Agreed. Booker is a winning player. Hustles, defends, great teammate and has more offense than expected.
Okafor is the type of talent gamble that's worthwhile for the Nets. Though I don't think he's a great fit for how they play. Hopefully Atkinson can rehab him at least to positive trade value.
At least it opens up roster space for the Sixers... Â
Okafor was one of the most frustrating players to root for because he has a transcendent skill and can put up nice box scores but the rest of his game happens to be the antithesis of modern basketball. The Sixers couldn’t even play the guy in order to showcase him because he would cost them a chance to win games.
PHI gets the best current player for spare parts. The Nets take a chance on a couple former first rounders. OKafor still has a chance to be a solid bench big who kind of carries the scoring load with a second unit. Stauskus is a bum, but there is no risk here for BKN.
Russell was really playing well to start the year.
I like it. Not that id want Okafor on the Knicks (we have enough offense only bigs), but had we traded KOQ for Okafor, stauskus, and a 2nd rounder i wouldnt have been upset. You never know what former first round picks can do when they start getting consistent PT.
Pretty soon 3 of the top 5 picks in that draft.. Â
could be on different teams. I think ORL would trade Hezonja for a hot dog and a bag of balls at this point. So of that top 5 you could end up with two All NBA level players and 3 guys who didnt even make it 3 seasons on the team that picked them.
RE: Pretty soon 3 of the top 5 picks in that draft.. Â
even after KP refused to work out for then Sixers. Apparently the owners pressured Hinkie (or the NBA pressured the owners to pressure Hinkie) to take the more well-known commodity.
It didn't take long for history to give Sam Hinkie his deserved credit Â
This is a good move for the Nets. Many people have written Okafor off but he’s not yet even 22. Two years ago he was a 17 and 7 guy. Granted he has some injury history, but he’s a risk worth taking and easily replaces what Booker offers. Booker had no future on this team and if anything they now have another draft pick.
situation than he did in Philadelphia. A change of scenery could do him well.
I'm not sure that's entirely fair. Yes, the Sixers threw Okafor into a crowded front court alongside of Nerlens Noel while the 7'2 shadow of Embiid lurked. Yes, winning may not have even been a secondary concern for the team. However, the Sixers gave Okafor every opportunity to get a ton of playing time even though he was a sieve on defense and pacing nightmare on offense. The fact that the Sixers were so maniacally focused on developing assets at the expense of wins ironically allowed Okafor more time on the court than otherwise would've been the case. As his rookie year figures show, Jah is more than capable of filling out a solid but extremely hollow boxscore.
I do like the move for the Nets. As another person mentioned, its simply a deep out-of-the-money call option on a player with at least one elite NBA skill. From the Sixers standpoint, Jah and his father had morphed into malcontents and there was worry that NBA players would hold it against the franchise going forward. Even though I just labeled Okafor a malcontent I will give him credit for enduring a difficult few years of losing, uncertainty, and having to adjust his mindset from being the top player of his age group since middle school to being end of bench fodder.
but I think his biggest issue is that it's not an ideal era of basketball. He doesn't fit in a world where you have athlete bigs like Porzingis and Giannis. He's a player out of time, an all-offense lumbering big taken right out of the early 2000's NBA in a time where centers need to be able to run, shoot threes, and play strong defense.
All that hype.
Russell still could be a player, can't see how Okafor will be. Now is when he should be the most athletic.
Agreed. Booker is a winning player. Hustles, defends, great teammate and has more offense than expected.
Okafor is the type of talent gamble that's worthwhile for the Nets. Though I don't think he's a great fit for how they play. Hopefully Atkinson can rehab him at least to positive trade value.
Russell was really playing well to start the year.
I like it. Not that id want Okafor on the Knicks (we have enough offense only bigs), but had we traded KOQ for Okafor, stauskus, and a 2nd rounder i wouldnt have been upset. You never know what former first round picks can do when they start getting consistent PT.
It's a nice microcosm of the entire NBA draft if you wanted to explain it to someone who didn't know.
Those guys were advertised as sure things.
Quote:
So of that top 5 you could end up with two All NBA level players and 3 guys who didnt even make it 3 seasons on the team that picked them.
It's a nice microcosm of the entire NBA draft if you wanted to explain it to someone who didn't know.
Those guys were advertised as sure things.
Clyde Frazier was in mourning that the Knicks didn't get Okafor...
I do like the move for the Nets. As another person mentioned, its simply a deep out-of-the-money call option on a player with at least one elite NBA skill. From the Sixers standpoint, Jah and his father had morphed into malcontents and there was worry that NBA players would hold it against the franchise going forward. Even though I just labeled Okafor a malcontent I will give him credit for enduring a difficult few years of losing, uncertainty, and having to adjust his mindset from being the top player of his age group since middle school to being end of bench fodder.