ak7 wrote:It sure is refutable. Okafor, offensively, is a true 5. Defensively, Okafor is a true D-League player. It's that bad.
Lol...c'mon AK ! I respect what have to say, but comments like that make me have questions. Dude Okafor will be a dominate post player in this league weather guys like him or not. You just can't teach what he's been blessed with. People are really exaggerating his defense.
ak7 wrote:He will never impact a game the way Anthony Davis does, ever in his entire career.
Again man you just can't say that with certainty. Slow down on the AD train....he still has a lot to work on himself, he still hasn't gotten to a point where you just pound the rock to him. Further more he's not an imposing interior player, Okafor will be because his body is already bigger in mass than Davis. And once he starts lifting on a regular with an NBA training staff, he'll get stronger in his base and upper body...he's gonna be an absolute load to slow down.
ak7 wrote: It doesn't matter the type of player AD came in as, it matters who he is now, and that's a player Okafor will never be.
See this comment here just reeks of sentimental preference for Davis, like I said we just can't go saying what a player will be. Unless you and only you have some sort of future box you're look thorough. You're in strong denial if you thought Davis would be where he is now. Looking at him coming in his body was under developed, he took an ass beating by bigger guys, and he's still not the size he need to top out at. There are parts of Davis game that still needs developed, he's still not a strong back to basket player...and oh Okafor has that part mastered already just in case you missed it.
ak7 wrote: I don't think that a franchise who historically has had arguably the most formidable frontcourts of all time want to trot out a frontcourt of Randle/Okafor knowing that neither are going to impact the game defensively enough to justify them playing together for 30-36 minutes a game.
We have to see, no NBA team is built picture perfect and never will be. You're talking about two guys that are 20 and 19 !....give'em a break they have so much more to learn in terms of ball. You speak as if they'll never get it or can't learn more, that's just asinine.
ak7 wrote:Fact of the matter is, before the Lakers can talk about winning championships, they have to get out of the West. To do that, they need an elite guard, period. End of discussion. If you can't slow down Curry, Harden, Westbrook, Paul, or even remotely come close to matching their guard play you can't beat them in a series - because they too all trot out a formidable defensive presence in the frontcourt. Something we don't have, and won't have if our frontcourt is Okafor/Randle.
I think every sensible on this board knows that, we're a long way from just even winning 40 games. It's no need to forecast that far ahead.
Getting a guard will be the next order of business either way.
In closing....I know we all form our own opinions on players, but most here seem like they listen to scouts and hearsay too much. For guys to say what Julius and Jahlil will be before they can even play meaningful NBA minutes is just forming a myopic opinion. Again Julius was the best player in the state of Texas...you just don't trip on that by accident on day. Jahlil was one of the best in Chicago. People take too much from a busted college system and try to make it stick to these guys forever. It's don't work like that.
If anybody watched Kentucky in Julius's year and Duke in Okafor's season...you'd see that in college they don't run any type of defensive schemes. College defenses are just about as remedial as high school versions.
Bottom line if we end up with Okafor and he's paired with Randle and it doesn't work....then we have one hell of a young trade piece.
That's how you gotta look at.