Lol it would take a lot more than Barton or Trob to get this guy , he's a top 5. Would have to be some one in the s5, and even then it's unlikely unless it's Lillard or Aldridge, maybe Batum. I wish you were the gm of the lakers lol
maybe a year ago it was but I feel like the general consensus is no longer that. A lot of good prospects, good depth but there aren't any franchise players in this class. The Wiggins hype train is ridiculous. Parker is the only one that could possibly get a max contract one day. Thats my opinion at least.
Yeah, this seems to happen a lot, and why it's a good thing these guys are required to go to college for a year before they are eligible for the draft. A lot of guys get REALLY hyped at an early age through AAU ball and the camps - guys like O.J. Mayo, Shabazz Muhammad, Josh Selby, Harrison Barnes, Austin Rivers, Brandon Jennings, Bill Walker, etc. are all supposed to be the next sure thing. Then they play a year of college ball (or overseas) and suddenly they aren't such hot shit anymore. Hell, Will Barton was ranked as the 9th best prospect in his high school senior year, and after two years at a top program, he fell all the way to 40th in the draft. Don't get me wrong, some of those guys are, or may someday be, decent pros, but none are the next LeBron/Jordan/Magic, etc. This class seems to be deep in good players - solid starters, but in terms of superstars, it's not looking all that hot anymore. Certainly not worth blowing up a young 54-win team over. BNM
agreed. Although Saric sure would look nice in Rip City. Same with Vonieh. Oh well. Maybe Olshey will get one of them next year in a trade lolz
Why? OK, the "will probably always be better" may (or may not) be a stretch. But that's the thing. This guy is all about upside. Right now, he has one elite skill (rebounding) and good measurements. He's very raw offensively, terrible passer/turnover machine, doesn't block many shots given his superior physical tools, etc. Rebounding is one skill that seems to correlate well between the college and pros. So, unless the guy develops some of his other skills (and he very well might - that's the point, you just don't know), he could end up being a one-dimensional role player. Remember the Bismack Biyombo hype? People were talking about him like he was going to be the next Hakeem, but after 3 seasons in the NBA, he's still a one trick pony. He blocks shots, but his scoring average started low (5.2 ppg) and has gone down every year. So, who knows how good Vonieh will be? No one. And that's the problem. I'd sure like to see this guy stay in college one more year to see if he can develop any additional skills. The problem is, there is money to be made, and someone will take the risk and make him a top 10 pick. That makes it hard to walk away from that guaranteed money and go back to school - even if it's what would most likely be best in the long run. BTW, I'm not specifically comparing Vonieh to Biyombo (or any of the other prospects I mentioned in my other post). Just pointing out when you draft an 18-year old kid based on potential, it's a huge gamble - VERY high risk with the potential for high reward. This is the kind of pick that will make, or break, some GM's career. BNM
Yeah, it's always nice to add some young talent and fresh legs, but what would we have to give up to get it? I do like Olshey's buy low strategy though. Even if Thomas Robinson doesn't live up to his draft position and pre-draft hype, we're not the ones who wasted a top 5 pick on him. We basically got him for nothing. BNM
With the current CBA long term projects are worth far less. By the time he's ready to reach his potential, and that's a big if of ever happening, he will be done with his rookie contract. So his team will have to pay him a max level contract. The biggest advantage of draft picks is they are on cheap deals and allow a team to have cap room for additional veteran players. Drafting project players negates that advantage.
If we are going up that far, why don't we just get Aaron Gordon. He will be about 6-8 and his upside is bigger than these guys. He could be Blake Griffin.
The thing that makes him really interesting is his combination of rebounding, range and "has the clutch gene" like Dame.
vonleh, gordon and randle all seem discussed together. I don't think Gordon has Griffin's talent, more just his athleticism. Vonleh being compared to Bosh, Randle to ZBo.
Which is why he could slide. You never know which player drops in the draft and cannot take advantage of it if you have not done your homework. I do not see us trading into the lottery, but mid-first is a reasonable target.
Gordon has bounce, but that's about it. I don't think he'll be anything special in the NBA. Nick Johnson sure impressed me this year though.
BNM's comments on raw players and their "potential" underscore why the Blazers have looked for players who spent more than one year in college. Roy & Dame were players where there was a much better idea of what they could do.
Yeah, i'm tired of players like Meyers and Travis Outlaw that take years to be a useful bench player.
