Have we given up on the rookies?

I do think/hope that Williams will be a very good role player soon. I cant figure out Johnson.

 

basically thats my take. None of these guys were expected to set the world on fire and be contributing much in their first year. Babbitt and Johnson were making huge leaps in competition and Williams was injured. I'd expect they get more opportunity to sink or swim with a year under their belts. If one or more takes off it wouldn't be the first time a rookie showed little and then came on. Being on cheap rookie deals makes it easy to have some patience for me at least

STOMP

 

im not giving up on babbitt yet, he got zero PT more or less, and if we happened to whiff on the 14th pick, shit happens.

ewill is gonna be good i think

armon could easily be a greg anthony type off the bench if he can get any kind of jumper

i still have hopes for slam dunk champ and rising acb star claver

i still have hopes for one of the best bigs in acb freeland

no idea about koponen but why not, i think he could come over here as a physical blake type

 

So you're assuming we're moving up?
Do you have any players in mind? I always dream of the next Alvin Williams. I'd settle for the next Robert Pack.

But actually for both of those positions, I'm kind of hoping we fill them with veterans rather than rookies. My vote for backup PG goes to Pablo Prigioni (yet again). The difference in previous years is that he's actually a free agent and his team (Real Madrid) seems to be going with a youth movement, and might want to give Sergio the reins, just because he fits with more of a running style. Prigioni is getting on (34), but he's still (and always will be) younger than Andre, and can hit a three point shot.
As for backup PF, I don't know, but I have a feeling Chris Johnson would be of more immediate use than anyone available where we pick (unless it's that Faried guy, but he's a bit like Gerald Wallace).

Let me guess - they're young and have POTENTIAL.

MAYbe. I guess we can look to Kyle Korver for a possible antecedent. But if he's more of a "stretch four" then he needs to REALLY start working out. Then he can be "a short Ryan Anderson".

EXACTLY, and you're much more likely to get that in trade or free agency.

Oddly enough, I think the optimal strategy these days is to use first round picks on pure potential, preferably foreign potential, so that it can be developed without taking a roster spot. That's the Claver/Freeland route, and that's why I think that Brazilian kid Nogueira makes sense. Then you use the second round pick on a mature four-year kid who can come right in and help (the Cunningham method). That particularly applies to undersized hustling 4s or "crafty" PGs. Charles Jenkins of Hofstra comes to mind, or possibly that Baylor PG who reminds me of Sherman Douglas.

 

POR track record since 2007 is pretty bad....and one of the remaining architects of those drafts (Chad Buchanan) is heading the show this year, and his track record, to put it bluntly fucking sucks....Oh well him and Bert Kolde and Paul Allen....

A little refresher?

2010
Babbit, Williams, Johnson (POR got NOTHING out of all 3 of these players)

Who did they miss on? Kevin Seraphin, Eric Bledsoe, Avery Bradley, Greiveis Vasquez, Landry Fields, Hassan Whiteside

2009
Victor Claver, Cunningham, Pendergraph & Mills

Who did they miss on? How about these 3 players who went with the 3 picks before them Jrue Holiday, Eric Maynor & Darren Collison
After Claver? Omri Casspi (better production than Claver or Cunningham), Rodrique Beaubois, Taj Gibson, Dejuan Blair, Jonas Jerebko, Marcus Thornton, Chase Budinger, Toney Douglas

2008
Jerryd Bayless & Nic Batum (DEFINITELY a good pick)

Who did they miss? Robin Lopez, Javale McGee, Maresse Speights, Roy Hibbert, JJ Hickson, Serge Ibaka, Anthony Randolph, DeAndre Jordan, Omer Asik, George Hill, Goran Dragic

2007
Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez, Peteri Koponen

Who did they miss? Aaron Brooks, Aaron Afflalo, Tiago Splitter, Carl Landry, Marc Gasol, Glen Davis

2006
LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Joel Freeland (home run draft?)

Who did they miss (after Freeland)? Not a lot.....Daniel Gibson & Paul Millsap

2006 notwithstanding, for all of the wheeling & dealing, acquired draft picks POR in the last 4 years have had 1 pick (Batum) pan out, a big donut on all of the euros to date and missed BADLY in the 2009 draft. The track record is not good at all...

I mean at this point, do we pray for luck? b\c I don't trust the skill of Buchanan and our scouting staff or the "gut instincts" of Al Davis...err....Allen & his little buddy, Kolde....

 

Hasnt MB said that Babbitt has looked real good in practice & scrimmage games? I know its not the real deal, but it gives me hope.

 

I think he's said it before. I just feel like if he actually did, Nate would put him in. he had no problem playing Armon early on. No problem playing Chris Johnson. No problems playing many other rookies. And we didn't have nearly the injury issues.

 

I think Elliot Williams had lottery talent. I remember Chad Ford being a bit pissed at KP after the firing because he felt KP misled Ford about some health issues with Williams, which Ford reported. Turns out KP wasn't misleading Ford, and was perhaps being a bit too honest. Williams isn't supposed to lose any athleticism. While we've heard that about other players before, even if Williams loses 6" off of his vertical, he will still be at 42".

Babbitt will need to hit his 3s consistently or he won't last in the NBA. I think it's as simple as that with him. Johnson seems like a hustle player who could develop into a decent back-up in a few years, if he is given the time to develop.

 

Or, he is playing well offensively in practice, because "game" intensity on defense isn't seen in practice. Defense takes effort, and I'm going to guess that most players aren't playing as hard defensively in practice as they are in games.

 

I thought the picks were solid for the reasons given at the time: Armon a strong length of floor defender; Williams a superior athlete tutored between two elite college programs; Babbitt a hybrid 4 with supposedly the best shot in the draft. Seemed good. We need more shooters, need more athletes on the wings.

So far....Armon can't do much beside defend fullcourt....Williams hurt... Babbitt apparently not an NBA shooter. You shouldn't judge after a season, but I'd be shocked if Babbitt amounts to anything. He didn't even shoot well or dominate in garbage time. I still have high hopes for Williams. He has the athleticism to create and get his own shot, so critical in the NBA. He looked invisible in preseason though, and after a year on the shelf, it might take 2 years before he makes us take notice. Depressing.

 

I've given up on Babbitt. Not on Williams, as he hasn't played. Johnson has done fairly well for a 2nd rounder, but thats not saying much.

 

Yes, let's start taking MB's unbiased opinion on team matters. C'Mon, BB. you know better than that

 

I thought drafting two dudes who together couldn't get their NCAA team to even win their conference tournament and never even made the NCAA tournament was a mistake.

Nothing has happened since that has changed my mind.

I haven't given up on E-Will because I never actually saw him play.

 

Shawn Kemp lost 30lbs and looks amazing!

 

Good points. We need to rebound and make two good selections this summer.

 

Actually our draft choices have NOT been good dated back to the 1990's. Roy, Aldridge, Batum were all acquired via trade!!! Even the Webster pick was a trade-down from #4 to get both Webster and Jack.

 

Chad Buchanan says no:

http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=130635912304655000

 

Of course Buchanan is going to say that, he helped select them and his reputation is riding on the line with them a little bit.

Secondly, how is that we had a roster injury riddled and devoid of production at the backup 1 and backup 4 spots and they couldn't crack the rotation? I'm not saying they've got no chance moving forward, but we were dying for somebody who could come in and spell Miller or come in and actually knock down a shot and these guys were either in sweats pants or in Boise.

 

That's the bottom line. They were blessed with a coach that plays rookies, there were minutes available, and they let the golden opportunity pass them by. These guys were the anti-Batum.

 

Babbitt did a lot better than Armon in the D-League.