OK, here's my attitude for the draft.
My goal is that the Blazers use their four picks to be a better team in two years than they are today. If that means picking four players, I'm fine with that. If it means trading up because the scouts have identified someone they really think can be a difference-maker, I'm fine with that. If it means acquiring assets that will be use in later trades, I'm fine with that.
This draft is like a box of Cracker Jacks. It's exciting because you don't know what you're going to find because all the lottery guys are being projected all over the place. Every one of them has a big question mark, but every one of them also offers something that gives them the potential to be a contributing rotation player to a winning team, so there aren't many picks that I'll be roasting later this week. I'm excited to see who we get and how they fit.
I see fits in Risacher, Sarr, Buzelis, Williams, Holland, George. I see some bigs I like in Edey and even Clingan and Ware. I see exciting upside guys like Salaun. And there are at least a half-dozen players who probably are going to be picked in the second round that could make the Blazers better short term, long term or both ... I really like Mogbo, Scheierman, Shead, Jones, Smith, Klintman and Flowers, and there are arguments to be made that any of them or Dunn, Edwards, McCullar, Johnson or others have a tool or tools that could ultimately make them steals.
I don't care if they turn out to be stars. Of course, I'd love if that happened, but you can't get blood from a stone. People kill Ayton for not being great value for a No. 1 overall pick but it's not his fault that he was the best bet in an otherwise sketchy draft, and he still performs well. Anyway, I just want as to get the best bang for the buck with our picks, I want our roster to be better on Friday than it is Wednesday morning. I want us to be more interesting. I want us to have some options. And I think those exist in this draft pool.
About the only thing I don't want the Blazers to do is give away future assets to move around in this draft. There just are too many low-floor players and gambles to invest when you already have four picks in this draft. As far as who they pick, though, I believe in our scouting department and I'm willing to give anyone a chance, even Collier. I'm anxious to see what they come up with and I'm open minded.
Remember, we're not trying to find the next Kareem. We're just trying to make more improvement than the other teams. If there aren't any HOFs in this draft, fine, so long as the Blazers find the players that best enable the organization to make more improvement out of this draft than any of the other teams. That's all you can do.
