Potential draft picks 2-8. Players Dame doesn’t want.

Brown is guaranteed for next season, the thing that some people think might put him on the trading block is that next season is the last on his contract and he might tell the team that he has no plans to re-sign with them. So yeah, if I'm the Celts I definitely wouldn't trade him this off season.

 

So what is Portland trading for Bridges. Every story I've read has made it clear he is not available. The Nets turned down four first rounders already. Siakam is a tweener, such as Grant. Does your trade mean Portland gave a first round pick to rent Grant for a year? Brown is a SG, like Simons/Sharpe. Are you trading those two for Brown? If not, is there any indication that one can play SF? Center and PF are what Portland needs, as well as lots of depth to become a contender for Dame. They will not be contenders next year, Lillard will be a year older. We will have loads of salaries and no draft picks for 6-8 years. Time to become a full time Suns fan if that is the direction Portland is going. Next few months will be fun to watch Blazerland.

 

Duren is 6 months younger than Shaedon Sharpe. He's already a more-athletic Clint Cappela-type. That would not be evolving at all.

 

he’s definitively not at a Clint capela level yet, let’s be real. He’s not a defensive anchor yet. He could be, but his awareness and feel are too raw to be really effective on that end. Yes, he’s young, but nothing he showed this season said “future superstar.”

 

Cam Whitmore is a talented player who shows signs of being a Miles Bridges or Gerald Wallace. He can drive to the rim at will. He also improved his shooting as the season went on.

However, he has severe tunnel vision, suffers from occasional defensive lapses, tends to over dribble (wasting precious shot clock time and making him easier to predict), and his release can be quite low and slow - especially when driving in for a lay up.

Due to this, he isn't as surefire of a pick despite having the talent to be a quality player. He reminds me of Josh Jackson, in that way, where you can tell Jackson had Paul George/Kawhi type traits but couldn't capitalize off of it (he was also a bonehead but that's another story).

If Blazer fans have dealt with black holes on offense like Zach Randolph, Jamal Crawford, and CJ McCollum....I don't know what they would expect out of Whitmore other than the same. I don't know that he would look to defer to Sharpe when he probably feels he can be the one to drive it in and score. Again, speaking of the same former Trailblazers, he sometimes takes unnecessarily difficult shots when he drives it in.

Unless he is able to improve this approach to the game, I'd put versatile two way players like Jarace Walker and Taylor Hendricks above Cam Whitmore as prospects. That's not to say his talent isn't there. Rather, with his need for the ball in his hands in order to truly be effective, I don't think he's a good fit for Portland.

 

Haha agreed. I feel like have been aligned on these ultra athletic strong dudes is so many of these drafts. From like OG to Eason, these high motor switchable wings. I feel like they translate in the league.

I like Cam better than Miller in this draft, is that sacreligious?

 

I don't agree that he needs to have the ball in his hands. In fact, he needs to play with superior ball handlers/passers because he isn't one.
The role a guy plays in college many times isn't the role he'll play in the NBA, especially as a rookie. I think Whitmore will be tasked with picking his spots on offense and playing hard all the time on defense. He won't be the primary option on offense, and if he gets the ball it'll likely be because he's open.

Many people wished Shaedon Sharpe had been more aggressive in his rookie season. Do you want Whitmore to be passing out of open catch-and-shoot 3-pointers? Do the Blazers not want a 230 lb forward attacking the hoop when he's got an opening?

Whitmore is 18 years old. Nobody thinks he is a finished product.

 

One positive for this convo: I trust schmitz to make the right call. Don’t think I could say that five years ago.

 

Obviously not. You didn’t even know who he was 5 years ago

 

I don't think he is a finished product but I'll personally be surprised if he pans out like what many people say he will (ex. taller Jaylen Brown, OG with elite offense). At best, I see him becoming Andrew Wiggins. And that's fine since Wiggins has won a championship and established himself as an All-Star who can score 20ppg.

But if Portland wants to take him when they have two potential lockdown defenders in Hendricks and Walker who can shoot and open up the floor for Sharpe while covering up the defensive lapses that will inevitably occur against opposing back courts, I just don't see him as the BPA within Portland's range.

 

If Whitmore is BPA when Portland picks, trade the damn pick.

 

So Jerome Kersey DID finally develop an outside shot. VERY NICE!

 

I’ve seen them play a few games and were impressed. But you do really have to look at the competition level closely.