Not thrilled with this years draft crop

[Nikolokolus]

I'm not saying he's a top crop player, but people shouldn't just forget about him.

He's definitely showed he can shoot the ball, (40% from distance), but he strikes me as a poor man's Dirk Nowitski; a seven foot small forward without the quickness and handles and not enough strength to play on the block as a "true" center. I'll give him some credit though, he's got real potential to create matchup problems on offense, but he gives up way too much on defense for him to really make net positive difference on the floor.
http://www.82games.com/0809/08TOR13.HTM
He's got a great PER as a center at 21, but opponents are even better at 22, at small forward and power forward the gap gets even wider as his PER gets even worse.

http://www.82games.com/0809/08POR11.HTM
By contrast another big who gets accused of being "soft" because he's got a jumpshot is LaMarcus, but when you look at his production at power forward (his real position) he's a net positive and defends very well, not too mention him having one of the best +/- stats in the league
http://www.nba.com/statistics/plusminus/plusminus_sort.jsp?pcomb=1&season=22008&split=9&team=

 

[BasX]

He's definitely showed he can shoot the ball, (40% from distance), but he strikes me as a poor man's Dirk Nowitski; a seven foot small forward without the quickness and handles and not enough strength to play on the block as a "true" center. I'll give him some credit though, he's got real potential to create matchup problems on offense, but he gives up way too much on defense for him to really make net positive difference on the floor.
http://www.82games.com/0809/08TOR13.HTM
He's got a great PER as a center at 21, but opponents are even better at 22, at small forward and power forward the gap gets even wider as his PER gets even worse.

http://www.82games.com/0809/08POR11.HTM
By contrast another big who gets accused of being "soft" because he's got a jumpshot is LaMarcus, but when you look at his production at power forward (his real position) he's a net positive and defends very well, not too mention him having one of the best +/- stats in the league
http://www.nba.com/statistics/plusminus/plusminus_sort.jsp?pcomb=1&season=22008&split=9&team=

You make good points and i'll rep you for that. His defense has improved, but it's not great, one reason the stats are high is because Kapono and Calderon can't guard a 8 year old. But good points, and no I'm not being sarcastic,

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

Has anyone considered Ty Lawson for the Blazers? Of course he's short, but seems to be a true point guard. Here's a list of his strengths and weaknesses from Draft Express: http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Ty-Lawson-485/ And he is projected to go about 10 slots ahead of us.


STRENGTHS:
- Transition play
- True point guard
- Ability to create own shot
- Aggressive slashing mentality
- Ball-handling skills
- Excellent hands
- Ability to get in passing lanes
- Pressure defense
- Potential
- Unselfishness
- Work ethic
- High-level productivity
- Assist to turnover ratio
- Court vision
- Passing skills
- Incredibly quick
- Strength
- 3-point shooting percentages
- Ability to catch and shoot
WEAKNESSES:
- Ability to play at different speeds
- Mid-range game
- Defensive potential
- Basketball IQ?
- Experience
- Focus
- Leadership skills in clutch
- College system makes him difficult to evaluate
- Poor wingspan
- Size for position
- Ability to shoot off the dribble
- Limited number of 3-point attempts
- Pull-up jumper

Top 25s - Full List
Rank Category Total
4 TS% 68
15 eFG% 62
19 EFF/40 27.3
5 Pts/Pos 1.3
5 Ast/g 6.4
2 Ast/40p 7.6
1 Ast/40 8.8
4 Ast 187
5 Ast/Pos 0.52
6 Ast/FGA 0.

 

[Wheels]

And?
Players I'd rather have than Andrea Bargnani (assorted by draft order)

LaMarcus Aldridge
Tyrus Thomas,
Brandon Roy,
Randy Foye
Rudy Gay
Thabo Sefolosha
Ronnie Brewer,
Rajon Rondo,
Kyle Lowry
Jordan Farmar
Daniel Gibson
Paul Millsap
Leon Powe

I agree with the ones in bold.. but not so much the others.

 

[Da_O]

Players the Blazers should look at.

Jeff Teague
Dejuan Blair
Patrick Patterson
Jordan Hill
Eric Maynor
Tyreke Evans
Terrence Williams

Most of those guys won't be there when we draft but these are some players we should scout. Otherwise just trade the pick for some more 2nd rounders.

 

[handiman]

What about FSU's point guard, Toney Douglas I think it is? I've watched almost no college ball this year, but he looked very good in yesterday's loss, with a game that seems like it should translate well to the NBA.

 

[LittleAlex]

This is a draft Portland should trade out of. I don't think there is one player can step on the court and be an immediate impact, especially at point guard. The last thing Portland needs is another project pg. We will all believe that the guy on the bench is better then the guys playing because how could they be worse.

I, and many others on this board, have a delusion that if only guy X got more minutes they would be productive. Most of the time, I am wrong about this. Two years ago I was pissed Sergio couldn't get any burn ahead of Jerret Jack and Blake. Now I know why that was. How shitty is Bayless that he can't beat out Sergio? I don't want the team to get yet another guy I can delude myself over.

There is a reason Bayless can't get off the bench, but Roy, Rudy and LA all played a ton of minutes during their rookie season. It is because they were ready to contribute and Bayless is not. It sucks to admit, but it is pretty much the truth. I hope that Bayless steps up next year because I think that he can be a good player someday.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Outside Rubio and Griffen, there isn't a player I'd seriously take over Batum.

I am in favor of drafting a player we can keep overseas.

Victor Claver (6'10" PF/SF) - This is a guy Pritchard liked last summer and had a solid workout in Portland.

The name of the game for Claver has always been confidence (he’s been criticized for being passive and underachieving at times), and he’s been riding a rollercoaster this year, but still finds himself amongst the ACB’s most efficient players. At 6’10, with a developing frame, Claver has the size to play power forward and the quickness and skill set to play out on the perimeter. While he has seen a lot of time at power forward in the past, this season marked his first opportunity to see extensive minutes at small forward. His transition from backup four to starting three has looked very encouraging at times, and is clearly hugely beneficial to his NBA stock.

-DX.

Alexey Shved (6'5" PG/SG) -

Even though he’s not ready to contribute consistently at the highest level in the world outside the NBA right now, Shved is regardless an extremely interesting long-term prospect thanks to his undeniable talent. Extremely fluid, skilled and athletic, even alongside these players, Shved is able to hold his own and them some offensively on a daily basis. He regularly created his own shot with his excellent ball-handling skills and very nice first step, and was able to score consistently with his perimeter jumper. He gets it off both in static fashion or pulling up off the dribble from mid-range, sometimes off a smooth crossover going left or right. He is more than capable of getting to the basket at times, and can use both hands creatively once there, but he struggles to finish in traffic on occasion due to his extremely thin frame.

Giorgi Shermandini (7'1" C/PF) -

Shermadini made his presence felt with a solid game in the low post, proving that he’s more than just a stat-filler in a forgettable league. Standing somewhere around seven feet, the Georgian shows a nice frame and decent athleticism. He’s nicely strong, but particularly, he’s pretty aggressive and physical playing the game, which is very good news for a low-post guy like him. He had time to show a nice touch with his right hand while delivering some jump-hooks, and some promising footwork, while effectively using his body against his opponents. He’s pretty coordinated, he’s tough and he seems to know the game quite well. Perhaps he’s not oozing with potential, but he’s definitely a basketball player.

Donatas Motiejunas (7'1" PF/C) -

Not every day do you find an 18-year-old kid leading a first-division European league in scoring. Well, Donatas Motiejunas just happens to be doing that in Lithuania this season. His 21.2 points per game are good for that top position, while an average of 7.4 boards leaves him second in the rebounding ranking. Of course Motiejunas is a super-talented player oozing with potential, perhaps the most promising big man in Europe in the last few years, but nobody should be misled by those whopping numbers.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Hope for Rubio:

The news out of Spain last month was that Rubio's team DKV Joventut had unilaterally decided to double his salary on the year, from 80,000 Euro to 160,000. This is obviously an attempt to get his pay closer in line with what his value is to the team, as he's clearly their most important player. There's been some talk that Rubio's contract would not hold up in court if challenged, as a 6 million Euro buyout is obviously not proportionate to an 80,000 Euro contract. It's highly unlikely that it would get to that, though.

According to David Carro, the Spanish partner of Rubio's NBA agent, Dan Fegan, who we spoke with here at the Copa del Rey, there is “still a chance that Rubio could find his way into this year's draft.” Negotiations are reportedly underway to lower his buyout to more manageable proportions, possibly 3-4 million Euro. A solution could come as early as “this month” Carro told us, and in that case, Rubio would be able to afford getting out of his contract if he were to be “a top-3 pick” (which he very likely is), as long as he could pay off the buyout over the course of his rookie deal. Asked why Joventut would have any reason to even negotiate considering the leverage they hold in this situation, Carro responded that Rubio is the “image of the team” and that they “would not want to have a mad player.”

Obviously the door has yet to be completely closed on Ricky Rubio and this year's NBA draft, so we'll have to stay tuned.

 

[MrJayremmie]

This is a draft Portland should trade out of. I don't think there is one player can step on the court and be an immediate impact, especially at point guard. The last thing Portland needs is another project pg. We will all believe that the guy on the bench is better then the guys playing because how could they be worse.

I, and many others on this board, have a delusion that if only guy X got more minutes they would be productive. Most of the time, I am wrong about this. Two years ago I was pissed Sergio couldn't get any burn ahead of Jerret Jack and Blake. Now I know why that was. How shitty is Bayless that he can't beat out Sergio? I don't want the team to get yet another guy I can delude myself over.

There is a reason Bayless can't get off the bench, but Roy, Rudy and LA all played a ton of minutes during their rookie season. It is because they were ready to contribute and Bayless is not. It sucks to admit, but it is pretty much the truth. I hope that Bayless steps up next year because I think that he can be a good player someday.

I actually agree. Bayless isn't really ready to contribute, specially with the playoffs coming on, and Sergio won't be much help either. I find myself thinking of how nice it would be to have Jack as the backup PG right now... dang. He has the mentality and toughness we need, and could take pressure off of Roy with getting to the rim and the FT line (like what Bayless does, but better than him right now). I also really hope Bayless improves this offseason, I would love for him to be a major contributer next year.

I like Harden and Griffon from this draft. We don't need any of them though, and i'm with the crowd that says trade out of it. Hopefully we can use our 2nds and TE to get another 1st and then use our two 1sts and some players and our extra cap space to get another nice piece.

 

[Minstrel]

Well, if Rubio manages to get into the draft, I'd love to see KP work his magic and do a "consolidation deal" to pick up Rubio. Something like: buy another first-round pick, package Portland's two first-round picks, Bayless and/or Fernandez and potentially take back a contract in exchange for the rights to Rubio.

I think Rubio is absolutely the real deal, and a Rubio/Roy backcourt would be amazing.

 

[oldmangrouch]

Well, if Rubio manages to get into the draft, I'd love to see KP work his magic and do a "consolidation deal" to pick up Rubio. Something like: buy another first-round pick, package Portland's two first-round picks, Bayless and/or Fernandez and potentially take back a contract in exchange for the rights to Rubio.

I think Rubio is absolutely the real deal, and a Rubio/Roy backcourt would be amazing.

I understand the excitement over Rubio....but....I have to play devil's advocate for a minute.

How long will it take Rubio to adjust to the NBA game? Rudy is struggling and Sergio never did. PG is also generally considered the hardest position to learn.

How close is Rubio to physical maturity? If the older Rudy is getting beat down, how is Rubio going to cope! He may have the head for the NBA, but IMHO the body is nowhere close.

How mature/emotionally stable is he? Batum is the orphaned son of a pro player. I wouldn't extrapolate his mental toughness to just any teenager.

If Rubio winds up with a team that expects immediate contributions, I can see this getting rather ugly.

 

[Minstrel]

I understand the excitement over Rubio....but....I have to play devil's advocate for a minute.

How long will it take Rubio to adjust to the NBA game? Rudy is struggling and Sergio never did. PG is also generally considered the hardest position to learn.

Well, I don't think there's a greater issue going from European basketball to the NBA than college to the NBA. Rodriguez hasn't struggled to "adjust," IMO...he's just not very good. A failed prospect. Rubio is considered a much more talented player.

Rudy actually succeeded right out of the gate. He's struggled in the second half, which has something to do with a standard rookie wall and probably something to do with his hectic playing schedule over the past year (counting Olympics).

How close is Rubio to physical maturity? If the older Rudy is getting beat down, how is Rubio going to cope! He may have the head for the NBA, but IMHO the body is nowhere close.

How mature/emotionally stable is he? Batum is the orphaned son of a pro player. I wouldn't extrapolate his mental toughness to just any teenager.

If Rubio winds up with a team that expects immediate contributions, I can see this getting rather ugly.

That's a concern. Any rookie point guard is going to have a learning curve and Rubio isn't built powerfully. But he can always start the season off the bench, behind Blake. I have a lot more faith in Rubio to produce than Rodriguez. Bayless, I don't know. I'm a big fan of his talent, but I don't think he'll ever be a passing whiz. I don't think he has to be to succeed alongside Roy, but I will admit being intrigued by the possibility of having a dazzling passing play-maker. Rubio's distributing ability is supposed to be special, so I'm not sure if comparisons to players like Rudy or Sergio are terribly useful. He's a greater talent. He'll still need time to adjust, but quite likely less.

 

[LameR]

John Brockman was beasting it today.

 

[BrianFromWA]

Um, I may be out in left field as a big Rubio fanboy, but I think a lot of those concerns aren't really huge deals.

As far as the size aspect, he's been playing against pros bigger, stronger and tougher (physically) than he since he was 14.

He started the gold medal game against the US at 18.

He's becoming pretty well known for his team D, and knowing how to mask his average athleticism with BBIQ and playing the passing lanes better than anyone in Europe. (I need to find that quote again, sorry)

I don't think anyone's questioning his ability to make plays on the offensive end, right?

buy up a first or two, package with ours, 3M in cash, take a bad contract back (Arenas?) and send Bayless with one of the Outlaw/Webster/Blake (exp. contract before Jun 30).

Kinda makes you think twice about that rumored Arenas+#1 for RLEC deal, huh?

 

[BrianFromWA]

John Brockman was beasting it AGAIN today.

Added something. Dude's the master of the 10pt/15reb game. He's only 6'7, but he has a little bit of ups and snatches balls out of the air.