The 5/19/2015 draft lottery

[Who]

Woj just tweeted that the Knicks pick will be available .

Who would be available in a trade for the #4 pick?

[MBunge]

Let's all be clear about something.  Unless they spend a lot of money and convince two or more top free agents to come aboard, the Knicks, Lakers, Sixers and Wolves will all suck again next year.  The Wolves might be the best of the bunch but that's because they were bad this year mostly due to injuries and blatant tanking at the end of the season.

Okafor and Randle might be a nice core for LA but it's going to be 3 or 4 years from now and after Kobe is gone.

Mike

The Knicks should be better. I can't see them shutting down melo again. The Wolves will be much better with Wiggins going into his second year and them possibly having healthy players around. The Lakers will have Randle back and may trade that second pick for Cousins. The Sixers I'm not sure about. I think they won't blatantly tank again but they need a lot more.

The Knicks were bad with Melo.

And the Cavs won 35 games with rookie LeBron.  Are any of these guys going to be better rookies than LeBron?

Mike

I expect the Knicks to pickup Monroe and another good free agent.  If they can trade the #4 pick for another good starter, they should be in much better shape next year.

Why would Monroe go to NY over Boston?

Mike

[KeepRondo]

I don't regret we made the playoffs, but I don't understand people who are so anti-draft saying things like "it's a crapshoot" and all that. To an extent yes, because you don't always get superstars/all stars. Not every player turns out to be an MVP candidate. But high draft picks do give rebuilds a shot in the arm, whether as a player or as a trade chip.

I don't think any GM is drooling over KO or Sully, but Marcus Smart is the brightest spot on our roster and he's the product of a high draft pick. The Lakers, whom everyone had written off, is suddenly looking like they have a future with Randle and Okafor (most likely).

There were takers for Olynyk and Sullinger. At the same time the Pro tanking crowd keep saying that the Celtics are mediocre, they don't have a future! That can get annoying after a while.

But we are mediocre. And a top 9 draft pick could have helped us land someone like WCS or Stanley Johnson. Why does the truth get you upset? We would be sitting a lot better with that ninth pick right now.

The truth is that the Celtics went from lottery team to an eighth seeded team. To many people that's a young rising team. Mediocrity is where you have no draft picks and limited flexibility because you overpaid bad players.

We are much closer to a young rising team that is headed to the top of all the mediocre teams. Those are typically the teams that continue to miss out on lottery picks. Luckily we get extra bullets next year.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I don't regret we made the playoffs, but I don't understand people who are so anti-draft saying things like "it's a crapshoot" and all that. To an extent yes, because you don't always get superstars/all stars. Not every player turns out to be an MVP candidate. But high draft picks do give rebuilds a shot in the arm, whether as a player or as a trade chip.

I don't think any GM is drooling over KO or Sully, but Marcus Smart is the brightest spot on our roster and he's the product of a high draft pick. The Lakers, whom everyone had written off, is suddenly looking like they have a future with Randle and Okafor (most likely).

There were takers for Olynyk and Sullinger. At the same time the Pro tanking crowd keep saying that the Celtics are mediocre, they don't have a future! That can get annoying after a while.

But we are mediocre. And a top 9 draft pick could have helped us land someone like WCS or Stanley Johnson. Why does the truth get you upset? We would be sitting a lot better with that ninth pick right now.

The truth is that the Celtics went from lottery team to an eighth seeded team. To many people that's a young rising team. Mediocrity is where you have no draft picks and limited flexibility because you overpaid bad players.

I guess some people are happy only with a top-four team or a bottom-four team, not realizing that you usually have to spend some time in the in-between.

[GratefulCs]

I don't regret we made the playoffs, but I don't understand people who are so anti-draft saying things like "it's a crapshoot" and all that. To an extent yes, because you don't always get superstars/all stars. Not every player turns out to be an MVP candidate. But high draft picks do give rebuilds a shot in the arm, whether as a player or as a trade chip.

I don't think any GM is drooling over KO or Sully, but Marcus Smart is the brightest spot on our roster and he's the product of a high draft pick. The Lakers, whom everyone had written off, is suddenly looking like they have a future with Randle and Okafor (most likely).

I think a lot of the more extreme sentiment on both sides is reactive and compounded, which makes for some alternating 'TEAMS WILL NEVER BE GOOD UNLESS THEY LOSE EVERY GAME OVER THE NEXT SEVEN YEARS' and 'THE DRAFT IS TOTAL ANARCHY' posts.

You're most likely right. But I just seem to see the word "crapshoot" a whole lot, for some reason lol

the reason is because going for the lottery is a double crap shoot


You not only don't know what pick you'll get, but you also don't know if your pick will pan out





I suppose many things in sports are considered crap shoots





Now i gotta go play some dice

[LakersFan_33]

Been posting here for years, so don't think I'm bragging (or humble bragging), but while I am thrilled out of my ass about the pick, no one knows how Okafor is going to turn out. Given the fact that there have been so many bigs who have ended up busts (Bennett, Darko, Oden, Thabeet, Marvin Williams, Bogut [last two being busts relative to their draft position]), there's a somewhat decent chance that he ends up as one of them.

[GratefulCs]

Been posting here for years, so don't think I'm bragging (or humble bragging), but while I am thrilled out of my ass about the pick, no one knows how Okafor is going to turn out. Given the fact that there have been so many bigs who have ended up busts (Bennett, Darko, Oden, Thabeet, Marvin Williams, Bogut [last two being busts relative to their draft position]), there's a somewhat decent chance that he ends up as one of them.

i hope you're right

[LarBrd33]

Been posting here for years, so don't think I'm bragging (or humble bragging), but while I am thrilled out of my ass about the pick, no one knows how Okafor is going to turn out. Given the fact that there have been so many bigs who have ended up busts (Bennett, Darko, Oden, Thabeet, Marvin Williams, Bogut [last two being busts relative to their draft position]), there's a somewhat decent chance that he ends up as one of them.

Heh... Okafor will be Al Jefferson at the worse. 

Lakers have a lot going right for them right now.  Clarkson just made 1st Team Rookie over our own Marcus Smart.  Julius Randle is a killer prospect.  Okafor is a beast.  Those 3 alone made a nice trio to build around (though I don't blame anyone for not being sold on Clarkson).  Then you add Kobe plus a couple signings this summer with their roughly 30 mil in cap space (Rondo and Kevin Love, prob)... Freakin Lakers.

It's going to take a special level of incompetence for the Lakers to blow this.   It will be fairly easy for them to roll into next season with Rondo, Kobe, Randle, Kevin Love, Okafor, Clarkson... then sign another max dude the year after... then another two max dudes the year after when Kobe retires.

Freakin Lakers.

Meanwhile, our Celtics are a team without a legitimate starter, a prospect with star potential (unless you count marcus smart... which is a stretch), or a draft pick that is likely to add a star.  We do have enough cap space to sign 1 max player though... so here's hoping Ainge pulls somethin off.  At least our coach is great.  U Jelly of our sweet coach, Lakerfan? 

[SparzWizard]

Minnesota tryna go after Jahlil Okafor?

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/19/report-flip-saunders-really-likes-jahlil-okafor-wont-necessarily-take-karl-anthony-towns-no-1/?ocid=Yahoo&partner=ya5nbcs

Minnesota will be the stupidest team in the NBA if they go after Okafor instead of Karl-Anthony Towns.

[LarBrd33]

Minnesota tryna go after Jahlil Okafor?

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/05/19/report-flip-saunders-really-likes-jahlil-okafor-wont-necessarily-take-karl-anthony-towns-no-1/?ocid=Yahoo&partner=ya5nbcs

Minnesota will be the stupidest team in the NBA if they go after Okafor instead of Karl-Anthony Towns.

Townes would be a great fit next to Randle and/or Love.

I wonder what the Lakers could get for Julius Randle on the open market. 

[SparzWizard]

Been posting here for years, so don't think I'm bragging (or humble bragging), but while I am thrilled out of my ass about the pick, no one knows how Okafor is going to turn out. Given the fact that there have been so many bigs who have ended up busts (Bennett, Darko, Oden, Thabeet, Marvin Williams, Bogut [last two being busts relative to their draft position]), there's a somewhat decent chance that he ends up as one of them.

Heh... Okafor will be Al Jefferson at the worse. 

Lakers have a lot going right for them right now.  Clarkson just made 1st Team Rookie over our own Marcus Smart.  Julius Randle is a killer prospect.  Okafor is a beast.  Those 3 alone made a nice trio to build around (though I don't blame anyone for not being sold on Clarkson).  Then you add Kobe plus a couple signings this summer with their roughly 30 mil in cap space (Rondo and Kevin Love, prob)... Freakin Lakers.

It's going to take a special level of incompetence for the Lakers to blow this.   It will be fairly easy for them to roll into next season with Rondo, Kobe, Randle, Kevin Love, Okafor, Clarkson... then sign another max dude the year after... then another two max dudes the year after when Kobe retires.

Freakin Lakers.

Meanwhile, our Celtics are a team without a legitimate starter, a prospect with star potential (unless you count marcus smart... which is a stretch), or a draft pick that is likely to add a star.  We do have enough cap space to sign 1 max player though... so here's hoping Ainge pulls somethin off.  At least our coach is great.  U Jelly of our sweet coach, Lakerfan?

They will be scary in the West if the land Towns or Okafor. They are a threat to Boston's 17 banners.

[LarBrd33]

Towns could be SCARY next to a rim protector like Dieng!

Forget about Dieng.  What about Wiggins and Lavine.  Still, I want to see a pf/c rotation of Dieng at center, Towns at pf, and KG backing up both of them.  6th man of the year for The Big Ticket, lol !

Yeah I hope KG comes back to mentor the kids.   

Man did Flip get lucky or what?  The Wiggins thing totally fell into his lap.  That was an unprecedented haul for an all-star on the final year of his contract.  That only happens under insane Lebronian circumstances.     

Then the #1 pick.   Crazy. 

Has anyone pointed out yet that Minny has the last three #1 picks on their team now?  I know Anthony Bennett is easy to forget, but I still think that kid has potential.  I admit it's looking rough, but I actually paid attention to him this year and the kid still looks like he has a chance to be something.  He was going to start after they traded Thad Young, but unfortunately got injured 9 minutes into his first start. 

[chambers]

All you pro tankers. The Knicks did a good job of that this year, and they fell BACKWARDS!

So now they can trade their pick to put another star next to melo or choose from Okafur,  Russell, mudiay, winslow or Porzingis. How disappointing for them...they would much rather swap situations with us right?

A rapidly aging Melo and Russell might win the Knicks 25 games next year, and Melo's only getting older.

In a situation where the worst the Knicks could do is pick #5, they got #4.  It's almost as bad a result as they could get.

Mike

If they were just playing with those two then 25 wins might be their ceiling, but its unlikely they'll just stand pat while Carmelo ages into the dust. Jackson has already talked about free agency being a key focus for them this summer.
My argument is that #4 pick has more trade or 'star' power than any assets we have.
They'll also have about $26 million in cap room if they keep their #4 pick. If they decide to trade their pick AND Calderon, they'll have about $37 million.

They could actually sign DeAndre Jordan or Gasol and then go after another 10-15 million dollar free agent and keep their #4 pick, but I'd say they likely ship the pick out if they can.
they'd have the MLE the mini MLE and veteran minimums to put a team out there that's competitive if they choose to.

[Beat LA]

Towns could be SCARY next to a rim protector like Dieng!

Forget about Dieng.  What about Wiggins and Lavine.  Still, I want to see a pf/c rotation of Dieng at center, Towns at pf, and KG backing up both of them.  6th man of the year for The Big Ticket, lol !

Yeah I hope KG comes back to mentor the kids.   

Man did Flip get lucky or what?  The Wiggins thing totally fell into his lap.  That was an unprecedented haul for an all-star on the final year of his contract.  That only happens under insane Lebronian circumstances.     

Then the #1 pick.   Crazy. 

Has anyone pointed out yet that Minny has the last three #1 picks on their team now?  I know Anthony Bennett is easy to forget, but I still think that kid has potential.  I admit it's looking rough, but I actually paid attention to him this year and the kid still looks like he has a chance to be something.  He was going to start after they traded Thad Young, but unfortunately got injured 9 minutes into his first start.

Right?  Good for them, and good for KG! If Saunders doesn't take Towns, though, I'm going to flip . *groan*

Bennett looks like a Kwame-like bust, imo, tbh, but if there's anyone on that team about whom people have somehow forgotten, it's Shabazz Muhammad.  Check out his box scores, but even more importantly, his splits, because they're quite impressive, especially when you consider the time he's already missed.  While I didn't really like Wiggins, and preferred Embiid (I know you love him, too ), I figured that he'd probably turn into a great player, eventually, if only because we missed out on him, lol . *facepalm* Oh well, so much for that.

The guy I really like is Lavine, though.  Wow.  I'll admit it, I thought that his Tyler Honeycutt-like body wouldn't help him long term, but I also didn't watch any film of him.  Oops.  I'll definitely say this, though - that's the last time that I don't listen to Bob Ryan, lol . The guy I really like from that draft, who just might be attainable, is Vonleh.  Again, I must have been digging in the wrong place , because once I saw this video I was , but I guess that's what I get for watching draftexpress videos .  Those things are far too negative, imo, and always have horrendous background music, as well, haha . I mean, seriously, look at these post moves - from a 19 year old!  Doh!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBQ-Wn_R9S4

I liked a lot of players last year, and even though I was pretty much split on the Smart/Randle pick, I was really hoping that Ainge could have packaged Sullinger, etc., for Randle, but I knew that the lakers aren't that stupid, unfortunately.  We'll see what happens, but at least this year's draft is deep, as well .

[LarBrd33]

Towns could be SCARY next to a rim protector like Dieng!

Forget about Dieng.  What about Wiggins and Lavine.  Still, I want to see a pf/c rotation of Dieng at center, Towns at pf, and KG backing up both of them.  6th man of the year for The Big Ticket, lol !

Yeah I hope KG comes back to mentor the kids.   

Man did Flip get lucky or what?  The Wiggins thing totally fell into his lap.  That was an unprecedented haul for an all-star on the final year of his contract.  That only happens under insane Lebronian circumstances.     

Then the #1 pick.   Crazy. 

Has anyone pointed out yet that Minny has the last three #1 picks on their team now?  I know Anthony Bennett is easy to forget, but I still think that kid has potential.  I admit it's looking rough, but I actually paid attention to him this year and the kid still looks like he has a chance to be something.  He was going to start after they traded Thad Young, but unfortunately got injured 9 minutes into his first start.

Right?  Good for them, and good for KG! If Saunders doesn't take Towns, though, I'm going to flip . *groan*

Bennett looks like a Kwame-like bust, imo, tbh, but if there's anyone on that team about whom people have somehow forgotten, it's Shabazz Muhammad.  Check out his box scores, but even more importantly, his splits, because they're quite impressive, especially when you consider the time he's already missed.  While I didn't really like Wiggins, and preferred Embiid (I know you love him, too ), I figured that he'd probably turn into a great player, eventually, if only because we missed out on him, lol . *facepalm* Oh well, so much for that.

The guy I really like is Lavine, though.  Wow.  I'll admit it, I thought that his Tyler Honeycutt-like body wouldn't help him long term, but I also didn't watch any film of him.  Oops.  I'll definitely say this, though - that's the last time that I don't listen to Bob Ryan, lol . The guy I really like from that draft, who just might be attainable, is Vonleh.  Again, I must have been digging in the wrong place , because once I saw this video I was , but I guess that's what I get for watching draftexpress videos .  Those things are far too negative, imo, and always have horrendous background music, as well, haha . I mean, seriously, look at these post moves - from a 19 year old!  Doh!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBQ-Wn_R9S4

I liked a lot of players last year, and even though I was pretty much split on the Smart/Randle pick, I was really hoping that Ainge could have packaged Sullinger, etc., for Randle, but I knew that the lakers aren't that stupid, unfortunately.  We'll see what happens, but at least this year's draft is deep, as well .

Was flip the one who traded Trey Burke on draft night for Shabazz Muhammad and Dieng?  Cuz that trade is looking pretty nice for 'Sota in retrospect.

Man... that team has a lot of assets.