According to DraftExpress/The Vertical Ben Simmons is NOT the consensus #1 pick anymore. Those of us who dig Ingram because of his versatility could be on the right track... http://sports.yahoo.com/news/the-vertical-mock-draft-174919054.html
I think Simmons could be a versatile asset for us, especially if we get Luke as coach. I think Luke might view him as potentially another Draymond Green type of player. However, watching that clip of Simmons vs. Texas A&M shows that he's very far from the defender that Draymond is. With that being said, slotting Ingram into our team would be much easier and straightforward.
To be a number one pick You must excel against every foe During some big games this year He's been a total no show
I like Simmons, Ingram & Brown.. Cool with any of them to be honest. Simmons is the best overall athlete Ingram is smooth & can shoot the rock..(we need that) Brown seems very NBA ready.
I'd still take Simmons number one. Just too much talent to pass on. If we end up at two and he falls to us, we will have gotten the best players in the draft two years in a row.
I love Russell and think he's the second best player in the draft. But Town is a BEAST. He is having a historical rookie year.
We need to actually get the pick first, but if we got the #1 I might shop it. I think the criticisms of Simmons are valid, he can't shoot, and he needs the ball. I don't think another guy that needs the ball fits very well next to Russ, JC, and Randle, who also each like to have the ball a lot. I also think these supposed consensus #1 picks and transcendent talents should be able to get their teams to the tournament. I can't off the top of my head remember the last one that didn't. If we got the #2 pick I'd probably take Ingram, he's probably the 3 we need, can absolutely shoot, and from what I have seen can play off the ball and doesn't need a bunch of touches to be happy. He's also long, so there's defensive potential like with Russ at PG. Still have to get the pick though, all comes down to luck.
Hmm I'm not buying these reports on Simmons. I still like him as the #1 pick. But I would take Ingram in a heartbeat. I think he's KD 2.0, and we really can't go wrong with him. We gotta keep our pick...maybe we pick 2nd again and then whoever falls to us, we take.
Russell is a beast too. He could be having just as good a year if it weren't for playing for the worst coach in NBA history.
The last one I believe is Michael Olowokandi. The big defense of Simmons not getting his team to the tournament is that his teammates are terrible (valid criticism). However, isn't it on him for picking a team that was clearly not a good basketball program? He picked a football school to play basketball and then quit on them. If he picked a less known school so that he could lead them to the tourney and therefore be more impressive that means there's some big flaws in this guy's logic and game. He assumed he could get the team to the tourney, realized it was too much, and then quit. If he didn't realize how difficult it would be, maybe his judgement is flawed. Now obviously this kid has a ton of talent and if we end up with him I'll be ecstatic, but the criticisms are all very fair. The last few times I watched him I thought he looked a heck of a lot like Lamar: -Great vision -Refuses to shoot -Can rebound the ball -Not always focused The recent D'Angelo piece by Ding pointed out the one thing that should be clear about Simmons: he's not an alpha. If he was an alpha, he'd have gotten his team to the tournament by demanding the ball and telling everyone to get out of the way. He's a beta trying to be an alpha. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I'd prefer a kid who is more self-aware AND fits better. I had my doubts about his fit next to our guys months ago and I still feel that way. As of today Ingram is my guy although I'd gladly take either Simmons or Brown if I had to.
Honestly, I've been able to watch quite a few Duke games at this point. I like Ingram, but I don't love him. I'll be okay with it if he falls to us second or third. But absent a big time performance in the tournament, I can't see him going number one. Simmons season was definitely disappointing, but in the end, I don't think anyone will pass on him with the top pick.
We'll see. Most people (including me) said that about Okafor last summer. It's not like I don't like what Simmons can bring, but Ingram is already more well-rounded. If Ingram has a couple big moments in the tournament I think he goes 1st. Either way, Simmons or Ingram helps us a lot. After that we're talking about probably Jaylen Brown who has cooled off lately. Maybe Poetl even gets a look since this draft is very, very weak.
i think the real story--which is probably good for us--is that this draft really isn't that strong. if you're going to lose a high pick, it's probably not the worst time to do it.
I have no idea what next year's picks look like but I think a pick in the 10-14 range (which is where we'll hopefully be) could be as good as one in the Top 10 THIS season. There's just really not a lot to pick from this summer. I'm not going to call it the 2013 draft, but... It could definitely be the 2013 draft.
If I had the 1st Pick right now and had to choose, I'm going with Ingram. The fit is better and I know you don't want to make a pick based on fit, should be best overall. But from what I have seen from Simmons I just believe Ingram will help us more in the areas we need help in and will be better for us sooner rather than later.
Agreed. It's not the worst thing in the world if we lose it for this reason. That said, I think the FO is trying hard to keep it. Why, I'm not sure, but they seem to have their reasons.
