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So How Did Duke's Guys Do In The 2015 NBA Draft?

Michael Jordan had an offer for Charlotte's #9 pick that he couldn't refuse. He turned it down.

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Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Jahlil Okafor (Duke) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number three overall pick to the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center.
Jun 25, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Jahlil Okafor (Duke) greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number three overall pick to the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft at Barclays Center.
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Now that the draft is over, everyone is adjusting to new teams.

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Jahlil Okafor is in Philly of course, where Sam Hinkle's odd style of building has confused many. But he has a solid piece to work with in Okafor.

There's been a stupid argument about whether or not Okafor's game is outdated.

Stop and think about that for a minute. Leave Okafor out for a minute. Would anyone in their right mind say that about other low post players of the past? Wilt Chamberlain? Hakeem Olajuwon? Wes Unseld? David Robinson? Tim Duncan?

It's just stupid.

We don't mean to compare Okafor to any of them. That's way premature.

However, the point is the same. In any era you can defend the paint, and the odds of long-range shooters being consistently successful are still not that great, Stephen Curry aside. If you have a chance at a guy who can consistently get high percentage shots, well, why wouldn't you?

And speaking of Curry, the Warriors won without a real presence in the post. What would they be like if they had one? How much harder would it be to stop Curry?

Okafor's fall to 3rd was a minor surprise, but not a huge one. Justise Winslow's fall to 10th was hard to believe.

In New York, Phil Jackson offered a rational defense of his gamble on Latvian Kristaps Porzingis, saying that Clarence Gaines, Jr., son of Bighouse Gaines, the legendary Winston-Salem coach told him that Porzingis was a "once in a lifetime opportunity."

Fair enough.

Mario Henzonja? Maybe.

Emmanuel Mudiay? Possibly, although it's hard to say since he's been gone for a year.

After those guys though it's harder to see that anyone is superior to Winslow.

Stanley Johnson is solid, and has the potential to be a superb defender, but he's no Winslow. According to Arizona State's color analyst he isn't always reliable. He goes so far as to say he thinks he'll be a bust.

And Charlotte? That's hard to figure. Charlotte already has Spencer Hawes and Tyler Zeller, not to mention Bismack Biyombo. Biyombo is less similar to Frank Kaminsky than Hawes or Zeller, but still.

As we knew going in, Boston has a ton of picks, and they were ready to burn six on a Winslow trade - four first round picks and two second.

For Kaminsky? He's nice but that's phenomenal.

This year's first round picks could have translated to any of the following: Sam Dekker, Jerian Grant, Justin Anderson or Kevon Looney.

You could take Grant and Anderson and really improve your team on both ends. We'd rather have either than PJ Hairston, who shot just .323 from the floor last year.

Not that Pat Riley is complaining. Here's a rave on Winslow:

"Of all the players we talked to, every single person we talked to — all they did was compliment him about his work ethic and the amount of time he spends in June in the weight room. When you’re picking 10 but you don’t think this kid is even going to be close to you isn’t going to drop to you and he drops down, you get some palpitations. Micky [Arison] and Nick [Arison] started singing the Duke fight song, whatever it is…

Meanwhile, Tyus Jones is living a dream as he's playing for his hometown team.

Minnesota coach Flip Saunders compares Jones to Ricky Rubio in this way: "In their respective areas, they're legends."

Duke teammate Quinn Cook wasn't drafted but has signed with the OKC Thunder for the summer. Like any free agent, he has to prove himself.

Out West, Oregon Live's Joe Freeman asked Tim Bontemps of the New York Post about how Plumlee might fit in with the Trailblazers. He was very complimentary.