The #2 Pick

DEEP3CL · Post #1421 » by **DEEP3CL** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 1:38 am

Kilroy wrote: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.

I laugh every time I see guys tying to predict what their bodies will be like. Hell Bynum wasn't that big until he started hitting weights NBA style, by 2008 he was in beast mode body wise. Anybody should know you don't get a chance to lift in college like you do the pros.

Post #1422 » by **Danny Darko** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 3:07 am

DEEP3CL wrote:
john248 wrote: 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.

agreed
Frank went 3-8 with 9 rb in 35 min
Okafor 6-8 with 6 rb in 27

pretty good breakdown here:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC7feDM8cIQ[/youtube]

Post #1423 » by **Goudelock** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 3:07 am

How would you feel if they picked Porzingis? He's getting a lot of hype over the last few weeks. And he (sort of/kind of) looks like Kevin Garnett when it comes to build and skill-set (maybe?).

Mirjalovic · Post #1424 » by **Mirjalovic** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 3:32 am

Garnett was faster, explosive, skilled and capable to play as a SF full time.

and i believe in Mitch. They won't pick him.

Indy2LA · Post #1425 » by **Indy2LA** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 4:53 am

PockyCandy wrote:How would you feel if they picked Porzingis? He's getting a lot of hype over the last few weeks. And he (sort of/kind of) looks like Kevin Garnett when it comes to build and skill-set (maybe?).

Porzingis is going to be a huge bust! He's soft and will get pushed around in the NBA. Taking him in the top 5 or top 10 could completely destroy a franchise. Or keep one in the basement like the Orlando Magic (sorry Victor Oladipo).

*cough* Fran Vazquez *cough*

Mario Hezonja is the only european player that's worth a top 10 pick. Love his competitiveness. They keep comparing him to Kobe for that reason alone. Worst case scenario he turns into Nikola Mirotic.

If Mitch passes on Jahlil Okafor, he's not the great GM that we all think he is. That being said I'm very confident that Okafor is the pick at #2 and it's a no-brainer. Maybe the second coming of Tim Duncan.

john248 · Post #1426 » by **john248** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 4:56 am

Danny Darko wrote:
DEEP3CL wrote:
john248 wrote: 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.

agreed
Frank went 3-8 with 9 rb in 35 min
Okafor 6-8 with 6 rb in 27

pretty good breakdown here:

Well no, and you'd be wrong. Not even talking about the same thing.

There was a point in the title game when Wisconsin was up 5 after the 2nd half which then expanded to a 9 or 10 point lead. Okafor landed on the bench due to foul trouble; Coach K put Jefferson on Kaminsky which caused Kaminsky trouble and was the start of Duke's defense tightening down. Mark Titus over at Grantland wrote a nice piece about this who goes as far as to say that Duke plays 4 on 5 on defense since Okafor is useless on that end. Greyson Allen (hit a big 3 while scoring 8 straight) and Jones then carried that offense in the 2nd half.

Hogified05 · Post #1427 » by **Hogified05** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 5:20 am

Indy2LA wrote:
PockyCandy wrote:How would you feel if they picked Porzingis? He's getting a lot of hype over the last few weeks. And he (sort of/kind of) looks like Kevin Garnett when it comes to build and skill-set (maybe?).

Porzingis is going to be a huge bust! He's soft and will get pushed around in the NBA. Taking him in the top 5 or top 10 could completely destroy a franchise. Or keep one in the basement like the Orlando Magic (sorry Victor Oladipo).

*cough* Fran Vazquez *cough*

Mario Hezonja is the only european player that's worth a top 10 pick. Love his competitiveness. They keep comparing him to Kobe for that reason alone. Worst case scenario he turns into Nikola Mirotic.

If Mitch passes on Jahlil Okafor, he's not the great GM that we all think he is. That being said I'm very confident that Okafor is the pick at #2 and it's a no-brainer. Maybe the second coming of Tim Duncan.

I totally agree you guys shouldn't draft Porzingis. Let us draft him. Do the work developing him. Have him take us to a finals to lose. Then follow in the path of Dwight and Shaq to LA!

But in all seriousness I am actually hoping we take one of the Euros. Not sure if Porzingis will translate into a superstar like all the "draft experts" seem to think, but I do know he will fill two needs for us. Shooting and rim protection. If he develops into a stud great! Bonus.

Now Mario I think will be a stud. Dude's confidence is on Kobe levels at 20. Has all the tools 6'8, freaky athletic with a decent handle and superb stroke. And man do we need shooting.

Winslow just seems like more of the same of what we have. I'd be let down if he is the pick but I'll give the kid a chance. Russell doesn't do it for me, I think he won't be that good. Mudiay we already have Elf. WCS would be cool.

LFAHFN22 · Post #1428 » by **LFAHFN22** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 6:57 am

I'd take Okafor for the sole fact that he does have a really high ceiling and great room for growth, but he also has the highest floor, and has very low bust potential.

ROballer · Post #1429 » by **ROballer** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 5:27 pm

Apparently the Wolvez have informed Towns he's gonna be their selection...no surprise here, just need to get this out of the way

We're taking Okafor

Rafer24 · Post #1430 » by **Rafer24** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 5:31 pm

Chad Ford: Hearing Lakers settling in on Jahlil Okafor at No. 2. Told 70-30 they'd take him on Friday. Up to 80-20 today.

Post #1431 » by **Danny Darko** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 5:50 pm

I hope they do. I would not draft him at this point unless it was to trade him for experienced talent.

Post #1432 » by **crazyeights** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 6:04 pm

Danny Darko wrote:I hope they do. I would not draft him at this point unless it was to trade him for experienced talent.

Wha wa tha?

ArC_man · Post #1433 » by **ArC_man** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 6:23 pm

I know people don't like Chad Ford, but his newest (insider) article on Okafor has some nice info on how Okafor has really improved his body over the past two months.

Okafor has taken the criticism to heart and has been working since May to address the biggest critique made against him: that he lacks the athleticism to dominate the NBA. He has been working for two months with the folks at P3 (the Peak Performance Project) to change his body and his game. His body is leaner than it's ever been. His stomach is toned. And his athleticism has improved significantly.

...

"On Day 1, we were able to see exactly how he stacked up to our NBA center database from a vertical, lateral, agility, and bio-mechanical perspective," P3 assistant GM Adam Hewitt said. "While there were some clear targets -- we knew that Jah could get a lot better and that he wasn't close to reaching his athletic potential.

Two months after starting with P3, Okafor has made major strides.

"He was able to really improve his lateral acceleration and agility while at P3," Hewitt continued. "The 1-off skater test (a lateral acceleration test) is a test we have been doing with NBA athletes for a long time now and what we have found through in-house research is that there is a strong correlation between being able to put up a lot of horizontal force and having a fast lateral agility time."

In his first assessment when he came in, Okafor's left slide agility was measured at 2.88 seconds. His right at 2.81 seconds. Two months later, he posted scores of 2.66 seconds in his left slide agility and 2.58 seconds for his right, ranking him in the 87th percentile compared to other NBA centers in P3's database.

Okafor also improved his standing vertical jump by 2.5 inches and his maximum vertical by 4 inches. And Hewitt thinks he'll continue to get better. These sorts of issues aren't fixed in a couple of months. Give P3 two years with Okafor, and while he'll never be Andre Drummond, he'll be much more athletic.

Rosque · Post #1434 » by **Rosque** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 7:11 pm

^sounds very promising. Probably reports about not caring to lose weight or sacrifice on Kobe, Wade, Love level were false. Now work on some free throws and defense

jay51024 · Post #1435 » by **jay51024** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 8:34 pm

[tweet]https://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA/status/613081177218486272[/tweet]

Spanish_Laker · Post #1436 » by **Spanish_Laker** » Mon Jun 22, 2015 8:56 pm

Towns is reportedly Minnesota-bound. This is it, welcome to LA Jahlil Okafor.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2503214-karl-anthony-towns-reportedly-told-by-wolves-hell-be-no-1-pick-in-nba-draft?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=programming-league

EArl · Post #1437 » by **EArl** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 1:13 am

What are you guys thoughts on Mitch looking to get Cousins? Is he worth the Lakers 2nd?

EArl · Post #1438 » by **EArl** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 1:39 am

Okafor saying that Towns deserves to be the #1 pick. He really doesn't want to go Minnesota. :lol:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaQnS83Z8po[/youtube]

Teen Girl Squad · Post #1439 » by **Teen Girl Squad** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 2:12 am

EArl wrote:What are you guys thoughts on Mitch looking to get Cousins? Is he worth the Lakers 2nd?

He's smart to look into it. Cousins - attitude = top 10 player in the NBA. He's legitimately amazing skill wise. You hope that he gets his head on straight in a "relatively" stable organization. We're hoping that Okafor becomes Cousins skill wise. I'm not saying its a slam dunk trade (because of those legit concerns) but it is worth exploring.

Post #1440 » by **Kilroy** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 3:25 am

I think Cousins is really over-rated and stat inflated right now. That said if you can get Cousins and the 6th, without giving up Clarkson or Randle, it's a good deal for us... I think Ok4 is going to surpass Cousins, but if you add the 6th, it gives us a chance at a better core.

Who do we pick