As of right now, Portland has no picks in the upcoming draft. That being said, do you think we should add a rookie or two this draft? Who would you replace on the roster? Is there a player in round 2 that sparks your interest? Is there someone who is worth a 1st on the roster you'd give up?
At this point I really don't know anything about the draft. I usually spend about a month looking at mocks and listening to the self-proclaimed experts on this forum talk about who they want.
The "experts" think this is a great draft, so I like the idea of somehow getting a pick (especially if it involves trading Leonard for a pick). But I'd also be fine if we don't. We don't need to get any younger.
It depends entirely on Dame and Nic. Those two need to continue to improve. Dame needs to become a full-fledged superstar and Nic needs to become a full-fledged All-Star. Aldridge is Aldridge. He had his best year in 2013-2014 and I don't see any way that he's going to get much better than this, but who knows. So if the goal is to stick with what we've got, you hope that our young guys continue to improve and add some vets. Pretty much the same strategy as last summer. it worked pretty well since we won 54 games and went to the second round.
Not a huge NBA draft-nik, but I am one who loves college basketball and have seen a lot of these guys play. I tend to agree with Danny Ainge, there really isn't a future star that stands out, but it is very deep draft. I mean, Kyle Anderson is scheduled to go 23rd and he's a really good college player. And team that knows what they are doing, has a decent middle to late first round pick. and actually scouts well, is going to go away with a good player. I expect San Antonio to draft every decent foreign player in the second round!
I agree, and since I don't think as highly as Nic as most of you, I don't think this roster can do it
I'm fine with not being in the draft. We need vets. What I'm not fine with is not doing some sort of trade or signing vets. Staying pat is terrible.
Olshey is all about obtaining chips for hopefully some blockbuster trade. So if there is some opportunity to grab a good young player on a cheap contract, never hurts to have another chip. But I don't think a that is where the focus will be this summer. Finding players to take the team to the next level and beyond the second round is my wishful thinking for this summer.
The spirit of Red Auerbach and Jerry West is in Oshey. Well Jerry isn't dead, so maybe just his breath is on Oshey.
I'm not a believer in the win it all or rebuild each year theory of team building. Only one team gets the rings each year and there's never a straight path towards being that team. In theory, the Blazers should have been in contention right now if the Roy/Oden/Aldridge threesome had panned out. Injuries derailed that plan. OKC should have won a title by now with Durant, Westbrook & Harden, but the CBA and budgeting got in the way of that. Miami capitalized on a plan by 3 major stars to play together simply by happening to be able to have cap space to be able to pull it off. Boston did the same thing several years before that. That kind of thing rolls around every so often and I can't help but think that Olshey has an eye on positioning the Blazers to be able to do something similar after next season because he's sure keeping his contracts lined up so that he can maneuver then if he wants. I say buying in to this draft, if it can be done for cash and filler, is a smart thing to do, but I wouldn't disrupt the core at this point. Add a couple of seasoned vets to the bench, get home court for at least the first round next year, and see how things pan out. If there's a need to do something dramatic, the following summer will be the time to try to pull it off.
There are several players to be picked later that I really like: 20-25 range - K.J. McDaniels (Reminds me of Gerald Wallace) 30-40 range - Damien Inglis (Nic Batum version2 - a little slower & a little more bulky) - Spencer Dinwiddie (SG with some decent handles & vision) - Walter Tavares (tall 7-3 player, who is reportedly has good feet) - Jarnell Stokes (short PF, but bulky enough to get by with it)
Which makes me wonder what it would take to get to 20 and take this kid. I think he's gonna be an amazing player.
Absolutely NO! I think its a bad idea to trade into the draft. I'd go the other direction, I'd be looking for a trade that brings in a veteran to contribute now but sends out our 2015 pick completely unprotected. We can trade that pick immediately after the draft as the stepien rule would no longer apply. We have a core all in their prime along with a few upside young players on rookie contracts. We don't need more rookies, we need veterans that can contribute right now.
