One of the last college prospects that KP watched at the practice facility this summer. The way he dominates the boards since his FR year is eerily similar to Milsap in college.
I still think he's worth a late first round pick. Portland may be drafting in the 22-24 range by the end of the year.
So, I've been semi-watching the Morehead State v Louisville game today, and I knew nothing about anyone that I was seeing on the court, except that every time I looked up, the dreadlocked dude in blue was making some fantastic hustle play, sucking up all the rebounds, facing up his defender and blowing right past him, and generally making good things happen every time he saw the ball. It wasn't until late in the game that I was watching while a graphic was put up with his name that I remembered this thread. Mid-Major or not, it is clear that the dude can play ball, and I would love to have him on our bench for next season (if there is one). Based on this tourney game alone, he definitely seems worthy of a late-first-round flier.
EVERYONE on this board wanted him. Dunno wtf the font office was thinking but we passed on him. I remember watching the draft with a friend of mine and as he stayed on the board we were getting more and more excited then we learned we got Felton which was kinda cool but our pick comes up we are almost jumping out of our seats because we think were getting Farried and suddenly we take Nolan Smith who was projected as a second rounder. We were both so stunned and pretty upset.
No Shit. Talk about making Nate McMillan eat Crow. Rebounding and a solid PG is exactly what we need right now, and it's exactly what we gave away that draft day. What Front Office? It was Fucking Fired. Had almost the exact same experience of the draft, WTF who is Nolan Smith? Had to look him up.
I said it in my draft grade thread (F-) and it bears repeating after last night. That trade made us worse and a division rival better. The absolute worst kind of trade you can make. We got a younger, but worse PG and passed up the opportunity to draft Faried. Stupid, stupid, stupid, and another fine example of why our head of college scouting should NOT be our interim GM, let alone a semi-permanent one. BNM
Absolutely. This is what happens with no GM or perspective. You can always buy a guard, but Big-Men not so much. It's Pointless to draft a PG outside the Top 10 IMO, especially if you need him anytime soon. Furthermore, it seems, not definitive yet, but appears that the Blazers have yet again drafted/acquired a 2 guard to unsuccessfully be shoehorned into a 1.
Dennis Rodman is one of those archetypes now. "Dennis Rodman" means undersized skinny rebounder with no offense. If Faried was really to be the next Rodman he would also have to be able to guard everybody from Shaq to PGs, because that's what Rodman actually did. He would also have had to have gone to a Division II school. Other archetypes: "Scottie Pippen": hyper-athletic SF who plays great D and has PG skills. Best "next": Grant Hill "Charles Barkley": PF who's the height of a shooting guard, and the same width as height. Best "next": Larry Johnson. "Larry Bird": Ugly slow white guy who can shoot and pass. Best "next": Chris Mullin. "Magic Johnson": PG in the body of a power forward. There IS no next. Every "next" (e.g. Steve Smith) is (a) smaller, and (b) a shooting guard. "Michael Jordan": egotistical asshole who shoots a lot and wins dunk contests. Best "next": Kobe Bryant, natch.
LeBron James was the next, IMO. He's not quite as amazing a passer as Magic, but he's actually a pretty remarkable passer. Not only does he appear to be a great passer when I watch him play, the stats bear out that he provides point guard level Assist Rates.
I rocked a Faried avy a month before the draft and HATED the Smith pick. This had Nate's fingerprints all over it. Coach K had his ear - take Smith regardless who is available. McMillan is truly a shitty talent evaluator and has WAY too much pull in roster decisions.
I don't know why you're shocked. This happens every single year, except when we drafted the guy everyone wanted (Oden), and that didn't exactly work out. I try not to pay attention to the draft, other than for potential deals involving vets. I have been less than enthused about our drafts for many years now. I try to get excited with whomever we draft, but like the picks, they crash and burn (with a few exceptions).
