Draft prospects - Who do we want?

[bleedspeed]

Some more breakdowns.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2345433-kings-court-nba-scouts-weigh-in-on-potential-of-college-hoops-biggest-stars

[bleedspeed]

I am with Cam. I really like Stanley Johnson.

[thedoper]

After catching up on Johnson I like him more, but I still struggle to see his fit on this team. I don't think he is a better player than Wiggins or Bazz. I still go bigs (okafor or Towns) first and rate Russell over Johnson for this squad. I think Russell is going to be better than Lavine as a Combo guard.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Stanley had a quiet, but do-it-all type game yesterday in a blowout win against Oregon. 12/6/5/2 stat line. All five Zona starters were in double digits. Will be interesting to see how he plays down the stretch of the schedule. Still the team's leading scorer and rebounder.

Edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doHaxRtV0yQ

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Q, post players are a hard find, but as Wolves fan know too well, so are great wing players. SF might be the shallowest position in basketball actually. Also, I'm not sure how Okafor's all that bigger than Jefferson like you suggest. 6'11, 272 lbs with a 7'5 wingspan. That's Okafor. In 2004, Jefferson was 6'10, 263 lbs with a 7'3 wingspan and I'm pretty sure Big Al has gained some weight since then. ESPN, although not always accurate, has Al listed at 289 lbs. Point is: the two are comparably close in size.

I didn't mean for you to discuss how Kawhi became the player Kawhi is today. I think we all realize he wouldn't be the player he is without Pop and the Spurs. I also think it's more than fair to say that Johnson's a better talent than Leonard was coming out of college. I wanted an answer based on Al vs Kawhi with no outside factors involved, such as Pop's coaching. Comparing A vs B so to speak.

Look, I wasn't saying Johnson should get picked before Okafor. I wasn't suggesting Johnson is the next LeBron. I wasn't suggesting that Kawhi would be Kawhi if he was on another team. I'm simply asking if you were starting a team today, would you rather have Kawhi or Al and age/money/etc. doesn't matter. What do you value more? Offense from the post and OK rim protection or a two-way wing?

(To answer you question, I take Kawhi over Jefferson - but because your question is clearly geared toward an Okafor/Johnson comparison, than I still take Okafor. That's because I'm not convinced Okafor won't be a good defender and I'm also not convinced that Johnson will be good offensively. So with that uncertainty in mind, I take the big guy).

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Russell with another really impressive outing: 18 points on 12 shots, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and zero turnovers in a win against Maryland. You just don't see freshman guards do this sort of stuff. He's not even a freak athlete or physical specimen. The dude just knows how to play the game.

[Mstermisty [enjin:6864008]]

This draft is looking better by the day. As much as I'd like to see the Wolves play a lot better ball the last half of the season, I think it's crucial to keep losing. Lets face it, finishing with the worst record right now would GUARANTEE we add either Oak, Russell, Towns, or Stan the Man.

Honestly, the move is to keep Rubio on the shelf as long as possible. That sucks for watchability and overall team growth, but you have to think big picture right now. Ok we could finish with the 5th worst record and win the lottery. But why chance it. I'd rather have us have the 4th or 5th pick locked up as worst case scenario.

[Porckchop]

If we acknowledge that K Leonard has been fortunate to have had good coaching then it should further the point to get a more ready made player like Okafor . Popavich ain't walking thru those doors to get the most out of our players. If we get a guy based solely on potential do u trust Flip to get the most out of him? I think we have our star in the making in Wiggins. Let's draft a Lil safer and get a guy that can be a solid rebounder and consistent 15-18 a game scorer as our 2nd best player . I think Okafor fits the bill.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Every once in awhile I chime in just to put Okafor is my choice on the record.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Lots of good discussion in this thread about an intriguing draft that may turn out to be better than last year's highly touted draft. At least with al the injuries to this year's rookie crop, there's no doubt in my mind that next year's rookies will perform better in their respective first years.

But as we discuss the relative merits of what appears to be a pretty solid Big 5 now, is there anyone who would seriously pass on Okafor if the Wolves got the first pick? This guy has been the Wiggins of this year's class for many years...i.e. the guy who has been #1 since junior high...and he has done nothing to disappoint the pundits in his freshman year. It's fine to have a good discussion about the top 5, but Okafor has to be considered the top pick.