Re: 2012 NBA Draft Prospects Drummond/Marshall is my hope. Set-up style point guard and needed solid big man to go with Aldridge/Batum for the future.
Re: 2012 NBA Draft Prospects That would be my plan B but they have to do whatever it takes (packaging picks?) to move up high enough for Bradley Beal.
Re: 2012 NBA Draft Prospects This is considered a deep draft but after the mid-lotto it's very meh. Move up, move up, move up!
Re: 2012 NBA Draft Prospects Keep an eye on North Texas' Tony Mitchell. Pizza guy says he will rocket up the draft boards in workouts.
Re: 2012 NBA Draft Prospects Assuming the motor is there, do guys like Kevin Love, Zach Randolph, Paul Milsap and Luis Scola make Jared Sullinger more appealing?
Re: 2012 NBA Draft Prospects I worry about the defense out of an ALdridge-Sullinger pairing, for us. The funny thing is, it SHOULD help Sullinger, sinceeach year, it seems, GMs pass on guys like that, and then half way through the season, we have the why was this guy passed on discussion, but, most likely, he too will get passed on. If our plan is to maximize cap space for outside free agents, however, Hickson's cap hold could be an issue for us, and Sullinger would make a good offensive replacement. Not as athletic as Hickson has shown, but could be a reliable 3rd big/instant offense from the post.
Re: 2012 NBA Draft Prospects With Cody Zeller going back to Indiana I'm warming up to the idea of John Henson with our pick and Marshall with the NJ pick. If we don't get into the top-5 we wont have a shot at Bradley Beal. 6'11" 7'6" wingspan 13.7 PPG | 9.9 RPG | 2.9 BPG UNC defense efficiency: w/ Henson: 87.3 w/o Henson: 97.9 Link [video=youtube;QCJrx7CA0Ss]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCJrx7CA0Ss[/video] Great chemistry between Henson and Marshall. I think we may have to trade up a few spots with our pick -- I think both of these UNC players sneak into the top-10.
Re: 2012 NBA Draft Prospects After never liking Henson for his UNC career I started warming up to him a bit at the end of this season. Hes shown a consistent mid-range J and his shotblocking presence will translate in the NBA. He rebounds much better than a guy like Brandan Wright ever did. Hes got the same question mark of whether he'll fill out, but he also comes into the league as the much better rebounder, much better shotblocker, and much better jumpshot than BW had. I think hes tougher and more competitive than BW too. Likely not a 20/10 starting PF, which is why hes ranked late lotto. But if he can get up to 240+ lbs I think he'd be a really solid starter alongside a skilled big (LMA).
Re: 2012 NBA Draft Prospects I don't get it....Some of you guys are obsessed with PG in this draft, when what this team really (desperately) needs is at minimum a 2nd (or some would say 1st) option to Aldridge, with the hope that Batum (resigned) can be that #3 guy.... Kendall Marshall or Damian Lillard isn't that guy.....and obtaining that guy via free agency (D-Will, Gordon) is such a longshot that trying to base a strategy around it seems foolish... POR best chance of getting that #2 guy, who best case has potential to be a #1, is going to be through the draft.... That is why why POR should be focusing in on guys like Bradley Beal (if he slips), Austin Rivers (underrated), Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Lamb, maybe a guy like Perry Jones (at SF), maybe Tony Wroten (again underrated), Dion Waiters potentially another one....but particularly the 1st four guys I mentioned....They need to focus there first and hit on the right guy...Maybe better your chances and draft two of them if you can. Address PG through free agency, then if you get lucky and get a D-Will, then you get a great bonus...but more likely a guy like Dragic or Aaron Brooks...Maybe Nash, although his age doesn't quite gel with the rest of the team... This team needs a 2nd wheel to Aldridge, Batum is a good player but counting on him to develop as a #2 guy seems to be thinking a little too optimistically, as a # 3 not so much... Rivers, Beal, Lamb or Barnes....One of those guys.... Now which one is most likely to develop into that go-to #2 (possibly #1) guy? My Answer? Rivers... Yours?
Re: 2012 NBA Draft Prospects If I was the GM I would go after 2 of that group...be it Rivers\Jones, Barnes (move Batum to SG), Rivers, Beal\Jones something like that, double your chances of hitting on one of them, maybe you hit on both? Then try as hard as hell to strike it rich in free agency (D-Will) and if you don't have that back-up\more realistic option ready to go...My preference would be Dragic, 2nd option Brooks
Re: 2012 NBA Draft Prospects Agreed Blaze. My answer Lamb, he puts on 20 lbs and he's like Batum with shot creation ability.
Re: 2012 NBA Draft Prospects So I was playing with the ESPN Mock Draft thing and out of curiosity I clicked on the "How It Works" link on the bottom and in that page there is a heading that says "Key Trades" and under that is says "The Portland Trail Blazers receive the New Orleans Hornets' first round pick if it's not in the first seven picks" I can only assume this is an error but it through me for a loop at first. I think those are key things from last years instead of this year. http://espn.go.com/nba/lottery2012/mockdraft
Re: 2012 NBA Draft Prospects On another note, I ran the simulator and it gave us (7) Damian Lillard and (11) Kendall Marshall and I laughed. And then I thought, well if we drafted both of them then one of them is bound to be good at least and then we can trade the other. Its sad that I have so little trust in our scouting that i have to resort to such extreme ideas.
Re: 2012 NBA Draft Prospects NBADraft.net current picks for the Blazers #7 - Lamb #11 - Sullinger Like the Lamb pick. Sullinger? Who knows.
