Workouts

I was reading Eben Calders post while having NFL Network on in the background and I started thinking about our PG’s and how in the NFL over four straigth drafts the Detroit Lions kept using their first rounder on wide-recievers and never really got it sorted out. PTB just keeps on drafting guards… But I am not saying it is a bad thing.

You are right in noting that KP has brought so much young talent to this roster in that past couple years. Heck, Sergio Rodriguez is an after thought at this point in time, Sergio was drafted in the late first round of 2006; the same draft where KP picked guard Brandon Roy. Last year in 2007, KP added two guards that we really haven’t seen yet in Rudy Fernandez, who is coming over this season, and Petteri Koponen a PG who won MVP of the Finnish League and is still a season away from coming to the states. The 2007 draft also brought Portland the two-time NCAA Champion PG Taurean Green in the second round.

That gives Portland:
Brandon Roy, age 23, 6’6”
Sergio Rodriguez, age 22, 6’3”
Rudy Fernandez, age 22, 6’5”
Petteri Koponen, age 19, 6’5”

Plus our incumbents:
Jarrett Jack, age 24, 6’3”
Steve Blake, age 28, 6’3”

Whether or not Portland uses this years first round pick on a PG… I would hope to think that IF, IF, IF Kevin Pritchard is the genius that we all give him credit for, there has to be a solid 4 guard rotation in the players that we already have. I mean, B.Roy is a legitimate all-star, and he is a 6’6” guard who can handle a lot of the ball-handling, facilitating, and driving duties that our young team needs. That takes away a lot of pressure. How hard is it to play solidly next to an all-star and surrounded by lots of talent? I foresee Rudy Fernandez being a part of the rotation long term. And the other two slots are going to be filled with Jack, Sergio, Blake, Koponen, or our draft pick this year.

This depth and youth is why I say we definitely don’t want to trade a lot of our bench/depth away to acquire one player. It seems we are not too far away from the PTB team being solidified. Boy we have a lot of promising guards… are we ever going to have the right decision made or are we going to be “shoulda kept, woulda kept, coulda kept” talking about some of these guards that everyone still wants to upgrade?

What KP said at the end of Eggers article is almost word for word what he said at the end of Chad Ford’s podcast.

and less than a handfull who might be good enough to see playing time. So why worry about playing time. If that is an issue, Pritchard should be looking to trade out of the draft for future considerations.

like how Outlaw was a guy who couldn’t sniff the court as a rookie, and now he’s widely held around these parts to be one of the most indispensable players on the team? If you draft a guy who you think is gonna be a stud, you don’t have to thrust him into the starting lineup or give him immediate playing time. Alexander could end up being an awesome pick for us - even if he doesn’t play next year - if he develops down the line. I think that was Tim’s point.

I’m referring to the links to coverage of Alexander’s workout session, which were all very positive. Back when BE’ers first started talking about who we might consider in the draft, I suggested Alexander. I can’t say with certainty I was the first here to bring up his name, but it was well before many people were talking about him.

I’m not sure of your point. Are you saying we shouldn’t draft anyone unless they are a for sure thing to crack the rotation their rookie season? I’ve said that I would have no problem with trading out of this draft for an additional 1st round pick in a future draft. The trick would be to trade it to a team you think has a good chance to be (still) struggling down the road.

I have also said that there is a good chance that anyone we draft will garner a lot of bench (or developmental league) time. The only way they don’t is if they manage to out compete the guys we already have here. That’s not an impossibility, but it is also not guaranteed. Do I think Alexander is good enough to earn playing time, if we select him? I honestly don’t know. I think I saw only one UWV game on tv this year and I have to admit not remembering Joe Alexander. But that is not really the point.

The point is that the draft pick is an asset. One that can be used in several ways. If Portland is going to use it to select a player in this year’s draft, then Alexander makes my short list. Assuming he’s drafted, he becomes an asset. Granted, one with a 4 year shelf life, but 4 years is an eternity in the NBA these days. Whether or not he plays the first year is irrelevant.

You make wise points and are verbose and make me think of an Ent. “Then we move to the trading season, hmmm? Then…..perhaps…...all shall be known.” And I’m like Merry and Pippin. “No, tell me now Eben Calder, I can’t wait for the trading season, we have to go wage war against Saru - err, Mitch Kupchack - now!”

I have no problem with drafting another rookie or another guard, however. Of the six guards listed, three of them are entirely unknown commodities - Rudy, Sergio, and Koponen - and Blake and Jack’s ceilings are pretty well known at this point. If KP decides that neither Blake nor Jack (not a KP acquisition, it’s worth pointing out) can provide what he’s looking for at the PG spot, and he’s uncertain that any of our three “well, we took a flyer…” guards can produce it either, then why not go get another rookie guard?

This whole “we gotta get older, a rookie won’t fit on our timeline” business (not necessarily saying that you, my Entish friend, think that way, because I know your people take the long view) is nonsense. In three years we’ll be competing annually for titles. You’re telling me a rookie we draft this year can’t be contributing in his third season? Course he can. If we see a guard who’s a rookie and KP thinks fills a need, let’s go get him regardless (hehehe) of what guards we already have inked.

when reading about these pre-draft workouts, is that they are not comparable to actually playing in the NBA – by a long shot.

I do this as a defense against getting too worked up about a player that may or may not make it in the league. For example, remember how impressed Nate, the coaching staff and the local media were with Taureen Green? Nate went so far as to say he was going to win a couple of games for the team. Where is he now? (Not a knock on Green. I actually like him and think he could play. He just has to find the place to get a chance.)

And has anyone noticed the high 3pt shooting percentages for some of these guys? Some of them are shooting well above 50%. Who here thinks that is going to translate to real games?

When it comes down to it, I really don’t know who is the best guy to take. I can only offer my opinion of who strikes me as someone interesting. Based on Jason’s link, Augustine might have to be added to the short list, which besides Alexander, includes Brandon Rush and probably Westbrook for me.