Maybe they are and we don't see it? Or maybe he can't put weight on his legs. Maybe he's just destined to be one of those guys built like Sponge Bob.
They probably don't think there's anything they can do about it this month, so they're focusing on what they can tweak.
@Savory Griddles - If he can build muscle on his upper body, then he can build on his lower body. Not to mention he's not just tall, he's got a big frame. He can do it. @abeer3 - Yes lol @JSM - You're totally right, I just think it's clear how much talent he has. The best thing for him right now is getting NBA ready.
I keep seeing the reports that Flip still prefers Okafor to Towns, but neither of them have interviewed with teams. Towns has already said he will play anywhere, while Okafor seems much more likely to say he wants to be in LA. That right there could kill the Towns-to-LA chances, and leave the Lakers deciding between Okafor/Russell/Mudiay.
Man, I've been watching a lot of Russell lately. Really, studying and analyzing his game; good and bad. I'm not saying I would take Okafor over Russell, but damn, I need to see a Okafor workout video soon or else by June 26th, I might have changed teams to the Russell over Okafor camp. LOL!
Good interview with Russell on DE, but there's not a chance on God's green Earth that I take any other player before Towns or Okafor. If Minny takes Okafor, we get the kid with more upside. If Minny takes Towns, we get the kid with a tremendous offensive game.
I have Towns clearly as my number 1 choice. Okafor/Russell were neck and neck for me during the season. Just a preference. However, since Centers and size with skill are A.) more difficult to obtain B.) more expensive to procure, I'll go with Okafor presently. My mind is subject to change, though.
I'm still waiting for someone to allay my concerns about Russell's performance against better teams. have other players who did that been able to translate just fine in the nba? and I'm not just talking stats. for example, I've seen a lot of people disparage okafor's performance head to head against kaminsky, but I saw the exact opposite watching the game. it was quite clear which one was the better nba prospect, numbers be damned. when Russell played Arizona, I kept asking what the fuss was about. even in the highlight packages, I don't see a lot of burst, I don't see much off-hand, and I don't see nba pg quickness. I just can't shake the feeling that steph curry is inflating Russell's value. but curry's an extreme anomaly.
Russell and Mudiay were nice talking about when we were destined to draft #4 or #5, but not with the #2 pick. Their floors are ALOT lower than Towns and Okafor.
I was on the Russell train before the Az game, so maybe my assessment is just my confirmation bias. I hope not cause i'm trying to make an objective point. Russell missed a lot of shots against Az's defense, which swarmed, blitzed, and trapped him. Stanley Johnson and RHJ aren't just nba level defenders that Russell will face, they're possibly elite NBA defenders both on the same team playing in a college half-court defense, focusing on stopping a guy with very little weapons to take the pressure off of him. 2015 Steph Curry is going to struggle playing against Tony Allen and Kahwi Leonard double teams and switches all game (an exaggeration, i know). He still initiated the offense well and read the defense well most of the time. He did force a few shots, 2 from the perimeter, 2 inside, and 1 floater, IIRC due to their awesome defense. Other than those misses, he got to the spots he wanted and missed open shots that he usually makes. He had an off shooting night in addition to the shots he forced. If he makes half the open shots I'm talking about, he ends up at like 45% fg for that game. edit: just rewatched the draftexpress breakdown video and forgot McConnell guarded him well too. iirc though, RHJ and Stanley were always there helping, hedging,and trapping.
I don't get the Steph Curry comparisons at all for Russell. I understand Russell is a good shooter, but Curry might just be the best shooter I ever did see. What I get from Russell is that he is a calm, collected young man who can control an offense. He's smart, will make plays, and make shots. He's got good size for a PG which will translate well defensively. But other than that, I just can't put my finger on his ceiling. I'm leaning maybe towards Jason Kidd with a good shot. Nothing really indicates him as a 1-2 pick, but he'll be a solid NBA player. I get the Porzingis hype, because everyone wants the next Dirk. But they could also end up with Bargnani. Mudiay fits the Rose/Westbrook mold everyone keeps lumping him into, but without any real merit yet. I STILL think a lot of teams are sleeping on Mario Hezonja and I PREDICT that he will end up in New York @ number 4 when it's all said and done. You don't come across hyper athletic Euro's with a great jumper everyday. He's young, he's got brass, he's exciting. Sure, he's got a little bit of an attitude, but maybe that will be a project for Phil.
Sorry, when I watch this and see Towns in the footage alongside Russell it just reemphasizes the old point for me - you can't teach height. Mega talented 7 footers who can shoot threes, play the post, and have good athleticism to boot are pretty darned rare. With him and Okafor in the draft there's just no way I would take a guard with the number 2 pick.
I'm with you that he's got NBA intelligence for sure. One interview in and you can see that he knows basketball well. I think when it's all said and done, he'll have a good NBA career. I just don't see him physically transitioning well into the NBA so I'm not sure a lot of his college strengths make it to the NBA. His ability to make an extra pass, an outside shot, and potentially switch defensively on either guard spot will give him a good career though. I don't think he'll ever carry a team, but he can make himself valuable by doing the right things.
Yep. We're going to end up with a talented Center no matter what we do, but we're certainly not picking a guard at #2.
