Paddling up Schmitz Creek

[TBpup]

I have as good of a feeling as I've had in years with Mike Schmitz in charge of scouting. Not sure how much input he had on Sharpe, but he definitely was high on him as a player. And it sounds like Walker was completely his selection and for the next to last player taken in the Draft, he seems like tremendous value.

Now he is identifying G-League scrubs that combined with 19 year old Sharpe, nearly won 2 games in a row on the road against playoff/play-in type teams. They are getting contributions from players that have slipped through the cracks that aren't close to stars, but may have the ability to contribute in a positive manner.

They threw a stat up during the game that over the last 3 years in the NBA, Skyler Mays has the highest PnR efficiency rating....in the entire league! Of course, that is with a much smaller sample size than the other players he was compared to, but it is still obviously a stat that raises eyebrows.

It is those types of in-the-cracks characteristics that Schmitz seems to be identifying and it would seem to bode well for the Blazers as they could have their highest Draft pick since the Oden selection.

In a very short span of time, Mike has had input on Sharpe, Walker, picked up length with the the 2-way positions (which I heard a good Badji story the other day from when he was healthy) and is now getting actual contributions from scrap heap guys that could be depth for down the road.

All in all, he's done about as good with his opportunities as he could have, and I'm excited for what is next.

 

[theprunetang]

I'm kind of like Paul Allen. Not that I'm rich, or dead, because I am very much poor and alive. But, I am like PA, because I love the draft. No way I want to trade a lotto pick.

 

[Natebishop3]

Depends on who’s available when we pick and what we could get for the pick on the market. I’m not really sure what to do yet.

 

[SharpesTriumph]

Keep the pick no matter what!

There's not enough veteran talent to contend regardless of what's available in trades.

 

[Ed O]

Keep the pick UNLESS there's a Dame-level player we can get in trade. A difference maker that makes us HCA-competitive isn't enough for me, and there's aren't many players I see us getting who will have us actually competing for a title the next year or two.

 

[blazerfan11]

If the Blazers are awarded the 2nd pick, the obvious selection is Scoot Henderson. Then what do you do?
I think he could be the leading scorer for an NBA team. But not for the Trail Blazers.

 

[BankTeller]

If the Blazers are awarded the 2nd pick, the obvious selection is Scoot Henderson. Then what do you do?
I think he could be the leading scorer for an NBA team. But not for the Trail Blazers.

Trade down to draft the player you want and get an extra 1st or other assets.

ATL got the 10th pick from DAL the following year after trading down from 3rd to 5th.

 

[HansenYang]

In a very short span of time, Mike has had input on Sharpe, Walker, picked up length with the the 2-way positions (which I heard a good Badji story the other day from when he was healthy) and is now getting actual contributions from scrap heap guys that could be depth for down the road.

Can you please share the Badji story? I haven't heard anything about him in practice this year

 

[BankTeller]

Keep the pick no matter what!

There's not enough veteran talent to contend regardless of what's available in trades.

Short of a trade demand from Embiid or Brown, there isn’t going to be a guy that drastically makes us contenders like you’ve said.

Having a wingman with Sharpe for the next decade though…that’s what will really make us contend.

 

[Tince]

I couldn't pick an option where Cronin either takes a player in the draft, regardless of how amazing the trade offer has been. Or that he trades the pick regardless of have bad the offers are.

The answer should always be to consider all options and take the one that appears to be the best for the franchise considering the short and long term.

 

[Mediocre Man]

The second seems like a no brainer because it’s the only option with both options

 

[Fairly-Hard]

You pick the best player available no matter what. Let the chips fall where they may. Never worry about duplicating the roster while drafting. After the draft field the calls and build your team.
So my choice is whatever of the three happens to work.

 

[Graduate32]

Trade down to draft the player you want and get an extra 1st or other assets.

ATL got the 10th pick from DAL the following year after trading down from 3rd to 5th.

Yet, regrettably gave up Luka in the process. And therein lies the danger.

 

[Blazinaway]

I couldn't pick an option where Cronin either takes a player in the draft, regardless of how amazing the trade offer has been. Or that he trades the pick regardless of have bad the offers are.

The answer should always be to consider all options and take the one that appears to be the best for the franchise considering the short and long term.

If we get the 2nd or 3rd pick I'd entertain offers IF and I stress IF they were overwhelming, if not then keep it

 

[PCmor7]

I'm kind of like Paul Allen. Not that I'm rich, or dead, because I am very much poor and alive. But, I am like PA, because I love the draft. No way I want to trade a lotto pick.

Prove that you aren't rich or dead.

 

[Blazinaway]

If the Blazers are awarded the 2nd pick, the obvious selection is Scoot Henderson. Then what do you do?
I think he could be the leading scorer for an NBA team. But not for the Trail Blazers.

or perhaps someone wants Scoot "really" bad and you leverage that and get an overpay

 

[theprunetang]

Prove that you aren't rich or dead.

I'm typing right now, and I don't own the Blazers. Done.

 

[Samuel]

Trading down or out hasn’t netted us great results in the past, so naturally trading a lottery pick in what’s perceived as a very solid draft is pretty much a non-starter for me.

And yes, this follows for any of Portland’s lottery landing spots.

Portland doesn’t have enough assets for a wildly inefficient trade that only gets them into the 4-5-6 seed.

 

[Hoopguru]

Im not sure there's a single dominate player formalist years top 20 selections that you can contend with soon.
Players are much younger drafted now and it takes time for a team to build around youth regardless how young. Not saying it can't be done but the chances are slim.
This year with Wemby maybe but I think it will take whoever gets a at least 3-4 years.
If a player like Embiid or Brown were available for say pick 4-6 the team might consider a pkg?

 

[Pinwheel1]

Trade down to draft the player you want and get an extra 1st or other assets.

ATL got the 10th pick from DAL the following year after trading down from 3rd to 5th.

If Scoot is truly in a higher tier than those below him then passing on him has disaster written all over it. The draft is a crap shoot as it is, but the chances of a miss are increased the lower you pick. I didn't like it when we passed on Chris Paul /Deron Williams and I don't really want to repeat it. If no one offers a difference maker in a trade, then keep the pick and make a trade later.

 

[Samuel]

If a player like Embiid or Brown were available for say pick 4-6 the team might consider a pkg?

it’d be the pick AND everything else. The house, the car, and two of the three most presentable children.

 

[illmatic99]

I havent done the deep dive on this draft to have a definitive answer. Just want to max value whether in a pick or trade and not give as much importance to timelines etc

 

[BankTeller]

Yet, regrettably gave up Luka in the process. And therein lies the danger.

If Scoot is truly in a higher tier than those below him then passing on him has disaster written all over it. The draft is a crap shoot as it is, but the chances of a miss are increased the lower you pick. I didn't like it when we passed on Chris Paul /Deron Williams and I don't really want to repeat it. If no one offers a difference maker in a trade, then keep the pick and make a trade later.

Was it the right move? No. ATL made that move when they had 0 real pieces to their long-term plans and then squandered the extra asset by drafting Reddish.

But we already have Dame and Ant. If Dame doesn’t want to leave, I’m ready to live with the consequences of choosing Dame over Scoot. Picking Scoot and running it back with 3 guards doesn’t seem like a good plan, although the 3 guard combo would be wildly more talented this time around.

The ‘right’ move if we got the 2nd pick would be to draft Scoot and trade Dame for the best package. But I couldn’t trade Dame with a good conscience if he wanted to still be here.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Trading down or out hasn’t netted us great results in the past,

Prime case: trading down from #2 to get Martell Webster. Picks 2 and 3? Deron Williams and Chris Fucking Paul. But we "didn't need a point guard" because we had Sebastian Fucking Telfair.

 

[Hoopguru]

it’d be the pick AND everything else. The house, the car, and two of the three most presentable children.

Yeah, could be the case. However, say for example you could acquire one of the one for say #6 and salary matching combinations w/o giving up Dame and Sharpe, you'd probably become a contender within a couple years. No guarantee's like ion anything though.

 

[KeepOnRollin]

Prime case: trading down from #2 to get Martell Webster. Picks 2 and 3? Deron Williams and Chris Fucking Paul. But we "didn't need a point guard" because we had Sebastian Fucking Telfair.

Didn't work for us in the past, didn't work for ATL. Are there even cases where it has worked for any team to trade back? I am sure there probably is but it is rare.

 

[Hoopguru]

Seems Joe has made it clear that he wants to acquire players for Dame Time.
If Dame is good with rolling with picks because nothing is possible then we rebuild from one year to the next.

 

[GrandpaBlaze]

I'm typing right now, and I don't own the Blazers. Done.

That is exactly what an AI bot would say.

You Impostor!

 

[TBpup]

If the Blazers are awarded the 2nd pick, the obvious selection is Scoot Henderson. Then what do you do?
I think he could be the leading scorer for an NBA team. But not for the Trail Blazers.

Just had a discussion last night around Scoot vs Wemby, Miller, Thompson Twins, Jarace, etc. He thought Dame would be on board with anyone except for Scoot just from the standpoint that all the others have height and aren't a duplication of what they already had.....and could actually help. Scoot on the other hand, is very similar to Dame and would basically be his replacement at some point. Henderson certainly wouldn't be able to help out now as much as the others just for the simple fact he would play Dame's position, so wouldn't get as many opportunities even though he might be the most talented except for Wemby.

Can you please share the Badji story? I haven't heard anything about him in practice this year

@CJ_is_Gone ...apparently, before he got injured, Badji was pushing Nurk pretty hard in practice. Making it difficult for him to score, blocking some of his shots, and showing pretty good athleticism to go along with his freakish wingspan. He tries to dunk everything, which is good, because he doesn't have much touch away from the rim, but it's not just a dunk. He is trying to tear down the rim. Quite the contrast from Nurk and his flippity-do shots. His surgery was very minor and he should be back in a few weeks and ready for Summer League.

 

[wizenheimer]

Seems Joe has made it clear that he wants to acquire players for Dame Time.
If Dame is good with rolling with picks because nothing is possible then we rebuild from one year to the next.

Joe also said the Blazers desperately needed more length....then he signed 6'2 Payton. So I'm not paying much attention to what he says

basically, I'm fairly clueless about what Cronin intends and how Dame actually feels about the competing directions the Blazers can go this off-season. I think his thoughts on a rebuild were kind of misconstrued. And I'd imagine the development of Sharpe might make more, not less, in favor of using the pick on a player rather than a trade

but more than anything I think Cronin has done his due diligence and explored about all the options prior to trades. And what he has found is that the Blazers haven't had desirable assets. He has almost no leverage in trade talks. And that won't be changing between now and the draft