NBA 2K15 Top 5 Mock Draft

[Shady Mike]

Our favorite Center haha. My two best friends are Lakers fans so I always find myself rooting for them anyways, although we had a little fun during the lottery with me hoping they would fall to #6. I think the Lakers are confident that they can get a marquee big man in free agency like a Gasol / Aldridge / Love / Monroe (who is underrated btw) not to mention Randle is coming back as well which makes believe they may choose to go for Kobe's "replacement" this year in the draft, and truth be told while it could prove beneficial for one of those guards to spend a year under Kobe all the rumors about him retiring have been said by everyone EXCEPT Kobe himself so it could provide issues if he sticks around...I think it would be smart for the Lakers to just grab Towns or Okafor (Pronounced Owe-Koff-Err btw, fun fact*) let my Sixers get our guy in Russell, and leave Mudiay to NY...but like you said, somehow, some way Kupchack and CO will probably find a way to screw this up...(Do you think Cauley-Stein would be a reach at 2?)

[Taer]

Quote: Originally Posted by Shady Mike

...(Do you think Cauley-Stein would be a reach at 2?)

First, let me say: We seem to be on the same page in our thinking (including Monroe being underrated).

Cauley-Stein is supposed to be the most NBA-ready big in this year's draft so I see him going sooner than later. With that being said: GM's are enamored with potential more than not so I see the Towns/Okafor picks more likely than Cauley-Stein.

New York seems intent on win-now mode so if they keep their pick I see them possibly avoiding whichever guard they are left and taking Cauley-Stein then doing some horse-trading.

One of the sleepers I see is Frank Kaminsky. He has the developed skills to spread the floor and he has heart. There is also the fact that the NBA is a copy-cat league and with the success of the SA system this year he can fit in a lot of programs and line-ups personality-wise.

I think the big steal for the Lakers will be the 27th pick. They can target a "Kobe-clone" here and develop him within the next couple of years. A lot of potential guards in this range of the dradt are available this year.

[nip83]

The toughest spot to be right now is the NYK 4th pick.

Assume these scenarios:

-If the Lakers take Russell at 2 ,Philly will be in a tough spot as well.Drafting Okafor makes zero sense for them (I believe Embiid will be the better player) and Mudiay is a question mark for all the known reasons.However it's a risk they can afford to take, the fit is better in Philly than in NY ,as this is a team under development.This is a best case scenario for the Knicks if Okafor falls into their lap at 4, as he clearly fits the triangle and is Nba ready ,offensively.In other words if Okafor can't succeed in the triangle, he is not going to succeed anywhere else.

-If the Lakers make the obvious choice and draft Okafor, then Philly's decision is clear cut.They take the polished Russell and leave the Knicks with a hard choice.Now the Knicks at 4 could very well draft Mudiay but there are 2 big reasons to avoid it:
1.Mudiay is unpolished,young and raw at this point.His upside is tremendous but the NYK don't look like a team willing to let players grow slowly.Have you seen any player develop in New York other than Jeremy Lin the last few years?The Knicks are targeting FA's ,they have Melo past his prime and looking for a quick rebuild.
2.Mudiay is the anti-triangle guard.Undeveloped shooting skill and ineffective without the ball,he is looking like someone that could be underused in a system that does not utilize a lot of pick n rolls.

So i belive that the best course of action for the NYK is to go down a few spots in the draft ,by trade and let someone else pick Mudiay at 4.They could target players that fit much more easily in the triangle like Hezonja or Kaminsky.Taking those players with a #4 is a waste of assets, and some team would be willing to give up a useful player or a protected future pick to go up in the draft and try their hands at either Mudiay or WCS.

With that said i really hope my Pistons grab Kristaps Porzinghis with the #8.He hasn't generated much hype but i believe he could be a sleeper with defensive potential and nice shooting at this size.

[Taer]

Quote: Originally Posted by Shady Mike

I have a feeling the Lakers are going to troll us and take Russell at #2 lol.

Spot on Shady ... Looks like our discussion here had more relevance than we thought back then.

I'm extremely glad that Mitch&co took Russell. I had my hopes up after they brought him back for a second work-out but due to past mistakes I wasn't sure until the actual pick.

Combine Russell with whichever big they get in free agency and the core is looking solid for the Lakers.

Now, here is hoping 2K16 will allow me to start on the Lakers.