Chad's comments after the lotto

[Blaze01]

To paraphrase for the positive-impaired (cough, MM, cough), you can't really compare the boldness of quickly promoted, interim GM, to a GM who has had the security of a contract. And, the complex political maneuvers required to move from scout to GM can hide the true abilities of the candidate. Chad is still an unknown to most of us.

Well certainly you could look at POR draft record as an indicator could you not? He is head scout, and POR hasn't gotten a signifcant player from the drfat since 2008 (Batum)....

So I would say his track record to date is not good....

and the free agents that he brought in last year...which he took responsibility for... were a disaster...bad fits

telling the truth about a guy's record isn't being negative...it is called being REALISTIC.....

 

[oldmangrouch]

It keeps coming back to the same thing: our last 4 first rounders - Claver, Babbitt, Williams, and Smith - were terrible. Either Chad doesn't know what he is doing, or he couldn't sell ice water to a man in the desert. The Felton trade and Crawford signing don't exactly cover him in glory either - though the Wallace deal was a sound move.

 

[Eastoff]

He is head scout, and POR hasn't gotten a signifcant player from the drfat since 2008 (Batum)....

This is the evidence needed to convict him of Blazerslaughter in the 2nd degree.

 

[illmatic99]

The team should go with BPA, definitely. But not best player available... best prospect available.

This means that age should be a factor. If there are two players who play the same position, are the same size, but are markedly different in age (a couple of years)... then the younger guy should be chosen unless the older prospect is a lot better.

Ignoring age when drafting a player is like ignoring height: dumb.

Ed O.

So I'm guessing you're a proponent of us getting Drummond?

 

[Natebishop3]

So I'm guessing you're a proponent of us getting Drummond?

I'm not against Drummond. If we could nab Drummond with the 6th and maybe Lillard, Lamb, or Waiters at 11, I would be happy.

 

[jlprk]

If you want the BYPA (best & youngest player available), then to be consistent, you must apply the same standard to the GM hiring, which leads to the youngest candidate, Buchanan.

 

[THE HCP]

It keeps coming back to the same thing: our last 4 first rounders - Claver, Babbitt, Williams, and Smith - were terrible..

I actually like Elliot Williams' game a lot!

 

[The_Lillard_King]

The team should go with BPA, definitely. But not best player available... best prospect available.

This means that age should be a factor. If there are two players who play the same position, are the same size, but are markedly different in age (a couple of years)... then the younger guy should be chosen unless the older prospect is a lot better.

Ignoring age when drafting a player is like ignoring height: dumb.

Ed O.

I agree with this. But Chad also made it clear that their priority is getting LA immediate help. I think that means they don't want the best prosepect who may blossom in 2-3 years, they want talent that translates on the court now.

In general, for right or wrong reasons, I don't exactly have confidence in Chad's drafting abilities. But he has shown he is capable of trading players for draft picks and I have confidence in his ability to trade draft picks for players.

I wouldn't mind seeing Chad become the permanent GM . . . although as I have said, that will lead to either CB being a good or being fired. Does Chad really want to go there?

 

[The_Lillard_King]

I actually like Elliot Williams' game a lot!

I actually like Greg Oden's game a lot . . . but not the best draft pick that year

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Whomever is responsible for the Nolan Smith pick should have learned a valuable lesson: ALWAYS draft the BPA over need.

 

[Reep]

I'm not against Drummond. If we could nab Drummond with the 6th and maybe Lillard, Lamb, or Waiters at 11, I would be happy.

Agreed. I was kind of down on Drummond, but after watching some video, I really am not excited about many of the other guys who are ranked 2-8 either. Drummond is risky and raw, but at least you can see some NBA abilities. He is very quick laterally and spins nicely. Has a lot to learn about the game. He also is not always aggressive, but he is very young still.

Honestly, he reminds me a lot of a shorter GO, without the injury issues.

First question I ask him is if he ever wanted to be a dentist.

 

[e_blazer]

It keeps coming back to the same thing: our last 4 first rounders - Claver, Babbitt, Williams, and Smith - were terrible. Either Chad doesn't know what he is doing, or he couldn't sell ice water to a man in the desert. The Felton trade and Crawford signing don't exactly cover him in glory either - though the Wallace deal was a sound move.

Claver was a KP pick and was done in the Euro-stash model because the Blazers didn't really have a roster spot open. Since we haven't seen him play in an NBA-level game yet, he's an incomplete at this point. Babbitt and Williams were also KP picks. I like Williams and I think Babbitt is going to develop into a decent role player off the bench. Looking at the list of guys taken after him in the 2010 draft, I think a case could be made that Luke was the BPA. It's not a great list. http://www.nbadraft.net/nba_final_draft/2010
Nolan Smith was the pick in Chad's first draft as interim GM, so that's on him. He certainly wasn't the BPA, but I don't think he's going to end up as a "terrible" pick at No. 21. Faried definitely had an impressive year, but I'm not convinced that he's a starter in the NBA given his size limitations for his position. Probably both Smith and Faried end up as solid role players a few years down the line, which is about the norm for players taken at their spots in the draft.

 

[THE HCP]

Whomever is responsible for the Nolan Smith pick should have learned a valuable lesson: ALWAYS draft the BPA over need.

Testify my brutha'!

 

[Eastoff]

If you want the BYPA (best & youngest player available), then to be consistent, you must apply the same standard to the GM hiring, which leads to the youngest candidate, Buchanan.

Mixim, is that you? Getting bored of the good guy shtick?

 

[Natebishop3]

Agreed. I was kind of down on Drummond, but after watching some video, I really am not excited about many of the other guys who are ranked 2-8 either. Drummond is risky and raw, but at least you can see some NBA abilities. He is very quick laterally and spins nicely. Has a lot to learn about the game. He also is not always aggressive, but he is very young still.

Honestly, he reminds me a lot of a shorter GO, without the injury issues.

First question I ask him is if he ever wanted to be a dentist.

Exactly. If Drummond drops to six, you have to take him. I think we can still get a difference maker at guard with the 11th. Whether it's Lillard or Lamb or whatever. There's bound to be someone there. Maybe even Marshall if we want to go that route. There just aren't a lot of sure things in this draft. Seems like more than a few guys have been labeled as high risk/high reward. If I have to choose someone carrying that banner, I'd rather go with a big man.

 

[THE HCP]

I just don't have a good feeling about Drummond, not like I did with Cousins.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

I actually like Elliot Williams' game a lot!

Me too! I think he's gonna be good... just has to stay healthy. Have we heard that before?

 

[Ed O]

So I'm guessing you're a proponent of us getting Drummond?

To be honest? I don't know.

I have followed the prospects much less closely than I have in the last years (decades). I want to come up to speed and give (perhaps too strongly phrased) opinions about whom we should draft, but... at this point I can only talk about process, rather than players

Ed O.

 

[Ed O]

Me too! I think he's gonna be good... just has to stay healthy. Have we heard that before?

Williams seems like a pretty good prospect given where he was drafted. Hopefully he can stay healthy and show us what he's got!

Ed O.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

To be honest? I don't know.

I have followed the prospects much less closely than I have in the last years (decades). I want to come up to speed and give (perhaps too strongly phrased) opinions about whom we should draft, but... at this point I can only talk about process, rather than players

Ed O.

Drummond is huge (6'11" 290 lbs while at UCONN) but he's pretty much limited to ally-oops. Offensively, right now, he's DeAndre Jordan.

 

[MickZagger]

I just don't have a good feeling about Drummond, not like I did with Cousins.

Explain that good feeling that Cousins gives you.

 

[Natebishop3]

Explain that good feeling that Cousins gives you.

He can't explain it... it just happens.

 

[THE HCP]

Explain that good feeling that Cousins gives you.

The guy is an absolute nut job/headcase! BUT....... with the right coach he could be 10X better then Bynum. You put a quality PG with him and he would dominate this league. I truly believe this FAMS!

 

[MickZagger]

The guy is an absolute nut job/headcase! BUT....... with the right coach he could be 10X better then Bynum. You put a quality PG with him and he would dominate this league. I truly believe this FAMS!

I agree. Super talented, the game seems to just come to him. Its that ticky-tack foul he picks up that sends him over the edge. Then, vets like Camby or Elton Brand just whisper things in his ear and he's completely mind fucked. I was surprised he dropped as far as he did.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

I'm DC's biggest fan outside of Sacramento.

He has the skills and the knack for scoring that Z-Bo had, just at legit center size (9'5" reach)

 

[Blaze01]

Just so I get this right for all of the people advocating trading the picks...

Do you really think adding Millsap (for the #6) and Collison or Lowry (for the #11) makes this team a title contender? and forget about a free agent b\c you probably just used up most of the space getting both of those guys (Millsap @ $7.2 and Collison @ $2.3 or Lowry @ $5.7)


REALLY?

That team is lucky to MAKE IT to the playoffs...

 

[e_blazer]

Just so I get this right for all of the people advocating trading the picks...

Do you really think adding Millsap (for the #6) and Collison or Lowry (for the #11) makes this team a title contender? and forget about a free agent b\c you probably just used up most of the space getting both of those guys (Millsap @ $7.2 and Collison @ $2.3 or Lowry @ $5.7)


REALLY?

That team is lucky to MAKE IT to the playoffs...

This post seems pretty random to me. At least in this thread, I don't see any discussion of trading the picks here, let alone specifically doing trades for Lowry or Millsap & Collison. As for the cap space situation, that would depend upon what players were going out in exchange for what the Blazers would take back in trade.

Would the specific trades you suggest make the Blazers a contender? No, not by themselves. Would keeping the two draft picks make the Blazers a contender any time soon? Probably not, at least absent other moves. The players available at the 6 & 11 spots are going to have talent, but are going to need several years to develop it in order to be major contributors in a title run. Ideally, I'd like to see the Blazers keep one of the picks and use one in a trade for an experienced player. I'd also like to see them use the cap space to sign one FA. Bottom line, though, I don't see the Blazers as doing more this year than getting to the point where they maybe could win a first round playoff series next year. It's going to take several years, some player development, getting the right coach, and probably some future moves before the team is ready to challenge for a title. One step at a time, as long as we're moving in the right direction.

 

[Blaze01]

It is not random at all, those are the names being talked about and those are picks that that are talked about being dealt for them.....on this board, by Blazer employees like Barrett, Wheeler and Harvey and by some ESPN analysts...

and the point being is that you either have to give up cap space in the exchange WITH the pick OR trade a player back in the deal, which means trading away another assett (of which there are a limited amount to begin with)....and I doubt teams are going to take POR trash (S.Williams\Babbitt\N.Smith) in such exchange....

and again to my point, it doesn't make this team any better than it started at the beginning of last season....I just find this notion to trade away both or one of the picks for the names being mentioned out there a completely stupid idea.....

mid-level NBA players are not going to elevate this team to an NBA title....