Draft Express Reports on McRoberts...

[Wizenheimer]

...and it's not good news unless you're concerned about Portland finding an open roster spot next summer.

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/NBA-D-League-Showcase,-Day-Four/

[Milkdud]

well that pretty much sums up why he was a 2nd rounder.

[Billy]

That's too bad. One of the knocks on McRoberts was his attitude. Almost sounds like he feels he shouldn't be there and is just biding his time until the call up.

He's a good talent. But if he's going to let his attitude hold him back he won't succeed as a Trail Blazer.

Thanks for posting the info Wizenheimer.

[Wizenheimer]

well that pretty much sums up why he was a 2nd rounder.

yep.

and if it plays out like it appears to be headed, it may illustrate why using 2nd round picks (and even some late 1st round) on european players may be a better option then drafting marginal american players. Reports like this will take McRobert's value to zero. On the other hand, players like Kaponen and Freeland retain some value as tradable assets. Even a player like Fran Vasquez retains a little value, which he wouldn't if he was over here failing in the D-League

[breaker91]

You beat me to the punch. I was reading a yahoo sports story that mentioned his dissappointing D-League play.

2. For every player in the D-League Showcase who busted his back end to impress the overseas scouts and 30 NBA teams studying the event, perhaps no one did as much damage to his reputation as Josh McRoberts.

His body language blurted, "Why do I have to be here?" on Tuesday and Thursday night, one more in a string of performances that have left people in the NBA and D-League asking: Does the rookie out of Duke want to play basketball anymore?

McRoberts, a 6-foot-10 forward with impressive passing skills, needs to get over where he thought his basketball career would be and make the best of where it is. He was one of the top-five high school players in the nation, a freshman at Duke whom some executives believed would've been a first-round pick had he left school after one season. After a disappointing sophomore season, McRoberts turned pro and dropped to Portland with the 37th pick of the second round.

McRoberts, a cheerleader for the Northwest Division's first-place Portland Trail Blazers, treated his assignment to Idaho like a deployment to Baghdad. Despite playing just three games this season, McRoberts resisted the chance to work on his game in Idaho. To go scoreless Tuesday night in 31 minutes and come back with 2 of 10 shooting that included more airballs and mindless basketball insulted his teammates, coaches and a slew of scouts.

Most believe his two-year guaranteed contract was more a product of his childhood friendship with Greg Oden, than a testament of his talent.

"He'd better figure out fast that Oden will make some new friends," one D-League coach said.

When a player with a guaranteed contract comes down, he's an immediate target for players trying to make a name for themselves. They'll challenge him. On a nightly basis, McRoberts is getting humiliated in the D-League. "If you take away the name, the contract, the school, and just judge him on what you're seeing: He looked like the worst player in the building," one Western Conference personnel director said.

Said an Eastern Conference scout, who had watched him regularly at Duke, "If he keeps this up, he will be out of the league in two years. (McRoberts) better wake up before it's too late for him. It's a shame because he has some talent."

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=A ... &type=lgns

[BlackMamba]

he is a childhood friend of oden? so, he was drafted because...


too bad, i remember, was it 2 drafts ago that he was said to be a top 10 maybe even a top 5 player.

i hope he changes his attitude, because i don't think that KP and nate will not allow him to be in portland for too long.

[pdxblazers92087]

i'll give the guy some time... this is what every expert on earth was saying about TO. Not to mention Mcbob was injured so his conditioning isnt anywhere near where it needs to be. I'd like to give him a month or two to see if he can pull things together or show promise for next season off teh bench / d league.

[TradeMachine]

i'll give the guy some time... this is what every expert on earth was saying about TO. Not to mention Mcbob was injured so his conditioning isnt anywhere near where it needs to be. I'd like to give him a month or two to see if he can pull things together or show promise for next season off teh bench / d league.

I don't think Travis' attitude was ever in question. McRoberts can be a decent role player if he tries for us, but from what I saw in the DL games, he doesn't really have much passion for the game.

[Butter]

I watched McRoberts the other day for about 10 minutes, and is was clear that he didn't want to be there. Just like all the write ups said, he was beyond despondent.

Maybe he'll pull his head out and switch gears, but if this is the way he's going to play in the D-league, then I think we've found a way to open a roster spot.

[Fitz303]

I think KP and Nate will take him aside and has a serious talk with him, much like they did with Outlaw early in the season.. The kids got all the tools, he just needs to put it together. Its no surprise that he would probably respond like this after how he supposedly acted when he dropped to the 2nd round. He was said to have pouted and wouldn't talk to anybody when he dropped into the 2nd round. The kid needs to get a fire lit under him if hes going to become a good nba player

[Butter]

I think KP and Nate will take him aside and has a serious talk with him, much like they did with Outlaw early in the season.. The kids got all the tools, he just needs to put it together. Its no surprise that he would probably respond like this after how he supposedly acted when he dropped to the 2nd round. He was said to have pouted and wouldn't talk to anybody when he dropped into the 2nd round. The kid needs to get a fire lit under him if hes going to become a good nba player

I bet he's glad he entered the draft now huh? Coach K is going to use McRoberts as a poster child for why Dukies should stay in the draft for the rest of his career.

[Charlie78]

I read the oregonian piece this morning and his attitude seemed pretty positive. They also seemed pretty positive about his play. So it could just be a case of differing opinion. I have always found draftexpress to be a little overly negative in there player reviews so perhaps it should be taken with a grain of salt. Not that I think Mcrob is going to be a game changer or anything but I am not worried.

[Yadadimean]

I refuse to blame anyone for not wanting to be in Idaho.

[swede]

Atleast he didn't go the JamesOn Curry route. (The name JamesOn is so, so hilarious)

[Butter]

I refuse to blame anyone for not wanting to be in Idaho.

WHAT??? Idaho rocks, and you can hang out with people like this...

[Charcoal Filtered]

Boise also has the closest Cracker Barrel. Being a Hoosier, McBob certainly knows all about that.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

Can't honestly say I'm all that surprised. We knew that McRoberts had a volatile temper and wasn't easy to please. But as for his future...

Yes, Josh McRoberts is Oden's buddy, but we drafted him because he was the best player available and has excellent high-post skills. He also had the makings of a professional low-post game and a pretty good jumpshot. He's on a two-year guaranteed deal, and Portland has absolutely nothing to lose letting him walk in 2009 by his own volition, but why NOT see what he can do while he's here? His career earnings wouldn't eclipse what Oden will make in a season after he signs a contract extension, so I have no problem keeping Josh around.

[Tim Lehrbach]

What happens in Boise... is irrelevant. I don't think McRoberts' chances of NBA success have anything to do with his time wasted in the D-League.