An F grade if the Wolves draft ??.

[Lipoli390]

I don't want Payne at 13. A guy with his length and athleticism should do better than 7.3 boards and 1 block per game as a senior in college. And you can't blame the mono as he had similar stats his junior year.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I have never bought into the Zach LaVine hype, so drafting him might be an F to me. I recognize that he is a great athlete...I just don't see any evidence that he can play basketball. He did nothing to justify being a lottery pick during his one year at UCLA, and in fact got worse as the season progressed. The guy only scored 8 points total in three NCAA tournament games. Maybe some think a good coaching staff can turn him into a basketball player, but I see him as by far the biggest risk of anyone expected to go in the first round. Is there another potential first rounder who didn't start for his college team?

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I'm not really worried about LaVine not starting or playing many minutes for his college team. Russell Westbrook didn't either. I just wanna see what skills he has. Again, I don't love the LaVine pick, but his shooting paired with athletic ability is a rare find.

Wouldn't hate it, wouldn't love it. Homerun or strikeout, there's no in between really.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I'm not really worried about LaVine not starting or playing many minutes for his college team. Russell Westbrook didn't either. I just wanna see what skills he has. Again, I don't love the LaVine pick, but his shooting paired with athletic ability is a rare find.

Wouldn't hate it, wouldn't love it. Homerun or strikeout, there's no in between really.

I understand the Westbrook/LaVine comparison because Russell was terrible his freshman year too. The difference is Russell then had a great sophomore year that teams could evaluate before drafting. We don't have that luxury with LaVine, because all we have is a poor freshman year and some workouts. I can't see risking a lottery pick on a guy that hasn't proven anything, hoping that he might improve like a Westbrook.

[Lipoli390]

I see LaVine as an A/F pick. He'll either be great or a bust. And we probably won't know foe several years. I like that he's not just a great athlete. He's an excellent ball handler. Watch his scouting Video on DraftExpress and note his ball control and ability to change speed and direction. In baseball terms, he's a guy with a 97 mph fastball AND both a changeup and breaking ball. His 37.5% three-point accuracy tells me he also has decent control of his pitches. Does he have a super competitive streak and great work ethic? I don't know. But if he does, then I like his chances of becoming an A pick. I'm just hoping we don't end up with Payne.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

That's pretty much how I feel about LaVine. I also really like the baseball analogy lol.

Lip, tell all your Wolves officials that you know not to take Payne or Young. :thumb:

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Lip, if a guy had a 97 MPH fastball plus two other pitches, he likely would have started for his college team...otherwise, it would be a red flag that there was something wrong with him. LaVine is a spectacular athlete, and can shoot and dribble, but he still had a hard time getting off Alford's bench. I went to a game in early March to see what he was all about, and I left the gym concluding that he just isn't a basketball player. He seemed lost in the flow on both offense and defense. Maybe Flip and company can coach him up like Alford couldn't, but I would feel much more comfortable with a college player with an actual track record...there are certainly plenty of them available in the first 20 picks.

[Phenom]

I would like Payne, just with one of those later picks Flip is targeting.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Well, UCLA also had Jordan Adams and Kyle Anderson playing ahead of him. It's not like there was scrubs playing ahead of him. A game I'm sure you watched was against Oregon where those two guys were suspended I believe. LaVine had 18 points or so with 5-6 rebounds, 6 assists and 0 turnovers. Thought it was a pretty good showing. Do you have any takes from that game?

[Lipoli390]

Lip, if a guy had a 97 MPH fastball plus two other pitches, he likely would have started for his college team...otherwise, it would be a red flag that there was something wrong with him. LaVine is a spectacular athlete, and can shoot and dribble, but he still had a hard time getting off Alford's bench. I went to a game in early March to see what he was all about, and I left the gym concluding that he just isn't a basketball player. He seemed lost in the flow on both offense and defense. Maybe Flip and company can coach him up like Alford couldn't, but I would feel much more comfortable with a college player with an actual track record...there are certainly plenty of them available in the first 20 picks.

He was an 18 year old freshman playing behind Anderson and Adams. Continuing with the baseball metaphor, LaVine needs to develop a better command of his breaking ball and change-up and develop a better sense of how to use his pitches. But the raw material is there. And he showed he can be very productive and pretty efficient at the college level.