I think a lot has to do with how N.O views Alexander, Montero, and PC. Have any of them developed over the year? If he likes them there may not be room for rookies.
The biggest importance of the draft pick, though, is that it makes draft night (and everything leading up to it) fun! Do we have a second round pick this year?
Blazers got Roy and Lillard in "weak" draft years. Just think, if it was not for #14 picks, who would have been Kim Kardashian's first husband? (OK, I'll duck, don't throw anything too nasty at me.)
You guys are missing the point. You can't look at these picks in a vaccuum. #14 pick has more value than just the player picked at that position. We got our starting center (on possibly the 5th best team in the conference) for the #23 pick last year.
We also got our starting SF for a top 55 protected pick. We either had to give Denver our first round pick this year, or next, or two future second round picks. The way Olshey turns 2nd round picks into gold, maybe we're better off giving them one first round pick rather than missing the playoffs two years in a row and giving up 2 second round picks. BNM
Yep, the trade was made when we were in win now mode - giving up future assets to fill an immediate need. Wes' injury changed all that in an instant. You could just see how deflated the team was entering the playoffs last year, and it showed in their performance. Remember how dominant Aldridge was in Games 1 and 2 in HOU two years ago? Compare that to how he sleepwalked through the playoffs last year. In his mind, he was already gone before the playoffs even started. We went from win now to retool in a heartbeat. Nobody could have predicted that at the time of the trade. BTW, if you go back and look at the various online trade grades at the deadline last year, most of the "experts" gave us a A- or B+ for that trade - AT THE TIME. And, we weren't the only ones who got nothing in return for our trade deadline move. MEM got Jeff Green, HOU got Josh Smith and the DAL got Rajon Rondo. Technically, Josh Smith left the Rockets for nothing, but they also got him back for nothing (again), but I''d day the Rondo trade was an even bigger "unmitigated" disaster than our Afflalo trade. BNM
The trade was horrible. You can use a bunch of points to show Greg Oden was a great pick at the time; similarly turns out taking him was horrible. Good points on other deadline deals not working; they almost never work out. If anything we should use this as evidence to do all roster moves during the offseason. Well unless some dumb team gives up a draft pick that becomes Lillard. That really just reinforces the point; don't trade for players during the season.
unless its us trading wallace to detroit via atlanta. but you are right, at least they almost never work out for us
It all depends on your scouts - especially your international scouts. Jokic was a second-rounder but if you re-do that draft he goes top-3.
