Hopefully their FO agrees! Honestly he's a better fit for them than us anyway. We need a guy who's more capable of doing something right now and Towns is more likely to do something in a few years. Okafor is definitely a better fit for us and Towns is definitely a better fit for them. Roster, needs, fit, desire to play there: all of those point to Towns for Minny. With Towns out of the picture, the obvious choice for us is Okafor. We need a big man, we need some scoring, we have a chance to nail down our front court for the next 12-15 years... No brainer to me.
So let's say Minny takes Okafor. Does that change our thinking, in regard to free agent signings, Kobe's last year, and win now vs win later when Towns develops?
We should do a poll and guess whether Jahlil will work out for Minny. I really do like that his agent and Flip go back though. His agent can lay it on the line about how pissed and unhappy his guy is going to be if they pick him, plus Towns the much better fit. And Towns and Wiggins are familiar. And why wouldn't they want KAT who would feel "blessed"(in contrast) to be on their team?
I think Towns could be used in his rookie year like he was used in Kentucky.24 minutes a game in tandem with Tyson Chandler at center.
The big thing to that many people question or worry about Towns in his rookie year is getting into foul trouble early. I'm sure this will be the case for most young big men coming into the league but I remember hearing this specifically about Towns during March Madness. Okafor, and correct me if I'm wrong, but never seemed to really be in a lot of foul trouble in games his Freshman year.
Jahlil Okafor Duke Highlights 2015 (Lakers Prospect) Karl Anthony-Towns Kentucky Highlights 2015 (Lakers Prospect) I like them both, but as I said in my post about my vote I'm liking Okafor on this Lakers team more and more. I think now that he'll be in better shape along with the training camp Byron will put him through he'll be even more mobile on the defensive end.
Okafor's touch around the basket is insane. You don't see too many big men go us so strong but still able to lay it up so soft off the glass or have the ball take such nice soft bounces on the rim before going in. Okafor also looks so natural around the basket. His moves are so fluid. He wasn't even muscling his man around under the basket for every shot. Sometimes he just slipped in to the perfect position to shoot without being contested. Comparing that to Towns, yes he can obviously do more according to those highlights, but he doesn't look nearly as fluid or unstoppable around the basket. Those videos just reinforce my opinion that we take Okafor and don't look back. I wouldn't even trade for Cousins and Sac's 6th pick at this point.
Better than Duncan right now off coming out of college; as good as Al Jefferson offensively speaking. Probably the best big I've seen in the post since Shaq in 92; of course Shaq had every physical advantage possible...
The more I think about it, the more I say F*** defence. Okafor and Randle near the basket, with Kobe finding them like he did great last year with Hill and Boozer - that will be AWESOME. throw in there an even better Clarkson and Middelton (?) open on the 3. I'm drooling.
Another thing that makes me feel comfortable that Okafor is the right guy to pick is what Coach K said. I don't remember the entire quote but its been posted in one of these threads. Coach K was basically saying that Okafor could very well be the most talented player he has ever had on his team and that is saying something. Coach K has been around a lot of great talent from coaching the Olympic team and I'm sure he knows when he sees a special talent. Now I just hope Minny doesn't take Okafor haha. Even though it doesn't look like they will based on many mock drafts a lot can happen to change things. (i.e. someone breaking a bone during a workout like Embid)
I still take Towns and then sign a stop-gap Center who can split time with him. Davis is an ideal candidate there. The difference for me would be going after Tobias Harris in FA instead of DeMarre Carroll because Harris can create a little more offense while Carroll is a better defender.
I am liking both of these guys more & more... However, Okafor is my clear choice. You just don't see big men with that developed of a low post game, footwork & ball handling skills at his age.. He's NBA ready as a Rookie. Towns will have to rely more on his athleticism, which won't be as much of an advantage initially in the Pros.
It's a win/win situation here. The FO doesn't have to second guess choosing between these guys because Minny will do it for them. We get the other one and call it a GREAT day to finally have a Big again. But yeah, I'm getting excited about Okafor because it looks most likely that we'll land him considering Towns is a better fit for Minny and doesn't mind going there.
I like the Russell kid.. but with those two bigs.. you HAVE to get one of them.. I will take either one of them and be happy
So are the "sources" really indicating that Minnesota is leaning towards Towns? That'd be great, because as much as I try to stay open minded, I can't help but REALLY want Okafor over Towns.
What I heard was Minny was leaning toward Okafor and the "experts" were saying, "only a stupid team like Minny could screw this up and take the wrong guy." IMO, neither are the wrong choice. Boils down to preference and need.
There was this story a few days ago that gave a lot of reasons for MN to consider seriously whether they should draft a guy who doesn't want to play for them or the equally talented (considering overall game and athleticism and shooting, and better "fit" for them) who doesn't mind going there and has some on court familiarity / friendship (?) with Wiggins already. http://www.dukebasketballreport.com...ahlil-okafor-doesnt-want-to-play-for-t-wolves
There's some connection there with Wiggins; isn't Okafor's agent the same as Wiggins, too? Wiggins could influence Okafor...it's possible. Nevertheless, even if Okafor's gets drafted by the Timerwolves, I think Towns becomes a great building block that fits in seamlessly. It's a win-win for us...either way, we're in business. . Boy, it's good to be a Lakers fan...
You can't really ask for much more from a rookie big. Looking at the current top bigs to come into the league in recent years.. Anthony Davis, Boogie Cousins - 28 MPG. Favors - 20 MPG (The most accurate Towns comparison in my opinion, but Towns will be more versatile), Monroe - 28 MPG (The player I expect Okafor to be the most comparable to). Drummond 20 MPG. Vucevic - 15 MPG. I'm still hoping we end up with Towns. Neither of them is going to dominate immediately against bigger/stronger/more skilled players than they're used to beating up on. I expect Okafor to contribute sooner simply because he only needs to figure out what adjustments he needs to make to 1 aspect of his game, once his post game translates to the NBA level he'll put up good enough stats to see more minutes, probably around 28 MPG like Monroe was able to do. Towns being the much more versatile player means he has a lot more to figure out before we'll see flashes of how good he'll be. He has to learn how to continue having a big impact on defense without getting into foul trouble. He needs to figure out how to get that hook off with both hands in the post at the NBA level. He needs to figure out how to get good shots off on the perimeter & adjust to that NBA 3 line. I think he'll show flashes of what he can do here & there, & have it mostly figured out by the end of his rookie season. Then in season 2 he'll pull away as 1 of the elite players in the league.
This is what I heard too. - Minny wanted Okafor, but has gotten indications he doesn't want to be there. His face at the lottery when they announced #1 and the quote afterwards that suddenly he's not sure if he's the #1 pick? Yeah I think he doesn't want to be there. - Towns' camp immediately said he wants to go the Lakers after the draft, but the kid himself has said he's open to wherever drafts him. - If both kids are talented but one doesn't want to be there, don't you just take the other one and not worry about it?
