Gonna start looking into GG Jackson… Although if this pick isn’t #1 I’m pretty sure we are gonna trade it for some overrated wing
Just out of curiousity, do you feel D1 stats compare 1:1 with G-League stats or do you feel one or the other should be weighted? And if so, how much?
The problem is, Minnesota gave up all their picks to get Golbert. That's why this idea seems to be DOA.
I did not get the impression that Dame wanted any trades that made them worse from a talent perspective. I actually got the opposite impression. Ant + Nurk are better than Gobert, Gobert has the worst contract of the bunch, and this would hurt Portland's depth, which was already an issue. I would be shocked if Dame would want that deal to be made.
I'm not aware of who is or isn't calling the shots, I don't have that sort of access. I know Olshey/Cronin both mentioned they value Dame's input on transactions. Most recently, Dame came out in some interviews and expressed an interest in playing on a team that is looking to win now. A Gobert for Ant/Nurk trade would not appear to accomplish winning now or building for after Dame; which is why I believe it is a unlikely move for Portland. If Dame said he wanted "needle movers", I would assume he would be meaning he wants to move the needle in the positive direction, not negative. I could be wrong.
I feel like we had a good balance of both finding a “needle mover” and taking swings for the future. We got Grant and drafted Sharpe last year, why can’t we have the good approach this year? Right now, I’m liking the idea of acquiring Johnson in a sign-and-trade for Simons. We can still draft someone in the lottery, and trade/draft the NYK pick in either direction. If Lively shows in the draft process he isn’t any more ready than Baji, trade it for a Brogdon/White type of player. Or if Lively shows he might be a game changer on defense, find a way to move up for him. Whatever money we have left in TPEs and any other exception to fill either position. Drafting Lively to fill the backup big position would be a favorite path because Lively could both impact the floor defensively right away and also has an obvious path to getting more minutes when Nurk is not playing and/or is injured. Plus a Schmitz-picked lotto pick and a lead guard or scorer off the bench and a third string big. I think if the lotto pick shows Sharpe-level improvements as the season goes on, that team could be fighting for home court, without giving up numerous picks or anything that would hurt our future. I don’t think Dame + Sharpe + Grant + Johnson + Nurk with a scorer/backup PG + Thybulle + the lotto pick + Watford + Walker + Lively + Mays + 3rd string big would do any worse than a team that will have to trade 3+ 1sts and Ant for a Siakam/OG/KAT/Gobert.
I'm taking a guess based off the comments from Cronin/Dame, but it appeared they don't feel the middling approach can be successful. It certainly wasn't this year.
Listen, Dame might not want young players but this draft is great for Portland and even better for a young core like Simons-Sharpe-whoever Dame gets traded for (IF he gets traded). Wings/forwards are practically essential in today's game. There are 5-6 elite teams that utilize two versatile forwards up front with a quality guard behind them. Denver, Phoenix before they traded Cam and Bridges, Boston, Milwaukee, healthy Clippers, Memphis....all these teams have or had two wing/forwards who are 6'7"-6'10". And within the range Portland is likely to select, this draft is PACKED with quality wing/forwards unlike any other draft I've ever seen. Wemby may be a unicorn with Pegasus wings on him but there are several half-unicorn/half-stallions in this draft. You can look at my limited post history, not tooting my own horn but I originally came in here to chime about Sharpe, who I was obsessed with prior to the draft......and I see potential for another stud here just like with Sharpe. This draft solves so many things for Portland, going forward. In this case, these are my readings of the top players potentially available to Portland: Wemby: The NBA hasn't had a prospect like this since Lebron. Oden was close but watching Wemby's highlights and analysis, he could change the league forever. Easy #1 and if some contrarian wants to let him fall to #2, well, let's just say their job isn't likely to be secured in the near future. Expect a GOAT caliber player and automatic championships if he falls to Portland. This guy has Kyrie's handles, Dirk/KD's jumpshot and range, Hakeem's footwork, Mutumbo's shot blocking. His only weakness is his frame and potential injuries due to being so tall. Put him next to Sharpe and Dame and it's probably over for the league. Scoot: Derrick Rose, Ja Morant, Russell Westbrook, John Wall are the comparisons. If Wemby didn't exist, Scoot would be #1. If Portland were seeking to move on from Dame, Scoot is a worthy partner next to Sharpe. Imagine that you trade Dame+Nurk for Ayton+CP3 and Simons for OG.....you would have a pretty tremendous core of players to build around for 10 years. Miller: He has the scoring talent and natural skills expected of a star wing. He is offensively versatile and has shown some capabilities on defense. He'll be a natural scorer in the NBA. However, my qualms with him is his ball handling doesn't seem to be as good as it can be and he occasionally has mental lapses on both ends. Expect something like Rudy Gay mixed with some Danny Granger rather than Jayson Tatum. Not a bad player at all but he might not be BPA. Amen: He has natural instincts at EVERY facet of the game EXCEPT for shooting. Defense, facilitation, ball handling, off ball movement, leadership, IQ, athleticism, etc. Good news is that his shooting got better as the season went on and you can teach him better mechanics. That said, you know which athletic NBA wing couldn't shoot the ball all that well and yet, excelled at basketball? Giannis. I'm not saying Amen becomes Giannis but all the tools are there for a player who can impact the court in a different way on both ends while chipping in and attacking rather than shooting. And again, he can develop a decent jump shot. He has the work ethic and approachable personality to do so. As of this moment, I'd put him above Miller. Ausar: Same versatility, personality, and skillset as his twin brother but with better shooting/passing and less scoring. Vertical is shorter than his brother but not by much - all while still sharing the same athleticism and physique. These play style differences, I don't know if this is due to him taking on a different role but he should end up on a similar tier as his brother. Reality is that, across league history, twin brothers have typically played on a similar tier once they reach the NBA. If Amen is "Giannis-lite", Ausar can be, say, "Scottie Pippen-lite". Not a perfect comparison but I would hope you get the analogy. One may be a star scorer while the other ends up being a point forward defensive specialist. They're both leaders with good IQs, elite intangibles, and high characters. I don't know that they're superstars but they can probably notch 4-5 All-Star games. Walker: He is a versatile defender who has a mix of offensive skills from two different tweener/forward types. On one hand, he can play like Isiah Stewart, Julius Randle, or Paul Millsap - bodying players with his size - but with the capability to pass stacked on top. On the other hand, he often plays like a slashing wing akin to Jimmy Butler or Aaron Gordon. This makes him somewhat like a bulkier Jerami Grant but with passing abilities. And like Gordon, he can be apprehensive on offense but will make up with it on defense and by facilitating the ball. Nonetheless, the Masai Scale (6'8" tall, 7'2" wingspan, large hands) seems to work well with first round talent. It hasn't seemed to have failed for players within that range, in the last decade. You get a good starter (Isiah Stewart, Scottie Barnes) or you get a star player (Siakam, Kawhi, Giannis). Because of this, I'd expect a forward who shows flashes of different players - Isiah Stewart one day, Randle the next, Jimmy Butler one night, Aaron Gordon the other. That might make him like Aldridge, who was KG/Duncan on some nights and David West on others. No way to confirm this. It's just a thought I had. Either way, he'll be a good player. Hendricks: Another versatile two way forward. He is Siakam-like. He has a good shooting stroke, can move well, athletic, natural defensive instincts, . Only issue is he lacks ball handling and therefore, shot creation capabilities and facilitation. However, he has shown flashes of being able to do those things. His official wingspan hasn't been tested but, again, he does look like he can fall under the Masai Scale. If so, I don't think he's a bad talent. Again, Siakam-like with shades of Rashard Lewis. Leonard Miller: Another Masai Scale guy who is a first round caliber talent. He is similar to Hendricks in frame and versatility. However, unlike Hendricks, he can handle the ball and create his own shot. Also, unlike Hendricks, his shooting isn't the best but it's not bad, either. Decent defender. Possible that he becomes another Christian Wood caliber player (yet another player who fits the Masai Scale, as well, btw....supposedly only dropped out of the first round due to immaturity). He has some shades of Lamar Odom, as well. Again, the skills and traits I see in this draft class....unicorns. So many unicorns. The Blazers should absolutely NOT give up their pick, this offseason. If they want to trade Simons for Siakam, for example, at least draft the player in the summer and test him out until the trade deadline. That's how much I think Portland has an opportunity here to make something. Then, by the time the deadline shows up and Portland has evaluated their rookie, Portland can decide to ship out Dame, Simons, or both or none at all.
The middling approach was just about as ideal a result as we could’ve hoped. We got Grant for very cheap and draft Sharpe would is our a huge piece of our future. The mistake was signing GPII to a MLE—it’s now over with and we got 2nds back, let’s just learn from this and bring in someone better with our money. With Thybulle on the team, we can look for someone who is a scorer or a good backup PG in FA. It really would just depend on filling up the starting forward position, which was already an issue last year so we plugged Hart in. I would be concerned if both 1sts go to another team for someone. That would just signal to me that we’re so desperate to find a piece even if it’s for a 6th seed.
I'm not sure how this year could be considered "ideal". If the goal is to be bad and get a good pick, it would've made more sense to not trade for Grant, resign Nurk, and hang on to Dame. If the goal is to contend, well, we clearly didn't make those moves either. Cronin nor Dame seemed to indicate this year was "ideal". I didn't feel that way either.
Agreed, a lot of players that I like in the first half of the lotto this year. I would actually compare Amen to Scottie Pippen, and Ausar to be more like Jaylen Brown. Pippen was actually a guy who initiated the offense a lot and also guard the best player, which I see Amen as. I think Amen will get to the point that he will average 6+ apg and at least be a threat to shoot on par with Scottie. Ausar is more of a wing like Brown. Brown was a defensive guard who couldn’t shoot the ball and he now has an adequate handle and shoots it well, I think Ausar will get to that point. One this I have confidence in with them is that the twins appear to work extremely hard. Outside of Wemby and Scoot, the twins are my favorite prospects.
