A Random Stranger

I think this team is a playoff team. I have high hopes of what a roster built around Dipo/Payton/Vuc/Gordon can do for the foreseeable future. It is clear that Gordon has made a huge jump offensively and that will be a huge plus when it comes down to crunch minutes and you need defense AND scoring to win games. I don't think it is hard to believe we make 6-7th seed this year. I also think it won't be hard to see this team grow as a dominate East team over the next few years. Unless you are on Kevin Pelton's jockstrap....then I can understand the pessimism. This team will be a team that will win 35 to 42 games this year. This is the year when we start winning games and jumping into the playoffs and this is the year we stop being absolute trash. Next year is when we become a legit contender, but for now we will be a playoff team that could win against a 3rd seed and make a second round berth at best. That's it. At best we are a playoff team that makes it to the second round. At worst we are a team that barely misses the playoffs and the following year becomes a contender. Cook it and book it.

Why can't we be friends! WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS!?

Davies has underperformed, but he is no where near as bad as #30. I don't know...I think it is hard to replicate the defense and the energy that Dedmon brings.

Get #30 out...jesus. He has done nothing.

Is anyone going to score now?

Its very clear number 30 will not be able to make it to training camp. I'm not impressed by him at all.

Melo with defense.

Start this man. I don't need to watch Summer League any more to know what I'm going to get from AG. He has great handles, he is explosive, he rebounds like a monster, defends at an elite level, and his jumper...his jumper is just so good.

So many whistles.

Its gonna be hard not to start AG next season it looks like.

Things to see today: 1) Will Aaron Gordon play the same way he did yesterday? If so, I have high hopes for the start of the season of him possibly starting. 2) Will Hezjonas be more effective offensively in terms of scoring? Yes, he did a few things yesterday, and played solidly defensively, but lets not fool ourselves. Mario was drafted to score and he needs to show me he can be consistent scoring threat. I know this is Summer League, but I need to see him score consistently. Game winner aside he wasn't very effective in terms of scoring yesterday. 3) Will EP demonstrate some shooting? Shooting with confidence will change his entire game. It will force people to defend him all the time instead of backing off when he is on the perimeter. Adding a consistent and confident shot will basically change the game for not only him, but his team-mates. 4) Can Tyler Harvey find his way on to roster? He was shooting very well yesterday, but he needs to show other things. You can't just be a good shooter and get a slot on a roster, you need to have other facets to your game. Harvey needs to show he can play point, which is where he is going to log the most minutes if he gets a roster slot. 5) What other player on ORB will show up? We need bigs and 3rd pg, so the field is open! The slot is there to be had and if someone shows up in a big way, then they could be looking at a position here in the future.

Orlando White wins again.

Is AG really only 6'9?

Harvey may be a taller version of Jameer Nelson. Just thinking.

AG is literally a monster. Last year I was surprised by the pick, but over the year I grew warm to him as I could tell he had a great amount of defensive talent. Watching how he has improved his jumper and how he is playing like a man among boys right now makes me believe that not only have we found a starter, but we may have found our true star player. It is too soon to tell, but the jump he has made in a year at the age he is at...it is scary.

I hate the fact that these people are talking about the Western Conference's acquisitions and contenders when we are watching rookie and D-League players. Focus on the game.

Just because I'm unhappy with the pick doesn't mean I'm not going to watch my hometown team play, I don't like this pick because of my belief that his attitude will greatly effect his development. There is a difference between being confident and being arrogant, he crossed the line a while ago.

Well, I'm not happy. I didn't want the basket case that Hezjonas anywhere near my damn team. I get the feeling that I'm going to be greatly disappointed by this pick.

I've been pretty quiet in general on this draft. I have a couple of guys that I want and a couple of guys I don't want. Really my list goes: 1: Russel - If there is any possibility this guy falls, you take him. He is one of the best shooters, if not the best shooter, in the draft class, and could become a star relatively quickly. This talent is worth drafting up for and though the athleticism is not there, that does not mean he can't become a star in the modern NBA. High value player with a high value skill set for this team as well. 2: Kristaps Porzingis - This is the real guy for us in this draft and he is extremely likely to be there at 5. He is an amazing shooter, can stretch the floor, has enough athleticism to move quickly, has a good work ethic/attitude, and has a pretty high ceiling if he works hard to reach it. In my mind this guy is a future star, stretch fours usually don't get the label of future star, but this guy has the unique combination of things that make him a future star in my book. Once again, high value player with a high value skill-set for this team. 3: Justise Winslow - A lot of analysts are raving about this kid and I understand why. He could be the next Andre Iguodala at worst and in my mind that is not a bad thing to be compared to. At best he could be Leonard or even possibly D. Wade and once again that is not something bad to be compared to. He is a two-way player who could help this team from day one, which is not to say that the other two above him couldn't help day one, but Winslow has the potential to be a stud from the first day he steps on to the court, and that is what we might need right now if we plan to make the playoffs next year. Like this guy a lot and hope his career pans out wherever he goes (except the Lakers :P). 4: Stanley Johnson - My four and five are if we trade down and if we trade down Johnson is the first guy I look at. This guy has the physical tools and when he is engaged on D is a pretty good defender. Something about him screams that he could be a LeBron stopper, much like Winslow before him, and in the Eastern Conference when you are going to play his team 4 times a year and probably more if you make the playoffs, Johnson is a good fit for your team. I think he could improve as a shooter as well, which is something that hurts his draft stock. The only reason Johnson isn't higher for me is because I don't really know what he will become. He has the tools to be a damn good player, but I don't know if he has the "star potential" you would be looking for to break into the top 5. Which is why if we trade back he is my guy. If Henny sees something in him and picks him at 5, I will back him, but for now expect Zinger or Winslow at 5 and Johnson if we trade back. 5: Emmanuel Mudiay - This guy could be John Wall and in my mind even a lesser version of John Wall would be useful on this team. The reason Mudiay did not go higher on this list is because of the depth at guard we have. Dipo and Fournier are manning the 2 and the only position we have room to pick him and put him behind is Payton, and in my mind Payton is good enough to be our starter long term and Mudiay would just be misused. In essence a lot of things have to change if Mudiay is our pick. One we would need to trade Payton (which I doubt is going to happen) and then we would need to use whatever we pick we get from that (Payton is worth a top 10 in my mind) and draft a complimentary player, more than likely a big like WCS who is not even anywhere near my top 5. I just don't see it happening, though this kid is going to be special as well, he just doesn't have a position on this team, and there would need to be a second and third move to make him our starting pg moving forward. Now some may be asking, where is Hezjona or WCS? I don't like either of them. WCS is going to be at best a Tyson Chandler clone and that doesn't do wonders for me in terms of this guy actually contributing in a good fashion moving forward. Hezjona is in my mind a lesser version of Klay Thompson and once again, why would I waste a pick on the lesser of the splash brothers and even more so the lesser clone of him. Also, Hezjona is arrogant as all hell, and I want to keep that cancer as far away as possible from my team. Anyway, that is my top 5...maybe we get one of those guys on draft night. Though I do get the inkling it will be the Zinger or Winslow, I will take either of those guys, and be damn proud we took them.

And its not like Borrego is a slouch either. He worked hard to get to his position and started from a video boy and became an assistant coach on a really good Spurs team.

Towns fits what Minny needs. A big man who defends and rebounds. So it is not far-fetched that he would be the pick. He would be a good compliment next to Wiggins for the future.

It really comes down to need with this next draft. I don't expect us to burst into the top 3 picks, but if we do I'm for Russel or Towns. I do have questions about Russel because he doesn't move very fast from the videos I've seen, and it worries me that he won't be able to keep up with other guards, but he can shoot. And shooting is something we need. Towns would be a great fit next to Vuc and would improve our defense dramatically. But that is of course assuming we get a top 3. Which is a pretty big assumption. I predict the 4th or 5th pick and in that vein I'm for Johnson or Heznoja.

So how is there even argument for Wiggins to be ROY. He has 0 rebounds after 2 quarters of play and a whopping 2 assists. All Wiggins has done is score and played solid defense throughout the first half. Meanwhile our rookie has only 4 points, but has 7 assists, and three rebounds/steals to compliment it. I'm not saying Wiggins is bad, but Payton just seems to be better, and all of those Minnesota fans are just delusional. Edit: To add on to this, Wiggins has a lot of size, and athleticism. With his hops he should be getting rebounds, especially when they shove him to the 2, and his size/athleticism easily would be more than most traditional 2's could handle. Wiggins, however, just doesn't seem to use it to acquire offensive rebounds, though he could easily do it, and get loads of put-back points. I just think it speaks volumes that someone who doesn't have the same size is getting more rebounds than he is. If I was Wiggins I would be embarrassed to be getting out-rebounded by a pg.

Elite defense, yeah. Payton does the same thing and is a better play maker. I would also argue that there are more elite pgs than there are elite 3's, so in essence I would say this argument is moot.

At this point this all comes down to where we are picking. I'm hoping top 3.