Probably the best draft podcast right now is 'An Ode To Oden' and here is what he had to say about Bell: The question is - how far do you reach? Hope that he doesn't rise above the Memphis pick? His stock is on the rise. I know this will piss off a few certain posters -- Reach and throw the draft into disarray and pick him at #15? If you can't land Zach Collins... I certainly wouldn't be mad at this pick. His defense is elite - even at 6'8" he's one of the best PF prospects in the draft. Some perspective - his advanced defense numbers at Oregon are on par with what Olajuwon was doing for the Rockets. What say you?
Nice. He seems a bit undersized but plays with a lot of intensity and passion. He blocks shots with the left hand and if I'm not mistaken shoots with the right hand? I liked a few players so far but he's also one of them. How his size translates to the pros is the question mark but playing strong on both sides of the ball is a plus
Hmmmm. Well, his DRTG (89) for players who played over 20 minutes per game is pretty good, but if you lower that a bit to include to include players with fewer minutes over the season, you find a different name at the top of the list with a DRTG of 79. Zach Collins (who lead the NCAA in that stat). I wouldn't mind considering Bell with 26, but would rather not take him at 15 as I think there are much better all around players available at that point.
In attitude, he does remind me a bit of Kersey. I would be surprised if he doesn't end up with a serviceable jump shot to go with the rest. Just to be clear, I like him on the team, but also like others as well. I hope we do get a shot at him later in the first round.
As a defensive SF/PF combo, he'd be OK. I like his effort, and tenacity. Kind of a Manimal/Draymond Green role possibly. Not sure the Blazers first pick should be his spot, but then again, I don't know what Im talking about.
If we came away with OG/JJ at #15, Bell at #20 and Bolden at #26, I am quite happy with that. Which means it has almost zero/naught/zip/zilch/nada chance of happening.
I think the closest comparison for Bell...... is Kennith Faried. So I would not take him at 15. Maybe 20, definitely 26 unless someone better slips.
Is Faried a good example? Faried seems to me to be great athlete with almost nothing else. Much better rebounder. Yes, he gets highlight blocks and plays, but doesn't seem to be the positional defender Bell is. Maybe Bell is a less glamorous, but better fundamental and team player than Faried? A less athletic Faried, but with better IQ?
All I've seen of him is the video in the OP, but it's clear he's far more skilled than Aminu and Davis. Faried seems to be a decent comp, though I hope that would be Bell's floor. Several weeks ago I mentioned really wanting a Rodman-esque player, and wonder if Bell has the strength to transfer his rebounding ability to the NBA. I'm mainly interested in his rebounding and defense (Rodman), but he has the added bonus of some offensive ability.
Faried I think is more air-bound, Bell seems to have a lower center of gravity which IMO is an advantage
One of the things I don't think Dana Altman gets enough credit for is his ability to raw athletic players and turn them into finished products. Jason Caliste, Jalil Abdul-Bassit, Elgin Cook.... Jordan Bell. Bell wanted to go to UCLA but didn't have the grades. Altman had him stay out a year and helped turn him into the player he is today. Altman will probably always be known for finding Mitch Richmond and Kyle Korver, but he deserves props for players like Bell as well.
I'm not sure I get this. Bell was not a tremendous rebounder in college. I like his game, but as a PF he was very average in that area. Faried (15/game) and Rodman (18/game) where way better rebounders than Bell (9/game).
Maybe not exactly like Faried, but as I said....close. At least right now. Faried never developed a consistent midrange shot. Bell I think has one, but until I see it a little more in live games I am not quite sure about it. But in terms of height, weight, wing span, hustle..... they are really similar. .....Faried has a longer standing reach but Bell has a better vertical. Bell also has the fastest run shuttle time in the history of the NBA combine. So they are both really athletic. I like Bell better, but if I had to compare him to someone.........Faried would be the closest I can think of. For now. It's not like Faired sucks. It has only been about a year or two since many Blazer fans wanted to desperately trade for him. I wasn't one of them, but I still wouldn't mind someone like him on our bench. So I say yes on 26, no on 15.
Like I said, all I know of him is that video posted in the OP. I thought someone said in this thread that his defense/rebounding metrics were really good, but maybe it was just defense? In that video he appeared to get good position for rebounds in a way that reminded me of Rodman ("worm"ing his way to the ball and grabbing contested rebounds).
