Top Prospects Decline Workout In Portland

Excellence · Post #1 » by **Excellence** » Sun Jun 7, 2009 6:37 am

http://basketball.realgm.com/src_wireta ... _portland/

Is this the direction the draft is heading or has it always been like this? I've always considered the privilege to be going to the prospects, not the NBA teams - the prospects are the ones getting a chance to make big money and they should be happy to be drafted by any team. When and how did they start thinking they have so much bargaining power? Why has it happened now so that a good team like Portland is penalized for being too good? Is this going to start a trend of draft prospects WANTING to get drafted by bad teams so that they can get more playing time and marketing opportunities? Why not just flip the draft around, so that the prospects all attend a lottery to determine the order in which they select the team they want to go to...

Gutter92 · Post #2 » by **Gutter92** » Sun Jun 7, 2009 6:38 am

I do not like that players can remove their name from the draft after the lottery...if I am not mistaken...

Patterns · Post #3 » by **Patterns** » Sun Jun 7, 2009 9:36 am

They have bargaining power because those players are projected to go in the lottery. They'll get drafted either way.

If I was a talented young player, I'd want to be in a scrub team too. There is no point in sitting on the bench for 2 years for a contender and risk not showcasing your talent.

noobcake · Post #4 » by **noobcake** » Sun Jun 7, 2009 10:04 am

There is no PT to be found in Portland. Talent overload with Allen's ability/willingness to buy/pay for anything.

Perfectly logical moves for elite prospects.

W_HAMILTON · Post #5 » by **W_HAMILTON** » Sun Jun 7, 2009 11:51 am

How ironic. Guys like Aldridge and Roy declined and/or pulled out of workouts for other teams so they wouldn't draft them, and now players are refusing to workout for Portland because they don't want to get stuck on the bench playing behind guys like that.

Boohoo.

Excellence · Post #6 » by **Excellence** » Sun Jun 7, 2009 1:46 pm

Hm...what's the point of having a lottery then? In a hypothetical world, the worst team in the league would be the one with the most minutes available to a new prospect because they are the most willing to accept changes. In a hypothetical world, the better a prospect is, the more minutes he'll want to play, and the more he'll want to play for the worst team. If a team like Portland moves up in the draft to get a better prospect, that prospect will decline to workout or maybe even decline to play for Portland, and Portland will have to settle for a not-as-good prospect. In a hypothetical world, the 1st best prospect will go to the 1st worst team, the 2nd best prospect will go to the 2nd worst team, the 3rd best prospect will go to the 3rd worst team, etc. Moving up in the draft gives Portland no advantage because the prospects' desire to play for bad teams will re-align Portland back into its original position in the draft.

For example: imagine there are only 2 teams in the league, the LA Clippers with the worse record, and the Portland Trailblazers with the better record. There are only 2 prospects, Blake Griffin, who is better than Stephen Curry. The lottery determines that LA drafts first, Portland second. Portland trades with LA to get the first pick in order to draft Blake Griffin, but Griffin refuses to workout or play for Portland because he can get more minutes with LA, so Portland has to settle for Curry. Portland is back where it was originally before making the move.

poopdamoop · Post #7 » by **poopdamoop** » Sun Jun 7, 2009 2:09 pm

Excellence wrote:For example: imagine there are only 2 teams in the league, the LA Clippers with the worse record, and the Portland Trailblazers with the better record. There are only 2 prospects, Blake Griffin, who is better than Stephen Curry. The lottery determines that LA drafts first, Portland second. Portland trades with LA to get the first pick in order to draft Blake Griffin, but Griffin refuses to workout or play for Portland because he can get more minutes with LA, so Portland has to settle for Curry. Portland is back where it was originally before making the move.

Well this assumes that Portland doesn't offer anything else to move up. If they wanted the first pick, they'd likely have to offer something like Aldridge plus fillers, thus leaving Portland with a big hole at power forward to draft Griffin with.

ForeverTFC · Post #8 » by **ForeverTFC** » Sun Jun 7, 2009 6:25 pm

Excellence wrote:Hm...what's the point of having a lottery then? In a hypothetical world, the worst team in the league would be the one with the most minutes available to a new prospect because they are the most willing to accept changes. In a hypothetical world, the better a prospect is, the more minutes he'll want to play, and the more he'll want to play for the worst team. If a team like Portland moves up in the draft to get a better prospect, that prospect will decline to workout or maybe even decline to play for Portland, and Portland will have to settle for a not-as-good prospect. In a hypothetical world, the 1st best prospect will go to the 1st worst team, the 2nd best prospect will go to the 2nd worst team, the 3rd best prospect will go to the 3rd worst team, etc. Moving up in the draft gives Portland no advantage because the prospects' desire to play for bad teams will re-align Portland back into its original position in the draft.

For example: imagine there are only 2 teams in the league, the LA Clippers with the worse record, and the Portland Trailblazers with the better record. There are only 2 prospects, Blake Griffin, who is better than Stephen Curry. The lottery determines that LA drafts first, Portland second. Portland trades with LA to get the first pick in order to draft Blake Griffin, but Griffin refuses to workout or play for Portland because he can get more minutes with LA, so Portland has to settle for Curry. Portland is back where it was originally before making the move.

Doubtful. At the end of the day, the team chooses who to pick. In this circumstance, Blake Griffin is the better player. If the only scouting these guys have of players are their own personal workouts, their not doing their job.

And I think this has more to do with agents than players. the agents cant control he salary, so they will try and manipulate where their guy goes to show their worth.

blzrfan · Post #9 » by **blzrfan** » Sun Jun 7, 2009 9:00 pm

Blazers don't have a lottery pick, simple as that. No point in wasting time working out for a team that's out of the lottery if that's where you are projected to go.

If the Blazers had a lottery pick, I'm sure the prospects would change their tune. I can't imagine the Blazers drafting a player who plays behind Aldridge, Roy, or Oden. So playing time wouldn't be an issue if they drafted a PG or SF.

blazersmaniac8 · Post #10 » by **blazersmaniac8** » Sun Jun 7, 2009 9:17 pm

to add to this idea, I'm fairly certain many young guys (ESPECIALLY LOTTERY TALENT) don't want to play for San Antonio. I love them to be honest but at the end of the day the vets are going to get majority of playing time.

doc.end · Post #11 » by **doc.end** » Sun Jun 7, 2009 9:35 pm

It's Karma in this particular case. Portland threatening other teams not so sign a certain player was bad.

Interesting one would say non-big market teams should want Knicks not suck that much er I mean to do better just for the reason to get them out of lottery:)

Cammo101 · Post #12 » by **Cammo101** » Sun Jun 7, 2009 9:53 pm

noobcake wrote:There is no PT to be found in Portland. Talent overload with Allen's ability/willingness to buy/pay for anything.

Perfectly logical moves for elite prospects.

Agreed.

BballFanAddict · Post #13 » by **BballFanAddict** » Sun Jun 7, 2009 11:25 pm

doc.end wrote:It's Karma in this particular case. Portland threatening other teams not so sign a certain player was bad.

Interesting one would say non-big market teams should want Knicks not suck that much er I mean to do better just for the reason to get them out of lottery:)

Yeah, karma. Like the fact that Portland warned others not to just sign Miles solely to screw with their cap, because Portland believed Miles was nothing but a bone on bone, no-knee left, bone head, who would not amount to anything in the league but instead be a bad influence on other younger players. Several months after Memphis took the risk, they admitted to the media that with or without the recent marijuana charge, Miles was gone because they were worrisome about his influence on the younger players! It is typcial that the fact that Portland was right all along, and the fact that Miles yet again disappoints, makes very little headlines when compared to Portland's idiotic, but realistic, threat.

The only fact that there is with reference to the OP is that this is a complete and utter NON-story. Portland has the 24th pick, and arguably more young depth than any team in the league. Lottery players do not want to work out for Portland?!?!? Well, DUH!

Post #14 » by **sonictecture** » Mon Jun 8, 2009 2:39 am

Pritchard is an interesting GM. He absolutely loves the draft and the hunt for prospects. Once he drafts a prospect he is very reluctant to deal them even if they aren't part of the regular playing rotation. Because of this reluctance I suppose agents are weary that their guy won't be given the opportunity to earn the big second contract.

Post #15 » by **Morris_Shatford** » Mon Jun 8, 2009 4:17 pm

Maybe I am just reading this a little different,
If I as a player am projected to be a lottery pick and I have been shown some interest by lottery teams the concept of working out for the team drafting 24th seems odd.

I don't think its a slight against the team, I think its a slight against the draft position.