Blazers get 10th Pick in the 2013 NBA Draft

[oldmangrouch]

When I played the Lotto on ESPN, we wound up with Caldwell-Pope. Other sites have him falling from 14 to 26th.

Either ESPN has some inside info - or they are just chumming the waters again.

I still think either Carter-Williams or McCollum will wind up being BPA. OTOH, after Ole' passed on Henson for Lynyrd, I'm not sure he is a BPA man.

 

[Mediocre Man]

I just hit the sim on ESPN and PDX got the firs pick, and of as expected it had us picking Noel...but do you think with our track history, we would take a kid with a fucked up knee?

I know if it were me I would try and trade down a la the NFL. Find someone that really wanted Noel and grab their pick plus a player. S&T with Sacreattle for Evans and 7? Maybe take 7 and Leonard and try for Sanders? Or 7 and Leonard and move up? Or 7 for Gortat?

 

[NOVoodoo]

When I played the Lotto on ESPN, we wound up with Caldwell-Pope. Other sites have him falling from 14 to 26th.

Either ESPN has some inside info - or they are just chumming the waters again.

I still think either Carter-Williams or McCollum will wind up being BPA. OTOH, after Ole' passed on Henson for Lynyrd, I'm not sure he is a BPA man.

Well, Caldwell-Pope's biggest problem has been playing on a shitty team in a shitty conference. If he were playing for a team like Syracuse, he'd probably be pegged as a lottery pick in every mock. I watched him a couple of times this season, and his offensive talent's undeniable. One of the thing's I've noticed from watching him a few times this season is his ability to change directions on a dime. The guy has that NBA ability to just shift gears in a matter of seconds, which can be a major indicator of a player's ability to score on the next level.

With that said, there are still a lot of important questions. Having to be the whole offense on a bad team for two seasons, how's he going to adapt to NBA level play? I have no doubt that the talent is there, but can he play a complimentary role? Does a team need to make him their main weapon? Should we excuse some of the poor decisions he made because he played on a bad team, or should we blame his bad decisions for the reason they didn't win more often?

 

[oldmangrouch]

Well, Caldwell-Pope's biggest problem has been playing on a shitty team in a shitty conference. If he were playing for a team like Syracuse, he'd probably be pegged as a lottery pick in every mock. I watched him a couple of times this season, and his offensive talent's undeniable. One of the thing's I've noticed from watching him a few times this season is his ability to change directions on a dime. The guy has that NBA ability to just shift gears in a matter of seconds, which can be a major indicator of a player's ability to score on the next level.

With that said, there are still a lot of important questions. Having to be the whole offense on a bad team for two seasons, how's he going to adapt to NBA level play? I have no doubt that the talent is there, but can he play a complimentary role? Does a team need to make him their main weapon? Should we excuse some of the poor decisions he made because he played on a bad team, or should we blame his bad decisions for the reason they didn't win more often?

It will be interesting to see how he does in work-outs.

Right now, reviews of the kid are a very mixed bag. More TOs than assists; good shooter who is weak attacking the hoop; has most of the tool to be a good defender, but has alligator arms; etc.

 

[NOVoodoo]

I'm honestly surprised ya'll aren't more interested in the second round, with your lack of depth.

With picks #39, #40, and #45, you guys are in a great position to get a slipper or two, someone who might have been discounted based on their size, athleticism, etc., but can still play... someone in the Jae Crowder vein.

Like I've said in the past, I think that Trevor Mbakwe would be a great pickup, probably at #45. The guy's NBA ready on the defensive end, a true grit-n-grind forward with explosiveness. He's undersized, older, still raw on offense, etc., but at the end of the day, he'll be ready to step into a complimentary role as a an energy/defensive presence at the four.

There's also the chance that some of the prospects ya'll have talked about at #10 could slide all the way to #39, like Steven Adams.

Another name that I think would be a steal the way the mocks have it being projected is Myck Kabongo. If Kabongo is really available at #39/#40, he'll be the steal of the draft. I've espoused my views enough on the guy in previous threads, so I'll just be concise in saying that he's a lottery talent that could be available as a second round pick for reasons that he shouldn't be faulted for. I think he'll do enough work in the combines to become a first round pick, but if not, he's got "steal" written all over him.

 

[BrianFromWA]

I love the second round. My take has been that that's where you spend 1M or so and load up--if nothing else, you can stash a guy or two in Idaho. But I like it for three reasons:

1) As you described, the "fallers". DeJuan Blair available on a 4yr/4M TOTAL contract?
2) Overseas stashers. I think the #31 pick (especially now with the tiered MLE system) is more valuable than #25-30, because you aren't locked into paying a guy only $900k a year. You can draft a stud overseas player, offer him the MLE and $500k to cover his buyout, and go from there. Otherwise...
3) The Niche Guy. This is where you get a guy (I think someone brought him up before) like Seth Curry--who only has one NBA skill, but it's a legit NBA skill. He may only play 15mpg, but you're paying him below the veteran minimum (on average) for up to 4 years. You can get shot-blocking stiffs who are only good for 6 fouls and 3 blocks a game. You can get your Muggsy Bogues, who's good for 12-15 mpg. You can fill out your rotation with these types of guys, and probably get a better return on your investment than, say...Jeffries, Sasha, Price.

Who I don't recommend picking in the 2nd round:
-Foreign players you don't really ever intend to bring over.
-"NBA Size" guys who don't have NBA brains or skills.
-A 26-year old player in the Qatari League who isn't actually eligible for the draft. Stay away from these guys. I'm looking at you, Kahn.
-Taurean Green. Unless you were going to pick Nolan Smith in the first. Then I'd rather you wait and pick Taurean Green in the 2nd. You have my blessing.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

I love the second round. My take has been that that's where you spend 1M or so and load up--if nothing else, you can stash a guy or two in Idaho. But I like it for three reasons:

1) As you described, the "fallers". DeJuan Blair available on a 4yr/4M TOTAL contract?
2) Overseas stashers. I think the #31 pick (especially now with the tiered MLE system) is more valuable than #25-30, because you aren't locked into paying a guy only $900k a year. You can draft a stud overseas player, offer him the MLE and $500k to cover his buyout, and go from there. Otherwise...
3) The Niche Guy. This is where you get a guy (I think someone brought him up before) like Seth Curry--who only has one NBA skill, but it's a legit NBA skill. He may only play 15mpg, but you're paying him below the veteran minimum (on average) for up to 4 years. You can get shot-blocking stiffs who are only good for 6 fouls and 3 blocks a game. You can get your Muggsy Bogues, who's good for 12-15 mpg. You can fill out your rotation with these types of guys, and probably get a better return on your investment than, say...Jeffries, Sasha, Price.

Agreed. I like the idea of getting a big (like Kadiji or Muscala) and a couple perimeter guys (like Kabongo, Snaer, Paul, or even Goodwin or Green if they drop that far) in the 2nd--guys that are ready to contribute right now (Goodwin is obviously an exception to that, with the assumption that his stock dropped unreasonably due to him having been played out of position).

I have this suspicion that Olshey is going to target "name" players in the 2nd...and I have zero basis for this.