Official lottery thread

[AbeVigodaLive]

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The other problem with Okafor is that we have two other scorers on the team - Wiggins and Shabazz - that prefer to work in the mid to low-post area. It's going to start getting crowded down there!

I honestly don't have a horse in this race. If you forced me to rank who I want, I'd go Towns first and then anguish over Okafor and Russell in that second slot. But in the end, I'll be happy if we end up with any of the three. It's if we end up with that fourth pick that I start getting a little nervous.

It sounds a little crazy, but I think there are bigger things to worry about with this squad, the first being health; the second being coaching; and the third being the development of the young guys we already have. This year's pick won't move the needle much if we can't get better in the other three areas.

That's where we disagree. We THINK Wiggins is a potential franchise player. But we're also finding out one franchise guy isn't always enough for a team to get over the proverbial hump. LaVine isn't that guy to me. Muhammad isn't that guy. Rubio isn't that guy.

So, before they all improve (somewhat) and the team's picks start getting further away from superstar potential... why not get that potential superstar the easiest (and sometimes only) way a team like the Wolves can... by lucking out in the draft/lottery.

I still see the Wolves as a 50+ loss team... even if Wiggins/LaVine/Rubio improve. But bring in another potential superstar... and keep him and Wiggins progressing... and the Wolves have a legit future. As such, this draft can go a long way in dictating the Wolves re-re-rebuild.


[Note: I warned you I was stealing it.]

[Lipoli390]

I think Towns is going first regardless of who gets the pick tonight.

Our best shot is either winning the lottery ourselves or Philly winning it and working out a trade with them. 44.9% of that happening.

Flip's going against what he's already built if he really does prefer Okafor over Towns. Makes no sense at all.

Flip has always been a "smoke screen" guy. Putting out the word that "Okafor is the next Duncan" and comparing "Bjelica to Hummel" could be just smoke...

If comparing Bjelica to Hummel is smokescreen gamesmanship, then Flip's needs to work on that part of his game. The Wolves have the rights to Bjelica so Flip doesn't need to scare potential suitors away. To the contrary, if anything, Flip should make comparisons that drive Bjelica's value up for possible trades. Call me silly, comparing Bjelica to Hummel doesn't seem like it would enhance Bjelica's value. Maybe Flip is trying to drive up Hummel's value. :)

Honestly, Flip doesn't do the smokescreen thing. He told the world two years ago that he wanted Oladipo and then tried but failed to trade up for him. He didn't put up any smoke screens last year.

So bottom line is this. Right now, Flip is inclined to take Okafor over Towns. It would also appear that Flip won't sign Bjelica and won't hold our for much if he trades him.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Wolfson: @chadfordinsider on Rubio today: "His camp has been pushing for a trade for a while." Me: not as much after 4/$55M. Before, some. #twolves"

No clue who I believe as both are pretty ridiculously uninformed. If Rubio's camp has been pushing for a trade, then I wouldn't be held back at all in drafting Russell and try to move Rubio to Sacramento.

[Lipoli390]

I just played the mock lottery on ESPN 10 times. Here are the results for the Wolves:

4th six times
3rd two times
2nd one time
1st one time

Hope that's not indicative of what we can expect tonight.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I just played the mock lottery on ESPN 10 times. Here are the results for the Wolves:

4th six times
3rd two times
2nd one time
1st one time

Hope that's not indicative of what we can expect tonight.

I did it 7 times earlier (yes, I'm a rube).

The Knicks won it 4 times. Oh. Oh.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

.

The other problem with Okafor is that we have two other scorers on the team - Wiggins and Shabazz - that prefer to work in the mid to low-post area. It's going to start getting crowded down there!

I honestly don't have a horse in this race. If you forced me to rank who I want, I'd go Towns first and then anguish over Okafor and Russell in that second slot. But in the end, I'll be happy if we end up with any of the three. It's if we end up with that fourth pick that I start getting a little nervous.

It sounds a little crazy, but I think there are bigger things to worry about with this squad, the first being health; the second being coaching; and the third being the development of the young guys we already have. This year's pick won't move the needle much if we can't get better in the other three areas.

That's where we disagree. We THINK Wiggins is a potential franchise player. But we're also finding out one franchise guy isn't always enough for a team to get over the proverbial hump. LaVine isn't that guy to me. Muhammad isn't that guy. Rubio isn't that guy.

So, before they all improve (somewhat) and the team's picks start getting further away from superstar potential... why not get that potential superstar the easiest (and sometimes only) way a team like the Wolves can... by lucking out in the draft/lottery.

I still see the Wolves as a 50+ loss team... even if Wiggins/LaVine/Rubio improve. But bring in another potential superstar... and keep him and Wiggins progressing... and the Wolves have a legit future. As such, this draft can go a long way in dictating the Wolves re-re-rebuild.

[Note: I warned you I was stealing it.]

A few things...

1a. I'm not convinced any of the three or four top guys on 2015 mock drafts will ever become superstars. Good players? Yes. Great players? Perhaps. Superstars? Not so sure. Even if we luck out and get the #1 pick, I have a hard time being convinced that KAT will be a superstar.

1b. I don't want to completely downplay this draft. My point is that there are many other things that need to go right/get fixed in order for this team to a) reach the playoffs, and b) be competitive once they get there.

1c. Now if David Robinson or LeBron James were in this draft class, yes, I would be hoping and praying for the #1 pick. Now those guys were franchise changers.

2. Who is San Antonio's superstar? How about Atlanta? I'm not sure either of these teams has one, much less two. Who was Detroit's superstar in 2004? Who other than Dirk was Dallas's superstar in 2011?

3. Ultimately, we need a handful of players that are above league average at their position and fit together well on offense and defense, coached by someone that gets the most of them and their abilities. My guess is that we are multiple drafts/trades/coaches/free agent signings away from achieving this goal. Who knows? By the time we reach the playoffs, Wiggins might be the only guy on the team from the current roster.

[AbeVigodaLive]

.

The other problem with Okafor is that we have two other scorers on the team - Wiggins and Shabazz - that prefer to work in the mid to low-post area. It's going to start getting crowded down there!

I honestly don't have a horse in this race. If you forced me to rank who I want, I'd go Towns first and then anguish over Okafor and Russell in that second slot. But in the end, I'll be happy if we end up with any of the three. It's if we end up with that fourth pick that I start getting a little nervous.

It sounds a little crazy, but I think there are bigger things to worry about with this squad, the first being health; the second being coaching; and the third being the development of the young guys we already have. This year's pick won't move the needle much if we can't get better in the other three areas.

That's where we disagree. We THINK Wiggins is a potential franchise player. But we're also finding out one franchise guy isn't always enough for a team to get over the proverbial hump. LaVine isn't that guy to me. Muhammad isn't that guy. Rubio isn't that guy.

So, before they all improve (somewhat) and the team's picks start getting further away from superstar potential... why not get that potential superstar the easiest (and sometimes only) way a team like the Wolves can... by lucking out in the draft/lottery.

I still see the Wolves as a 50+ loss team... even if Wiggins/LaVine/Rubio improve. But bring in another potential superstar... and keep him and Wiggins progressing... and the Wolves have a legit future. As such, this draft can go a long way in dictating the Wolves re-re-rebuild.

[Note: I warned you I was stealing it.]

A few things...

1a. I'm not convinced any of the three or four top guys on 2015 mock drafts will ever become superstars. Good players? Yes. Great players? Perhaps. Superstars? Not so sure. Even if we luck out and get the #1 pick, I have a hard time being convinced that KAT will be a superstar.

1b. I don't want to completely downplay this draft. My point is that there are many other things that need to go right/get fixed in order for this team to a) reach the playoffs, and b) be competitive once they get there.

2. Who is San Antonio's superstar? How about Atlanta? I'm not sure either of these teams has one, much less two. Who was Detroit's superstar in 2004? Who other than Dirk was Dallas's superstar in 2011?

3. Ultimately, we need a handful of players that are above league average at their position and fit together well on offense and defense, coached by someone that gets the most of them and their abilities. My guess is that we are multiple drafts/trades/coaches/free agent signings away from achieving this goal. Who knows? By the time we reach the playoffs, Wiggins might be the only guy on the team from the current roster.

1. I'm not convinced either. But they might have potential. That's what every rebuild is about, right? Swinging and connecting on a potential or legit superstar has a funny way of making everything else fall into place a bit easier.

2. Tim Duncan sure as heck made things easier for San Antonio for the past 17+ years. Is he still a superstar? Probably not. But his impact on that team as a superstar is still there... and helped bridge the gap for Parker, Leonard and others who have been very very good players. As for Atlanta, I can point out several teams in the playoffs that do have superstars. Again, I'm not saying it's impossible... but back to point #1... it's usually the easiest path.

3. I agree. The team is not close. I don't know if the current management/coaching/players are even capable of making it to .500. That's why I want more top-end talent as soon as possible. Drafting super high in the draft has helped a lot of teams over the course of NBA history change fortunes quickly.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

I don't think we should take account fit into the pick at all. You don't pass on Okafor because you already have two wings who like to play in the post. You don't pass on Russell because you have Lavine. You don't pass on Mudiay because of Ricky. You take the guy you deem is going to be the best player 3-5 years down the line. Taking a rookie for what he can do for you his rookie year is dumb. These guys don't contribute much to winning in year 1. You want to find and pick the guys who are going to help you win in a few years. The Thunder got two years of high picks after Durant that netted them Westbrook and Harden because it took Durant 3 years to put it together from a winning perspective. Find the guy who's going to be the best in 3-5 years when he can help Wiggins and whoever else is on the team at the time start winning games.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I mentioned my Rubio-to-Sacramento trade idea to Wolfson, and take it for what it's worth, he replied with:

"Kings and Mavs tried to get him last year, as I reported then. So sure, watch the Kings whenever."

[TRKO [enjin:12664595]]

Wolfson: @chadfordinsider on Rubio today: "His camp has been pushing for a trade for a while." Me: not as much after 4/$55M. Before, some. #twolves"

No clue who I believe as both are pretty ridiculously uninformed. If Rubio's camp has been pushing for a trade, then I wouldn't be held back at all in drafting Russell and try to move Rubio to Sacramento.

I wonder what we could get for him.