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I like Frank the Tank but not in the top 5. He's a 10-14 pick.Wisconsin’s 7-foot senior center Frank Kaminsky, who won college basketball’s highest honor when he was named the Naismith Player of the Year, says he believes he impressed Knicks president Phil Jackson in his interview with him Thursday morning at the NBA Draft Combine.
While 19-year-old freshman centers Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor are projected to be the top two players in the June 25 draft, Kaminsky is projected to go closer to No. 10 — despite his big tournament, when he led the Badgers to the NCAA title game.
“I’m 22 years old and I get treated like I’m 65 going into the NBA,’’ Kaminsky cracked.
“When I talked about me being 22 years old and being treated way older than that, it impressed him,’’ Kaminsky said. “When you look at the greats in NBA history, it’s not like they were drafted at 18 or 19. I’m not going to be one of the greats in NBA history but … where they want younger players now has been blown out of proportion.’’
“Being in the room with one of the greats in the NBA history from a coaching standpoint is awesome,” said Kaminsky. “Hearing his thoughts on me and having a conversation with him was pretty cool.
“You know, tell it to me straight. He’s been through it with a lot of different players and people. He’s going to be honest on what his concerns are, what I need to work on and what I do well.’’
So what are those items to work on?
Yes, “Frank the Tank” would like to see his draft stock soar in the next few weeks and not just because of the uptick in rookie-scale wage afforded a higher selection. NBA scouting director Ryan Blake told The Post that Kaminsky isn’t a top-five player because scouts don’t see him as “a franchise player.’’
“It doesn’t really bother me,’’ Kaminsky said of the Okafor-Towns hype. “Obviously they’re great basketball players and [with the] potential to be very, very good. Where I get drafted, I’ll make the most of it, but you always want to best your competition in anything, be named the winner and be on top of everyone when it’s all said and done.’’
Kaminsky had only good things to say about New York City, but, then again, he also raved about Detroit.
“I know they run the triangle and I think I can do well in that system,’’ Kaminsky said of the Knicks. “But the organization has to make the decision, not me. New York is a great place, storied history. I wouldn’t mind it at all. Carmelo Anthony is obviously one of the superstars — one of the best in my generation. To play alongside him would be a cool thing.’’
“Defense is going to be a big thing and getting my body better, getting more athletic, quicker,’’ Kaminsky said. “Improve on the things I did in college.’’
http://nypost.com/2015/05/15/wisconsins ... -triangle/
I think he's better than 10-14. After Okafor, Towns, Russell, and Mudiay, there aren't any players that I consider to be clearly better than Kaminsky. In my eyes, after those four, you really begin to get into the specialists and role players. WCS, Winslow, Stanley Johnson, and yes... Frank Kaminsky are all justifiably next in line. For the first 4 picks, I feel teams should draft the best player available. After that, it really becomes a matter of team need. If you need a versatile defender at pf & c who can get a fair share of rebounds as well, you go for WCS. If you need a versatile defender on the wing that can also score if called upon, then you go for Winslow or Stanley Johnson. And if you need a stretch-4 who can space the floor and still get a decent amount of rebounds while not being utterly useless or totally incompetent on defense, Kaminsky is your guy. Problem for us is that we have so many needs... basically all the needs that I mentioned. So, it becomes a matter of prioritizing those needs and seeing which of those needs can be filled through free agency as well. In any event, I think Kaminsky is a 5-10 talent rather than 10-14. Notwithstanding, he may slide down to the 10-14 range as you state, but he'd be a steal in that range in my opinion. But only time will tell.DolanCurse2001 wrote:I like Frank the Tank but not in the top 5. He's a 10-14 pick.
