Would you trade the 2016 Nets pick for Okafor?

[Tr1boy]

Without even getting into the question of whether or not its a deal worth doing, I would ask, Why do we want Okafor? He's not going to help the team win this season so any deal that brought Okafor to Boston would be made with future success in mind. If that's the case, then waiting until the summer, when we know exactly what the Brooklyn pick will be, seems the smarter option. 

If the pick winds up in the top 2, then there's no way I'd trade it for Okafor. Outside of that, I'd listen to offers. But honestly, I'd be more interested in Noel than Okafor anyway.

Come on. I have said it 5 times now

Inside outside terror

Feed Okafor the ball down low. He will either score/fouled or pass it to the open shooter.  This type of game especially would be a great deal of help to close out games

It's crazy how good our 3 pt shooting has been without someone that can score inside (mainly thanks to IT , drive and dish). But with Okafor + IT + shooters having that extra daylight we win games we have been losing.

[ssspence]

It's looking more-and-more likely that at the very least, the Suns will finish with a worst record.  So even if Brooklyn fails to go on a mini run and stays in the 4th worst spot, you're looking at the following odds:

#1 pick - 11.9%
#2 pick - 12.6%
#3 pick - 13.3%
#4 pick - 9.9%
#5 pick - 35.1%
#6 pick - 16%

I understand your interest in the topic, but the fact is these trades just don't really happen (unless I've missed one or two). While the risk / reward may be fun to talk about, no GM is willing to risk the egg on their face should they trade away what turns out to be the #1 pick.

Meanwhile, the odds above point out that the Cs are just as likely to get one of 1, 2, or 3, as they are to get 5. With back-to-the-basket bigs (with limited defense) far from a necessity in today's NBA, a team like the Cs would likely wanna play those odds for a potential game-changing wing of 4-man over giving them up for a player like JO.

[Lucky17]

Would rather keep the pick, and pay less to acquire Monroe to be the inside/post presence.

[SHAQATTACK]

Probably I would .

I ve made HUGE drafting choices MISTaKEs out the wazoo...LOL ....but I'm not earning a living making these decsions either ..LoL

I d rather have Noel and retrain him as A Celtic .........

His start has been messed up on Philly , they had no direction for actually making players better , because they were TRyINg to loose the blank games .

That's like raising your children to STEAL .....because it's an easy way to,get ahead ...Thanks MR Hinkie for teaching youth the EASY way out.

[celticsclay]

Man... I'm thrilled with how bad Brooklyn has been.  Thanks to injuries, the worst-case scenario of Brooklyn making the playoffs is long gone.   At this point, it's basically a lock to end up in the lottery. 

But between this thread and the Jabari Parker thread, I really feel like people are still severely overrating that Brooklyn pick.

It's looking more-and-more likely that at the very least, the Suns will finish with a worst record.  So even if Brooklyn fails to go on a mini run and stays in the 4th worst spot, you're looking at the following odds:

#1 pick - 11.9%
#2 pick - 12.6%
#3 pick - 13.3%
#4 pick - 9.9%
#5 pick - 35.1%
#6 pick - 16%

We're still learning things about this draft so perhaps someone like Dragan Bender will be a superstar someday.  Maybe more "can't miss" prospects will be revealed.  But I've also heard plenty negativity recently... that Ben Simmons can't shoot and has inflated stats due to playing on a mediocre program against mediocre competition... that Brandon Ingram is a few years away from being anything... that this draft might be pretty terrible outside those two guys.

So then we're talking about a guy like Okafor.

I got news for you... a year ago (I checked Draftexpress archived from Feb 15th 2015), Okafor was considered the consensus #1 pick on mock drafts. 

So now midway through a rookie season the 20 year old is averaging 17 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 blocks with 49% shooting and 68% from the line...   and some people think the pick is more valuable?   Seriously? 

If things hold as-is, we're looking at an 88.1% chance that we do NOT get Ben Simmons... and who knows how we'll even look at Ben Simmons a year from now.

I think it's fair to expect Okafor to be a 20/10 guy long term.  Not sure about his defense, but his floor still seems to be Al Jefferson.   He's already almost a 20/10 guy as a rookie on a dysfunctional team. 

Say we land someone like Jaylen Brown with the 5th pick (our most likely draft position) and he puts up a Hezonja-esque 5 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steals.  How much will that asset be worth then compared to Okafor?

It's not even a guarantee that Ben SImmons will have a better career than Jabari Parker or Jahlil Okafor... and yet people here still insist that Brooklyn pick is more valuable than either of those guys.   I don't agree.

SIde note:  It's hilarious that people here will suggest someone like 26 year old Jae Crowder has untapped star potential in the 5th year of his career, but then look at a 20 year old prospect 46 games into a pretty decent rookie season and act like he's a fully-formed player.

I'm just sayin that some of ya'll act like the obnoxious friend you take to Vegas who inexplicably goes on a hot streak and now he's too drunk to know when to walk away from the table and cash in his winnings. 

"A chance at a star prospect like Okafor?  NAaah!!  Let it ride!!... Less than 10% chance at a guy who may or may not be better than him!! WOoOooo!!!"  (Note:  less than 10% chance, because you need to factor in the odds of additional teams falling below Brooklyn by the end of the season)


I'm just saying... February 10th, 2015 versions of you guys would be disgusted with this thread.

Hold up, I just used OSX Time Machine to backdate my digitized brain a whole year.  Here's what the Feb 2015 version of CyberLarB had to say:   "Wait a minute... you're telling me a year from now the consensus #1 pick Jahlil Okafor will be averaging 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1.2 blocks with 50% shooting in only 30 minutes with incredible touch around the rim... but I'll be unwilling to move a projected #5 pick for him?  WHAT?   That either means Okafor had a career ending injury or the 2016 draft is stacked with future hall of famers...   Woah, is that because of that Thon Maker kid I keep hearing about??!"


There's a good chance that February 10th, 2017 versions of you guys are going to be equally disgusted with this thread.

I'm disgusted now with how you act like the Nets were devastated by injuries when they have been one of the healthiest teams in the NBA and their two best players have played in every game. It is childish and embarrassing.

[Big333223]

Without even getting into the question of whether or not its a deal worth doing, I would ask, Why do we want Okafor? He's not going to help the team win this season so any deal that brought Okafor to Boston would be made with future success in mind. If that's the case, then waiting until the summer, when we know exactly what the Brooklyn pick will be, seems the smarter option. 

If the pick winds up in the top 2, then there's no way I'd trade it for Okafor. Outside of that, I'd listen to offers. But honestly, I'd be more interested in Noel than Okafor anyway.

Come on. I have said it 5 times now

Inside outside terror

Feed Okafor the ball down low. He will either score/fouled or pass it to the open shooter.  This type of game especially would be a great deal of help to close out games

It's crazy how good our 3 pt shooting has been without someone that can score inside (mainly thanks to IT , drive and dish). But with Okafor + IT + shooters having that extra daylight we win games we have been losing.

That doesn't address my question of: Why now? If it's a move made for the future, why wouldn't we wait until the summer when we know exactly what we're trading. What's the rush?

[LarBrd33]

Man... I'm thrilled with how bad Brooklyn has been.  Thanks to injuries, the worst-case scenario of Brooklyn making the playoffs is long gone.   At this point, it's basically a lock to end up in the lottery. 

But between this thread and the Jabari Parker thread, I really feel like people are still severely overrating that Brooklyn pick.

It's looking more-and-more likely that at the very least, the Suns will finish with a worst record.  So even if Brooklyn fails to go on a mini run and stays in the 4th worst spot, you're looking at the following odds:

#1 pick - 11.9%
#2 pick - 12.6%
#3 pick - 13.3%
#4 pick - 9.9%
#5 pick - 35.1%
#6 pick - 16%

We're still learning things about this draft so perhaps someone like Dragan Bender will be a superstar someday.  Maybe more "can't miss" prospects will be revealed.  But I've also heard plenty negativity recently... that Ben Simmons can't shoot and has inflated stats due to playing on a mediocre program against mediocre competition... that Brandon Ingram is a few years away from being anything... that this draft might be pretty terrible outside those two guys.

So then we're talking about a guy like Okafor.

I got news for you... a year ago (I checked Draftexpress archived from Feb 15th 2015), Okafor was considered the consensus #1 pick on mock drafts. 

So now midway through a rookie season the 20 year old is averaging 17 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 blocks with 49% shooting and 68% from the line...   and some people think the pick is more valuable?   Seriously? 

If things hold as-is, we're looking at an 88.1% chance that we do NOT get Ben Simmons... and who knows how we'll even look at Ben Simmons a year from now.

I think it's fair to expect Okafor to be a 20/10 guy long term.  Not sure about his defense, but his floor still seems to be Al Jefferson.   He's already almost a 20/10 guy as a rookie on a dysfunctional team. 

Say we land someone like Jaylen Brown with the 5th pick (our most likely draft position) and he puts up a Hezonja-esque 5 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steals.  How much will that asset be worth then compared to Okafor?

It's not even a guarantee that Ben SImmons will have a better career than Jabari Parker or Jahlil Okafor... and yet people here still insist that Brooklyn pick is more valuable than either of those guys.   I don't agree.

SIde note:  It's hilarious that people here will suggest someone like 26 year old Jae Crowder has untapped star potential in the 5th year of his career, but then look at a 20 year old prospect 46 games into a pretty decent rookie season and act like he's a fully-formed player.

I'm just sayin that some of ya'll act like the obnoxious friend you take to Vegas who inexplicably goes on a hot streak and now he's too drunk to know when to walk away from the table and cash in his winnings. 

"A chance at a star prospect like Okafor?  NAaah!!  Let it ride!!... Less than 10% chance at a guy who may or may not be better than him!! WOoOooo!!!"  (Note:  less than 10% chance, because you need to factor in the odds of additional teams falling below Brooklyn by the end of the season)


I'm just saying... February 10th, 2015 versions of you guys would be disgusted with this thread.

Hold up, I just used OSX Time Machine to backdate my digitized brain a whole year.  Here's what the Feb 2015 version of CyberLarB had to say:   "Wait a minute... you're telling me a year from now the consensus #1 pick Jahlil Okafor will be averaging 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1.2 blocks with 50% shooting in only 30 minutes with incredible touch around the rim... but I'll be unwilling to move a projected #5 pick for him?  WHAT?   That either means Okafor had a career ending injury or the 2016 draft is stacked with future hall of famers...   Woah, is that because of that Thon Maker kid I keep hearing about??!"


There's a good chance that February 10th, 2017 versions of you guys are going to be equally disgusted with this thread.

I'm disgusted now with how you act like the Nets were devastated by injuries when they have been one of the healthiest teams in the NBA and their two best players have played in every game. It is childish and embarrassing.

5 man team.  They lost 2 of them.  One was their starting PG.  The other was showing progress and arguably their best 2-way player (105 offensive rating was 2nd only to Lopez... 103 defensive rating 1st amongst starters)...   For a team as shallow as the Nets, those injuries were basically the apocalypse.  Any hope they had of making a bit of a run was squished.   Great for us!

[Big333223]

Man... I'm thrilled with how bad Brooklyn has been.  Thanks to injuries, the worst-case scenario of Brooklyn making the playoffs is long gone.   At this point, it's basically a lock to end up in the lottery. 

But between this thread and the Jabari Parker thread, I really feel like people are still severely overrating that Brooklyn pick.

It's looking more-and-more likely that at the very least, the Suns will finish with a worst record.  So even if Brooklyn fails to go on a mini run and stays in the 4th worst spot, you're looking at the following odds:

#1 pick - 11.9%
#2 pick - 12.6%
#3 pick - 13.3%
#4 pick - 9.9%
#5 pick - 35.1%
#6 pick - 16%

We're still learning things about this draft so perhaps someone like Dragan Bender will be a superstar someday.  Maybe more "can't miss" prospects will be revealed.  But I've also heard plenty negativity recently... that Ben Simmons can't shoot and has inflated stats due to playing on a mediocre program against mediocre competition... that Brandon Ingram is a few years away from being anything... that this draft might be pretty terrible outside those two guys.

So then we're talking about a guy like Okafor.

I got news for you... a year ago (I checked Draftexpress archived from Feb 15th 2015), Okafor was considered the consensus #1 pick on mock drafts. 

So now midway through a rookie season the 20 year old is averaging 17 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 blocks with 49% shooting and 68% from the line...   and some people think the pick is more valuable?   Seriously? 

If things hold as-is, we're looking at an 88.1% chance that we do NOT get Ben Simmons... and who knows how we'll even look at Ben Simmons a year from now.

I think it's fair to expect Okafor to be a 20/10 guy long term.  Not sure about his defense, but his floor still seems to be Al Jefferson.   He's already almost a 20/10 guy as a rookie on a dysfunctional team. 

Say we land someone like Jaylen Brown with the 5th pick (our most likely draft position) and he puts up a Hezonja-esque 5 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steals.  How much will that asset be worth then compared to Okafor?

It's not even a guarantee that Ben SImmons will have a better career than Jabari Parker or Jahlil Okafor... and yet people here still insist that Brooklyn pick is more valuable than either of those guys.   I don't agree.

SIde note:  It's hilarious that people here will suggest someone like 26 year old Jae Crowder has untapped star potential in the 5th year of his career, but then look at a 20 year old prospect 46 games into a pretty decent rookie season and act like he's a fully-formed player.

I'm just sayin that some of ya'll act like the obnoxious friend you take to Vegas who inexplicably goes on a hot streak and now he's too drunk to know when to walk away from the table and cash in his winnings. 

"A chance at a star prospect like Okafor?  NAaah!!  Let it ride!!... Less than 10% chance at a guy who may or may not be better than him!! WOoOooo!!!"  (Note:  less than 10% chance, because you need to factor in the odds of additional teams falling below Brooklyn by the end of the season)


I'm just saying... February 10th, 2015 versions of you guys would be disgusted with this thread.

Hold up, I just used OSX Time Machine to backdate my digitized brain a whole year.  Here's what the Feb 2015 version of CyberLarB had to say:   "Wait a minute... you're telling me a year from now the consensus #1 pick Jahlil Okafor will be averaging 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1.2 blocks with 50% shooting in only 30 minutes with incredible touch around the rim... but I'll be unwilling to move a projected #5 pick for him?  WHAT?   That either means Okafor had a career ending injury or the 2016 draft is stacked with future hall of famers...   Woah, is that because of that Thon Maker kid I keep hearing about??!"


There's a good chance that February 10th, 2017 versions of you guys are going to be equally disgusted with this thread.

I'm disgusted now with how you act like the Nets were devastated by injuries when they have been one of the healthiest teams in the NBA and their two best players have played in every game. It is childish and embarrassing.

5 man team.  They lost 2 of them.  One was their starting PG.  The other was the best starter on the team in terms of offensive rating AND defensive rating (and had been showing progress).   For a team as shallow as the Nets, those injuries were basically the apocalypse.  Any hope they had of making a bit of a run was squished.   Great for us!

And they were doing so well when they were healthy.

[Moranis]

Without even getting into the question of whether or not its a deal worth doing, I would ask, Why do we want Okafor? He's not going to help the team win this season so any deal that brought Okafor to Boston would be made with future success in mind. If that's the case, then waiting until the summer, when we know exactly what the Brooklyn pick will be, seems the smarter option. 

If the pick winds up in the top 2, then there's no way I'd trade it for Okafor. Outside of that, I'd listen to offers. But honestly, I'd be more interested in Noel than Okafor anyway.

Come on. I have said it 5 times now

Inside outside terror

Feed Okafor the ball down low. He will either score/fouled or pass it to the open shooter.  This type of game especially would be a great deal of help to close out games

It's crazy how good our 3 pt shooting has been without someone that can score inside (mainly thanks to IT , drive and dish). But with Okafor + IT + shooters having that extra daylight we win games we have been losing.

That doesn't address my question of: Why now? If it's a move made for the future, why wouldn't we wait until the summer when we know exactly what we're trading. What's the rush?

because if the pick is 5th or something like that, you won't be trading it for Okafor.

[Ilikesports17]

Man... I'm thrilled with how bad Brooklyn has been.  Thanks to injuries, the worst-case scenario of Brooklyn making the playoffs is long gone.   At this point, it's basically a lock to end up in the lottery. 

But between this thread and the Jabari Parker thread, I really feel like people are still severely overrating that Brooklyn pick.

It's looking more-and-more likely that at the very least, the Suns will finish with a worst record.  So even if Brooklyn fails to go on a mini run and stays in the 4th worst spot, you're looking at the following odds:

#1 pick - 11.9%
#2 pick - 12.6%
#3 pick - 13.3%
#4 pick - 9.9%
#5 pick - 35.1%
#6 pick - 16%

We're still learning things about this draft so perhaps someone like Dragan Bender will be a superstar someday.  Maybe more "can't miss" prospects will be revealed.  But I've also heard plenty negativity recently... that Ben Simmons can't shoot and has inflated stats due to playing on a mediocre program against mediocre competition... that Brandon Ingram is a few years away from being anything... that this draft might be pretty terrible outside those two guys.

So then we're talking about a guy like Okafor.

I got news for you... a year ago (I checked Draftexpress archived from Feb 15th 2015), Okafor was considered the consensus #1 pick on mock drafts. 

So now midway through a rookie season the 20 year old is averaging 17 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 blocks with 49% shooting and 68% from the line...   and some people think the pick is more valuable?   Seriously? 

If things hold as-is, we're looking at an 88.1% chance that we do NOT get Ben Simmons... and who knows how we'll even look at Ben Simmons a year from now.

I think it's fair to expect Okafor to be a 20/10 guy long term.  Not sure about his defense, but his floor still seems to be Al Jefferson.   He's already almost a 20/10 guy as a rookie on a dysfunctional team. 

Say we land someone like Jaylen Brown with the 5th pick (our most likely draft position) and he puts up a Hezonja-esque 5 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steals.  How much will that asset be worth then compared to Okafor?

It's not even a guarantee that Ben SImmons will have a better career than Jabari Parker or Jahlil Okafor... and yet people here still insist that Brooklyn pick is more valuable than either of those guys.   I don't agree.

SIde note:  It's hilarious that people here will suggest someone like 26 year old Jae Crowder has untapped star potential in the 5th year of his career, but then look at a 20 year old prospect 46 games into a pretty decent rookie season and act like he's a fully-formed player.

I'm just sayin that some of ya'll act like the obnoxious friend you take to Vegas who inexplicably goes on a hot streak and now he's too drunk to know when to walk away from the table and cash in his winnings. 

"A chance at a star prospect like Okafor?  NAaah!!  Let it ride!!... Less than 10% chance at a guy who may or may not be better than him!! WOoOooo!!!"  (Note:  less than 10% chance, because you need to factor in the odds of additional teams falling below Brooklyn by the end of the season)


I'm just saying... February 10th, 2015 versions of you guys would be disgusted with this thread.

Hold up, I just used OSX Time Machine to backdate my digitized brain a whole year.  Here's what the Feb 2015 version of CyberLarB had to say:   "Wait a minute... you're telling me a year from now the consensus #1 pick Jahlil Okafor will be averaging 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1.2 blocks with 50% shooting in only 30 minutes with incredible touch around the rim... but I'll be unwilling to move a projected #5 pick for him?  WHAT?   That either means Okafor had a career ending injury or the 2016 draft is stacked with future hall of famers...   Woah, is that because of that Thon Maker kid I keep hearing about??!"


There's a good chance that February 10th, 2017 versions of you guys are going to be equally disgusted with this thread.

I'm disgusted now with how you act like the Nets were devastated by injuries when they have been one of the healthiest teams in the NBA and their two best players have played in every game. It is childish and embarrassing.

5 man team.  They lost 2 of them.  One was their starting PG.  The other was showing progress and arguably their best 2-way player (105 offensive rating was 2nd only to Lopez... 103 defensive rating 1st amongst starters)...   For a team as shallow as the Nets, those injuries were basically the apocalypse.  Any hope they had of making a bit of a run was squished.   Great for us!

That's what happens when you have a 5 man team. Injuries.

[celticsclay]

Man... I'm thrilled with how bad Brooklyn has been.  Thanks to injuries, the worst-case scenario of Brooklyn making the playoffs is long gone.   At this point, it's basically a lock to end up in the lottery. 

But between this thread and the Jabari Parker thread, I really feel like people are still severely overrating that Brooklyn pick.

It's looking more-and-more likely that at the very least, the Suns will finish with a worst record.  So even if Brooklyn fails to go on a mini run and stays in the 4th worst spot, you're looking at the following odds:

#1 pick - 11.9%
#2 pick - 12.6%
#3 pick - 13.3%
#4 pick - 9.9%
#5 pick - 35.1%
#6 pick - 16%

We're still learning things about this draft so perhaps someone like Dragan Bender will be a superstar someday.  Maybe more "can't miss" prospects will be revealed.  But I've also heard plenty negativity recently... that Ben Simmons can't shoot and has inflated stats due to playing on a mediocre program against mediocre competition... that Brandon Ingram is a few years away from being anything... that this draft might be pretty terrible outside those two guys.

So then we're talking about a guy like Okafor.

I got news for you... a year ago (I checked Draftexpress archived from Feb 15th 2015), Okafor was considered the consensus #1 pick on mock drafts. 

So now midway through a rookie season the 20 year old is averaging 17 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 blocks with 49% shooting and 68% from the line...   and some people think the pick is more valuable?   Seriously? 

If things hold as-is, we're looking at an 88.1% chance that we do NOT get Ben Simmons... and who knows how we'll even look at Ben Simmons a year from now.

I think it's fair to expect Okafor to be a 20/10 guy long term.  Not sure about his defense, but his floor still seems to be Al Jefferson.   He's already almost a 20/10 guy as a rookie on a dysfunctional team. 

Say we land someone like Jaylen Brown with the 5th pick (our most likely draft position) and he puts up a Hezonja-esque 5 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steals.  How much will that asset be worth then compared to Okafor?

It's not even a guarantee that Ben SImmons will have a better career than Jabari Parker or Jahlil Okafor... and yet people here still insist that Brooklyn pick is more valuable than either of those guys.   I don't agree.

SIde note:  It's hilarious that people here will suggest someone like 26 year old Jae Crowder has untapped star potential in the 5th year of his career, but then look at a 20 year old prospect 46 games into a pretty decent rookie season and act like he's a fully-formed player.

I'm just sayin that some of ya'll act like the obnoxious friend you take to Vegas who inexplicably goes on a hot streak and now he's too drunk to know when to walk away from the table and cash in his winnings. 

"A chance at a star prospect like Okafor?  NAaah!!  Let it ride!!... Less than 10% chance at a guy who may or may not be better than him!! WOoOooo!!!"  (Note:  less than 10% chance, because you need to factor in the odds of additional teams falling below Brooklyn by the end of the season)


I'm just saying... February 10th, 2015 versions of you guys would be disgusted with this thread.

Hold up, I just used OSX Time Machine to backdate my digitized brain a whole year.  Here's what the Feb 2015 version of CyberLarB had to say:   "Wait a minute... you're telling me a year from now the consensus #1 pick Jahlil Okafor will be averaging 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1.2 blocks with 50% shooting in only 30 minutes with incredible touch around the rim... but I'll be unwilling to move a projected #5 pick for him?  WHAT?   That either means Okafor had a career ending injury or the 2016 draft is stacked with future hall of famers...   Woah, is that because of that Thon Maker kid I keep hearing about??!"


There's a good chance that February 10th, 2017 versions of you guys are going to be equally disgusted with this thread.

I'm disgusted now with how you act like the Nets were devastated by injuries when they have been one of the healthiest teams in the NBA and their two best players have played in every game. It is childish and embarrassing.

5 man team.  They lost 2 of them.  One was their starting PG.  The other was showing progress and arguably their best 2-way player (105 offensive rating was 2nd only to Lopez... 103 defensive rating 1st amongst starters)...   For a team as shallow as the Nets, those injuries were basically the apocalypse.  Any hope they had of making a bit of a run was squished.   Great for us!

Unfortunately stats and reality are not your friend on this debate.

https://www.mangameslost.com/nba-games-missed-due-to-injury-february-9-2016/

If you look at the quality of players lost they are one of the healthiest teams in the entire NBA. Yes they have had a few injuries, but so has every single team. Don't be so lazy with your arguments.

[Moranis]

Man... I'm thrilled with how bad Brooklyn has been.  Thanks to injuries, the worst-case scenario of Brooklyn making the playoffs is long gone.   At this point, it's basically a lock to end up in the lottery. 

But between this thread and the Jabari Parker thread, I really feel like people are still severely overrating that Brooklyn pick.

It's looking more-and-more likely that at the very least, the Suns will finish with a worst record.  So even if Brooklyn fails to go on a mini run and stays in the 4th worst spot, you're looking at the following odds:

#1 pick - 11.9%
#2 pick - 12.6%
#3 pick - 13.3%
#4 pick - 9.9%
#5 pick - 35.1%
#6 pick - 16%

We're still learning things about this draft so perhaps someone like Dragan Bender will be a superstar someday.  Maybe more "can't miss" prospects will be revealed.  But I've also heard plenty negativity recently... that Ben Simmons can't shoot and has inflated stats due to playing on a mediocre program against mediocre competition... that Brandon Ingram is a few years away from being anything... that this draft might be pretty terrible outside those two guys.

So then we're talking about a guy like Okafor.

I got news for you... a year ago (I checked Draftexpress archived from Feb 15th 2015), Okafor was considered the consensus #1 pick on mock drafts. 

So now midway through a rookie season the 20 year old is averaging 17 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 blocks with 49% shooting and 68% from the line...   and some people think the pick is more valuable?   Seriously? 

If things hold as-is, we're looking at an 88.1% chance that we do NOT get Ben Simmons... and who knows how we'll even look at Ben Simmons a year from now.

I think it's fair to expect Okafor to be a 20/10 guy long term.  Not sure about his defense, but his floor still seems to be Al Jefferson.   He's already almost a 20/10 guy as a rookie on a dysfunctional team. 

Say we land someone like Jaylen Brown with the 5th pick (our most likely draft position) and he puts up a Hezonja-esque 5 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steals.  How much will that asset be worth then compared to Okafor?

It's not even a guarantee that Ben SImmons will have a better career than Jabari Parker or Jahlil Okafor... and yet people here still insist that Brooklyn pick is more valuable than either of those guys.   I don't agree.

SIde note:  It's hilarious that people here will suggest someone like 26 year old Jae Crowder has untapped star potential in the 5th year of his career, but then look at a 20 year old prospect 46 games into a pretty decent rookie season and act like he's a fully-formed player.

I'm just sayin that some of ya'll act like the obnoxious friend you take to Vegas who inexplicably goes on a hot streak and now he's too drunk to know when to walk away from the table and cash in his winnings. 

"A chance at a star prospect like Okafor?  NAaah!!  Let it ride!!... Less than 10% chance at a guy who may or may not be better than him!! WOoOooo!!!"  (Note:  less than 10% chance, because you need to factor in the odds of additional teams falling below Brooklyn by the end of the season)


I'm just saying... February 10th, 2015 versions of you guys would be disgusted with this thread.

Hold up, I just used OSX Time Machine to backdate my digitized brain a whole year.  Here's what the Feb 2015 version of CyberLarB had to say:   "Wait a minute... you're telling me a year from now the consensus #1 pick Jahlil Okafor will be averaging 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1.2 blocks with 50% shooting in only 30 minutes with incredible touch around the rim... but I'll be unwilling to move a projected #5 pick for him?  WHAT?   That either means Okafor had a career ending injury or the 2016 draft is stacked with future hall of famers...   Woah, is that because of that Thon Maker kid I keep hearing about??!"


There's a good chance that February 10th, 2017 versions of you guys are going to be equally disgusted with this thread.

I'm disgusted now with how you act like the Nets were devastated by injuries when they have been one of the healthiest teams in the NBA and their two best players have played in every game. It is childish and embarrassing.

5 man team.  They lost 2 of them.  One was their starting PG.  The other was the best starter on the team in terms of offensive rating AND defensive rating (and had been showing progress).   For a team as shallow as the Nets, those injuries were basically the apocalypse.  Any hope they had of making a bit of a run was squished.   Great for us!

And they were doing so well when they were healthy.

Obviously they weren't a great team, but Jack's last game was January 2nd (RHJ had already been injured by then).  The Nets were 10-23 for a 30% win percentage.  Since Jack went down, the Nets are 4-16 for a 20% win percentage.  So losing perhaps the worst starting PG in basketball made the Nets 10 full percentage points worse in the winning department.  And as I indicated they had already lost RHJ.  Thin teams can't afford to lose players. 

[LarBrd33]

Man... I'm thrilled with how bad Brooklyn has been.  Thanks to injuries, the worst-case scenario of Brooklyn making the playoffs is long gone.   At this point, it's basically a lock to end up in the lottery. 

But between this thread and the Jabari Parker thread, I really feel like people are still severely overrating that Brooklyn pick.

It's looking more-and-more likely that at the very least, the Suns will finish with a worst record.  So even if Brooklyn fails to go on a mini run and stays in the 4th worst spot, you're looking at the following odds:

#1 pick - 11.9%
#2 pick - 12.6%
#3 pick - 13.3%
#4 pick - 9.9%
#5 pick - 35.1%
#6 pick - 16%

We're still learning things about this draft so perhaps someone like Dragan Bender will be a superstar someday.  Maybe more "can't miss" prospects will be revealed.  But I've also heard plenty negativity recently... that Ben Simmons can't shoot and has inflated stats due to playing on a mediocre program against mediocre competition... that Brandon Ingram is a few years away from being anything... that this draft might be pretty terrible outside those two guys.

So then we're talking about a guy like Okafor.

I got news for you... a year ago (I checked Draftexpress archived from Feb 15th 2015), Okafor was considered the consensus #1 pick on mock drafts. 

So now midway through a rookie season the 20 year old is averaging 17 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 blocks with 49% shooting and 68% from the line...   and some people think the pick is more valuable?   Seriously? 

If things hold as-is, we're looking at an 88.1% chance that we do NOT get Ben Simmons... and who knows how we'll even look at Ben Simmons a year from now.

I think it's fair to expect Okafor to be a 20/10 guy long term.  Not sure about his defense, but his floor still seems to be Al Jefferson.   He's already almost a 20/10 guy as a rookie on a dysfunctional team. 

Say we land someone like Jaylen Brown with the 5th pick (our most likely draft position) and he puts up a Hezonja-esque 5 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steals.  How much will that asset be worth then compared to Okafor?

It's not even a guarantee that Ben SImmons will have a better career than Jabari Parker or Jahlil Okafor... and yet people here still insist that Brooklyn pick is more valuable than either of those guys.   I don't agree.

SIde note:  It's hilarious that people here will suggest someone like 26 year old Jae Crowder has untapped star potential in the 5th year of his career, but then look at a 20 year old prospect 46 games into a pretty decent rookie season and act like he's a fully-formed player.

I'm just sayin that some of ya'll act like the obnoxious friend you take to Vegas who inexplicably goes on a hot streak and now he's too drunk to know when to walk away from the table and cash in his winnings. 

"A chance at a star prospect like Okafor?  NAaah!!  Let it ride!!... Less than 10% chance at a guy who may or may not be better than him!! WOoOooo!!!"  (Note:  less than 10% chance, because you need to factor in the odds of additional teams falling below Brooklyn by the end of the season)


I'm just saying... February 10th, 2015 versions of you guys would be disgusted with this thread.

Hold up, I just used OSX Time Machine to backdate my digitized brain a whole year.  Here's what the Feb 2015 version of CyberLarB had to say:   "Wait a minute... you're telling me a year from now the consensus #1 pick Jahlil Okafor will be averaging 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1.2 blocks with 50% shooting in only 30 minutes with incredible touch around the rim... but I'll be unwilling to move a projected #5 pick for him?  WHAT?   That either means Okafor had a career ending injury or the 2016 draft is stacked with future hall of famers...   Woah, is that because of that Thon Maker kid I keep hearing about??!"


There's a good chance that February 10th, 2017 versions of you guys are going to be equally disgusted with this thread.

I'm disgusted now with how you act like the Nets were devastated by injuries when they have been one of the healthiest teams in the NBA and their two best players have played in every game. It is childish and embarrassing.

5 man team.  They lost 2 of them.  One was their starting PG.  The other was the best starter on the team in terms of offensive rating AND defensive rating (and had been showing progress).   For a team as shallow as the Nets, those injuries were basically the apocalypse.  Any hope they had of making a bit of a run was squished.   Great for us!

And they were doing so well when they were healthy.

They were 8 games under .500 when arguably their best 2-way player got injured.   

They started with a 5-13 record.  That's the EXACT same record they started at in 2014 when they eventually rallied, won 44 games, and made the second round of the playoffs. 

In-fact, our very own Boston Celtics were 15 games under .500 last season before rallying and making the playoffs. 

Thank the basketball gods the Nets saw half of their best players devastated by injuries.  As I detailed in a previous post, I know for a FACT that had they stayed healthy, the team would be on pace to threaten for a championship:

I know for a FACT that I was 100% right about Brooklyn.  Had they stayed healthy, they would have been fine. 

Listen... you, Ogaju, Edward and chambers can go push your Politics elsewhere.  There's no place for it in the Celtics Talk thread focused on positivity.   Go peddle your backwards multiverse-denier agenda on some truthseeker forum.

I have PERSONALLY astral projected into the alt-dimension where Hollis-Jefferson and Jarret Jack stayed healthy.   In that dimension, The Nets are inexplicably in the midst of a 28 game win streak and have a record of 33-14.  They are the surprise of the season and are currently sitting in 2nd place in the East... well on their way to a 4th straight playoff appearance.   Brook Lopez was also just rightfully named to the all-star team and Hollis-Jefferson is scheduled to start in the Rising Stars game.   Thanks to the Brooklyn surge, the Boston pick looks like a lock to fall outside of the lotto.  Also, in that particular dimension, for some bizarre reason they spell the popular children's book series as "BerenstEin Bears" instead of "BerenstAin Bears".    It's really weird, but part of me thinks the "BerenstEin" verse might be Earth 1 while this "BerenstAin" verse might be Earth 2.   Consider yourself lucky we're currently stuck in Earth 2 where the Nets have been riddled with injuries,  Boston is increasingly likely to get a top 10 pick from them, and this thread has a reason to exist.

Here's hoping the injury dramatically stunts Earth-2 Hollis-Jefferson's career trajectory and this alt-reality "Berenstain Bears" version of the Nets continue to struggle even if he returns after the all-star break. 

[D Dub]

Hey Lar you still trying to defend that Net's prediction you made?

Let it go man, even the best shooters in the world miss a free throw every now and again.

[celticsclay]

Hey Lar you still trying to defend that Net's prediction you made?

Let it go man, even the best shooters in the world miss a free throw every now and again.

tp