In honor of Bill Simmons, who is on hiatus from ESPN, here's my draft day diary- the observations as I made as it happened.
7:11 PM
Karl Anthony Towns is going to be the number 1 pick. While Flip has made some questionable moves, he has typically had good draft selection most notably picking Kevin Garnett. A Towns/Wiggins duo could help Minnesota turn into contenders in a few years. Plus Towns ability to hit threes could make up for Rubio lack of shooting. Towns did not shoot 3s at Kentucky but did beat Wiggins in a 3 point contest a few years ago.
7:30 PM
I think the Lakers take DeAngelo Russell because of Okafor's lack of defense. Plus it looks like Russell at least has the personality of a star that LA can get excited about.
7:42 PM
7:45 PM
The Jays (Bilas and Williams) both wanted Okafor for the Lakers as they are both are from Duke. But no surprise, Jalen Rose called it as well stating is head would explode if the Lakers went in another direction. Russell is the pick.
7:47 PM
Jay Bilas said that Steph Curry gets into the Hall of Fame if he stays healthy. I would say Curry gets in even if he never plays again after winning the MVP and the title.
7:49 PM
Who is the last dynamic point guard that Kobe has played with? Nick Van Exel in the late 90s? Gary Payton and Steve Nash were supposed to be but declined rapidly once they joined the Lakers.
7:52 PM
Philadelphia takes Okafor who is a center. I wonder if Philly is going for an all center line-up. Perhaps Embiid will play the point, who is amused by the selection.
8:03 PM
Porzingis is taken by the Knicks and is booed immediately. A kid who is a Knicks fans looks like he was taking a crying selfie. Porzingis could turn out to be a good player but it is going to take patience something which Knicks fans apparently don't have.
8:13 PM
Orlando takes Croatian Mario Hezonja No.5. He can shoot and is athletic. Chad Ford compared him to a European JR Smith- although Orlando clearly believes he is going to be a superior player as they picked him in the top 5.
8:17 PM
Willie Cauley Stein is taken at #6- that's pretty high for someone whose offensive game is severely limited. He is someone that can do the dirty work while Cousins takes all the touches. It could also be insurance in case the Kings move on from Cousins although Vivek Randive is probably more likely to fire coach George Karl. I have to agree with Bilas that the Kings should have taken either Mudiay or Winslow.
8:20 PM
The Denver Nuggets take Mudiay, who opted to go to China after being ruled to be ineligible to play in college by the NCAA. It looks like the Nuggets may move on from Ty Lawson. They may overvalue Lawson though; other GMs laughed when the Nuggets tried to trade Lawson for the #6 pick, although he is probably better than Stein.
8:31 PM
Stanley Johnson seems solid at a small forward but he might fit more of a need for the Pistons than actually being the best player available.
8:43 PM
Hornets will probably take Kaminsky. It would be the 3rd power forward that they have taken from the Big 10 in the past 3 years.
8:50 PM
Winslow lucked out and goes to Miami. Miami gets good value for someone who could have been selected as high as #4, and Winslow gets to live in South Beach.
8:55 PM
The Pacers take a center in Miles Turner. Does that mean they are moving on from Roy Hibbert?
9:08 PM
Kentucky players Devin Booker and Trey Lyles go back to back. You have to wonder if they are that good or if they just played on a stacked team.
9:12 PM
OKC, despite having more wins than some Eastern Conference teams, is in the lottery. Presti has gotten good value in the mid first round picks (Serge Ibaka, Reggie Jackson, Steven Adams) where they taken point Cameron Payne. Perhaps, Payne can fill the void left by the departure of Reggie Jackson. Payne certainly has the confidence as he is already referring to himself in the third person.
9:15 PM
The Wizards move up a couple spots to acquire Oubre as they gave up couple of future second rounders He is super athletic and could be a quality defender down line. Jalen Rose compared him to Trevor Ariza. I was hoping that the Wizards would have gotten Bobby Portis but Oubre is certainly a good value pick at 15, and would not most likely have been available had they just kept their 19th overall pick. Oubre is friends with Durant, so maybe the Wizards are using the Oubre selection in their campaign to bring Durant to DC in 2016.
9:34 PM
The Bucks add another scorer in Rashad Vaughn, perhaps someone who can be more consistent than OJ Mayo. Jalen Rose's player comparison to Dion Waiters is a pretty unfavorable one.
9:36 PM
There is 13 old boy who makes $200,000 making bow-ties. The kid likes Kelly Oubre's shoes. Thanks ESPN.
10:26 PM
Spurs take an international player (Nikola Milutinov) - maybe they want to add him to the Spurs Special Forces
10:35 PM
The Golden State Warriors select Kevon Looney, who could be another steal for them. I thought this would have been possibility for the Wizards at 19.
7:11 PM
Karl Anthony Towns is going to be the number 1 pick. While Flip has made some questionable moves, he has typically had good draft selection most notably picking Kevin Garnett. A Towns/Wiggins duo could help Minnesota turn into contenders in a few years. Plus Towns ability to hit threes could make up for Rubio lack of shooting. Towns did not shoot 3s at Kentucky but did beat Wiggins in a 3 point contest a few years ago.
7:30 PM
I think the Lakers take DeAngelo Russell because of Okafor's lack of defense. Plus it looks like Russell at least has the personality of a star that LA can get excited about.
7:40 PM
Karl Anthony Towns is the pick. Here is his shot chart.
With the first pick in the 2015 #NBADraft the @MNTimberwolves select C Karl-Anthony Towns! pic.twitter.com/P0eb5eBC95
— Grantland (@Grantland33) June 25, 2015
7:42 PM
Philly is on the clock seems to like Mudiay a lot but he isn't the best player available. Will they trade down?
The Jays (Bilas and Williams) both wanted Okafor for the Lakers as they are both are from Duke. But no surprise, Jalen Rose called it as well stating is head would explode if the Lakers went in another direction. Russell is the pick.
7:47 PM
Jay Bilas said that Steph Curry gets into the Hall of Fame if he stays healthy. I would say Curry gets in even if he never plays again after winning the MVP and the title.
7:49 PM
Who is the last dynamic point guard that Kobe has played with? Nick Van Exel in the late 90s? Gary Payton and Steve Nash were supposed to be but declined rapidly once they joined the Lakers.
7:52 PM
Philadelphia takes Okafor who is a center. I wonder if Philly is going for an all center line-up. Perhaps Embiid will play the point, who is amused by the selection.
OK........... Lol
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) June 25, 2015
8:03 PM
Porzingis is taken by the Knicks and is booed immediately. A kid who is a Knicks fans looks like he was taking a crying selfie. Porzingis could turn out to be a good player but it is going to take patience something which Knicks fans apparently don't have.
Welcome to New York, Porzingis! pic.twitter.com/XhrtK3lPFk
— Willie Geist (@WillieGeist) June 26, 2015
8:13 PM
Orlando takes Croatian Mario Hezonja No.5. He can shoot and is athletic. Chad Ford compared him to a European JR Smith- although Orlando clearly believes he is going to be a superior player as they picked him in the top 5.
8:17 PM
Willie Cauley Stein is taken at #6- that's pretty high for someone whose offensive game is severely limited. He is someone that can do the dirty work while Cousins takes all the touches. It could also be insurance in case the Kings move on from Cousins although Vivek Randive is probably more likely to fire coach George Karl. I have to agree with Bilas that the Kings should have taken either Mudiay or Winslow.
8:20 PM
The Denver Nuggets take Mudiay, who opted to go to China after being ruled to be ineligible to play in college by the NCAA. It looks like the Nuggets may move on from Ty Lawson. They may overvalue Lawson though; other GMs laughed when the Nuggets tried to trade Lawson for the #6 pick, although he is probably better than Stein.
8:31 PM
Stanley Johnson seems solid at a small forward but he might fit more of a need for the Pistons than actually being the best player available.
8:43 PM
Hornets will probably take Kaminsky. It would be the 3rd power forward that they have taken from the Big 10 in the past 3 years.
8:50 PM
Winslow lucked out and goes to Miami. Miami gets good value for someone who could have been selected as high as #4, and Winslow gets to live in South Beach.
8:55 PM
The Pacers take a center in Miles Turner. Does that mean they are moving on from Roy Hibbert?
9:08 PM
Kentucky players Devin Booker and Trey Lyles go back to back. You have to wonder if they are that good or if they just played on a stacked team.
9:12 PM
OKC, despite having more wins than some Eastern Conference teams, is in the lottery. Presti has gotten good value in the mid first round picks (Serge Ibaka, Reggie Jackson, Steven Adams) where they taken point Cameron Payne. Perhaps, Payne can fill the void left by the departure of Reggie Jackson. Payne certainly has the confidence as he is already referring to himself in the third person.
9:15 PM
The Wizards move up a couple spots to acquire Oubre as they gave up couple of future second rounders He is super athletic and could be a quality defender down line. Jalen Rose compared him to Trevor Ariza. I was hoping that the Wizards would have gotten Bobby Portis but Oubre is certainly a good value pick at 15, and would not most likely have been available had they just kept their 19th overall pick. Oubre is friends with Durant, so maybe the Wizards are using the Oubre selection in their campaign to bring Durant to DC in 2016.
This Oubre-Durant thing is....huh. pic.twitter.com/zvt9hyA1lH
— Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) June 26, 2015
9:34 PM
The Bucks add another scorer in Rashad Vaughn, perhaps someone who can be more consistent than OJ Mayo. Jalen Rose's player comparison to Dion Waiters is a pretty unfavorable one.
9:36 PM
There is 13 old boy who makes $200,000 making bow-ties. The kid likes Kelly Oubre's shoes. Thanks ESPN.
10:26 PM
Spurs take an international player (Nikola Milutinov) - maybe they want to add him to the Spurs Special Forces
10:35 PM
The Golden State Warriors select Kevon Looney, who could be another steal for them. I thought this would have been possibility for the Wizards at 19.
