Countdown to the pro hoops player draft
The NBA's annual picking of new rookie players goes off tomorrow night -- in Newark, N.J., of all places. The Blazers will pick 6th and 11th. Given that the team is currently lying in pieces in the ground, anybody good Portland gets, at any position, would be a plus.
But will they make good decisions? Their new general manager just showed up for work a few weeks ago. And although the Blazers have had some good draft days -- 2006, the year they got LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy, was spectacular -- they've had at least three of the biggest busts in history. That would be LaRue Martin instead of Bob McAdoo or Julius Erving; Sam Bowie instead of Michael Jordan; and Greg Oden instead of Kevin Durant. The list of other bad Portland choices is long: Travis Outlaw, Qyntel Woods, Sebastian Telfair, Victor Claver...
Another possibility is that Paul Allen will ship off the two picks and who knows what else to get Orlando big man Dwight Howard. That would spark a lot of interest out here in the rainy northwest.
In any event, let's hope tomorrow night is at least a modest success for Portland. The beleaguered Blazer fans deserve it. And to check in with said fans over the next few crucial days, there is no better place to go than here.
| Posted at 7:44 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (7)
My prediction is that they keep both picks, and take Damian Lillard at 6 and Tyler Zeller or Myers Leonard at 11. I don't think there's any way they would give up those picks for Howard--his skills wouldn't really mesh with LaMarcus, and I don't think he'd want to play in a small market like Portland.
Posted by Dave J. | June 27, 2012 8:52 AM
LaMarcus is not a center. What about Pau Gasol?
Posted by Jack Bog | June 27, 2012 8:57 AM
True, some of the offense will depend on the as-of-yet-unknown head coach, but I think their top need right now is a dynamic point, then let LMA play a Chris Bosh not-really-a-center role, and find a serviceable big who can clean the glass but not take points away from Aldridge.
Posted by Dave J. | June 27, 2012 9:04 AM
I have no idea what they are going to do. It seems there are going to be a lot of trades this year in the draft.
It will be interesting to see how much leash Paul Allen gives the new GM.
If the past is any predictor, not much.
Posted by Tim | June 27, 2012 9:33 AM
The Blazers should pick & keep G Damian Lillard @ #6 -- no matter what else they do in also finding a way to deal for or sign a quality center. Lillard will free up Eldridge and others to score without doubled-up defensive smothering.
Weber State point guard uses impressive team workouts to vault near top of draft
By Steve Luhm | The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published Jun 26 2012 02:18 pm • Updated 1 hour ago
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/54378622-77/lillard-draft-pick-guard.html.csp
Notable excerpt:
The bottom line: Lillard will likely be available at No. 6 and Portland is seriously considering him, partly because veteran point guard Raymond Felton struggled with consistency last season.
Felton averaged 11.4 points per game but shot only 40.7 percent from the field, including 30 percent from the 3-point line.
Lillard participated in a solo workout for the Trail Blazers last week in Portland.
Afterward, he told reporters, "I could see it happening. I hope so. I think I really fit in here. It’s a great situation. I did as good a job as I could have to show them I could be a pick for them."
And, the Blazers still need to fire and replace their medical staff who should find more appropriate employment at Gitmo.
Posted by Mojo | June 27, 2012 12:25 PM
"Given that the team is currently lying in pieces in the ground, anybody good Portland gets, at any position, would be a plus"
They'll keep the draft picks since the only guys worth a trade are Aldrige and Batum and maaaaaaaaaybe Mathews.
Otherwise, they have too many holes (PG and inside post person) and too many shooting guards. So I'll guess the draft picks will be the kid with barely any competitive experience, Lilliard (Weber State?) then the best at the 5 or 4 position with the 11th pick.
Posted by Steve | June 27, 2012 2:24 PM
Now that the draft is winding down and this guy might be left undrafted, the Blazers should rush to get him in their camp:
Kevin Jones
http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/1178510-kevin-jones-can-be-a-first-round-draft-pick
Posted by Mojo | June 28, 2012 8:57 PM