Short, stubby point guard who was a beast in college at St. Johns, but was garbage in the NBA. I can't even remember him playing a minute of regular season action.
This time last year Bayless was pegged as high as #3 and no lower than #5 on most mock drafts. Some of these guys look great in the College system but are far from ready in the NBA.
I saw one mock draft with the Blazers getting Budinger (@23). Call me crazy, but i think this guy will be a good pro.
Ok, I'll bite. "You're crazy!" Actually you're right he might turn out to be OK, probably not a whole lot more than a rotation quality player, but he's certainly got some athleticism and enough length to be an NBA 3.
Budinger is a freak of nature. He's weak though. One your Bargnani comment, dude has grown up this year. He is definitely living up to the hype.
There is no way Budinger drops below 20. He may be weak physically, but he is as talented as any guard in this draft.
The draft is weak in terms of stars or franchise guys but it's full of guys that can be great role players. Look at experienced guys like Maynor, Heytvelt, Budinger, Collison, and possibly Hansbrough, who all could come right in and contribute of the bench their rookie year. Then there are the younger potential guys like DeRozan, Jennings, and Mullens that all could be great guys down the road. This draft isn't going to blow you away but it sure as hell isn't weak.
He's definitely showed he can shoot the ball, (40% from distance), but he strikes me as a poor man's Dirk Nowitski; a seven foot small forward without the quickness and handles and not enough strength to play on the block as a "true" center. I'll give him some credit though, he's got real potential to create matchup problems on offense, but he gives up way too much on defense for him to really make net positive difference on the floor. http://www.82games.com/0809/08TOR13.HTM He's got a great PER as a center at 21, but opponents are even better at 22, at small forward and power forward the gap gets even wider as his PER gets even worse. http://www.82games.com/0809/08POR11.HTM By contrast another big who gets accused of being "soft" because he's got a jumpshot is LaMarcus, but when you look at his production at power forward (his real position) he's a net positive and defends very well, not too mention him having one of the best +/- stats in the league http://www.nba.com/statistics/plusminus/plusminus_sort.jsp?pcomb=1&season=22008&split=9&team=
You make good points and i'll rep you for that. His defense has improved, but it's not great, one reason the stats are high is because Kapono and Calderon can't guard a 8 year old. But good points, and no I'm not being sarcastic,
Has anyone considered Ty Lawson for the Blazers? Of course he's short, but seems to be a true point guard. Here's a list of his strengths and weaknesses from Draft Express: http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Ty-Lawson-485/ And he is projected to go about 10 slots ahead of us. STRENGTHS: - Transition play - True point guard - Ability to create own shot - Aggressive slashing mentality - Ball-handling skills - Excellent hands - Ability to get in passing lanes - Pressure defense - Potential - Unselfishness - Work ethic - High-level productivity - Assist to turnover ratio - Court vision - Passing skills - Incredibly quick - Strength - 3-point shooting percentages - Ability to catch and shoot WEAKNESSES: - Ability to play at different speeds - Mid-range game - Defensive potential - Basketball IQ? - Experience - Focus - Leadership skills in clutch - College system makes him difficult to evaluate - Poor wingspan - Size for position - Ability to shoot off the dribble - Limited number of 3-point attempts - Pull-up jumper Top 25s - Full List Rank Category Total 4 TS% 68 15 eFG% 62 19 EFF/40 27.3 5 Pts/Pos 1.3 5 Ast/g 6.4 2 Ast/40p 7.6 1 Ast/40 8.8 4 Ast 187 5 Ast/Pos 0.52 6 Ast/FGA 0.
Players the Blazers should look at. Jeff Teague Dejuan Blair Patrick Patterson Jordan Hill Eric Maynor Tyreke Evans Terrence Williams Most of those guys won't be there when we draft but these are some players we should scout. Otherwise just trade the pick for some more 2nd rounders.
What about FSU's point guard, Toney Douglas I think it is? I've watched almost no college ball this year, but he looked very good in yesterday's loss, with a game that seems like it should translate well to the NBA.
This is a draft Portland should trade out of. I don't think there is one player can step on the court and be an immediate impact, especially at point guard. The last thing Portland needs is another project pg. We will all believe that the guy on the bench is better then the guys playing because how could they be worse. I, and many others on this board, have a delusion that if only guy X got more minutes they would be productive. Most of the time, I am wrong about this. Two years ago I was pissed Sergio couldn't get any burn ahead of Jerret Jack and Blake. Now I know why that was. How shitty is Bayless that he can't beat out Sergio? I don't want the team to get yet another guy I can delude myself over. There is a reason Bayless can't get off the bench, but Roy, Rudy and LA all played a ton of minutes during their rookie season. It is because they were ready to contribute and Bayless is not. It sucks to admit, but it is pretty much the truth. I hope that Bayless steps up next year because I think that he can be a good player someday.
Outside Rubio and Griffen, there isn't a player I'd seriously take over Batum. I am in favor of drafting a player we can keep overseas. Victor Claver (6'10" PF/SF) - This is a guy Pritchard liked last summer and had a solid workout in Portland. -DX. Alexey Shved (6'5" PG/SG) - Giorgi Shermandini (7'1" C/PF) - Donatas Motiejunas (7'1" PF/C) -
I actually agree. Bayless isn't really ready to contribute, specially with the playoffs coming on, and Sergio won't be much help either. I find myself thinking of how nice it would be to have Jack as the backup PG right now... dang. He has the mentality and toughness we need, and could take pressure off of Roy with getting to the rim and the FT line (like what Bayless does, but better than him right now). I also really hope Bayless improves this offseason, I would love for him to be a major contributer next year. I like Harden and Griffon from this draft. We don't need any of them though, and i'm with the crowd that says trade out of it. Hopefully we can use our 2nds and TE to get another 1st and then use our two 1sts and some players and our extra cap space to get another nice piece.
