Merged: The Draft Thread For Stuff About The Draft Including Thoughts About The Draft

out of all the bigs he had some of the best agility/sprint times as well

 

Can you explain what that means, though? Tell the players to stop trying? Bench Lillard and McCollum against their wills? Would completely destroying credibility of the franchise with the players be worth that small gain in draft capital? Or are there other things the Blazers could have done to lose those last few games that I'm missing?

 

Bro, you've watched too many Disney sports movies.

 

See this kid knows what he's typing about it. Well done rookie.

 

I watch him during the season and I wasn't really impress. Can he get better sure but I think there better bigs in draft then him.

 

I keep hearing things like elite NBA defender who can guard 5 positions in regards to Bell. This is from people who have actual NBA jobs scouting kids. Someone lije that can help a franchise win in the playoffs.

Attitude, hustle, toughness.

 

Does he? He thinks the Blazers losing more games would have improved the picks we got from MEM and CL. That is absolutely incorrect.

Nurk's injury caused him to miss the last 7 regular season games. In the final two games, we did exactly what the pro-losers wanted us to do. We sat Dame and C.J., rested other players and started Napier, Connaughton and Meyers Leonard.

So, that leaves 5 games where we weren't in active tank mode. In those 5 games we went 3-2, which included wins over PHO and MIN. Even if we had been actively tanking there is no guarantee we'd lose both of those games. PHO was already tanking hard with a starting lineup that was younger than half the teams in the NCAA Final Four.

But ok, let's pretend we could have tanked harder and lost all three of those games. 3 fewer wins would have moved us from the No. 15 position to the No. 13 position. Is moving up two whole spots really wroth sending the message to your players that you don't think they are good enough to win, so we should lose on purpose? I think C.J. said it best when he said (paraphrased) tanking is management's way of telling you they are looking to draft your replacement. Not exactly a real morale building message.

Do you really want to risk alienating your best players by telling them you want to miss the playoffs on purpose so you can move up two spots in the draft? Clearly the players wanted to make the playoffs. Do you discount what they want and tell them losing on purpose is more important to you than making the playoffs? I don't recall a single player saying they'd prefer to miss the playoffs. Every quote I saw down the stretch was about turning their season around and making the playoffs. Sure, we could have been picking two spots higher, but I also think missing the playoffs would have demotivated the players we care most about.

They now have a glimpse of how good they can be (14-6), with Nurk with quality wins over several very good teams (OKC twice, SAS, UTA, HOU, etc.). I think that 20-game stretch will provide motivation for these guys going forward. I think it will motivate fringe guys, who may be on the trade bubble to work hard this summer to improve their games rather than be sent to basketball purgatory in SAC or BRK. Everybody loves winning and it's been said that winning cures all problems. If these guys think next season can be anything like that 20 game stretch with Nurk, they will want to be part of it. When was the last time somebody wanted to be part of a losing team. And honestly, do you really want players on your roster who are content with losing? I know I don't.

BNM

 

I've really come around on Bell. He's done great at the combine. His speed and quickness for a player his size is truly elite and his motor is unquestioned. Defense and rebounding stills wins games, especially in the playoffs. Even if he just comes off the bench for 20 minutes of all out hustle and lock down defense, he'd be a major addition to our roster. Even tough he's projected to go lower, I'd be happy to take him at 26.

BNM

 

That has already been pointed out by others and I also acknowledged my error myself, Mr. BNB, but thanks for pointing it out again.

 

That's Mr. BNM to you!

BNM

 

If you're going to take the time to respond to my post, how about answering the questions I asked.

Would it really be worth alienating key players and killing team morale to move up from 15th to 13th in the draft?

BNM

 

Heard the same thing about Cauley-Stein, who hasn't been that good.

And he's 3 inches taller with longer arms.

 

Cauley-Stein wasn't getting much PT playing behind Boogie. After the trade, he had a couple huge games and his averages jumped from 5.8 PTS, 2.7 REB and 0.5 AST to 12.9 PTS 8.2 REB and 2.2 AST. He's still very inconsistent, but wasn't really getting consistent PT until after the trade.

The obvious difference is Cauley-Stein was the 6th pick and we're talking about maybe taking Bell with the 26th pick. If a Cauley-Stein type player is available at 26, you have to look long and hard at taking them.

BNM

 

That's entirely your assumption that it would alienate payers and kill team morale. HCP is close to the team and he doesn't seem worried about it. I'm not really interested in the subject anymore if you want the truth. I respect your opinion and all others who don't believe in tanking. I have no need to try to convince you.

 

I don't watch the games, had never even heard lf this guy but he looks like a number one pick in that video. Looks effortless and he has a smooth shooting motion.

 

He still hasn't been good defensively. The comparison was made about their defense, that's it. WCS was labeled as a guy who could guard all 5 positions but he hasn't been that good guarding any of them.

Bell can't guard 5s in the low post. He can guard 4s and 3s, that's it. A good lane agility score doesn't mean he'll be able to stay in front of PGs. Bigger dudes always have trouble reading a guards moves, because they don't guard them as much.

 

I don't think HCP is thinking that hard on the effects a tank job would have on the team.

 

The players would be over it by now, forgotten while they vacation in the off-season.