David Aldridge: C.J. McCollum would get Blazers "back in business very soon"

The guys on NBA TV, mainly Greg Anthony and Steve Smith, we're raving about McCollum tonight. Anthony thinks he's the best guard in the draft and an "absolute steal" at #10. They both seem to think that he's going to be an All-Star.

 

How many All-Star 6'3" shooting guards have there been over the last 20 years? That said, if he's available at #10, I think he's the pick for the Blazers.

 

I was hoping we'd get him last year, then he pulled out. This year, having Lillard, and needing a center, IDK. If that's who we get, I'm cool with it. Who needs defense when we have tickets to sell?

A draft like this is so hard. In a loaded draft, you can just throw a dart an chances are you'd do OK. This is way more difficult and we just can't afford to whiff.

 

Maybe we take McCollum, if he's there, and then bolster our defense with a trade or free-agent pickup.

 

McCollum will be a better defensive rookie than Lillard, but that's not saying a lot. It's also a forgone conclusion that our C spot will be bolstered in free agency.

 

We're back in business, Baby! I love this pick. McCollum is a dynamic scorer who can get to the rim and hit the outside shot. He and Lillard are going to terrorize opposing backcourts for years.

 

You guys get so wrapped up in inches, who cares? What really matters is how good a ball player a guy is. There have been lots of good scoring 2 guards in the league that are around McCollum's size. I think we still try to retain Maynor, and let Matthews play some SF.