Might be we better off at 2 or 3?

I trust Phil, but I do worry we might be better off picking later- certainly not lower than 3.

Thoughts?

If we don't want it we can trade it and its value.

Knixkik wrote:We are definitely better off at #1, but the nice part of this draft is there isn't a huge drop in the top 5. Particularly the top 4, each player is projected to be a very good player, with all-star potential.

there is a HUGE drop after 3

mreinman wrote:

Knixkik wrote:We are definitely better off at #1, but the nice part of this draft is there isn't a huge drop in the top 5. Particularly the top 4, each player is projected to be a very good player, with all-star potential.

there is a HUGE drop after 3

I'd argue from my BPA perspective there is a drop after 1/2. Russell/Towns and then again after 3. Okafor. But, consensus pressures can and do influence picks, and if picking third leads us to Russell over Okafor, I'd view it as advantageous over Okafor at 2. Trade down opportunities are weakened by a lower selection, but the probability of those deals at the very top of the draft are low to begin with. Overall, I'd prefer picking first - take the consensus pick (Towns), who is lower but close to Russell in my evaluation, but obviating any potential over-thinking by our mistake prone management.

mreinman wrote:

Knixkik wrote:We are definitely better off at #1, but the nice part of this draft is there isn't a huge drop in the top 5. Particularly the top 4, each player is projected to be a very good player, with all-star potential.

there is a HUGE drop after 3

At minimum it's Towns, Okafor, Russell, Mudiay. If you don't think Mudiay is on the same level, then that is just your opinion, because based on most reports, the debate between Russell and Mudiay is pretty much a split. So you can't say there is a huge drop because most NBA people disagree. I would say there is a drop after those 4.

gunsnewing wrote:If you watched Towns play all year you know he is the best player or at least one of the best players. This is not olowakandi or Oden being picked because they are 7ft tall.

Trading the #1 is not an option unless we are getting Anthony Davis.

We need pick 1 so we can pick who we want period

oden was picked because he was 7ft tall? cmon bro, he average 16pts/10reb/3blocks/61%fg in his only year at ohio state...

Panos wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:If you watched Towns play all year you know he is the best player or at least one of the best players. This is not olowakandi or Oden being picked because they are 7ft tall.

Trading the #1 is not an option unless we are getting Anthony Davis.

We need pick 1 so we can pick who we want period

Oden was NOT picked first because he was 7 feet. He was dominant in college. Much more than Towns was. It was purely medical reasons that he was a bust. My concern is that Towns also has the potential to be the erroneous pick over Okafor,

Fair enough. So it was strictly injury that derailed Alden's career. The only way I see Towns busting is if he suffers a similar career ending injury but that goes for any of the picks.

What about Michael Olowakandi at Pacific? Did he also have a better college career than Towns?

mreinman wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

mreinman wrote:

Knixkik wrote:We are definitely better off at #1, but the nice part of this draft is there isn't a huge drop in the top 5. Particularly the top 4, each player is projected to be a very good player, with all-star potential.

there is a HUGE drop after 3

At minimum it's Towns, Okafor, Russell, Mudiay. If you don't think Mudiay is on the same level, then that is just your opinion, because based on most reports, the debate between Russell and Mudiay is pretty much a split. So you can't say there is a huge drop because most NBA people disagree. I would say there is a drop after those 4.

I predict that Mudiay will not be in the top 5.

lets see if I am wrong.

Things very well might shake out that way. Personal preference aside, every draft report on ESPN, Draft Express, nbadraft.net etc have Russell and Mudiay pretty much even. One reason is they both took completely different paths, and have completely opposite strengths, making them tough to compare. So individual workouts will really show how things play out. I think both are NBA ready players. Russell has the skill set to have an impact right away, and Mudiay has the experience in a professional environment, being on his own, and nba body. Russell is more of a sure thing, Mudiay has more upside. Both will be good.

Knixkik wrote:

mreinman wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

mreinman wrote:

Knixkik wrote:We are definitely better off at #1, but the nice part of this draft is there isn't a huge drop in the top 5. Particularly the top 4, each player is projected to be a very good player, with all-star potential.

there is a HUGE drop after 3

At minimum it's Towns, Okafor, Russell, Mudiay. If you don't think Mudiay is on the same level, then that is just your opinion, because based on most reports, the debate between Russell and Mudiay is pretty much a split. So you can't say there is a huge drop because most NBA people disagree. I would say there is a drop after those 4.

I predict that Mudiay will not be in the top 5.

lets see if I am wrong.

Things very well might shake out that way. Personal preference aside, every draft report on ESPN, Draft Express, nbadraft.net etc have Russell and Mudiay pretty much even. One reason is they both took completely different paths, and have completely opposite strengths, making them tough to compare. So individual workouts will really show how things play out. I think both are NBA ready players. Russell has the skill set to have an impact right away, and Mudiay has the experience in a professional environment, being on his own, and nba body. Russell is more of a sure thing, Mudiay has more upside. Both will be good.

yeah I know and I think that anyone who has him that high will be wrong ... its happened before :-)

I can't see a non shooter (guard) get that high in the draft with how high outside shooting is valued these days.

gonna be fun to see.

nyk4ever wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:

Panos wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:If you watched Towns play all year you know he is the best player or at least one of the best players. This is not olowakandi or Oden being picked because they are 7ft tall.

Trading the #1 is not an option unless we are getting Anthony Davis.

We need pick 1 so we can pick who we want period

Oden was NOT picked first because he was 7 feet. He was dominant in college. Much more than Towns was. It was purely medical reasons that he was a bust. My concern is that Towns also has the potential to be the erroneous pick over Okafor,

Fair enough. So it was strictly injury that derailed Alden's career. The only way I see Towns busting is if he suffers a similar career ending injury but that goes for any of the picks.

What about Michael Olowakandi at Pacific? Did he also have a better college career than Towns?

olowakandi went 22/11/61% in his draft year at pacific... but it was pacific and the west coast conference so it's not like oden or towns doing it. but he was very dominant, just against inferior competition.

Exactly Pacific.

The whole point is Towns did what he did playing in a stacked UK front court. Who did Ohio state have alongside Oden? From what I remember despite putting up those numbers there were major question marks about how his offensive game would develop. His defense and rebounding were far more advanced.