Aldridge is better than Millsap or will be if he isn’t currently as effective. Millsap is great. and yes We need more power players but that’s not a reflection on Aldridge. Oden will one day harm one opposing player per game.

 If Nate let them run then LA would already be an All-Star. Well I think that sometimes. We’re waisting his most dominant feature which is he’s a super fast big man. LA will one day star dropping long range bomb after long range bomb then come inside and not be stopped in there either. The guy is good and was a boon to grab when KP got him. Cause he didn’t see how rood Rondo would be says nothing about how good he is or the ledgendary super draft.

if Jerry Sloan coached the Trail Blazers. Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer, Paul Millsap. It doesn’t matter who plays the position for the Jazz, they’re all great in that system that maximizes talent, especially out of the PG and PF positions.

a couple more critiques while we are at it:

1. He needs to shave the goatee…esp for TP tonight. He looks all unabombish
2. Drop the “we need to draft the good guy” shtick. We can’t always know the true character of a player until they grow up. These kids are just…kids and mistakes happen. Good guys = soft???? With all our draft pick, I like us to set aside one every year for a potential goon.

• I don’t blame him for passing on Chris Paul in 2005, since he was not the GM. Obviously it would have been great to have the best PG in a very long time, but who knows in what direction this franchise would have headed instead
• In 2006 he made the absolutely right moves swapping Tyrus for LMA and Foye for Roy. Genius. Period. As a bonus: Sergio. And maybe next year we will see Joel Freeland as another bonus. Had he also taken Millsap and he would have taken the same development, that would have been the most unlikely draft of the century. Thus it’s just the draft of the decade.
• In 2007, he drafted Petteri and Green as point guards of the future along with McRoberts (and Byars and Nichols), and passed on Ramon Sessions (and Marc Gasol, now that would have been a Spanish triangle) who obviously now would have been great to have at least as a backup. But that same mistake made almost everybody else. And of course that draft also netted Greg (luck) and Rudy which was a brilliant move. Terry Porter could barely hide that he would have loved to have Rudy on his team.
• He moved Zach Randolph and pieces, which was an “addition by subtraction” deal. Zach would have stumped the development of LMA and this whole team. With Frye we didn’t get a ton out of it (though you could incl. Rudy here also), but obviously NY was not very happy with what they got for all that money either.
• In 2008, he traded up and around other teams to snatch Bayless and Batum. Again brilliant. Verdict regarding this draft class to be determined. He also converted a Turkish center who has now torn his ACL (OMG our player are injury prone before they even get here) into 3 future second round picks.

I find this to be fairly absurd. Your points are relevant to your argument, but I just don’t see the point of the argument. I don’t really see why it’s necessary to compare LaMarcus to Milsap, and do we really need another power rebounder? I’ll take LaMarcus over Milsap for this team any day, so I don’t really see how K.P. did anything wrong there. Regardless, actually – say I give you Milsap. K.P. has demonstrated an incredible eye for talent, and you’re critiquing him on not taking the guy that made it all the way to the 2nd round? And for LaMarcus? And in response to your second argument, Raef is an expiring contract, and Ike came with Bayless.

K.P. is outperforming every GM in the league, and we need to pick apart every draft and trade he has been involved in to see where he could have squeeked out one more ounce of perfectness? Seems a little unnecessary…

Does anyone here believe that Aldridge has completely maxed out his potential yet? No, he still is growing as a player. He’s only been a starter for two seasons. He’s better this year than last. His inside game is expanding. His outside shooting at least those long jumpers are better. If he continues to grow exponentially at the rate he has so far he’s gonna be one of the top forwards in the league in the years to come.

Everyone here focuses too much on the right now, and KP focuses on the future. I like what you said about the fallen lottery picks though, but those were never supposed to be our main guys anyway. They make solid role players off the bench against the rest of the leagues backups and tend to shine at times which is enough for now.

Obviously, I think LMA is better than Millsap as an overall player, and even more so for the future of this team. Secondly, when you land the #1 overall player in the draft at #6, that’s the whole point of this league. Nailing your lottery picks and getting, at worst 2 of the 5 best players from that draft was a mighty feat. Add to that Sergio Rodriguez who is one of the 15 best players from that draft (taken at 27) and you have yourself a downright coo. I don’t even think Utah had the 2nd best draft that day… that honor belongs to the Celtics (Rondo and Powe).

Secondly, role players are very important to any team, but the number one goal of a GM just starting out, trying to build a long term successful team must first find those elite players, and the ones with the highest potentials. While later down the line you can add those role type guys, there isn’t any second chance to get the other potential franchise guys. We’re currently in a position to add plenty of role players, even Millsap for example, but there’s no way we’re getting the super elite types (Rondo, Gay, Fernandez (had we not drafted him)).

LMA was rated higher that year. I think Utah probably would have taken LMA if they had the number 2 / 3 pick.

Hopefully you don’t mind me replying to most of your posts. I’m enjoying the back and forth.

but i disagree with you for a couple reasons.

1. The drafting of LmA or rather trading for that pick was brilliant in that we were not #2 in that lottery. Also, Broy was to be had that year , thats 2 top 10 picks for extrememly relevant and necessary pieces to our championship puzzle on one night via some complicated and very gutsy moves made by KP. Utah comes in and picks there non lottery 2nd rounder and clearly b/c they have a good system there and competent GM and scouts they pick the best available.

I think the mystery is why Milsap slips so far? He’s turned out to be a great player but will be relegated back to the bench when Boozer is back and then what? He’s back to his old numbers.

2. The Jazz and Blazers were in completely different fazes at that point. What the hell would we think of KP if he dumps all those players to trade for a 2nd rounder? It’s 2 clubs w/ different needs and really Milsap is good but he and LmA are not really comparable. Milsap and Oden together would be interesting but not the two headed monster that LMA and Oden will be.

Anyway, yeah 3 years ago we had a completely different team and were winning 29 games… we are on track to win 50+ this year, that is incredible and awesome that a complete rebuild is done in that time. Haven’t seen that in my short lifetime. KP is a G and THE BEST GM.

Sophia

I think that the Millsap thing is interesting. He is less of a focus on offense, and I would put LMA’s offensive game above that of Millsap. The thing is that LMA lacks the killer rebounding instinct. Millsap won’t draw double teams like Aldridge will; Aldridge won’t clean up the glass nearly as well as Millsap. It comes down to what you want in your power forward. A couple of guys at SLCdunk were noting that he struggles guarding taller players… Aldridge could potentially eclipse him in defense if he could just add weight.

As far as the fallen angel thing, I don’t buy into that just because of Frye and Diogu. Frye was a piece in the deal that we got rid of Randolph in. That was the linchpin. Diogu came back to make the Bayless trade work. I think that KP was simply touting the players he had acquired, noting their high draft status. Personally, I think he’ll go after a Brandon Bass/Jason Maxiell type this offseason. We could use a rebounding machine on that second unit.

I love your post, it has sparked some great debate. I just think we need about five more years to look back and really judge LMA vs. Millsap, the fallen angel issue, etc. But I like your logic and thought process.

So, regarding point 2:

I don’t see a problem with KP’s strategy as long as it doesn’t dominate the moves he makes. Grabbing “fallen angels” and finesse players is a personal preference, not necessarily a flaw. And pigeon-holing 1st rounders as guys who don’t work hard is a bit silly. We could use a bruiser type for sure and if we don’t ever draft, sign or trade for one in the future I would be disappointed in KP. Right now, I think he’s done a great job of getting a whole mess ’o talent. The next steps are refining the roster, figuring out the PG/SF situation and picking up a Landry or Millsap type backup forward.

This is more conjecture, but I want to include it. After seeing Oden bog down our offense for a while, maybe KP knew that adding another power player to the roster would disrupt the way the team currently plays. Just a thought.

And lots of debate. But as some have pointed out, your thoughts completely neglect circumstances.

Item #2 b/c it’s easier:

Others have said it, I’ll repeat it. The trades that nabbed Frye and Ike were primarily for other reasons. Both guys had low risk/high reward written all over them. Could we have gotten bruisers (or with Ike, a better bruiser)? Probably, but a low risk/high reward investment as the secondary part of a trade is still ok.

And don’t talk about RLEC as a player. It’s a contract.

Item #1:

Millsap/Brewer comparison… ok, so two tough players join a team full of stars. That team of stars already played a very efficient form of basketball. So because two role players join a team of proven players that play efficiently, your argument is that they are better because they play to their strengths and are efficient about it? Uhh, duh? As for your argument that they got the best value for their picks… well both might have deserved to go higher, but we had Zach and LmA, so why do we want Millsap? That’s why we got Sergio, we needed a pg prospect. And Brewer wasn’t possible after Roy and LmA b/c our next draft pick was too far down… who would you rather have?

Rondo/Powe comparison… uhm, does Rondo turn into this player without the Big 3? Any thoughts to why he is putting up huge numbers? DID YOU WATCH THE PLAYOFFS LAST YEAR? THE ONLY WAY THE CELTICS LOST WAS BY DARING RONDO TO BE THE SCORER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Guess what, he can score day-in/out against teams not gearing up to play the Celtics every night. Come playoffs, he may or may not play the same. And Powe… good player, tough, etc. Come playoffs, any all-star caliber PF will shut him down. That’s why PJ Brown got more pt over him.

LmA/Roy… Uhm, neither of your comparisons talk about the heart and soul of a team. So it doesn’t add up to me. Roy has lead a team from 20 some odd wins to a potential 50+ win ball club, putting them on his shoulders while we have so many young players it’s a bit disgusting. LmA was a finesse player who was hurt and behind Zach his first year. The 2nd year he had to play the weakest part of his game (low-post offense) to satisfy the needs of a team. Is he going to be efficient playing against his strengths, being one of the focal points of the defense, on a team that was not expected to win until this year? Ha!

Nice try. But I don’t get it.

-Ty

But he’s a “tweener”—much shorter than LMA. Therefore, he’s useful in a different role than LMA—that is, coming off the bench to provide energy, rebounding, defense, and general physicality. (I notice that Norsktroll makes this basic point above.)

Last season, a friend of mine, in homage to my constant harping on the need for the Blazers to pick up a Millsap/ Maxiell-type, coined the term “Maxsap” to describe this type of player. So my love of Millsap—as well as Maxiell, Landry, Bass, and all the other guys of that ilk—is well-documented. All of those guys were steals in the second round. But I wouldn’t give up LMA for any of them. LMA’s combo of length, footspeed, shooting touch, and shotblocking ability makes him a very special player—an ideal starting power forward on a team featuring a power center.

So no, I don’t think KP was outdone by anybody in the ‘06 draft. But I DO hope that the Blazers pick up a Maxsap soon. Much as I love Channing Frye the person, I don’t think he’s a great fit on a team that already features a finesse starting power forward. I hope that KP can eventually package Frye with Trout (gifted but lacking in basketball I.Q.) for the bruising forward-off-the-bench that the team needs.

Oh, and as for Rondo—no argument there. Ainge found a gem in that guy. Who cares if his shot is funny-looking. But I’d take KP over Ainge as my GM any day. When this little two-or-three season Celtic run is over, it’s the Blazers who are likely to be the dominant team in the league. And that’s for the LONG haul.

I’ve been saying for months that the biggest Blazer need isn’t a starting PG or SF, it’s a bruising PF off the bench that doesn’t launch jumper after jumper with only 3-4 rebounds.

Just for all of the discussion that it has generated about MIllsap vs Aldridge.

I think our “fallen angel” strategy is a good one. It makes sense to me to try and pick up young guys who have been underwhelming so far, and then attempt to develop them into serviceable role players. Especially with the reputation for teaching and nurturing the coaching staff has picked up, I think it is a win if they develop, and we havent lost much if they don’t develop against a veteran who is on the decline or another draft pick that hasn’t quite made it up to snuff.

Aldridge is Exactly the Power Forward we need, And KP is The first of his kind.

Time will cure all, and we’ll get ours in the order that KP has Written.

I’ll rec it, but only becuase it boiled my kettle dry before I could say anything rational about it.

good job, in that weird kind of way. its got its 7 now. :)

I think what you need to keep in mind is that good GMs learn from mistakes and missed opportunities like the rest of us. Missing Paul Millsap is probably one of the things that KP has kept in mind and added to his criteria for evaluating draft talent. It’s less likely that a guy like that will slip through the cracks now.

Also, the fallen angel theory is a little far-fetched to me, but I’ll play along. Again, I think that KP will be less likely to pursue that avenue now that he’s seen what returns have come through. I think Diogu was a response to the “too soft at PF” argument and has turned out to be a low-risk, low-return investment…which is better than paying too much to someone in his position. In reality, Diogu has done all that we’ve needed from the 12th guy on the roster—be ready to play, don’t poison the locker room, work hard in practice, compete, etc. So in that sense, he’s been a great pick-up. Frye has had mixed results but I think most people can agree he’s been good for team chemistry and probably hasn’t reached his potential yet. So there’s another good pick-up. Other fallen angels…well, I guess you could even say Steve Blake was one of those, and Pritchard brought him back, to good results.

So even KP’s weaknesses don’t seem all that weak when you boil it down, and if he learns from those (I think he’d be the first to say he’s always learning) then we’re in a pretty darn good position to stay a powerhouse for years to come.

… that Josh McRoberts also fits into the “fallen angel” category. He was a national HS player of the year, and was expected to be a lottery pick before falling from grace with an underwhelming Duke career.

……………………….. When he gets down an dirty, he sucks up rebounds and makes some shorter shots. When he’s doing his Rasheed imitation, he’s either red hot or a clankmaster depending on whether or not the shot is falling, and that’s all there is for him because he’s out of position to rebound, out of position for putbacks, out of position for short shots.

Get the guy to play low and who needs Chris Bosh (or Millsap)?

That said, the Blazers do need a real live banger to back him up. The quicker that Frye is sent to Neverneverland or the Neverland Ranch, the better…

Let me temper this post with saying your post has garnered at the time of my writing this , 200+ comments. I think you’ve tapped into something. So kudos for a provocative posting. However, late I’ve come to the party I will still add my 2 cents worth.

Item #1. Your contention that The Blazers did not do the best in the 2006 draft? I disagree. Turning a #7 pick obtained with the assets of Telfair and Ratliff, into Brandon Roy is a super trump card. You can simply stop right there no need to discuss LMA and whether he is “The Best PF from the 2006 draft”. In my opinion, you turn Telfair and Ratliff into Brandon Roy and I don’t care what happened with your other pick, You win! You’ve won!

If you absolutely must insist you can bring LMA into the picture and debate whether he is the best PF from the draft but does it really matter? I mean LMA has turned out to be better than most pundits at the time projected. Plus LMA is a good PF with I think much more upside still left. Putting a ceiling or final label on LMA I think is a mistake.

The fact that Boston nabbed talent in the draft in my opinion is also inmaterial. I don’t think anyone said KP cornered ALL the talent available. You can’t draft em all. Great Boston drafted Rajon Rondo and Leone Powe, unless you think that tandem is better then Brandon Roy and LMA then I think that’s a “comparison over” scenario as well. Utah? Milsap and Brewer? again good job Utah but straight up if offered either Brandon Roy and LMA or Milsap and Brewer I think Brandon Roy tilts the scales easily towards the Blazer Value side. Brandon did turn out to be the R.O.Y. for 2006.

Finally, remember that going into the draft I think a lot of GM’s and a lot of so called experts had the whole draft severely undervalued. Everyone was looking forward to the next year with Oden and Durant and the prevailing thought was that 2006 was a weak draft. Remember also that Danny Ainge was quoted as saying he made he Telfair trade because he didn’t think he could obtain a player better than Telfair with the 7th pick. Statements like that in retrospect are what get you labeled fairly or unfairly with a “Pritchslap”. KP wins he draft for getting Brandon out of discardables and getting the PF we wanted after the lottery gods frowned upon us and gave us the 4th pick.

Did we “own the whole league” of course not, you never own the whole league. Did we do the best? Given the overall talent, skill and leadership and what Brandon means to this franchise, Brandon Roy means we did the best in the draft.

Item #2. Kevin Pritchard loves finesse and lottery picks, which isn’t what you want in a role player.

Our lack of a strong banger type of PF doesn’t mean to me that Pritchard loves finesse and lottery picks. KP likes talent. KP likes whatever makes The Blazers better. He’s been assembling talent, remaking the entire roster and rebuilding the franchise from the ashes. Let’s cut him a break if he can’t solve every need immediately.

Yes, I agree sometimes I think the KP support becomes a little on the zealous side. But he’s done a great job and communicates freely and I think connects with the fans. KP’s enthusiasm for his job and this team seem genuine, thus the support.

It will be interesting to see how perception of KP remains over the next few years, once the draft becomes more mundane. For me, he took a philosophy of fostering Culture and Character and honestly applied it to franchise that was reeling at the time. To me if the worst criticism of him that you can foster is that he has given us LMA, Frye and Diogu then I invite you to take a look at Blazer GM’s of the past and what “talent” they brought into the Blazers. Bucky Buckwalter, Stu Inman…the Blazers have had some excellent management, but KP is carving his own name into that niche.

I think it’s worth saying that it’s really hard to fault KP for not getting Millsap when NOBODY took him until the 2nd round. The Jazz took what they thought was the best player available at the time, which turned out to be very true and I agree in hindsight it was the best pick of the draft.

That said, even they had no idea he would become what he is now. Otherwise they would have taken him much sooner or he would have gone top 10 easy. They got lucky with him turning out this way. There was not a single GM in the league who would have considered taking Millsap over LMA at the time. jksnake I realize you’re not the biggest LMA fan, but it’s really unfair to judge KP for not taking Millsap who at the time was a 2nd rounder destined for mediocrity over one of the top prospects of the draft.

But for the Roster been built for Blazers, i like LMA-Oden Tandem than Milsap-Oden.
If LMA can adjust with Oden they will be a TOUGH combination Inside the paint. LMA can drag his man out of the paint while Oden posting himself.

Milsap- Oden combination will be like Shaq-Amare clogging the paint.

Sorry, it’s just not true.

best: roy, gay, lma, milsap, brewer, rondo, farmar.. boobie gibson, powe have to get some love for making any kind of name for themselves as second rounders..

worst: bargnani, morrison, thomas (could have been a great pick several spots lower), j.j. reddick, sene

harder to judge sergio and even joel freeland.. who knows how that one will turn out..

we definitely won that draft but utah definitely found the most hidden talent..

1- what is the record for highest number of comments on a non-political junk drawer, non-game thread post?
2- is this thread going to break said record?

j/k

what would the 2006 draft look like today, if it could be “done over”?

I’d say:

1) Roy. No doubt—by far the best player from the crop.
2) Gay.
3) Rondo. Having great teammates certainly helps his cause, but damn, he’s good. Certainly better than any of our 1s at this point. If he could just develop a jumpshot…
4) LMA. By a hair over Millsap, even though PM is having a better year so far. I still say that Aldridge has more potential; and that Millsap is a system player, as is Boozer. Przybilla would score 20 points per game on the Jazz—so there. :)
5) Millsap. The Jazz now have a QB controvery on their hands. Will Carlos Boozer, presently watching Millsap kick some butt, be back? He’s opted out… and he’s not exactly a guy known for his loyalty.
6) Brewer. A fine player, though a step below the first five.

Other players who would be drafted (before GM’s start to pass) would be Randy Foye, TT,
Redick, Thabo, Sergio, Hilton, M-Will, Farmar, Collins, Powe, Ager, Lowry, Renaldo, and probably a few I forgot. These latter players are not listed in any particular order.