Why did the Blazers draft Meyers Leonard 11th????

Sadly, "Smart GM" Rich Cho said no thank you.

 

http://www.cbs.com/shows/cbs_this_m.../tear-filled-reunion-for-two-special-brothers

 

I'm going to go against my better judgment and assume that your intentions are legitimate and actually want to discuss the topic of this thread, as well as the other subjects you've mentioned herein.

First--you suggest that Olshey should have packaged both picks plus other assets and traded up for MKG. I disagree with that assessment, based solely on the fact that Lillard was available at 6, and it is easily arguable that Lillard alone is of more value to this team than Kidd-Gilchrist would have been. Couple that with the fact that we already have Batum at MKG's position, the trade you suggest should have happened is by no means a slam dunk, and in many people's opinion would have been silly.

That said, you ask why we drafted Leonard, saying he has bust written all over him and is a white stiff. The "white stiff" part has already been addressed by others, by pointing out that his demonstrated athleticism and agility set him apart from "white stiffs" in history. Now, I see you attempted to discount the athleticism issue by bringing up Qyntel Woods' failed NBA career, but as we all know, that failure was not due to a lack of ability or athleticism, but due to his mental/emotional deficiencies, a characteristic that Leonard does not share, making the Leonard/Woods comparison fatally flawed. So, It has been clearly shown that the "white stiff" claim is baseless and irrelevant--let us move on.

If you are going to not only question why we drafted Leonard at 11, but also declare definitively that we should not have, you should also indicate whom we should have drafted in that spot, and why said selection would have been better than Leonard. Let us look at the next 8 players drafted, and list some of the question marks associated therewith:

• Jeremy Lamb--Very skinny frame that might not be able to hold up to the rigors of NBA basketball; questionable intellect and decision-making given impressions made at draft combine; potential ball-hog mentality
• Kendall Marshall--Questionable athleticism, and no demonstrated ability to shoot from the outside. Plus, we just drafted Lillard 6th, so another PG would be redundant
• John Henson--another very skinny player, with many comparisons to former Tarheel and current scrub Brandan Wright; not much offensive game to speak of
• Maurice Harkless--Very raw, unable to create own shot, not perimeter threat, plays more like a 4 than a 3. Tweener.
• Royce White--Mental issues were a bit of a concern, as well as his size for his position. Also a tweener (probably would have been my top pick at 11 if not Leonard)
• Tyler Zeller--Now, here's your big white stiff. Shorter than Leonard, shorter arms, less athletic. Not even the best Zeller in CBB last year.
• Terrence Jones--Say it with me..."Tweener". Questionable jumper, no mid-range game. Poor attitude when things not going his way. No one aspect of his game that is definitely NBA starter caliber.
• Andrew Nicholson--Not quite an NBA body, despite being a senior PF. Average athleticism at best. Has difficulty in low post against stronger or bulkier players

Clearly, there's not a single player here who was an obvious selection ahead of Leonard, but if you want to be intellectually honest, can you at least say who you think should have been taken in the 11 spot instead, and why?