Notes: They haven't really worked out players around #25. They haven't really worked out players expected to go much higher than #25. I'm not sure who they interviewed at the combine. Anyone know?
I know you said "really" for a reason but I am going to nitpick anyways. There is one guy (so far) that they have worked out that should go around pick #25 (at the latest) or slightly higher. His name is: KZ Okpala Interestingly enough, one of his comps is Rodney Hood. I think it may be a smokescreen and they trade up or down but if not (and they select him) then it might mean they don't think they can keep Hood.
I ain't really be sure what they will do. I would like to see them try to trade up somehow and buy a second rounder. But who knows for sure? Just way too many draft threads to get much response on this also but hang in there. They will come around and strike up a conversation here also eventually.
I said make and keep the pick, but only because I don’t think there’s all that much value in this year’s #25 pick. I don’t see a team being willing to take one of our bad contracts just to get that pick and I don’t see a team giving up a valuable player just because we toss in our late first rounder. The draft just isn’t that deep.
I hear ya, but you would think we would have worked out more players in the #15-30 range if we were keeping it.
There could be a couple of reasons for that. 1) Several players are now being selective with how many workouts they do and what teams they work out for. 2) Last year Olshey got worried a team was going to pick Simons ahead of him or jump us to get him after it became apparent once we brought him in for a 2nd workout that we were going to take him. Maybe this year Olshey knows who he wants and is trying to be more secretive about it.
I think Olshey would like to move the pick with a player attached, but will be unable to find a deal he likes, which will lead to him making the pick. Before someone says Im criticizing Neil, its not meant that way, I just dont believe that he can get the value out of the #25 and an expiring he would like and will end up taking the pick, he may trade down, but that would also surprise me.
What do we achieve by attaching the pick to a player to shed a contract this year, seeing as they are basically all expiring? Create space to re-sign Hood or Curry?
No I mean if we just attach pick to dump a deal. Nothing in return. Last year people wanted us to attach two firsts to trade away ET or Meyers. I didn't get that either. Attaching picks to shed contracts makes sense if you are trying to create cap space to sign players into (like Nets have done with Crabbe, or Knicks with Hardaway Jr and Lee). If all you want is to get rid of a player just so he doesn't play, it's a bad move.
You could always get an ok player on a rookie contract and get cap space to sign one of the Blazers FA’s.
My thinking has always been to maximize the asset. In this draft, from all I've read, picks 15-40 are generally all in the same boat, so the trade value of #25 is marginal. It's better to make the pick on a guy who can eventually develop into something in our environment. And besides, getting a cheap future rotation player locked into a rookie scale at ~3 mil is not really a bad thing. I'd get the best athlete available and build his skills. What I especially do NOT want is a salary dump of ET/Moe/Meyers in exchange for giving up the pick only to open up our full MLE. We have endured those contracts for this long-- they will be more valuable in Feb. And there's no point to opening up the full MLE without assurance that we will use it on an impact player.
I've just recently gotten into this draft stuff and knew nothing about him, but he's my favorite prospect so far. Something about his fluidity. His measurements were sick as well. 6'10 with shoes and nearly a 7'2 wingspan.
At #25, you just want someone who is in the league in 5 years. Go with whatever guard they can get. Seriously. Portland has a ridiculous record of turning overlooked guards into assets. If they draft anyone over 6'5 I'm going to be pissed. When you do something well, stick to it.
