Official 2017 NBA Draft Thread - June 22
- Thread starter Broadway
- Start date
Thats the problem with Ainge trading that top pick even if he's loaded at the position. Fultz probably has the most potential to be most transformative player in the draft so do you pass on him because you have an all star playing there already to fill a position need and to get a role player next year. Tough choice, maybe Ainge decides to keep the top pick and deal that depth at PG for a proven player instead. I don't think IT and Fultz can play together despite what IT thinks.
This won't work because Ainge can draft Jackson #1 overall, you mean Lakers would draft Fultz as a threat
Draft Day
Cs drafts = Jackson
Lakers drafts = Ball
Philly drafts = Fultz
or
Trade PreDraft
Philly drafts = Jackson
Lakers drafts = Ball
Celtics drafts = Fultz
In both scenarios Cs and Philly swapped/can swap. Depends on if this is a pre draft trade(which it sounds like it has to be). I think it's Philly who wants Jackson again
Notice the leaks from the Lakers on workouts are getting stronger and weightier by the day? This wreaks of L.A. trying to call themselves controlling the draft at 2 when they know they can't. I mean how ironic that Fultz killed it and Jackson didn't....please stop it Magic seriously like stop it :teeth:. Oh and JG how much is he getting out of this...lol
I think Ainge is game to draft any top prospect outside of Ball if he can swindle premium picks out of the deal with another team. Going back to my last post, if true Philly waiting on a Fultz visit(passing physicals) then Jackson isn't the factor here for them. Is it Fultz camp trying to muck this up? If Fultz is Philly's target it does suggest maybe they have slightly different plans for Simmons for sure.
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mafra
Legend
The word is BOS would target Jax if they trade from 1 to 3, feeling confident BALL will be taken by LAK. So, if both LA and PHI are battling to trade up to 1, to pick Fultz, then Magic should be telling Ainge that going from 1 to 2 ensure BOs gets "their" guy.... b/c no guarantee LAK takes Ball. And, LAK might take Jax instead of Ball... meaning JJ won't be there by the 3rd pick.
So, if Ainge has heart set on JJ.... then he has to wonder if LA is bluffing. Now, if he likes DSJ and JJ and doesn't care which player he gets.... then this argument is mute. However, if JJ is the true target.... it's not worth risking it.... he would have to accept LA's offer (and getting Randle to drop 1 spot isn't a bad consolation).
Possibly but that sounds like a reach
I don't think Ainge has that high a preference of who's there at 3 to be honest. He hasn't even worked out DSJ or Jackson yet but he's considering them. Remember reports came out early they hadn't clearly identified who's worthy of being #1 in this draft.
Once again there was a report that Jackson had a promise from someone early this week. It's also been consistently reported Lakers had interest in Fox/Jackson/Ball no other players up until maybe the Smith workout(which nothing suggest they'd select him)
If Ainge really wants Jackson he'll draft him #1 overall plain and simple. It really comes down to those who are below the Cs and their target. That's the only way to look at this trade. There's no reason to move up and give up assets if those teams didn't have a clear target. Meanwhile the team willing to move down is comfortable enough with who remains, they may have some preferences here and there but don't really have a locked in target.
From what I'm hearing it will be at least 2 picks Ainge acquires to move down to 3, I think a future Lakers #1 at that. Philly must be concerned with who the Lakers will draft thus the urgency to trade with Boston.
Jackson's post workout video with Lakers was so candid, man never heard such honesty from a top prospect. Mad props to him
mafra
Legend
Markelle Fultz - G - Player
Markell Fultz completed his workout for the 76ers on Saturday night.
He actually didn't have much success in his workout with plenty of missed jumpers, but who cares? The Washington guard didn't workout for very long with Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Robert Covington on hand to meet the prospect. Fultz arrived to the workout in a 76ers hat, which he said he's had before today. He also said he wanted to get a cheesesteak after the workout, so his favorite cheesesteak place, Larry's, is probably going to be packed tonight. Expect plenty of chatter on Fultz in the coming days.
Source: Keith Pompey on Twitter Jun 17 - 9:05 PM
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Sounds like MF to PHI & BOS keeps obtaining picks.... probably Ainge realizes you have to wait out GSW... so field a competitive team next 2 years with IT & Al.... and keep grabbing lottery picks.
Markell Fultz completed his workout for the 76ers on Saturday night.
He actually didn't have much success in his workout with plenty of missed jumpers, but who cares? The Washington guard didn't workout for very long with Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Robert Covington on hand to meet the prospect. Fultz arrived to the workout in a 76ers hat, which he said he's had before today. He also said he wanted to get a cheesesteak after the workout, so his favorite cheesesteak place, Larry's, is probably going to be packed tonight. Expect plenty of chatter on Fultz in the coming days.
Source: Keith Pompey on Twitter Jun 17 - 9:05 PM
-----
Sounds like MF to PHI & BOS keeps obtaining picks.... probably Ainge realizes you have to wait out GSW... so field a competitive team next 2 years with IT & Al.... and keep grabbing lottery picks.
mafra
Legend
However, it does appear BOS will only pass on MF if they can walk away with Josh Jax... Apparently, BOS only wants Fultz or Jax:
(Rotoworld)
Markelle Fultz's visit to Philadelphia on Saturday is expected to "clear the way toward finalizing a deal with Boston for No. 1 pick," according to Adrian
Wojnarowski adds that the package of selections the Sixers would send to the Celtics would likely include Philadelphia's 2017 first-round pick (No. 3 overall), the Lakers 2018 first-round pick, and possibly Philadelphia's 2021 first-round pick. All future picks would include varying degrees of complicated protections.
There have also been rumors that the two teams may have to wait until draft night to consummate the deal, as the Celtics want to make sure Josh Jackson is on the board at No. 3.
(Rotoworld)
Markelle Fultz's visit to Philadelphia on Saturday is expected to "clear the way toward finalizing a deal with Boston for No. 1 pick," according to Adrian
Wojnarowski adds that the package of selections the Sixers would send to the Celtics would likely include Philadelphia's 2017 first-round pick (No. 3 overall), the Lakers 2018 first-round pick, and possibly Philadelphia's 2021 first-round pick. All future picks would include varying degrees of complicated protections.
There have also been rumors that the two teams may have to wait until draft night to consummate the deal, as the Celtics want to make sure Josh Jackson is on the board at No. 3.
Predictions are that Sixers/Celts deal is going to happen. I don't remember this much interest in a trade for a team to move up two spots but there's a lot of excitement for the Sixers to see a backcourt of Simmons Fultz. Maybe Ainge should reconsider if he's going to make the Sixers a power house in the near future that's going to compete with his Celts. Not a lock that the Lakers scuttle his plan to pick Jackson at 3 if they pick him either. So who does Boston pick if Fultz goes to the Sixers and JJ goes to LA? Lavar would die if his boy goes to the Celts after doing everything to talk them out of it.
I guess the trade would happen after the Lakers make their pick and if they select Ball, Sixers would pick Jackson and then trade him to the Celts for Fultz. Makes sense.
The trade will be finalized Monday so in essence this is a PreDraft Day trade. Sixers will be picking first not the Celtics. Fultz already has a locker made in Philly...Embiid posted a picture hours ago on it. It's not dependent on who's on board. Seems like Ainge could care less as it positions him further to land a blockbuster trade for a star. If Jackson is on board at 3 then I believe the Celtics will pick him.
mafra
Legend
I think it's funny how some are salivating over what PHI has done, or is doing.... tanking for half a decade and all they have to show for it is a great player who can't stay healthy (Embid) and two players who played 1 year of college and couldn't even manage to put their teams in a position to be eligible for a tournament that takes 68 of the nation's best teams.
Fultz and Simmons may be the next Magic and Kobe.... but, seriously, let's see what happens before we anoint them the dynasty of the 2020s.
mafra
Legend
Going to be fascinating to see what Ainge does.... what would any of y'all do?
Have cake and eat it too? Use picks to trade for a Cousins, George, Butler and still draft a good player this year or next?
Keep drafting prospects and build for the post GSW era, planting seeds for future success while still fielding a competitive product next 3 seasons?
Go all in to win now or go all out to win 2020?
Seems like BOS could easily surrender a pick now for Melo... DSJ or JJ plus Melo, give away a pick and still have plenty left. Obviously, Melo would be plan Z, after all else fails. But, still, it wouldn't impede future goals and would only help IT and AL.
Do they roll dice on George for a season.... ?
----------
The trade between the 76ers and Celtics will be finalized on Monday, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com.
The 76ers will use their No. 1 overall pick to select Markelle Fultz.
According to unconfirmed reports from The Vertical Saturday evening, the Celtics may acquire the No. 3 pick in the 2017 draft, the Lakers 2018 pick and the Kings 2019 pick -- there could be protection on these picks. The 76ers have been using T.J. McConnell at the point, but now they get arguably the best point guard prospect since Kyrie Irving. Fultz is a prototype with his 6'6" frame with his 6'9" wingspan, and gives the 76ers ridiculous length on the defensive end. Additionally, he made 41.3 percent from deep for his 2.1 treys per game at Washington, so he could play off Ben Simmons when Simmons is running the offense. The process has all the trust right now.
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Looks like as done deal which will be announced on Monday. Celts get the LA protected pick next year and if it doesn't convey the Kings pick in 2019. Factors that made Ainge do the deal are his stacked backcourt and the feeling of the Celts that among Fultz Jackson Ball and Tatum there wasn't a huge difference in talent. I think Ainge will squeeze another pick out of PHI with the uncertainty surrounding that 2018 Laker pick. If the Lakers take Jackson Celts probably take Tatum.
mafra
Legend
During the French League semifinal between Strasbourg and Lyon-Villeurbonne earlier this month, Olivier Mazet, the French agent for Frank Ntilikina, arranged for a postgame dinner.
He invited his client, Ntilikina, of Strasbourg; Charles Kahudi, who plays for Lyon; and Ntilikina?s mother, Jacqueline.
Lyon led 2-0 in the best-of-five series, and Mazet was relieved. He soon would be on an plane to New York with Ntilikina and New York-based agent Rich Felder to start NBA draft workouts.
Nevertheless, Ntilikina ? the 18-year-old, 6-foot-5 point guard the Knicks are considering with their No. 8 pick ? was miserable and didn?t want to do dinner with an opponent he still was trying to beat.
?No, we?re going to win this series,? Ntilikina told Mazet. ?We?re not going to New York yet. We?re not losing.?
Playing his season?s best ball, more aggressive on offense and playing his usually stellar defense, Ntilikina led Strasbourg to three straight victories to advance to the final against Chalon, which beat Strasbourg 71-70 on a buzzer-beater Saturday to take a 2-1 series lead.
Ntilikina?s two basketball worlds have collided ? either fortuitously or frustratingly, depending on the viewpoint.
Mazet unabashedly admitted after Strasbourg fell behind 1-0 in the French finals he was rooting for a sweep.
?Frank is such a competitor, mature for his age,? Mazet said. ?He wants to win this before he leaves for the NBA, even though he?s not able to enjoy the pre-draft process. He?s worked so hard ? 10 years ? to make that dream happen, meet the franchises and talk to the people, show them what he can do. Unfortunately, he?s not able to do that [yet]. He?d rather win.
In an interview earlier this week, Ntilikina said it has been?difficult? focusing with the draft Thursday but said feels he is succeeding.
?He wears it well, even if it is overwhelming,? said Strasbourg teammate Romeo Travis, a power forward from Ohio. ?He has a calm demeanor about him.?
?You don?t sense he?s distracted, but I imagine he is,? said Strasbourg guard A.J. Slaughter, who starred at Western Kentucky. ?We hear his agent wants to leave for the workouts, and [Ntilikina] wants stay and win a championship. It?s a stressful situation. He wants to do what?s best for the team. I can?t imagine what he?s going through.?
Erving Walker, who hails from Bed Stuy and played for Christ The King, added: ?He?s got a lot of pressure on him. He doesn?t talk about it a lot, but he wants to win a championship really bad. Actions are louder than words, and all his actions are he?s 100 percent in this.?
But Ntilikina is not angry at Mazet for rooting against the club.
?He understands,? Mazet said.
It has been a unique journey to this bizarre culmination. Ntilikina?s mother, Jacqueline Mukarugema, escaped the atrocities of war-torn Rwanda with her two sons for Belgium, where she then had a third child she named Frank. The family moved to Strasbourg when he turned 3.
?It?s a really stable, educated family,? Mazet said.
Jacqueline, who works as a nurse and hospital administrator, raised the three sons by herself. The oldest, Yves, 30, is a back surgeon. Brice, 26, is a physical therapist.
?His mother was very young, and Frank saw the sacrifices and the work,? Mazet said. ?She was a strong influence, and he learned a lot from all of them.?
His American teammates say Ntilikina?s work ethic oozes. Walker calls him ?NBA Frank? because that is a lot of what he talks about.
?It seems he?s always in the gym ? before practice, after practice ? like he doesn?t have another life,? Walker said.
Slaughter says Ntilikina has earned the ?gym rat?? tag.
?He stays in the gym after practice, without coaches, working on ballhandling and the jump shot,? Slaughter said. ?And when you walk into the gym and hear a ball bouncing, you know it?s Frank.?
Ntilikina leans on his three American mates and never stops quizzing them about the U.S. His English is, as Travis says, ?perfect,? honed from listening to years of rap music (Future and Drake are his top two) and watching American movies and TV shows.
Slaughter has Ntilikina over to his pad to play video games ? FIFA is his favorite.
?He?s always picking my brain,? Slaughter said. ?He?s Americanized. Listens to the same music, same TV shows, likes American food ? up to date on all of American culture.?
?He?s into American culture, but he knows he?s French,? Travis said. ?That?s what?s cool. He listens to our hip-hop, but he doesn?t try to be over-hip-hop-ish.??
Ntilikina?s got the body ? 6-5 with a 7-foot wingspan and still growing ? the defense, basketball IQ and unselfish game that have the Knicks so intrigued.
The Post reported Knicks general manager Steve Mills, scouting director Kristian Petesic and recently hired scout Makhtar N?diaye flew to France in April to watch Ntilikina play. In fact, N?diaye, according to a source, spent nearly a month in France catching Ntilikina games in April and early May.
The Post has learned Jackson?s most influential advisor, Clarence Gaines Jr., secretly caught a Ntilikina game in France at another point. In addition, their Barcelona-based European scout Kevin Wilson caught his share.
Granted, the Mavericks were on Ntilikina?s trail first last season, when he barley played for Strasbourg. According to a source, the Mavericks were tipped off by former Mavericks guard, Frenchmen Rodrique Beaubois, who played for Strasbourg last season.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban flew to Venice last weekend to meet Ntilikina.
?He?s famous in France, too,? Ntilikina said. ?It was interesting.?
The Mavericks select ninth and likely would take Ntilikina if the Knicks pass.
Though N.C. State?s Dennis Smith and Kentucky?s Malik Monk have their supporters in the organization, due to Ntilikina?s modest numbers, the opinion of Jackson/Gaines may be all that matters. Jackson likes his guards big and may be emboldened by success of his past European draft picks, including Kristaps Porzingis and Willy Hernangomez.
Chris Brickley, who left the Knicks in April after a stint as developmental coach, trained Ntilikina last summer when he visited New York. Brickley would have trained him in the weeks leading into the draft had Ntilikina?s season ended earlier.
?Put basketball aside, he is a sponge and extremely eager to improve,? Brickley stated in an email. ?He can defend his position full-court and has a high basketball IQ. He can really handle the ball and has the ability to shoot the ball off the dribble. His catch-and-shoot 3 is much better than people give him credit for. One of his biggest strengths is his passing ability. He has great court vision.?
However, the numbers don?t justify the plaudits ? even factoring in Ntilikina facing players five to 12 years his elder. (In the winter?s 18-and-under European championships, Ntilikina won MVP by averaging 22 points and 6.7 assists.)
In the French League regular season, the numbers were scarce a 5.2 points, 1.2 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 18 minutes. His coaches have begged him, in certain instances, to be more assertive and elevated him to starter in January.
?I have learned to be more aggressive ? before I wasn?t aggressive enough,? Ntilikina told The Post. ?I know it?s getting better. I have to do it a lot more. I?m working on it. I?m confident about it.?
Travis says Strasbourg coach Vincent Collet, also the French National coach, has a system that prevents ?eye-popping numbers.??
?But his teams always win,? Travis said. ?He wants balance.?
After Game 1 of the French finals, in which Ntilikina laid an egg (two points, one assist), Slaughter took Ntilikina aside in the locker room.
?I told him I didn?t think he was aggressive enough in the pick-and-rolls, taking shots in the lane ? he was picking up his dribble,? Slaughter said. ?To win Game 2 , I told him he needs to draw people and kick it out. He?s young and doesn?t want to make a mistake to cost the team a game. He?s got to fight through his mistakes.?
Ntilikina was a different player in Thursday?s Game 2 win ? 13 points, four rebounds, three assists in 23 minutes) ? supplying his stud defense.
?His defense goes without saying,? Walker said. ?It?s impeccable ? long arms, athletic. Not many people want do it. He wants to do it.?
And Ntilikina shows leadership his own way, despite being ?a relaxed guy,? said Travis, who is 32.
?He?s 18 and knows it?s hard for people to listen to him,? Travis said. ?So he?ll come up to me and say, ?Get everyone in the huddle and have a meeting.? He?ll have me do it. That?s a leader knowing his capabilities.?
Ntilikina and his agents will fly to New York on Tuesday after Monday?s Game 4 to attend Thursday?s draft. Whether he pulls an all-nighter and flies back for a Game 5 on Friday is undetermined. It is a conundrum but not a bad one and acknowledges he is taking a different path.
His American mates have taken the stance: ?C?est la vie.?
?He?s got all the tools to be a great player,? Travis said. ?He?ll be better in basketball than I?ll ever be so I talk to him about life. What to look out for ? the professional snakes out there, professional leeches, to be careful of those people. He?s a very trustworthy and nice guy, so he?s got to be careful.?
http://nypost.com/2017/06/18/the-pick-with-everything-knicks-want-they-just-need-to-get-him/
He invited his client, Ntilikina, of Strasbourg; Charles Kahudi, who plays for Lyon; and Ntilikina?s mother, Jacqueline.
Lyon led 2-0 in the best-of-five series, and Mazet was relieved. He soon would be on an plane to New York with Ntilikina and New York-based agent Rich Felder to start NBA draft workouts.
Nevertheless, Ntilikina ? the 18-year-old, 6-foot-5 point guard the Knicks are considering with their No. 8 pick ? was miserable and didn?t want to do dinner with an opponent he still was trying to beat.
?No, we?re going to win this series,? Ntilikina told Mazet. ?We?re not going to New York yet. We?re not losing.?
Playing his season?s best ball, more aggressive on offense and playing his usually stellar defense, Ntilikina led Strasbourg to three straight victories to advance to the final against Chalon, which beat Strasbourg 71-70 on a buzzer-beater Saturday to take a 2-1 series lead.
Ntilikina?s two basketball worlds have collided ? either fortuitously or frustratingly, depending on the viewpoint.
Mazet unabashedly admitted after Strasbourg fell behind 1-0 in the French finals he was rooting for a sweep.
?Frank is such a competitor, mature for his age,? Mazet said. ?He wants to win this before he leaves for the NBA, even though he?s not able to enjoy the pre-draft process. He?s worked so hard ? 10 years ? to make that dream happen, meet the franchises and talk to the people, show them what he can do. Unfortunately, he?s not able to do that [yet]. He?d rather win.
In an interview earlier this week, Ntilikina said it has been?difficult? focusing with the draft Thursday but said feels he is succeeding.
?He wears it well, even if it is overwhelming,? said Strasbourg teammate Romeo Travis, a power forward from Ohio. ?He has a calm demeanor about him.?
?You don?t sense he?s distracted, but I imagine he is,? said Strasbourg guard A.J. Slaughter, who starred at Western Kentucky. ?We hear his agent wants to leave for the workouts, and [Ntilikina] wants stay and win a championship. It?s a stressful situation. He wants to do what?s best for the team. I can?t imagine what he?s going through.?
Erving Walker, who hails from Bed Stuy and played for Christ The King, added: ?He?s got a lot of pressure on him. He doesn?t talk about it a lot, but he wants to win a championship really bad. Actions are louder than words, and all his actions are he?s 100 percent in this.?
But Ntilikina is not angry at Mazet for rooting against the club.
?He understands,? Mazet said.
It has been a unique journey to this bizarre culmination. Ntilikina?s mother, Jacqueline Mukarugema, escaped the atrocities of war-torn Rwanda with her two sons for Belgium, where she then had a third child she named Frank. The family moved to Strasbourg when he turned 3.
?It?s a really stable, educated family,? Mazet said.
Jacqueline, who works as a nurse and hospital administrator, raised the three sons by herself. The oldest, Yves, 30, is a back surgeon. Brice, 26, is a physical therapist.
?His mother was very young, and Frank saw the sacrifices and the work,? Mazet said. ?She was a strong influence, and he learned a lot from all of them.?
His American teammates say Ntilikina?s work ethic oozes. Walker calls him ?NBA Frank? because that is a lot of what he talks about.
?It seems he?s always in the gym ? before practice, after practice ? like he doesn?t have another life,? Walker said.
Slaughter says Ntilikina has earned the ?gym rat?? tag.
?He stays in the gym after practice, without coaches, working on ballhandling and the jump shot,? Slaughter said. ?And when you walk into the gym and hear a ball bouncing, you know it?s Frank.?
Ntilikina leans on his three American mates and never stops quizzing them about the U.S. His English is, as Travis says, ?perfect,? honed from listening to years of rap music (Future and Drake are his top two) and watching American movies and TV shows.
Slaughter has Ntilikina over to his pad to play video games ? FIFA is his favorite.
?He?s always picking my brain,? Slaughter said. ?He?s Americanized. Listens to the same music, same TV shows, likes American food ? up to date on all of American culture.?
?He?s into American culture, but he knows he?s French,? Travis said. ?That?s what?s cool. He listens to our hip-hop, but he doesn?t try to be over-hip-hop-ish.??
Ntilikina?s got the body ? 6-5 with a 7-foot wingspan and still growing ? the defense, basketball IQ and unselfish game that have the Knicks so intrigued.
The Post reported Knicks general manager Steve Mills, scouting director Kristian Petesic and recently hired scout Makhtar N?diaye flew to France in April to watch Ntilikina play. In fact, N?diaye, according to a source, spent nearly a month in France catching Ntilikina games in April and early May.
The Post has learned Jackson?s most influential advisor, Clarence Gaines Jr., secretly caught a Ntilikina game in France at another point. In addition, their Barcelona-based European scout Kevin Wilson caught his share.
Granted, the Mavericks were on Ntilikina?s trail first last season, when he barley played for Strasbourg. According to a source, the Mavericks were tipped off by former Mavericks guard, Frenchmen Rodrique Beaubois, who played for Strasbourg last season.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban flew to Venice last weekend to meet Ntilikina.
?He?s famous in France, too,? Ntilikina said. ?It was interesting.?
The Mavericks select ninth and likely would take Ntilikina if the Knicks pass.
Though N.C. State?s Dennis Smith and Kentucky?s Malik Monk have their supporters in the organization, due to Ntilikina?s modest numbers, the opinion of Jackson/Gaines may be all that matters. Jackson likes his guards big and may be emboldened by success of his past European draft picks, including Kristaps Porzingis and Willy Hernangomez.
Chris Brickley, who left the Knicks in April after a stint as developmental coach, trained Ntilikina last summer when he visited New York. Brickley would have trained him in the weeks leading into the draft had Ntilikina?s season ended earlier.
?Put basketball aside, he is a sponge and extremely eager to improve,? Brickley stated in an email. ?He can defend his position full-court and has a high basketball IQ. He can really handle the ball and has the ability to shoot the ball off the dribble. His catch-and-shoot 3 is much better than people give him credit for. One of his biggest strengths is his passing ability. He has great court vision.?
However, the numbers don?t justify the plaudits ? even factoring in Ntilikina facing players five to 12 years his elder. (In the winter?s 18-and-under European championships, Ntilikina won MVP by averaging 22 points and 6.7 assists.)
In the French League regular season, the numbers were scarce a 5.2 points, 1.2 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 18 minutes. His coaches have begged him, in certain instances, to be more assertive and elevated him to starter in January.
?I have learned to be more aggressive ? before I wasn?t aggressive enough,? Ntilikina told The Post. ?I know it?s getting better. I have to do it a lot more. I?m working on it. I?m confident about it.?
Travis says Strasbourg coach Vincent Collet, also the French National coach, has a system that prevents ?eye-popping numbers.??
?But his teams always win,? Travis said. ?He wants balance.?
After Game 1 of the French finals, in which Ntilikina laid an egg (two points, one assist), Slaughter took Ntilikina aside in the locker room.
?I told him I didn?t think he was aggressive enough in the pick-and-rolls, taking shots in the lane ? he was picking up his dribble,? Slaughter said. ?To win Game 2 , I told him he needs to draw people and kick it out. He?s young and doesn?t want to make a mistake to cost the team a game. He?s got to fight through his mistakes.?
Ntilikina was a different player in Thursday?s Game 2 win ? 13 points, four rebounds, three assists in 23 minutes) ? supplying his stud defense.
?His defense goes without saying,? Walker said. ?It?s impeccable ? long arms, athletic. Not many people want do it. He wants to do it.?
And Ntilikina shows leadership his own way, despite being ?a relaxed guy,? said Travis, who is 32.
?He?s 18 and knows it?s hard for people to listen to him,? Travis said. ?So he?ll come up to me and say, ?Get everyone in the huddle and have a meeting.? He?ll have me do it. That?s a leader knowing his capabilities.?
Ntilikina and his agents will fly to New York on Tuesday after Monday?s Game 4 to attend Thursday?s draft. Whether he pulls an all-nighter and flies back for a Game 5 on Friday is undetermined. It is a conundrum but not a bad one and acknowledges he is taking a different path.
His American mates have taken the stance: ?C?est la vie.?
?He?s got all the tools to be a great player,? Travis said. ?He?ll be better in basketball than I?ll ever be so I talk to him about life. What to look out for ? the professional snakes out there, professional leeches, to be careful of those people. He?s a very trustworthy and nice guy, so he?s got to be careful.?
http://nypost.com/2017/06/18/the-pick-with-everything-knicks-want-they-just-need-to-get-him/
mafra
Legend
Geez... what more do you need to read. He's now my 4th best prospect in this class!
Fultz & DSJ couldn't even beat bad conference foes, and this kid is playing against men and getting to the League championship?
Oh, and the focus and love for the game, to accomplish this while he should be preparing for draft (on verge of making millions).... that size and family background?
I jump on this kid at 8! Finally feel comfortable that we can't miss at 8 now. Frank or Isaac or DSJ!
Fultz & DSJ couldn't even beat bad conference foes, and this kid is playing against men and getting to the League championship?
Oh, and the focus and love for the game, to accomplish this while he should be preparing for draft (on verge of making millions).... that size and family background?
I jump on this kid at 8! Finally feel comfortable that we can't miss at 8 now. Frank or Isaac or DSJ!
Great article on the kid Mafra. Sounds like he's got it between the ears, I have this theory that kids from Africa are hungrier than the average American giving them a higher success rate in he NBA. It's not backed up by numbers but by guys like Mutumbo, Ibaka, Deng, Dream etc. He's not the most gifted athlete but he's going to be coachable and we'll be talking about his hustle and bball IQ if we get him, I get the feeling Gaines loves this kid and I think he's known to draft kids with an x-factor.