Bored Silly - How About The Draft?!?

[FNG]

Given how active Connelly is and how he will move things around while spinning three plates riding a unicycle, who knows what pick(s) we actually end up with??? So other than the top two or three picks, I don't think anyone is impossible to get if Connelly wants it bad enough.

Having said that, he may also be perfectly comfortable swapping out #17 for some future 1st and just using the #31 pick. Who knows?

Whatever happens though, we can't come out of the draft and free agency with just one guy on the roster capable of playing Center. So the draft is the first opportunity to address that hole and I feel anyone from Maluach on down is in play for the Wolves.

I think I heard TC say the draft was pretty flat between 17 and 31, so I'm also predicting he will trade 17 for a future first round pick. If he trades it to a bottom feeder team, there's a good chance it becomes a lottery pick in the future. Also, keeping all three of our coveted free agents becomes more possible if we don't have that #17 salary. But 31 is the best you can get in round 2, so I predict he keeps that one. And there should be some serviceable bigs still there if that's the direction he wants to go.

[Q-is-here]

Given how active Connelly is and how he will move things around while spinning three plates riding a unicycle, who knows what pick(s) we actually end up with??? So other than the top two or three picks, I don't think anyone is impossible to get if Connelly wants it bad enough.

Having said that, he may also be perfectly comfortable swapping out #17 for some future 1st and just using the #31 pick. Who knows?

Whatever happens though, we can't come out of the draft and free agency with just one guy on the roster capable of playing Center. So the draft is the first opportunity to address that hole and I feel anyone from Maluach on down is in play for the Wolves.

I’m predicting we trade 17 for a future first. I think the asset of being able to trade a pick in the future is better than the 17 pick personally

Perhaps. On the other hand, if there is a guy he and his scouting team really love, I could see them maneuvering up the draft to go get him. I have no clue who that might be, but I just feel you can't rule anything out with Connelly. I do agree that trading out of #17 and using #31 seems like the more likely scenario.

[60WinTim]

And don’t forget the year TC drafted Nurkic in the 1sr round and a euro-stash in the 2nd: Jokic.

[Lipoli390]

https://youtu.be/JVgSKoBxgJQ

The case for Maxime Raynaud:

1. Offense. Scores inside & out. 20 PPG, 35% on over 5 three attemtps. Got to line 4 + times per/g and hit 77%.
2. Excellent rebounder. Averaged 10.6 boards per game. As we know, rebounding translates well from college to NBA.
3. Superb passer. Just watch the video
4. Fluid/athletic. 31.5” vertical. 11.31 agility time (superb for a big).
5. Plays with passion
6. From France. No better mentor than fellow Frenchman, Rudy Gobert.

He’s tall - a genuine 7’0 without shoes. His 9’2” standing reach is solid but not elite for an NBA center. His 7’1.25 wingspan makes him horizontally undersized for an NBA center. But I really like his stats and the way he plays. His three-point shot is beautiful with a high arc. And his passing is elite. He’d be a great pick for the Wolves at 17 or 31.

[FNG]

https://youtu.be/JVgSKoBxgJQ

The case for Maxime Raynaud:

1. Offense. Scores inside & out. 20 PPG, 35% on over 5 three attemtps. Got to line 4 + times per/g and hit 77%.
2. Excellent rebounder. Averaged 10.6 boards per game. As we know, rebounding translates well from college to NBA.
3. Superb passer. Just watch the video
4. Fluid/athletic. 31.5” vertical. 11.31 agility time (superb for a big).
5. Plays with passion
6. From France. No better mentor than fellow Frenchman, Rudy Gobert.

He’s tall - a genuine 7’0 without shoes. His 9’2” standing reach is solid but not elite for an NBA center. His 7’1.25 wingspan makes him horizontally undersized for an NBA center. But I really like his stats and the way he plays. His three-point shot is beautiful with a high arc. And his passing is elite. He’d be a great pick for the Wolves at 17 or 31.

Wait, no analysis of his name? You're slipping, Lip. Do we really want the Wolves to draft a guy who has a disease named after him? Would you want the Twins to sign Lou Gehrig or Tommy John?

Seriously, while there are a lot of bigs that are likely to be available when we draft, I find myself comparing them all to Luka...who was the player of the year coming out of Iowa...and wondering if any of them will end up a better pro than him. Maxime is projected to go late in the first round, but doesn't he look a lot like a poor man's Luka Garza coming out of college?

[Q-is-here]

https://youtu.be/JVgSKoBxgJQ

The case for Maxime Raynaud:

1. Offense. Scores inside & out. 20 PPG, 35% on over 5 three attemtps. Got to line 4 + times per/g and hit 77%.
2. Excellent rebounder. Averaged 10.6 boards per game. As we know, rebounding translates well from college to NBA.
3. Superb passer. Just watch the video
4. Fluid/athletic. 31.5” vertical. 11.31 agility time (superb for a big).
5. Plays with passion
6. From France. No better mentor than fellow Frenchman, Rudy Gobert.

He’s tall - a genuine 7’0 without shoes. His 9’2” standing reach is solid but not elite for an NBA center. His 7’1.25 wingspan makes him horizontally undersized for an NBA center. But I really like his stats and the way he plays. His three-point shot is beautiful with a high arc. And his passing is elite. He’d be a great pick for the Wolves at 17 or 31.

Wait, no analysis of his name? You're slipping, Lip. Do we really want the Wolves to draft a guy who has a disease named after him? Would you want the Twins to sign Lou Gehrig or Tommy John?

Seriously, while there are a lot of bigs that are likely to be available when we draft, I find myself comparing them all to Luka...who was the player of the year coming out of Iowa...and wondering if any of them will end up a better pro than him. Maxime is projected to go late in the first round, but doesn't he look a lot like a poor man's Luka Garza coming out of college?

Most of these guys are either a lot longer or a lot more athletic than Luka. Luka actually doesn't have terrible measurables for a Center, but if you are going to be as slow and unathletic as he is, then you better be really tall. That's where similar sloths like Edey or Kalkbrenner have an advantage. At least you can put them in drop coverage and they will bother/deter some shots. With Luka, you can go around AND over him!

I will say this...even if we don't draft a prototypical Center in terms of size, I'd still be fine with a prototypical PF sized-guy that has the length and defensive reputation to play some Center (think Al Horford and Draymond Green). Tim's guy Rasheer Fleming is a little on the short side for a traditional Center, but has a huge wingspan and the heft to hold his own in the paint.

What we can't have is yet another big that is all offense and sketchy defense! I feel like one of Connelly's misses over his tenure is having an over-abundance of offensive-oriented bigs in Randle (and KAT before him), Naz, Garza, and Leonard Miller and literally only one defensive-oriented big in Rudy. Totally unbalanced.

[WildWolf2813]

https://youtu.be/JVgSKoBxgJQ

The case for Maxime Raynaud:

1. Offense. Scores inside & out. 20 PPG, 35% on over 5 three attemtps. Got to line 4 + times per/g and hit 77%.
2. Excellent rebounder. Averaged 10.6 boards per game. As we know, rebounding translates well from college to NBA.
3. Superb passer. Just watch the video
4. Fluid/athletic. 31.5” vertical. 11.31 agility time (superb for a big).
5. Plays with passion
6. From France. No better mentor than fellow Frenchman, Rudy Gobert.

He’s tall - a genuine 7’0 without shoes. His 9’2” standing reach is solid but not elite for an NBA center. His 7’1.25 wingspan makes him horizontally undersized for an NBA center. But I really like his stats and the way he plays. His three-point shot is beautiful with a high arc. And his passing is elite. He’d be a great pick for the Wolves at 17 or 31.

Wait, no analysis of his name? You're slipping, Lip. Do we really want the Wolves to draft a guy who has a disease named after him? Would you want the Twins to sign Lou Gehrig or Tommy John?

Seriously, while there are a lot of bigs that are likely to be available when we draft, I find myself comparing them all to Luka...who was the player of the year coming out of Iowa...and wondering if any of them will end up a better pro than him. Maxime is projected to go late in the first round, but doesn't he look a lot like a poor man's Luka Garza coming out of college?

Most of these guys are either a lot longer or a lot more athletic than Luka. Luka actually doesn't have terrible measurables for a Center, but if you are going to be as slow and unathletic as he is, then you better be really tall. That's where similar sloths like Edey or Kalkbrenner have an advantage. At least you can put them in drop coverage and they will bother/deter some shots. With Luka, you can go around AND over him!

I will say this...even if we don't draft a prototypical Center in terms of size, I'd still be fine with a prototypical PF sized-guy that has the length and defensive reputation to play some Center (think Al Horford and Draymond Green). Tim's guy Rasheer Fleming is a little on the short side for a traditional Center, but has a huge wingspan and the heft to hold his own in the paint.

What we can't have is yet another big that is all offense and sketchy defense! I feel like one of Connelly's misses over his tenure is having an over-abundance of offensive-oriented bigs in Randle (and KAT before him), Naz, Garza, and Leonard Miller and literally only one defensive-oriented big in Rudy. Totally unbalanced.

to be fair, where else would the offense come from?

[Lipoli390]

https://youtu.be/JVgSKoBxgJQ

The case for Maxime Raynaud:

1. Offense. Scores inside & out. 20 PPG, 35% on over 5 three attemtps. Got to line 4 + times per/g and hit 77%.
2. Excellent rebounder. Averaged 10.6 boards per game. As we know, rebounding translates well from college to NBA.
3. Superb passer. Just watch the video
4. Fluid/athletic. 31.5” vertical. 11.31 agility time (superb for a big).
5. Plays with passion
6. From France. No better mentor than fellow Frenchman, Rudy Gobert.

He’s tall - a genuine 7’0 without shoes. His 9’2” standing reach is solid but not elite for an NBA center. His 7’1.25 wingspan makes him horizontally undersized for an NBA center. But I really like his stats and the way he plays. His three-point shot is beautiful with a high arc. And his passing is elite. He’d be a great pick for the Wolves at 17 or 31.

Wait, no analysis of his name? You're slipping, Lip. Do we really want the Wolves to draft a guy who has a disease named after him? Would you want the Twins to sign Lou Gehrig or Tommy John?

Seriously, while there are a lot of bigs that are likely to be available when we draft, I find myself comparing them all to Luka...who was the player of the year coming out of Iowa...and wondering if any of them will end up a better pro than him. Maxime is projected to go late in the first round, but doesn't he look a lot like a poor man's Luka Garza coming out of college?

As a threshold matter, and most importantly, there’s no such thing as a bad French name. There’s nothing more pleasing than hearing a French name spoken with that tongue roll in the back of the throat known as a French accent.

Names aside, I think you raise a good question about whether any of the guys I’ve profiled are any better NBA prospects than Luka Garza. Garza had great college stats. He scored more points than Raynaud and had better FG and 3-point percentages, although Raynard’s rebounding numbers were slightly better. I still believe Garza can be a good rotation player in the NBA if given the chance but I understand I’m out on a bit of a limb with that assessment. Compared to the prospects I’ve profiled in this year’s draft, I’ll echo some of Q’s thoughts and add a few of my own as to why I think there’s good reason to believe they can be better than Luka.

First, size matters a lot for success as an NBA big, and as Q noted, the guys I’ve profiled are all significantly longer or wider than Luka. And most of them are also more athletic. At the combine, Luka had an 8’11.25 standing reach and a 7’1.5 wingspan. Those measurements are on the very low end for NBA centers. Al Horford has been a very successful NBA center with similar measurements, but he’s the exception.

In contrast to Luka, Kalkbrenner has a 9’4 standing reach and a 7’6” wingspan. Those are huge size advantages over Luka. Kalkbrenner also had significantly higher no-step and max verticals than Luka (29/33 v. 24/29.5). Interestingly, the bigger Kalkbrenner also had faster shuttle run and sprint times than Luka (3.10/3.34 v. 3.38/3.51). Moreover, Kalkbrenner proved he can defend the paint at the college level, averaging 2.7 blocks per game. Luka averaged around 1.4. I’m not super high on Kyle but he has basic physical attributes that give him significantly higher potential than Luka for success as an NBA center.

The Luka comparison to Raynaud is a little more interesting. Raynaud’s wingspan is almost identical to Luka’s and they had very similar stats in college where neither one was much of a shot blocker or interior defender. But Raynaud’s 9’2 standing reach is still nearly 3 inches more than Luka’s. And Raynaud’s no-step vertical (28”) is 4 inches higher than Luka’s (4”). I like the no-step vertical for evaluating centers because centers typically don’t get running starts rebounding and blocking shots in the paint. When you combine Raynaud’s 3 inch standing reach advantage and his 4” no-step vertical advantage, Raynaud ends up with a 7” vertical advantage over Luka. Raynaud also had significantly better athletic test results than Luka in the combine. But what really elevates Raynaud over Luka in my view can’t be seen in measurements, test results or college stats. Watching the video of Raynaud and compare it to any highlights of Luka. Raynaud is a truly gifted passer with terrific floor vision. That’s what gets me excited about Raynaud even though he doesn’t have the size or rim protection I’d like to see.

As for the guys with the cool names, one of them (Rocco) is a lot bigger than Luka and the other (Konan) is somewhat bigger and much more athletic.

Stay tuned, however, because the best is yet to come when I post my profile of Thomas Sorber, who I consider the best center prospect in this year’s draft outside of Maluach.

[Q-is-here]

Wait, no analysis of his name? You're slipping, Lip. Do we really want the Wolves to draft a guy who has a disease named after him? Would you want the Twins to sign Lou Gehrig or Tommy John?

Seriously, while there are a lot of bigs that are likely to be available when we draft, I find myself comparing them all to Luka...who was the player of the year coming out of Iowa...and wondering if any of them will end up a better pro than him. Maxime is projected to go late in the first round, but doesn't he look a lot like a poor man's Luka Garza coming out of college?

Most of these guys are either a lot longer or a lot more athletic than Luka. Luka actually doesn't have terrible measurables for a Center, but if you are going to be as slow and unathletic as he is, then you better be really tall. That's where similar sloths like Edey or Kalkbrenner have an advantage. At least you can put them in drop coverage and they will bother/deter some shots. With Luka, you can go around AND over him!

I will say this...even if we don't draft a prototypical Center in terms of size, I'd still be fine with a prototypical PF sized-guy that has the length and defensive reputation to play some Center (think Al Horford and Draymond Green). Tim's guy Rasheer Fleming is a little on the short side for a traditional Center, but has a huge wingspan and the heft to hold his own in the paint.

What we can't have is yet another big that is all offense and sketchy defense! I feel like one of Connelly's misses over his tenure is having an over-abundance of offensive-oriented bigs in Randle (and KAT before him), Naz, Garza, and Leonard Miller and literally only one defensive-oriented big in Rudy. Totally unbalanced.

to be fair, where else would the offense come from?

Jaden, Shannon, Dillingham....shift more of it to our perimeter oriented players.

But it's not even the imbalance with the main rotation guys, it's the fact we have no defensive big in the pipeline/end of bench either, thus I mentioned Garza and Miller as well.

[60WinTim]

If we are placing value on names, Danny Wolf has got be up there!