Selling the fans on Goran Dragic

[Fez Hammersticks]

Is how Mike & Mike spent the entire game. "Manu Ginobli" at PG.

After Deron he's the best PG out there.

According to what they've heard from some people in Houston he's going to command around $8m/per.

Quick dropped hints last week. So, it seems that he's the #1 target this summer.

Wouldn't the hiring of Mike D'Antoni be next on the list? His system is ideal for Dragic.

[Rhal]

Is how Mike & Mike spent the entire game. "Manu Ginobli" at PG.

After Deron he's the best PG out there.

According to what they've heard from some people in Houston he's going to command around $8m/per.

Quick dropped hints last week. So, it seems that he's the #1 target this summer.

Wouldn't the hiring of Mike D'Antoni be next on the list? His system is ideal for Dragic.

I can't believe he would be the #1 target this summer. #2 after Dwill is very believable.

[Rastapopoulos]

Is how Mike & Mike spent the entire game. "Manu Ginobli" at PG.

Isn't Manu Ginobili "Manu Ginobili at PG"? I know he officially plays SG, but he runs the offense when he's in, and he probably averages more assists per minute than Dragic.

After Deron he's the best PG out there.

By which you mean UFA, I suppose. Maybe.

Wouldn't the hiring of Mike D'Antoni be next on the list? His system is ideal for Dragic.

Agreed - also, Steve Kerr as GM, since he's the guy who drafted him. (I remember at the time Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress mocked the (deep into the second round) pick, saying that Dragic had been nothing special in Europe.)

I love watching Dragic. It's interesting that he dropped off the face of the earth last year when he went to Houston at first, because you'd think Adelman would be perfect for him.

(Another plus: he has the "Hobbit" look of native northwestern BBallers like Ridnour et. al.)

What's his defense like?

[yuyuza1]

Defense?





just kidding. He's actually pretty serviceable on D and has shown the ability to hang with people driving at him. But he's no stopper. Few starting PGs are.

[yuyuza1]

Good Lord. That dunk is freaking amazing. One of the best I've seen in the last few years.

[BBert]

So, some people would build the entire team, from the supporting cast to the coach to the GM around Goran Dragic? What am I missing?

Just kidding. Sort of. He'd be a huge upgrade for us (the utter sucktitude of our PG situation is really depressing), and he's actually not a pipe dream. I expect the Blazers probably will overpay for him if they can't get D-Will. We're the Blazers. It seems we have to overpay. Good thing we've (still) got Paul Allen.

And yeah, it sure seems like the propaganda machine is already selling us the goods.

[jlprk]

I have sticker shock. A joke as a Sun, now $8 million?

[Blaze01]

He is playing well, looked really good last night, $8mil\year makes me nervous, but that is probably what he will end up getting....

[mook]

The $60 mil contract we gave Aldridge was declared as vastly overspending by some. Until he proved that it was a goddamned bargain in the next season.

By way of comparison, $8 mil/year is about $500k more than the Blazers are paying Felton this year. It's also about what Andre Miller has averaged since 2003, and what Devin Harris got when his rookie deal expired. I think it's right about the general asking price for a decent but not elite starting level 30+mpg PG in this league, which is what Dragic appears to be.

Dragic seems to have some upside. He's nearly 26, but he's only 3 years into the league and has only had the opportunity to start 27 games. You could see him go from being a top 15 pg into a top 7-8 pg or maybe better, so like Aldridge it's the kind of contract that could look pretty sweet in hindsight.

I'd obviously prefer Deron Williams, but I'm finding it easy to convince myself that he ain't a bad consolation prize.

[BBert]

OK, he got posturized by Derrick Rose. So does everyone. The important thing is, he didn't give up on the play and tried to contest the shot. If our guys had tried a little harder this season, we'd be in the playoffs. He appears to have the right attitude, at least.

[Rastapopoulos]

OK, he got posturized by Derrick Rose.

Better than being pasteurized by Derrick Rose. (Or anybody, really.)

[Rastapopoulos]

I love watching Dragic. It's interesting that he dropped off the face of the earth last year when he went to Houston at first, because you'd think Adelman would be perfect for him.

Here's an attempt to explain that.

[Ed O]

mook touched upon something that's very important: he's almost 26.

If we were a PG away from something significant, spending a lot of money on him would make some sense. He's not a sure-fire contributor on a good team, but he has had a good year and seems to have room to grow. There are questions about how he managed to be below-average for the first three years in the NBA, but I think he'd be worth the gamble if the team were one average PG away from something.

Something other than mediocrity, I mean.

This team has more than one hole to fill, and targeting a guy like Dragic to *hopefully* fill that hole seems like a mistake to me. Even if he pans out, we claw our way to the 7th seed for the foreseeable future and we miss out on opportunities to rebuild our talent base through the draft.

Ed O.

[Mediocre Man]

mook touched upon something that's very important: he's almost 26.

Usually Mrs HCP is the one touching on something important


Seriously though, that was a good point he made

[e_blazer]

I'd be fine with Dragic as the PG as long as there's a plan in place to get a proven All-Star at a wing position. If a deal could be made to trade Wes and one of our picks for someone like Iguodala, then that would make a solid backcourt. Dragic paired with Matthews? Not so much.

[MickZagger]

mook touched upon something that's very important: he's almost 26.

If we were a PG away from something significant, spending a lot of money on him would make some sense. He's not a sure-fire contributor on a good team, but he has had a good year and seems to have room to grow. There are questions about how he managed to be below-average for the first three years in the NBA, but I think he'd be worth the gamble if the team were one average PG away from something.

Something other than mediocrity, I mean.

This team has more than one hole to fill, and targeting a guy like Dragic to *hopefully* fill that hole seems like a mistake to me. Even if he pans out, we claw our way to the 7th seed for the foreseeable future and we miss out on opportunities to rebuild our talent base through the draft.

Ed O.

Whats with you and filling holes?

[MickZagger]

I'm not certain that the Rockets are going to want Lowry over Dragic.

[Fez Hammersticks]

I don't think there is anything wrong with his age.

I'd like to get younger core but I like having my PG with a lot of experience -- it'll make development easier (and quicker?) for the players we bring in via trade or draft.

[STOMP]

I'd be fine with Dragic as the PG as long as there's a plan in place to get a proven All-Star at a wing position. If a deal could be made to trade Wes and one of our picks for someone like Iguodala, then that would make a solid backcourt. Dragic paired with Matthews? Not so much.

On offense the main guy that Dragic would be paired with is Aldridge in pick and rolls. If they can be effective together, it makes for good looks for weak side spot up shooters like Matthews and Batum.

STOMP

[mook]

mook touched upon something that's very important: he's almost 26.

If we were a PG away from something significant, spending a lot of money on him would make some sense. He's not a sure-fire contributor on a good team, but he has had a good year and seems to have room to grow. There are questions about how he managed to be below-average for the first three years in the NBA, but I think he'd be worth the gamble if the team were one average PG away from something.

Something other than mediocrity, I mean.

This team has more than one hole to fill, and targeting a guy like Dragic to *hopefully* fill that hole seems like a mistake to me. Even if he pans out, we claw our way to the 7th seed for the foreseeable future and we miss out on opportunities to rebuild our talent base through the draft.

Ed O.

Well, my main point was that an $8mil/yr contract projects to be pretty reasonably priced, and potentially a bargain if he continues improving (certainly a possibility, given how few starts he's had).

If he is a decent value at that price, I'm not sure there's a lot of downside. It's not like we're married to the guy. If it turns out you are right and he doesn't fill enough "holes" on the team, leaving us languishing in first-round-and-out hell, you trade him a year from now for younger prospects.

Reasonably priced, talented, in-their-prime point guards are always pretty liquid in the NBA market. You don't get stuck with them, you have options with them.

[e_blazer]

On offense the main guy that Dragic would be paired with is Aldridge in pick and rolls. If they can be effective together, it makes for good looks for weak side spot up shooters like Matthews and Batum.

STOMP

Yeah, I get that, but while Dragic is good and I think would work well with Aldridge, I still think that the team needs a second All-Star in order to compete soon. I'd love for Nic to step up, but he hasn't shown that he has the mental attitude to go with his physical skills to be the second scoring option on a regular basis. He also doesn't get to the line the way that we need a wing player to do. Matthews is fine as a 3 pt specialist, but I cringe when he tries to drive. We need a wing player who can score from the perimeter and penetrate to draw fouls and with enough respect around the league to get the All-Star treatment from the refs. Like I said in my post, I'm fine with getting Dragic to run the point, but that's not going to be enough even with the addition of a couple of good rookies.

[mook]

Yeah, I get that, but while Dragic is good and I think would work well with Aldridge, I still think that the team needs a second All-Star in order to compete soon. I'd love for Nic to step up, but he hasn't shown that he has the mental attitude to go with his physical skills to be the second scoring option on a regular basis. He also doesn't get to the line the way that we need a wing player to do. Matthews is fine as a 3 pt specialist, but I cringe when he tries to drive. We need a wing player who can score from the perimeter and penetrate to draw fouls and with enough respect around the league to get the All-Star treatment from the refs. Like I said in my post, I'm fine with getting Dragic to run the point, but that's not going to be enough even with the addition of a couple of good rookies.

That's true, but it's pretty hard to just trade for a second superstar. Especially one who isn't old and done for. I kind of look at Dragic as a potential Devin Harris/New Jersey kind of signing. He didn't pan out there because of injuries and a much more pathetic supporting cast, but he was part of the deal that landed NJ Derron Williams. (Harris was paid--you guessed it--about $8m/year.)

[Sinobas]

26 is a great age, skip the "developing years", he should be right at the start of his prime. Give him a 5 year deal, he'll ve 31 when his contract is over. Of course, Williams would be the best FA possible, but he'd need twice as much Moola as Dragic. If we sign Dragic, we could potentially have enough left over to sign someone like Brook Lopez.

[e_blazer]

That's true, but it's pretty hard to just trade for a second superstar. Especially one who isn't old and done for. I kind of look at Dragic as a potential Devin Harris/New Jersey kind of signing. He didn't pan out there because of injuries and a much more pathetic supporting cast, but he was part of the deal that landed NJ Derron Williams. (Harris was paid--you guessed it--about $8m/year.)

I didn't say it was going to be easy to get an All-Star caliber player, but that was the goal that Larry Miller was expressing last week. It happens every year that teams move top level players for a lot of different reasons. The Blazers have the ability to do an uneven trade and are likely to have the carrots of including one or both of their lottery picks in this draft. By all means, sign a guy like Dragic if he's available, but not before exploring any available options to get a real impact player.

[Ed O]

26 is a great age, skip the "developing years", he should be right at the start of his prime. Give him a 5 year deal, he'll ve 31 when his contract is over. Of course, Williams would be the best FA possible, but he'd need twice as much Moola as Dragic. If we sign Dragic, we could potentially have enough left over to sign someone like Brook Lopez.

At 26 a player often is what he is... and Dragic has had one good statistical season in his four year career. It's great that it's his most recent one, but he's not a proven commodity and he doesn't have a ton of upside.

I'm not even sure he's a starting-level NBA PG in the long run. I don't want to get stuck with a guy who's only good enough to be starting on bad teams and who has little room for dramatic improvement.

Ed O.