2016 draft thread: Part 2

[_AIJ_]

Bender wont be good. Go with the guards and sign bigs in FA

[Klomp]

Wasn't Klomp the #1 Stauskas fan?

No, he wasn't.

He liked him, but he was 100% on LaVine when the majority of posters were begging for Gary Harris.

[Klomp]

Thibodeau/Layden Pre-Draft Press Conference

http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/video/teams/timberwolves/draft-press-conference-2016

[RocketsHero]

http://www.1500espn.com/news/2016/06/no-surprise-wolves-brain-trust-offers-up-little-information-with-draft-approaching/

Some tidbits on Thibs and Rubio

[King Malta]

Wasn't Klomp the #1 Stauskas fan?

No, he wasn't.

He liked him, but he was 100% on LaVine when the majority of posters were begging for Gary Harris.

Oh no, Klomp's starting referring to himself in the third person.

[Krapinsky]

Wasn't Klomp the #1 Stauskas fan?

No, he wasn't.

He liked him, but he was 100% on LaVine when the majority of posters were begging for Gary Harris.

If only we did Big Boards where we were able to rank players....

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1323478&start=60#start_here

Moving this along since next vote would either be the 5th vote for Saric or the 10th vote in which case it would still be Saric

1. Wiggins
2. Embiid
3. Parker
4. Exum
5. Gordon
6. Randle
7. Vonleh
8. Smart
9. Saric
10. Stauskas (1)

Better yet, here's you admitting you were "probably the biggest Stauskas fan here"

I agree that Stauskas would be a better fit, but he's also a lesser talent. I'm probably the biggest Stauskas fan here, but he's no Marcus Smart.

viewtopic.php?t=1297200&start=880

[Klomp]

Oh no, Klomp's starting referring to himself in the third person.

He is!

[King Malta]

Oh no, Klomp's starting referring to himself in the third person.

He is!

Someone needs to reset the database!!

[Klomp]

I'm starting to flip flop between Murray and Hield. Coin flip for me.

One offers combo guard potential, the other doesn't.

One offers length to improve his defensive impact, the other one doesn't.

Length isn't everything.

Thibodeau did a pretty good job with a wing who has an even worse wingspan (in comparison to his height) than Murray.

[Takingbaconback]

I think Murray's defensive abilities are being undermined. He isn't the fastest or the longest but he is very cerebral, understands tempo extremely well, and knows angles.

[Klomp]

Why not Jaylen Brown?
He is 19, talented and great athlete.
A duo of Wiggins and Brown can dominate in the wings, in both offense and defense.

As RationalGaze said, Brown is all athlete...you could even say ONLY athlete with very few basketball skills. He was waaaaaay too inconsistent this past year, even for a freshman. I just don't see him translating to anything more than a freaky athletic wing at the end of someone's bench.

To be honest, I don't want us to draft Brown but I would understand it. Sometimes, it's better to take the guy who has the athletic tools to do what you want than to draft someone who is decent at doing what you want but doesn't have the athletic tools to take it to the next level.

If Thibodeau thinks he can turn Brown's athletic gifts into something special and improve his basketball skills along the way, then I have no problem with it. I can say the same thing about basically anyone currently mocked in the lottery. If Thibs thinks he can turn them into a star then who am I to question it? I'm not sifting over hours of game film analyzing everything these players do. I'm not in the interview rooms getting a sense for these players' BBIQs or inner drives to succeed. I'm not on the practice courts putting these players through workouts.

Thibodeau and Layden know far more about these players than you and I do. And with a competent coach at hand, I have a lot of confidence that he'll turn whoever the pick is into a good pro.

[King Malta]

Why not Jaylen Brown?
He is 19, talented and great athlete.
A duo of Wiggins and Brown can dominate in the wings, in both offense and defense.

As RationalGaze said, Brown is all athlete...you could even say ONLY athlete with very few basketball skills. He was waaaaaay too inconsistent this past year, even for a freshman. I just don't see him translating to anything more than a freaky athletic wing at the end of someone's bench.

To be honest, I don't want us to draft Brown but I would understand it. Sometimes, it's better to take the guy who has the athletic tools to do what you want than to draft someone who is decent at doing what you want but doesn't have the athletic tools to take it to the next level.

If Thibodeau thinks he can turn Brown's athletic gifts into something special and improve his basketball skills along the way, then I have no problem with it. I can say the same thing about basically anyone currently mocked in the lottery. If Thibs thinks he can turn them into a star then who am I to question it? I'm not sifting over hours of game film analyzing everything these players do. I'm not in the interview rooms getting a sense for these players' BBIQs or inner drives to succeed. I'm not on the practice courts putting these players through workouts.

Thibodeau and Layden know far more about these players than you and I do. And with a competent coach at hand, I have a lot of confidence that he'll turn whoever the pick is into a good pro.

Yeah, hard to disagree with that.

Personally, I'm just more relaxed about this draft (as opposed to most others where we have a highish pick, so just about every year ) given that we're already in a pretty good position and don't need to hit this pick out of the park to be a contender. Most teams are trying to find a cornerstone in the top 5, we just need a guy who can supplement what we've already got, anything more than that is a bonus.

[Klomp]

I think Murray's defensive abilities are being undermined. He isn't the fastest or the longest but he is very cerebral, understands tempo extremely well, and knows angles.

I agree. And I think his cerebral nature is worth noting. Going off that, something Thibs said in the presser today caught my attention.

"Winners come in all different personality types. Sometimes you may think because a guy is quiet, he's not a fierce competitor. And then you dig deeper, you see that guy has a lot of mental toughness. But because he's not screaming, often times the guys doing the screaming aren't getting things done too, so I think you (have to) sift through all that."

To me, that fits Murray to a T. (and also Wiggins too)

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2NSB8nid24[/youtube]

[Murphs56]

Man Thibs and Layden are pros at being Vague

[Takingbaconback]

And Murray moves fluidly and is sneaky athletic on top of his mental acumen. He's got a lot of herky jerky and wiggle to him. I think Hield has less potential on defense cuz he's undersized as a 2 and is more locked in the joints.

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

[Klomp]

I think Hield has less potential on defense cuz he's undersized as a 2 and is more locked in the joints.

Just to dispel this, Hield is both taller and longer than Murray.

[Takingbaconback]

I think Hield has less potential on defense cuz he's undersized as a 2 and is more locked in the joints.

Just to dispel this, Hield is both taller and longer than Murray.

I only say that because I see Murray as primarily a 1 on the wolves and Hield is obviously a 2.

[horaceworthy]

Wasn't Klomp the #1 Stauskas fan?

You're confusing Klomp with Vivek Ranadive.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEK_d-SFfCQ[/youtube]

[Sugarless]

One offers combo guard potential, the other doesn't.

One offers length to improve his defensive impact, the other one doesn't.

Length isn't everything.

Thibodeau did a pretty good job with a wing who has an even worse wingspan (in comparison to his height) than Murray.

Of course it isn't everything. It is one more tool and it isn't a given that Hield will be a better defender than Murray, just like it isn't a given than Murray will be able to play the point in the NBA. You were talking about potential, and so was I.

[Foye]

I really hope that Sixers - Celtics trade of Okafor or Noel for #3 gets completed and the Sixers select Dunn.

That would mean we are guaranteed to get one of Murray and Bender.