Draft prospects @ 10

[Clarity]

The Zeller/Lamarcus comparison is ridiculous.

but lets entertain it being legit, does Portland really want another jump shooting big who avoids the paint like the plague?

[James72]

The Zeller/Lamarcus comparison is ridiculous.

but lets entertain it being legit, does Portland really want another jump shooting big who avoids the paint like the plague?

Firstly, i dont think LMA avoids the paint. I believe he has shown progression of attacking the paint as the years go on. But maybe i am imagining this.

IF Zeller is in fact a clone of LMA, and he turns out to be a legit prospect, then good for us. He can either take LMA's throne at PF if he bolts for FA or he becomes a great asset for a future trade.

Or in a super rare case, if Zeller becomes better than LMA, than LMA becomes a great asset.

[Norm2953]

http://www.cbssports.com/general/blog/d ... z-muhammad

Interesting read on Shabazz Muhammad for the draft is about not just picking the BPA
but picking the player who best fits your team. Finding players willing to be coached is
important and hopefully we'll draft a player who fits with the players already on hand.

[Clarity]

Firstly, i dont think LMA avoids the paint. I believe he has shown progression of attacking the paint as the years go on. But maybe i am imagining this.

IF Zeller is in fact a clone of LMA, and he turns out to be a legit prospect, then good for us. He can either take LMA's throne at PF if he bolts for FA or he becomes a great asset for a future trade.

Or in a super rare case, if Zeller becomes better than LMA, than LMA becomes a great asset.

First, we have discussion many times on here about Lamarcus avoiding the paint, i've posted the numbers many times. He showed incredible progression in 2010 when Roy went down & literally carried that team to the post season putting up some ungodly numbers. (I believe he won player of the month at one point in fact)

I hear you on the what if's with Zeller but again, the Lamarcus comparison by a few scouts is ridiculous. Lamarcus's skill set is a top 6-7 player in the entire NBA, even if Zeller shocked the odds & somehow became great he wouldnt even sniff that area.

http://www.cbssports.com/general/blog/doug-gottlieb/22333162/nba-draft-buyer-beware-on-shabazz-muhammad

Interesting read on Shabazz Muhammad for the draft is about not just picking the BPA
but picking the player who best fits your team. Finding players willing to be coached is
important and hopefully we'll draft a player who fits with the players already on hand.

Chad Ford posted literally a complete opposite spin with facts backing that up.

This Gottlieb article makes me like Shabazz more because Gottlieb has literally never been right about anything.

[jhern87]

the draft is about not just picking the BPA

We're going to have to disagree on this one. When you need just about everything you go BPA, heck you should always go BPA. If Trey Burke is on the board when we pick.. Take him! We have Dame but we need a backup but if he shows he could be starting in this league you then have a solid trade chip. Olshey already said they'd go BPA and its the right call.

[cucad8]

the draft is about not just picking the BPA

We're going to have to disagree on this one. When you need just about everything you go BPA, heck you should always go BPA. If Trey Burke is on the board when we pick.. Take him! We have Dame but we need a backup but if he shows he could be starting in this league you then have a solid trade chip. Olshey already said they'd go BPA and its the right call.

Of course, that sounds good, but that argument seems to operate in a bubble, because when you have someone execute just that startegy, like Kahn grabbing 2 PGs, everyone mocks him for it, while trying to say you always take BPA out of the other side of their mouth.
I'm more in the camp of grouping them into tiers, and then going fit within the tier, personally.

[JD45]

The Zeller/Lamarcus comparison is ridiculous.

but lets entertain it being legit, does Portland really want another jump shooting big who avoids the paint like the plague?

"Avoids the paint like the plague"?????? I was talking about Cody Zeller. He is a paint player. And is the top paint scorer in college basketball. Again from Chad Ford:

However, at Indiana, head coach Tom Crean wanted Zeller in the post and that's where he stayed. As a freshman he took just 27 percent of his shots outside the basket area. As a sophomore he upped it slightly to 34 percent.

According to DraftExpress, Cody Zeller shot more free throws than anyone else in their top 100.

There are certainly some reasons not to like Cody Zeller, but that one is like saying you don't like him because he didn't play college basketball.

[Vega]

I think I still like Len the most outside of Noel for a C. After Len, I don't really have a rooting interest in who they pick if they go for a C.

Yeah Len really passes the eye test. Unlike guys like Zeller you can watch him play and see elements of his game that will easily transfer to the next level.

[GreenRiddler]

I see the Mavs aren't asking for much for their pick, if traded our 10 pick on Draft night, we could pick up their 13th with an easy offer of Papa and the 39th pick, I don't know about Pavlovics contract, but we included that since it's non guaranteed as well.

Then we can take a amble on a euro prospect to draft and stash or play in Idaho, like Giannis with 13. Or if a Shabazz drops we can roll the dice since we got this pick for so little we have little to lose in drafting him with our 13th pick. It would be like drafting him in the second round. But that all depends on if we trade our pick for a good talented player at 10.

[Goldbum]

I see the Mavs aren't asking for much for their pick, if traded our 10 pick on Draft night, we could pick up their 13th with an easy offer of Papa and the 39th pick, I don't know about Pavlovics contract, but we included that since it's non guaranteed as well.

Then we can take a amble on a euro prospect to draft and stash or play in Idaho, like Giannis with 13. Or if a Shabazz drops we can roll the dice since we got this pick for so little we have little to lose in drafting him with our 13th pick. It would be like drafting him in the second round. But that all depends on if we trade our pick for a good talented player at 10.

I agree with the basic principal of wanting to acquire the Mavs pick. I'm thinking its going to cost you Papa and all three seconds. My question is for you is why do you think we can acquire a good player by trading #10 and pick up #13 for garbage?

[hookena]

trouble for shabazz's father
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/crime ... cy-charges

[Clarity]

I cant remember an Indiana game this season where I didnt see Zeller get bullied out of the paint.

He's probably not the best fit next to another big who shoots jumpers.

[Clarity]

trouble for shabazz's father
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/crime ... cy-charges

thanks for the update, hopefully everyone passes on drafting Shabazz's dad. lol

[hookena]

should probably add him to the poll at the top of the page

[jhern87]

the draft is about not just picking the BPA

We're going to have to disagree on this one. When you need just about everything you go BPA, heck you should always go BPA. If Trey Burke is on the board when we pick.. Take him! We have Dame but we need a backup but if he shows he could be starting in this league you then have a solid trade chip. Olshey already said they'd go BPA and its the right call.

Of course, that sounds good, but that argument seems to operate in a bubble, because when you have someone execute just that startegy, like Kahn grabbing 2 PGs, everyone mocks him for it, while trying to say you always take BPA out of the other side of their mouth.
I'm more in the camp of grouping them into tiers, and then going fit within the tier, personally.

That would be assuming that Flynn was the BPA .. I think the argument could be made that it was Steph Curry. I think they just evaluated their players wrong. BPA all the way.

[GreenRiddler]

I cant remember an Indiana game this season where I didnt see Zeller get bullied out of the paint.

He's probably not the best fit next to another big who shoots jumpers.

There is no problem choosing Cody if he falls to 10, personal preferences aside, he is a really talented player who you can't compare to his big brother, since 1.) He is less experienced but yet more talented and 2.) plays a different style with more face up/ putting the ball on the floor.

Alot of people have problem's in the NCAA but end up playing better in the NBA, Jrue, Paul George, Drummond. At the end of the day you can't say someone will be ineffective in the NBA because they were exploited i college, cause you have never seen them in the NBA.

[Jsun947]

Talked to Joe Cronin today, super super cool and nice guy. Of course he couldn't tell me anything about what the Blazers are thinking about strategy and specific players.

They are excited about how many strong prospects are in the top 15.
The big names haven't scheduled work outs yet.
More workouts on Monday.
No clear cut #1
A lot of guys with weird injury concerns like Len, Noel, etc.
He said Adams reminds him a lot of Leonard. Just a freakishly big guy.
He did go to France to scout Gobert.
He's also really excited for free agency. He said it feels like a lot of teams focus so hard on the draft that they don't put enough work into free agents. If assume they've already put heavy heavy consideration into who they'll go after.

Nothing earth shattering. He started as a intern and worked for free his first year. He's just a total super fan about basketball, trades, cap space and the draft. It's basically like one of us becoming a scout.

[Jsun947]

I forgot to tell him not to draft Zeller =/

[DusterBuster]

Talked to Joe Cronin today, super super cool and nice guy. Of course he couldn't tell me anything about what the Blazers are thinking about strategy and specific players.

They are excited about how many strong prospects are in the top 15.
The big names haven't scheduled work outs yet.
More workouts on Monday.
No clear cut #1
A lot of guys with weird injury concerns like Len, Noel, etc.
He said Adams reminds him a lot of Leonard. Just a freakishly big guy.
He did go to France to scout Gobert.
He's also really excited for free agency. He said it feels like a lot of teams focus so hard on the draft that they don't put enough work into free agents. If assume they've already put heavy heavy consideration into who they'll go after.

Nothing earth shattering. He started as a intern and worked for free his first year. He's just a total super fan about basketball, trades, cap space and the draft. It's basically like one of us becoming a scout.

Without reading too much into that, I would suspect that might mean he's a lot more popular on the forums than he is within the ranks of the Blazers braintrust. Don't know why they'd want another Leonard. Not that Leonard is a terrible player, but he's certainly a project and if Adams is just another freakishly athletic big guy with a lot to learn in terms of fundamentals.... Just seems like that pick could be better used to get a more immediate impact player at #10 rather than a redundant project.

I forgot to tell him not to draft Zeller =/

Fail.

Seriously though, cool stuff.

[Jsun947]

I did tell him not to draft Shabbaz. Ya, that would lead me to believe they aren't super high on Adams but then again they haven't worked him out yet either.

Now I think of all the questions I should have asked... Like what websites do you read


I could have talked to him for hours, and the really cool part is he seems so genuinely excited about all this stuff that he just might have.