Draft prospects @ 10

[marsblazer]

I like KCP but I think 10 is too high for him and he will end up being drafted higher than he should be. I think Snell is a much better value for a similar player( maybe even better player). I would love to see us trade down with the Hawks and get Snell and Dieng.

[Norm2953]

There are indeed a lot of interesting things going on involving both
LA teams.

In the grand scheme of things, nothing we do at 10 is going to add a piece
that will do anything more than compliment the players we already have on
hand. Even if we added McLemore or Oladipo, its going to take our rookie
draftee some time to adjust to the league and unlike Lillard last season, needs
someone to get him the ball for he's not the PG.

I'm on record as saying the Blazers will likely draft a player who will help in his
rookie season for they pretty much know who will be available to them at
10 and seem content to evaluate some players who might be available with
their second round picks.

[Clarity]

The Matthews argument is pointless, Matthews is a solid 2 in the right system. Portland having virtually no one on the roster who can create their own shot makes Matthews look a little less than solid. Matthews was brought in to backup Roy which was literally the perfect fit. If Lillard becomes a better creator as most expect him to, Matthews will be a great compliment to him.

[DusterBuster]

I remember back in 05 when Chris Paul and Deron Williams didn't want to work out for Portland because of Telfair. I think Williams did end up workout out for the Blazers, but I can't remember if Paul ever did come in or not.

[DaVoiceMaster]

As much as you say Blazer fans are overrating Matthews, you're just as guilty of underrating him.

There's more to basketball than just offense. Matthews does many things good. I don't think he's a great player by any stretch, but he's a good player. He plays good defense. He plays good offense (can stretch the defense, can post up, can cut & slash, etc). He complements Lillard and Batum rather well and he helps take pressuer off Lillard by guarding some of the better PG's when necessary. He is signed to a decent contract. All of that makes Matthews a good player. That's not to say KCP can't come in and take his spot, but at this point... Matthews is the starter. Frankly, I wouldn't bother with KCP due to so many other holes on the team. SG is the Blazers deepest position. Nearly every other position needs to find a backup.

And I'm not sure who you're accusing of overating Leonard and Barton? I don't think anyone here thinks a whole lot of either player. Both are raw, both have potential, but I sure don't recall anyone saying either is gonna be all that and a bag of chips and I've been around this board since 2001. It has been said on this board numerous times that Leonard may take a few years before he is able to contribute much, which is why there is so much talk about finding a defensive center this summer. I like Barton's game, but he's wildly out of control a lot of the time. Perhaps with more experience and playing time, he can settle into his game, which could be quite nice.

I don't feel like im underrating Matthews. I said hes a good player. he does his job and does it well. but he is a roleplayer. kcp has the chance to be more than that. and just the other day I read someone on here saying "we shouldn't draft a sg, we have barton waiting in the wings" if Portland doesn't draft a sg because they have will barton, then the franchise is in trouble. lol

That very well may have been me, but it wasn't exactly like that. SG is the position I would worry the least about at this point. Matthews, Batum, Claver, Barton all played SG last season. I still believe Elliott Williams may be signed for a minimum contract which adds a 5th player who can play SG. If the team resigns Eric Maynor, he spent quite a bit of time on the floor with Lillard, another player who played SG.

SG is the position I worry the least about right now. I certainly hope the team tries to fill the many other holes. KCP sounds like a decent player and I've even made some posts with him on the roster. I've not seen the kid play; I've not seen most college prospects play because I'm not a college fan. If KCP is BPA at #10 and the Blazers select him, I will be happy. He's just not #1 on my plate right now for the #10 spot. That's all I'm sayin...

[GreenRiddler]

try and name 10 NBA SG's that are definitely better

kobe
wade
harden
Gordon
ellis
mayo
ray
Thompson
ginobili
beal
jr smith
jamal Crawford
danny green
paul George
tony allen
joe Johnson
demar derozan
vince carter
avery Bradley

edit: iman shumpert
Gordon Hayward
tobias harris
jimmy butler
jj redick
kevin martin
gallinari


that took me about 30 seconds and im probably forgetting a lot more.... wes Matthews is a good player, I like the guy. but he is nothing special. take off your homer glasses for 10 seconds. it would be the smart move to start a young player with potential then a guy who is likely a career role player. it doesn't even matter because kcp is going to the wolves anyway

You can't put DeMar on there and expect us to take you seriously, 99%?

[Brandon-Clyde]

it doesn't even matter because kcp is going to the wolves anyway

I missed this the first time. This part of the quote suggests to me he is a Minnesota fan still mad from last summer. I wouldn't even be surprised if he turned out to be that one Minnesota troll,GuyFawkes, from last offseason

[lukeyrid13]

He's a Georgia fan. He has mentioned that before. That is why he is all about KCP.

[deanwoof]

even as a hardcore oregon fan, i couldn't say with a straight face that luke jackson would translate into a good nba player, let alone lottery pick. i'm actually surprised ridnour has lasted this long.

and i thought malik hairston would be in the league (still). and tajuan porter too.

[Brandon-Clyde]

He's a Georgia fan. He has mentioned that before. That is why he is all about KCP.

GuyFawkes claimed to be a Blazer fan. If Nickforthree is the sort of troll I believe he is I would not be surprised to find out he is lying

[Village Idiot]

He's a Georgia fan. He has mentioned that before. That is why he is all about KCP.

GuyFawkes claimed to be a Blazer fan. If Nickforthree is the sort of troll I believe he is I would not be surprised to find out he is lying

You'll see Nickforthree on numerous forums here at relgm, also this one previously. He seems primarily to be a fan of KCP. I have yet to notice a clear NBA team preference so I would give him the benefit of the doubt.

He isn't a very good judge of NBA SG talent though as Wes is clearly superior to many on that list as Wiz points out. Two omissions for me are Evans and Iguodala whom I would both have over Wes. Subject to salaries though.

[Downtown]

Seeing what Danny Green is doing and the quote from Greg Popovic has me thinking a bit about the need for a shooter.

It was a classic Popovic quote when asked about the comparison between Green and Bruce Bowen. His reply was that they are similar in that neither has any moves.

But to see the effect that a hot handed shooter can have leads me to believe Portland should at least be taking a good look at whoever shoots the ball the best in all the workouts. That's one of the reasons I like MCollum for the Blazers. From what I've seen of him he's a bit like Eric Gordon, who is really a shooting guard that can play pointguard when needed as a backup. Heck, there's times when neither San Antonio or Miami have a real pointguard on the floor so a combo guard can easily work with the right setup.

Are there any other great shooters in this draft? I recall Reggie Bullock looking good at the pre draft combine. Any others that might fir that role for Portland?

[DusterBuster]

The Pelicans beat writer says on twitter that he's heard Len is now the "likely choice" to be taken #1 overall by the Cavs next week. Also, Noel has started interviewing with teams in the Top 5, so this could have some legitimacy to it.

[Blazinaway]

Seeing what Danny Green is doing and the quote from Greg Popovic has me thinking a bit about the need for a shooter.

It was a classic Popovic quote when asked about the comparison between Green and Bruce Bowen. His reply was that they are similar in that neither has any moves.

But to see the effect that a hot handed shooter can have leads me to believe Portland should at least be taking a good look at whoever shoots the ball the best in all the workouts. That's one of the reasons I like MCollum for the Blazers. From what I've seen of him he's a bit like Eric Gordon, who is really a shooting guard that can play pointguard when needed as a backup. Heck, there's times when neither San Antonio or Miami have a real pointguard on the floor so a combo guard can easily work with the right setup.

Are there any other great shooters in this draft? I recall Reggie Bullock looking good at the pre draft combine. Any others that might fir that role for Portland?

anyone interested in bring back Martel Webster? he shot the hell outta the ball last yr (42% from 3) and could be a nice off the bench backup and also allow Batum to play more Sg, he's still 26-27 and plays pretty decent D I think

[Khazim]

I'd bring back Martell, as long as he would come cheap.

As far as drafting a shooter, I'd say Bullock would be the guy.

[Wizenheimer]

Seeing what Danny Green is doing and the quote from Greg Popovic has me thinking a bit about the need for a shooter.

It was a classic Popovic quote when asked about the comparison between Green and Bruce Bowen. His reply was that they are similar in that neither has any moves.

But to see the effect that a hot handed shooter can have leads me to believe Portland should at least be taking a good look at whoever shoots the ball the best in all the workouts. That's one of the reasons I like MCollum for the Blazers. From what I've seen of him he's a bit like Eric Gordon, who is really a shooting guard that can play pointguard when needed as a backup. Heck, there's times when neither San Antonio or Miami have a real pointguard on the floor so a combo guard can easily work with the right setup.

Are there any other great shooters in this draft? I recall Reggie Bullock looking good at the pre draft combine. Any others that might fir that role for Portland?

the NBA has changed such that almost all successful teams need good 3 point shooters and the threat of the 3 point shot. The Spurs have had that for years. Otherwise, a team really needs to be defensively dominant and usually, that ultimately ends up short of a title (Indiana, Memphis)

which makes the ideas people have of trading Matthews or Batum for some 2nd rate C rather short-sighted.

3 and D...that's the new MVRP (most valuable role player). Danny Green is just the latest example.

anyone interested in bring back Martel Webster? he shot the hell outta the ball last yr (42% from 3) and could be a nice off the bench backup and also allow Batum to play more Sg, he's still 26-27 and plays pretty decent D I think

Webster would be one of those 'luxury' players that a team adds for bench strength after other significant holes are filled. Portland has bigger fish to fry, IMO. He'd require Portland to spend cap-space...probably in the range of 40% of the space. That wouldn't be smart use of space with the gaping hole at C. Besides, I'd rather JJ Reddick then Webster. Reddick would be much more useful. And I'm not completely sold on JJ either.

[Blazinaway]

I'd bring back Martell, as long as he would come cheap.

As far as drafting a shooter, I'd say Bullock would be the guy.

I'm thinking Webs gets 3-4 mil per? good shooters are becoming more and more important in the NBA, can't have enough IMO, Webs is still 26 and I think is rated a solid defender (help on this Wiz?), agree that we have other priorities, but if we can fill them and have some cap left I like Martel

[DeBlazerRiddem]

Are there any other great shooters in this draft? I recall Reggie Bullock looking good at the pre draft combine. Any others that might fir that role for Portland?

From what I found, the best shooters were Muscala (76%), Snell (74%), Bullock (72%), Jerrett (72%) and Crabbe (70%).

Muscala is a rebound machine who didn't take or make many 3 pointers in college, so I am not sure how to evaluate that - it certainly shows an ability but I don't think we can conclude he will be one of the best shooters in the draft. Still, he is a guy I have wanted to snag in the 2ed round for a long time.

Snell will probably go very late 1st or early 2ed - he's got great length but low strength for the SF position and doesn't have a wide offensive repertoire. Will probably top out as a 3&D guy. He shot 39% on 4.7 3 pointers in college.

Bullock is a guy I have been high on for a while because of his shooting, defense and competitiveness, but he has since moved from the mid-second to the mid-first round. DX actually compares him to the Spur's Green and says he is the 2ed best shooting SF in their top 100. 42.9% on 5.8 3 pointers.

Jerrett is a stretch 4 projected to go very late in the 2ed, and depending on how our other two second round picks play out, a guy I would definitely consider at #45. Shot 40.5% on 2.3 attempts, which isn't bad for a 6'10 player. Lacks strength and offensive moves, but I could see him playing a role like Luke Babbitt perhaps.

Crabbe might be one of the best shooters out of the draft. In college he only shot 34.8% on 5.6 attempts, but unlike Bullock, was asked to do a lot more offensively for his team. Great form and elevation, he brings a number of other offensive skills to the table but will probably go mid-first.

Some other guys to think about:
Erik Murphy is another stretch 4 player, but he shot over 40% each year he actually took a 3 (didn't attempt his first year). 6'10, averaged 45.3% on 4.4 attempts his senior year and the Blazers worked him out.

Erick Green shot 38.9% on 4.9 attempts, but like Crabbe, was asked to generate a lot of offense. Not a pure position player, but he might play a similar role the the other Green mentioned.

Wolters is a guy we have been linked to, and he could be a pretty good backup PG for us. As a shooter he got 38% on 5.3 attempts.

Southerland has good size and length for the SF position, and shot 39.8% on 6.2 attempts.

Hill is a SF projected near mid/late 2ed round, he shot 39% on 4.2 attempts but was used in a variety of roles.

[DaVoiceMaster]

Good stuff DBR.

[Shem]

There are a lot of names being passed around for the Portland Trail Blazers with their tenth pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Kentavious Caldwell is a popular pick. Cody Zeller has gotten a lot of hype as his draft stock continues to climb. Kelly Olynyk is a sleeper pick by many draft experts.

One name that is not getting as much attention at the tenth spot is Louisville's Gorgui Dieng. That is a grave injustice. No one in the draft will impact the Blazers more than Dieng.

Here is what we know about Dieng so far. He's a 6'11 junior center, with an absurd 7'4 wingspan. He is a little old for a junior at 23. He was a First-Team Big East selection and anchored the top defense in the nation last season. He averaged 3.2 blocks per 40 minutes, to go along with 9.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. He injured his wrist early last season and has found his combine shortened by an ankle injury. Coach Rick Pitino raves about his defensive awareness and his unusual agility and defensive recovery ability for his size. His offensive skills need some work.

Read more here:
http://www.csnnw.com/blazers/why-gorgui ... 0-portland

As many of you know, I've been a big Dieng supporter.