Walton1one wrote:So night before draft how does everyone see the top 6 going?
Call your shot
1) ATL Sarr - I think drama over Sarr’s desire to play there is driven by his agent, they take the best player, as they should
2) WAS Risacher- either way Sarr\Risacher go 1/2
3) HOU Sheppard - I don’t think any team is willing to pay the freight to jump up to #3
4) SA Castle - he won’t be there at #8, wings (Salaun) likely will be
5) DET Williams - I think new mgmt changes the groupthink (Buzelis) around this pick
6) CHA Knecht, fits nicely with Lamelo & Miller
Leaving POR to choose between: Clingan & Buzelis
7) POR selects: Clingan - ESPN mock has been pretty steady on this outcome for awhile and their history is pretty accurate. I think all of the noise about Clingan at # 1,3,4,5,6 is teams trolling for value\assets worth trading down for and none of them are willing to sell their pick cheaply
Honestly kind of a complete shot in the dark right now, but here I go (just going to assume the Top 7 just stays as is, no trades)...
1) ATL - RisacherI don't think the Sarr stuff is smoke. I also think the Hawks may genuinely just not be interested in him, some real questions starting to come out about his motor and worries he could be another Wiseman. Lots of potential but not much of a motor.
2) WAS - SarrWashington won't overthink it and take the player who most drafts have had #1 for awhile, even with the questions.
3) HOU - SheppardThink they'll see him as a guy who can pick up the mantel from FVV.
4) SAS - MatasMatas could be a great pairing with Wemby in the frontcourt. I think they struggle here between Matas and Clingan, but ultimately go with the international player who can stretch the floor for Wemby.
5) DET - CastlePistons just need talent, don't think they'll worry about fit even though they have Cade and a Thompson twin already. Might give them some leverage to move off Cade at the deadline.
6) CHA - ClinganIf the draft shakes this way, can't see Clingan getting past Charlotte. They have Mark Williams who looks nice, but so far hasn't shown he can stay super healthy... and having 2 legit 7 footers is not something any team should turn down. If Williams has another injured year, Clingan can step in or maybe even just take the starting spot from the jump.
So at 7, the Blazers are looking at...
Knecht, Salaun, Williams, Edey (rising), or Holland (falling).
Word is Holland in particular is really falling on a lot of teams boards, he could probably be there at 14, so don't see him as a legit target. Edey would be a stretch... but he's rising enough that he likely
won't be there at 14, so between that, some rumblings the Blazers were
really impressed by his workout and how glowing Giovny recently spoke of him (along with his close connection to the Blazers FO), let's just say while I would be surprised by Edey at 7, I wouldn't be just eating my hat shocked.
Realistically, I think they probably pick between Knecht, Salaun, and Williams. I would say it's kind of a tossup...
I
personally would take Salaun out of that group. Biggest upside guy if you ask me and has the most NBA ready body that could even get bigger. Williams would be my second option here, don't think he has the upside of quite Salaun, but close to it - just question his shooting touch a bit.
What I
think the Blazers would do in that situation is draft Knecht. They want a culture setter, he's the most NBA ready guy in the draft and potentially a early ROY candidate on a team that would give him shots. He's got the attitude you want to see from an old rookie who just wants to kick ass and take names and he
theoretically should help the outside shooting issues. I wouldn't be mad at it, but he's also not my first choice because I think he's probably the lowest ceiling of the 3.
Get ready to learn Chinese buddy... #YangBang