With one report claiming the Minnesota Timberwolves want Duke center Jahlil Okafor, the Los Angeles Lakers have a chance of drafting its purported top target - Kentucky center Karl-Anthony Towns - in the 2015 NBA draft. If Los Angeles ends up with a frontcourt of Towns and ex-Kentucky forward Julius Randle, would Kentucky coach John Calipari follow?
A report from Sports Illustrated indicated Minnesota prefers Okafor over Towns in the upcoming draft. The report is looked into in more detail HERE, but the gist is Minnesota wants a low-post player like Okafor. The Lakers' purported top target in the draft is Towns, whom NBA scouts and executives consider to have the most upside of any player in the 2015 class. Drafting Towns would give Los Angeles a young player that has the potential to become an elite defender in the NBA, and a player that scouts seem to believe can improve his scoring - including his midrange game - enough to make an impact on offense.
In addition, Towns would join Randle to give the Lakers a talented young frontcourt to build upon. A frontcourt that could attract the eye of Calipari.
It's strictly hypothetical, but Los Angeles having both Towns and Randle could be enough to convince Calipari to make the jump back to the NBA. Unlike last year, Calipari hasn't explicitly ruled out leaving Kentucky. The 56-year-old coach reportedly had discussed taking over the New Orleans Pelicans' coaching vacancy, but disagreements over his salary and his desire for personnel control apparently derailed the discussions.
If Reid's report was true, though, it indicates Calipari is at least more interested than last year in considering a return to the league. Ex-Wildcat Anthony Davis was considered to be Calipari's main draw to New Orleans, but a Lakers team boasting two of his top former players would certainly catch Calipari's attention. Add that Los Angeles has a history of shelling out money - one of the reported holdups in the Calipari-Pelicans discussions - and the young Lakers team suddenly looks a lot more enticing.
Current Lakers coach Byron Scott is a placeholder for the franchise's next coach of the future, and the Lakers have shown they don't mind firing coaches and eating the remainders of their contracts. The Lakers are likely already kicking around the idea of pursuing coach Tom Thibodeau, and if they end up with two former Kentucky stars after the upcoming draft, Calipari would certainly come up again in internal discussions.
For Calipari's part, how could he not jump at the chance - either this season or the next - to take over a storied franchise featuring two of the best players he has ever coached?
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LAKERS MISCELLANEOUS:
-Chris Johnson and Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated reported Minnesota, owners of the first overall pick, liked Okafor over Towns.
"While most analysts consider Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns this year's top prospect, there are reasons to think the Wolves will select Jahlil Okafor instead," Johnson and Woo wrote Monday. "(Team president and coach) Flip Saunders isn't a big proponent of three-point shooting-Minnesota ranked dead last in the league in attempts last season-but is a fan of traditional post play. ... Saunders reportedly 'really likes' the post-bound Okafor and may view him as more attractive than Towns, who offers more versatility and range on his jump shot."
-If Los Angeles can't land Towns, reports indicate it will go with one of the top two point guards in the draft: Emmanuel Mudiay and D'Angelo Russell.
-The Lakers' interest in Mudiay and Russell supports a previous report that the team was no longer enamored with soon-to-be free agent Rajon Rondo. Los Angeles' free-agent targets now reportedly include Kevin Love, Marc Gasol, DeMarre Carroll and Tobias Harris (restricted).
