Question: would Jimmy Boy try to prove he's smarter than everyone else by drafting one of the guards?
Maybe. But luckily it's not his call. Mitch was adamant yesterday during his interview that who they draft is his decision and his alone.
Okafor is meeting with Flip later in the week. He should tell Flip, respectfully of course, to f*** off.
Another telling part of Okafor's interview: when asked about whether or not he would tell MIN he doesn't want them to pick him, he says something to the effect of "I never said that" but then mentions that he hasn't met with the Wolves yet. Just because he hadn't said that doesn't mean he won't when he meets with them. Also, when talking about the Lakers he slipped up and said "we". He was being asked about whether or not he can bring the team back to top on his own, and he said no, not as a rookie, but "that's why we have Kobe". You see fans do this all the time with the team they identify with; I do it to. When I'm talking about the Lakers I occasionally say "we", but never when talking about any other team. Most Lakers fans, players, members of the organization, etc.- people committed, who feel like they are part of the team- would use the same phrasing Okafor did. Anyone else would say "that's why the Lakers have Kobe". For example, if Doc Rivers said "that's why we have Kobe" or Nick Young said "that's why we have Westbrook" everyone would lose their minds thinking a crazy trade went down. For all the uncertainty that Mitch and Flip Saunders are throwing out there (and they should, information leaking can be harmful), I think internally it's done and both Towns and Okafor already know it. Towns is being picked first and Okafor second. Could be over-anazlyzing, but reading between the lines it sure seems like that's what is going on here.
I need to stop watching these KAT clips.. I had my heart set on Okafor... Both these kids are great prospects..
Watch them. I love both of them. It's OK to like both. It'll make it easier if we don't take the one you want. I want Okafor, but the more I see of Towns, the more at peace I feel about it all. At this point the #2 pick doesn't even concern me in the least bit. I'm more focused on the 27th.
I'm almost relieved we have the #2 pick versus the first. It's actually relaxing IMO to know that Minny will take one of the bigs, so we'll just take whichever one is left. I want Jah but I won't be crying if we get Towns.
Crazy how many analysts I hear say that the Lakers should trade the 2nd Pick to get someone that can contribute now.. Man, unless there's an All-Star attached to that trade, I wouldn't pass on one of these guys... Maybe package & move our later picks, but not the 2nd.
the only feasible scenario i've seen involved Cousins and the Kings. And to be honest, I'm no longer in favor of that deal. I understand that Boogie is still at a great salary, but if we can get an NBA-ready, potential franchise big like Okafor, i take him and save as much cap space as possible.
It's pretty much Cousins. Anyone better than that won't be offered, and if they're not as good as Cousins we shouldn't consider it. And I'll be honest, Okafor and Towns both have a realistic shot at being better than Boogie, and Boogie is an absolute stud. I'm not sure the Lakers are even interested in Boogie. I think it's a media creation more than anything. I really want Okafor, Randle, Clarkson, Black and Justin Anderson as our core going forward. I think those guys have the potential to be something really special in a few years.
Agreed 100%. It seems to me that Jahlil is our guy and Towns is Minny's guy. Flip is the only one standing in the middle because he personally loves a post big man, but his team isn't built to support one. The only way we don't get Okafor is if Flip overthinks it and goes for him at the last second. I don't see that happening. The fit just makes way more sense with Towns in Minny and Okafor here. It makes sense from basically all perspectives. The kids personalities and fits and the teams needs and roster make up... It makes just too much sense at this point to go another way.
If Ding is correct about us not only finding the right talent, but more importantly finding the right character, why would we even consider Cousins? Cousins character is suspect at this point. That's just with his on court behavior. I love Cousins, but it wouldn't make any sense to me whatsoever if you value you character that highly in the person you're drafting and going through all the pre-draft dinner workouts to get a glimpse into the person, why would you take a risk on Cousins? This is not to disparage Cousins as a person. This is just my thinking; we draft not only the best player available but the best person available. As Ding referenced in his Okafor piece on what Jerry said, 'it's the character that wins out on the court.'
Yeah, there sure were a number of "we(s)" in that interview. They just came flying right out. Pair that with this seeming delay in the Lakers being able to work Towns out, if it's going to happen. I love a good Lakers Big Man conspiracy as much as the next guy.
Agreed. Boogie is an absolute monster, but his character issues are a huge red flag. Okafor has the talent to be just as effective as Boogie Cousins but with a tremendous attitude and drive to be better. He's probably 2-3 years removed from Boogie's overall effectiveness, but that's still a hell of a deal for a kid who will get paid pennies when the cap goes up. I think Mitch is leaving the door open for a trade only if Sacramento offers us Cousins/#6 for #2/pieces (not including Randle or Clarkson). That's the only deal that would make me think about it because we get Cousins AND another young asset to build around, but there's no way Sacramento offers that so it's a moot point really. We're going to draft either Towns or (more likely) Okafor and we'll be damn happy about it.
Agreed. The only way I see us moving the pick is for some offer that blows us away. Boogie + #6 might do it just because Boogie is still so young AND #6 could end up being Mudiay which would be a ridiculously successful off-season. It wouldn't happen of course, but that's the kind of offer the Lakers might consider passing on Okafor for. Since those offers aren't comin', I think we're looking at a young core of Clarkson/Randle/Okafor. Good days are ahead for us.
Yep. I think we'll somehow land a 3 and D wing in the draft too. I don't think the team makes the playoffs. But I think there will be instances when all the rookies and second year players are out there together and they will string together some runs that will give us great "Doomsday thread" material. Other team's fans will start to see the coming storm on the horizon. Kind of like, "They're not there quite yet, but in a couple years, they'll be a juggernaut."
Nah, don't want any headcases here. We should have learned a lesson with Howard. Character over talent.
