No, but I like Dejuan Blair. I like the guy who led the entire NCAA in PER. I like the guy who led the entire NCAA in WS/40. I like the guy who was 2nd in the entire NCAA in REB/40 and pace adjusted REB/40. I like the guy who was 3rd in the entire NCAA in EFF/40 and 4th in REB/G. The Tractor Traylor comparison is totally bogus. Blair was a much better player as a college sophomore than Traylor was as a junior. If you compare their sophomore numbers, it's clear Blair was twice the player Traylor was at the same age. Blair was a truly elite rebounder (18.1 REB/40) - a skill that generally translates well from college to the pros. As a 19-year old sophomore, Blair averaged 12.3 RPG in 27.3 MPG. As a 19-year old sophomore, Traylor averaged 7.7 RPG in an identical 27.3 MPG. Traylor's rebounding improved as a junior (12.6 REB/40), but Blair's REB/40 as a sophomore was still nearly 50% higher than Traylor's was as a junior. BNM
Yeah, Blair had serious knee problems in high school, but in his two years of college, he didn't miss a single game. I'd definitely want him to pass a physical before drafting him, but I wouldn't completely rule him out based on injuries he suffered in high school - especially after he played in all 72 games his team played the last two seasons. BNM
LOL at some of you who are so in love with KP that you think he hasn't made mistakes in the draft. Sergio, Koponen, Freeland and Green were all picked with better players o the board.
I don't get all the Psycho T or Jennings hate either. I think T can be Bill Laimbeer v2.0 and Jennings looks pretty good if you ask me. He has the attitude as well. IMO. I didn't realize he was a lefty either. In any event, back to the thread topic. I didn't know Sam Young was 24!!!! Geez! That is old!!!!! I am not really opposed to getting him because of his age. More because he is a SF and we do NOT need another one. I would hate if we drafted Chase "I am a wussy" Budinger. I always thought BJ Mullens is a douche bag. I do NOT want Jrue Holiday on the team. I want to like DuJuan Summers, but he is to short IMO to play PF. I like my PF to be 6'10'' and taller. One reason why I have a big beef with David Lee. He is only 6'9''
Rubio- Will be too expensive to get. Also I am just not impressed with most PG's from Europe. I think Parker is the only one I truely like. Most don't play D, and I can't stand that.
Find me ONE GM who has picked the BPA consistently in the low first or second. At that point it's a total crapshoot. Besides that, some players picked there only flourish in the right circumstances. Players going to crappy teams will always have a chance to look better. Part of the reason KP took foreign players was to develop overseas, so he probably wouldn't have even bought the picks for American players. Remember that also: the first three of those were taken with picks that we acquired on draft day. John Nash would never have even bothered to lobby for extra picks.
I agree that it is a crap shoot, but these constant "in KP I trust" posts are silly. For all his great moves Aldridge, Roy, Rudy, Batum, Bayless, there have been bad decisions like re-signing Webster, not using Raef's expiring contract, draft mistakes as pointed out above, The whole Darius Miles clusterfuck.
Really? Who? http://www.nbadraft.net/nba_draft_history/2006.html Millsap is the only player I see on the board that is better then those listed players. You can't count Green either. That was Nates pick. Not KPs. Looking at 2007 draft, Ramon Sessions (but no one knew he would pan out, as with Millsap in '06), I see Marc Gasol, Carl Landry. But at that time we didn't really need a big body.
Nash actually made Paul buy an extra pick from NJ in the Telfair draft. He drafted Krhyapa in the early 20s and then Sergei Monia with an extra pick coming immediately after that.
I was talking as a pro. One poster projected him to be like Milsap, I project him to be like Traylor. Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong, but you aren't going to change my opinion based on college statistics. Were you also going to post that Hansbrough will be like Karl Malone as a pro because they had similar collegiate statistics? Also, Blair must be headed for the Hall of Fame, because his college stats compare favorably to Charles Barkley.
I don't want Portland to draft anyone unless they are then used in a trade for a quality NBA player. The time to wait for potential is over. Portland needs sure things now.
No doubt he generates some of this attention being a star white player at a premiere program... I'm sure we can all recount a few examples of past players who received similar love only fade to obscurity in the pros. I understand the hate reaction to this as its the sort of thing that normally turns me off too, but I'm looking at this offseason differently. I'm hoping they look to acquire some players that the general public knows/follows to increase the Blazer brand awareness across the country. I'm of the opinion that Stern's league isn't straight hoops... that there is a sports entertainment/ratings angle that factors in, resulting in some teams being treated more equally (via the officiating) then others. Portland will never be treated equal like the Lakers, but adding a familiar face or two would help move the sliding scale their direction. Adding the right FA icon wouldn't hurt this cause either. If Portland can hook the general public early on in their run with a few of these types, they could turn the corner and become a marquee team for years. I see very few players in this draft cracking Portland's rotation for more then token minutes next season and only a few with starter potential down the line. KP moving high up in the lotto for one of those guys is another discussion. But TH clapping intensely on the Blazer bench gives some of the many UNC/ACC fans an intro to the young Blazers and the national press another positive angle to play to. Also his size and skills project decently into a spot they actually have some needs (assuming Frye is gone). He measured and tested better at the combine then I'd expected... like Tebow he's actually a pretty well put together athlete. He's an inch taller then Travis and has a stockier build much better suited for inside play. As a pro I project him as a bigger Eddie Najera in that he'll battle, set picks, take a charge, hit an open J, and use his 6 fouls. He should go higher then #24 though... probably mid teens STOMP
You compared him directly to Robert Traylor. Of course we don't know how Blair will turn out as a pro. All I did was show that at a similar age and level of competition Blair was a much better, much more productive player than Traylor. What is your basis for the Traylor comparision? That they both wore husky sizes as kids? You've provided absolutely no basis for the comparison. And please stop trying to put words in my mouth with the strawman arguments. I've never mentioned Hansbrough and Malone or Blair and Barkley in the same post (until now). If you want to dispute what I wrote, please feel free. Just try to do so without making up stuff I never said. BNM
Sergio and Freeland were picked before Leon Powe, Daniel "Boobie" Gibson, Paul Milsap. Freeland will either eat up cap space for nothing, or will be released this summer and will have been a complete wasted draft pick. Landry, Sessions, Gasol, Davis were all picked behind Koponen. You say we didn't need big bodies, but we also didn't need a PG who will probably never play for us either. I guess I shouldn't insinuate that they were bad picks, Maybe more like wasted picks. All Koponen and Freeland will bring us is cpa holds, and Sergio with Nate is maybe the worst fit in NBA history. And letting Nate pick Green was maybe his worst decision. I love the job KP has done, but he doesn't walk on wtaer like a lot of people think he does.
Hmm ... well if we're interested in adding a UNC/ACC player to get name recognition then I'd rather trade up to get Lawson than trade up to get Hansbrough. If you're going to draft a guy you might as well get somebody that at least has a shot at being a good starter as a ceiling versus career backup guy.
Lawson isn't without draft value for me. His combine #'s match up pretty well with Chris Paul's, so he is within the low end of acceptable size. He's quick and can play some, he might be good enough to some day get real minutes. From what I understand there are some concerns with both health and character, and those concerns might be legit but if he's only going to be on the bench, I doubt he'd connect with the audience locally or more importantly nationally like the other wide eyed Ty. Psycho T becomes Token T STOMP
After he was compared to Milsap. The basis of my comparison between Traylor and Blair is their girth and lack of of a handle while being undersized for their position. Seemed pretty obvious to me. Milsap has an outside shot; Blair does not. That comparison seemed like a stretch to me. I have an opinion that differs from you. There is no need to personalize this or get upset. I replied to your use of Blair's college statistics as a marker for professional success with a few other examples of players and how they end up as pros. Is only your use of Blair's statistics to predict professional success legitimate, and my examples illegitimate? Help me out here. I'd like to know why Blair's stats at Pitt mean anything once he gets to the NBA. Since we're using his stats at Pitt, however, it appears he can't shoot from the outside and struggles both at getting to the line and hitting his FTs when he gets there.
A point guard, I am sold on Bayless and don't see anyone in this draft better than him Budinger..yuck, bust-o-rama Trading up to get a guy like DeRozan, Evans, Curry, Thabeet, Hill The only player I like in the top 10 is Harden BJ Mullens..can't even get off the bench at OSU Not a big fan of guys we'd have to give up too much to get (Henderson)
To be honest, I like a LOT of the 2nd round guys this year more so than the mid-late 1st rounders Toney Douglas Patty Mills Danny Green Victor Claver Marcus Thornton DeMaree Carroll Jodie Meeks Dionte Christmas Sergio Llull I think a lot of these guys could have more staying power in the league than some of these projected 1sts like Budinger.
I was impressed with Young this year, but you're probably right about his all-around game. I'll point out that Josh Howard was 23 when he was drafted, and he improved his game, so it's not like Young couldn't be a productive player. That said, I don't want a SF drafted at this point, so that overrides any net/net about Young's capabilities.
