If you drafted Embiid…

 If I’m the magic I draft wiggins.

dipo and wiggs would be insane in 4 years together. Not to take away from embiid but prospects so close in potential I’d take what I need.

 If I’m the magic I draft wiggins.

dipo and wiggs would be insane in 4 years together. Not to take away from embiid but prospects so close in potential I’d take what I need.

 If you draft Embiid you would see how they could work together first its no reason to trade Vucevic right away and as you say he most likely will be packaged with some other contracts because of his low rookie scale salary of 2.7. But orlando is in no need to sheed salary for next season since they have no really bad contracts. 

So for me if Embiid is BPA when Orlando drafts i think they should take him since they are still a bunch of young players if they get a good offer for Vucevic trade him. Even though it is no reason to trade him for 50 cent on the dollar see if they can work together, which should be possible on offence but might be tricky on the defensive side. Since i cant see how Vucevic is going to guard pfs. 

On the other side you have no guarantee Embid would work out so keep him and see or trade him for good value if thats possible. It also depends on what kind of extension Vucevic are seeking if they can lock him up for multiple years to a reasonable deal it should be a no brainer since Embiid might be a couple years away from being a starter. 

So dont trade Vucevic just because you are drafting Embiid.

 If you draft Embiid you would see how they could work together first its no reason to trade Vucevic right away and as you say he most likely will be packaged with some other contracts because of his low rookie scale salary of 2.7. But orlando is in no need to sheed salary for next season since they have no really bad contracts. 

So for me if Embiid is BPA when Orlando drafts i think they should take him since they are still a bunch of young players if they get a good offer for Vucevic trade him. Even though it is no reason to trade him for 50 cent on the dollar see if they can work together, which should be possible on offence but might be tricky on the defensive side. Since i cant see how Vucevic is going to guard pfs. 

On the other side you have no guarantee Embid would work out so keep him and see or trade him for good value if thats possible. It also depends on what kind of extension Vucevic are seeking if they can lock him up for multiple years to a reasonable deal it should be a no brainer since Embiid might be a couple years away from being a starter. 

So dont trade Vucevic just because you are drafting Embiid.

If Embiid is the best player available when we pick I feel like we gotta take him even with Vucevic on board.

If that’s the case I feel like we should trade Nik as soon as possible. Vucevic is a damn good player, an excellent rebounder, a solid defender and a very efficient player on the offensive end of the floor and he’s just 23. But I wouldn’t want him slowing down Embiid’s development. Also the longer we would hold on to Vucevic the lower his stock will get because teams will know we are trying to get rid of him and he will be a RFA anyway in 2015

If Embiid is the best player available when we pick I feel like we gotta take him even with Vucevic on board.

If that’s the case I feel like we should trade Nik as soon as possible. Vucevic is a damn good player, an excellent rebounder, a solid defender and a very efficient player on the offensive end of the floor and he’s just 23. But I wouldn’t want him slowing down Embiid’s development. Also the longer we would hold on to Vucevic the lower his stock will get because teams will know we are trying to get rid of him and he will be a RFA anyway in 2015

   I think if Embiid is drafed by Orlando, he’s the day 1 starter, but as most rookie bigs struggle with fouls, having a guy like Vucuvic would be an amazing luxury. You have the ability to bring a proven but still young big off the bench, you have a really big strong guy to hit the weights with and have Embiid practice against every day, and a guy with a pretty high trade value.

Even if you only play them together until Feb and trade Vucevic, or maybe Vucevic still gets enough minutes to make him happy and Orlando is maybe in the running for an 8 seed and he finishes the year a member of the Magic, I think it’d greatly help Orlando and Embiid’s development. There are a lot of teams that would love to have a double double center, so I still think you draft Embiid if you’re Orlando and you end up with the 1st pick.

I just don’t think you want to be in a coulda, shoulda, woulda situation with Embiid in 5 years.

   I think if Embiid is drafed by Orlando, he’s the day 1 starter, but as most rookie bigs struggle with fouls, having a guy like Vucuvic would be an amazing luxury. You have the ability to bring a proven but still young big off the bench, you have a really big strong guy to hit the weights with and have Embiid practice against every day, and a guy with a pretty high trade value.

Even if you only play them together until Feb and trade Vucevic, or maybe Vucevic still gets enough minutes to make him happy and Orlando is maybe in the running for an 8 seed and he finishes the year a member of the Magic, I think it’d greatly help Orlando and Embiid’s development. There are a lot of teams that would love to have a double double center, so I still think you draft Embiid if you’re Orlando and you end up with the 1st pick.

I just don’t think you want to be in a coulda, shoulda, woulda situation with Embiid in 5 years.

 Idk.. For Orlando i just love the Oladipo and Smart backcourt 

 Idk.. For Orlando i just love the Oladipo and Smart backcourt 

Day one starter? Vucevic is a walking double-double, so I doubt he goes to the bench. The reality of the situation is that most rookies aren’t ready to jump in and contribute like that. Even Olidipo started his career coming off the bench, and so did other good big men like Kevin Love and LeMarcus Aldridge. Embiib is good, but he’s not at the point where you can expect him to start from day one. Having him on the bench and practice/watch a guy like Nikola Vucevic can only help him at this point.

Right now the Magic have a good young core of Tobias/Olidipo/Vucevic/Harkless and some decent looking prospects in Nicolson/O’Quinn/Lamb, so they definitely have the pieces to make a move or two in the future, and adding a player like Embiib would only solidify them moving forward. 

The Magic are in a nice position because a lot of the players they currently have in their core can play multiple possitions. Tobias is playing SF this year, but was awesome in the stretch PF role last year for them. Olidipo is a SG who can play a little point, and Harkless can guard the 1-3 and play the 2 or 3 on offense.

Vucevic would really have to step it up, but I think big men are getting over paid in todays NBA, and with his contract extention coming up I wouldn’t put it past the Magic to trade him for a good PG prospect (Assuming they get Embiib of course). He’s averaging 13/11/2/1/1 this year with a 18 PER. He’s going to get paid. In this situation though, having a decent shooting big man next to Embiib could really be deadly, so it might be better to just keep them both and see if they can play together, and if not you have a few years to develope Embiib before he takes over.

Day one starter? Vucevic is a walking double-double, so I doubt he goes to the bench. The reality of the situation is that most rookies aren’t ready to jump in and contribute like that. Even Olidipo started his career coming off the bench, and so did other good big men like Kevin Love and LeMarcus Aldridge. Embiib is good, but he’s not at the point where you can expect him to start from day one. Having him on the bench and practice/watch a guy like Nikola Vucevic can only help him at this point.

Right now the Magic have a good young core of Tobias/Olidipo/Vucevic/Harkless and some decent looking prospects in Nicolson/O’Quinn/Lamb, so they definitely have the pieces to make a move or two in the future, and adding a player like Embiib would only solidify them moving forward. 

The Magic are in a nice position because a lot of the players they currently have in their core can play multiple possitions. Tobias is playing SF this year, but was awesome in the stretch PF role last year for them. Olidipo is a SG who can play a little point, and Harkless can guard the 1-3 and play the 2 or 3 on offense.

Vucevic would really have to step it up, but I think big men are getting over paid in todays NBA, and with his contract extention coming up I wouldn’t put it past the Magic to trade him for a good PG prospect (Assuming they get Embiib of course). He’s averaging 13/11/2/1/1 this year with a 18 PER. He’s going to get paid. In this situation though, having a decent shooting big man next to Embiib could really be deadly, so it might be better to just keep them both and see if they can play together, and if not you have a few years to develope Embiib before he takes over.

If Embiid is on the board and you’re the Magic, YOU DRAFT HIM. Trade Vucevic for a good SF because teams NEED centres. Embiid is going to be a STAR. And the Magic need to develop him properly.

If Embiid is on the board and you’re the Magic, YOU DRAFT HIM. Trade Vucevic for a good SF because teams NEED centres. Embiid is going to be a STAR. And the Magic need to develop him properly.

Not an easy choice. I’m not a fan of two bigs lineups, but I think these two can work together or at least they can try. Vucevic has a very nice face up game and range on his jumper and Embiid shows some touch. I think they can somehow make things work on offense. I guess things would be more complicated on defense, though Embiid has nice feet, they can struggle against teams playing with quick combo forwards at 4. But that’s going to be a problem even with a Big Baby/Vucevic or Big Baby/Embiid lineup. On the downside, with both Embiid and Vucevic, Tobias Harris would get very few minutes at 4 and that would be a pity, he has a lot of potential as a quick power forward, but I’m not too sold on his upside as a small forward.

Not an easy choice. I’m not a fan of two bigs lineups, but I think these two can work together or at least they can try. Vucevic has a very nice face up game and range on his jumper and Embiid shows some touch. I think they can somehow make things work on offense. I guess things would be more complicated on defense, though Embiid has nice feet, they can struggle against teams playing with quick combo forwards at 4. But that’s going to be a problem even with a Big Baby/Vucevic or Big Baby/Embiid lineup. On the downside, with both Embiid and Vucevic, Tobias Harris would get very few minutes at 4 and that would be a pity, he has a lot of potential as a quick power forward, but I’m not too sold on his upside as a small forward.

if you are going to invest a high pick in this draft on somebody, you’re practically going all in.  if they grab embiid, you have to trade vucevic.  embiid nor vucevic can play pf so move vucevic for a pg or pf and a later 1st round draft pick.

personally if i was hennigan and had the no. 2 pick, i’d call up charlotte and trade for their 2 picks and maybe one of their prospects (zeller, kidd-gilchrest, biyombo, taylor).  orlando would probably be in range for a pg like ennis or clarkson and then they can swing for the fences with the later pick on chris walker, harrell or isiah austin.  

if you are going to invest a high pick in this draft on somebody, you’re practically going all in.  if they grab embiid, you have to trade vucevic.  embiid nor vucevic can play pf so move vucevic for a pg or pf and a later 1st round draft pick.

personally if i was hennigan and had the no. 2 pick, i’d call up charlotte and trade for their 2 picks and maybe one of their prospects (zeller, kidd-gilchrest, biyombo, taylor).  orlando would probably be in range for a pg like ennis or clarkson and then they can swing for the fences with the later pick on chris walker, harrell or isiah austin.  

if you are going to invest a high pick in this draft on somebody, you’re practically going all in.  if they grab embiid, you have to trade vucevic.  embiid nor vucevic can play pf so move vucevic for a pg or pf and a later 1st round draft pick.

personally if i was hennigan and had the no. 2 pick, i’d call up charlotte and trade for their 2 picks and maybe one of their prospects (zeller, kidd-gilchrest, biyombo, taylor).  orlando would probably be in range for a pg like ennis or clarkson and then they can swing for the fences with the later pick on chris walker, harrell or isiah austin.  

if you are going to invest a high pick in this draft on somebody, you’re practically going all in.  if they grab embiid, you have to trade vucevic.  embiid nor vucevic can play pf so move vucevic for a pg or pf and a later 1st round draft pick.

personally if i was hennigan and had the no. 2 pick, i’d call up charlotte and trade for their 2 picks and maybe one of their prospects (zeller, kidd-gilchrest, biyombo, taylor).  orlando would probably be in range for a pg like ennis or clarkson and then they can swing for the fences with the later pick on chris walker, harrell or isiah austin.  

I wouldnt trade Vucevic if they Get Embid. He is only 23, and his true position is pf. The way he plays really reminds me of Luis Scola, but a little taller at a legit 6’10.5 and stronger.

I wouldnt trade Vucevic if they Get Embid. He is only 23, and his true position is pf. The way he plays really reminds me of Luis Scola, but a little taller at a legit 6’10.5 and stronger.

Embiid and Oladipo would be hard to pass up.  Great athletes and great on defense.  Figure out where to put Vucevic and surround them with shooters.  If I were Orlando I would also look at getting Aaron Craft as their lead point guard for the future.  Craft can’t score but he can play defense, pass, rebound, and run the team.

Embiid and Oladipo would be hard to pass up.  Great athletes and great on defense.  Figure out where to put Vucevic and surround them with shooters.  If I were Orlando I would also look at getting Aaron Craft as their lead point guard for the future.  Craft can’t score but he can play defense, pass, rebound, and run the team.

Who do you think regrets their decision more?

(a) Houston drafting Hakeem Olajuwon, when they already had Ralph Sampson;

or

(b) Portland drafting Sam Bowie over Jordan, because they already had Drexler?

I know that the above is a bit of a cliché, but my point is that BPA is almost always the way to go. I like Vucevic, but there’s no way he has HOF potential. However, he’d be a great player for Embiid to learn from & will take the pressure off him in his first season. If Embiid continues his meteoric development, then you can always trade Vucevic in February. His trade value, due to his contract; age & position is as high as anyone’s.

You may even get someone in need of a centre to bite & trade one of the rookie PGs like Smart or Exum in a deal if he falls to the right/wrong team. If Smart / Exum fell to a team like Philly; Cleveland or Boston, do you think Vucevic & 14th would be enough to prise them away?

Who do you think regrets their decision more?

(a) Houston drafting Hakeem Olajuwon, when they already had Ralph Sampson;

or

(b) Portland drafting Sam Bowie over Jordan, because they already had Drexler?

I know that the above is a bit of a cliché, but my point is that BPA is almost always the way to go. I like Vucevic, but there’s no way he has HOF potential. However, he’d be a great player for Embiid to learn from & will take the pressure off him in his first season. If Embiid continues his meteoric development, then you can always trade Vucevic in February. His trade value, due to his contract; age & position is as high as anyone’s.

You may even get someone in need of a centre to bite & trade one of the rookie PGs like Smart or Exum in a deal if he falls to the right/wrong team. If Smart / Exum fell to a team like Philly; Cleveland or Boston, do you think Vucevic & 14th would be enough to prise them away?

 If I were the Orlando GM, I would take the best player available. If that is Embiid, I bring along slowly as he will be just 19. Use him to back up Vucevic at 10-15 Mins per game and spend some time in the D league. Be right back in the lottery for hopefully another very high pick.  

 If I were the Orlando GM, I would take the best player available. If that is Embiid, I bring along slowly as he will be just 19. Use him to back up Vucevic at 10-15 Mins per game and spend some time in the D league. Be right back in the lottery for hopefully another very high pick.  

 Why not trade down?

Listen – if you LOVE Embiid, of course, you pick him and get rid of Vucevic.

But if you are looking at Parker or Wiggins (or even Smart I guess) and think that their ceilings are relatively the same as Embiid’s, but fit your needs much better, then I see no problem in trading down. A thirsty GM will probably give you a pick next year for it.

Now I want to clarify something. I support Embiid as the number 1 prospect, but as I said with Wiggins last summer, this is not clear cut, and not a forgone conclusion. Embiid isn’t a flawless prospect, and the guys right behind him have similar potential. 

If Embiid continues to ascend, and has some breakout, monster, 20+ point games, he could be the sure fire head and shoulders number 1 by the draft. It could also go the other way and he could fall to 2 or 3. 

 Why not trade down?

Listen – if you LOVE Embiid, of course, you pick him and get rid of Vucevic.

But if you are looking at Parker or Wiggins (or even Smart I guess) and think that their ceilings are relatively the same as Embiid’s, but fit your needs much better, then I see no problem in trading down. A thirsty GM will probably give you a pick next year for it.

Now I want to clarify something. I support Embiid as the number 1 prospect, but as I said with Wiggins last summer, this is not clear cut, and not a forgone conclusion. Embiid isn’t a flawless prospect, and the guys right behind him have similar potential. 

If Embiid continues to ascend, and has some breakout, monster, 20+ point games, he could be the sure fire head and shoulders number 1 by the draft. It could also go the other way and he could fall to 2 or 3. 

If you can get him, you take Embiid. After that, they have the 12th pick also (roughly). Maybe they can trade up and grab Zack Lavine (Exum/Smart might be too high to trade up to). Then you’re talking.

If you can get him, you take Embiid. After that, they have the 12th pick also (roughly). Maybe they can trade up and grab Zack Lavine (Exum/Smart might be too high to trade up to). Then you’re talking.