Agreed. I was kind of down on Drummond, but after watching some video, I really am not excited about many of the other guys who are ranked 2-8 either. Drummond is risky and raw, but at least you can see some NBA abilities. He is very quick laterally and spins nicely. Has a lot to learn about the game. He also is not always aggressive, but he is very young still. Honestly, he reminds me a lot of a shorter GO, without the injury issues. First question I ask him is if he ever wanted to be a dentist.
Claver was a KP pick and was done in the Euro-stash model because the Blazers didn't really have a roster spot open. Since we haven't seen him play in an NBA-level game yet, he's an incomplete at this point. Babbitt and Williams were also KP picks. I like Williams and I think Babbitt is going to develop into a decent role player off the bench. Looking at the list of guys taken after him in the 2010 draft, I think a case could be made that Luke was the BPA. It's not a great list. http://www.nbadraft.net/nba_final_draft/2010 Nolan Smith was the pick in Chad's first draft as interim GM, so that's on him. He certainly wasn't the BPA, but I don't think he's going to end up as a "terrible" pick at No. 21. Faried definitely had an impressive year, but I'm not convinced that he's a starter in the NBA given his size limitations for his position. Probably both Smith and Faried end up as solid role players a few years down the line, which is about the norm for players taken at their spots in the draft.
Exactly. If Drummond drops to six, you have to take him. I think we can still get a difference maker at guard with the 11th. Whether it's Lillard or Lamb or whatever. There's bound to be someone there. Maybe even Marshall if we want to go that route. There just aren't a lot of sure things in this draft. Seems like more than a few guys have been labeled as high risk/high reward. If I have to choose someone carrying that banner, I'd rather go with a big man.
To be honest? I don't know. I have followed the prospects much less closely than I have in the last years (decades). I want to come up to speed and give (perhaps too strongly phrased) opinions about whom we should draft, but... at this point I can only talk about process, rather than players Ed O.
Williams seems like a pretty good prospect given where he was drafted. Hopefully he can stay healthy and show us what he's got! Ed O.
Drummond is huge (6'11" 290 lbs while at UCONN) but he's pretty much limited to ally-oops. Offensively, right now, he's DeAndre Jordan.
The guy is an absolute nut job/headcase! BUT....... with the right coach he could be 10X better then Bynum. You put a quality PG with him and he would dominate this league. I truly believe this FAMS!
I agree. Super talented, the game seems to just come to him. Its that ticky-tack foul he picks up that sends him over the edge. Then, vets like Camby or Elton Brand just whisper things in his ear and he's completely mind fucked. I was surprised he dropped as far as he did.
I'm DC's biggest fan outside of Sacramento. He has the skills and the knack for scoring that Z-Bo had, just at legit center size (9'5" reach)
Just so I get this right for all of the people advocating trading the picks... Do you really think adding Millsap (for the #6) and Collison or Lowry (for the #11) makes this team a title contender? and forget about a free agent b\c you probably just used up most of the space getting both of those guys (Millsap @ $7.2 and Collison @ $2.3 or Lowry @ $5.7) REALLY? That team is lucky to MAKE IT to the playoffs...
This post seems pretty random to me. At least in this thread, I don't see any discussion of trading the picks here, let alone specifically doing trades for Lowry or Millsap & Collison. As for the cap space situation, that would depend upon what players were going out in exchange for what the Blazers would take back in trade. Would the specific trades you suggest make the Blazers a contender? No, not by themselves. Would keeping the two draft picks make the Blazers a contender any time soon? Probably not, at least absent other moves. The players available at the 6 & 11 spots are going to have talent, but are going to need several years to develop it in order to be major contributors in a title run. Ideally, I'd like to see the Blazers keep one of the picks and use one in a trade for an experienced player. I'd also like to see them use the cap space to sign one FA. Bottom line, though, I don't see the Blazers as doing more this year than getting to the point where they maybe could win a first round playoff series next year. It's going to take several years, some player development, getting the right coach, and probably some future moves before the team is ready to challenge for a title. One step at a time, as long as we're moving in the right direction.
It is not random at all, those are the names being talked about and those are picks that that are talked about being dealt for them.....on this board, by Blazer employees like Barrett, Wheeler and Harvey and by some ESPN analysts... and the point being is that you either have to give up cap space in the exchange WITH the pick OR trade a player back in the deal, which means trading away another assett (of which there are a limited amount to begin with)....and I doubt teams are going to take POR trash (S.Williams\Babbitt\N.Smith) in such exchange.... and again to my point, it doesn't make this team any better than it started at the beginning of last season....I just find this notion to trade away both or one of the picks for the names being mentioned out there a completely stupid idea..... mid-level NBA players are not going to elevate this team to an NBA title....
