Minnesota Sports Forum

CoolBreeze44 wrote:For some reason............every time I play it we get the first pick............creepy.......................

It took me like 6 tries when I did it for us to get #1.

Did anyone else realize that Flip sent Jeff Adrien to China to scout Mudiay for us personally.
That move might payoff.

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/Emmanuel-Mudiay-Chinese-Playoffs-Video-Analysis-4829/

Think we need to start talking about Russell as a PG who can play off ball at times (like Mo, JJ) rather than a as a SG who can take over PG duties. There's a difference, in my opinion, and it lies with who can the player in question guard.

Russell might not be able to guard NBA starting SGs. Not strong enough and not a freak athlete to make up for it. I think that's a variable that we tend to overlook because he's 6'4/6'5. Defense is already a weakness for him, but when mentally engaged he can guard the point.

There's a conundrum here. Russell fits better with us on offense, but Mudiay actually makes us better on defense.

Mudiay's a thick, wide brick shithouse of a point guard and actually is capable guarding 2-guards. He's strong enough to keep balance on attacking drives and won't get punished in the post. And he doesn't always show it, but he's got some of that gritty dog in him. That hustle factor we all love and appreciate.

It's a tough call between these two. Flip a coin and I'll be happy to have either one, but I think if I was making the call, I'd pick Emmanuel and finally have a player that can live at the rim and guard his position in the backcourt.

Cam, Who do you think fits better next to Wiggins? I think Russell will be at a minimum an average defender at the NBA level. I am guessing he will be better then Curry and Harden. I know that is not saying much. Mudiay was projected to be the best player in this draft, but big concern for him is that I remember reading about how his teams have not won at any level. I would really want to dig into that.

They had the same fear with Durant as far as bulk and athleticism. They worried about Curry's size. Russell has shown flashes of being a really good two way player. I think he can play very well at both OG spots. I think he is the best player in this class.

Thank you for bringing up Curry. Take all of his tools on defense, got that in your head right now? Now put that on a 6'4/6'5 guy. Is he capable of guarding SGs? Your answer should be no.

TRKO wrote:They had the same fear with Durant as far as bulk and athleticism. They worried about Curry's size. Russell has shown flashes of being a really good two way player. I think he can play very well at both OG spots. I think he is the best player in this class.

I am still in that boat. It is so hard to know how good Mudiay will be. Russell would bring so much feel to the game that trumps most players athletic ability. He would be a creator, floor spacer, and scorer. I think a lot of the people here that said they wouldn't draft Russell because of Rubio are the same people that were pissed that we didn't draft Curry after drafting Rubio. I don't understand why.

bleedspeed177 wrote:Cam, Who do you think fits better next to Wiggins? I think Russell will be at a minimum an average defender at the NBA level. I am guessing he will be better then Curry and Harden. I know that is not saying much. Mudiay was projected to be the best player in this draft, but big concern for him is that I remember reading about how his teams have not won at any level. I would really want to dig into that.

That's tough to say, as they both have reasons why they'd be the better fit. One could argue we need a shooter/creator like Russell and someone else could argue we need a bully guard who can penetrate at will, get in the teeth of the defense like Mudiay. Wiggins would benefit greatly from both. And even with Wiggins here, I think you leave him out of the equation when determining what player to select. We just need the better player between A, B, C and D. Good/great players figure out how to play with each other regardless of fit.

My opinion, though, is that while Wiggins CAN create some of his offense by himself, we still need a guy that can do it regularly. That could be either Russell or Mudiay, and my preference would be towards the guy that can get to the rim at will, and that's Mudiay. His defensive tools are the added bonus.

Lavine has the tools to get to the rim at will and create shots in between Ricky and Wiggins. I'm still hoping we are in a spot to get Towns or Okafor because they would help us much more than Russell or Mudiay.

khans2k5 wrote:Lavine has the tools to get to the rim at will and create shots in between Ricky and Wiggins. I'm still hoping we are in a spot to get Towns or Okafor because they would help us much more than Russell or Mudiay.

Survey says... Ding ding ding! I agree with this. Getting Towns or Okafor is priority.