Nolan Smith?

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Smith shot 35% from 3 as a senior. I hope he is better than that at the next level.

Ed O.

I doubt he is.

 

[alex42083]

Smith shot 35% from 3 as a senior. I hope he is better than that at the next level.

Ed O.

Hmm, that's not very good then, when that's at the college 3. Well ... uh ..... hope he can defend??

 

[illmatic99]

Hmm, that's not very good then, when that's at the college 3. Well ... uh ..... hope he can defend??

Was quite a reach at 22.

 

[Ed O]

Hmm, that's not very good then, when that's at the college 3. Well ... uh ..... hope he can defend??

He's a good defender. He actually shot better than that his freshman and sophomore years behind the arc, too (although he didn't crack 40% either season), so maybe his senior year was an aberration--unless it's because he swapped to the PG spot, and it impacts his shooting (which seems reasonable).

Ed O.

 

[MickZagger]

College 3 % usually always translates identically to the NBA. Its one of those areas that players NEVER improve.

 

[Ed O]

College 3 % usually always translates identically to the NBA. Its one of those areas that players NEVER improve.

Well, the 3 point line is shorter in college, so if the percentage stays the same then that means the players are either (a) unaffected by the depth of three point shots, or (b) better shooters in the NBA.

Ed O.

 

[Minstrel]

Buchanon allegedly said he liked Nolan for his "winning attitude"

rofl

Wow. That's about as damning as faint praise gets.

 

[RR7]

what's wrong with coming from a winning team? How many stars in the league come from shit teams and programs?

 

[Minstrel]

what's wrong with coming from a winning team? How many stars in the league come from shit teams and programs?

Coming from a winning team isn't bad. Being drafted because you come from a winning team (as opposed to being drafted because you have talent/skills) is pretty bad.

 

[RR7]

well, he has talent and skills. So, talent, skills, and winner. Coming to a tea, that doesn't neccesarily need some huge youth infusion. How often have people on here complained about the backup PG spot on the team? It's been one of the biggest "weaknesses" mentioned. And I think he fixes that, as an improvement over Mills and Johnson, pretty easily. A weakness at backup PG and backup PF. We addressed one. I wish we bought a late pick, to address the other. But though I like Faried, I can see Nolan becoming a starting PG, and can not see Faried ever starting at PF for us.

 

[Minstrel]

well, he has talent and skills.

When the stated reason for drafting a guy is "he's a winner," it means the guy drafting him doesn't think his talent/skills are worth noting. And the guy picking him, presumably, is about as high on him as anyone. When the person highest on him can't find a talent or skill worth noting, that's bad news.

Let's not be too literal. I'm not saying he literally has zero skills or talent and that he can't even walk straight. What I'm saying is that I don't think he's an impressive prospect from a basketball standpoint and, worse, the guy who selected him doesn't, either. He most likes the guy's intangibles, not his tangibles.

Intangibles may or may not exist (as a significant factor in winning basketball games) but if they do, I'm sure they're nice to have. They definitely take a massive backseat, in importance, to measurable ability, though.

 

[RR7]

sorry he gave a bad interview, then. Measurable? I dunno. 20 PPG in the ACC is solid, no? A guy who got to the line 6 times a game, even though people say he can't get into the lane. I dunno, people nut over faried, and I wouldn't mind him either, so everyone hates it. I dunno if Felton is an upgrade. I'm not happy. More meh, because had held out hopes for more. But I'm not thinking we got ass raped because we included Rudy. When most would have been ok with just letting him leave to barcelona.

 

[Ed O]

When most would have been ok with just letting him leave to barcelona.

I don't know why people have this perception. Did we do a poll?

It seemed to me that many of us here wanted to keep Rudy. Which doesn't mean we should not have traded him at all, but that I didn't perceive a consensus that he should be dumped at the first opportunity.

Ed O.

 

[Minstrel]

sorry he gave a bad interview, then.

Well, I hope you're right in your hypothesis that Buchanan got confused and didn't say what he really believed. The worry is that he did say what he believed to be Nolan's greatest selling point, and it was "winning attitude" rather than basketball ability.

I don't think the team got "ass raped." I think the team made a bad deal which, as I said in another thread, downgraded their present without significantly upgrading their future, and made a bad draft selection of a low-upside prospect. Obviously, these are just my opinions and I don't believe they are conclusive. I hope I'm wrong in both cases.

Even if I'm right, I don't think either one destroyed the franchise. I just think each one hurt the team's outlook going forward.

 

[RR7]

I don't know why people have this perception. Did we do a poll?

It seemed to me that many of us here wanted to keep Rudy. Which doesn't mean we should not have traded him at all, but that I didn't perceive a consensus that he should be dumped at the first opportunity.

Ed O.

Hmm, maybe you're not reading the boards you moderate, then? Would explain some. But , uh, yeah, I've seen plenty of non-negative comments about Rudy on here. Sure.

 

[barfo]

He most likes the guy's intangibles, not his tangibles.

Intangibles may or may not exist (as a significant factor in winning basketball games) but if they do, I'm sure they're nice to have. They definitely take a massive backseat, in importance, to measurable ability, though.

Yeah, but I seem to remember that Adam Morrison had ALL the intangibles.

So I don't see how Smith could have any, unless Adam gave him some.

barfo

 

[jlprk]

So, who's better: Nolan Smith or Armon Johnson? I think Johnson.

Smith is much better coached (Coach K vs. Nevada-Reno). Higher basketball IQ.

 

[B-Roy]

sorry he gave a bad interview, then. Measurable? I dunno. 20 PPG in the ACC is solid, no? A guy who got to the line 6 times a game, even though people say he can't get into the lane. I dunno, people nut over faried, and I wouldn't mind him either, so everyone hates it. I dunno if Felton is an upgrade. I'm not happy. More meh, because had held out hopes for more. But I'm not thinking we got ass raped because we included Rudy. When most would have been ok with just letting him leave to barcelona.

This is BE's writeup of him, which describes him pretty well:

The Duke pedigree would be a big draw here. You know this guy knows how to play. Height is good if he's a point guard, bad if he's a two. He's a nice catch-and-shoot guy with just a touch of distance to his game, probably needing to develop more if he's going to be a Blazer. He scored 20 per game his senior year, drew 6 foul shots, but took over a quarter of his team's possessions to do so. He commits plenty of turnovers and his 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio is anemic. The big questions revolve around his ability to play point in the NBA. If he's the point guard of the future it might be a far future. He's another potential second-round pick Patty Mills replacement along with Jackson and Morris.

 

[Nate Dogg]

Does this video change your view on Smith? He has a decent cross-over that I'm pleased with.

 

[MickZagger]

The more I think about it, Nolan Smith basically plays the game the way McMillan played, but with a little more offense. I remember his dad as a player vaguely.

 

[jlprk]

Smith was the first player in ACC history to lead the league in scoring and assists.

He did that during the season, but not by the end.

Smith was leading the ACC most of the season in assists, but then a freshman at North Carolina became a starter and took the league assists title. Smith still won the scoring title.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Drafted too high, but he will be better than either Mills or Johnson


Poor value, good player

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Darius Morris, Norris Cole, Reggie Jackson, and Josh Selby are all better prospects than Smith. God. I bet Nate talked to K from Duke and was convinced about taking him. UGh.

I'm disappointed, I won't lie. I was a big Darius Morris fan. But I looked up the stats from Michigan v. Duke in the NCAAs wanting to see Darius Morris shining, or at least only being slightly outplayed by Kyrie Irving... and the best stat line by far was Smith's.

Remember, Smith played against the US team last Summer. Nate probably got to know him then. I bet you Nate had a lot to do with this pick (for good or ill).

Norris Cole is hard to gauge: did Cleveland State play anyone good?
Reggie Jackson padded his stats against sucky teams. NBADraft.net did a study that showed that his stats went down CONSIDERABLY in the games against good teams.
Josh Selby? Really? I think Hollywood Robinson is his ceiling.

 

[illmatic99]

One of the reasons why I liked Morris over Smith was because DM is a true PG, while Smith has the combo-prefix attached.

But Smith did have some big games in college. He is also a 4 year player who will be 23 in a month. All those guys are bunched close to each other, but I like the four I mentioned slightly ahead of our guy.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Morris was compared to Andre Miller because he is slow and can't shoot. Smith is better than Morris

 

[ironcrotch]

I'm fine with Nolan Smith; I agree he was taken too high but in the end of the day it doesn't really matter if the guy becomes a good player.

Here's a cool vid of him, shows his personality, I think the city is gonna like him.

[video=youtube;mwLAjhz-WIM]

 

[Blazinaway]

Morris was compared to Andre Miller because he is slow and can't shoot. Smith is better than Morris

One of the Courtside guys said last night that Nolan really "locked up" Morris in the workout they had. My guess is his D and overall experience is why we drafted him - a "Nate guy". So far no "Nate guys" have worked out, lets hope the laws of probability may kick in.

 

[Kaydow]

I'm still in shock over last night's draft. I just don't understand the Nolan Smith pick. Not only was he picked early, but he doesn't appear to fit the needs of the team. Is he a true PG who can run an offense? No. Is he a bullseye shooter than can spread the floor? No. In terms of our back court, those are the qualities we desperately need.

Smith reminds me of a Wesley Matthews type of guy. Blue collar/carry my lunch pail to work type of guy. Does a lot of things pretty well, but nothing more than above average. If we didn't already have Wesley Matthews then this would be a decent pick I guess. But we do, and if you feel like I do (that Smith is a huge long shot to be a PG) then this just looks like a disaster. Are we EVER going to try and balance out our roster? How can this franchise be so clueless?

 

[RR7]

picked early based off of mock drafts. However, those mock drafts, some saw Morris being able to go as high as 17 to NY, and he went what, 41? So really, grabbing him at 21 obviously would be a reach, since that isn't where his value was.

 

[ironcrotch]

For a draft that has been consistently rated as one of the weakest in a long time, you shouldn't put your hopes into a team balancing out their roster with it.

It seems more clear that the Blazers targeted Nolan Smith way back, since his workout was the only workout that had Paul Allen in attendance.