Minnesota Sports Forum

ZigZag--I don't know if this has been mentioned, and maybe it was just today's game, but is Okafor basically Big Al 2.0?

Great question. I think closer to Al than Tim Duncan. How would this work next to Pek for his 35 games, and Gorgui Dieng for the rest? Or is he a 5 only?

I agree that Towns is unproven, and in a very fortunate situation. He seems to have a potentially higher upsie than Okafor, but Oak shows up on day one and you have what you have. We are so damn bad I would take the sure thing than can help us now, Okafor.

Question - is Oak a 4 or a 5 in the NBA?

Oh and another thing. If we drafted 3rd and it was Mudiay or Russell, I'll take Russell and plug him in next to Ricky. I may well be wrong here as well, but we have enough development projects. Some players would be good.

papalrep wrote:He's 26, wants 5 mil+

http://www.canishoopus.com/2014/12/15/7395477/will-nemanja-bjelica-join-the-timberwolves

I wouldn't mind seeing him come over. How does he compare to Nikola Mirotic other then being older?

Okafor is the most efficient scoring big in ages and rebounds the ball well. I really don't get how we can turn down a guaranteed 20 and 9 as a modest projection. I think his weaknesses are way overblown by the pre-draft microscope. He is already playing at an insane offensive output for a freshman. I love Towns and am ecstatic with him as our but Okafor is the better prospect in my mind. His ceiling is greatness with way safer of a floor than Towns.

Doper--I love Towns and am ecstatic with him as our but Okafor is the better prospect in my mind. His ceiling is greatness with way safer of a floor than Towns

Right on. Would you take Russell over Mediay?

As good as Okafor is, and he's my No. 2 overall prospect, he is a one-trick pony. If he doesn't have the ball in the post, he's not a threat to score. He's not even a P&R big right now. And for all the talk on this board about wanting a defensive identity, I just don't believe you'll ever have that with Okafor unless with have ++ defenders everywhere around him, which is the difficult route to go.

You get Wiggins and Towns in back-to-back drafts and there's two extremely high-potential guys who should be able to impact the game on both ends of the floor. That seems to be Flip's cup of tea. Not to mention Towns has the ability to play with all of our current bigs, which is an added bonus.

Towns having the potential to play C or PF, having the better defensive tools and offensive range make him seem like the better fit with the Wolves IMO. Fit does matter in this situation especially when these guys very well could be 1A & 1B.

I don't think Towns is going to be able to be a 4 at the next level and I think his combine results are gonna show that he's not athletic as he's made out to be. Also if you get Okafor you move Dieng to the 4 where he can play in the high post offensively where he is much more effective than the low post because of his passing. Pek/Dieng was a pretty effective combo this year. We'd also have KG next to Okafor for part of the year. Okafor looks like a better athlete out there than Towns if you really watch how they move up and down the court and go up for alley oops and boards. I think Towns will prove to be a C at the next level. I don't see him being able to guard quicker 4's at all especially away from the basket. He does all his defensive damage in the paint. For comparison athletically, watch AP play for us and then watch Towns. I think you'll see why I see Towns as mostly a C at the next level.

And that's your opinion.

You're disregarding his mobility and ability to move his feet laterally, which is going to be why he can play the 4. The same goes for Cauley-Stein.

Towns runs the floor better than Okafor and likely has a better vertical as well. The only thing you're basing the athleticism comment on is that Towns runs with his shoulders high and has extremely big feet. The measureables will show the better athlete.

Camden0916 wrote:And that's your opinion.

You're disregarding his mobility and ability to move his feet laterally, which is going to be why he can play the 4. The same goes for Cauley-Stein.

Towns runs the floor better than Okafor and likely has a better vertical as well. The only thing you're basing the athleticism comment on is that Towns runs with his shoulders high and has extremely big feet. The measureables will show the better athlete.

I'm basing it on he looks just as slow as Okafor out there. Quick and Towns don't belong in the same sentence and the combine will bear that out. His athleticism looks mechanical while Okafor's looks natural. WCS is a better athlete than Towns also. Take off the rose colored glasses and use the eye test instead of scouting reports to tell you how athletic he is. He doesn't look the part of the elite athlete he is made out to be. He has to run with his shoulders up or he'd tip over he's so top heavy. If he didn't have chicken legs he could run like a normal person.