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

You should do what Cousins does to put you in a good mood; listen to some Bob Marley music.

 

While Russell is no Kobe, kid is still a stud. Im fairly sure he'll do great in the NBA.
As for Okafor being to short/small to play C... LOL. Haters gonna hate i guess.

 

I don't know, it might just be me, but I am pretty sure the player the Lakers pick will outperform the other lottery picks. Not only because they seem to have the best FO, but because we know bigs better than anyone else in the position to decide whether or not to take one of the bigs.

 

Okafor has the size and skills to contribute this year. Dominate even depending who's defending him. 2nd stringers look the hell out. He has honed his skills already in these areas. Will learn even more from Kobe. Kobe teaches the guys how to feed our new Big Man cause he knows how. Jahlil with the soft hands catches, distributes, scores with these and then pounds chest with them because he "likes" dominating.

 

@LTLakerFan you seem to really like that picture. Hoping you make it your avator after we draft Okafor

 

I don't have the link. Apparently, though, there was a segment on ESPN where Tim Legler and another anchor were talking about their draft picks; when Legler got down to Russell this anchor (not Legler) said he was with Jerry West, and West called Russell the best player in this draft. I'll try to find a link tomorrow to confirm it. Not that it should change anybody's mind on Okafor or Russell, but it's a heck of an endorsement by Jerry West.

 

I know we'll probably take Okafor. But for some reason I really want Russell

 

If West said that it does make it tougher to pass on Russell. I remain a huge fan of his game.

 

Also, I just don't really see any bias toward Okafor. Every prospect has been picked apart. I think the main thing is that a lot of people on here favor Okafor so every time someone says his name they read it. There are definitely articles out there questioning the different prospects. I have read a lot about Russell's athleticism, Mudiay's shooting, Kristaps being a bust, etc.

The only guy who doesn't get questioned much is Towns and I think that is pretty simple. The media and the scouts just think he is the best player. That could end up not being true, but I don't see the problem with them calling it how they see it.

I like Okafor a lot, but I can't say the criticisms of his game I have read are really unfair. I haven't read anything that says he will be a bust. Just that there are many who think Towns (and even Russell) will be better players. I'm not seeing the problem with that at all to be honest. There are definitely some cases where the Lakers get unfairly singled out by the media, but I'm just not sure this is a case of it.

Again, I like Okafor but I really just want the best player in the draft. If that is Towns or Russell, I have no issues with us picking one of them.

 

...or we could take the true best player in the draft.

 

disagree. among the consensus top three, most segments I see focus primarily on what the other two CAN do and what okafor CAN'T do.

I'm guessing the argument over who's the best of these three will still be up in the air 5 years from now. to listen to most of the pundits, you'd think it was pretty much already decided.

 

Nah I do it for fun just for the point. Keep searching for a better Okafor huge hands pic but that one is it. Kobe's my guy.

 

I want, and expect, to hear Okafor's name tomorrow afternoon because it seems to be the best, safest, and obvious pick. But if we hear that Russell is our newest Laker, it's time to get really excited because it means our scouts (whom i REALLY trust) saw something magical in him; so magical they took the risk of not drafting the sure thing in Okafor. Also, it probably means a really nice FA center is on his way, committed behind the scenes. I'm really hoping for banana-hands though...

 

Great point, Real. If I may expand on it, both Randle and Okafor are going to have incredible motivation to play well this season, should the Lakers make the right move and select Okafor with the 2nd overall pick.

Kobe always seems to have a chip on his shoulder to prove people wrong and to be the best player in the NBA. Randle has expressed that he has a similar mindset. With all the criticism that Okafor is suddenly getting because he is about to be selected by one of the most storied franchises, he too might want to set the league on fire.

We could end up with two Kobe-type players who want to earn their keep by playing their hearts out, being the best, and winning championships for our franchise. I hope the media keeps giving them fuel for their motivation, because that is an exciting prospect.


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Yeah Okafor gets picked apart because he was the most exposed, winning the NCAA championship. Similar to how Randle's stock fell last year going deep into the tournament. Russell, Towns, Porzingis still remain mysterious to some degree, and people often replace mystery with potential, unconsciously. Again, similar to Exum last year.

 

If we draft Okafor, once he is signed (whenever that might be) how long does that end the trade rumors for?

 

I think it's some time around late Dec or January where newly signed players can be traded. Something like that.