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Who are we rooting for?
I think he could be better than Curry. I have a Co-worker from Winter Park Florida so I watched him closely all year after hearing about him through High school. He is a bigger than Curry and still only 19. I bet he goes higher than 16
I thought we had Denvers pick as well
Curry could REALLY shoot the ball, though... I don't think Rivers can.
Also, Rivers probably will see himself as a shoot-first player, while Curry (perhaps because he's smaller, or because he's smart) knew he'd have to play the PG spot in the NBA. A poor-shooting 6'4" shooting guard is just about the last thing that NBA teams need to use lottery picks on, whether they are 19 or 23.
Ed O.
Coming down to the wire for lotto positioning.
Jersey @ Toronto last game of the reg. season. (Thursday)
Both with identical records. (And both 1 game ahead of 2 teams and 1 game behind two teams)
They will both probably lose their second to last game (NJ vs Philly and Milw vs Tor) which means going into the game they will probably be tied. This might be one of the most tankerific games ever. I might have to watch out of pure curiosity to see who can play worse and how obvious it is.
Curry could REALLY shoot the ball, though... I don't think Rivers can.
Ed O.
People are drooling over Bradley Beal, though. I just don't get it. I loved that guy when I thought he was close to Roy's size. He's not even close, though, and isn't even a solid shooter like Eric Gordon, who at least has a role in the NBA as a scorer, albeit a limited one on both ends of the court.
People are drooling over Bradley Beal, though. I just don't get it. I loved that guy when I thought he was close to Roy's size. He's not even close, though, and isn't even a solid shooter like Eric Gordon, who at least has a role in the NBA as a scorer, albeit a limited one on both ends of the court.
I doubt there is anyone in this draft that can shoot better off the dribble.
I agree. Scouts and people seem all too eager to discount Beal's shooting as a freshman this year but then somehow want to discount what Rivers did. Rivers was THE go-to guy on Duke and he put up some pretty darn good numbers as a freshman...
I think Rivers is going to be a good pro, there are a lot of indications that he will be...
But this is likely a moot point anyway b\c Beal will not be there when POR picks anyway....
Based on his stats, he probably should have shot off the dribble a little less. Or maybe not.
In any case, he didn't shoot all that well.
Ed O.
If you want stats then Jon Diebler is our guy.
Playing only one year does make it really tough to evaluate, but none the less who is the best shooter in the draft? If you go by stats then the guys who only shoot set shots when they are wide open would excel. But those guys are often "never" open in NBA as they can not create their own shot. Rivers to me has the most potential than any other SG's I have seen in this draft to create his own shot. And we desperately need someone who can. If there is someone who is an option let me know.
I have mixed feelings about this pick being ours or not. To me it looks like there is a talent drop after the first 4-5 picks, with some potential surprises in the next 10 for those skilled enough to select them (not sure that is the Blazers). If the NJ pick is not 1-3, then it will likely be around 7-8.
Part of me would rather roll the dice, hope that NJ doesn't retain D. Williams, and ends up one of the bottom dwellers next year, where the top four players look very good. We might have a very good shot at 3-4 next year, and with a long term view, I would rather have 3-4 next year, than 7-8 this year.
I recognize there is risk in this, in that NJ could end up with 7-8 next year, which would be worse because of the time lag and potentially less deep draft. But, I won't be totally upset if we have to defer the pick because of luck or conspiracy.
Count me as someone who won't be upset if the Blazers don't get the pick.
The best shooters are, IMO, those that shoot high percentages and have good size for their position... while I don't have statistical evidence that larger players (for their positions) are more likely to carry forward a better percentage to the NBA, it seems to make sense to me. Another element is athleticism.
Ed O.
Count me as someone who won't be upset if the Blazers don't get the pick.
Titanic award for tanking of the week: New Jersey Nets
The Nets are frantically trying to keep their draft pick and have gone 0-4 in the past week, keeping out as many players as possible to try and get there. Sadly they are still four spots short of the top-three protection needed, assuming the lottery doesn't help them, which of course it could. But hey, they are doing a great job of helping out the Trail Blazers.
The New Jersey pick: The Nets remain in a tie with Toronto for the sixth-worst record at 22-42. Because teams that finish with the same record add, then divide, their combinations, if the season ended today, the Nets and Raptors would each have 53 combinations. So the Nets' odds of getting a top-three pick right now would be:
No. 1 pick: 5.3 percent
No. 2 pick: 6.0 percent
No. 3 pick: 7.3 percent
The New Jersey pick: The Nets remain in a tie with Toronto for the sixth-worst record at 22-42. Because teams that finish with the same record add, then divide, their combinations, if the season ended today, the Nets and Raptors would each have 53 combinations. So the Nets' odds of getting a top-three pick right now would be:
No. 1 pick: 5.3 percent
No. 2 pick: 6.0 percent
No. 3 pick: 7.3 percent