Draft prospects - Who do we want?

[60WinTim]

Sounds like smoke to me...

But wouldn't a trade with the Knicks make more sense?

You take Russell with #1, the Lakers take a big, and Philly would probably take someone other than big, right? So the you get one of the two bigs at #4.

But I'm not sure what it would take to get #4 from New York. And Philly could screw it all up by trading down to a team that DID want one of the two bigs...

DAMN! We have an entire month of all this muddling over the possibilities, when in all likelihood we just take Towns on draft day.

Then why do the Knicks trade the pick if they're staring at Towns or Okafor? They don't.

I agree. I think this is all nonsense. Might have to take a vacation until draft night... :)

[TRKO [enjin:12664595]]

Also what do the Knicks have to trade that is worthy of the move down?

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Sounds like smoke to me...

But wouldn't a trade with the Knicks make more sense?

You take Russell with #1, the Lakers take a big, and Philly would probably take someone other than big, right? So the you get one of the two bigs at #4.

But I'm not sure what it would take to get #4 from New York. And Philly could screw it all up by trading down to a team that DID want one of the two bigs...

DAMN! We have an entire month of all this muddling over the possibilities, when in all likelihood we just take Towns on draft day.

Then why do the Knicks trade the pick if they're staring at Towns or Okafor? They don't.

I agree. I think this is all nonsense. Might have to take a vacation until draft night... :)

Ha! Might have to.

Actually, the Knicks could be a good trading partner, if the deal was made before the draft. Right now, they are probably resigned to taking Mudiay at 4, with all his uncertainty, assuming that the 2 bigs and Russell will be gone. They have always coveted Rubio, and LaVine has a certain cache after his slam dunk win and solid March/April. They might prefer Rubio and Zach to Mudiay. If Flip really does love Russell as much as Flip says, make the deal with NY, draft Russell at #! and still have a good chance of Okafor at 4. And we still have our 2 seconds for a backup PG and PF. Has some promise. Foye and Miller brought us a #5 a few years ago...is it so unrealistic to think Rubio and Zach could bring a #4?

PG: Russell, Brown, ?
SG: Martin, Wiggins, Neal
SF: Wiggins, Muhammad, Bud
PF: KG, Bennett, Bjelica, Payne
C: Pek, Okafor, Dieng

[TRKO [enjin:12664595]]

If they really like Rubio why not just sit and pick Mudiay? If they plan on running the triangle then neither of the two really are fits. If I'm New York I hope Okafor, Towns, or Russell slip. If they don't I call the Kings and see if they want Mudiay and deal with them, or if Karl wants Lawson do a three way deal where Lawson goes to the Kings, Mudiay to the Nuggets and the Knicks get the Kings pick and a few other pieces. Then if I'm the Knicks I pick Winslow, unless Phil thinks Porzingis is Pau 2.0.

[TheFuture]

Rubio, NB, and a second sure, but I don't want to trade LaVine. He shows too much promise. His combination of athleticism, dribbling, and shooting stroke is rare. If he progresses on what he was playing like at the end of the year then he has a chance to be a star. He's only 20 years old and shown determination to get better and an unwavering confidence. I'm not trading him for anything that isn't a proven NBA stud. Wiggins, LaVine, and Muhammed are my untouchables right now. I see my futureSG, sf, and 6th man spark plug in those 3 right now. Can't give them up.

[TRKO [enjin:12664595]]

Rubio, NB, and a second sure, but I don't want to trade LaVine. He shows too much promise. His combination of athleticism, dribbling, and shooting stroke is rare. If he progresses on what he was playing like at the end of the year then he has a chance to be a star. He's only 20 years old and shown determination to get better and an unwavering confidence. I'm not trading him for anything that isn't a proven NBA stud. Wiggins, LaVine, and Muhammed are my untouchables right now. I see my futureSG, sf, and 6th man spark plug in those 3 right now. Can't give them up.

I don't want to trade LaVine either. I would trade the entire roster outside of Wiggins, LaVine, and Muhammed to move back up.

Hate to beat a dead horse, but this is where you still had the Heat pick and the pick you traded for Payne to use as chips to move up. That's why obtaining assets when rebuilding and not trading them for marginal players is key.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Rubio, NB, and a second sure, but I don't want to trade LaVine. He shows too much promise. His combination of athleticism, dribbling, and shooting stroke is rare. If he progresses on what he was playing like at the end of the year then he has a chance to be a star. He's only 20 years old and shown determination to get better and an unwavering confidence. I'm not trading him for anything that isn't a proven NBA stud. Wiggins, LaVine, and Muhammed are my untouchables right now. I see my futureSG, sf, and 6th man spark plug in those 3 right now. Can't give them up.

I like Zach too, especially his incredible physical gifts. But I continue to wonder whether he will ever have the basketball smarts to maximize his true potential. Is he willing to work as hard on things that can truly make him a star, or will he continue to be more focused on glamour things like dunk contests? I include Zach, because I think Russell will be twice the player he will be. And knowing Sid, I'm convinced after listening to him today that Flip has informally mentioned Zach as a trade chip. I don't think Rubio, NB and a second is enough to secure the 4th pick in this draft (although it would be sweet), so I think Zach has to be in the deal.

[Coolbreeze44]

I hate to be a downer here, but let me inject some reality into this discussion:

1) D'Angelo Russell is no Magic Johnson. He's not even Kevin Johnson. He's just another top prospect that has a 50-50 chance of becoming an all star level player in the league.

2) I can't believe we are using Sid as a basis for rumor discussion. Maybe 30 years ago, not today.

3) What's really happening here is just what I hoped. Flip is letting it be known how much he likes Russell to increase his options come draft day. It only makes sense. Don't close any doors, who knows what could happen with the myriad of possibilities involving all the teams. I don't think any of picks 2-4 are a sure bet to be taken by the teams that hold those positions right now. The worst thing Flip could do right now is say he's deciding between Towns and Okafor and that he's not trading his first pick.

4) If we are going to entertain the idea of a trade, it should be with Philly with assurance Russell is their target.

5) I would not trade Rubio and Lavine for the chance to get Russell. Again, Russell is not nearly as safe of a pick as Towns is. We've already come too far in this rebuild to take a chance like that. If Russell busts, which is certainly a possibility, you've blown another rebuild.

6) Remarkably after squandering so many assets in recent years, we actually have enough to do something dynamic in this draft. We can move back into the lottery to target a player we really like without having to give up someone from the existing young core. That makes a lot more sense than going for a homerun with a Russell move.

7) This is really too nonsensical in the first place. This speculation actually belongs in the far fetched trade thread.

[TRKO [enjin:12664595]]

If you have Okafor and Towns tied and Philadelphia loves Russell then you work a trade down. The only way it works is you pick Russell so the Lakers don't spoil it, then swap him with the big that is left over from the Lakers. With 4 first rounders next year I would like to get a future first from them in a trade down.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I hate to be a downer here, but let me inject some reality into this discussion:

1) D'Angelo Russell is no Magic Johnson. He's not even Kevin Johnson. He's just another top prospect that has a 50-50 chance of becoming an all star level player in the league.

2) I can't believe we are using Sid as a basis for rumor discussion. Maybe 30 years ago, not today.

3) What's really happening here is just what I hoped. Flip is letting it be known how much he likes Russell to increase his options come draft day. It only makes sense. Don't close any doors, who knows what could happen with the myriad of possibilities involving all the teams. I don't think any of picks 2-4 are a sure bet to be taken by the teams that hold those positions right now. The worst thing Flip could do right now is say he's deciding between Towns and Okafor and that he's not trading his first pick.

4) If we are going to entertain the idea of a trade, it should be with Philly with assurance Russell is their target.

5) I would not trade Rubio and Lavine for the chance to get Russell. Again, Russell is not nearly as safe of a pick as Towns is. We've already come too far in this rebuild to take a chance like that. If Russell busts, which is certainly a possibility, you've blown another rebuild.

6) Remarkably after squandering so many assets in recent years, we actually have enough to do something dynamic in this draft. We can move back into the lottery to target a player we really like without having to give up someone from the existing young core. That makes a lot more sense than going for a homerun with a Russell move.

7) This is really too nonsensical in the first place. This speculation actually belongs in the far fetched trade thread.

LOL...I deserve all the slams I got in that post. I'm going to try to avoid making any life decisions today!