is something that I don't think will ever happen especially since he doesn't use his length well. Building a defense around him will be tougher since a good defending power forward isn't so common in the league and stocking up on 3-D types can be pricey. With the TWolves specifically, pairing him with Rubio and Wiggins will be nice since Rubio can defend and Wiggins will be a good defender with more experience. IF, and I mean IF, Wiggins can develop is offense to be something special, then the pairing of him and Okafor with Rubio distributing will be nice. Then you'd just need to find that rare power forward who can shoot and defend while grabbing a 3-D off-guard in free agency. Not sure if Flip is the guy to make the defense work, but he can make the offense function. Again as mentioned before, Rubio would need to stay healthy and be willing to improve his jumper. KG is the type to hold Okafor accountable on defense since as well all know, KG loves to bark and shout. But yea, Okafor will be an all-star due to ability to score and rack up hollow rebounds (he's a poor defensive rebounder, doesn't box out but at least this can be corrected if he's willing).

I don't see Mudiay as being a game changing talent. His outside shooting may eventually be as good as Westbrook which isn't fantastic but almost solid enough. His shooting will improve. I hope you don't take any offense, but I do think his ceiling could be higher than Rubio simply because Mudiay will probably be a better finisher in the NBA. He's good in the pick-n-roll and in transition and just needs more experience and good coaching.

Take it with a grain of salt. We're all just guessing.

[kblo247]

Towns will be a PF and groomed by one of the 3 best PFs ever in KG. He's too frail to be a 5 and he loves the perimeter shot when Cal isn't forcing his ass down low. Poor mans Sheed IMO

You have no idea what you're talking about. Towns is not too frail to be a 5. He's athletic and strong. The guy is 250 lbs which is heavier than Ewing and Robinson and about even with Hakeem. He pretty much measures the same as Duncan.

What do you guys think of the Chad Ford writeup calling this draft:

Tier 1 - Towns
Tier 2 - Okafor, Russell, Mudiay, Porzingis

Towns is our guy but the only thing imo that is pushing him to #1 is that he has no glaring weaknesses. I still don't see this as a sure thing that he will be the best player in this draft. He could very well end up as a super role player while guys like Okafor, Russell, Mudiay and even Porzingis end up as all-stars.

I hope we develop him as a 5 although I am afraid that he will be forced to be a 4 to free up minutes for Dieng and Pek. He is too slow to guard most 4's and putting him there would keep him from one of his best skills which is being a defensive anchor.

I think ford will go back after they played the season out and change his board to make it look like he never said that stuff about towns being a different tier. He has the highest ceiling, but to me he is also the fourth best guy in the top 4 and I do believe Okafor, Mudiay, and Russell will have a better year and career

[M2K]

Let's hope that Ok4 is dominating like Duncan and Shaq. Prove to the critics wrong about his shortcomings and is the right franchise center in this draft and not Towns.

Jahlil Okafor and the Lakers will get destroyed trying to defend the pick & roll, the most used offensive play in basketball history.

[ratedrdb]

okafor-----al Jefferson..... not Randolph
randle-----milsap........... not odom
are we turning into Utah????

[Mirjalovic]

okafor-----al Jefferson..... not Randolph
randle-----milsap........... not odom
are we turning into Utah????

it's too early to say.

you guys to concerned about the weaknesses and forget how well they can play.

[Kilroy]

Ok4, Towns and Russel are all at least 2 years from reaching their full physical development... So we need to stop focusing on their body characteristics at the time of the draft as an indicator of what positions/styles they will play.

[BEazy]

I can't wait till the 25th so all those people that want a guard can finally settle down and accept what we've done, which is draft Jahlil Okafor.

[kblo247]

Let's hope that Ok4 is dominating like Duncan and Shaq. Prove to the critics wrong about his shortcomings and is the right franchise center in this draft and not Towns.

Jahlil Okafor and the Lakers will get destroyed trying to defend the pick & roll, the most used offensive play in basketball history.

You mean like Fisher and Shaq or Fisher and Pau or Bynum and Sessions or Nash and Pau or Nash and Dwight?

We can live with that long as he scores and the PF we have gets something back. Hell the only time we haven't been dominated by the pick and roll is when Kobe switched on a PG and it was Odom or 40 year old Malone there covering.

Towns is going to get owned on the block and on drives from the baseline without stein there. Russell is going to get destroyed similar to the way harden does at first as well since D isn't natural. The best defenders in this draft are Muiday, Johnson, Winslow, RHJ, and Stein by a good margin. And if we are talking one on one post D its kaminsky who gave both okafor and towns the biz with straight up coverage, as he just sucks at help D.

I stick by what I've said, you draft okafor, then you pony up for Dragic (17 per probably to offset the Cali taxes compared to Miami) and use what's left of the max on a wing (Corey Brewer or Gerald Green) and get a vet bit like Booz to return for the room. At the very worst you get Rondo and Deng at about at least 8mil per with 3 year deals so that the PG and SF don't blow by and play a low possession game while using what's left of the max on another big like Kufos or Ed and the room on a role player

[iamworthy]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/CBSSportsNBA/status/612638452824326144[/tweet]

[yitur]

Call me crazy but I think Turner will be great. He is a great rebounder, good shooter and good rim protector. And he has great standing reach. I know we won't select him, we didn't even work him out but I think he is a great fit for Randle and a great fit for today's bball.

[Lakernut4ever]

Talk about arrogance....what if minnesota suddenly changed their minds and picked another? Do we still take dwight coward 2.0 who refused a workout with us?

[kblo247]

Call me crazy but I think Turner will be great. He is a great rebounder, good shooter and good rim protector. And he has great standing reach. I know we won't select him, we didn't even work him out but I think he is a great fit for Randle and a great fit for today's bball.

His gait and clumsy movements remind me of Bynum structurally

[yitur]

Call me crazy but I think Turner will be great. He is a great rebounder, good shooter and good rim protector. And he has great standing reach. I know we won't select him, we didn't even work him out but I think he is a great fit for Randle and a great fit for today's bball.

His gait and clumsy movements remind me of Bynum structurally

I don't see what's so wrong about his movements that it will hurt him in the long run, can you or somebody else explain it to me with a video if you do have one.

[DEEP3CL]

You do realize that no one played over 25 mpg at Kentucky, and that Kaminsky owned Okafor in the championship game, right?

Dude c'mon...Jahlil got in foul trouble in the first half and had to sit like 8 minutes, they played on even terms until Jahlil picked up his 4th foul and had to sit again. When the game came down the stretch of winning time, Kaminsky couldn't stop Okafor on like 2 key possessions.

[LApwnd]

Call me crazy but I think Turner will be great. He is a great rebounder, good shooter and good rim protector. And he has great standing reach. I know we won't select him, we didn't even work him out but I think he is a great fit for Randle and a great fit for today's bball.

For some reason when i see his highlights i think he could either be a total scrub and a bust or he'll be a top 5 player at his position in due time. Dudes hella long but the way he runs looks awkward, like he bo-legged...just imagine how you would run with a big zit on your butt lol

[DEEP3CL]

I can't wait till the 25th so all those people that want a guard can finally settle down and accept what we've done, which is draft Jahlil Okafor.

Hell to the mutha....in yeah. And if they don't post anymore than they didn't realize what was a stake in the first place.