All Things Knick Pick

Discussion in 'Portland Trail Blazers' started by Fez Hammersticks, May 23, 2023.

  1. TBpup

    TBpup Writing Team

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2013
    Messages:
    22,362
    Likes Received:
    34,003
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Occupation:
    Investment Management / Financial Planner
    Location:
    Lake Oswego
    At #43, fine. At #23....no.
     
    blazerkor likes this.
  2. blazerkor

    blazerkor Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2014
    Messages:
    13,909
    Likes Received:
    14,823
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Zach isn't a starting caliber player... that's pretty obvious when he only started 26 out of 63 games on the team with the second worst record in the league. I saw him play this season and he really isn't much better than he was when he was here... he does well against bench players and gets schooled by starters. I would say that I would take him for a second rounder or something but we can't afford to give a roster spot to a guy who is as injury prone as Zach.

    I like Zach too, he has a lot of heart and a good skill set for a bench big, it sucks that his health is such a concern but it's a legitimate concern and the level he plays at doesn't justify the risk his injury history presents.
     
    SharpesTriumph likes this.
  3. Fez Hammersticks

    Fez Hammersticks スーパーバッド Zero Cool

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2008
    Messages:
    28,881
    Likes Received:
    9,530
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Occupation:
    Phone Psychic
    Location:
    The Deep State, US and A.
    [Zagoria] Hearing Purdue's Zach Edey has helped himself with his pro day and combine performances. Could be a value pick in the 20-45 range

    He should be a legitimate candidate to be selected with the Knick pick
     
    BIG Q, Quatro44 and 42N8Bounce like this.
  4. Driew

    Driew Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2008
    Messages:
    2,824
    Likes Received:
    2,949
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Some mocks have us taking Kris Murray.
     
    TBpup likes this.
  5. damianlillard

    damianlillard Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 22, 2013
    Messages:
    838
    Likes Received:
    697
    Trophy Points:
    93
    No disrespect, but he’s the opposite of what Billups want in his center
     
    Tince likes this.
  6. wizenheimer

    wizenheimer Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2008
    Messages:
    20,713
    Likes Received:
    32,575
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I think the NBA has 'evolved' to the point Edey is the opposite of what any team wants at C. At least as a starter. Maybe there's value in zigging when everybody else is zagging but using a 23rd pick on him seems questionable, at best
     
    Tince likes this.
  7. Pinwheel1

    Pinwheel1 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2008
    Messages:
    21,008
    Likes Received:
    13,564
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Yeah, I agree he is not a starter, but I would not mind him on our bench..... more so than say Boban. Watching his workout he looks to have developed an outside shot. (maybe he had it all along and just never shot it) But I like having one huge guy on a cheap contract on the bench and he does have skills and he is more mobile than most at his size. Having said that I would not use 23 on him.
     
    TBpup likes this.
  8. cheesehoff

    cheesehoff Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2010
    Messages:
    338
    Likes Received:
    438
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Oregon
    They could use Edey the same way they used Duck years ago. Start him. Go to him 1-on-1 in the low post. Try to get some easy points early in the game. Take him out after 5 minutes. Repeat at the beginning of the third quarter.
    I realize that was a different era, but why not? Why not start the game with some easy buckets or a foul on the opposing center because nobody knows how to defend a good post player. Someone on here said zig when everyone else is zagging. Well there you go.
     
    HailBlazers likes this.
  9. Fez Hammersticks

    Fez Hammersticks スーパーバッド Zero Cool

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2008
    Messages:
    28,881
    Likes Received:
    9,530
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Occupation:
    Phone Psychic
    Location:
    The Deep State, US and A.
    Another Darkhorse - he’s one of the risers post-combine (along with Edey)

     
    42N8Bounce, rotary111 and tykendo like this.
  10. TBpup

    TBpup Writing Team

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2013
    Messages:
    22,362
    Likes Received:
    34,003
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Occupation:
    Investment Management / Financial Planner
    Location:
    Lake Oswego
    If we could get him at #23, I'd think that would be pretty good value. Edey at #23 would be a real stretch, but I wouldn't mind him at #43. He would get schemed off the floor in a series, but off the bench for shorter stints, he would be a 2nd team matchup nightmare. Then they would have to plan zone on defense at the other end.
     
  11. MrDraftGuy

    MrDraftGuy Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2022
    Messages:
    90
    Likes Received:
    126
    Trophy Points:
    33
    Pissing people or not, I think it'd be the right choice.

    I think the Spurs or Nuggets are smart enough to take him with their second round pick so you wouldn't want to see that.

    I do think he'll be a steal. Developed right, he could become the next Jokic. Will he get there? Probably not. But I think he'll be effective despite what all these dorks keep on saying when stating that "He would've been Top 5, in the 2000s." No....if you're that good, you'll fit anywhere. I don't think he's that good of a prospect but with the right people teaching him, again, he could have a major impact. Spurs and Nuggets are those teams that can develop him and turn him into a powerful force - either as Jokic's hyper efficient back up or someone who fits well next to Wemby. Either of those will spell doom to the league.

    In which case, his PER is way too high, two years in a row, to be a simple anomaly.

    Maybe he is too slow and plodding but in limited bursts, he does look good:



    Maybe he needs to slim down or something but I think he may surprise people. High IQ, great footwork, some passing capability, good shooting (73+% FT), 60 FG%, great rebounder, solid shot blocker, lengthy, great height, good work ethic, good attitude.

    Kessler surprised people, last season. Not me, though. I knew Kessler was going to be good due to a certain stat threshold that he and Duren met......and Edey should have a similar trajectory.

    If Leonard Miller is not available at #23, I don't think it's unreasonable to take Edey to fill a role we need - rebounding.
     
    42N8Bounce, BIG Q and SlyPokerDog like this.
  12. PCmor7

    PCmor7 Generational Poster

    Joined:
    Apr 29, 2014
    Messages:
    5,740
    Likes Received:
    8,748
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Occupation:
    Saying this for years
    I'm not necessarily pro or against Edey, but I wouldn't pooh-pooh it at 43.

    One of the things you look for in those spots and on your bench are guys that offer something different, some kind of mismatch that gives you maybe a four-point difference by the end of the game. Edey is that, not just being freakishly big but very, very skilled. He's succeeded against a lot of the same players who'll be rookies in the NBA in the next couple of years.

    I also think we need to consider that all sports are fluid. In the NFL, the West Coast Offense was the end-all, be-all ... until it suddenly wasn't. Teams figured it out. The Bears destroyed it with their 46 defense, which was supposed to revolutionize the game ... until it didn't. Teams discovered answers to it.

    The NBA's the same. I have no doubt that things will happen at some point (if they haven't already) that are pulling positionless basketball back to an era where teams with a traditional big still can contend. It's all about coming up with a system that maximizes your advantages and minimizes your disadvantages and imposing your style of play. Otherwise, you're just a knockoff of the Warriors trying to beat the Warriors at their own game.

    Edey can be Boban for 8 or so minutes a night. If you make him something the other team has to respect when it's playing defense instead of being completely concerned with the other team's offense, it can work. It's at least an option that should be explored.
     
    TBpup likes this.
  13. TBpup

    TBpup Writing Team

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2013
    Messages:
    22,362
    Likes Received:
    34,003
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Occupation:
    Investment Management / Financial Planner
    Location:
    Lake Oswego
    Probably won't have to worry. Leo Miller will very likely be gone before #23. Some think that after workouts, he could be in the late Lottery.
     
    BIG Q likes this.
  14. tykendo

    tykendo Don't Tread On PDX

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2018
    Messages:
    6,346
    Likes Received:
    7,214
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Kind of reminds me of Boban. Very stiff in movement.
     
  15. tykendo

    tykendo Don't Tread On PDX

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2018
    Messages:
    6,346
    Likes Received:
    7,214
    Trophy Points:
    113
    He doesn't look that agile to me.
     
  16. tykendo

    tykendo Don't Tread On PDX

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2018
    Messages:
    6,346
    Likes Received:
    7,214
    Trophy Points:
    113
    His shot looks real nice. Quick motion, get it off in traffic. Nice.
     
    Fez Hammersticks likes this.
  17. wizenheimer

    wizenheimer Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2008
    Messages:
    20,713
    Likes Received:
    32,575
    Trophy Points:
    113
  18. TBpup

    TBpup Writing Team

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2013
    Messages:
    22,362
    Likes Received:
    34,003
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Occupation:
    Investment Management / Financial Planner
    Location:
    Lake Oswego
    60 notable players in 8 drafts taken at #23 or later? That's not bad at all for that late in the first round. If nothing else, just the glass 'half full' to that seemingly 'half empty' some people seem so often live with. :cheers:
     
  19. HailBlazers

    HailBlazers RipCity

    Joined:
    Nov 11, 2008
    Messages:
    18,844
    Likes Received:
    15,508
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    PDX
    Man this is going to be an exciting draft. Can't wait
     
  20. Kell

    Kell Port with an S

    Joined:
    Feb 6, 2022
    Messages:
    125
    Likes Received:
    221
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Edey will be this seasons Kessler!
     
    42N8Bounce likes this.

Share This Page