Minnesota Sports Forum

Knicks
Philly 19
Lakers 20
Wolves 22
Orlando 24

So Okafor, Russell and Towns will be off the board. Great. Just our luck

papalrep wrote:Knicks
Philly 19
Lakers 20
Wolves 22
Orlando 24

So Okafor, Russell and Towns will be off the board. Great. Just our luck

Only if you don't believe Cool's guarantee that we win the lottery this season, your eminency. I was wondering, do you have any insider information about this year's lottery through your "contacts"?

Some here don't think the 4 hole would be too bad if Mudiay is sitting there. Flip may decide he isn't the right fit here, but he should at least be an attractive trade chip.

BTW, the Orlando/Celtics game tonight is a big one for us. In every tanker and anti-tanker so far, including the Wolves and Philly wins last night, the Vegas underdog has won. Tonight is different, as the game is a pick 'em. I'm worried about this one, because Boston is in the hunt for a playoff spot and Orlando has nothing to play for except lottery position. Our best hope is that the Celts are a terrible road team. I'm cheering for a big game from VO tonight.

Nothing yet LST I'll keep the board posted

The three teams ahead of us all need a PG and we're in an era of unbelievable PG depth across the league. If Mudiay is close to Towns, Russell, Okafor I don't see him sliding down to 4 when he plays the most important position of all of them. He also doesn't have a lot of tape on him so if he works out well he won't get picked apart as much as the other 3.

khans2k5 wrote:The three teams ahead of us all need a PG and we're in an era of unbelievable PG depth across the league. If Mudiay is close to Towns, Russell, Okafor I don't see him sliding down to 4 when he plays the most important position of all of them. He also doesn't have a lot of tape on him so if he works out well he won't get picked apart as much as the other 3.

Mudiay isn't a fit in the triangle. The Sixers got rid of MCW because he couldn't shoot, Mudiay isn't a shooter. Mudiay is a fit with the Lakers. Hope they pick him.

(note to self: having the 4th worst record doesn't mean we automatically get the 4th pick. There is actually a better chance we get the 5th or 6th pick).

I don't see Karl Anthony Towns or Okafor slipping to 4 even though those teams need guards, so we should resort ourselves to trading that pick if that's where we fall on the board.

Q12543 wrote:(note to self: having the 4th worst record doesn't mean we automatically get the 4th pick. There is actually a better chance we get the 5th or 6th pick).

What about the 1, 2, and 3?

I'll bet that Mudyia is gone by pick # 4. Towns and Okafor too. So if we're picking 4th, Russell will probably be the BPA on the board. If so, Flip should take him and keep him.

If Towns or Okafor somehow slips to #4 and we're picking in that slot, we should probably take him (either one) based on their talents and our needs. But for those who think we should pass on Mudiay at #4, I disagree. I actually think Mudiay is the most talented player in this year's draft. Based on what I've read and heard, he also seems to have the maturity, drive and coachability to get the most out of his talent in the NBA.

I'm not concerned that Mudiay is referred to as a PG, the position currently occupied by one of our key building blocks. Three reasons I would not pass on Mudiay if he's the BPA when we pick. First, Mudiay is big enough to play SG and by all accounts he's a scorer as much as, if not more than, a playmaker. And as Flip says, your position is dictated primarily by who you can guard. Mudiay's decent size and elite athleticism suggest he can guard opposing SGs as well as if not better than opposing PGs. Second, the ever-present shadow of potential major injuries in today's NBA reminds us that you can't can't simply count on a particular player over time and that you have to build in some significant degree of redundancy as you build your team. Note that Ricky has shown a bit of a propensity for long-lasting serious injuries. Finally, as much as I like Zach LaVine, he hasn't shown enough this season or his one year of college to justify passing on a star-quality talent at the SG position.

So what if we finally have some lottery luck and end up with the top pick? Since I'm leaning towards thinking Mudiay is the best talent in the draft would I take him over Okafor or Towns? Probably not because I think the margin between Mudiay and these two bigs is small enough that specific positional needs would justify selecting one of these bigs if given the choice -- although I'm less certain about Okafor. Towns is the guy I want the most out of this draft. He has star potential and fits an important need.

Simply put, if we don't pick in the top 2, just draft Hezonja. Is it too much to ask to draft a potential two-way player with a good resume to boot?