Mitch Kupchak " I'm not sure the gap between#2 and #3 is as big as people think"

[dreamgreen]

Interesting comments, maybe he hopes Philly trades with us because Simmons does not want to to to Philly. We take Ingram, Lakers Simmons, Philly Dunn!

[saltlover]

Interesting comments, maybe he hopes Philly trades with us because Simmons does not want to to to Philly. We take Ingram, Lakers Simmons, Philly Dunn!

In this situation, which I don't anticipate occurring, I would really hope we took Simmons.

[Tr1boy]

Take bender than mitch

[loco_91]

Interesting! On the one hand, I don't think Kupchak is one of the sharpest GM's, so his opinion isn't really more informative than a guy like Jonathan Givony. On the other hand, if he's talking about Bender specifically, he probably has tons of scouting info on him that we don't have, so it's a great sign if he thinks Bender is legit. Or, maybe he just doesn't think Ingram is all that. Or, maybe he's just reacting to incessant reports about this being a "two player draft," which is obviously an oversimplification.

[KG Living Legend]

 Come on Mitch knows what he's doing, looks like Russell over Okafor was the right move.

[Sixth Man]

This begs the question...where would Bender be ranked if he were a high school senior and had constant exposure? I think we're very fortunate that he's remains somewhat of a mystery by not playing many minutes overseas. Not only is he 1 year younger than Simmons, but he's also 7-1 and doesn't have any glaring weaknesses like Simmons (outside shooting) or Ingram (weight) have.

HAHA, I admit he looks promising but have you watched his game footage? Or even seen a photo of him? If you think Ingram has weight issues, Bender is a PF/C and he has problems with his shooting mechanics as stated here https://youtu.be/vhREj9q-UpM

It's painful to even look at Bender.  He reminds me of the wonderful stick insects I occasionally spot in our back yard. 

[hpantazo]

Take bender than mitch

Maybe he will take Sabonis at #2.

[hpantazo]

My opinion on Mitch's comment is that I think he's trying to downplay expectations on himself in case he somehow screws up having the #2 pick after passing on Okafor and failing to get a big name FA last summer, and watching the team tank away Kobe's final season. Its like trying to say "hey guys , getting the #2 pick is no slam dunk you know".

[Rondo9]

My opinion on Mitch's comment is that I think he's trying to downplay expectations on himself in case he somehow screws up having the #2 pick after passing on Okafor and failing to get a big name FA last summer, and watching the team tank away Kobe's final season. Its like trying to say "hey guys , getting the #2 pick is no slam dunk you know".

Russell turned out to be solid for them.

[hpantazo]

My opinion on Mitch's comment is that I think he's trying to downplay expectations on himself in case he somehow screws up having the #2 pick after passing on Okafor and failing to get a big name FA last summer, and watching the team tank away Kobe's final season. Its like trying to say "hey guys , getting the #2 pick is no slam dunk you know".

Russell turned out to be solid for them.

He looks solid so far, but he is no star, solid is not what you want for the #2 pick. They missed on Okafor and Porzingis with that pick. It will haunt them long term.

[Rondo9]

My opinion on Mitch's comment is that I think he's trying to downplay expectations on himself in case he somehow screws up having the #2 pick after passing on Okafor and failing to get a big name FA last summer, and watching the team tank away Kobe's final season. Its like trying to say "hey guys , getting the #2 pick is no slam dunk you know".

Russell turned out to be solid for them.

He looks solid so far, but he is no star, solid is not what you want for the #2 pick. They missed on Okafor and Porzingis with that pick. It will haunt them long term.

Okafor I don't think so. Porzingis yes, I think it'll haunt them.

[hpantazo]

My opinion on Mitch's comment is that I think he's trying to downplay expectations on himself in case he somehow screws up having the #2 pick after passing on Okafor and failing to get a big name FA last summer, and watching the team tank away Kobe's final season. Its like trying to say "hey guys , getting the #2 pick is no slam dunk you know".

Russell turned out to be solid for them.

He looks solid so far, but he is no star, solid is not what you want for the #2 pick. They missed on Okafor and Porzingis with that pick. It will haunt them long term.

Okafor I don't think so. Porzingis yes, I think it'll haunt them.

Fair enough. Bottom line: Mitch is a wuss.

[Kane3387]

I'd take porzingis over okafor and Russell in a second.

I like Turner more than okafor. I like booker way more than Russell.

[jpotter33]

Man, I'm not seeing the point in him saying this, because it ultimately just devalues his pick by propping up the subsequent pick as nearly equal to his own. Perhaps he's thinking about trading down with us, and he's trying to temper people's perception that won't like that deal? That's the only thing that makes sense to me right now with him saying that. Even if he truly believes this, he wouldn't just say it to say it without an ulterior motive.

I agree, it's a statement you make to set up for some kind of move.

It doesn't necessarily mean they're moving down or trading with us, though. It could be a setup for a Butler trade, for example - their way of saying "giving up Ingram isn't that big a loss."

However, he knows dang well that we'll be trying to trade for stars, too. So it ultimately doesn't make sense for him to try and equate our picks, because that's the biggest advantage for them over us in trade talks.

[hpantazo]

I'd take porzingis over okafor and Russell in a second.

I like Turner more than okafor. I like booker way more than Russell.

I like Myles Turner more than Okafor as well, and yeah, Booker easily over Russell.