All of that would lean toward Okafor.” Towns is considered to have the greater overall potential, but neither his physique nor his array of skills are fully developed. But when you’re down there on that bench for every one of them, you’re more inclined to get somebody who can play right away. When you’re just the GM, you might be on the road scouting for 20 percent of your losses. As president and coach, he’d also be more inclined to take a guy who can help him right away. “When he looks at a player’s value, it’s 80-20 offense to defense. “He’s an offensive guy,” the source said. One league source who has worked with Timberwolves president and head coach Flip Saunders made a case as to why Saunders’ track record and current position makes Okafor the more logical choice. 1 pick, although he denied a report this week that the Timberwolves already assured him they would. Here are some of the other pertinent storylines going into Thursday night’s proceedings: Who Goes First? The general consensus-including Las Vegas oddsmakers and Odds Shark-is the Minnesota Timberwolves will make Towns the No. League sources say the Sixers have made it known, however, that they’d be willing to trade the pick to move down in the draft and acquire additional picks or assets. “You just don’t know what Philadelphia is going to do.” The candidates to be taken third are believed to be Latvian stretch power forward KristapsPorzingis, Ohio State point guard D’Angelo Russell and point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, who played in China last season. “The draft begins there,” one Eastern Conference assistant GM said.
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As for the Sixers, the consensus among most GMs is that the first two picks in the draft will be the two prized big men, Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns and Duke’s Jahlil Okafor, in order or in reverse. But the team is expected to use the interest inspired by Cousins to move one of its other readily available pieces, apparently including small forward Rudy Gay, shooting guard NikStauskas and power forward Jason Thompson. Ranadive, for now, has ordered everyone within the organization to stop discussing any and all deals involving Cousins, league sources said. League sources say they initiated talks with Minnesota about swapping Klay Thompson for Kevin Love and then steered the conversation toward a deal that would’ve involved Harrison Barnes instead, all while portraying the Timberwolves as the aggressors. The Lakers just don’t have enough else.” The Warriors played a similar angle last summer. “I doubt anything gets done, but I know they talked to the Lakers and they wanted the No. The Kings apparently took a page from the Golden State Warriors playbook-not for the first time-by making it known Cousins was available and then reacting publicly as if they were fending off interest, according to an executive with direct knowledge of the conversation involving Cousins. “ has fished that around, I know that,” the executive said. While Kings vice president VladeDivac told Ailene Voisin of theSacramento Bee a trade of All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins “is not happening,” that’s not the same as insisting the team has not explored moving Cousins or wouldn’t consider moving him.
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It still could be a relatively quiet night, but thanks to the tremendously patient and seemingly unorthodox roster-building philosophy of Philadelphia general manager Sam Hinkie and the restless approach of Kings majority owner VivekRanadive, there is at least some intrigue about something memorable transpiring in Thursday’s draft. Without the two franchises that seem to be perpetually reinventing themselves, early indications are 2015’s NBA draft might be one of the tamest in years, at least based on blockbuster draft-night deals. Thank the basketball gods for the Sacramento Kings and Philadelphia 76ers.