NBA Draft tonight

[amory]

Ainge has 4 first rounders next year. Here's to hoping we took 3 guards because there is a big trade in the works.

Listening to Ainge on the radio this morning, I don't think he has a plan. I don't think there's a major trade in the works.

He's got a reputation in the league as a guy who's going to fleece you (see Minnesota, Brooklyn trades), and now I think GMs are hesitant to deal with him.

I liked the RJ Hunter pick. Great shooter. Should be able to score. Other than that, Danny gets an F for last night.

Rozier might have turned some heads in the workouts, but he's got the same skillset and not nearly as much talent as Marcus Smart, so what's the point? You take him at 16?? Not to mention you already have a 6th man point guard in Isaiah Thomas, who also might be the best player on the team right now.

Mickey might be a good defender, but from what we're hearing he has zero offensive skill. Which is really what you'd expect from an early 2nd-round pick.

The Celtics have a ton of picks, but those picks actually have to pan out and be low numbers for anyone to care. Obviously trying to pair 16, 28, and a player didn't get us anywhere last night. We need lottery picks. Making the playoffs last year ended up killing us.

 

[Chin Diesel]

The Porzingis pick reminds me of when the Pistons picked Darko #2. The difference is Detroit was in the midst of their Eastern Conference Finals run. They could afford to take a risk. New York is a tire fire.

I was listening to Larry Brown this morning. The comparison between those two was brought up. Brown said a couple of big differences were that Darko was on the bench of the 3rd best league in Yugoslavia and didn't love basketball. Porzingis is playing at a much higher level of competition and has the drive to be the best he can be.

Whether or not that pans it is a different story, but the player's are different and have different drives.

 

[microfich]

Are red suits the new prescription-less eyeglasses?

 

[James]

favorite picks

mudiay to the nugs ( my pick for ROY, he will be the face of the franchise soon)

winslow to the heat

tyus jones to the wolves via cleveland. just wow on that one, clearly an A+ draft for minny.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Yeah it was Bilas. He said 6.4 per 40 multiple times but he was way off. He averaged 6.4 rebounds per game while playing 26 minutes. Still not a phenomenal rate for a guy who's 7'1" but for Bilas to say his rebounding is a negative is pretty much wrong I think.

Yeah you were right, I looked in to it. Was a little surprised Bilas messed that up

 

[BUConn10]

I'm still baffled that Charlotte passed on Winslow to take KAMINSKY?! What a joke, MJ is reliving the Adam Morrison saga all over again. In fact he already has a Kaminsky on his roster, his name is Cody Zeller, hell they even have Spencer Hawes too!

 

[superjohn]

People ripping on the Porzingas pick are missing the boat, I've waited my whole life for the Knicks to be good so I can wait a couple more years. Who would you prefer them to take at #4? Cauley-Stein, Winslow, Mudiay? The way I look at it, Porzingas has way more upside than any of them. It's the first time I've been happy with a Knicks decision in forever.

 

[Brochacho]

The Celtics have a ton of picks, but those picks actually have to pan out and be low numbers for anyone to care. Obviously trying to pair 16, 28, and a player didn't get us anywhere last night. We need lottery picks. Making the playoffs last year ended up killing us.

I've argued that all along, my friends have disagreed with me though. Miss the playoffs and we are choosing between Turner, Lyles, and Booker. Make the playoffs and... Terry Rozier?

Still pissed Miami got Winslow. He was my favorite prospect in the draft and had Miami slotted just one pick lower they would have had to give up their pick. Instead they get the fourth best prospect (in my eyes) in the draft. Celtics finish 3 games worse and that's them sitting at 10 with Winslow falling into their lap, such a missed opportunity.

 

[jfuchs91]

Not a Knicks fan, and the Porzingis pick was bad. You don't pick a project there, because you can't afford to miss. There are much safer picks there, including a guy like Mudiay who still is a super high-ceiling player. Porzingis is not an NBA-level starter right now. Maybe he is later, but maybe he isn't.

The move for Grant was good, but I don't know if he's athletic enough to be a full-time PG in the NBA. We'll see.

Disagree. For a team that needs a lot of help, Porzingis was a great selection. History has shown that the draft is ultimately a crapshoot, so why not take a chance on the guy with the highest upside in the entire draft?



His recorded barefoot height is actually the same as Hasheem Thabeet's. Think about that. He very well may be listed at 7'3" (which seems appropriate if you see the pictures of the players on stage last night). So Porzingis is a mobile, long, sharp-shooting 7'3" PF who projects as a rim protector down the line. There have been very few players ever with his unique combination of height, length, mobility, and versatile offensive game. And he's 19.

I know it's easy to see a skinny European kid and declare him a bust or a project, but I think Porzingis can contribute sooner than people think. At least on offense. He needs to put on weight and improve on defense, sure, but that can be said for most players just entering the league. Kristaps is still just 19, and for reference, Tyson Chandler is just 10 pounds heavier. Porzingis will put on weight in time.

I can understand that it's not ideal to draft a perceived project with Melo on the roster, but with a team that has holes everywhere, I'm glad Phil grabbed the best talent on the board. The Knicks were near the top of the lottery for a reason. Porzingis sounds like a great kid in interviews, always says the right things, speaks English very well, and seems to truly love the game of basketball.

Drafting "safe" is often bad team building. In recent years Derrick Williams, Thomas Robinson, Otto Porter, Evan Turner, and Wes Johnson were all top 5 picks billed as safe. The draft is about acquiring the best talent, and top-level executives from around the league believe in Porzingis. I'll trust them over some booing fans at Barclays.

I'm excited to see this kid play.

 

[superjohn]

Disagree. For a team that needs a lot of help, Porzingis was a great selection. History has shown that the draft is ultimately a crapshoot, so why not take a chance on the guy with the highest upside in the entire draft?



His recorded barefoot height is actually the same as Hasheem Thabeet's. Think about that. He very well may be listed at 7'3" (which seems appropriate if you see the pictures of the players on stage last night). So Porzingis is a mobile, long, sharp-shooting 7'3" PF who projects as a rim protector down the line. There have been very few players ever with his unique combination of height, length, mobility, and versatile offensive game. And he's 19.

I know it's easy to see a skinny European kid and declare him a bust or a project, but I think Porzingis can contribute sooner than people think. At least on offense. He needs to put on weight and improve on defense, sure, but that can be said for most players just entering the league. Kristaps is still just 19, and for reference, Tyson Chandler is just 10 pounds heavier. Porzingis will put on weight in time.

I can understand that it's not ideal to draft a perceived project with Melo on the roster, but with a team that has holes everywhere, I'm glad Phil grabbed the best talent on the board. The Knicks were near the top of the lottery for a reason. Porzingis sounds like a great kid in interviews, always says the right things, speaks English very well, and seems to truly love the game of basketball.

Drafting "safe" is often bad team building. In recent years Derrick Williams, Thomas Robinson, and Otto Porter were billed as the "safest" picks in their respective drafts. The draft is about acquiring the best talent, and top-level executives from around the league believe in Porzingis. I'll trust them over some booing fans at Barclays.

I'm excited to see this kid play.

Agreed. You draft the best talent and Porzingas was a no brainer for the Knicks, his talent is through the roof.

 

[James]

that knicks pick was definitely exciting. prozingis was also productive on sevilla, this isn't a darko or a jan vesley situation where he barely played or put up ghastly numbers.

all my buddies who are hornets are pissed, and rightfully so. Cho with a terrible selection when he could have made moves to get mudiay two spots up, or simply taken winslow to help aid a barren backcourt.

 

[HuskyFich]

that knicks pick was definitely exciting. prozingis was also productive on sevilla, this isn't a darko or a jan vesley situation where he barely played or put up ghastly numbers.

all my buddies who are hornets are pissed, and rightfully so. Cho with a terrible selection when he could have made moves to get mudiay two spots up, or simply taken winslow to help aid a barren backcourt.

You don't take Mudiay when you have Kemba
You don't take Justise when you have MKG.
CHA just got Lamb and Batum
They needed 3 point shooting and a good big man, so why not go for both in one player? I liked the pick a lot. The risk is there but he is well polished and can provide immediate impact

 

[mjmoney23]

What kind of analysis is that? The guy missed 42 games with an injury and was playing injured in most of the games that he did play. Plus he didn't play any games after the all-star break.

What was their record before he went down? Pretty much the same it was after.

 

[James]

You don't take Mudiay when you have Kemba
You don't take Justise when you have MKG.
CHA just got Lamb and Batum
They needed 3 point shooting and a good big man, so why not go for both in one player? I liked the pick a lot. The risk is there but he is well polished and can provide immediate impact

provide immediate impact? no he can't, he wont be able to stay on the floor because he can't defend his position. Cho blew the wad when he passed up on BPA. winslow fits fine he might be better than mkg and they only have one shooting guard. wing depth is terrible.

 

[Dynasty]

What was their record before he went down? Pretty much the same it was after.

And? Blaming a guy who didn't even play in half of his team's games for the team's record is a bit irresponsible. Especially when the Knicks were tanking the season.

 

[Gurleyman]

I'm still baffled that Charlotte passed on Winslow to take KAMINSKY?! What a joke, MJ is reliving the Adam Morrison saga all over again. In fact he already has a Kaminsky on his roster, his name is Cody Zeller, hell they even have Spencer Hawes too!

Fine with me. Winslow would have eaten into Lambs potential for minutes. Lamb is now more likely to be an option to get floor spacing when MKG is building condos.

I was going to criticize you for saying all white guys are the same, but Zeller and Kaminsky do play an awful lot alike. So it's a fair point.

 

[James]

a front court rotation of kaminsky, zeller, and jefferson is laughable defensively, and all signs are pointing towards them letting their only effective rebounder/rim protector walk (biyombo).

 

[Brochacho]

Zeller and Kaminsky do play an awful lot alike.

Kaminksy hangs around the perimeter, Zeller hangs out down low exclusively. On the spectrum of power forwards, they are quite different players.

 

[CallMeBruce]

People ripping on the Porzingas pick are missing the boat, I've waited my whole life for the Knicks to be good so I can wait a couple more years. Who would you prefer them to take at #4? Cauley-Stein, Winslow, Mudiay? The way I look at it, Porzingas has way more upside than any of them. It's the first time I've been happy with a Knicks decision in forever.

You're assuming that it's a guarantee that Porzingis reaches his potential. Players like him are rarely safe bets. With a top-4 pick and a team in need of fresh talent, picking a player like Mudiay, who is an elite athlete with PG skills and elite size for his position makes a lot more sense. Mudiay is probably a solid starter on day 1, and has the upside to be an all-star PG. Porzingis is definitely not a starter at this point, and he has to improve a lot more to justify that pick than Mudiay or Winslow would have.

 

[superjohn]

You're assuming that it's a guarantee that Porzingis reaches his potential. Players like him are rarely safe bets. With a top-4 pick and a team in need of fresh talent, picking a player like Mudiay, who is an elite athlete with PG skills and elite size for his position makes a lot more sense. Mudiay is probably a solid starter on day 1, and has the upside to be an all-star PG. Porzingis is definitely not a starter at this point, and he has to improve a lot more to justify that pick than Mudiay or Winslow would have.

Disagree, the last thing the Knicks need is a point guard who can't shoot or an undersized 3 man trying to transition into a shooting guard. Potential is a scary word to some but the rewards can be so much better with Prozingas than either Mudiay or Winslow. Guys like Vesely and Tskitisvili seemed like much bigger risks to me, I feel pretty good about Kristaps panning out.

 

[HuskyFich]

provide immediate impact? no he can't, he wont be able to stay on the floor because he can't defend his position. Cho blew the wad when he passed up on BPA. winslow fits fine he might be better than mkg and they only have one shooting guard. wing depth is terrible.

Well justise is a 3, not a 2 for starters. Lamb + batum = 2 SGs. Who the hell is BPA? Winslow will be a small 3 that has poor ball handling skills and an iffy shot. Good luck with him defending the SFs in the NBA. He honestly is just a more athletic Rodney Hood. I don't buy it. You need to be much more than good in transition to be a successful 3 in the NBA.

 

[Gurleyman]

Zeller hangs out down low exclusively.

Not in the NBA. Zeller plays in the high post and shoots a ton of long twos or dribble drives. They've tried to put him in the Josh McRoberts role to give Jefferson room in the post, to mixed results.

http://vorped.com/1-nba/2014-2015/player/1538/cody-zeller/shotchart/

 

[Dogdeacon]

Listening to Ainge on the radio this morning, I don't think he has a plan. I don't think there's a major trade in the works.

He's got a reputation in the league as a guy who's going to fleece you (see Minnesota, Brooklyn trades), and now I think GMs are hesitant to deal with him.

I liked the RJ Hunter pick. Great shooter. Should be able to score. Other than that, Danny gets an F for last night.

Rozier might have turned some heads in the workouts, but he's got the same skillset and not nearly as much talent as Marcus Smart, so what's the point? You take him at 16?? Not to mention you already have a 6th man point guard in Isaiah Thomas, who also might be the best player on the team right now.

Mickey might be a good defender, but from what we're hearing he has zero offensive skill. Which is really what you'd expect from an early 2nd-round pick.

The Celtics have a ton of picks, but those picks actually have to pan out and be low numbers for anyone to care. Obviously trying to pair 16, 28, and a player didn't get us anywhere last night. We need lottery picks. Making the playoffs last year ended up killing us.

I didn't hear Ainge this AM, but agree about Celtics not having a plan for this coming year. Given that Winslow slipped, and something like this happens almost every year (to wit Paul Pierce) it turns out to be a HUGE mistake to have made the playoffs:
1. Falling draft order out of top-10
2. Marcus Smart played like crap in the playoffs
3. Olenik sullied his rep (he's awkward not dirty, but still) and
4. Olenik burnt any chance of KLove coming to Boston to the ground.

Don't get Rozier pick at all. Seems like they'd settled on him when they thought they were trading Smart and didn't have anything better to do (maybe they were picking him at 26?).

• Hunter was a good pick.
• Mickey who? Shotblocking sounds nice but has there ever been a good basketball player named Mickey!?
• So glad they didn't take Christmas.
• Bummed they didn't pick Connaughton for the 'root for a guy who looks like us' factor that made Marty Conlon's Celtic career enjoyable.
• How did Bootsy Thornton get college eligibility back and get into the draft again out of W&Mary?!

 

[johnhuskies95]

I really don't see how Mudiay is some can't miss prospect. He's good, but I think he has pretty similar risk/reward potential as Porzingis does.

 

[TasteofUConn]

Disagree. . . . His recorded barefoot height is actually the same as Hasheem Thabeet's. Think about that. He very well may be listed at 7'3" (which seems appropriate if you see the pictures of the players on stage last night). So Porzingis is a mobile, long, sharp-shooting 7'3" PF who projects as a rim protector down the line. There have been very few players ever with his unique combination of height, length, mobility, and versatile offensive game. And he's 19.

Just watched a lengthy video of the kid. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that he'll be a bust in the NBA. Guy is completely earth bound. I mean, it looks like he doesn't have 12 inches of vertical. At 7/1, he'll be a perimeter threat, but your comparison to Hasheem might be perfect, because this 7/1 guy, listed at 7/3, could well be in the D league pretty quickly. Beyond a very nice stroke and shot, just does not pass the eye test for NBA athleticism/talent.
I am curious, however.

 

[imno1]

Just watched a lengthy video of the kid. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that he'll be a bust in the NBA. Guy is completely earth bound. I mean, it looks like he doesn't have 12 inches of vertical. At 7/1, he'll be a perimeter threat, but your comparison to Hasheem might be perfect, because this 7/1 guy, listed at 7/3, could well be in the D league pretty quickly. Beyond a very nice stroke and shot, just does not pass the eye test for NBA athleticism/talent.
I am curious, however.

His vertical was measured at 37" which is pretty impressive for a 7 fter. Had KP played at a college this year he probably would have been a dominant player.

 

[pnow15]

As a Knicks fan, the thing I took away from the draft is that Phil Jackson absolutely does not care if he fails here. He already won by convincing Dolan to pay him crazy money to do as he pleases, and he's already got enough of a track record prior to this that his NBA legacy is secure irrespective of how either this pick or his Knick tenure in general turn out.

No one truly has any idea how Porzingis will turn out, and the pick is exactly as he described it: a huge risk with a potentially huge payoff. Personally, I think it's reckless, but it is interesting. Part of me is somewhat impressed that he took such a huge gamble, but upon further reflection about his existing legacy, what he inherited, and what he's being paid, I see it moreso as a "Hey, WTF, why not go for it?" move. Historically, these moves have not paid off for the Knicks, but to some degree that does make it slightly more impressive that he was willing to make a decision that has strong potential to be another in a long line of colossal failures for the franchise.

A list of 6'5'' or taller players who could penetrate into the lane pass and or/and make shots in big games. Oscar Robinson(1 title?) Magic(5 titles), Michael (6 titles), Kobe(5 titles) Manu(4 titles) Havilchek(10 titles?)

A list of 7'3'' three point jump shooters as primary or secondary stars on their teams who have won NBA titles:
there is a... and there is .... aaaa and then of course how could I leave out.... aaaaa.

 

[pnow15]

As a Knicks fan, the thing I took away from the draft is that Phil Jackson absolutely does not care if he fails here. He already won by convincing Dolan to pay him crazy money to do as he pleases, and he's already got enough of a track record prior to this that his NBA legacy is secure irrespective of how either this pick or his Knick tenure in general turn out.

No one truly has any idea how Porzingis will turn out, and the pick is exactly as he described it: a huge risk with a potentially huge payoff. Personally, I think it's reckless, but it is interesting. Part of me is somewhat impressed that he took such a huge gamble, but upon further reflection about his existing legacy, what he inherited, and what he's being paid, I see it moreso as a "Hey, WTF, why not go for it?" move. Historically, these moves have not paid off for the Knicks, but to some degree that does make it slightly more impressive that he was willing to make a decision that has strong potential to be another in a long line of colossal failures for the franchise.

A list of 6'5'' or taller players who could penetrate into the lane pass and or/and make shots in big games. Oscar Robinson(1 title?) Magic(5 titles), Michael (6 titles), Kobe(5 titles) Manu(4 titles) Havilchek(10 titles?)Lebron James(2 titles).

A list of 7'3'' three point jump shooters as primary or secondary stars on their teams who have won NBA titles:
there is a... and there is .... aaaa and then of course how could I leave out.... aaaaa.

 

[hoophuskee]

I thought the pick was fine. Like another poster I heard Larry Brown too and he said what the poster mentioned. The guy was pretty much a consensus top 5 pick so I while I understand those that don't like the pick have valid reasons, but to get like Stephen A Smith was and some of the callers I heard on WFAN with total hate for the pick, I think it's over-the-top.

 

[gtcam]

favorite picks

mudiay to the nugs ( my pick for ROY, he will be the face of the franchise soon)

winslow to the heat

tyus jones to the wolves via cleveland. just wow on that one, clearly an A+ draft for minny.

Yeah the jones to Minni was/is a neat thing BUT is there enough ball for him and Rubio?