Purely Talent-Wise, Rate The Blazers "Right Now" - Top --> Bottom

OK, I'm gonna probably be way off from many of you on this, but I'll take a stab at it:


01) Brandon Roy

02) LaMarcus Aldridge

03) Greg Oden

04) Rudy Fernandez

05) Martell Webster

06) Travis Outlaw

07) Nicolus Batum

08) Jerryd Bayless

09) Channing Frye

10) Joel Przybilla

11) Steve Blake

12) Sergio Rodruguez

13) Ike Diogu

14) Raef LaFrentz (N/A due to injury)

 

My rating isn't ranked by how good of a NBA player they are right now but how much talent I think they have and how good of a NBA player they will be in the future.

01) Greg Oden

02) Brandon Roy

03) LaMarcus Aldridge

04) Rudy Fernandez

05) Jerryd Bayless

06) Martell Webster

07) Nicolus Batum

08) Travis Outlaw

09) Channing Frye

10) Sergio Rodruguez

11) Steve Blake

12) Joel Przybilla

13) Ike Diogu

14) Raef LaFrentz (N/A due to injury)

 

Hmm. To me, talent isn't something that changes over time. Ability changes with age, but the talent doesn't (ability being age-affected talent).

On talent, as I see talent, I'd have it as:


01) Greg Oden
02) LaMarcus Aldridge
03) Brandon Roy
04) Jerryd Bayless
05) Rudy Fernandez
06) Nicolus Batum
07) Sergio Rodruguez
08) Martell Webster
09) Travis Outlaw
10) Channing Frye
11) Joel Przybilla
12) Ike Diogu
13) Raef LaFrentz
14) Steve Blake

Of course, if you mean "talent" as current ability to help the team win, then my list is:

01) Brandon Roy
02) Greg Oden
03) LaMarcus Aldridge
04) Rudy Fernandez
05) Martell Webster
06) Travis Outlaw
07) Joel Przybilla
08) Steve Blake
09) Jerryd Bayless
10) Nicolus Batum
11) Channing Frye
12) Sergio Rodruguez
13) Ike Diogu
14) Raef LaFrentz

 

01] Brandon Roy

02] LaMarcus Aldridge

03] Greg Oden

04] Rudy Fernandez

05] Martell Webster

06] Travis Outlaw

07] Steve Blake

08] Joel Przybilla

09] Channing Frye

10] Jerryd Bayless

11] Nicolus Batum

12] Sergio Rodruguez

13] Ike Diogu

14] Raef LaFrentz

15] TBD

 

Based on talent- i.e. who is the best player right now, I see the following:

1) Brandon Roy

2) Aldridge

3) Oden

4) Rudy Fernandez

5) Blake

6) Webster

7) Outlaw

8) Prybilla

9) Sergio

10) Bayless

11) Frye

12) Batum

13-14) Raef/Diogu

Based on development in the next few years, I see it as

1) Oden
2) Roy
3) Aldridge
4) Rudy
5) Bayless
6) Webster
7) Batum
8) Outlaw
9) Blake
10) Sergio
11) Pryzbilla

 

We may define "talent" a bit differently:


01) Rudy Fernandez

02) Brandon Roy

03) Sergio Rodriguez

04) Travis Outlaw

05) Greg Oden

06) LaMarcus Aldridge

07) Joel Przybilla

08) Steve Blake

09) Ha Seung-Jin

10) Jerryd Bayless

11) Martell Webster

12) Raef LaFrentz

13) Channing Frye

14) Steven Hill

15) Ike Diogu

 

I can only assume you used a dart board for your selections?

Anyway here's my list, with talent being defined as "a capacity for achievement or success," also factoring in age.

1) Greg Oden
2) Brandon Roy
3) LaMarcus Aldridge
4) Rudy Fernandez
5) Nicolas Batum
6) Steve Blake
7) Jerryd Bayless
8) Martell Webster
9) Channing Frye
10) Sergio Rodriguez
11) Joel Przybilla
12) Travis Outlaw
13) Ike Diogu
14) Steven Hill
15) Raef Lafrentz

 

Yeah, that's about right.

 

Talent wise?

1. Oden
2. Aldridge
3. Bayless
4. Outlaw
5. Roy
6. Fernandez
7. Batum
8. Webster
9. Frye
10. Sergio
11. Diogu
12. Przybilla
13. Diogu
14. LaFrentz

I think i define talent differently.

 

So, are you saying that Raef Lafrentz was once more talented than Steve Blake? I could agree with that, I just want clarification that that is what you're saying.

 

I can't believe how low some of you have Bayless. The guy is going to be a star in this league. Bayless wins MVP of the summer league. Batum doesn't play that great then he has two good preseason games and suddenly he's better? Huh?

 

Essentially. I'm saying LaFrentz once had more ability than Blake does. "Talent" to me is the inherent ability to play basketball. I think LaFrentz has more talent. But now, due to age and injuries, he's not able to produce as much as Blake, despite being innately more talented.

Michael Jordan is a greater basketball talent than anyone in the game today (except, possibly, LeBron James). But at his age, his can no longer make use of that talent.

 

That's what I thought you were going with. It's strange to say that LaFrentz has more ability than Steve Blake does for the simple fact that Raef was good so long ago. Remember when he was pulling down double doubles and leading the league in blocks per game?

That was a long time ago... How much will our average age go down once he's gone?

 

I see what your saying Minstrel... but I think the OP meant right now talent. Not "at the best point of any of our players careers on whatever team".

I pretty much agree with Nik list... except I switched a couple.

1) Greg Oden
2) Brandon Roy
3) LaMarcus Aldridge
4) Rudy Fernandez
5) Nicolas Batum
6) Jerryd Bayless
7) Martell Webster
8) Steve Blake
9) Travis Outlaw
10) Channing Frye
11) Sergio Rodriguez
12) Joel Przybilla
13) Ike Diogu
14) Steven Hill
15) Raef Lafrentz

 

Yeah, I agree that that's what the OP was going for. I was just being stubborn about how I use the word "talent." That's why I gave the second list...the "Okay, here's the list that relates to what the OP was really asking for" list.

 

I did enjoy reading your all time talent list tho lol (make a new thread lol)

 

If you really make that argument then I think LaFrentz is too low on the list. He was a good player back in Denver....should be higher than someone like Ike Diogu, etc, for sure. In fact, I think he led the league in blocks in 01/02 or was close to doing so. Not to mention his shooting ability (he hit 8 3PTM in the first half of a game like 2 1/2 years ago).

But he's far from what he once was.

 

That's true. I had kind of forgotten how good he used to be.