Really what stands out in my mind is how many foreign players I missed on because I had no idea about them. Which is probably why I am so hesitant to classify this draft as being so bad. The top 3 in many mocks this year are all international players.
2012 draft. I did not want to draft Dame, but forget who I wanted instead. Also, with pick #11, I wanted Royce White. Quit my part time GM gig after this draft. It did not pay enough.
How far back? Late 90's UCLA had me fooled into thinking that the O'Bannon brothers were going to be great especially Ed and that Toby Bailey was extremely underrated. I thought Lamar Odom was going to be what LeBron ended up being. No joke I literally projected him to be on my Mount Rushmore. I thought Eddy Curry was a lock to be the next Shaq. I was sure Dejuan Wagner was a future MVP like AI 2.0 and even though it was his health that took him out of the league it was pretty damn obvious before that took him out that he wasn't close to what I thought he was. I thought Telfair was going to be the GOAT since I read articles and saw some TV show feature him when he was like 10 years old and was ballin out at the Rucker. Stayed in denial about that one way way too long. I thought Sean May out of UNC was extremely underrated and that he was going to be the next Charles Barkley. I was way higher on Corey Brewer than I should have been and was still waiting for him to pop and become a perennial all-nba player five years into his career. So that gives you a good idea where I was at like 20 years ago. More recently I thought people were sleeping on Stanley Johnson when he went at 8 in 2015. I didn't get the Luka love and thought the Mavs would be kicking themselves for giving up Trae for him. It's also now safe to say that my obsession with Poku was a big miss he could still be a decent bench player or out of the league really soon... I think that's his range going forward and I thought he was going to be "what Porzingis could have been."
That doesn’t make you look like a fool though. Dude got injured, it’s not like we’re talking about Anthony Bennett or Markelle Fultz.
one of the "Blazers insiders" demanded his listeners to Email him the "free" links fans are sharing to watch Blazer games. we got a snitch... trying to crack down on dirty rotten Blazer fans. When local fans are the biggest rival, who are these opponents from other cities?
Do we prefer Howard or Anthony Black more? I think either could be had. I've heard Magic fans propose Black plus 2 firsts. I don't know anything about Howard. Getting more shooters around Scoot isn't a bad idea.
I personally like Black better. I think Howard's best case scenario is maybe an Allen Crabb type & I think that's even a bit generous. If Magic would give up Black + 2 firsts, that would be amazing.
Even though we don't absolutely need another guard who lacks shooting, Anthony Black is a talent--much more so than Howard. If Magic offers Black and 2 picks you make that trade instantly.
Blazers need to draft the best 3pt shooters available. 4 picks... BURN THEM UP. Maybe a new mad handles backup PG, and a legit sized Center who has more potential then Moses Brown. Not going to worry about ball skills, pin down screens, defensive aggression, yada yada yada. The Blazers need 3pt shooters today, not tomorrow.
After Summer League, I was all in on Jerryd Bayless. Thought we found our PG for the next decade. Terrible take.
Jaylen Brown. I had him at the end of the lottery. Caleb Swanigan was a player I thought was worth a FRP in the 20's. Most of my misses are 2RP'S that I didn't see as anything more. Those are common misses, though. I've learned to factor in work ethic more, which is why I think Scoot and Rupert will be good.
I think Risacher fits one of your requirements (the best 3-point shooter that is not 6'3") The next part of your post I have gone back and forth on. (GS's pick) Especially the backup center spot. I think there are a few intriguing options. Ware got a bad rap IMO at Oregon as not being very aggressive. I think he has a high ceiling. Does he really have a 7'7" wing span? Filpowski to me has a high ceiling as well, but a low floor. He has the size and the 3-point shooting potential. Can he also play PF in the NBA? If he can he might be a better option Missi I never really watched Edney certainly has the size and I think will be a solid backup center. (But not really a high ceiling) Clingan is not worth our pick and will be gone at 14
Yeah, like I said before, Clingan and Edey match a VERY successful archetype where, as freshman, if they can achieve 12/8.4 Per 28 minutes on 56+ FG%, they'll do fine in the NBA as either a superstar or a starting center. That they were closer to 59-60% with their FG% makes them much closer to the 20/10 type center. Since Pelton's system is solid at finding big men, I do think Clingan and Edey should have a Jusuf Nurkic type impact (listed as part of that 2014 class - Jokic, Nurkic, Embiid, Capella), as a sort of median threshold. As for what they grow into, who knows? The way I see it, Clingan should be like a modern Brad Daugherty, which may make him akin to DeAndre Ayton but with some Kessler/Gobert in him, as well. Does Portland necessarily need that with the top pick? Probably not but some team could definitely use that and I don't see Clingan being a wasted Top 5-7 pick, at all. Edey? Harder to evaluate what he'll become but at the least, he'll be a better version of Robert Williams III for Portland. More efficient off the bench than RWIII, better rebounder, healthy, possible defensive anchor against second units that don't have the capability to properly run pick and rolls against him. Think Edey is incredible value if he's still there at #14. I'm also saying this as someone who called Kessler, Gobert, Lively, Duren. Not that they don't have limitations in today's game but if drafted in the later lottery through the second round, they should be worth it due to their productivity.
A lot of people in the NBA would love to have a pre-injury Nurkic. Otherwise, I think some people need to realize that drafting for a 4th or 5th option, which a Nurkic or Ayton is, can be just as difficult as finding a #1 or #2. This is even more true in today's high scoring NBA.
Whatever happened to Bobi Klintman? I remember reading about him a few months back being talked about as mid-to-late 1st round and rising, and I haven't heard a thing about him lately.
I just want to make sure that we're defining things correctly. In the year they went to the Finals, DA was Phoenix's 3rd leading scorer, he was their leading reabounder by double the next guy and he led the team in blocked shots. I definitely don't think he was the 4th or 5th best player on that team... he was their 3rd best player and I don't think it was close between him and Mikal.
