With the #7 pick, the Portland Trail Blazers select....

Discussion in 'Portland Trail Blazers' started by TBpup, May 17, 2022.

  1. Ed O

    Ed O Administrator Staff Member Administrator

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    Such a depressing take from JQ on The Athletic:

    7. Portland Trail Blazers

    Bennedict Mathurin | 6-6 wing | 19 years old | Arizona

    Beep-boop-bap … beep-bot-beep … bop-boop-beep-bat … That sound you hear is Trail Blazers’ general manager Joe Cronin dialing up his colleagues around the league looking to trade this pick. The Blazers desperately wanted to move into the top four to get a franchise-changing player who could align with Damian Lillard’s shrinking window of opportunity (he turns 32 this summer). Cronin’s biggest tell this offseason came after the season, when he said, “you are more likely to win with veteran players than young players, so (trading the pick) will definitely be a part of our decision-making process.”

    But, if there are no takers for the seventh pick, my guess is the Blazers will look to shore up their depth on the wing, or at power forward, and now that the Pacers took Sharpe — who is the type of high-risk, high-upside player Cronin says he likes to pursue — the safest pick would be Mathurin from Arizona. Portland wants long, athletic, defensive-minded players, and while The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie says Mathurin is “solid” defensively, he is more known for his offense, which is predicated on attacks at the rim and having a wide arsenal of shots. But again, picking here is not what the Blazers wanted, or will want on draft night. They will look to trade.
    — Jason Quick

    I hope Quick is wrong, but I fear he's right.

    I still can't believe we're trying to build around a 32 year-old lead guard that's only played anything remotely approaching a full season once since 2014. :(
     
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  2. PtldPlatypus

    PtldPlatypus Let's go Baby Blazers! Staff Member Global Moderator Moderator

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    Like us, Pistons don't have their '23 first, so the earliest FRP they could offer is 2025.

    I guess we could have a real big draft haul in 3 years.
     
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  3. PtldPlatypus

    PtldPlatypus Let's go Baby Blazers! Staff Member Global Moderator Moderator

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    Missing 7-8 games is not "remotely approaching a full season"? What NBA have you been watching?
     
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  4. LayneStaley

    LayneStaley Well-Known Member

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    Jason Quick sucks.
     
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  5. Pinwheel1

    Pinwheel1 Well-Known Member

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    No need to worry. He knows nothing about who the Blazers would take. The Blazers don't even know. Way too early.
     
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  6. blazerkor

    blazerkor Well-Known Member

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    Link? I can't find anything he said today and if it's in the Athletic already maybe post the sample of the article that inspired this post.

    Edit: Never mind I'll read the thread in the future before asking.
     
  7. LayneStaley

    LayneStaley Well-Known Member

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  8. LayneStaley

    LayneStaley Well-Known Member

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    That was just a general statement. Nothing in regards to today. That’s just my overall feeling on him.
     
    Last edited: May 17, 2022
  9. STOMP

    STOMP mere fan

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    Since I don't think Portland is close to contending unless they fleece someone, I'm open to a long term approach.

    STOMP
     
  10. PtldPlatypus

    PtldPlatypus Let's go Baby Blazers! Staff Member Global Moderator Moderator

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    Trading for Jerami Grant is not really indicative of a long-term approach.
     
  11. blazerkor

    blazerkor Well-Known Member

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    I think Quick like usual has a point and takes the opportunity to put the screws to the team. The team is an easy target right now, we didn't move up in the lotto we ended up in the most likely spot... we also just missed out on that other lotto pick. So I think he has his reasons for saying that we want to move the pick.
     
  12. blazerkor

    blazerkor Well-Known Member

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    I still think if we can move back and get a rookie with one pick and Grant with the other, that it will be both the urgent approach that Dame needs and something for the long term.
     
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  13. wizenheimer

    wizenheimer Well-Known Member

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  14. blazerkor

    blazerkor Well-Known Member

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    He can be a real shit, that's for sure. I think early on when he had great relationships with the players and team he got accused of being a shill but he has overcompensated by far far too much. At the same time this team has given him a lot to criticize but he hasn't been compelled to do it like a snake but he still did.
     
  15. blazerfan11

    blazerfan11 Well-Known Member

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    Bennedict Mathurin. "There's athletic, then there's this!" @3:40 in the video.
     
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  16. STOMP

    STOMP mere fan

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    I'm in the same camp but I've got to think all parties (that matter) see the writing on the wall with his career window. Publicly building around him this offseason will drive season ticket sales better then moving him for unknown young assets & picks. If he is healthy and producing like Dame time again, I still don't think Portland is going to be close to contending. Moving him to a good team who feels they're a piece away & willing to mortgage their future at the midseason trade deadline seems like the sublime solution.

    STOMP
     
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  17. wizenheimer

    wizenheimer Well-Known Member

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    upload_2022-5-17_22-10-29.png

    yeah, I know people are bummed about the lottery and the trade deadline, but some people are just going out of their way to see everything in a really weird negative light

    so, not counting this season, since 2014, Dame has played 82, 75, 75, 73, 80, 66 (in a 74 game season), and 67 (in a 72 game season). That's 40 missed games in 7 years....But wait!!....He was rested in 4 games at the end of the season so that's only 36 missed games in 7 years

    that's an average 5.1 games a year. He also played in 61 of 62 playoff games
     
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  18. blazerfan11

    blazerfan11 Well-Known Member

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    Clyde Drexler, 14th pick.
     
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  19. blazerkor

    blazerkor Well-Known Member

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    Oh we can find one and if we trade back and/or get really lucky with the 36th pick we can find two or even three. That's the thing that no one really talks about is Herb Jones or more importantly Nikola Jokic, Giannis and Bam. There will be players available far later than we're slotted to pick in the first round that could turn our franchise around and make an impact on playoff wins this upcoming season. We just have to make the right choices of who to pick and where to pick them. There are also players around the league that have been miscast to this point and could become much more than they've been previously like Jimmy Butler... we have to seek out those guys too.

    I worry that the objective is to placate. Placate the Vulcans and placate Dame instead of to go for the kill, instead of being ambitious in our quest for a championship and instead of taking the chances that make sense to these people in our front office whose lives are dedicated to the game but have been under the leadership of a guy more suited for PR than managing a multibillion dollar orgaization in a cut throat industry. Let's hope that Olshey's leadership doesn't leave tendancies to pass up the best moves for safer moves aimed at being able to spin the narrative.
     
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  20. STOMP

    STOMP mere fan

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    To the OP question... who to draft? Who is available? If this draft is like every single draft prior, speculation will have guys rising and falling so we've only best guesses. How a guy is mentally is very important and us fans (certainly I) usually don't know boo about whats between the ears for the prospects. That said, if he's available I like what I've seen of Duren a whole lot. An athletic defensive center who can rim protect and move his feet on switches? Yes please. I'm fine with him just playing the dunker position on offense. But he's got to be a worker not a prima donna... anyone know about his mentals?[/Marshawn]

    STOMP
     

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