Hilarious, I was checking to see if a thread has already been created so I could create one, and I see one created 17 mins ago LOL. We think alike.
It doesn’t seem like a Flagg or bust draft. My bold prediction is that Flagg probably won’t even go top 3 when all is said and done. Take that for DATA
No his draft eligibility was spent when he didn't withdraw from the draft by the deadline. If he gets cut he a free agent with now college eligibility.
How I see it right now. The future of this roster: C - Clingan. 7’1.75 barefoot, rim protector that will never command shots. (My projection: Mark Williams/Walker Kessler type prospect, better defending Steven Adams) PF - Avdija. 6’9 barefoot, great on ball defender, true two way forward potential. (My projection: Manu Ginobili in Al Horford’s body, but a better defender than either guy) SF - VACANT SG - Shae. 6’4.5 barefoot with a 7’0 wingspan and and a Kobe-esque arsenal. We REALLY need him to develop an Alpha mentality. (My projection: whatever your projection is) PG - Scoot. 6’2-3 barefoot with a RB body. He is a true PG and looks like he prides himself in getting others involved. (My projection: whatever your projection is) Then there’s the bench guys who probably will be here for awhile: - Camara. 6’7 barefoot. Already a great defender and a 3 point shot away from being a real 6-8th man on a contending team. - Murray. 6’7.75 barefoot. Already a good defender and a good looking shot. I do think he will be a lesser version of Keegan, but only because I don’t think he will ever score as much as Keegan, but we won’t need him to. - Rupert. Probably 6’8 now barefoot. Obviously the most raw, but we all hope he becomes a great 3-D player who can push the ball in transition. That’s all we may ever need him to be. - Reath: 6’11 barefoot. Not a true building block, but is a great culture guy with a cheap contract and desirable skillset, great third big. Size is no longer a problem. Let’s keep it that way.
Soooo… My needs: - a blue chip SF prospect. That would give us a superstar forward prospect with probably the best glue guy skillset in Avdija (still with plenty of potential), and a blue chip prospect at both guard positions. - another big man prospect. With the eventual trades of Ant and Grant, we will probably end up with another pick in the latter part of the first round. I’d like to bring in another big man prospect or a PF/C who can do multiple things. - another shooter. Deni is a shooter. Shae will be a reliable shooter. Reath is a shooter. That’s it. We will need to find a ready to play guy who can shoot. A player like Kenecht might be available as late as in the second round next draft.
Funny you say this. I watched film of him last night. And came to the same conclusion. I will go further, and boldly predict he goes pick #9. I'm not buying the Flagg hype.
It's funny but the video that is the OP of this thread compared him to Andrei Kirilenko and from everything I've seen that's a good comp. That's not a generational talent that's a dude that made one all star team and the all defensive team a few times. Obviously Flagg is 17 right now so he has a lot of room to improve. This upcoming season should be pretty telling but I could see him dropping from atop draft boards and I just don't know how far down it might be.
Who is going to be the Blazers best player next year? Just trying to figure out what position to scout.
I think you’re thinking about it as if it was the 00’s. Nowadays, if you are tall but can play like a guard play well against guards, you find your way on the floor. SF and PF really are interchangeable now. You’re not wrong btw, he does handle the ball better than traditional PFs, but again, that’s old style basketball-type think. Imo today, forwards are guys who can play both positions, SFs are bound to that position due to size, PFs are bound to that position due to skill limitation. I just chose to put Avdija at PF because his 7rpg would really be needed with Grant averaging so little for that position. To me, Camara is really a PF—even though he can guard 1-4 really well, he isn’t a deep threat, nor can he do much of anything besides bring the ball up after a board right now. Kris has the potential to just be a forward. Positions really don’t matter now. Obviously things like intangibles matter, but the ultimate main goal is to put the most guys with the most combination of size and skill on the floor.
Another MAJOR plus of this Avdija trade: Avdija is a legit 6’9 barefoot I think, with plenty of skill and is a career 8rpg/36mins, never under 7.5 per 36 in a single season (super impressive). We’ve literally taken care of needing to find the *size* component of this future with this one trade, he’s going to be here for four years if the FO wants him here. By adding size with Clingan, we don’t need to add size out of desperation either. We can truly draft BPA. Everyone needs to remember the same charade will be played this season: we’re going to initially look really good with Deni, FO “we’ve said all along we are trying to compete” -> youth, injuries, and overall roster flaws will show -> we will teeter around 10th -> Cronin decides whether or not to trade the vets at the present value or sit them. And we are just going to be here all fighting about who knows what. At the end, we will be good enough to tank our way to around 5th-6th, and get a top 4 pick with some luck. This year might be tough to out-tank anyone, let’s just rely on internal growth from the young guys and do the exact same thing. Shae is really the only guy who needs to start, let Scoot earn his way into a starting role.
Without much research: - Cooper Flagg, according to Locked on NBA Big Board who I like, is the best HS defensive player he’s ever seen. With so much skill on the offensive potential on the offensive end for us already, Flagg would be desirable. As far as I’m concerned, falling just means he will be more within range. - Ace Bailey is the obvious big name outside of Flagg. 6’8 barefoot with a TMac-esque game. Adding someone like him to our future starting lineup would give us FOUR ball handlers between Scoot, Shae, him, and Avdija. You need this to win in today’s NBA. - Nolan Traore: if he measures to be a true 6’3 barefoot (6’4.5 in shoes), I would consider him as well. True PG who can shoot and also defend well on the ball. If he plays his way into the starting lineup and we have to run with Scoot, Nolan, Shae, Avdija, Clingan, so be it. The hope should be that Kris and Camara both become great 3-D options who can come in and slide Shae back to SG. Interchangeability, incredibly important. - VJ Edgecomb: 6’6, I’m guessing that’s in shoes. I’m reading “D-Wade intensity and intangibles”, and he looks like he can really shoot. Another guy who would be interesting. - Egor Demin: 6’9 PG (!!). Looks plenty athletic and can shoot. Again, positions don’t matter. He could be a SG next to Scoot at times. At other times, he could be playing PG next to Shae, Kris, Avdija, and Clingan where 6’6 Shae is the smallest guy on the floor for us. Plenty of other interesting prospects as well.
