Looking ahead to the 2023 Draft

funkykingston

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Here's a nice interview with Raphael Barlow, the lead scout for NBA draft, I believe, and Max Lewis after his pro day. It has a commercial by Barlow, but worth the listen. LOL, not the commercial but the interview.

Solid interview. He's hitting his talking points, but he's clearly also putting in the pre-draft work.

Lewis has a nice skill set for the Kings. But honestly part of why I'm high on him is I still view Romar as a good recruiter but mediocre to below average coach. His teams underachieve and his best players are often better in the pros.
 
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Solid interview. He's hitting his talking points, but he's clearly also putting in the pre-draft work.

Lewis has a nice skill set for the Kings. But honestly part of why I'm high on him is I still view Romar as a good recruiter but mediocre to below average coach. His teams underachieve and his best players are often better in the pros.
Best I can tell, Lewis seems to fit the type of player and personality Monte McNair has been targeting in the draft and via FA since becoming GM.

I know Monte didn't draft Swipa or acquire HB, but if you look at the core of team -- there are a lot of similarities. Well mannered kids from strong nuclear families with strong ties to their parents. Even Tyrese Haliburton fit the exact same mold before he was traded for Domas.

I even joke with my wife here and there how our starting 5 always look like clean-cut choir boys compared to many other lineups. Hell, aside from Malik, I can't think of a single player on the team that has a visible tattoo. That's strangely odd these days.
 
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Best I can tell, Lewis seems to fit the type of player and personality Monte McNair has been targeting in the draft and via FA since becoming GM.

I know Monte didn't draft Swipa or acquire HB, but if you look at the core of team -- there are a lot of similarities. Well mannered kids from strong nuclear families with strong ties to their parents. Even Tyrese Haliburton fit the exact same mold before he was traded for Domas.

I even joke with my wife here and there how our starting 5 always look like clean-cut choir boys compared to many other lineups. Hell, aside from Malik, I can't think of a single player on the team that has a visible tattoo. That's strangely odd these days.
Yeah, almost too nice of a team sometimes. I wouldn't mind an "Enforcer" on the team to go toe to toe with the town bullies (i.e. Draymond, Dillon Brooks, Brooke Lopez) types.
 
Yeah, almost too nice of a team sometimes. I wouldn't mind an "Enforcer" on the team to go toe to toe with the town bullies (i.e. Draymond, Dillon Brooks, Brooke Lopez) types.
Maybe, but it sure was nice to see Swipa going back and forth with Draymond pretty harshly in that series. He wasn’t backing down and it didn’t affect his game.

That’s good enough for me, from our leader.

But it might be good to have that “other” guy too.
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
Yeah, almost too nice of a team sometimes. I wouldn't mind an "Enforcer" on the team to go toe to toe with the town bullies (i.e. Draymond, Dillon Brooks, Brooke Lopez) types.
Maybe. But you're certainly not getting that from a rookie so it really won't have any bearing on who the Kings take at #24.

Maybe, but it sure was nice to see Swipa going back and forth with Draymond pretty harshly in that series. He wasn’t backing down and it didn’t affect his game.

That’s good enough for me, from our leader.

But it might be good to have that “other” guy too.
Trey Lyles got into it with Giannis and Brook Lopez. This team is finesse in a lot of ways, but I wouldn't say it's soft.
 
Maybe. But you're certainly not getting that from a rookie so it really won't have any bearing on who the Kings take at #24.
Yeah, but i wouldn't mind getting someone with a fiery attitude and a chip on their shoulder in the draft.

The Kings tend to always go for the nice guy, we need a "bad guy" sometimes to keep the other team in check.
 
Trey Lyles got into it with Giannis and Brook Lopez. This team is finesse in a lot of ways, but I wouldn't say it's soft.
I'm glad Trey stood up for himself, but he is usually a very laid back player. Even the announcers were shocked that he responded the way he did.

I don't think Trey would be someone you would consider "intimidating" or an "enforcer" to other NBA players.
 

funkykingston

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Staff member
I think you need to be mentally tough team overall that doesn't back down. I don't know if teams really need an "enforcer" these days. I don't think you can say that Denver or Miami have that guy. I mean, Udonis Haslem definitely was back in his day, but he's played all of 2 minutes this postseason.

Looking back at the past few championship teams, the Warriors have a guy like that in Draymond, but I don't think the Bucks, Lakers, or Raptors did.

MAYBE, you could say Brooke Lopez for the Bucks, but while he's a physical presence, he's not really an enforcer in terms of dishing out hard fouls, intimidating other guys physically etc.

The problem is that those types of guys generally aren't good enough basketball players to stay on the floor for long stretches in today's NBA. Gone are the days of the Davises in Indiana or Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason for the Knicks. Or even Zach Randolph to name a slightly more current example.

Outside of Draymond, who really fills that role at this point? Maybe Steven Adams? James Johnson? PJ Tucker if you squint?

The Morris brothers try to have that vibe, but you just have to watch Jokic send Markieff to the injury list for a couple months after he hit Joker with a cheap shot to know that they don't really back it up.

Dillon Brooks also wants to be seen in that light, but after the Lakers series the Grizzlies don't want him back at any price, because he also can't back it up.

It's a dying breed of NBA player.
 
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I think you need to be mentally tough team overall that doesn't back down. I don't know if teams really need an "enforcer" these days. I don't think you can say that Denver or Miami have that guy. I mean, Udonis Haslem definitely was back in his day, but he's played all of 2 minutes this postseason.

Looking back at the past few championship teams, the Warriors have a guy like that in Draymond, but I don't think the Bucks, Lakers, or Raptors did.

MAYBE, you could say Brooke Lopez for the Bucks, but while he's a physical presence, he's not really an enforcer in terms of dishing out hard fouls, intimidating other guys physically etc.

The problem is that those types of guys generally aren't good enough basketball players to stay on the floor for long stretches in today's NBA. Gone are the days of the Davises in Indiana or Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason for the Knicks. Or even Zach Randolph to name a slightly more current example.

Outside of Draymond, who really fills that role at this point? Maybe Steven Adams? James Johnson? PJ Tucker if you squint?

The Morris brothers try to have that vibe, but you just have to watch Jokic send Markieff to the injury list for a couple months after he hit Joker with a cheap shot to know that they don't really back it up.

Dillon Brooks also wants to be seen in that light, but after the Lakers series the Grizzlies don't want him back at any price, because he also can't back it up.

It's a dying breed of NBA player.
I have been more than critical of Fox over the years but he has proven to be that kind of guy.
 
Getting back to the draft, every mock I see has 2-3 potential guys I like. Really hope we keep the pick and maybe trade up.
I'm still OK with Monte trading that pick if it means Holmes can go bye bye, but if GG, Whitehead, Bilal, or Maxwell Lewis are there it's tempting to just keep it for various reasons.
 
Kobe Brown: PF/SF, 6'8" in shoes, 252 Lb's, 7'0.75" wingspan, 8'10.5" standing reach, Senior, Missouri
29.3 mpg - 15.8 ppg - 55.3% fgp - 45.5% 3pp - 79.2% ftp - 6.4 rpg - 2.5 apg - 1.5 steals - ORtg-128.6 - DRtg-104.2

Well if you want someone who can play some physical basketball, Kobe is your man. He's one big dude and a very strong one as well. He can really shoot the three, but he also plays his share of bully ball in the post. He's a sneaky athlete who has a quicker first step off the dribble than you would think for a player that size, and he uses it to his advantage. As I've stated before, I'm biased when it comes to Brown. He's one of my favorite players in the draft, and he plays for my home state of Missouri.

He has very good handles and manages his way through traffic with few turnovers. He's also a very good passer and a decent rebounder. More than anything, he knows how to play the game. He's a smart player who knows how to move to the open spots. He also has a huge wingspan which helps his defense. Defensively I would call him decent to good. He's certainly not a liability. He has good instincts along with the ability to read plays. However, he is another player that in his interview comes across as very intelligent and well manered. But on the floor, he uses all of his 252 lb's to move bodies. I like Brown a lot, and if the Kings took him at 24, which they won't, I wouldn't be upset. He's going to be a very good NBA player.

Missouri had a very good team this season in the tough SEC conference. So Brown was going up against tough competition every game. I also have to give some props to his stable mate D'moi Hodge, a 6'5" SG who also had a good year. I'd like to see Brown, once on an NBA team, get his weight down to around 235 or so. That, along with the ability to train 24/7 could turn him into something special.

 
Whitehead is growing on me a bit. I think when it’s all said and done guys like Whitehead, Coulibaly, Lewis, Murray and OMax are going to rise out of our range and guys like Howard are going to fall.

As of today I’m looking at TJD, Kobe Brown and Pod being the most likely pick by Monte at 24.
 
Also if Im Monte I’d try to trade for Indiana’s #32 either in a swap for 38 plus future capital or just buy it outright. The Pacers already have 3 first round picks and will likely trade Buddy at the deadline. They might be interested in stockpiling future picks and concentrate on developing their 3 first rounders plus Benn
 
Also if Im Monte I’d try to trade for Indiana’s #32 either in a swap for 38 plus future capital or just buy it outright. The Pacers already have 3 first round picks and will likely trade Buddy at the deadline. They might be interested in stockpiling future picks and concentrate on developing their 3 first rounders plus Benn
Get ready, I'd almost guarantee Monte is targeting someone specific in the 2nd round this year. His name starts with a C.... and ends with an ...ash Considerations. haha.
 
What an insane thing this Brittney Spears - Wembanyama incident is.. Between this and Josh Primo basically pulling the Eddie Murphy move from Bowfinger, where he does something inappropriate infront of the lakers cheerleaders(possibly the most underrated scene in all of comedy history btw, but I dont mean to make light of Primo's actions, obviously a total weirdo, his accuser claims he did it to her 9 times n she kept telling the spurs n they sort of fostered an environment for the abuse to continue --- which is why they absolutely cant wait to just empty their pockets n throw as much $$$ as they can to get this incident out fo the public eye.. But there's still an ongoing investigation from the sherrifs department.

The Spurs sure have had 2 hilariously awful PR moments related to their lotto picks lately.


N lets not even make this like its really a Brittney - Wemby issue, the issue is really that these security guys think they've made it in life when they get to protect a big name n act totally entitled and calloused, arent worried about the consequences of their actions.. They think their like the soldiers of an ant colony or something i swear..

If they knew that was Brittney Spears they damn sure wouldnt have laid a hand on her.. ya know? but since they thought shes a commoner, she gets backhanded in a public place!

Honestly I side with Brittney hardcore.. she probably gets surrounded by fans everywhere she goes, for like over 20 years now, its really hard to sympathize with someone treating her bad in a situation like that when she's prbably dealt with 1000's of those situations gracefully.. Cuz its like for her to even approach like that, its almost a moment of grace for her, SHE GETS IT, she gets why people run up and swarm her, she probably isnt always crazy about it, probably isnt always crazy about how she basically gets detained by some swarm of people. So I'm glad she made a big stink about this, hard to believe she didnt go about this like how she thought would be the appropriate way to approach celebrities, after having immense experience with that sorta stuff, decades...

When your 7'5 everyone is gonna stare at you and come up and ask you without fail if you play basketball and what size shoes you wear n the same exact dumb questions over n over.. So its like Wemby is a young guy, he's been hidden from the public for a long time now. So I have a friend whos one of the very tallest people alive from Sudan, he's at least 7'3" with a 7'10 wingspan so actually definitely pretty close frame wise, my friend escaped kind of some of the most horrible living conditions imaginable, might ruin your day if I told u what he went thru..

My point is have you ever seen someone with that kind of frame, a real giant, at a distance of like 50 feet away? bet its one of thoise things that catches your eyes like some magnets! is totally surreal and I'm 6'1 n been around lotta tall ballers my whole life, probably even more jarring for shorter people. So I mean lets hope this incident means they just keep him out of the public.. its not possible to blend in when your 7'5, n if your plan is gonna be to parade around like the rapper with some entourage, its gonna produce nothing but bad PR like this..


and what, did 41 year old Brittney pose some sort of threat? or its just a matter of you put your hands on the person were doing security for we feel its our duty to put our hands on you now!... hmm i wonder.. gonna go with the latter

Whatever happened to treating people to how you want to be treated?

Do you expect me to believe she ran up to him screaming like some fan who cant believe their seeing this famous person IRL? Of course not.. My goodness..


IDK ya know when I think about the Spurs I cant help but think "They Tanked for Tim Duncan, they tanked for Wembanyama".. idk.. kinda seems like 'ill-gotten gains' if u ask me..



More than anything else... when I see this story... the one single word I think of is ---- DECADENCE... This type of crap is the sign of cultural decline sry if u think otherwise you probably have pititfully low standards... The fact they wont apologize to her.. now thats decadence.. You slapped her! we're slapping up women in 2023 and not apologizing??? how strange..

At what point do you not take ownership of that? Everyone knows ya slapped her, apologize.. wtf... Does this not sound like some angry 4 year olds type of behavior?
 
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craziest thing Im seeing is "thats what she deserved, if you touch other people in public you should get hit"... like what? how primitive, were these people raised in swamps and caves?

like for me... I could really hurtsomeone if i hit them.. You cant really bother me enough to want to hurt you.. How desperate hahaha like wtf.. ya know what gets me mad? not when the refs miss a call. famine, war, widespread lack of emotional intelligence, Modern day slavery, con artists, gambling being promoted to teenagers, mothers with their babies on their backs mining cobalt in the congo, predatory pricing, poaching, not someone tapping me on the arm.. guess that makes me the crazy one..

N like lets say some homeless unhinged person is bothering you, they got nothing to lose, ur a complete moron to hit someone with nothing to lose like that, especially with ur fists cuz u could catch every disease in the book.


This is why Ozymandias from Watchmen is the best comic book hero who subverts the entire hero worshiping genre... He brings the type of logic to the table that asks ---- Why doesnt Superman cure cancer? He's got more important things to do? why is superman concerned with lois lane and random individuals instead of curing the evils affecting all of mankind? Cuz he lacks basic critical thinking skills n is a manchild by design since the target audience for those stories originally were for the 12 year old boys of the 1950's, somehow thats been forgotten...

Thats why Ozymandias was designed to be the worlds smartest man, and Alan Moore pulled it off magnificently. He uses a public relation stunt to defeat the callous ignorant cant be bothered, gullible, unfathomably powerful Dr. Manhattan, and he's just a man, the smartest man.. So Watchmen does essentially follow the plot of your basic "Batman with prep" type of storyline, except Ozy is way smarter than batman n his entire design was to completely outdo bruce wayne ---- They have the same origin story, people dont know this, Bruce Wayne's parents died, we all know, thats how he got all that money ---- Ozymandias same thing happend rich parents died left him a bunch of money, know what he did with it? donated it all to charity n then started from 0 and immediately became the richest man thru his decisions n manipulating the markets, he invested in the stock market n became the worlds richest man, from scratch, completely on his own accord with no mommy n daddy money..

Look at the crap Ozy says when he's sitting infront of his room full of screens(He's literally a human Quantitative fund) vs the stuff Batman says, ones keeping an eye on the entire planet, while batman is like some wayatt earp wanna be style local lawman in comparison.

Remember what Dr. Manhattan says as he's in Vietnam doing the US army's bidding for them? "The morality of my activities escapes me" ------- I swear so many people with that type of ingorant force.. manipulated n obedient about causes they fully dont even understand.. Those are the type of people u grab their arm n they turn around n throw a haymaker at you.. impulsive fools
 
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