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

I've seen one person saying Okafor is too small to be a center, and it's Heisler. Everyone else laughs at that notion.

 

Yeah, not sure what Heisler was rambling about. But the other Laker writers were quick to call him out on his stance.

 

http://journaltimes.com/sports/bask...cle_00a8eb20-465c-59b2-8313-fbca03a1a932.html

 

Looks to me Okafor is bigger, or in the very least the same size. Towns is listed at 7'0, Okafor 6'11. With Okafor's weight, he is easily a C.

 

When i read this this solidified my stance on okafor hes a proven winner with praise from coach freakin K. Why would u trade him for cousins? I hope the rumors are true and the trade talk is dead. Lets win with our young guns and a FA

I think thats the biggest load of bs ive ever read. All of a sudden okafor is too short to play C? Isnt dwight 6'11 and 265? If he can play center why cant jahlil? I hate reading things like this

Yes on lottery night okafor looked noticeably bigger than towns and as you say he could grow before its all said & done those reports about him not being able to play C are ridiculous seeing as he's the same height as dwight and 5 lbs heavier

 

I honestly believe not. Sacto may have called or Boogie's agent started the ball rolling, but I would hope and doubt Mitch would give thought to this unless blown over by some Pau like deal (with Lamar and Bynum not having to leave), realizing what he has that's building here. A big, bullying, athletic and skilled group of young and totally cost controlled players. Okafor, Randle, Boom Boom, Clarkson plus more guys with the effort that is going to be put out, wanting to make this year's L.A. Lakers squad.

 

Okafor or Towns. Doesn't matter. I'll take either

 

That's interesting.

 

I really hope the Lakers go the steady route this offseason. Draft Okafor, and try to find some gems in #27 & #34. In free agency, inquire about Aldridge Love, and Butler, but don't panic if they end up elsewhere. If you end up striking out on three, use this summer's cap room to sign team friendly deals with a blend of low risk high reward players to try to hit it like we did with Ed Davis and Ellington, and steady veterans to nurture our young players (Elton Brand, Brandon Bass, Richard Jefferson, etc.). Then, gear up to try and sign multiple Stars in 2016.

 

When you say "outright," you are saying "complete, or total," and that's not what Kobe was. But I understand what you're saying, and like I said, I see a resemblance, not saying that they are the same players.

Here you go:



:32 - crossover dribble, behind the back, pull up for the shot. Something Kobe does all the time.

:38 - crossover, crossover, floater in the lane, boom. Something Kobe did a lot. And no, Steph Curry's floaters are a lot higher.

1:21 - again, change of direction right, change of direction left, jumper. Again, Kobe did that a lot.

1:36 - fall-away baseline jumper. Vintage Kobe. Doesn't quite look as good as Kobe's, but he hit it.

2:15 - change of direction, fake pulling up, dribble drive, and using length to lay it in.

2:48 - backing in defender in the mid-post, pull-up J. Kobe's later years working in the post more.

2:52 - backing up defender in low-post, turnaround fall-away baseline J. Vintage Kobe. Though Kobe would fall a bit more out of bounds. But regardless, this is what Kobe did a lot late in games to get a sure basket.

3:14 - drive around defender, using length to lay in around taller defender. Seen Kobe do that a lot to lay it in over pretty much every center in the league.

3:52 - perfect unexpected bullet pass in a half-court set for a bucket. Kobe was really the only Laker that could do that consistently and make it look good.

I should get back to work, but again, with these examples of ball handling, getting to the lane around defenders, and baseline jumpers, they remind me of how Kobe plays. If not for you, then that's totally okay, and I don't expect everyone to see it the same anyway.

 

Pretty much expected considering our long line of historic centers.

My main concern is that most of the top picks will probably take years before really contributing. Is it worth it?

 

We're uniquely positioned. Our picks have the opportunity to take a little bit of time to develop; we'll sign some free agents this summer and allow our youth to grow and develop. It's worth it in the long run for various reasons which I'll mention; they'll (youth) all be cost controlled for the foreseeable future and could potentially contribute to our winning squads in the future or be traded for a potential star in the future if somebody is on the block that the Lakers Front Office covets.

 

Yup, I'm hearing this is a real possibility since Sixers want Russell BAD. I say we take Russell and force the sixers to actually remove the protection altogether, and then swap #2 and #3 after we have selected Russell for the Sixers and they have selected Okafor for us. But yeah, I'm cool with top 15 protection. Heck, even top 10 protection would be good. Top 3 protection literally guarantees them our pick.

If we wanna be even riskier...offer 2nd pick for 5th pick, Aaron Gordon, and removal of the protection on the first round pick that we owe Orlando in a few years...but unfortunately the risk there is that NYK takes Okafor at 4th....there's definitely options on the table though but would be awesome if we end up only owing ONE first round pick over the next 3 years instead of TWO...