mrhockey89 wrote:Chad Ford @chadfordinsider · 3h 3 hours ago
Expect the Magic, Kings, Pistons and Hornets to seriously consider trading their picks. All 4 want to accelerate rebuild
So...maybe a Euro-league MVP + Martin + #31 or #36 could get us to one of these picks?
NB and Martin to the Hornets is very intriguing. They desperately need shooting. We'd have to take something back though for salary purposes. We might need to take Lance off their hands.
#1) Minnesota Timberwolves
Will Look At: Karl Towns, Jahlil Okafor
Prediction: Karl Towns
Drafting Karl Towns and slotting him as a shot-blocking, floor-spacing power forward and occasional small-ball center makes far too much sense, but this is unlikely to be a quick decision ala Anthony Davis or LeBron at #1. Look for Flip Saunders to thoroughly look at Jahlil Okafor while keeping his office line open for trade offers. It wasn't too long ago that Okafor was considered the sure-fire #1 pick in the draft, and Minnesota will certainly want him to come in and make his case in a private workout setting.
If Okafor indeed has his heart set on being a Laker like persistent rumors have indicated for some time now, it will be interesting to see if his agent Bill Duffy (a college friend of Flip Saunders at Minnesota) sends him in for a workout to play hardball. It's tough to pass on the opportunity to be the #1 pick in the draft, and there are really no guarantees he'll be selected #2 at this stage.
There should be plenty of drama surrounding this pick in the next five weeks.
From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com/#ixzz3afxfsjaY
Put all that "Towns forcing his way to LA" bullshit to rest.
"It would be a blessing and an honor to even have a chance to play for Minnesota and be able to have the chance to play for a great organization and learn from a great mentor like Kevin Garnett," Towns told SNY.tv at the lottery.
Asked if he was ready for the cold weather in Minnesota, Towns cracked a broad smile and said, "Of course, I'm from Jersey. We're used to snow, we're used to cold weather."
Former UCLA star Don MacLean, the all-time leading scorer in the Pac-12 and at UCLA, has been training Towns in Los Angeles and said he's "blown away" by Towns' ability both to step out and shoot it and score in the post.
"I've been doing this for 11 or 12 years pre-draft," he told SNY.tv. "Because I had a lot of top 10 picks and a lot of really good players, I'm not really impressed or blown away. I had Towns all last week and I was blown away. Blown away.
"A kid that big but shoots it that well but handles it that well and understands the game, that's coachable, that wants to get better, wants to be great, I was blown away by him last week.
"Am I a little biased? I've known Jahlil because I've done Adidas nations forever. Jahlil's a great kid and a great player but I just think he doesn't have as much to his game as Karl has."
The more I look at this the more I like Russell. I see Towns as potential and see a guy that will be a good support player, but not a star. I don't see him developing into anything more then the 3rd best player on a contender. I don't see how will be a game changer when he only was a few times in college. Okafor could be that inside force and draw a lot of attention like he did in college. I could see him being the 2nd best player on a contender. Russell he looks like a guy that could be your best guy. His shooting, reboudning, and passing are really good for a PG. He was the only player on the OSU team that will even sniff pro ball and teams focused on him with no fear of having anyone stepping up if they shut him down. He looks like the best player to me in this draft out of the 3.
Now they are talking about this on Mike and Mike. Saying Russell will likely be the best player, but no way it is not Okafor or Towns #1. I hope Flip is not afraid to do what he thinks is best.
Camden wrote:Put all that "Towns forcing his way to LA" bullshit to rest.
"It would be a blessing and an honor to even have a chance to play for Minnesota and be able to have the chance to play for a great organization and learn from a great mentor like Kevin Garnett," Towns told SNY.tv at the lottery.
Asked if he was ready for the cold weather in Minnesota, Towns cracked a broad smile and said, "Of course, I'm from Jersey. We're used to snow, we're used to cold weather."
Former UCLA star Don MacLean, the all-time leading scorer in the Pac-12 and at UCLA, has been training Towns in Los Angeles and said he's "blown away" by Towns' ability both to step out and shoot it and score in the post.
"I've been doing this for 11 or 12 years pre-draft," he told SNY.tv. "Because I had a lot of top 10 picks and a lot of really good players, I'm not really impressed or blown away. I had Towns all last week and I was blown away. Blown away.
"A kid that big but shoots it that well but handles it that well and understands the game, that's coachable, that wants to get better, wants to be great, I was blown away by him last week.
"Am I a little biased? I've known Jahlil because I've done Adidas nations forever. Jahlil's a great kid and a great player but I just think he doesn't have as much to his game as Karl has."
