Raptors NBA Draft Thread: Damian Lillard (POR)

[cdel00]

With all the blah blah blah about his passing Lillard is focused on playing D.

Attaboy!

Ant should teach him how to breathe through his eye lids.

Love the behind the sceans peak.

[JamesNaismith]

For people worrying about the comparison to Bayless...I get it but there are some difference imo

1. Lillard appears to play with a lot more composure and doesn't just barrel down into the lane without his head up. He seems to be a lot more aware and use change of gears to actually respond to the defence vs just rushing in and hoping the d responds to him

2. He doesn't have a t-rex wingspan like Bayless

3. DL seems to accept his role better than Bayless in almost any regard. Of course we don't know for sure how he would handle coming off the bench but we do know with Bayless. With DL's high character I don't see it being an issue. This point I'll leave at speculation but JB is one of the unique cases where a player is ineffective off the bench; not the normality

4. Leadership. Lillard knows what it's like to be the man for his team and is ready to take it on. Bayless doesn't strike me as a leader at all...and if anything I like the guy but really even his emotion on the court seems almost feminine to me lol. I know if I was either of their teammates I would be far more likely to listen DL than JB. I think the composure would not only show as a leader but in the difference in their games.

Lillard is second on my board but I thought I would share what I thought because I know some people are so worried about drafting another Bayless...but keep in mind a starting Bayless puts up some of better numbers of most young PGs; if we found someone with more composure and better leadership he COULD turn out to be a very good, young PG.

[duppyy]

Interesting that he's working out for us again.

BC must really like him or he wasn't impressed with his one on none the first time around.

I'm starting to think Lillard is our guy. Don't think any trade involving the pick is happening.

[fredericklove]

At worst, this guy better be on Jrue Holliday level!

[nelabai]

If we draft him, forget the pick&roll and forget Valanciunas scoring the basketball

[revvolutions]

at his age, how much potential can we wring out of him? is it worth an 8th pick? we could shine bayless up and spend that pick on an sf instead. or dump bayless and find a better bayless project on another team.

[revvolutions]

If we draft him, forget the pick&roll and forget Valanciunas scoring the basketball

calderon's here for life, buddy. all the pick n rolls and forced feeds you can eat.

[ash_k]

the latest workout is a smokescreen for Portland, we are not interested.

No thanks (please BC do not make that mistake!)

[Fenris-77]

the latest workout is a smokescreen for Portland, we are not interested.

No thanks (please BC do not make that mistake!)

Second workouts aren't smokescreens.

[OAKLEY_2]

Yup, Barbosa is a clown comparison bro'.

Not. Both are combo guards and we've seen what one can do and the other from a small program is a complete mystery as to how he'll pan out. As far as Rivers/Waiters/Lillard are concerned I'd rather reacquire Barbosa and re-sign Bayless. We need to take a risk for a player who might explode. Drummond, PJIII, Lamb or Q Miller. It should not be who can we get at 8 but who do we want and where do we need to be to get them. Shake the draft dice and then play it safer with offseason trades.

[lolwut]

the latest workout is a smokescreen for Portland, we are not interested.

No thanks (please BC do not make that mistake!)

Second workouts aren't smokescreens.

James Johnson had a second workout with us right about the same time that year. BC probably did like him, but he clearly wasn't the 9th pick.

[ash_k]

the latest workout is a smokescreen for Portland, we are not interested.

No thanks (please BC do not make that mistake!)

Second workouts aren't smokescreens.

Cmon all type of poker being played there, the man had the ball 24/7 at Weber State and it is all on tape.
How much more do you REALLY need to see ?!

[fredericklove]

the latest workout is a smokescreen for Portland, we are not interested.

No thanks (please BC do not make that mistake!)

Second workouts aren't smokescreens.

Cmon all type of poker being played there, the man had the ball 24/7 at Weber State and it is all on tape.
How much more do you REALLY need to see ?!

idk, to see whether he can really pass the ball or not?

[ash_k]

Cmon all type of poker being played there, the man had the ball 24/7 at Weber State and it is all on tape.
How much more do you REALLY need to see ?!

idk, to see whether he can really pass the ball or not?

Ok then probably they flew him over to time his "Taco Bell NBA Skills Challenge"

[cdel00]

Silly wrabbits

The pick and roll is a lillard strength.

For the past 10 years Lillard has been a PG

At his age he has shown some very nice development on the core aspects, now its all about awareness and that comes with experience.

His body type is elite for the NBA that is what a raw ceiling is based on. His attitude and work ethic are elite that's what determines likelyness to reach the ceiling.

[sanity]

He's wearing a spiffy bow-tie right now at the pre-draft. I think we should pick him

[Dr Positivity]

David Locke's (Utah play by play guy)'s video on Lillard. Great resource considering how sh*t the youtube footage otherwise is for Lillard

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH2-RAri4tE&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

His speed and ballhandling looks incredible, with his shooting with space I"m not surprised he's annihilating workouts. But definitely seems like a "not sure if PG" situation

[BillyGM]

I would rank Lillard as a combo guard and below Dion Waiters.

[cdel00]

NBA Director of Scouting Ryan Blake says Lillard will be taken off the board early because he is “quick, strong, physical and he can hit from NBA range.”

“He’s a scoring point guard who can get inside and he’s improved his three-point shooting,” Blake said. “He’s a great free throw shooter, he’s versatile as a scorer, he uses the pick-and-roll well and he can finish in traffic.

“When you have someone with good size, good strength, good speed and you have someone who can shoot the ball and play defense,” Blake said, “that’s just a great package.”

Lillard was always a gym rat, but not always in a gym.

After school as a young boy, Lillard passed the time at his godfather’s house in Oakland by shooting hoops at a milk carton nailed to a telephone pole while waiting for his mom to pick him up after work.

Lillard was not allowed to go to the nearby basketball courts in the rough area of Brookfield. But a make-shift basket and a made up passing game called “curb,” played with his older brother, Houston, 25, allowed Lillard to hone his skills.

“It wasn’t a basketball court, it was a milk crate. When that crate fell, his godfather would put another crate up there,” Lillard’s mom, Gina, said. “Everybody that knew him as a little boy and sees that he’s going to the NBA knows that he diligently worked his way there. Because as a little boy he wouldn’t be out there running and doing bad things. He would be right there at the curb shooting.”

Old school square milk crates / peach baskets.

http://tucsoncitizen.com/usa-today-spor ... raft-near/

[Young_Buc]

Apparently he had the best workout in Portland since Durant....

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/201 ... iews-4005/

on another note Waiters is a dick. But funny none the less.