A draft day summary for the Blazers

[Further]

We have a ton of threads covering all the action, but it's nice to be able to look at the total picture. Here it is.

First round with the 10th pick, Blazers select CJ McCollum. A PG/SG combo who has many of the same attributes as Lillard. A better shooter and a worse passer, and of course we have no idea if he has that intense star power Lillard has to take over games.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/C.J.-McCollum-5860/


A great interview with our first round selection.
[video]



Second Round
Cavs select Allen Crabbe with the first pick of the second round and trade him to the Blazers for two future second round picks.
Allen Crabbe is a 6'6" SG with an impressive 6'11" wingspan. He is a very good shooter but has had some personal issues and has clashed with coaches.


With the 39th pick in the draft the Blazers select Jeff Withey, a 7 footer with a tremendous 3.9 blocks per game last season.. However, his offense is a real issue, and he has a very hard time not getting pushed around at the college level. If the Blazers can add a bunch of lower body strength, he could be real interesting.


With the 40th pick Blazers select Grant Jerrett but trade him to the thunder for cash


With the 45th pick the Blazers select Marko Todorovic from Europe.. I know nothing about him other than his stats suck.




That's it, if I got anything wrong, please correct me.

 

[NOVoodoo]

Cavs select Allen Crabbe with the first pick of the second round and trade him to the Blazers for two future second round picks.
Allen Crabbe is a 6'6" SG with an impressive 6'11" wingspan. He is a very good shooter but has had some personal issues and has clashed with coaches.

To be fair, his clash with Montgomery was bullshit on Montgomery's part. I was surprised that Crabbe didn't straight-up knock him out... a coach should never place their hands on a player like that... it's unfair for a person in a position of authority to push around someone that can't push them back.

[video=youtube;9RQ74cAZT1M]

 

[KingSpeed]

Thank you GOD. Very helpful.

 

[Further]

Thank you GOD. Very helpful.

Do yourself a favor and watch that McCollum interview I posted, it made me excited we picked him.

 

[Further]

To be fair, his clash with Montgomery was bullshit on Montgomery's part. I was surprised that Crabbe didn't straight-up knock him out... a coach should never place their hands on a player like that... it's unfair for a person in a position of authority to push around someone that can't push them back.

[video=youtube;9RQ74cAZT1M]

I completely agree, but his personality was thought to be one of the main reasons he didn't go 15 picks earlier. Mostly his calm laid back attitude. He does not have that fire most stars possess.

 

[jlprk]

That video is nothing. A love tap. Stotts may have to kick him in the pants to get him off his pulpit into playing hard.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

Pope and Zeller sneak into the top 9, so McCollum fell to us.

 

[BrianFromWA]

This seems to be the best place for "cleanup" tidbits:

I don't know which 2 "future 2nds" are going to CLE for Crabbe. But the inventory we have is as follows:
2014: No 2nd-rounder. Goes to DEN with no protection/qualification.
2015: Our own 2nd, plus (from MIN) the worse of MIN or DEN's 2nd.
2016: Our own 2nd, plus (from NYK) their 2nd if it's 38 or worse. If 31-37, NYK's obligation is extinguished.

I'm more confused that, over the past two years, PA's traded the 41st and 40th pick for pure cash. Not future 2nds (even with some protection). And he hasn't purchased any--in fact, he hasn't used the 3M+ cash he's allowed to by the CBA for trade purposes. Just seems a bit weird to me.

 

[jlprk]

Substitute "Olshey" for "PA" in your sentence.

Pritchard liked to trade 2nds for the next year's 2nds. He didn't know how to trade 2 2nds for a higher 2nd like Olshey did yesterday without adding $2M.

 

[jlprk]

We need a center and a forward to get to 15 players.

C
-Hickson
Leonard
-Jeffries
+Withey
F
Aldridge
Batum
Claver
Barton
-Babbitt
-Pavlovic
Freeland
G
Lillard
Matthews
+McCollum
Maynor
-Smith
Williams
+Crabbe

Left in Europe
Todorovic

 

[BrianFromWA]

-Maynor, +Papanikolou (either here or "Left in Europe"). Barton is mos def in the "G" category.

 

[jlprk]

I made Barton a forward to decrease guards to 6 and increase forwards to 5. Each should be 6.

 

[jlprk]

C
-Hickson
Leonard
-Jeffries
+Withey
F
Aldridge
Batum
Claver
-Babbitt
-Pavlovic
Freeland
+Papanikolou
G
Lillard
Matthews
+McCollum
-Maynor
Barton
-Smith
Williams
+Crabbe

Left in Europe
Todorovic

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Here's an article from 3 days ago about Marko Todorovic:

Marko Todorovic carved out a role in the rotation of one of the best teams in the world outside the NBA this season despite having little to no experience against top-level competition. What kind of prospect is he right now and when can a team expect to bring him to the NBA?

Marko Todorovic, 6'11, Center, Barcelona, Montenegro

Matt Kamalsky

The 2012-2013 season was a significant one in the development of Montenegrin center Marko Todorovic, as he took a massive step forward by carving out a small role for one of Europe's very best teams.

Arriving in Spain in 2008 at age 16, Todorovic spent four seasons with DKV Joventut, two exclusively with their junior team and two splitting time between their senior team in the ACB and their second team, Prat Joventut, in the Spanish third division (LEB Silver). Todorovic made a name for himself in 2011 with a strong showing for Montenegro at the U20 European Championship in Bilbao where he averaged 8.6 and 7.9 rebounds, he followed that up with an outstanding season in the LEB Silver, finishing among the league's top-5 scorers and rebounds.

Having played just 101 minutes in the ACB over two seasons with Joventut despite his dominance with their second team, Todorovic signed with Barcelona in the summer of 2012. Joining a deep, talented roster flush with veteran big men, the 21 year old still managed to find minutes as a reserve big man, averaging 6.9 minutes per-game in 48 appearances, 19 or which came in the Euroleague. Opting to enter the draft, Todorovic decided to seize the opportunity to test the waters in his final draft before becoming automatically eligible in 2014, and ultimately elected to stay in the draft.

Standing 6-10 or possibly 6-11 with a very promising 240-pound frame that looks like it has plenty of room for development in the coming years, Todorovic has good size for a NBA big man. A fairly fluid athlete as well, Todorovic is not a threat to catch a lob and finish plays above the rim regularly, as he lacks a degree of explosiveness, but he has good feet and coordination for a player with his frame which has allowed him to see playing time at the four and the five this season.

It's Todorovic's combination of size, mobility, and coordination that earned him playing time this season and makes him an intriguing talent moving forward. Doing the majority of his damage right around the rim, Todorovic does a good job staying active, moving without the ball, crashing the glass from the weak side, and capitalizing on the shots created for him by the talented guards and interior passers he's surrounded with. Shooting 62% in finishing situations, which constitutes nearly 70% of his total shot attempts according to Synergy Sports Technology, Todorovic displays good hands and fine touch around the rim.

Todorovic is not asked to create his own shot often next to Ante Tomic and Erazem Lorbek, but flashes a budding skill level at times nonetheless. Flashing good footwork and some craftiness in limited opportunities in the post, the ability to put the ball on the floor and attack when facing up, and little wasted motion in his perimeter jump shot, Todorovic will impress at times with the building blocks he possesses offensively.

Despite providing some glimpses of the player he may one day become, Todorovic's lack of experience and overall polish limit him on the offensive end at this stage of his career. Turning the ball over on just under a quarter of his possessions, Todorovic gets rushed at times as a finisher and struggles to maintain possession when putting the ball on the floor in the post, especially under heavy defensive pressure. His 3/14 shooting from beyond the arc this season and 56% from the line are an accurate reflection of his unrefined perimeter game as well. Considering this is his first season competing against quality competition on a regular basis, there is plenty of room for optimism regarding Todorovic's potential as a well-rounded big man on this end of the floor, given his size, mobility, and promising skill level.

Apart from his scoring ability, Todorovic is a workhorse on the glass who ranks among the top-20 per-40 minute pace adjusted rebounders in both the ACB and Euroleague. He is not afraid to throw his weight around in the paint and is fairly physical in his pursuit of the ball, overcoming the fact that he isn't a great leaper with toughness and timing.

Defensively, Todorovic plays with very good energy, but is a bit too aggressive at times and is still gaining an understanding of the nuances of how to position himself, especially on the pick and roll. Despite his inexperience limiting him at times, his willingness to bang bodies in the paint and speed for his size make him a fairly effective one-on-one defender in the paint and allow him to make crisp rotations when closing out shooters on the perimeter. He isn't a tremendous presence around the rim as a shot blocker, but he came up with an impressive two blocks per-40 minutes pace adjusted by virtue of his size and timing both in help side and on the ball. As Todorovic matures as a player, cuts back on his fouling, and improves his frame, he seemingly has plenty of room to grow on this end of the floor.

Despite seeing his season end just a week ago when his Barcelona squad was knocked off in the ACB League Finals by Real Madrid, Todorovic ultimately decided to keep his name in the 2013 NBA Draft. He had surgery on a broken finger right after the season ended, and will not conduct travel to the States for a workout, physical, or interviews with NBA teams. He's likely hoping to get drafted in the second round or better yet undrafted, which would give him more leverage to negotiate with teams without the burdensome restrictions of the NBA first round rookie scale. Todorovic can escape from his contract with Barcelona after the 2013-2014 season by paying a reasonable buyout should he please to pursue a NBA contract, or he will be a free agent in the summer of 2015. Despite the uncertainty around his situation, look for a team to pick him somewhere in the second round in hopes of getting a first round talent when/if he does decide to come to the NBA in a few years from now.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Here's an article from 3 days ago about Marko Todorovic

I see him as a poor man's Freeman.

 

[jlprk]

He wants to come over in a year or two when he has whiskers.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

C
-Hickson
Leonard
-Jeffries
+Withey
F
Aldridge
Batum
Claver
-Babbitt
-Pavlovic
Freeland
+Papanikolou
G
Lillard
Matthews
+McCollum
-Maynor
Barton
-Smith
Williams
+Crabbe

Left in Europe
Todorovic

Isnt Williams a free agent?

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

A great interview with our first round selection.
[video]

Thanks for the recap and the link to the great interview.

 

[jlprk]

Isnt Williams a free agent?

After the dust settles on our annual FA hopes, I'm guessing at who we bring back.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

After the dust settles on our annual FA hopes, I'm guessing at who we bring back.

I hope we bring him back!

 

[Wizard Mentor]

My short recap:
1) We drafted a guy who can shoot, run the offense, and has great character and a drive to improve. We were hoping he would fall to us and he did.
2) We traded for a guy who was a mid-first rounder in Olshey's Tier system for future 2nd rounders in '15 and '16 (not next year). By getting him in the 2nd round, it doesn't affect our cap space.
3) We took the best big available - a value pick. Again, he was a low 1st rounder in Olshey's Tier system.
4) We traded away a pick for cash.
5) We picked a Eurostash.

What we're learning about Olshey:
He really values shooters.

 

[Further]

What we're learning about Olshey:
He really values shooters.

So do I. In the modern NBA, shooting, especially 3pt shooting has become so much more important than in decades past. You look at who succeeds in this league, shooting is always there.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

So do I. In the modern NBA, shooting, especially 3pt shooting has become so much more important than in decades past. You look at who succeeds in this league, shooting is always there.

Lots of people value athleticism or size more than shooting.

 

[Further]

Lots of people value athleticism or size more than shooting.

I did in the past. Still important but the two factors that have really risen in my mind are shooting and intelligence. Poor shooters usually don't improve and dumb players never exceed expectations.

 

[THE HCP]

Damn......... do we need a center or what!

 

[jlprk]

Damn......... do we need a center or what!

You don't love Whitey?

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Damn......... do we need a center or what!

HCP: what's your take on the "Aldridge wants out" rumors?

 

[Rastapopoulos]

My short recap:
2) ...mid-first rounder in Olshey's Tier system ....
3) ...low 1st rounder in Olshey's Tier system.
What we're learning about Olshey:

What I want to learn about Olshey: what's this tier system you keep talking about and how do you know?

 

[BigGameDamian]

Damn......... do we need a center or what!

Gortat?

 

[jlprk]

What we're learning about Olshey:
He really values shooters.

I noticed that and I like it. Even Meyers Leonard is a good shooter.