There will be possible starters available when we pick, but a) literally nobody knows who they'll be, because it's totally dependent on factors that can't be quantified (by the time you get to that stage of the draft) b) Brunson could be starter-level down the road and even if he doesn't start for us (except if Lillard is injured) he could be a trade piece, like Reggie Jackson. Just about everybody agrees that Brunson will stick in the league, and you can't say that about pretty much any other player who'll be available.
That's kind of the point of drafting a pipeline of talent that may not be all that and a bag of chips today, but you have on rookie scale for 4 years...You don't NEED to pay 70M over 4 for a rookie, no matter how much a GM likes him. And if you have, I don't know, an 80% Shabazz Napier (who may get 3/27M or so this offseason) making rookie scale, you don't even need to give big contracts out to "promising/light hasn't come on yet" players. Like, say, Moe or Meyers.
The Blazers' 2nd predraft workout features: Miami G Bruce Brown, Villanova G Donte DiVincenzo, Cincinnati G/F Jacob Evans, Georgia Tech C Ben Lammers, USC F/C Chimezie Metu and France G Elie Okobo.
What I want the Blazers to do, seems impossible... Shed Meyers or ET and move up to the mid-lower teens in the draft. I don’t necessarily mean in one move but if they got both of those things done this summer while keeping Dame / Nurk / CJ I think it’d be ok with it. Maybe doesn’t “move the needle”...
Haha... that’s funny you say that because I think Bruce Bowen every time I see his name... his defense will probably be overrated just because of that lol
This is a very interesting selection (Okobo!) -- so of course they pick the ginger Connaughton clone from Villanova to be the representative for the photo...
Typically the Blazers go to dinner ONE on ONE with the guy they really like AFTER the workout. I can't remember ever hearing about the Blazers picking a player that they went to dinner with in a group setting.
Ew. He'll be a mediocre backup PG at best. Not quick enough to get to the rim, or defend PGs.. People always fall in love with the multi-year PG that wins a championship before declaring... remember all the Shabazz Napier hype before and during his draft?
