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2015 Nba Draft Discussion: Russell, Nance Jr., Brown

Discussion in 'Lakers Discussion' started by LaVarBallsDad, Oct 14, 2014.

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lakerfan2 - Lakers All Star -

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JSM said: ↑

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Lakers don't want to spend money on Rondo for Kobe so they're bringing a doppleganger to fake Kobe out...

lakerfan2, Jun 11, 2015

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Sounds like Mudiay had a good talk with Scott during their dinner.

Their storied championship history suggests the Lakers should use their No. 2 draft pick on a big man. But the Lakers are currently wrestling with that idea, aware that the NBA has become something that Emmanuel Mudiay pointed out.

“If you look at every team, they have a pretty good point guard,” Mudiay said on Thursday after working out at an athletic club in Reseda. “I feel like it’s a point guard’s league.”

Mudiay admitted he would “love to get drafted high.” But Mudiay, who played professionally last season in China, stressed he not arguing he should be selected ahead of Kentucky center Karl-Anthony Towns or Duke center Jahlil Okafor. It is expected Minnesota will select Towns with its No. 1 pick, while the Lakers will pick Okafor, who worked out with the team on Tuesday.

“It’s not my decision. It’s the team’s decision. Whatever they want to go with, that’s on them on if they want a guard or if they want a big. Wherever I go, that’s where I’ll go,” Mudiay said. “There’s nothing I can say about that. I’m not going to go to a GM’s office. Whatever the team wants to go with, they’ll go with where they are most comfortable.”

Mudiay believed he has made a few teams comfortable.

He worked out last week for the Lakers and this past Tuesday with the New York Knicks. Mudiay will also work out in Philadelphia (June 16) and Minnesota (June 20). But Mudiay still held a private workout on Thursday viewed only by members of his agency, Rival Sports Group, and a handful of reporters.

There, Mudiay completed plenty of full-court and half-court drills that showed off his ball handling, strong finishing and athleticism.

“I definitely feel like I’m good in that area,” Mudiay said. “I can be better in that, too. But it’s not something you can show as much. They really want to see how you fit in the system and your shooting.”

Mudiay showed off his shooting, taking many three-point shots, mid-range jumpers and free throws. But he appeared pretty streaky. Mudiay often went in spurts where he made a handful of shots before seeing most of them rim out. He also shot only 37.4 percent from 3-point range and 57.4 percent from the foul line last year with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association. That somewhat soiled the rest of Mudiay’s production that entailed averaging 17.7 points on 54.5-percent shooting, 6.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists.

My shooting, that’s been the biggest knock in me. But I’ve always been confident in shooting,” said Mudiay, who said he has increased his reps and altered his shooting stroke. “That’s one thing I’ve had to fix. Getting more reps up makes you more comfortable. When I get a rhythm, I’m really really comfortable with my shot.”

In general terms, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak downplayed any concerns regarding the shooting accuracy with Okafor, Ohio State guard D’Angelo Russell and Mudiay.

“I don’t think that’s a concern. I really don’t,” Kupchak said. “I’ve seen many broken shots in the league where if they are at a certain age, you cannot correct it. I don’t see that with any of the three players that we brought in to date. I know there are some that shoot better than others and there are some rumors that maybe one or two of them don’t shoot as well as the others. But I don’t have a concern that three or four years down the road they won’t be excellent shooters.”

With all that work, Mudiay hopes he can eventually shoot as well as Golden State guard Stephen Curry, who won the NBA’s 2014-15 regular-season MVP award after leading the league in 3-pointers made (84). But Mudiay believes his strong playmaking and athleticism will already make a significant difference after modeling his game after former Lakers point guard Magic Johnson, who won five NBA Championships in the Showtime Era.

“Everybody loved playing with him because he made everybody better,” Mudiay said. “As a point guard, that’s your goal to elevate everybody’s game. You never saw anybody complaining when they were with Magic.”

Mudiay admitted he still has plenty to learn on running an offense.

When he met with Knicks coach and former Lakers guard Derek Fisher for dinner, some of the conversation centered on the triangle offense.

“It’s challenging. But the more you get into it, the more you understand it,” Mudiay said. “I feel like I can adjust and adapt to any system or any style of play. I can play in a half court system.”

Mudiay also believed he could thrive under the Prineton-based offense that Lakers coach Byron Scott runs. Both systems put less emphasis on pick-and-rolls and more emphasis on dribble handoffs, spacing and shared ball handling duties.

“If I were to go there,” Mudiay said of the Lakers, “I would be in the film room with him and whoever it is to teach me how the run their stuff.”

It sounded like he already received a head start with both teams.

Mudiay gushed about having dinner with Scott and his assistants after his Lakers workout last Saturday. There, Scott shared the similarities and differences among the star point guards he coached in Jason Kidd (New Jersey), Chris Paul (New Orleans) and Kyrie Irving (Cleveland).

“Coach Scott helped me with a lot of things on the court and off the court,” said Mudiay, who respectfully declined to share specifics. “He gave me some good advice for my career, whether it’s with him or not.”
Mudiay spent plenty of his dinner peppering with Fisher with questions on how he thrived in the triangle offense as a key role player for the Lakers that won five NBA championships.

“He’s a real good person. Him just coming out of the NBA, I feel like he will teach me a lot whether I go to that team or not. It’s just him as a person. He always likes to help other people,” Mudiay said. “Why wouldn’t you want to learn? He’s a winner. He’s a proven winner.”

Mudiay believes he soon prove himself a winner, too. Hence, why he believes any NBA lottery team should select him.

“I love to win,” he said. “If any team wants to win, I’m a competitor. Regardless of who I’m playing, if I’m playing a five year old or a grown man, I always want to win.”
http://www.insidesocal.com/lakers/2...l-mudiay-calls-the-nba-a-point-guards-league/
Click to expand...

some good quotes from him regarding his work ethic and will to win, as well.

JSM, Jun 11, 2015

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'Mudiay also believed he could thrive under the Prineton-based offense that Lakers coach Byron Scott runs. Both systems put less emphasis on pick-and-rolls and more emphasis on dribble handoffs, spacing and shared ball handling duties.'

LaVarBallsDad, Jun 11, 2015

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JSM said: ↑

It depends who is picking at 4. I was listening to the Kyler/Kennedy podcast last night. Kyler said he's talked to three different people within the Knicks organization and they each gave a different list of 4 guys they're looking at. If they're that far off on who they want (and other outlets have suggested similar notions), I think there is a far greater chance they make a trade (Faried + 7 for 4?). That's going to tilt the entire rest of the lottery -- whatever happens in NYC.

Mudiay SHOULD be a top 4 Pick, but I'm not sure the Knicks won't foul that up one way or another.

During the podcast they were also talking about just how impressed teams have been with Mudiay's size. And how his camp has him working out in LA and he won't go out and has no interest in the LA nightlife right now. He goes back to his room and youtubes video of past/present players, trying to fine tune his craft. I love that. And whoever gets him is going to get a hell of a team changing PG for a long time. If we were at 3, I'd hope that would be us. But we lucked into the Okafor lottery and HAVE to cash in that ticket.
Click to expand...

I listened to that episode of the podcast (Basketball Insiders) as well when it first came out and was shocked to hear that as well. I truly wonder if Phil's days are numbered because it seems like someone else is making the decision because Phil would never be that indecisive.

Last edited: Jun 11, 2015

Battle Tested20, Jun 11, 2015

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this just in: mudiay wants to beat 5-year olds.

abeer3, Jun 11, 2015

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He's a child beater!!!!

sirronstuff, Jun 11, 2015

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Wolves have reportedly decided to take Towns:

http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2015/6/11/8769209/lakers-draft-no-doubt-t-wolves-taking-towns

unpossibl1, Jun 11, 2015

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I like Mudiay a lot. I think he'll be the best guard from this draft, but I wouldn't ever pick him above Okafor or Towns.

therealdeal, Jun 11, 2015

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unpossibl1 said: ↑

Wolves have reportedly decided to take Towns:

http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2015/6/11/8769209/lakers-draft-no-doubt-t-wolves-taking-towns
Click to expand...

Heisler says Skip came away convinced to take Towns.

Aight. Let's gooooo Okafor!

therealdeal, Jun 11, 2015

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Heisler with the best news of the night ...

In the Lakers’ dreams, Minnesota, picking No. 1 in the NBA draft, would take Jahlil Okafor, dropping Karl Towns to them at No. 2, which looked like it could happen but does no longer.

Minnesota GM/coachFlip Saunders, who had been leaning toward Okafor, is said to have turned pro-Towns after seeing him last week in Los Angeles.

The splash sent ripples throughout the NBA. Says an insider: “There’s no doubt, the T-Wolves are taking Towns.”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/markhei...ecause-insiders-say-theyre-not-getting-towns/
Click to expand...

Thank you Flip!

And then Heisler speculates on whether we'll take Jah or either of the guards...

Okafor–He’s a prodigy in the low post with a mobile, 275-pound body but a relatively short one at 6-9 1/2 in stocking feet without great hops, making him a negligible defensive presence, at least so far.

(The numbers come from the USA Basketball camp he attended in 2013–at 17 so maybe he has grown an inch. Now just 18, he won’t turn 19 until Dec. 15.)

With a rare, Tim Duncan-like skill level, he’ll be able to free himself up, carve out space and hold it. Unfortunately, he lacks Duncan’s length. If he’s a safe bet to be good even playing under the rim, greatness is the question.

If you want to give Okafor the benefit of the doubt, picture him as a more talented Marc Gasol, who’s not quick or explosive but plays a key role at the base of a defensive scheme. Or, if you’re inclined to go the other way… Nikola Pekovic?

Russell–He’s the easiest to scout of the three, having shown what he could do as a relatively unheralded Ohio State freshman switching from shooting guard to the point.

At 6-3 1/4 in stocking feet–he’s the only one of the four who was measured officially at the NBA Combine–he has admirable size for the position. With very good if not great ball handling, athleticism and passing ability, he can do everything it takes to run the point.

Best of all is his shooting, which in today’s NBA game is all-important. Russell attempted 6.6 threes a game–meaning he didn’t just pick his spots, shooting only when wide open–and made 41%.

Good shooters typically improve in the NBA with a lifetstyle built around working on their craft. Not that Russell is a Steph Curry–he’s not, nor is anyone else–but Steph shot 41% on 10 attempts a game in three years at Davidson.

Mudiay–More of an unknown factor than Russell but more exciting.

Mudiay held a workout for the press Wednesday in the San Fernando Valley that was more like a highlight reel, following up routine drills with a series of dunks, looking ike the Blake Griffin of the point guards.

A native of the Congo whose family emigrated to Texas, where he attended high school, he is described as an admirable young man with a winning personality (as are Russell and Okafor)

At, say, 6-4, 195 (his people say he’s 6-5, 200), Mudiay will soon join the elite strata of the biggest, most athletic point guards ever to play the game with people like Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose.

NBA people who have seen him rate him above Russell as a playmaker, insisting he’s more natural at the point. The big question is shooting. Russell is a deadeye. With Mudiay, it’s “His shot looks OK, I think he’ll be all right.”

If Mudiay hits, he’ll have charisma coming out of his ears. With the emergence within the organization of Jeanie Buss, a keen student of her father’s promoter-minded approach, it’s a value that won’t be lost on the Lakers.

Of course, passing over Okafor for an unknown point guard from Africa through Texas by way of China would be a guts call for the ages. If 28 teams would love to be in the Lakers’ position, they’re coming up on a landmark decision in their history, one way or the other.
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JSM, Jun 11, 2015

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Whooo Hoooo !!!!!!

LONG LIVE THE 2015

LTLakerFan, Jun 11, 2015

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@unpossibl1 beat you to it @JSM but hellz yeah I think most of us are on the same page here!

I think the Towns guys will start to convert too once they see Okafor in action. I really love the way this young man plays. I think he's going to be a great piece for us for 15 years at least.

therealdeal, Jun 11, 2015

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I don't trust Heisler. I'm not holding my breath until it becomes official on draft night...

LaVarBallsDad, Jun 11, 2015

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LaVarBallsDad, Jun 11, 2015

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Darren Wolfson‏@DWolfsonKSTP 23m23 minutes ago
Nothing scheduled yet. But the wheels are in motion for Okafor to visit the Twin Cities before the Draft. Good bet Towns too. #twolves

LaVarBallsDad, Jun 11, 2015

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Keep in mind there is always the chance that Heisler, or his "sources", are just running with the most likely outcome. 2 weeks until the draft, anything is still possible.

unpossibl1, Jun 11, 2015

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unpossibl1 said: ↑

Keep in mind there is always the chance that Heisler, or his "sources", are just running with the most likely outcome. 2 weeks until the draft, anything is still possible.
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When is the last time Heisler has broken a story?

LaVarBallsDad, Jun 11, 2015

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RandleROFY said: ↑

'Mudiay also believed he could thrive under the Prineton-based offense that Lakers coach Byron Scott runs. Both systems put less emphasis on pick-and-rolls and more emphasis on dribble handoffs, spacing and shared ball handling duties.'

Click to expand...

We run an offense?

trodgers, Jun 11, 2015

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I don't want to get too excited about the news because who knows what can happen within the next two weeks and on draft day. Heck maybe Okafor impresses them during his workout and Towns tanks his.

alam1108, Jun 11, 2015

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I'm not sure why Okafor is going to Minny at this point. He should walk his talk and just be honest with them. He is this close by luck of the draw to playing for his "dream team", the L.A. Lakers and really hopes they will respect that and not take him first. Especially since he has to know like everyone else knows that Towns is the better fit. Don't "weanie" out now Jahlil, and give them a workout and all that canned, right answers in job interview crap. You and your agent be straight up with them. Eli Manning freaking did it. With a big push from pop and rest of the family.

LTLakerFan, Jun 11, 2015

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