We haven't seen Williams, and what we've seen of Mills hasn't been good. Williams was better in college and has more potential, I think it's far to say he has a good chance of being better than Mills as soon as he's healthy.
if you were being fair, you'd address what I said and not what "people" said... people say a lot of things. If you were being fair you'd acknowledge that I shot huge holes in all your opening points about Williams vs Patty by relaying facts about their careers Well Williams is just barely stepping back on the court from his rehab so it's not like you're saying much. Williams is an elite athlete and has been thought of as one of the premiere talents in his class since HS. The club drafted him in the 1st round committing themselves for years of guaranteed contract knowing he'd likely be out for the 1st year with the corrective knee surgery. Thats Portland taking a pretty big stake in someone who "doesn't have any reason to optimistic about their NBA future." one of those four guys has a lot more to look forward to then the other 3 STOMP
He shouldn't be compared to Bayless. I just want this guy getting as much experience as possible, his ceiling is so high and he's only 21. He's going to be quicker and more athletic than most guys on the court. the problem is we need a back up PG, but I hate when we try turning 2s into 1s. With time and a lot of hard work, I think he could possibly become a guy somewhat like Jrue Holiday, but it's a long shot what with the 2 to 1 transition and all. If it can be done, he's definitely a success at the 17th pick. If not then we'll only see him in garbage minutes when roy, rudy, and wes aren't in. His handles are a little suspect because of his weak right hand, but everything I've read indicates he has NBA ready defensive skills. But he's been a top recruit since his high school days and I think we should be happy he's a blazer and wait for the upside.
Just out of curiosity, why are you taking this so personally? In the interest of full disclosure: Last summer I (foolishly) defended the Webster/Babbitt trade, and (foolishly) predicted Johnson would beat out Mills. If you want to flame me for that wrong-headed optimism, go ahead. I deserve that. Getting defensive because I have a pessimistic view of Williams? That I don't understand.
I still think Johnson will have a longer and better career than Mills. It's just that the Blazers needed scoring given all the injuries and lack of fire-power - and Mills provided both a change of pace and some scoring - in addition to some additional experience. Nothing against Patty - I like the kid and wish him the best - but AJ has the tools to actually be a PG in this league - and I believe he will harness these tools sooner or later. Patty really is an undersized combo guard.
I'm the one making it personal??? I presented facts that directly counter your opinions about Patty being more of a PG and outside shooter. In addressing your opinion about Johnson & Williams being behind Mills next season I also pointed out they're under contract next year while Patty is a UFA. Just out of curiosity, why do you stay on the attack constantly? I've addressed/countered your points, you just blow by my responses/questions. what has Martell done as a sub on the terrible Wolves that makes you regret defending that trade? Babbitt was the garnish. Clearing MW's salary (via Ryan Gomes EC) gave them the room to sign Wesley so that was part of a huge upgrade for Portland. In retrospect I'm thinking management probably strongly suspected what was the new reality with Brandon and made bold moves to address their void at SG... can you imagine how this season would have gone if Webster had been the 2 guard instead? While to my eyes (like just about everyone else's) Babbitt has looked awkward and lost in his PT, he's still a rookie. I've seen enough players take big strides forward in their 2nd years to not want to write him off just yet. He does have good measurables so I've a glimmer of hope that things click for him in year two. Johnson is in the same boat as a fellow rook and is bigger longer & faster then Mills. If thats my view, how can I blame you for being overly optimistic? STOMP
Stomp - who do you think I am attacking? Nothing I have said was meant as an attack on *you*. As for KP and his 2 steaming piles of revenge (I don't count Johnson since he was a 2nd round pick)......I have been trying really hard to tone it down! Everytime the team has lost a game due to fatigue/lack of depth, I want to go into full on rant mode.
I'm not saying personal attack as there have been no insults exchanged, but rather how you won't acknowledge when I counter your opinions with contradicting facts or answer my questions. For example, you claimed that Patty is the decided better 3 pt shooter then Elliot so I provided the stats that indicate the exact opposite to be true. It's more then my opinion that Elliot has been a better 3 pt shooter. The same is true with the Assist to TO stats you relayed. Why not acknowledge that you were wrong or answer my question about why you are contending that Mills is a great outside shooter when he's hitting all of 32% from deep this year? Instead you just switch gears and go on the offensive on some other angle. It would come as an unexpected bonus to receive much real help from non-lotto rookies. League wide, how many are making a positive difference this year? Certainly Martell has been a 5M pile of steaming crap this year, yet him you miss... STOMP
it would be nice if one of these draft picks eventually turned into at least a rotation player (babbitt, williams, koponen, claver, freeland), but i think thats the gamble in picking up these mid to late 1sts...some batums, some garbage
I am no great fan of Webster, but he is a decent NBA reserve. I "missed" him because the team went through a prolonged streak where Batum was the only real SF on the roster. Late last season, Webster took a key step forward. When his shot wasn't falling, he still played hard and contributed in other areas, instead of just turning invisible. For the record, I will cheerfully admit that Williams was a better college prospect than Mills. I never denied that, but as I tried to point out before, Mills is no longer that player. He has proven he is 100% recovered from his injuries, and he has shown at least some improvement as a player. He is still an inconsistent player with a limited future, but he has exceeded my expectations. At this point, IMHO, Williams has a even more to prove than Mills.
Do you remember the incident when Auburn (with Barkley) upset Kentucky (with Bowie and "Dinner Bell" Mel Turpin)? After the game, Turpin was whining that everytime Barkley backed him down, his big butt was hitting Turpin in the knees! So, not only did you get owned - you got owned by a fat, little dwarf? Way to rub salt in your own wounds Mel.
No no no, you were looking at the site for stats when players lie on their backs. When standing, he's about 5-9.
Pritchard was a bulk shooter. He drafted a lot of picks, enabled by Allen's money, and shot about .250. Every draft, I'd read what a genius Pritchard was for making 15 trades to draft 4 guys and then stash half of them in Europe and I'd think, way too soon, IRRIT In real results I trust.
I think what people are questioning is *why* you have a negative view of Williams as compared to Mills. So far the reasons you've put forth have been shown to be false. Did you see him play a lot in college? What is causing you to think he won't surpass Mills, even though at similar points in their careers, Williams has shown to be a better talent? What does this mean? I don't care who has "more to prove". I care who puts forth more production and better defense.
The short answer. I only saw him play a few times in college, but what I saw confirmed every pre-draft scouting report that I read. His offensive game is largely a clone of Bayless. Attacking the hoop and drawing fouls is a useful skill - but as we saw with Bayless, if that is *all* a player does on offense, the other teams will soon scout him out and shut him down. As I said before, *if healthy* he has the potential to be a good defensive player - but before I annoint him as such, I need to see some proof that his 2 bad knees haven't permanently damaged his athleticism. As for Mills, he is a bad defender and inconsistent shooter. OTOH, he is at least as good a passer as Williams, and a superior ball-handler. (Williams has a history of struggling against pressure.) Lastly, while Mills is undeniably more comfortable in transition than in the half-court, at least he played PG fulltime in college. Williams was never asked to direct the offense in the half-court. Not that you are going to agree with anything I just wrote, but whatever....
"He's going to have a good future," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. "After having the surgery, he should be able to come back 100 percent. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/nov/17/no-headline---2010-11-16-232955353539/ the medical outlook from the beginning was that the sort of surgery he was getting wouldn't affect his athleticism. His kneecaps were both sliding out of place casing swelling/pain, the surgery was done to stabilize them so this wouldn't continue to happen... it wasn't a joint or cartilage issue. Portland drafted him knowing these issues existed and he would likely require the surgeries. If it weren't for these known issues, he'd probably have gone in the late lotto. As the article in the OP relays, his recent checkup went great and he's looking to resume full basketball activities by the end of next month. He should be easily the most athletic guard on the roster... I look forward to adding yet another long athletic defender to their many already on board. He's likely to be their best option on PGs http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/11/...liams-discusses-his-season-ending-knee-injury yet at the same point in his college career he was averaging the same exact Assists and TOs as Patty playing against a much higher level of competition. Go figure... STOMP
