From draft thread...
Listened to Lowe Post podcast with Zach Lowe and Givony/Schmitz from DraftExpress/ESPN
Real tidbits from the pod:
- Bulls likes Lauri more than Wendell. Lauri is more untouchable in trades. They like LaMelo. It will take #4 and WCJ to move up to #1. Lowe thinks this new front office will likely stay pat.
- Most execs think LaMelo is a no-brainer at #1
- No one wants to put a 2021 1st rounder in trades. 8 guys in the mix for top 3 next year.
- Warriors values their pick from Wolves next year more than #2 this year.
- Lowe has spoken to execs who compare Anthony Edwards to Dion Waiters.
- Schmitz: LaMelo will have trouble in half-court and to get his shot off. Anthony Edwards will be able to score from anywhere.
- Givony: Questions about Anthony Edwards's lack of motor, skills and competitiveness. Questions about Edwards turning down opportunities from USA Basketball, EYBL, etc. Questions about his conditioning at a pro day that was created for him. Doesn't think Edwards will reach his potential.
- Killian Hayes's range is huge. Could be #4 to out of the lottery altogether.
- Killian Hayes was a test case for his European team. His team let him do everything and makes mistakes. It's an unathletic, low level German league team trying to attract young players to their new facilities.
- Lowe says teams above #8 have called him about Patrick Williams.
- Patrick Williams seems to be moving up the board without doing anything at all.
- Givony doesn't have Williams in his personal top 10 and thinks it would be a mistake to take him top 10.
- Tyrese Haliburton's range is #4-8.
- Lots of chatter about how great Blake Griffin has looked this off-season.
- Givony thinks the lowest Obi Toppin will go is #8. Leon Rose wants Obi Toppin.
- Givony compares Obi Toppin to John Collins
Obi at 8 would be a blessing for us. I think he has the safest floor in the draft and if he can overcome any of his defensive shortcomings then he'll end up a star. It might be hard for him to improve defensively since he has high hips, but Mitch has high hips too and he defends pretty well on the perimeter. At the least Toppin will end up a good weakside defender imo. Obi is gonna be a beast on offense off rip though; he's an elite athlete and rim runner, can pop out and shoot so he'll be deadly in the pick and roll, quick first step to go with a great face up game, and has actual passing instincts too. I could see Obi grabbing the rebound and orchestrating the fast break effectively one day as long as his handle improves a bit ( I'm sure it will ). Most other rookies in this class are gonna struggle to carve out a niche at first but with Obi you're getting a player from day one, I'm just saying we can do a lot worse at 8.
Players I'm hoping we draft at 8 (in order):
Hayes
Toppin
Aaron Nesmith
Vassell ( as long as that jumper truly isn't fukked)
Haliburton
Maxey
I feel you, it might be hard to tell if Obi is a 4 or a 5 until he gets into the NBA, but the Knicks are so far from being a good team that I just can't turn down a guy that talented in favor of fit. Ideally Mitch and Obi would be able to play together, but if they can't and Obi plays well enough to force the FO to decide on who should be the starting 5 of the future, then that can only be a good thing for us; the FO can trade high on either one to (hopefully) get more value back and/or use them to find another talented player who better fits the team.aside from his age, my biggest knock on Toppin is that his best position might be the 5. I’m not going to rehash the Mitch convo, but if you see him as/he ends up being the center for the future on this team, that might not be the best fit. The biggest plus is that he’s probably a lock to win Rookie of the Year. Something that would entice a new front office or a front office looking to save their jobs (ie the cavs)
Obi at 8 would be a blessing for us. I think he has the safest floor in the draft and if he can overcome any of his defensive shortcomings then he'll end up a star. It might be hard for him to improve defensively since he has high hips, but Mitch has high hips too and he defends pretty well on the perimeter. At the least Toppin will end up a good weakside defender imo. Obi is gonna be a beast on offense off rip though; he's an elite athlete and rim runner, can pop out and shoot so he'll be deadly in the pick and roll, quick first step to go with a great face up game, and has actual passing instincts too. I could see Obi grabbing the rebound and orchestrating the fast break effectively one day as long as his handle improves a bit ( I'm sure it will ). Most other rookies in this class are gonna struggle to carve out a niche at first but with Obi you're getting a player from day one, I'm just saying we can do a lot worse at 8.
Players I'm hoping we draft at 8 (in order):
Hayes
Toppin
Aaron Nesmith
Vassell ( as long as that jumper truly isn't fukked)
Haliburton
Maxey
The luxury tax went down i think i read so that means teams are more inclined to keep players than they would have in a normal year.we should really consider flipping the money one more year. Especially if we can add another 14 from Randle’s expiring contract.
