BRIGGS wrote:Lets move down to the next scenarios--a case where we miss the two "top" bigs on the board and sit in spots 3-5. IF we keep pick position #2 we can pick now lower than 5 and have a 57% chance of picking 2 or 3. With position #1 which we currently have the ability to get 2--there is a 65% chance at top 3 and can only pick no worse than 4.
OK the first two picks by pass us
Scenarios pick 3+4+5 This will be one of Mudiay Towns(3) and I will add Oubre Stein Wood Kaminsky Russell. I think the Knicks would take Stein and Ive been personally hot and cold on him. He looks great at times and others he looks awkward upright and not enthused. I know Oubre from his recruitment from Uconn. Maybe the best athlete in the draft with skills. He has Kobe type athletic ability--the only player that I believe has that in the top end athletes. Hes going to have to be really looked at hard over the next 20 games--as is Wood who also is breaking out and has characteristics of a version of Marcus Camby/A Davis. Kaminsky is a safe pick bet. Hes under rated highly skilled and 7 feet tall. He plays on a great team and has all the skills and can be a very decent shot blocker rebounder as well. If he was a great athlete he'd be a lock #2-3 pick but hes not a slouch there either. hes coordinated and runs the floor well. He still could use 8-10 pounds of pure muscle. Russell is a hot and cold young player with a lot of talent. He would play 1 guard and has the clyde type game minus the defense. I removed Stanley Johnson and Harrell. Im high on Tyler Harvey Delon Wright and a few other guys but they wont be pick 3 or 4-5 and Im not picking:) But this comes to my next point. After 2 or 3 and maybe at 3--there is the trade down or trade for existing player scenario. I am NOT willing to take on cap space for an existing player--for an example Al Horford for pick #3. This immediately eats into my salary cap and while Im getting a good player--Ive given up two MASSIVE assets for one and we have way too many question marks to do this for almost anyone other than Kevin Durant. We Cannot afford to trade 2 for 1. There are scenarios where we pick down and get a young player and a pick. For example if we get pick #3 and Denver loves Mudiay and we do not--would Denver give up Nurkic and pick #11 for pick #3? Now there are too many scenarios there to list here--but its an avenue of possibility. There is the trade a top pick for 3 draft picks. This would be like pick 3 or 4 to Boston who holds 9 21 and a 2016 or 2017 pick. This is a real strong one as well as we can fix a lot of holes with good prospects and add a pick down the line.
That'd be my contingency. To be honest, I'd make that call even if Towns was on the board. For me, this draft is Okafor or bust. If he isn't available, I'd much rather liquidate the value of the pick for as many capable bodies as we can get e.g. the Nets trading Eddie Griffin for Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins and some stiff, which turned out to be better value in spite trading down.
I personally don't share the same concerns with you about taking back salary. The cap is expected to increase exponentially over the next few years, which offers us so much more wiggle room than previously conceived. As a result, I'd take back McGee's and Gallo's contract in order to also acquire Gary Harris along with Nurkic and their 11th pick for our pick. To balance the value out for Denver, I'd also include Tim Hardaway Jr.
I think the world of Harris' game and think he is the prototype for what we need at PG in the triangle. And as I've said before, I think Nurkic is every bit as good if not better than the centers in this draft and could even give Okafor a run for his money in years 1-3. That's worth a one year balloon payment of $22 million to me.
