2018 draft 3.0. #7, #22 - Merged

[tunit213]

Couple of interesting things in this article.
https://theathletic.com/366248/2018/05/23/the-biggest-question-at-the-nba-draft-combine-whats-real-and-whats-fake/

Miles Bridges

Bridges said he’s lost 20 pounds since the season ended and proudly proclaimed that he’s currently 220 pounds. He credited the weight loss to a better diet — he eliminated fast food — rigorous conditioning and drinking gallons of water. During the season, Bridges said he played at 235 to 240 pounds. “I feel great at 220,” Bridges said. “I can move quicker. I’m more explosive … I felt like this is a good weight to play at.”

WCJs Al Horford comparisons continue

Carter Jr. said he’s worked hard to slim down and increase his agility as he prepares to fit into the increasingly position-less NBA game. “Something I’ve been working on is just my lateral quickness so I can guard guards in pick-and-roll actions,” he said. “And on the offensive end, I didn’t get to show it at Duke, but I think I’m pretty versatile in terms of I can bring the ball up the court sometimes. I’m able to shoot it from deep and shoot it at all three levels.” As a kid, Carter Jr. was a fan of LeBron James, he said. “But as I matured,” he added, “I started watching more Al Horford, people in my position.”

[WindyCityBorn]

So if Porter's a ball-stopper like I've read, and LaVine seems like a ball-stopper as well... and Dunn needs the ball in his hands to facilitate... how the hell is that grouping going to work?

Just repeat after me: "It's ok to have more than one scorer on the team..."

Let's take it a step further is what I'm saying, how would it work? How does your mind envision it?

I'm in no rush to go back to the days of "your turn, my turn" with Jimmy and Derrick.

Rose sucking is part of why it didn't work. LeBron and Wade figured out how to play together.

[logical_art]

I think Miles Bridges is being slept on a little. Great athlete. Still only a sophomore. Good shooter with a really nice stroke. Solid SF measurements.

I'd almost rather gamble on him than Mikal because of that elite athleticism.

[kulaz3000]

I think Miles Bridges is being slept on a little. Great athlete. Still only a sophomore. Good shooter with a really nice stroke. Solid SF measurements.

I'd almost rather gamble on him than Mikal because of that elite athleticism.

I agree, he is being overlooked. It's not only that he has elite athletic ability, he knows how to ball and he plays with plenty of intensity.

[WindyCityBorn]

the back thing with mpj is definitely concerning. if the top six is ayton/doncic/jjj/bagley/bamba/young, i'm becoming more enamored with the idea of trading down to the clippers 12/13 picks and doing a sort of spray and pray situation

draft something like miles bridges, zhaire smith and chandler hutchinson with 12/13/22. not picking a center seems kinda silly but you can mix and match all three of those dudes from 2-4 and see how they mesh with the rest of the roster.

trade portis + valentine + lopez + holiday for whatever assortment of future assets + lottery ticket young dudes you can put together. go into next season with a ****-it-let's-see-what-happens young guy roster that looks like:

dunn/payne
lavine/smith
bridges/hutchinson
markkanen/whoever
felicio/scrapheap dude/asik

i would say that bridges + markkanen is an intriguing small ball frontcourt combo going forward but it looks like he might be trying to slim down to stick on the wing instead? whatever none of this is ever going to actually happen anyway. submit post

This like no plan at all.

[NecessaryEvil]

Couple of interesting things in this article.
https://theathletic.com/366248/2018/05/23/the-biggest-question-at-the-nba-draft-combine-whats-real-and-whats-fake/

Miles Bridges

Bridges said he’s lost 20 pounds since the season ended and proudly proclaimed that he’s currently 220 pounds. He credited the weight loss to a better diet — he eliminated fast food — rigorous conditioning and drinking gallons of water. During the season, Bridges said he played at 235 to 240 pounds. “I feel great at 220,” Bridges said. “I can move quicker. I’m more explosive … I felt like this is a good weight to play at.”

WCJs Al Horford comparisons continue

Carter Jr. said he’s worked hard to slim down and increase his agility as he prepares to fit into the increasingly position-less NBA game. “Something I’ve been working on is just my lateral quickness so I can guard guards in pick-and-roll actions,” he said. “And on the offensive end, I didn’t get to show it at Duke, but I think I’m pretty versatile in terms of I can bring the ball up the court sometimes. I’m able to shoot it from deep and shoot it at all three levels.” As a kid, Carter Jr. was a fan of LeBron James, he said. “But as I matured,” he added, “I started watching more Al Horford, people in my position.”

I'll take Bridges. I think he'll be a better version of Andrew Wiggins. This man is damn MONSTER defensively & the three ball is great. He learns how to create off the dribble and he's going to be a perennial all-star.

[KevinPandawong]

I think Miles Bridges is being slept on a little. Great athlete. Still only a sophomore. Good shooter with a really nice stroke. Solid SF measurements.

I'd almost rather gamble on him than Mikal because of that elite athleticism.

I agree, he is being overlooked. It's not only that he has elite athletic ability, he knows how to ball and he plays with plenty of intensity.

I for one desperately hope the Bulls can trade up for him. Mikal isn't the defender you put on Lebron, Giannis, or Tatum: it's Miles. I love him at the 4 next to Lauri in small ball lineups.

[NecessaryEvil]

I think Miles Bridges is being slept on a little. Great athlete. Still only a sophomore. Good shooter with a really nice stroke. Solid SF measurements.

I'd almost rather gamble on him than Mikal because of that elite athleticism.

I agree, he is being overlooked. It's not only that he has elite athletic ability, he knows how to ball and he plays with plenty of intensity.

I for one desperately hope the Bulls can trade up for him. Mikal isn't the defender you put on Lebron, Giannis, or Tatum: it's Miles. I love him at the 4 next to Lauri in small ball lineups.

I don't see why not, he has crazy length and he's a ball hawk. He would definitely make it hard for any of those guys in time.

[KevinPandawong]

I agree, he is being overlooked. It's not only that he has elite athletic ability, he knows how to ball and he plays with plenty of intensity.

I for one desperately hope the Bulls can trade up for him. Mikal isn't the defender you put on Lebron, Giannis, or Tatum: it's Miles. I love him at the 4 next to Lauri in small ball lineups.

I don't see why not, he has crazy length and he's a ball hawk. He would definitely make it hard for any of those guys in time.

Personally, I don't think he's strong enough to guard them. Miles is just as long and much stronger.

[Axolotl]

I suggest everyone read that article about Porter’s diet. He still was feeling back pain at the end of the season, and it got worse when he played those last few games. It wasn’t rust, it was back pain.

The scary point is that he was feeling significant back pain four months after his surgery. That’s not good. Doesn’t sound like one would call his surgery a complete success by any means. He’s counting on a raw vegan diet to fix the back pain that his surgery did not fix. Ugh.

He doesn't exactly say he still had back pains that would have got worse. What he says is this: Mizzou, towards the end of the season, we would be eating crazy. They would get us quality food at the hotels, but it wasn’t what I was eating, and wasn’t what my body was used to. When I ate that food, I would start to feel some of that back pain. I can tell so much now about how my body is going to react from putting certain things in it.

I obviously wasn’t ready to play yet, because I was eating differently... Now that my back pain has gone away, this entire ordeal is going to further my career and my potential.

How I read this is he didn't have back pains, but he thinks when he ate differently, he felt some. And then when he went back to his normal diet, it went away.

The thought that comes to me is correlation, not causation. Eating didn't bring back the pain, nor did it take it away.

The thing is, he had had back issues for a long time before he had to be operated. That has most likely also moulded his body and his stances, and moving away from those will cause some pains.

I'm by no means saying there is no risk involved with picking Porter, because obviously there is - he is a big man who has had back issues at a very young age. The full and detailed medicals and close observation of workouts are essential to estimating the risk level. If Porter is available at #7, and The Bulls do not draft him, I can only assume that they have deemed the risk too high (or someone they like better has slid down).

Here's the article link again: https://www.gq.com/story/michael-porter-jr-real-life-diet

[johnnyvann840]

It looks like MPJ is just marketing himself the best as he can for that early retirement check he will earn throughout his rookie contract. His back being 100% is appearing more and more unlikely.

He's not doing a very good job. Just revealing to everyone that if he just eats vegetarian instead of vegan and changes his diet slightly, he can feel how "different his back feels". Saying that he was still having pain and back problems in those games he played at the end of Mizzou's season, but it was because "he was eating at the hotel" and even though they gave him very healthy vegetarian meals or what he called "some really good meals" "it wasn't the same as what he was eating at home" and he could feel the difference in his neck and back.

Now, I have no problem with vegetarians or vegans or raw foodists or any diet anybody chooses. Whatever works and makes you happy. But if MPJ's back starts hurting him because the night before a game he ate just a little different than what he eats at home... hmmmmmm. I have to wonder about how "fixed" he really is.

Of course he is going to say he "feels 100%" and that he "feels better than ever". All I know is he better kill it in workouts and team doctors better be coming back to the GM's and owners with reports saying that there is no risk with his back going forward. Or he could find himself with an epic slip on draft night. What he said in that GQ interview is very troubling and it has nothing to do with him being a vegan. Hell, I spent a good part of my adult life in Boulder and there are a lot of vegans there. I know a lot of vegans. Like Kulaz said.. kudos to them for being able to do it. I wish I could, I would probably have a healthier heart and live longer. Although my CHF is mostly genetics, a better diet would sure help.

[johnnyvann840]

I suggest everyone read that article about Porter’s diet. He still was feeling back pain at the end of the season, and it got worse when he played those last few games. It wasn’t rust, it was back pain.

The scary point is that he was feeling significant back pain four months after his surgery. That’s not good. Doesn’t sound like one would call his surgery a complete success by any means. He’s counting on a raw vegan diet to fix the back pain that his surgery did not fix. Ugh.

He doesn't exactly say he still had back pains that would have got worse. What he says is this: Mizzou, towards the end of the season, we would be eating crazy. They would get us quality food at the hotels, but it wasn’t what I was eating, and wasn’t what my body was used to. When I ate that food, I would start to feel some of that back pain. I can tell so much now about how my body is going to react from putting certain things in it.

I obviously wasn’t ready to play yet, because I was eating differently... Now that my back pain has gone away, this entire ordeal is going to further my career and my potential.

How I read this is he didn't have back pains, but he thinks when he ate differently, he felt some. And then when he went back to his normal diet, it went away.

The thought that comes to me is correlation, not causation. Eating didn't bring back the pain, nor did it take it away.

The thing is, he had had back issues for a long time before he had to be operated. That has most likely also moulded his body and his stances, and moving away from those will cause some pains.

I'm by no means saying there is no risk involved with picking Porter, because obviously there is - he is a big man who has had back issues at a very young age. The full and detailed medicals and close observation of workouts are essential to estimating the risk level. If Porter is available at #7, and The Bulls do not draft him, I can only assume that they have deemed the risk too high (or someone they like better has slid down).

Here's the article link again: https://www.gq.com/story/michael-porter-jr-real-life-diet

Thing is, he DID say he still had back pains.. This was like a month and a half ago he's talking about when he was in that hotel "eating crazy" (but quality food) and they played those games.. He had surgery in November. He's been a vegetarian his whole life so it's not like he was pounding In and Out burgers at the tourney. He just probably ate some cooked vegetables or some mac and cheese or something.

[Axolotl]

Thing is, he DID say he still had back pains.. This was like a month and a half ago he's talking about when he was in that hotel "eating crazy" (but quality food) and they played those games.. He had surgery in November. He's been a vegetarian his whole life so it's not like he was pounding In and Out burgers at the tourney. He just probably ate some cooked vegetables or some mac and cheese or something.

Yeah, and what I'm trying to say is that Porter's assumption that the back pains he had were caused by food is wrong. It was because of something else that occurred at the same time.

He seems high on his raw-vegan nutritionist, who has probably told him that he hurts because he ate wrong. Porter is inclined to believe, because he wants to be in shape, and diet is easy to control.

That he says it was nerve pain is definitely a cause for concern. After a successful surgery there should be no nerve pain no matter what he does. I would imagine Porter can tell nerve pain from your average back aches.

I am not trying to play down (or up) the risk involved with drafting Porter, I'm just saying we do not have the tools and data to assess that risk. I'm pro Porter if The Bulls deem the risk low enough.

[Repeat 3-peat]

MPJ scares the **** out of me with his back.

Maybe I'm just paranoid by the injuries this team has dealt with in the past decade, but this could be D Rose 2.0 in terms of him having injury issues after getting a second contract. I know this can be said for any prospect(player) because injuries can happen at anytime but I believe Rose dealt with knee tendinitis since he was in High School, come to find out his knees were a ticking time bomb.

My belief is that he'll scare GarPax away.

[BullsFTW]

I think Miles Bridges is being slept on a little. Great athlete. Still only a sophomore. Good shooter with a really nice stroke. Solid SF measurements.

I'd almost rather gamble on him than Mikal because of that elite athleticism.

Personally I'd pick Miles over Mikal

[fleet]

This food thing definately is screwy. It looks like Porter just effed himself a little.

[wonderboy2]

Foot speed isn’t the only ingredient to attacking close outs... but it’s the ingredient Carter’s missing. He’s an intelligent player that seemingly understands angles, and he’s reasonably coordinated. If you have another explanation as to why he never put the ball on the floor when his jumpshot was contested, I’m all ears.

Oh and both Lauri and Horford are a good deal quicker with the ball than Carter.

Correct me if I'm wrong but Lauri didn't really have all that much opportunity to put the ball on the floor when he was in college, and we saw more glimpses of it during his international play.

Perhaps he just wasn't afford the opportunity to do that in college, which wouldn't surprise me because college head coaches can hold certain players back for the benefit of the 'team'.

I'm going to hold back on firm judgement on this aspect of his game until he plays in the NBA.

No, Lauri attacked closeouts in college. He’s obviously more comfortable putting the ball on the floor in the NBA, but the seeds were there.

My issue with Carter is I don’t recall him seeing him do it ever. Not live. Not in highlights. And that’s going back to high school, so it’s not a Duke thing. If someone has a link I’ve overlooked, please hit me with it. I would genuinely prefer to like the guy who we’re likely to draft at 7.

He showed nice handles in the game he matched up with Ayton in highschool.

[WindyCityBorn]

This food thing definately is screwy. It looks like Porter just effed himself a little.

Group effort between Porter's team and the Bulls to assure he drops to #7.

[WindyCityBorn]

Couple of interesting things in this article.
https://theathletic.com/366248/2018/05/23/the-biggest-question-at-the-nba-draft-combine-whats-real-and-whats-fake/

Miles Bridges

Bridges said he’s lost 20 pounds since the season ended and proudly proclaimed that he’s currently 220 pounds. He credited the weight loss to a better diet — he eliminated fast food — rigorous conditioning and drinking gallons of water. During the season, Bridges said he played at 235 to 240 pounds. “I feel great at 220,” Bridges said. “I can move quicker. I’m more explosive … I felt like this is a good weight to play at.”

WCJs Al Horford comparisons continue

Carter Jr. said he’s worked hard to slim down and increase his agility as he prepares to fit into the increasingly position-less NBA game. “Something I’ve been working on is just my lateral quickness so I can guard guards in pick-and-roll actions,” he said. “And on the offensive end, I didn’t get to show it at Duke, but I think I’m pretty versatile in terms of I can bring the ball up the court sometimes. I’m able to shoot it from deep and shoot it at all three levels.” As a kid, Carter Jr. was a fan of LeBron James, he said. “But as I matured,” he added, “I started watching more Al Horford, people in my position.”

I'll take Bridges. I think he'll be a better version of Andrew Wiggins. This man is damn MONSTER defensively & the three ball is great. He learns how to create off the dribble and he's going to be a perennial all-star.

Comparing him to Wiggins who sucks does him no favors. Who would you compare him to that is actually good?

[navdeep_singh]

With a lot of good players out there, I think the logo is in good shape at 12 and 13 .