Knicks · Will Okafor's game translate in the NBA???? (page 2)

gunsnewing wrote:I think a cross between Eddy Curry/Boozer/Mike Sweetney.

Tough choice who to take at 2 ok4, mudiay, russell, Winslow or Kaminsky

wow great comparison.. he's nothing like any of those guys. do you think by putting okafor down it'll help the knicks draft towns? you just look completely uninfomed when you say things like that. and i want towns #1.

nyk4ever wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:I think a cross between Eddy Curry/Boozer/Mike Sweetney.

Tough choice who to take at 2 ok4, mudiay, russell, Winslow or Kaminsky

wow great comparison.. he's nothing like any of those guys. do you think by putting okafor down it'll help the knicks draft towns? you just look completely uninfomed when you say things like that. and i want towns #1.

his lack of lift and his release point is very reminiscent of carlos boozer. in two games i saw him take one jumpshot, from the left side off glass, a shot clearly inspired by tim duncan.

in terms of conditioning he resembles a lot of underachieving nba players. this has to be a concern, man-child or no.

dk7th wrote:

nyk4ever wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:I think a cross between Eddy Curry/Boozer/Mike Sweetney.

Tough choice who to take at 2 ok4, mudiay, russell, Winslow or Kaminsky

wow great comparison.. he's nothing like any of those guys. do you think by putting okafor down it'll help the knicks draft towns? you just look completely uninfomed when you say things like that. and i want towns #1.

his lack of lift and his release point is very reminiscent of carlos boozer. in two games i saw him take one jumpshot, from the left side off glass, a shot clearly inspired by tim duncan.

in terms of conditioning he resembles a lot of underachieving nba players. this has to be a concern, man-child or no.

what is wrong with his conditioning, if conditioning is the reason we're comparing him to sweetney and curry then the same can go for towns - he's just as heavy-legged and played less minutes than okafor did.

nyk4ever wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:I think a cross between Eddy Curry/Boozer/Mike Sweetney.

Tough choice who to take at 2 ok4, mudiay, russell, Winslow or Kaminsky

wow great comparison.. he's nothing like any of those guys. do you think by putting okafor down it'll help the knicks draft towns? you just look completely uninfomed when you say things like that. and i want towns #1.

+1 Great post. Couldn't say it any better. OK4 is 6'11" Sweetney was 6'7" , Boozer is like 6'6" can't copmare them

Okafor will be just fine. He'll have a better career than Boozer or Laettner or Brand. I do think I want Towns more now though, which I wasn't expecting to say

gunsnewing wrote:

smackeddog wrote:

Uptown wrote:Dude is a 18-19 year old freshman. Stop acting like he's a finished product. Why is it okay for us to judge and project what Towns can be based on potential, but not Ok4?

Yup, it seems players who are good or poised or polished get discriminated against because people assume they have less upside than a player who isn't good or polished at anything

No its because of his defense. Which happens to be the area where Towns excels

Ive never seen a poster with the fetish that you have for Towns. Any player posing a threat to Town's uber moobiness gets them compared to fat guys out of the NBA. Guns... OK4 is probably another Oliver Miller. I mean Towns had 8 fouls and 9 points in two tourney games and its the system, Calipari's coaching or a 1000 other reasons. You watched like 10 minutes of both players, made your decision and have been posting the same comments over and over and over and over and over again. We get it.

SupremeCommander wrote:Okafor will be just fine. He'll have a better career than Boozer or Laettner or Brand. I do think I want Towns more now though, which I wasn't expecting to say

they are both very good prospects and bring different things to the table.

At this point you have some guys that dont want to discuss anything. They just want to make sure their golden mooby is shined and sparkling. I dont really get the point. We should have 5 guys targeted because we dont know where we are picking. I think some of the guards have higher upside.

Finestrg wrote:A couple of closeups of Okafor standing next to Kaminsky -- maybe it was just me but I'd swear it looked like Okafor had a couple of inches in him. Depending on where you look -- Okafor's listed at 6'10" and Kaminsky 7'. Didn't look like that to me. And then there's the girth/strength -- no comparison--Okafor by a mile there. I think Okafor will play a lot of 5 in the NBA.

I agree....I think he's a 5 at the next level. Unless some team has a center thats mobile and doesn't clog the paint....It works for Zach Randolph and Gasol, but they are a rare combination. Most teams go with a quick PF and a slow Center....

I don't like having OK4 and Melo as our rim protectors.
I don't like having OK4 and a stiff at center, with Melo at SF....

Seems like Towns is a better fit at center for us, with Melo at PF.....Or Towns can also play PF, because he's agile enough to guard NBA 4's and doesn't have to be in the paint to be effective.

OK4's game will translate just like Zach Randolph.....These guys will be around for a long time, because they have a old mans game, in a young mans body. If we didn't have Melo or planned on trading him, OK4 would be a decent replacement. But with Melo's no trade clause, I don't think OK4 is that valuable to risk him competing with Melo for the next 4 years. It reminds me of the Amari and Melo experiment.

dk7th wrote:

nyk4ever wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:I think a cross between Eddy Curry/Boozer/Mike Sweetney.

Tough choice who to take at 2 ok4, mudiay, russell, Winslow or Kaminsky

wow great comparison.. he's nothing like any of those guys. do you think by putting okafor down it'll help the knicks draft towns? you just look completely uninfomed when you say things like that. and i want towns #1.

his lack of lift and his release point is very reminiscent of carlos boozer. in two games i saw him take one jumpshot, from the left side off glass, a shot clearly inspired by tim duncan.

in terms of conditioning he resembles a lot of underachieving nba players. this has to be a concern, man-child or no.

Yeah he is out of shape..Missed a lot of gimmes...He is often the first to be yanked by his coach after 4+ minutes...A concern...But it just tells you if this guy gets in shape what he could be...

dk7th wrote:

nyk4ever wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:I think a cross between Eddy Curry/Boozer/Mike Sweetney.

Tough choice who to take at 2 ok4, mudiay, russell, Winslow or Kaminsky

wow great comparison.. he's nothing like any of those guys. do you think by putting okafor down it'll help the knicks draft towns? you just look completely uninfomed when you say things like that. and i want towns #1.

his lack of lift and his release point is very reminiscent of carlos boozer. in two games i saw him take one jumpshot, from the left side off glass, a shot clearly inspired by tim duncan.

in terms of conditioning he resembles a lot of underachieving nba players. this has to be a concern, man-child or no.

lol at his release point...what are you a shooting coach now?

Towns is a better defender but really, wouldn't having 7 foot Cauly-Stein next you not help? Or Lyles? or the other monsters on theat team.

Duke in the tournament had the best defense and OKA4 was a big part of it.
These guys in the NBA will look very differnet. Im not sold on one or the other and since we don't got the ping pong balls yet, its a moot point.

Swishfm3 wrote:

dk7th wrote:

nyk4ever wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:I think a cross between Eddy Curry/Boozer/Mike Sweetney.

Tough choice who to take at 2 ok4, mudiay, russell, Winslow or Kaminsky

wow great comparison.. he's nothing like any of those guys. do you think by putting okafor down it'll help the knicks draft towns? you just look completely uninfomed when you say things like that. and i want towns #1.

his lack of lift and his release point is very reminiscent of carlos boozer. in two games i saw him take one jumpshot, from the left side off glass, a shot clearly inspired by tim duncan.

in terms of conditioning he resembles a lot of underachieving nba players. this has to be a concern, man-child or no.

lol at his release point...what are you a shooting coach now?

He's actually an NBA GM, head coach and pro scout as well. He's just currently out of work.

OK4 has been working on those post moves since 8th grade, copying old school NBA post players. He's going to be just fine. The only thing that derails this kid from a great pro career is if he gets hurt.

I suggest some of you look not at youtube of shaq in college but actual games.
All season long he was the best player on a team that just one the tournament. He had some huge plays last nite. Personally I thought he had a couple of bad fouls against him.
Duke is not as deep as Kentucky and thier core played more minutes.

Nalod wrote:
Towns is a better defender but really, wouldn't having 7 foot Cauly-Stein next you not help? Or Lyles? or the other monsters on theat team.

Duke in the tournament had the best defense and OKA4 was a big part of it.
These guys in the NBA will look very differnet. Im not sold on one or the other and since we don't got the ping pong balls yet, its a moot point.

people just dont think or watch.. they lock onto some piece of info and it rattles around their heads until they believe its true. Now we have DK talking about OK4's release point like he even knows what that is.

When I hear about OK4's lack of athleticism or lack of lift assuring he will never be a good defender tells me people dont understand the game. At all. Didnt Marc (NBAdraft comparison: Todd MaCullogh) Gasol just win a DPOY? Was it his high lift and superior athleticism that got that done?

Of all these guys OK4's skill set will make his transition to the NBA the easiest. As for who ends up being the best player that will depend on time, health and the player.

fishmike wrote:

SupremeCommander wrote:Okafor will be just fine. He'll have a better career than Boozer or Laettner or Brand. I do think I want Towns more now though, which I wasn't expecting to say

they are both very good prospects and bring different things to the table.

At this point you have some guys that dont want to discuss anything. They just want to make sure their golden mooby is shined and sparkling. I dont really get the point. We should have 5 guys targeted because we dont know where we are picking. I think some of the guards have higher upside.

I agree with that. I think both are slightly limited. Towns excels on the defensive end (but not at rebounding) and Okafor has a ton of offensive skill AND polish

I really, really like Russell. I really, really like Justice Winslow (I see a Paul George type.. more of a SG than SF though).

I won't pretend to know anything about the kid from the Congo but he is certainly intriguing.

Swishfm3 wrote:

dk7th wrote:

nyk4ever wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:I think a cross between Eddy Curry/Boozer/Mike Sweetney.

Tough choice who to take at 2 ok4, mudiay, russell, Winslow or Kaminsky

wow great comparison.. he's nothing like any of those guys. do you think by putting okafor down it'll help the knicks draft towns? you just look completely uninfomed when you say things like that. and i want towns #1.

his lack of lift and his release point is very reminiscent of carlos boozer. in two games i saw him take one jumpshot, from the left side off glass, a shot clearly inspired by tim duncan.

in terms of conditioning he resembles a lot of underachieving nba players. this has to be a concern, man-child or no.

lol at his release point...what are you a shooting coach now?

i know what i am talking about swish. what do you think of his release point? does it seem low to you?

SupremeCommander wrote:

fishmike wrote:

SupremeCommander wrote:Okafor will be just fine. He'll have a better career than Boozer or Laettner or Brand. I do think I want Towns more now though, which I wasn't expecting to say

they are both very good prospects and bring different things to the table.

At this point you have some guys that dont want to discuss anything. They just want to make sure their golden mooby is shined and sparkling. I dont really get the point. We should have 5 guys targeted because we dont know where we are picking. I think some of the guards have higher upside.

I agree with that. I think both are slightly limited. Towns excels on the defensive end (but not at rebounding) and Okafor has a ton of offensive skill AND polish

I really, really like Russell. I really, really like Justice Winslow (I see a Paul George type.. more of a SG than SF though).

I won't pretend to know anything about the kid from the Congo but he is certainly intriguing.

Towns does? Know I know this is a bit tongue and cheek, but before the ND game Towns had 8 PFs and 9 points in the prior two tourney games combined. His PFs per 36 minutes are well over 5 per game.

I find it funny that OK4 is the best player on a title team and has all these concerns. Meanwhile Towns is the 4th scorer and 2nd rebounder on a team with half the players declaring for the draft but will be fine because he "excels at everything" or is this great great defensive player... who cant stay out of foul trouble, when he's the physically dominating his peers.

It just tells me people have made their choice, and are now simply posting to back up their choice, not to talk about the players anymore. Hasheem Thabeet was a great defender also... and much bigger and longer than Towns.

Towns proved he is the best player on Kentucky.

Winslow might be better than ok4 in the NBA

fishmike wrote:

SupremeCommander wrote:

fishmike wrote:

SupremeCommander wrote:Okafor will be just fine. He'll have a better career than Boozer or Laettner or Brand. I do think I want Towns more now though, which I wasn't expecting to say

they are both very good prospects and bring different things to the table.

At this point you have some guys that dont want to discuss anything. They just want to make sure their golden mooby is shined and sparkling. I dont really get the point. We should have 5 guys targeted because we dont know where we are picking. I think some of the guards have higher upside.

I agree with that. I think both are slightly limited. Towns excels on the defensive end (but not at rebounding) and Okafor has a ton of offensive skill AND polish

I really, really like Russell. I really, really like Justice Winslow (I see a Paul George type.. more of a SG than SF though).

I won't pretend to know anything about the kid from the Congo but he is certainly intriguing.

Towns does? Know I know this is a bit tongue and cheek, but before the ND game Towns had 8 PFs and 9 points in the prior two tourney games combined. His PFs per 36 minutes are well over 5 per game.

I find it funny that OK4 is the best player on a title team and has all these concerns. Meanwhile Towns is the 4th scorer and 2nd rebounder on a team with half the players declaring for the draft but will be fine because he "excels at everything" or is this great great defensive player... who cant stay out of foul trouble, when he's the physically dominating his peers.

It just tells me people have made their choice, and are now simply posting to back up their choice, not to talk about the players anymore. Hasheem Thabeet was a great defender also... and much bigger and longer than Towns.

Eventhough I think Towns is far ahead of Thabeet when they were the same age.....and even now. It's also a good example of players not reaching their potential.

If Towns doesn't reach his offensive potential, then you have a solid 7foot defender with lateral quickness off the bench.

If OK4 doesn't reach his defensive potential, what do you have? Mike Sweetney? A big body who can score under the basket, but is a liability on defense?

Potential goes up or down...Both players have risks. It depends on how much risk can we afford on offense and defense. If Phil prefers defense, then he will take the offensive risk of Towns. If it was Mike Danphoni, then he would exempt the defensive risk of OK4.

I think OK4 has flashes of defense, better than he's shown in the past....Or maybe I finally watched an entire game. His defense suffers when he's in foul trouble. He's non existent. But you have to learn how to play defense, even in foul trouble. Also, Duke has a better defensive system and better wing defenders to hide OK4. Kentucky doesn't have any bigs with a low post game to hide Towns...Towns is their best offensive post player, eventhough he's a project.

What am I saying?

I don't know....just rambling because I'm ready to go home!

Saw one of those advanced moves last night. OK4 switched hands while going up for the shot, and being closely defended, and scored. It was just one play, but it showed what this kid is capable of. Okafor does need to get in better shape but he does have a bright future IMO. If Phil does draft him he has to be patient, that will be a test of whether things have really changed.

Uptown wrote:

holfresh wrote:

Uptown wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

holfresh wrote:OK4 is a tough call because I don't think he is in shape..He had some easy looks at the rim and couldn't finish..I'm not sure we have seen what this guy could be in college..He needs to change his regiment and approach to the game..The talent is there but who knows..I didn't see one alley hoop to him when his man was cheating..So he doesn't have the legs for it??..

He has the talent but at 19 it's hard to know if he has the desire..

He had a couple of ferocious dunks in the first half.

Duke guards dont throw alley-oops to the rim, they throw 3pters to the rim. Imagine how good ok4 will be with a legit pg and a summer or 2 of real NBA game developmental work outs on his game.

Well that's the thing..I don't think he is a shape either..Key is to find out if he really wants it..If he puts in the work he can be a good player..

The advanced low post skill he possesses at this age shows he has put in a ton of work already. The disire appears to be there. Once in the NBA, with legit trainers, he has the potential to be a monster in the paint.

blkexec wrote:

fishmike wrote:

SupremeCommander wrote:

fishmike wrote:

SupremeCommander wrote:Okafor will be just fine. He'll have a better career than Boozer or Laettner or Brand. I do think I want Towns more now though, which I wasn't expecting to say

they are both very good prospects and bring different things to the table.

At this point you have some guys that dont want to discuss anything. They just want to make sure their golden mooby is shined and sparkling. I dont really get the point. We should have 5 guys targeted because we dont know where we are picking. I think some of the guards have higher upside.

I agree with that. I think both are slightly limited. Towns excels on the defensive end (but not at rebounding) and Okafor has a ton of offensive skill AND polish

I really, really like Russell. I really, really like Justice Winslow (I see a Paul George type.. more of a SG than SF though).

I won't pretend to know anything about the kid from the Congo but he is certainly intriguing.

Towns does? Know I know this is a bit tongue and cheek, but before the ND game Towns had 8 PFs and 9 points in the prior two tourney games combined. His PFs per 36 minutes are well over 5 per game.

I find it funny that OK4 is the best player on a title team and has all these concerns. Meanwhile Towns is the 4th scorer and 2nd rebounder on a team with half the players declaring for the draft but will be fine because he "excels at everything" or is this great great defensive player... who cant stay out of foul trouble, when he's the physically dominating his peers.

It just tells me people have made their choice, and are now simply posting to back up their choice, not to talk about the players anymore. Hasheem Thabeet was a great defender also... and much bigger and longer than Towns.

Eventhough I think Towns is far ahead of Thabeet when they were the same age.....and even now. It's also a good example of players not reaching their potential.

If Towns doesn't reach his offensive potential, then you have a solid 7foot defender with lateral quickness off the bench.

If OK4 doesn't reach his defensive potential, what do you have? Mike Sweetney? A big body who can score under the basket, but is a liability on defense?

Potential goes up or down...Both players have risks. It depends on how much risk can we afford on offense and defense. If Phil prefers defense, then he will take the offensive risk of Towns. If it was Mike Danphoni, then he would exempt the defensive risk of OK4.

I think OK4 has flashes of defense, better than he's shown in the past....Or maybe I finally watched an entire game. His defense suffers when he's in foul trouble. He's non existent. But you have to learn how to play defense, even in foul trouble. Also, Duke has a better defensive system and better wing defenders to hide OK4. Kentucky doesn't have any bigs with a low post game to hide Towns...Towns is their best offensive post player, eventhough he's a project.

What am I saying?

I don't know....just rambling because I'm ready to go home!

Here's my beef with your post and all similar posts. Your essentially putting OK4's offense and Town's defense in the same category as their strengths, and as far as I am concerned they are not even close to equal. You say OK4 has to learn to defend when he has fouls, but Towns doesnt do that. He just picks up more fouls. Before he went off against ND being guarded single man guarded by a guy who was 6'6, Towns scored 9 points and had 8 fouls in the combined in the two games prior. Do we ignore that data? Towns averages a foul every 7 minutes and 5 per 36... and this is a guy who's CALLING CARD to the NBA is defense.

But hey.. no red flags there

He's a spaz. He's got some great skills and size, but if you want to see Town's play at both ends and stay on the floor you have to look at his high school games, because he so very rarely did that at KY.

I mean in these games OK4 struggled they ran 2-3 guys at him every possesion. Teams prefered to play 3-4 rather than let OK4 beat them. Thats still letting OK4 beat you.