It's this perspective that makes me okay with all the injury trouble Greg has gone through, IMHO were lucky at all to even have G.O.
I don't know that much about Singleton, but I'm not that excited at the prospect of getting a small forward who's got no offensive game ... that's a senior. While I guess it's possible some players will figure out an offensive game at the NBA level, I don't find it very likely that one will after 4 years of college ball. And of all the positions we could draft, I think that small forward is about the worst one. I'm a BPA guy, but in the case of a tie I'd prefer to go with a position of scarcity (PG, C) or of need (PF, PG). It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. Ed O.
Bojan plays a lot like Harpring -- [video=youtube;G4HoxQshshQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4HoxQshshQ[/video]
Here's a vid of Bogdanovic: [video=youtube;G4HoxQshshQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4HoxQshshQ[/video] And here's his DraftExpress profile. (They have him ranked #1 in "international '89") And here's another video. I remember this Scottish commentator from Batum videos when we drafted him: [video=youtube;PO3HySXjQYE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO3HySXjQYE[/video] If we go the Eurostash route, I'd rather have him than Motiejunas.
BPA. If that's Singleton, so be it. If he can actually play, he either becomes trade bait, or allows you to trade Batum. Either way, he is worth more to the team than another Claver/Babbitt/Williams. It's one thing to gamble on a long shot - it is another matter entirely to gamble on a horse that isn't even in the race!
Singleton would bring a lot to this team right away. He's a solid rebounder, great athlete and superior defender. Additionally, due to his mental and physical maturity, he'd likely be able to contribute right away and, as I've said previously, bringing him on would allow us to dangle Nic, arguably our most attractive trade chip for a young PG or big man help... If he's there at our pick I'd be VERY happy to have him in such a weak draft. Probably will never be great, but he's good enough to help right now, would be a terrific understudy to Crash, and allows us flexibility with some of our best assets.
So let's see... Our other options would be: 1) Sell the pick to pocket another few million dollars for one of the world's most wealthy men. - PASS 1B) Trade it. PASS - we don't need any extra sandwiches. 2) Draft a Euro to stash overseas that may or may not ever become a player decent enough to bring over since we have no control of his development, nevermind the inevitable question in the future of even IF said player would come over. And oh BTW, Claver, Petteri and Freeland pretty much cover all 5 positions halfway decently, so this Euro would probably be 4th in line to come over. -PASS 3) Draft a project - where? We've been fooling around w/ projects @ PG, but can no longer afford to w/ our starter becoming eligible for AARP soon, we've got too many SGs already, already have 3 young SFs, PF needs immediate help and C needs a healthy Oden right away or we're thin there anyway... Jeremy Tyler and/or Vucevic might be the only options here that I'd even consider. Mostly PASS. 4) Draft another position of need. I'm ok w/ this one if it's the right player (Faried, PG, etc.) 5) BPA - that's Chris Singleton. I'm not saying we MUST take Singleton, but he's one of only a handful of players in this draft that can contribute right away - which is what this team needs. Outside of his toughness, athleticism, and defense - as I've already stated, he frees up some room to move Nic for another piece. No, he's not a deadeye shooter, but this team needs players who can contribute right away. That player likely won't be any other rookie at 21, so not only does Singleton keep some of what Nic has, but it allows us to use him for what we DO need. At 21, he's easily the best player on the board.
I'd rather see POR take a player that has a definable NBA skill that this team is sorely lacking in..... Shooting or scoring... Faried is a nice player but he is projected as pretty much a rebounder and that is it....This team is ok in that dept IMO with Aldridge, Wallace, Oden\Camby... Singleton is a defender\slasher and pretty much that is it....again POR has a lot of this type of player already in Wallace\Batum (both at Singleton's position), Chris Johnson...heck even Camby and Matthews fall into this category, although Matthews is more of a streak shooter (from 3pt range) no real mid ragne game though, but he is good at atacking the basket and defending... This team DESPERATELY needs players who can score and create shots for themselves or players who can shoot CONSISTENTLY from the outside.....in essence, this team has trouble scoring and they need players who can help in that area over any other.
This was my reaction too... We're drafting 21st in a weak draft. The Allen Iversons, Brandon Roys and Paul Pierces are very likely to be gone by then. If you want to talk about a Marshon Brooks or Josh Selby then I'd listen, but I don't think those guys will add much to a team like ours next year. If you swing for the fences and miss, you get nothing out of the draft pick. For a team that believes it is close to competing for a title, that doesn't help. However, if you set your sights on a different type of player - a Tony Allen type, a Milsap type - role players needed for a championship run, then you can get a quality player where we're drafting. I'll take a dependable complementary player who provides added roster flexibility over a dice roll on a guy that could be something, could be nothing...
So there won't be a single good shooter left by the time we pick? Really? I'm asking in all seriousness, because I don't follow college hoops that closely.
Um, I find it laughable that a team that started Dante Cunningham, Jeff Pendergraph and Juwan Howard at Center over the last 2 years doesn't need one of the most prolific rebounding big men ever to come out of college.
Yeah Josh Shelby and Marshon Brooks come to mind...or Alec Burks (if he slipped a little) heck, I would rather see POR take a flyer on a PG like Jenkins, Cole, Jackson or maybe even Morris or better yet trade up in a weak draft and go after a guy like Jimmer Fredette, Kemba Walker or Brandon Knight. Brian - @ center....the problem wasn't rebounding per ser but lack of depth\injuries at center.... I'd be ok with POR taking a guy like Keith Benson, Jeremy Tyler or Vucevic if they couldn't find a scorer or PG. But POR current lineup of Wallace\Aldridge and Oden\Camby has more than enough rebounding IMO, especially when you factor in a PG in Miller and SG in Matthews who are good rebounders as well. rebounding is not POR problem, scoring is...
Wallace/Aldridge are an ok rebounding tandem. But that means that you have 3 of Miller, Roy, Wes, Batum, Rudy, Mills, etc. on the floor. Because you don't have any more big men to speak of. Personally, I think it'd be better to have (if Oden or Camby goes down with a sprained ankle or rest or something) LMA at C, Faried (or one of your suggestions) at PF garbageman and Wallace at the Sf than going small with LMA/Crash as your C/PF.
