Why the hell did we move up from 24 to 22?

People are really upset which is baffling to me. Our opportunity cost to move up to 22 was a nearly worthless 56th pick and our 24th as an insurance policy in a very fluid draft to get the player KP supposedly really wanted in Claver. Secondly, we shed some money, another second round pick and an incosistent third year point guard who wanted out so we could get a possibly solid backup 4 in Jeff Pendergraph and 1.6 million more in cap room to use in free agency and possible lopsided trades.

I think people are just upset because KP didn't wheel and deal to make a really splashy move into the lottery; have we all forgotten what it's like to be a year-in-year-out playoff team? These are usually the kinds of drafts those teams have -- you don't get a lot of homeruns in the late first round and beyond, you feel lucky if you get rotation quality players. Be excited that the draft was anticlimatic and that the team is probably going to be aggressive in free agency.

 

Again, it cost us nothing to move up. In hindsight, I think Claver was plan C or plan D.

 

My thoughts exactly. A lot of people expect fireworks on draft day because of KP's history so they expect him to be wheeling and dealing to try and get a big lottery player or something.

 

Q: Does picking #22 instead of #24 cost the team more in cap space . . . higher salary for #22?

 

Maybe, but if he turns out to be anything like Rudy or Batum I am OK with that. KP seems a little bit higher on him then Freedland or Kopono. You have to believe the scouts know a little more then we do.

 

The concern is, to date, KP has made most of his moves on or around draft day. He hasn't done a big trade at the trade deadline or big trade outside of the draft date.

So I can understand if fans are concern with draft day coming and going without any big moves (and there were big moves). This is usually KP's time . . . now KP has got to feel some pressure with getting something done before the season starts.

Stay tuned . .. I hope.

 

I'm fine with the pick. I've made no mystery about wanting to build through trades and free agency over the draft. I just don't understand the trade up two picks to get this kid. It cost us the increase in salary from 24 to 22 (yeah I get that its miniscule, but its still an unnecessary cost) and it cost us the opportunity to use those assets we sent to Dallas for another possible trade.

 

He has already not turned out to be like Rudy or Batum. KP said he wants to stash him - like Freeland and PK.

 

Yeah.. I know KP and the staff will say it was exactly how they saw it, but who knows. They can't get it right and get Plan A every time, can they? I wish I was a fly in that war room wall.

 

About an extra $70K next year, if my calculations are right - but this is based on last year's draft - so... there might be a small variation there...

 

So far he is exactly like Rudy. He's not coming over this year.

 

Thanks for the info . . . basically a negligible amount and not a factor when talking cap space

 

We wanted Rudy to come over, he just couldn't. I don't believe that to be the case with Claver at all.

 

Wheels mentioned that Psycho T was #1 on the Blazers' draft broad, so the move was supposedly made to target him. But, Indy made the idiotic decision of taking him in the lottery, so KP went to plan B (aka Claver).

 

Well true he is younger and coming off a broken ankle and we are stacked at SF this year. We prefer he doesn't come over so we don't have to pay his salary. But he is also considered one of the top players out of Spain. Freedland and Kopono were not even close to this.

 

I think there's only a small bit of truth to that. For myself and those I talked to, the major disappointment was that we passed on Blair multiple times. He's someone that nearly everyone (outsider Blazer management, apparently) felt is a perfect fit if the cost is low, but that it would be too difficult to move up enough to get him. The fact that he fell into our lap and we said 'no thanks' is what stings and is why the question in this thread's title is so appropriate ... what did we accomplish and why?

 

length and bad knees the graph is taller longer and does not have the bad knees

 

I suppose Pritchard just decided to throw away a couple second rounders to foolishly move up in the draft. Whatever.

How about this. Portland had a bundle of assets that needed to be utilized by tonight. They find the best deal, moving up two spots, using those available assets to grab a player high on their draft board. What the fuck is wrong with that?

Should they have risked not getting a player as high up on their draft board, taken another second round draft pick, and then kept next year's second rounder instead?

To be critical of this move makes zero sense to me.

 

Draft Express had Darren Collison as a second rounder. He went mid-first. Just because a player is mocked in the second round doesn't mean he will last until then.

Pritchard probably felt that Claver wouldn't last to #31. None of us have any way of knowing but, due to track record, I'll trust his judgment.

And I was hoping for Blair at #22 also. In fact, I was anxious at #20, worried that Utah would take him. But after seeing every team pass on him until the mid-second round, I'm less bullish on him. Yes, sometimes the entire industry blows it, but that's not what I'd bet on.