Wing players by the numbers http://www.draftexpress.com/article/By-the-Numbers-The-2012-Wing-Crop-3990
That's not my only reason for hatin' on Rivers. I've watched him play and I don't like his game. He's an inefficient scorer and doesn't do anything else.
Will Barton looks good: 2nd in A/TO 5th in TS% 7th in FTA/pos 2nd in RB 5th in steals 6th in blocks FIRST in PER Jeff Taylor looks good too, and I'm still sold on Papanikolaou, because despite his low PER, he did a lot of things that didn't require possessions (of which he had very few).
Probasketballdraft @Probballdraft Mock Draft will be posted later this afternoon. Stay tuned in the mean time check out the newest draft nuggets. http://probasketballdraft.com/78-featurearticles/530-nba-draft-log-619.html
Other than than his lack of testing against a full season of top college talent, I see no reason in his performance or metrics that indicate taking him at 6 would be a mistake. Given that the Blazers have looked very diligently at the other options, if they take Lillard at 6 then I will be excited that we have a very dynamic PG to put in our lineup. I think the guy could be really fun to watch. A consistent 3pt threat who can also drive and throw it down on occasion? What's not to like.
I understand it is a small sample size, but here are Lillard's numbers vs "better conference teams" St. Mary's 36/3/2. 11-18 shooting BYU 15/2/10. 5-12 shooting Cal 14/3/3. 4-17 shooting Utah 25/5/3. 7-15 shooting Loyola Marymount 27/2/6. 6-17 shooting As a freshman he had 26 points against Cincinnati in the NIT
The problem I have with this type of comparison is that it assumes that if you increase the level of talent in the competing team, that it gives an accurate picture of what Lillard as an individual can do. This is not the case. You put Weber State against a much better team, and they are totally going to collapse on Lillard, because nobody else is going to hurt them. His numbers should be way down. The only way to make this comparison would be to put Lillard on a high level team and compete against a high level team--which of course can't be done. Reading too much into games where a high level team can focus on the weaker teams one solid asset is a mistake IMHO. How well did Portland do after the trades this year, when teams only had to worry about LMA? Does that mean LMA isn't a good player?
I'm hoping Portland is attempting to create a smokescreen, in an effort to get another team to trade up to 4-5 to draft Lillard, thereby causing one of the other guys to drop.
I remember watching Batum during his first Summer League (and yes, I realize it's only summer league). Dude looked absolutely terrible and I lost. I liked his body frame and length and athleticism, but SL made it clear he was a year or two away. Everyone expected him to go back to Europe for at least one season. And yet, he stayed with the team, and when playing with true pro ballplayers, he was a much better player himself. You cannot put too much stock into one simple thing. You have to balance the game performance with interviews, workouts, measurements, etc. And then, in the end, sometimes you just have to go with gut. And also perhaps rely on a bit of luck.
What does your pizza delivery guy have to say? I'd assume he's a frequent visitor these days, what with all the mouths you have to feed at your place.
So, you're saying we'll get Lillard, plus soemthing else? Or we'll get Lillard, he'll get fat and lazy, and everyone will riot?
Amick has Drummond and Marshall going to Portland, but opens a window above for Lillard to fall to 11. I would be pretty happy with that one.
I like Marshall. I think he's a one of the better "true" PG's to come through the draft in some time. I could see him being a better pro player than college player.
No doubt about his ability to make his teammates better. I get very concerned about him not being able to score or defend at this level though. I don't think you can have another player in his lineup who can't score (Drummond). Also, you need to have defenders around him because he will get eaten alive by the quick PGs of the Western Conference. Maybe he will show more in workouts. He really didn't need to score at UNC because he had so much talent around him.
Personally, for the most part, I don't think UNC needed him to score, so while he was a threat to score, he didn't often look for his shot. He's not a bad shooter (nearly 47% from the field for a PG). But when UNC needed him to score, he could get it done - look at how he stepped up and carried UNC late in the season when they needed him to become more of a scoring threat. I just don't think his lack of scoring in college was for lack of ability.
