Blazers....What If? Draft Edition

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julius said:
Weve talked about this ad nauseum.
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My bad, I guess I wasn’t invited to those discussions or missed out. I was wondering why not many comments. Ok, I will keep my excitement at bay and move on. Thank you for clarifying. Back to my hole I go…
 
SheedSoNasty said:
I’m just a year older than you so I can’t really comment on what happened back then.
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I can respect that. I was planning on doing all drafts up until like 2019, but I may not if it isn't something that anyone is interested in. I'll just do it on my own worksheet. Anyways, yeah like even "our" era of drafts and beyond I would love input; memories, what you would have wanted, what you were excited for, etc. Personally even being a fan since I was as a child I have learned a lot just doing this "research" and having others share their memories. In being a fan for many years being young during some of the Blazers best years, as well as just the times and being so far away from the city (Corbett), I just never really had the full ideas of what was happening. I watched/listened to games as much as possible (not much of a tv reception on Larch Mountain) and when in town I recall stopping at the BP gas stations for posters of Blazers and feeling over the moon when my pops found some. I still have them :)

Now about Sheed...damn, he was actually one of my first Blazers I truly loved and hated. What a stud though!
 
looks like things got fishy in the 1980 draft. Portland could have selected Kiki Vandeweghe at #11, but they traded #10 Lester to move up and grab #4 Ransey. Did someone think it would be cute to have Jack Ramsey coaching a kid named Ransey ??

besides Kiki (who Portland traded half the team 5 years later to acquire, in a shocking BOOOOO trade), ballers the Blazers whiffed on in 1980 include:
#35 Rick Mahorn
#58 Kurt Rambis
#75 Rory Sparrow
 
Whyachi said:
looks like things got fishy in the 1980 draft. Portland could have selected Kiki Vandeweghe at #11, but they traded #10 Lester to move up and grab #4 Ransey. Did someone think it would be cute to have Jack Ramsey coaching a kid named Ransey ??

besides Kiki (who Portland traded half the team 5 years later to acquire, in a shocking BOOOOO trade), ballers the Blazers whiffed on in 1980 include:
#35 Rick Mahorn
#58 Kurt Rambis
#75 Rory Sparrow
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Thank you, Whyachi. I did not know about that trade in 1980. See, this is why I love learning about things from posters such as yourself. I had Ronnie Lester as the pick since it is what shows: https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1980.html , however yes when you select on Ronnie Lester and then Kelvin Ransey you can see Ransey played for the Blazers. That is crazy then, and I wonder what the team was looking for in that draft then? It is kind of what I am seeing as well, is that it isn't necessarily "big" names of players we missed on a out of context positional need vs talent, etc. Which may be where Kiki came into play. Maybe the Blazers were simply looking for a PG and thought Ransey was the dude. He did go 4th afterall, so he must have been scouted. Though in some cases like '84 for example (no not Jordan), but #19 picks Bernard Thompson and #26 Victor Fleming over #20 Tony Campbell and #27 Ron Anderson....that year just makes me think the scouts were off on any guard/forward talent (other than thankfully Kersey) and the rest is history, but really you had two 6'7" SF @ 215lbs and they drafted a 6'6" combo G/F in Thompson. On top of it...they let the stud Kersey slide to 46th...
 
OR-84 said:
Thank you, Whyachi. I did not know about that trade in 1980. See, this is why I love learning about things from posters such as yourself. I had Ronnie Lester as the pick since it is what shows: https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1980.html , however yes when you select on Ronnie Lester and then Kelvin Ransey you can see Ransey played for the Blazers. That is crazy then, and I wonder what the team was looking for in that draft then? It is kind of what I am seeing as well, is that it isn't necessarily "big" names of players we missed on a out of context positional need vs talent, etc. Which may be where Kiki came into play. Maybe the Blazers were simply looking for a PG and thought Ransey was the dude. He did go 4th afterall, so he must have been scouted. Though in some cases like '84 for example (no not Jordan), but #19 picks Bernard Thompson and #26 Victor Fleming over #20 Tony Campbell and #27 Ron Anderson....that year just makes me think the scouts were off on any guard/forward talent (other than thankfully Kersey) and the rest is history, but really you had two 6'7" SF @ 215lbs and they drafted a 6'6" combo G/F in Thompson. On top of it...they let the stud Kersey slide to 46th...
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Ransey was pretty good. He played 2 seasons in Portland, then got traded to the Mavs for Wayne Cooper. Cooop!! I supposed the newly minted 1981 PG pick Darnell Valentine/w Jim Paxson combo offered up the idea to trade Ransey for a positional player.

The Blazers were a playoff team. I figure they tried to get bigger with Coop & Mychal Thompson. Become a surprise team that could hang with the powerhouse Magic & Kareem Lakers.

Early 80's Blazers were really fun to watch. Though everyone would get mad at Mychal Thompson because he bricked a bunch of Free Throws. "gosh darnit Thomson!!" {something would get thrown at the TV}
 
Whyachi said:
Ransey was pretty good. He played 2 seasons in Portland, then got traded to the Mavs for Wayne Cooper. Cooop!! I supposed the newly minted 1981 PG pick Darnell Valentine/w Jim Paxson combo offered up the idea to trade Ransey for a positional player.

The Blazers were a playoff team. I figure they tried to get bigger with Coop & Mychal Thompson. Become a surprise team that could hang with the powerhouse Magic & Kareem Lakers.

Early 80's Blazers were really fun to watch. Though everyone would get mad at Mychal Thompson because he bricked a bunch of Free Throws. "gosh darnit Thomson!!" {something would get thrown at the TV}
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That does make sense with the trade of Ransey to land Coop. Magic and Kareem...I missed some great years, but I was able to witness the 90's in all its glory and I'll take that. The pick for Valentine w/ Paxson combo makes more sense too now. The Mychal Thompson "free throw" part is gold! I love it. :)
 
UncleCliffy'sDaddy said:
Boy are you missing the circumstances, nuances, dynamics and everything else that went into how it all played out. There are valid reasons for drafting the way we did. You're playing shoulda, woulda, coulda 50 years after the fact.....
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Agree - hindsight is 20-20 but there are some obvious choices of just bad picks when better players were available. Some of those were done when the team drafted for position rather than bpa - Bowie vs Jordon was one of those cases. They opted for a center because they already had Drexler but who knew that Jordon would be the goat? Again = hindsight!
 
Kano John said:
Agree - hindsight is 20-20 but there are some obvious choices of just bad picks when better players were available. Some of those were done when the team drafted for position rather than bpa - Bowie vs Jordon was one of those cases. They opted for a center because they already had Drexler but who knew that Jordon would be the goat? Again = hindsight!
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Thank you, Kano John! That is part of why I made this thread. Was it just "bad luck" which would really just be due to hindsight at that point, or is it in cases like mentioned of best player available and hope that the guy you didn't take doesn't turn out to be...Jordan. Or is it in some cases unknown circumstance (Hakeem coin flip, McAdoo's agent) or simply even just some bad scouting years. Such as the Bernard Thompson and Victor Fleming picks over Tony Campbell and Ron Anderson picks, then only to select Kersey at 46th to have the actual Forward they coveted. Also for example two years later when they selected Walter Berry over Dennis Rodman (which Berry being an inch taller and 5lbs heavier, maybe that played a factor too? IDK?) But all are forwards. Did they just not have a good scout and whiffed it, or was it just hindsight is 20/20 and who knew that Campbell, Anderson, and Rodman would all have much better careers?
 
SheedSoNasty said:
I’m just a year older than you so I can’t really comment on what happened back then.
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I'm only almost 44 so I don't have personal experience with the '70s and early '80s stuff. But I can certainly help find information.
 
Phatguysrule said:
I'm only almost 44 so I don't have personal experience with the '70s and early '80s stuff. But I can certainly help find information.
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I love this, and kudos again for helping with that article! I suck at searching for things. I think I recall taking a basic computer class that taught us to use connectors in our search to make it more helpful ("Blazers+NBA+Draft"...etc), but I still suck at that.
 
1988, what happened in the case of Anthony Mason? He of course turned out to be an amazing player, but looks like Blazers drafted him and he went overseas? Then he played for the Nets the following year? Also, what was the thinking/reason behind him being selected so much further after Mark Bryant? Both had similar height/weight and position, so was Mark a better locker room guy, good in college, or was Mason just unknown?
 
1989... @UncleCliffy'sDaddy, nobody is taking Cliff's pick. I would even wonder, besides Divac who would be considered different position, but win share wise Cliff was the best positional player of his draft (second best win share to Divac), yet he was picked 36th over several other forwards (great players too). Was Cliff just a stud that proved 'em all wrong, or did 34 picks just whiff it in a row? I already told you that I idolized him, so for me right away I saw it. The swagger. He just was fun to watch and he sure got me excited to pretend to launch 3's and wear my headband. Also THE reason 3 is my favorite number (still to this day).
 
Ok....so now I have a no idea what the thought was in 1990....I was 5 and definitely wasn't following sports news nor was watching college ball. Was Abdelnaby just the pick above (Campbell, Kukoc, Davis) whom all played the same position due to his college game/upside vs theirs? The only other factor I could see is that he had a weight advantage over them 240lb vs 215lb and in a time that the extra pounds mattered to bang in the paint. though he was an inch shorter than Campbell. Hmmm....
 
What happened in 1988 to bring the draft down to 3 rounds, and then the next year to bring it down to 2? Was it that there were just more of an abundance of players in the league, lack of owners wanting to fund later picks, or just because?
 
Strenuus said:
You give someone a reach around and they forget you that quickly.
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Awww, nah man, I knew I was going to take flack for putting some names in...I really was just going off of random. Literally as I see other posters such as yourself #legends, I am realizing I probably shouldn't have posted that and just been patient and waited. Can I make a Rookie mistake like 18 years later?
:deadhorse::shitstorm::smiley-sprovod::smiley-predaja:
 
Another positional headscratcher for me...James Robinson over Sam Cassell...I MUST be missing something.
 
OR-84 said:
Crickets….anyone?
@SlyPokerDog @THE HCP @julius @Chris Craig @Mediocre Man @SheedSoNasty @jlprk @calvin natt @speeds @Shaboid @SharpeScooterShooter @Denny Crane @blazerfan11 @BlazerBeav @Hoopguru @PDXFonz @riverman @Rastapopoulos @PtldPlatypus @HailBlazers @Wizard Mentor @wizenheimer @GrandpaBlaze @STOMP And everyone else….
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The trouble is, I could talk and talk and talk about NBA details from 1971 onward. You'd learn a lot because almost none of my memories are on the internet. For that much oral communication, you'd have to hang around me for weeks. Writing it here requires more work.

This thread is so general, it's intimidating. I didn't even post to the specialized death threads of Walton and West, because I have thousands of words of personal memories of each. So this thread, covering practically all NBA history since the Blazers started, is over my head. If I'm going to spend my last years writing a book, I'd rather write my original theories about better systems--economic, legal, political, etc. I lack the energy.
 
jlprk said:
The trouble is, I could talk and talk and talk about NBA details from 1971 onward. You'd learn a lot because almost none of my memories are on the internet. For that much oral communication, you'd have to hang around me for weeks. Writing it here requires more work.

This thread is so general, it's intimidating. I didn't even post to the specialized death threads of Walton and West, because I have thousands of words of personal memories of each. So this thread, covering practically all NBA history since the Blazers started, is over my head. If I'm going to spend my last years writing a book, I'd rather write my original theories about better systems--economic, legal, political, etc. I lack the energy.
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I can certainly understand and respect that sir. I appreciate you even if I’ll never know what you know. I wish you nothing but positivity and mindfulness as you continue through your years.
 
Dang it! :( I better figure out how to get out of the doghouse then…. @SlyPokerDog, what do I have to do?
Wait…if no more reach around, could I just turnaround and make it easier?
:dancewithme:
 
Well, sitting here drinking my coffee before my family wakes up (cat of course is already up with me), and trying to rack my brain of how to get @Strenuus and @JFizzleRaider back….. I know when I mess up, it is steak dinner for my wife. Sooooo for this blunder, pancakes anyone? I’ll put blueberries in them and add cinnamon?
 
SlyPokerDog said:
If the Blazers had only selected Giannis instead of CJ.
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That would have been crazy! I also look at 2017 where I remember yelling at my tv about trading up for Collins when I had such a hunch about Adebayo. I remember seeing him and just thinking…Ben Wallace. That really could have changed things too. Dame…I miss you :(

Like a typical dog though you are tugging on the leash. Slow down, we’ll get to those years soon enough. :)
 
What was the trade in 1995 that landed us Gary Trent and sent the 8th pick Respert to Mil? What was your memory of that time? Upset with it, or ok? Was anyone scouting Finley or Thomas? Surely Barry was due to his father.
 
1996...What a draft year. I recall being sooo excited when they drafted J.O. I was just switching schools from Corbett to Hosford and I remember talking him up and everyone hated on him. AI, Marbury, Allen, Walker were THE guys and nobody wanted to hear about J.O. Well, I sure was excited. I thought it was cool having he and my fave player Cliff at the time both rocking headbands (if I remember) and as I chose Cliff's #3 as my favorite number when I was a child, I also then chose J.O's #5 as my second favorite number (still today).
 
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