2015 Draft Prospects:

[hrdboild]

Good news!

Mudiay is playing again, in the CBA Playoffs

Also, I haven't been able to find a full game, but his CBA highlights are all over Youtube: here
Not too hard to find. Draftexpress also did one of their scouting videos after his first 10 game stint: here

Those should at least give people some idea of what kind of player he is.

Also, I caught the Texas vs. Kansas game this weekend, which turned out to be a battle all the way through. Texas had a good chance to win, but they had a tough no-call down the stretch. Anyway, I was impressed with Myles Turner and Kelly Oubre. My opinion of both of them went up a bit from earlier in the season. Turner looks good running the floor to me. He wasn't all that involved in the first half, but he and Isaiah Taylor were the biggest contributors for Texas in the second half. He finished with 10 points, 5 blocks, and 8 rebounds. He missed both of his three attempts, but looked better than I expected in the paint and his defensive impact was felt whenever he was on the court. He followed that up with a 6 block performance in a win against Baylor. Definitely an intriguing prospect. He should be a strong consideration for us. I'd consider taking him over Cauley-Stein depending on what happens the rest of the season. Hopefully Texas squeaks into the tourney and we get to see him in another game against high-level competition.

Oubre is on the skinny side, he could be a combo wing eventually but he looks more like a SG in the NBA right now. I really liked his effort on defense. Mostly did a good job staying in front of his man. Certainly looks like a very good athlete. He didn't make his threes in this game, but he was doing everything else: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 2 steals. He only has 10 blocks on the season and I saw three of them -- they weren't cheapies either. Pulled down some tough boards in traffic, which was key in Kansas pulling out the win. He doesn't look physically imposing in any way and wasn't anywhere close to taking over the game, but he looks like a solid do-it-all glue guy who's still very young and could grow into something more. Definitely a guy to watch. I have a lot of other prospects ranked over him right now (he's probably around 10 on my list) but I wouldn't be upset if we drafted him.

EDIT: Late to the party again. Damn. Looks like Guangdong was defeated in Game 4 earlier today.

Mudiay's boxscore in game 3:

Mudiay's boxscore in game 4:

Of course Yi Jianlian posting 31 points and 24 rebounds in the same game immediately makes all of these numbers useless.

 

[bajaden]

Eh. I just don't know what you see in him, Baja.

That's OK. As long as one of us has clear vision were fine. I feel about Towns the same way I felt about Cousins when he was at Kentucky, and believe me, there were a lot of people like you on the forum that didn't want Cousins on our team. He wasn't athletic enough. He didn't have a good enough post game. He couldn't handle the ball. He didn't have a jumpshot. He was a thug with a bad temper. He complained too much. Etc, etc, etc. But hey, if we agreed on everything it would be a boring world. By the way, did you see Kentucky's last game. Towns was pretty good. I've seen every game Kentucky has played this season thanks to the SEC channel. By the way, did you know that BYU has it's own channel, as does the PAC 12.

Last night in a tough game, Kentucky needed Towns to step up, and he responded with 19 points, on 8 of 12 shooting, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist, and 1 blocked shot. Towns is a player where the per 36 numbers have meaning, because he doesn't get the minutes players like Okafor get, and he's not the main scoring option on the team. In a lot of the games, the team jumps out to a big lead, and Towns may only play 15 to 20 minutes. These are his per 36 numbers. 16.8 PPG, 11.4 RPG, and 4.0 BPG. Right now he's averaging 2.3 blocks per game in 20 minutes a game, which puts him right up there with the elite shotblockers in college.

You can't let yourself get too caught up in the stats a player puts up when judging a player. You have to watch the player play. You have to know who the coach is, and what system he runs. You have to be aware of how good the players are that surround the player you judging. You have to take in consideration the PG on the team. Look at how many players came out of the UCLA system that underachieved under Howland, but went on to the NBA and became solid to very good players. If all you do is look up a players stats, then in most cases, you have no idea how good or bad that player will be.

 

[bajaden]

Good news!

Mudiay is playing again, in the CBA Playoffs

Also, I haven't been able to find a full game, but his CBA highlights are all over Youtube: here
Not too hard to find. Draftexpress also did one of their scouting videos after his first 10 game stint: here

Those should at least give people some idea of what kind of player he is.

Also, I caught the Texas vs. Kansas game this weekend, which turned out to be a battle all the way through. Texas had a good chance to win, but they had a tough no-call down the stretch. Anyway, I was impressed with Myles Turner and Kelly Oubre. My opinion of both of them went up a bit from earlier in the season. Turner looks good running the floor to me. He wasn't all that involved in the first half, but he and Isaiah Taylor were the biggest contributors for Texas in the second half. He finished with 10 points, 5 blocks, and 8 rebounds. He missed both of his three attempts, but looked better than I expected in the paint and his defensive impact was felt whenever he was on the court. He followed that up with a 6 block performance in a win against Baylor. Definitely an intriguing prospect. He should be a strong consideration for us. I'd consider taking him over Cauley-Stein depending on what happens the rest of the season. Hopefully Texas squeaks into the tourney and we get to see him in another game against high-level competition.

Oubre is on the skinny side, he could be a combo wing eventually but he looks more like a SG in the NBA right now. I really liked his effort on defense. Mostly did a good job staying in front of his man. Certainly looks like a very good athlete. He didn't make his threes in this game, but he was doing everything else: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 2 steals. He only has 10 blocks on the season and I saw three of them -- they weren't cheapies either. Pulled down some tough boards in traffic, which was key in Kansas pulling out the win. He doesn't look physically imposing in any way and wasn't anywhere close to taking over the game, but he looks like a solid do-it-all glue guy who's still very young and could grow into something more. Definitely a guy to watch. I have a lot of other prospects ranked over him right now (he's probably around 10 on my list) but I wouldn't be upset if we drafted him.

EDIT: Late to the party again. Damn. Looks like Guangdong was defeated in Game 4 earlier today.

Mudiay's boxscore in game 3:

Mudiay's boxscore in game 4:

Of course Yi Jianlian posting 31 points and 24 rebounds in the same game immediately makes all of these numbers useless.

As I've stated, I like Turner. And if you watch him play enough, you can see the potential there. He's a decent to good athlete, but just a little bit less athletic than Towns, and not even close to Cauley-Stein. I still have Cauley-Stein ahead of Turner, because number one, I think he'll be a better NBA player than he is a college player. Number two, he would fit perfectly into Karls system with his ability to run the floor and hustle. Think of a 7 foot version of Faried You can't grow roots in the paint in the NBA like you can in college. If you could, Thabeet would be a viable player right now. Cauley-Stein brings it every night, and Turner has a tendecy to disappear at times. He has a decent post game, but too often lives on the perimeter. I'd like to see him get into the post and bang a little more. I had a similar complaint about Vonleh last season.

Down the road Turner may end up being the better overall player, but I doubt he'll ever be the defender that Cauley-Stein will be. We've been yearning for a great defender to put along side of Cousins, and Cauley-Stein is that guy. I have zero doubts that he can be at minimum, that player we've been looking for. I can't guarantee that he'll be more than that. The only player that I think can be the defensive player were looking for, and bring offense to the table as well, is Karl Towns. He's the entire package. He's still rough around the edges, but all the tools and instincts are there But if Towns and Cauley-Stein are both gone, then Turner is a very nice alternative to have. And, if the Kings were to pass on Cauley-Stein and take Turner instead, I wouldn't be that upset. Disappointed yes, but I could live with it.

 

[Dime Dropper]

I actually wasn't a HUGE fan of Towns coming into the season, but he has seriously changed my mind. Couldn't agree more with Baja. He has the ability to be something special and a pretty perfect fit next to Boogie if we have a chance to get our hands on him.

Darth, with all due respect, I have no idea what you're watching, unless you only value putting points on the board.

 

[Gilles]

Don't remember, who wrote about Texas playing selfishly, especially after Taylor's return, but in Conference play Turner has 4 assists and 25 turnovers in 17 games. In non-Conference 13 games it was 14/18 A/TO ratio. Not this extreme, but WCS has similar dynamic from 12/9 ratio in 13 games to start the season to 15/30 in Conference play. Towns, being much more competent and confident offensive player, actually improved: from 14/19 to 19/20.

Last night in a game vs Georgia announcers mentioned the fact, that Kentucky's starting 5 is taller than that of any NBA team outside of Portland. If not for Ulis and Poythress injury, their best 5 off the bench would probably be taller than NBA benches as well. Last night Georgia had no guys above 6'8".

So I decided to take a look at Kentucky games against teams with frontcourts, that could claim to have a chance at least against Knicks softies or early season Sixers. That leaves only 4 (means big statistical noise): Texas, North Carolina, Louisville and LSU (early season Kansas with soft starters and very green Alexander didn't make the cut).
Here are statistics:m

______mpg___fga__fg%__fta___ft%__orb__reb__ast___st___bl__TO__PF__pts
KAT___21,75__6,25_.440_3,25__.923__3,5__6,75__0,5__0,75_1,25_1,5__2,25_8,5
WCS___28,25__8,5_.618___6___.583_2,75__7,75__0,5__3,25__2__1___2,25_14

What I try to show is not that WCS will be a better offensive player at the next level, but rather the fact, that Towns is raw offensively, lacks a bit in strength to finish through contact and is not exactly a defender that his overall stats suggest: WCS has significantly better +/- than Towns according to http://statsheet.com/mcb, though there's no way to determine, if it comes from better defense or offense (still, I would bet on the first).
KAT will be a better overall NBA player than WCS, but for Kings that already have huge post presence and need more of a forward next to Boogie rather than a center WCS is a much better fit.​

 

[Darth Divac]

I actually wasn't a HUGE fan of Towns coming into the season, but he has seriously changed my mind. Couldn't agree more with Baja. He has the ability to be something special and a pretty perfect fit next to Boogie if we have a chance to get our hands on him.

Darth, with all due respect, I have no idea what you're watching, unless you only value putting points on the board.

Believe me, I've watched Towns extensively. I wasn't able to comment on him earlier in the season, but after seeing him quite a bit I've come to my conclusions. He's a good defender, and a solid athlete. Other than that, there is absolutely nothing special about his game. His jumper has potential but lacks feel. He needs to add strength. He scores so many points over smaller defenders that he wouldn't get against an NBA frontcourt, and his post moves are incredibly predictable.

 

[206Fan]

Wow, Justice Winslow has been playing very good lately. But wow, did he have an amazing game today... something like 13pts 6rebs 7asts 6stls

Not advocating that we draft him, but it's pretty hard to argue that he won't be a good defensive player in the NBA. Leonard type of potential if he's given the right scenario and has a great motor. The worst he'll ever be is Michael Kidd Gilchrist. I don't think his defense is at the level MKG was, but he's not too far off. He's actually shown to be a pretty decent 3pt shooter at .393%, but struggles at the line with only .602%. Despite his FT%, he's a far better offensive player. MKG doesn't have a jumper at all.. I think Winslow would be a great prospect to look at. I don't know if we should draft him, but he's an interesting player.

 

[206Fan]

Kris Dunn had a very good well controlled game today. Would not surprise me to see him shoot up the draftboard like Elfrid Payton did. I was really high on Payton well before he started being projected as a 1st rounder. I think same thing will happen with Dunn. Dunn is very raw, but he has the skills and talent.

 

[kingsboi]

I wanted to come here specifically to comment about Dunn out of Providence, you beat me to it. He looks like an interesting prospect

 

[206Fan]

I wanted to come here specifically to comment about Dunn out of Providence, you beat me to it. He looks like an interesting prospect

My main downside about him(aside from shooting) is that he plays out of control A LOT. He was like Patyon. Today was a more settle game where he didn't turn the ball over a ton, and didn't do too much. How do you like him?

 

[Gilles]

Dunn's jumper is not broken: .413 on 2s, .333 on 3s and .685 on FTs vs .243/.259/.609 for Elf last year.

 

[kingsboi]

I haven't really watched him to be honest...I just wanted to get some comments on his game if anybody had watched him play.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Kris Dunn had a very good well controlled game today. Would not surprise me to see him shoot up the draftboard like Elfrid Payton did. I was really high on Payton well before he started being projected as a 1st rounder. I think same thing will happen with Dunn. Dunn is very raw, but he has the skills and talent.

Excellent. I DVRed the game just to see him, because I haven't caught a game of his yet.

 

[Gilles]

Dunn's overly aggressive sometimes making the passes that just isn't there. Same with drives to the basket. Moderately quick and doesn't break people 1-on-1, but uses screens well and moves the ball very quickly in P&P and P&R. At this point best defense is to let him go inside off of screens, where his decision-making becomes rather shaky. Very good court vision: finds open people and cutters with good timing. Can make variety of passes, though haven't seen lobs from him - just doesn't have personnel on the team. Runs the break very well - gets rid of the ball just at the right moment. Moves his feet very well defensively, though very quick guys can shake him, sometimes overhelps inside. Steals a lot without much gambling, really helps on defensive glass.

 

[Tetsujin]

That's OK. As long as one of us has clear vision were fine. I feel about Towns the same way I felt about Cousins when he was at Kentucky, and believe me, there were a lot of people like you on the forum that didn't want Cousins on our team. He wasn't athletic enough. He didn't have a good enough post game. He couldn't handle the ball. He didn't have a jumpshot. He was a thug with a bad temper. He complained too much. Etc, etc, etc. But hey, if we agreed on everything it would be a boring world. By the way, did you see Kentucky's last game. Towns was pretty good. I've seen every game Kentucky has played this season thanks to the SEC channel. By the way, did you know that BYU has it's own channel, as does the PAC 12.

Last night in a tough game, Kentucky needed Towns to step up, and he responded with 19 points, on 8 of 12 shooting, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist, and 1 blocked shot. Towns is a player where the per 36 numbers have meaning, because he doesn't get the minutes players like Okafor get, and he's not the main scoring option on the team. In a lot of the games, the team jumps out to a big lead, and Towns may only play 15 to 20 minutes. These are his per 36 numbers. 16.8 PPG, 11.4 RPG, and 4.0 BPG. Right now he's averaging 2.3 blocks per game in 20 minutes a game, which puts him right up there with the elite shotblockers in college.

You can't let yourself get too caught up in the stats a player puts up when judging a player. You have to watch the player play. You have to know who the coach is, and what system he runs. You have to be aware of how good the players are that surround the player you judging. You have to take in consideration the PG on the team. Look at how many players came out of the UCLA system that underachieved under Howland, but went on to the NBA and became solid to very good players. If all you do is look up a players stats, then in most cases, you have no idea how good or bad that player will be.

Finally was able to watch his game against Georgia and I can't agree with you more.

Down the stretch, Towns simply put his team on his back like Boogie tends to have to do for the Kings. It doesn't really matter if he was doing it against "undersized college front courts", not many college players can do that at all. Coming out of high school, I wasn't convinced he was that athletic but he has made me look like a fool thus far. I completely agree that Calipari's system isn't exactly conducive to big man evaluation but even in those constraints, I can't really understand how people aren't impressed with the kid's potential and talent.

 

[9x1x6]

Wish we could use a 2nd rounder on Zhou

Finally was able to watch his game against Georgia and I can't agree with you more.

Down the stretch, Towns simply put his team on his back like Boogie tends to have to do for the Kings. It doesn't really matter if he was doing it against "undersized college front courts", not many college players can do that at all. Coming out of high school, I wasn't convinced he was that athletic but he has made me look like a fool thus far. I completely agree that Calipari's system isn't exactly conducive to big man evaluation but even in those constraints, I can't really understand how people aren't impressed with the kid's potential and talent.

Heʻs definitely challenging Okafor for number 1, Iʻm sure the tournament will compound that.

My moneys on Russell this year though, Kemba won me my bracket when I stuck it out for UCONN, so I think Iʻll ride Ohio St. in this years bracket. My overall favorite prospect at the moment, would complete this team so well.

 

[bajaden]

Wish we could use a 2nd rounder on Zhou

Heʻs definitely challenging Okafor for number 1, Iʻm sure the tournament will compound that.

My moneys on Russell this year though, Kemba won me my bracket when I stuck it out for UCONN, so I think Iʻll ride Ohio St. in this years bracket. My overall favorite prospect at the moment, would complete this team so well.

Glad that Ohio St. put together a few wins in a row. They lost back to backs to Michigan and Michigan St. They'v also been beaten by Iowa twice this season, so they'll have their work cut out for them. It'll be interesting to see where their seeded. Unlike you, I will not be putting my money on them, but I will be rooting for them to go as for as they can. The longer they go, the more I get to see of Russell. Ohio St. doesn't want to get stuck playing a team like Gonzaga or Wichita St. in the first round.

 

[bajaden]

Dunn's overly aggressive sometimes making the passes that just isn't there. Same with drives to the basket. Moderately quick and doesn't break people 1-on-1, but uses screens well and moves the ball very quickly in P&P and P&R. At this point best defense is to let him go inside off of screens, where his decision-making becomes rather shaky. Very good court vision: finds open people and cutters with good timing. Can make variety of passes, though haven't seen lobs from him - just doesn't have personnel on the team. Runs the break very well - gets rid of the ball just at the right moment. Moves his feet very well defensively, though very quick guys can shake him, sometimes overhelps inside. Steals a lot without much gambling, really helps on defensive glass.

I really, really like Dunn, but I agree with you. He turns the ball over a tad too much, but most of my criticisms are correctable. He is a very instinctive passer with very good court vision. Someone is going to get a very good PG. The Big East is in one of its down years, but it's still considered one of the top conferences in college.

 

[bajaden]

Kris Dunn had a very good well controlled game today. Would not surprise me to see him shoot up the draftboard like Elfrid Payton did. I was really high on Payton well before he started being projected as a 1st rounder. I think same thing will happen with Dunn. Dunn is very raw, but he has the skills and talent.

Payton is a better athlete than Dunn, but Dunn is a better shooter, although his stat line doesn't reflect that. Most scouts were high on Payton for his defensive potential, where I think scouts are high on Dunn more for his overall PG abilities. Not sure he'll climb as high up the boards as Payton did. Might depend on whose drafting where and what they need.

 

[9x1x6]

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/k...-two-headed-monster-is-the-future-of-the-nba/

On Tuesday night, a senior forward for Georgia named Nemanja Djurisic was playing the biggest game of his career, carving up an undefeated Kentucky team. He was scoring inside, he was scoring outside, and the toughest frontline in the country had no real answer. He had 18 points after a layup with 6:04 left. Then Willie Cauley-Stein switched onto him for the final six minutes.

Djurisic didn’t score again. A four-point Georgia lead turned into an eight-point win for a Kentucky team that looks as unbeatable as ever.

Of course, while Cauley-Stein was erasing Georgia’s star on one end, Karl-Anthony Towns was doing whatever he wanted on the other. That helped. He was almost a one-man offense down the stretch — 11 points in the final eight minutes — and the Georgia frontline was as helpless as everyone else has been all year. Towns is Godzilla and college basketball is Tokyo.

Great article to read, I for sure see WCS fitting in in Sactown.

 

[Tetsujin]

Yet another monster game from Towns. 13 points, 9 rebounds, three assists, and six blocks. I'd write more about him but I'm pretty sure my feelings about the kid are pretty clear by now.

WCS played another solid game as well, just getting overshadowed by his frontcourt mate (something that's happened to him three years in a row now).

 

[bajaden]

Yet another monster game from Towns. 13 points, 9 rebounds, three assists, and six blocks. I'd write more about him but I'm pretty sure my feelings about the kid are pretty clear by now.

WCS played another solid game as well, just getting overshadowed by his frontcourt mate (something that's happened to him three years in a row now).

I look at Cauley-Stein as the blue collar guy that you have to have to be a contender. He may not show up many times on the ESPN highlight reel, but everyone knows what he does night in and night out. It's going to be interesting to see how much more he can improve, when that's his 24/7 job. No classes to worry about. I remember when he was a freshman, where if he put the ball on the floor for more than two bounces, it usually ended in disaster. Now he can bring the ball up the court. I don't want him doing it, but the point is, he's improved to the point that he can. He would definitely be a difference maker on our team.

 

[bajaden]

I like to go back and re-watch games that I've already seen with my focus on just one player. Especially when a team has more than one potential first round pick. So I just finished watching 4 Kentucky games back to back with my focus on a player that doesn't get a lot of press. Trey Lyles. For those not familiar, he's a 6'10", PF/SF. He was recruited as a PF but when Poythress, the starting SF went down with an injury, Calapari moved Lyles into the starting lineup at the SF position, and he's played very well there. Lyles is a very polished player. He has a very consistent 15 to 18 foot jumpshot, but he's equally comfortable in the post where he uses great footwork and ball fakes to score. He's very consistent with a hook shot over his left shoulder. He lost some weight prior to the season to become a little quicker, and entered the season in great shape. He's not shy about banging in the post, and he's a good rebounder, even though his stats may not reflect that. Remember, he has Cauley-Stein on one side, and Towns on the other. There are only so many rebounds to go around. He has good handles, and he's an excellent passer.

Defensively, I've been surprised by his lateral quickness. He does a good job of keeping his man in front of him. His weight loss, along with being in great shape is paying off. He's not a shotblocker, but he does defend man to man very well. I think he's going to be a very solid NBA player, and one that's capable of playing a couple of positions. Although he's not killing it from three point range, I think with some work, he could develop into a consistent three point threat. I like Lyles a lot. He's one of those guys that you don't notice that much during the game, but at the end of the game, he has his 15 points and 7 or 8 boards. The question is, how much better can he be? What's his upside? He's a good, but not a great athlete. On another team, he would likely be a star player. The other question is, will he declare for the draft. I'm inclined to think that he won't. There are a lot of big men in the draft this year, and if he waits a year, he's likely to get picked higher. Whenever he does decide to declare, someone will get a very good player.

 

[The_Jamal]

I look at Cauley-Stein as the blue collar guy that you have to have to be a contender. He may not show up many times on the ESPN highlight reel, but everyone knows what he does night in and night out. It's going to be interesting to see how much more he can improve, when that's his 24/7 job. No classes to worry about. I remember when he was a freshman, where if he put the ball on the floor for more than two bounces, it usually ended in disaster. Now he can bring the ball up the court. I don't want him doing it, but the point is, he's improved to the point that he can. He would definitely be a difference maker on our team.

Baja, if u had your pick of Towns, Okafor or WCS, who do you take for us?

 

[funkykingston]

Baja, if u had your pick of Towns, Okafor or WCS, who do you take for us?

I'm not Baja but I can guess his answer because I think it's the same as mine: Towns, then WCS, then Okafor.

 

[bajaden]

Baja, if u had your pick of Towns, Okafor or WCS, who do you take for us?

I would choose Towns... Okafor is Couxins 2.0. The only way I would take Okafor is if I was going to trade Cuz, and that's not going to happen. Now there is one scenario where I would pick Okafor and that's if we had the second or third pick in the draft and Towns was gone. Then I have to take Okafor, no matter how much I like Cauley-Stein. With Towns you get the best of both worlds. He's a very good defender, and he is a shotblocker. But he's a very good offensive player as well. Okafor isn't a shotblocker despite his length, but he's a very good post player. He has terrific footwork, and he's a good rebounder. Okafor will have excellent trade value at worse. He would also be insurance against Cousins getting the yearn for greener pastures. At the end of the day, if we end up with Cauley-Stein I'm a happy man.

Quick change of subjects. Wisconsin played Ohio St. today. I was curious how Ohio St. would match up against a very very good Wisconsin team. Wisconsin is a terrific defensive team along with Virginia and Kentucky. I was hoping for a better result for Ohio St. but the just got squashed. Russell struggled with his three point shot, and turned the ball over far too many times against Wisconsin's defense. Kaminsky played well, but also turned the ball over too much. Ohio St. needs the Russell with the S on his chest, if their to have any chance in the tournament. He looked like he had tired legs at times today. He's been averaging 33 minutes a game and carrying a lot of the load offensively as well. You take Russell off that Ohio St. team, and they become very average. I'm not worried about his draft status. The scouts know what he can do.

 

[bajaden]

I'm not Baja but I can guess his answer because I think it's the same as mine: Towns, then WCS, then Okafor.

You were close. Actually in the event that Towns was gone, I would choose Okafor, and then try and trade down two or three spaces where I could still grab Cauley-Stein, and acquire another pick, or a veteran player that fills a need. For instance, I would try and trade Okafor to Philly for Embiid and their pick. That way we would get our back up center and Cauley-Stein. Or I would take Noel and their pick. I'd be overjoyed to just be in that position.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

I just finished watching 4 Kentucky games back to back with my focus on a player that doesn't get a lot of press. Trey Lyles.

I agree with most of your assessment on Lyles. Obviously it's tough to scout players on this Kentucky team - too stacked, not enough minutes. I think the biggest problem with Lyles is that - as he was recruited - he really ought to be a PF. He's a lot better at the banging, rebounding, post game than he is at the perimeter game, where I don't think he's terribly suited. But between Poythress' injury and Cauley-Stein not declaring last year, the post is pretty full in Kentucky and Calipari has kind of made the best of it by moving Lyles out to the perimeter.

I think in the NBA he's a PF all the way. He's got the size and the bulk, and he's got several of those nice peripheral skills that you like to see - decent handle, good passer, nice jumper out to maybe 15. I think the mocks have him too low. #26 on DX? At least he's #14 on NBADraft.net, but I have him closer to #10. Maybe I'm crazy, but I see something there.

 

[funkykingston]

You were close. Actually in the event that Towns was gone, I would choose Okafor, and then try and trade down two or three spaces where I could still grab Cauley-Stein, and acquire another pick, or a veteran player that fills a need. For instance, I would try and trade Okafor to Philly for Embiid and their pick. That way we would get our back up center and Cauley-Stein. Or I would take Noel and their pick. I'd be overjoyed to just be in that position.

That's funny. I actually typed out that I'd take Okafor next with the intent to trade him and then deleted it. I actually think Philly will end up taking Mudiay or Russell though.

 

[9x1x6]

I would choose Towns... Okafor is Couxins 2.0. The only way I would take Okafor is if I was going to trade Cuz, and that's not going to happen. Now there is one scenario where I would pick Okafor and that's if we had the second or third pick in the draft and Towns was gone. Then I have to take Okafor, no matter how much I like Cauley-Stein. With Towns you get the best of both worlds. He's a very good defender, and he is a shotblocker. But he's a very good offensive player as well. Okafor isn't a shotblocker despite his length, but he's a very good post player. He has terrific footwork, and he's a good rebounder. Okafor will have excellent trade value at worse. He would also be insurance against Cousins getting the yearn for greener pastures. At the end of the day, if we end up with Cauley-Stein I'm a happy man.

Quick change of subjects. Wisconsin played Ohio St. today. I was curious how Ohio St. would match up against a very very good Wisconsin team. Wisconsin is a terrific defensive team along with Virginia and Kentucky. I was hoping for a better result for Ohio St. but the just got squashed. Russell struggled with his three point shot, and turned the ball over far too many times against Wisconsin's defense. Kaminsky played well, but also turned the ball over too much. Ohio St. needs the Russell with the S on his chest, if their to have any chance in the tournament. He looked like he had tired legs at times today. He's been averaging 33 minutes a game and carrying a lot of the load offensively as well. You take Russell off that Ohio St. team, and they become very average. I'm not worried about his draft status. The scouts know what he can do.

We wouldn't go with Russell or Mudiay at 2 or 3 even if Towns went first?I would like Embiid, if some how we end up ahead of Philly I think they would like Stauskas as well, if theyʻd like Okafor more then Embiid Iʻd jump at it. Theyʻd be 4 or 5 this year so we could land a great prospect to run the ball with Embiid and Boogie. Thatʻd be so ****ing unfair.

I like Trey Lyles as well, looks like another combo forward in the same vein as the Greek Freak and Jabari. Whoever picks him will probably be pretty happy with him, Wing/stretch 4ʻs are hot commodity now adays.