Keeping our pick? This might be a Lottery year

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Make the pick for the Future.....or trade it for 'now'?

  • One last attempt

  • Build for the future....one player won't make enough of a difference

  • Get bad enough to where the pick makes an immediate impact

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Duren indeed wasn't moving his best today for whatever reason. Feel like a lot of it was due to his initial positioning in the pick and roll though. He still showed that he can slide with guards when Memphis decided to switch and thought he looked great against both UCF and Houston.

But like I talked about earlier, his footwork, touch and extension around the rim when he is contested definitely has a long way to go.

Excited to see what he looks like when he's actually playing alongside guards that force an over in ball screens. That plus playing alongside a non-shooting 4 in DeAndre Williams makes the context for him pretty rough.
 
PtldPlatypus said:
If there was a way to get Grant and Siakam without giving up Ant, I wouldn't give a flying **** how Grant felt about it.
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That’s how you create chemistry issues. Effort issues. Telling a player “this is your role, if you don’t like it, tough shit” isn’t the greatest maneuver to getting players to play how you want them.

blazerkor said:
Why is it that you say that? He took the most money possible and yes was excited to be the first option but if he was talking to Dame about teaming up he knows he wouldn't be the first option anymore and the fact is if he believes in himself he'll have the confidence to come in here and try to earn touches that would otherwise go to Ant, Siakam and Nurk before him and I don't think as it stands that Nurk would get touches before him. The dude can both get to the hoop really well and finish by cutting without the ball and putting the ball on the floor as well and he can hit open spot up threes. He's also a really good defender. I don't think he'd have a problem at all if he was starting on a championship team and we paid him.
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Because he literally said he wants to be a “primary” option on offense around this years trade deadline. Not the FIRST option, but A primary option. He wouldn’t be close to that with Dame, Ant and Siakam. And a quick look at efficiency numbers as well as passing numbers, I wouldn’t get my hopes up on him passing any of those dudes. Finally, he probably wouldn’t pass Nurk because Nurk would probably be featured in the PnR much more. Also, Billups love using Nurk as an initiator of the offense.

I could be wrong though. But also Jerami Grant is just not that good in my opinion. It seems like you value him as if he’s the same as his Denver days. He’s essentially worse all around, especially defensively.
 
bey has been balling. 51 tonight.

i keep telling you guys. draft villanova kids. Jay Wright is a monster.

who's the best player on Nova this year?
 
wizenheimer said:
2020 draft:

12 - SAC Tyrese Haliburton
15 - ORL Cole Anthony
16 - POR (Hou) Isaiah Stewart
19 - BRK Saddiq Bey
21 - PHI Tyrese Maxey
25 - OKC Immanuel Quickley
30 - BOS Desmond Bane

that 2020 draft should be a cautionary tale for Cronin about the value of draft picks, even if they aren't top-10
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Bey is rough, because we could have him over Covington. Hindsight...
The Bane pick pisses me off the most. It was basically the team ducking the tax by moving Hezonjia to Memphis to take pick 30, instead of us getting Kanter and 30 for ourselves. Yeah, there were 2nds involved, whatever. Boston wanted to move 30 to dump Kanter, and we were too cheap to do it ourselves.
 
RR7 said:
Bey is rough, because we could have him over Covington. Hindsight...
The Bane pick pisses me off the most. It was basically the team ducking the tax by moving Hezonjia to Memphis to take pick 30, instead of us getting Kanter and 30 for ourselves. Yeah, there were 2nds involved, whatever. Boston wanted to move 30 to dump Kanter, and we were too cheap to do it ourselves.
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Who’s to say we would’ve drafted Bane?
 
This weekend's games (both NBA and NCAA) could have a huge impact on our future. Which college players will start their power shift with a tourney run or flop?

NBA

Fri
Blazers vs Nets
Pacers vs Rockets
Pelicans vs Spurs
Celtics vs Kings

Sun
Blazers vs Pacers
Pelicans vs Hawks
Suns vs Kings
Spurs vs Warriors

We could very easily pick up 2 games on the Pacers while maintaining with the Spurs and Pelicans. The Kings will likely King the shit out of both games but that would be the icing on thr perfect weekend if they could pull out a game.
 
@blazerkor ...regarding your question, that has been the topic of many a discussion in the last few days. The overall consensus was, do not trade a Top-10 pick for Grant whether Dame wants him or not. There were a number of factors. Bear with me, this could take a bit. Hopefully you find some good feedback from some of those discussions.

Production/contract: - They pointed out that for what Portland needs, Grant was better in Denver when he wasn't making nearly as much. Now he wants an even larger extension. For someone whose defensive rating has gone done, whose 3-pt shooting has never been great, and whose rebounding is downright poor, most did not thing it was worth the investment. They mostly agreed that if you bring a player in to go with Dame/Ant/Nurk, they are going to have to be okay with not getting as many touches/shots, do a lot of the little things, ball out on D, hit an open '3', and do it for 'less' money. If you were to get production out of a rookie scale contract, so much the better as this team is going to be back in the Luxury Tax.

Timeline: A player like Grant is better for Dame's immediate timeline, but to a person, no one thought that he would put them over the top and that he would cost the Blazers cap value now, and production in the future. Let's say you just got your 2 Lottery picks in the ballpark of #6 and #8. That puts you in the area of Griffin, Murray, Duren, Mathurin, etc. Adding 2 of those guys without the pressure of being 'go-to' guys that have to rescue a franchise would be 'huge' even from just a size standpoint because we are so bereft of that size on a nightly basis. I'll get into some of the player observations from those discussions as well, but rely heavily on D69 as he as been so good with that for so long. Back to the picks. I think there is very good value at #6 and #8/9 for what Portland needs. Now if we get lucky and land in the Top-3, from a 'fit' standpoint, it obviously gets much better. Adding any of Jabari/Chet/Paolo with say a Mathurin or Duren could make this roster VERY good in just a couple of years time. Dame would be 34 by then, but that is not too late, especially if he morphs more into the CP3 role as he ages. The contributions from young players who don't have a much pressure on them to be 'the guy' the moment they walk in the door, will help you get out of them what they naturally do best. Then they are allowed to grow into a more complete player in the right environment. Dame at 32-36+, would seem like a very good place for these players to be and I would take their potential ceiling over what Grant is now...which is a bit of an inefficient chucker who doesn't do the things the Blazers need.
 
Day 1: Lottery prospects of potential Blazer interest

Holmgren: MASSIVE day from the 'Dogs' big man. 19 points, (8-13 FGs) 17 rebounds, 5 assists, 7 blocks and 2 steals, with 0 turnovers in 29 minutes. That is all without hardly a play being run for him the entire game. I get the concerns about his thin-man impersonation, but that is tremendous production on a pretty low usage rate. Dame/Ant/Nurk don't need more players who are going to demand a ton of shots. Good fit.

Murray: Good day, but most of the rest of his team didn't show up. 21 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 1 steal. 8-15 shooting, but 0-3 from '3' which is his calling card. Won't get to see him anymore and was hoping Iowa would go on a bit of a run to see more of him against improving competition. Also, Iowa losing didn't help my bracket any.

Duren: One of the more polarizing players in the tournament. 10 points, 11 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist and 1 block. Shot poorly at 4-11, but watching this game didn't change my mind from things I've seen previously with both him and the Memphis team. One, he can be a defensive terror. There were times the Tigers would press with 4 players in the backcourt or near midcourt, and leave Jalen alone with no teammate within 30' of him to help out. He only got 1 block, but that was as much from Boise State not wanting to go anywhere near the basket with him patrolling than anything else. Also, the Memphis guard play is horrific. Actually, that may not be fair.....to the term horrific. Time after time, (and this has gone on all season), they would throw him a pass in a bad spot, behind him, at his feet, or more often than not, miss him entirely. Put that man with a good point guard who can throw a lob anywhere near the basket, and he is going to explode. Watching more tape of him, he is a decent passer and has solid instincts, if not the execution. The thought process is often correct. He just lacks the confidence and experience to execute at a high level just yet. MASSIVE hands, and ridiculous wingspan. There were times he would be surrounded by Boise St players to where you could hardly see him on my small, airplane screen, yet that arm would rise up out of the crowd and clear everyone else by a good margin. I think he has one of the highest ceilings as he has a big of a face up jumper and decent touch at the FT line. Then consider this. He just turned 18 in mid November. By contrast, Holmgren will be 20 in a couple of months. He is tremendously young and raw, but is already showing skills that will translate. Would love him here behind Nurk for a couple of years. A rim protector who is a serious lob threat. Sound like anything Chauncey might like? Think Chauncey and Joe aren't getting every piece of the lowdown from Chauncey's former teammate and now assistant coach for Memphis, Rasheed Wallace, and Chauncey's former coach at Detroit and now Memphis assistant Larry Brown? Can' wait for Saturday's game between Chet/Jalen.

TyTy Washington: No one did more damage to their stock on Thursday than TyTy. Not only did he not lead his #2 Wildcats to a win over #15 St Peters, he was very bad in the process. Keegan Murray lost, but he was at least productive. TyTy had 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 turnovers while shooting 2-10. It was a brutal performance and he didn't do himself any favors.

Jeremy Sochan: Baylor's Kendall Brown was getting most of the attention, but quietly, teammate Sochan is putting together quality performances. 15 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block with only 1 turnover. 6-9 from the field and 2-4 from 3-pt range. 6'9, 230 with a 7' wingspan and the ability to play multiple positions.

Honorable Mention: Oscar Tshiebwe - He is likely a later 1st round pick, but he does what he does, very well. 30 points (11-16 sh0oting), 16 rebounds. 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. 6'9", 250+ lbs with a 7'4" wingspan.
 
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Re: Sochan.

I'm wary of drafting guys who don't start on their college teams in the lottery.

Zach Collins memories still fresh on my mind.

Ya I know Nas didn't start at UNC either, but he dropped to #25 for a reason.
 
illmatic99 said:
Re: Sochan.

I'm wary of drafting guys who don't start on their college teams in the lottery.

Zach Collins memories still fresh on my mind.

Ya I know Nas didn't start at UNC either, but he dropped to #25 for a reason.
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Agreed, but he played the 2nd most minutes on the team. He is so versatile, they just put him where ever he is needed.
 
TBpup said:
Agreed, but he played the 2nd most minutes on the team. He is so versatile, they just put him where ever he is needed.
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i still have to do more research on him, but he's got some holes in his game (30% from 3 on decent volume, only 57% from FT).

i'm not gambling on him in the lottery based on what i've learned so far.
 
illmatic99 said:
i still have to do more research on him, but he's got some holes in his game (30% from 3 on decent volume, only 57% from FT).

i'm not gambling on him in the lottery based on what i've learned so far.
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Everyone has some holes in their games. He is listed as a late Lottery, mid 1st projected pic. It's not like he is going in the Top 10. Some good, and some bad, but he has the size, athletic ability, and versatility that makes him intriguing to some.
 
TBpup said:
Everyone has some holes in their games. He is listed as a late Lottery, mid 1st projected pic. It's not like he is going in the Top 10. Some good, and some bad, but he has the size, athletic ability, and versatility that makes him intriguing to some.
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I personally like Eason as a similar, but better player. Eason has more of the Kawhi/Buttler bully ball mindset.... which I like.
Doesn't hurt that he's from Seattle (and played for Brandon Roy at Garfield).
 
CJ_is_Gone said:
I personally like Eason as a similar, but better player. Eason has more of the Kawhi/Buttler bully ball mindset.... which I like.
Doesn't hurt that he's from Seattle (and played for Brandon Roy at Garfield).
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Like him. Looking forward to seeing him play in the tournament.
 
illmatic99 said:
i still have to do more research on him, but he's got some holes in his game (30% from 3 on decent volume, only 57% from FT).

i'm not gambling on him in the lottery based on what i've learned so far.
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If you want a roster like the raptors, Sochan is the guy.

Might be the best “overall” defender in college.

Don’t know if you saw my post the other day, but like you, I agree - his shot is a huge question mark.

Also don’t love guys who don’t start, but his raw tools are interesting to say the least.

I think he missed some games and practice which prevented him from starting as well
 
CJ_is_Gone said:
I personally like Eason as a similar, but better player. Eason has more of the Kawhi/Buttler bully ball mindset.... which I like.
Doesn't hurt that he's from Seattle (and played for Brandon Roy at Garfield).
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I don’t think they’re very similar players.
Sochan doesn’t look to score nearly as much as Tari.
Sochan seems to be a pass first player.
And Sochan is bigger.
 
i'll openly admit i haven't watched a single Baylor game. But it worries me to read that the "best defender" in college basketball can't start on his own team. We've seen this story before. With Collins... and how about Marvin Williams in the Chris Paul draft? Similar sorta championship level NCAA team and they had this supposed terrific prospect who didn't play.
 
TBpup said:
Honorable Mention: Oscar Tshiebwe - He is likely a later 1st round pick, but he does what he does, very well. 30 points (11-16 sh0oting), 16 rebounds. 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. 6'9", 250+ lbs with a 7'4" wingspan.
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His motor is worth exploring. He averages 15 rebs a game. I would try to buy into the late first round if he's still on the board.
 
Jabari is a taller Khris Middleton. Deadly jumper, and he can just shoot above contests because he's got long arms and his release is high. Suspect handle at the moment, but it doesn't really matter.
 
Ivey is so much better than anyone else on the floor this game. If his shot is on, he's unguardable.
 
illmatic99 said:
any drives to the rim from Smith are major signs of development for me. dude is a legit handle away from being an All NBA caliber prospect who could reach that in a few years.
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Shit dude... people are projecting him as the #1.... I would certainly hope he's an All-NBA caliber prospect.

What happened to #1 picks being bonafide stars right out the gate?
 
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