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

I'm not down of Cronin like you and a lot of people are. I was happy with the deadline deals even though I thought he might have been able to do a little better than he did. It's pretty obvious that Seattle insisted Cornin's Job 1 was to dismantle the dead-end roster while cutting current and future payroll. He hit his marks and that's very likely why the Vulcans gave him a 4 year contract

but I will be down on him if it's the #7 + the TPE for Grant. That's a massive overpay in my view and if that's what Detroit is demanding he should tell them to pound sand, then fuck off, then drop dead

 

I just expect disappointment at this point.

 

you must be married

 

Not yet, fortunately.

 

Only thing I don't like about that is us sending same to the kings where he has zero chance of winning a ring ....

 

I’ll take ,”What EVERY woman @B-Roy has ever been with has said” for $1,000 Alex…… #BAM

 

I hate how Mrs. HCP fills you in on how all of us perform.

 

He's a film guy....he already has all of you on camera already...

 

Dyson Daniels, G/F, G League Ignite
If there was ever actually any doubt, we can put it to rest: Daniels is a lock to come off the board in the top 10, and it may come sooner than you think. Daniels has occupied the No. 8 spot on my big board since its first iteration in December, and much of the NBA shares that affinity. He measured out well at 6' 7.5" in shoes with a 6' 10.5" wingspan, shot the ball better than some expected at his pro day, and was widely regarded as an impressive interview. Daniels’s positional versatility, maturity and productive year in the G League would all seem to be excellent indicators of continued success. He’d have a real chance to start immediately on many lottery teams.


Shaedon Sharpe, SG, Kentucky | Freshman
As I mentioned in Thursday’s column, Sharpe’s name continued to come up in conversation around the combine for various reasons: most of the NBA seems convinced he’ll come off the board in the first six or seven picks, it’s just unclear at this point which teams will actually be comfortable taking the plunge. Sharpe’s overall talent level is obvious, but there were mixed opinions on his pro day. Some teams were put off by the fact he spent much of his allotted time operating at a pretty casual speed. And while his time at Kentucky presumably helped behind the scenes, for better or worse, Sharpe will be the first lottery pick to make the jump to the NBA without logging a college or professional minute since Thon Maker in 2016.

Jeremy Sochan, F, Baylor | Freshman
I thought Sochan had a really impressive pro day on Thursday, showcasing his physicality, skill level and energy in a setting where sometimes that’s a little bit harder to do than you think. He went hard for his entire time, looked to be in excellent shape, and moves exceptionally well for his size. There’s variance of opinion around the NBA on his jump shot, and Sochan didn’t shoot it great in that workout, but his mechanics are workable. I came away feeling fairly good about the chances that he eventually becomes a consistent threat from distance.

Similar to Daniels, Sochan is a versatile, tough player who has quietly gathered quite a bit of support around the NBA. He has interviewed well and impressed on the intangibles front. If he's a capable floor spacer who can defend multiple positions and play with his type of competitive mettle, that's a starting-caliber player with upside. His offensive game needs a lot of fleshing out, but you can squint and see how it all might work. There’s a pretty real chance he goes in the top 10, and if he doesn’t, I wouldn’t expect him to fall much further.

https://www.si.com/.amp/nba/2022/05...-dyson-daniels-shaedon-sharpe-andrew-nembhard

 

Wow, Dyson up to #5 in Wassermans latest mock: https://bleacherreport.com/articles...ig-board-top-50-prospect-ranking-post-combine

 

What if the Blazers could trade #7, Bledsoe, and Keon Johnson for Julius Randle and #11.
Then trade #11 and TPE for Jeremi Grant...

Dame/Simons
Simons/Hart
Grant/Hart
Randle/Grant
Nurk

Still have Little and change to fill out the roster or help make salaries work...

 

When he measured in 3 inches taller than expected that did a LOT for his stock.

Went from an average sized guard to a guard that is SF sized and an elite defender.

1. Daniels
2. Sochan

That’s who’d I like as of now.

 

NO. JULIUS. RANDLE.

 

I don't know how we'd get a better player than that with what we have to offer. Let alone 2 players as good as Randle and Grant... both of whom can play very good defense... both of who have had their shot at being the #1 guy and might be looking to prove some people wrong.

I'm struggling to think of a way to add more talent with what we have to offer, other than just getting lucky at #7. And that will just be one player.

 

Well, the bolded isn’t necessarily a good thing in my opinion.

I want nothing to do with J Randle unless he has a late career epiphany ala Memphis Grizzlies Z-Bo.

Draft someone @ 7.
Trade Bucks first + A couple seconds + Keon or (whatever) for Jerami Grant.

Grant/Daniels. (Probably most upside combo).
Grant/Sochan. (Probably my favorite combo).
Grant/Eason. (Not my favorite combo).

Admittedly, I am not very high on Randle, so I would rather take a risk than get him, but he did have an all-star season… so… hard to argue that.

 

2nd team all-nba, and played some very good defense. He would immediately be our 2nd best player, and Dame opens a LOT of space in the middle for a bruiser like that to attack the rack.

I hear you, though. It would be nice to strike it rich in the draft with a guy we don't have to pay a ton for a few years. I wonder if we could get Jerami Grant for the deal you proposed?

 

Julius Randle is not a better overall basketball player than Nurkic, except maybe in a game of one on one. Is it a coincidence he’s made the playoffs once in his career? He’s not a winning player, and I’ve wanted to like him for years. Cool stats tho!

 

Yeah, he would be a talent upgrade for sure.
But he is a complete knucklehead who has quit on his team *multiple* times.
I have one rule: If you ever openly quit on your team, I don’t want you on my team.
That might be a risk worth taking with Dame + Billups though. You’ve got me thinking now.

And I doubt we could get Grant for that package, but it’s possible. He would have to Ben Simmons his way to Portland.

Although if you trade 7 for Randle + 11 you might be able to get Eason, Sochan, or Mathurin.