[SlickBouncePassParticipant]

 This topic annoys me but I don’t think its been raised, because its hypothetical, but something to think about.

The Lakers had guards in Clarkson and their FA signings.  They were caught in the Curry hype and wanted to add their own dominant guard in Russell, and clearly they wiffed on both Porzingis and Okafor.  The Lakers yes had Randle and were hoping to pick up either Aldridge or DMC, but they were poorly managed, assumed they could do whatever they wanted, whiffed on the big-men FAs, and definitely whiffed on Porzingis (who could’ve played with both Cousins and Aldridge), and even Okafor who could’ve helped them.  They made that mistake of thinking they had things in their bag, and therefore, missed out on a really exciting player in Porzingis, and now might settle for Whiteside which woudln’t be terrible but also would not get them into the playoffs next year.

 

Now for the Sixers, assuming Embiid returns to the court next year, who would take Porzingis over Okafor?  I think in retrospect I definitely would.  Even this year, how good would Noel and Porzingis looks on the floor together defensively?  Offensively Porzingis will defintiely grow into his body in the next two years, and with his shot and the return of Embiid, how good would Porzingis look playing next to Embiid next year?  Two guys that are 7’2” and can play both inside and outside.  So, I think the Sixers whiffed on Porzingis bigtime.

Okafor is a nice player, but his defensive liability limits his bonuses as a draftee on a team that already has several bigmen that are used to playing in the paint.

Both the Lakers and the Sixers missed on Porzingis.  A guy that is so big and talented that he makes even Carmelo Anthony look like an aging star in NYC.  

As a Sixers fan, I much rather wish we took Porzingis to play wtih both Embiid and Noel, and whoever they bring in this year (Simmons).

The Lakers i am sure, wish they had Porzingis to run out there with Randle and their guards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[thetruth87Participant]

 As a Knicks fan I’m obviously thrilled that we got Porzingis. I think Towns and him are the only two franchise players out of this draft; with Okafor, Russell, Winslow etc. with a chance to be allstar caliber, and many other solid players. 

The issue that weighs on my mind about if the Lakers drafted Porzingis instead of Russell is does Byron Scott even give KP a chance to shine in LA? The consensus before the year started was that KP was at least a year or two away from really being able to contribute at a high level. Would this assumption have kept Scott from playing KP so early on in his career? We’ve already seen so far this year that he values winning (even with a dreadful team that is rebuilding) over player development. 

We’ll obviously never know what would have transpired if the Lakers drafted KP. No matter who drafted him a player of his caliber would probably eventually break out in a big way, but maybe we would be talking about how the Lakers actually passed up Russell this year if they drafted KP. 

 

[thetruth87Participant]

 As a Knicks fan I’m obviously thrilled that we got Porzingis. I think Towns and him are the only two franchise players out of this draft; with Okafor, Russell, Winslow etc. with a chance to be allstar caliber, and many other solid players. 

The issue that weighs on my mind about if the Lakers drafted Porzingis instead of Russell is does Byron Scott even give KP a chance to shine in LA? The consensus before the year started was that KP was at least a year or two away from really being able to contribute at a high level. Would this assumption have kept Scott from playing KP so early on in his career? We’ve already seen so far this year that he values winning (even with a dreadful team that is rebuilding) over player development. 

We’ll obviously never know what would have transpired if the Lakers drafted KP. No matter who drafted him a player of his caliber would probably eventually break out in a big way, but maybe we would be talking about how the Lakers actually passed up Russell this year if they drafted KP. 

 

[ScarTissue98Participant]

 Killed for passing on Okafor b/c the Knicks would be tearing teams w/ a perfect inside / outside game where they have Two guys who require a double team……

We have very short memories, Okafor is a beast in the post…. He’ll be Boogie COusins w/o the attitude in 5 years…. Don;t get me wrong, I luv Porzingus too… but if he were playing on that Putrid Phila team, he’d be lucky to score 8 points a game…..

 Porzingus isn’t strong enough to establish himself as a post presence on offense….. He is not a go to #1 or #2 scoring option….. maybe he will be somedday but right now he’s not…. He plays w/ Melo & opponents barely pay attention to Porzingus b/c they are doubling & tripling Melo…. 

Okafor is a #1 scoring option & we’re focusing on the fact that he is average at the Def end…. The NBA playoffs ALWAYS turn into a half court grind & Okafor ALREADY commands a double & triple team in the post b/c he’s just about unstoppable… B/c he’s a rookie, he gets no calls even though he twists defenders into knots & gets fouled on almost every play…. 

Also, don’t discount that he plays for Phila, which must feel like he is in prison…. I’m not a fan of any of these teams…. I’m a draftnick & I enjoy following the top picks during their Rookie year…. I have said from jump that ALL 4 top picks are going to be excellent players & after the bashing of Russell & the over hyping of Porzingus wears off these guys will all settle in as Top prospects….. I am praying Okafor can force his way out of Phila, b/c of the four top picks he is the only one who will be a #1 scoring option & in the NBA that Is the most covetted skill set of them all….

 

[laughin2dabanksParticipant]

 Well Porzingis tonight did pretty good as the #1 option for the knicks while Melo was out against the Cavs… 23pts, 13reb, 4ast  and they only lost by 7 should’ve been a blowout without Melo

[laughin2dabanksParticipant]

 Well Porzingis tonight did pretty good as the #1 option for the knicks while Melo was out against the Cavs… 23pts, 13reb, 4ast  and they only lost by 7 should’ve been a blowout without Melo

[ScarTissue98Participant]

 Killed for passing on Okafor b/c the Knicks would be tearing teams w/ a perfect inside / outside game where they have Two guys who require a double team……

We have very short memories, Okafor is a beast in the post…. He’ll be Boogie COusins w/o the attitude in 5 years…. Don;t get me wrong, I luv Porzingus too… but if he were playing on that Putrid Phila team, he’d be lucky to score 8 points a game…..

 Porzingus isn’t strong enough to establish himself as a post presence on offense….. He is not a go to #1 or #2 scoring option….. maybe he will be somedday but right now he’s not…. He plays w/ Melo & opponents barely pay attention to Porzingus b/c they are doubling & tripling Melo…. 

Okafor is a #1 scoring option & we’re focusing on the fact that he is average at the Def end…. The NBA playoffs ALWAYS turn into a half court grind & Okafor ALREADY commands a double & triple team in the post b/c he’s just about unstoppable… B/c he’s a rookie, he gets no calls even though he twists defenders into knots & gets fouled on almost every play…. 

Also, don’t discount that he plays for Phila, which must feel like he is in prison…. I’m not a fan of any of these teams…. I’m a draftnick & I enjoy following the top picks during their Rookie year…. I have said from jump that ALL 4 top picks are going to be excellent players & after the bashing of Russell & the over hyping of Porzingus wears off these guys will all settle in as Top prospects….. I am praying Okafor can force his way out of Phila, b/c of the four top picks he is the only one who will be a #1 scoring option & in the NBA that Is the most covetted skill set of them all….

 

[Anton123Participant]

 I wouldn’t be sad about having Okafor. Porzingis was obviously a huge risk and Okafor has in some ways even exceeded expectations. I don’t think they will be biting their elbows over picking Okafor third.

Over the past 8 games he’s averaging:

19.5 ppg and 7.9 rpg on 50% from the field in 31.1 mpg.

That’s pretty great for a rookie who gets zero easy baskets a game because nobody feeds him the ball properly. 

I also think they should be pretty happy that they have their centre because there is no certainty Embiid will ever be good or healthy. 

I’m also pretty sure Porzingis would be looking a lot worse on the dysfunctional Philly team and everyone would be calling them idiots for passing on Okafor.

[Anton123Participant]

 I wouldn’t be sad about having Okafor. Porzingis was obviously a huge risk and Okafor has in some ways even exceeded expectations. I don’t think they will be biting their elbows over picking Okafor third.

Over the past 8 games he’s averaging:

19.5 ppg and 7.9 rpg on 50% from the field in 31.1 mpg.

That’s pretty great for a rookie who gets zero easy baskets a game because nobody feeds him the ball properly. 

I also think they should be pretty happy that they have their centre because there is no certainty Embiid will ever be good or healthy. 

I’m also pretty sure Porzingis would be looking a lot worse on the dysfunctional Philly team and everyone would be calling them idiots for passing on Okafor.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

 The thing is, even if Okafor is going to be really, really good, then they would STILL like to pair him with a guy like Porzingas.

I think (could be wrong) that a guy like Porzingas is tougher to find than a guy like Okafor.

Who knows…

This team isn’t finished yet, but there is still a LOT of work to be done.

They need an A+ draft and they really need to figure out who the core is going to be so they can develop an identity.  And they STILL have question marks in Embiid and Saric.

No matter what, the fact that they are starting out even WORSE this year than they did last year is a BIG RED FLAG.  Nerlens Noel has regressed.  ANOTHER red flag.  You could find hope in the solid start by Jahlil Okafor, but another red flag is the thought that maybe Noel and Okafor isn’t a big man combo that is going to work out.  

They have more draft picks coming, but at some point you have to cement your CORE then find role players to fill in the gaps.

Remember how the Thunder had a CORE FOUR but couldn’t pay them all?  So, the picked Ibaka over Harden and have had injury setbacks and playoff disappointments ever since.  I know the salary cap is going to go up, but it goes up for EVERYBODY.  You get 4 guys, maybe 5.  How many more can you pay?  Then are you going to pay what are essentially THREE centers in Okafor, Noel, and Embiid?

If you are patterning your rebuild on the Thunders’, then well the Thunder had TWO superstars AT THE TIME in Durant and Westbrook.  And, now, Harden is a superstar.  So, that team that got to the Finals had THREE superstars.  The Sixers don’t even have ONE yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

 The thing is, even if Okafor is going to be really, really good, then they would STILL like to pair him with a guy like Porzingas.

I think (could be wrong) that a guy like Porzingas is tougher to find than a guy like Okafor.

Who knows…

This team isn’t finished yet, but there is still a LOT of work to be done.

They need an A+ draft and they really need to figure out who the core is going to be so they can develop an identity.  And they STILL have question marks in Embiid and Saric.

No matter what, the fact that they are starting out even WORSE this year than they did last year is a BIG RED FLAG.  Nerlens Noel has regressed.  ANOTHER red flag.  You could find hope in the solid start by Jahlil Okafor, but another red flag is the thought that maybe Noel and Okafor isn’t a big man combo that is going to work out.  

They have more draft picks coming, but at some point you have to cement your CORE then find role players to fill in the gaps.

Remember how the Thunder had a CORE FOUR but couldn’t pay them all?  So, the picked Ibaka over Harden and have had injury setbacks and playoff disappointments ever since.  I know the salary cap is going to go up, but it goes up for EVERYBODY.  You get 4 guys, maybe 5.  How many more can you pay?  Then are you going to pay what are essentially THREE centers in Okafor, Noel, and Embiid?

If you are patterning your rebuild on the Thunders’, then well the Thunder had TWO superstars AT THE TIME in Durant and Westbrook.  And, now, Harden is a superstar.  So, that team that got to the Finals had THREE superstars.  The Sixers don’t even have ONE yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[holefillers1Participant]

 They have a guy like Porzingus. His name is Joel Embiid and that is who they want to pair Okafor with. I also believe you take the sure thing with Okafor in the draft because of the uncertainty of Embiid and Porzingus.  

[holefillers1Participant]

 They have a guy like Porzingus. His name is Joel Embiid and that is who they want to pair Okafor with. I also believe you take the sure thing with Okafor in the draft because of the uncertainty of Embiid and Porzingus.  

[ScarTissue98Participant]

 the paint….. at Both ends…. & even though he can shoot – you will rarely Ever see Embiid on the perimeter…. Porzingus lives on the perimeter & I like him a lot – but Porzingus can not establish position in the psot – he’s just not strong enough & Porzingus is not a #1 scoring option….. I Luv both players but they are nothing alike…. Embiid is a Center – all day, every day…. & Porzingus is a PF……..

[ScarTissue98Participant]

 the paint….. at Both ends…. & even though he can shoot – you will rarely Ever see Embiid on the perimeter…. Porzingus lives on the perimeter & I like him a lot – but Porzingus can not establish position in the psot – he’s just not strong enough & Porzingus is not a #1 scoring option….. I Luv both players but they are nothing alike…. Embiid is a Center – all day, every day…. & Porzingus is a PF……..

[JordoParticipant]

Sorry to burst your bubble but all the Embiid scenarios are concerning to me. It’ll be 2 years in the league and he’ll still be considered a rookie without any real game time action since college. Any type of scenario where the sixers drafted Porzingas over Okafor don’t make the sixers any better to me if they don’t have any solid guard play,no veterans leaders or anything. On top of that I’m not seeing to many combos of Noel, Embiid, Okafor, and Porzigas are going to play together, especially with teams willing to go small and exploit matchups. But to just answer the question, Porzingas is the only one that that can play outside while Okafor, Noel and Embiid would be pretty rough spacing while. So I’d pick him

 

[JordoParticipant]

Sorry to burst your bubble but all the Embiid scenarios are concerning to me. It’ll be 2 years in the league and he’ll still be considered a rookie without any real game time action since college. Any type of scenario where the sixers drafted Porzingas over Okafor don’t make the sixers any better to me if they don’t have any solid guard play,no veterans leaders or anything. On top of that I’m not seeing to many combos of Noel, Embiid, Okafor, and Porzigas are going to play together, especially with teams willing to go small and exploit matchups. But to just answer the question, Porzingas is the only one that that can play outside while Okafor, Noel and Embiid would be pretty rough spacing while. So I’d pick him

 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

 Should they trade EVERYBODY and take a shot at getting Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram, Kris Dunn, Jackob Poetl, AND Buddy Hield?

THAT is your starting five and ALSO your core.

Then buy some late second rounders to go after some role players.  

McConnell and Robert Covington are ok, but strictly ROLE PLAYERS.  Same with Grant and Holmes.

The rest of the guys, even Okafor, should be EXPENDABLE given the right price.

Take a FAB FIVE rookie class.  Hold on to a few of the young, cheap contract role players, and you still have NEXT YEAR’S picks.

Right now they have some parts but they don’t all fit.  Some haven’t even played yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

 Should they trade EVERYBODY and take a shot at getting Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram, Kris Dunn, Jackob Poetl, AND Buddy Hield?

THAT is your starting five and ALSO your core.

Then buy some late second rounders to go after some role players.  

McConnell and Robert Covington are ok, but strictly ROLE PLAYERS.  Same with Grant and Holmes.

The rest of the guys, even Okafor, should be EXPENDABLE given the right price.

Take a FAB FIVE rookie class.  Hold on to a few of the young, cheap contract role players, and you still have NEXT YEAR’S picks.

Right now they have some parts but they don’t all fit.  Some haven’t even played yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CobraParticipant]

 are two of the most important things a player could posess. Okafor posses neither of those abilities while Porzingis has both with a 7’3" frame. Yeah, I’ll take Porzingis.

[NBAjunkie81Participant]

 Porzingus does not defend in space & he doesn’t lock down the rim either…. he’s crazy long so he gets Off Ball or help defending blocks… & don;t get me wrong I LUV that skill & I luv his shooting…. but he does not defend in space….

And yea I agree shooting is very importabnt but the #1 skill that determines if a player will great is does he Force to teams to double or triple team him b/c he can not be guarded by 1 man – either on the perimeter or in the post….

 Okafor has the most developed post game I have ever seen…. If Okafor was playing w/ Melo it would be a match up nightmare b/c they would have 2 guys that command a double team…..

Porzingus is a really nice prospect at the PF / 4 spot & Okafor is a really nice prospect at the C/5 spot…. I don;t understand why people have to tear down Okafor to compliment Porzingus… They play different positions & Both have Big time strengths & weaknesses…..

I hate that Okafor is playing for the Sixers…. I wish the NBA would just disband that team…. Okafor is Alone on that team…. He’s got all 5 opponents collapsing in on him in the post before he can even get the ball…. It’s outrageous….

 

 

 

[NBAjunkie81Participant]

 Porzingus does not defend in space & he doesn’t lock down the rim either…. he’s crazy long so he gets Off Ball or help defending blocks… & don;t get me wrong I LUV that skill & I luv his shooting…. but he does not defend in space….

And yea I agree shooting is very importabnt but the #1 skill that determines if a player will great is does he Force to teams to double or triple team him b/c he can not be guarded by 1 man – either on the perimeter or in the post….

 Okafor has the most developed post game I have ever seen…. If Okafor was playing w/ Melo it would be a match up nightmare b/c they would have 2 guys that command a double team…..

Porzingus is a really nice prospect at the PF / 4 spot & Okafor is a really nice prospect at the C/5 spot…. I don;t understand why people have to tear down Okafor to compliment Porzingus… They play different positions & Both have Big time strengths & weaknesses…..

I hate that Okafor is playing for the Sixers…. I wish the NBA would just disband that team…. Okafor is Alone on that team…. He’s got all 5 opponents collapsing in on him in the post before he can even get the ball…. It’s outrageous….

 

 

 

[CobraParticipant]

 are two of the most important things a player could posess. Okafor posses neither of those abilities while Porzingis has both with a 7’3" frame. Yeah, I’ll take Porzingis.

[eXKaliberParticipant]

 I agree with Memphis.  As it currently stands, they don’t have a single player on the roster they could actually build around.  I know Okafor is putting up solid numbers, but if you look at the last 5 NBA Champions, only 1 out of the 5 teams featured a dominant low post scorer (and we all know Okafor is no Tim Duncan).  With that being said, I think Zinger is the obvious choice due to his rare combination of athleticism, size, and shooting ability.

 

BTW, since when is Joel Embiid comparable to Porzingis?  Last I remember he did most of his damage in the post and was TRYING to expand his game outside going into the NBA.  Embiid’s range probably tops out at 15-20 feet MAX 

 

 

[Mr. 19134Participant]

Wrong theres video of Embiid on YouTube last June just drilling consecutive 3s effortlessly

[Mr. 19134Participant]

Wrong theres video of Embiid on YouTube last June just drilling consecutive 3s effortlessly

[eXKaliberParticipant]

 I agree with Memphis.  As it currently stands, they don’t have a single player on the roster they could actually build around.  I know Okafor is putting up solid numbers, but if you look at the last 5 NBA Champions, only 1 out of the 5 teams featured a dominant low post scorer (and we all know Okafor is no Tim Duncan).  With that being said, I think Zinger is the obvious choice due to his rare combination of athleticism, size, and shooting ability.

 

BTW, since when is Joel Embiid comparable to Porzingis?  Last I remember he did most of his damage in the post and was TRYING to expand his game outside going into the NBA.  Embiid’s range probably tops out at 15-20 feet MAX 

 

 

[katumbalstreetfoodUKParticipant]

Joel embiid should be disposed by the sixers while he still has mystery value to others…the guy has series of injuries and has not even put a single official nba sneaker worn in a game. Imagine how good a guy once the sixers salivate to have..ANDREW BYNUM…when they have him he came from an injury..its was a disatrous AB til he exit NBA….i dont think Joel Embiid is better than AB when he was a Lakers.size wise,game knowledge and experience , potential , defensive ability and athletism. and one more thing Joel Embiid is no Porzingis…Porzigis is a dirk Nowitski 2.0 while embiid is a very poor man comparison to the ageing olojuwon..sorry but its a bit disrespect to the great hakeem comparing his game to embiid.

[katumbalstreetfoodUKParticipant]

Joel embiid should be disposed by the sixers while he still has mystery value to others…the guy has series of injuries and has not even put a single official nba sneaker worn in a game. Imagine how good a guy once the sixers salivate to have..ANDREW BYNUM…when they have him he came from an injury..its was a disatrous AB til he exit NBA….i dont think Joel Embiid is better than AB when he was a Lakers.size wise,game knowledge and experience , potential , defensive ability and athletism. and one more thing Joel Embiid is no Porzingis…Porzigis is a dirk Nowitski 2.0 while embiid is a very poor man comparison to the ageing olojuwon..sorry but its a bit disrespect to the great hakeem comparing his game to embiid.

[NYK2010Participant]

 People though Porzingis was a couple of years away because that is how most foreign players are perceived.

If you watched preseason you could see he was going to contribute right away.

Porzingis hasn’t even been consistent with his outside shot yet. Also he’s working on a hook shot and once he puts on some weight he’ll score more inside.  Early on he was fouling too much and he’s kept that under control lately. 

The Knicks were smart enough to pick him and pairing him with Lopez gives them a solid shot blocking duo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NYK2010Participant]

 People though Porzingis was a couple of years away because that is how most foreign players are perceived.

If you watched preseason you could see he was going to contribute right away.

Porzingis hasn’t even been consistent with his outside shot yet. Also he’s working on a hook shot and once he puts on some weight he’ll score more inside.  Early on he was fouling too much and he’s kept that under control lately. 

The Knicks were smart enough to pick him and pairing him with Lopez gives them a solid shot blocking duo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 I question how many of you guys have even watched Sixers games cuz Okafor is the youngest out of the 3 heralded bigs and destroyed Towns in they re matchup and owned Porzingis too  Hes also hittin his outside shots and shooting a very good % from the foul line.  Its amazing how efficiently Jah is scoring despite having defenses collapse on him every game and no guard play. 

Jahs not a bad defender either he caj be solid but he still clearly plays to stay outta foul trouble.

 

And the Sixers just brought in Colangelo and D Antoni to help turn things around so Okafor future is coming sooner then later

 

 

 

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 I question how many of you guys have even watched Sixers games cuz Okafor is the youngest out of the 3 heralded bigs and destroyed Towns in they re matchup and owned Porzingis too  Hes also hittin his outside shots and shooting a very good % from the foul line.  Its amazing how efficiently Jah is scoring despite having defenses collapse on him every game and no guard play. 

Jahs not a bad defender either he caj be solid but he still clearly plays to stay outta foul trouble.

 

And the Sixers just brought in Colangelo and D Antoni to help turn things around so Okafor future is coming sooner then later

 

 

 

[PulseGlazerParticipant]

 Okafor has looked great in specific match ups with people relatively at his experience level, but good NBA level bigs with length and strength have forced him to really bad efficiency and a ton of turnovers.  And you’re righton Okafor’s defense.  It isn’t bad: it is terrible.  

[PulseGlazerParticipant]

 Okafor has looked great in specific match ups with people relatively at his experience level, but good NBA level bigs with length and strength have forced him to really bad efficiency and a ton of turnovers.  And you’re righton Okafor’s defense.  It isn’t bad: it is terrible.  

[Author]

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