An Interesting Read Re; Player Development

[oldmangrouch]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nba/news/20140207/chris-grant-cleveland-cavaliers/?eref=sihp

So, where do the Blazers fall on this issue? It seems their player development is rather hit-and-miss. Dame came in as a near finished work (as did Roy). You can give them a mulligan on CJ for now - but I can't say what I have seen excites me. Leonard has shown zero progress (as has Crabbe) and Freeland has improved but is still nothing like the player he was in Europe.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Selecting draft picks is no easy job. There is no magic formula and every GM has their share of busts. But the coaching staff, scouts and the owner have to share in the blame. And to a certain degree the player does too. Some players simply don't want to listen to coaches and do what's necessary to get better. They want to party and spend their bling.

 

[e_blazer]

Totally different situations between the Blazers and the Thunder, so comparing player development between the two teams is apples and oranges. The Thunder drafted Durant (2) , Westbrook (4) and Harden (3) in three successive drafts. The idea behind this article is that OKC committed to player development and now it's paid off. The Thunder were 23-59 in 2008-09 (Westbrook's first year) and 50-32 the next year (Harden's first season). They turned it around because A. those are three really good players and B. Presti added some good supporting players. The point is, they were starting from scratch, made wise picks and caught some really good breaks. The Blazers were committed to that same model with Aldridge, Roy & Oden. Injuries kept it from working. The current Blazers were rebuilt on the fly. Lillard was an exceptionally good pick, but he was integrated into an experienced core of Aldridge, Batum & Matthews. The other picks the Blazers have on their bench are journeymen-level players with the possible exception of CJ. Deciding to play those guys would result in a losing record and, ultimately, in Aldridge deciding his future was somewhere else. The Blazers want to see their young guys improve, but they're going to have to mostly do it in practice and over the off-season. The Blazers want to make the playoffs and, at a minimum, win a series. Olshey can decide over the summer which guys are willing to bust their humps to stick with the team by expanding their games and which guys need to move on to a different situation.