that the entire NBA basis their picks of of KP. And im glad they sonics picked westbrook. He is less of a threat along side KD.

I want a premier defender or Oden is going to foul out in the first ten minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcqe9UXkc8o

I was just thinking the same thing. I was pretty concerned about DJ’s size and would have been surprised if KP and Nate were really serious about him.

We don’t need a pure PG anyway. Just an athletic ball-handler that can shoot and defense is a plus.

Westbrook was my fave but Bayless def has a place on our squad.

MORE PRITCH-SLAPS PLEASE

Since the Sonics were were high on Bayless forever maybe we could get Westbrook for almost nothing. Maybe just Bayless + the 27th and a second rounder.

will do good things if we can find him some minutes.

and that of his entire family. When the announcement came that he was selected by Indiana, there was not one smile …. from Bayless or any of the family! I thought that was so strange, and that was before I knew the Blazers would end up getting him. Nor did he seem at all pleased when he was interviewed after being told he suddenly became a Blazer. Will any of this matter? Perhaps not. But I’ll be suspicious of his attitude for awhile.

On the bright side we got a talented guy, giving up only Nate’s boy Jack that I think will prove to be beneficial. Bet KP is happy …. Nate not so much.

And, for sure we got a good talent. He’ll be SO much better than Jack. But of course the story of this draft for the Blazers hasn’t yet played out. More to come I suspect.

I 100% agree that this was what is the most overly used phrase on this website for the last few weeks. I’ll say it loud, I’ll say it proud, no matter how cliche it is becoming. IT WAS A PRITCHSLAP. I don’t think the entire NBA based thier draft on KP. Maybe Seattle registered a little of what he was saying, but the slip happened. That was just the initial fortunate circumstance. Then the real genius begun.

Once the Bobcats picked up Augustin, KP made a move. He had everyone thinking that was thier guy. Ben reported that we got him, which apparently O-live was reporting too (I don’t know where Ben go the info, but he wasn’t the only one to take KP’s bait). I was feeling miserable because I really wanted either Westbrook or Bayless. Honestly, I loved Bayless for a while, but thought he was too valuable to get to. But alas, the trade was announced (but not official) and Blazermania seemed heart broken (I speak only of the reaction that I saw). Then we picked. Still no official word. Everyone is scratching thier heads here and I’m sure the other GMs were too. The whole time Indy thinks the value of Bayless is dropping, who they obviously had no intention of keeping. So what finally evolves, we get Bayless (a perfect fit and a top 4 pick by most mock drafts in the country) plus one for a guy we wanted to get rid of and a higher draft pick. I felt violated in a wonderful way. I’m sure there are a lot of people who feel silly for reporting the eroneous trade. They were slapped. The Bobcats thought they had a deal just to find out they were the decoy. Slapped. And finally the Pacers. I’m sure if Indy knew what we really would have traded for what could be one of the last pieces to our great puzzle they would have difficulty looking at themselves in the mirror for a long time. The master has done it, and if you can’t realize it, maybe you need to give yourself a nice little wanna be P-slap too.

These are only High School clips, but he kind of reminds me of Kevin Johnson…

Overall Game

Dunks

According to Mike, Bayless was indeed a top target by KP all along, above all the guys that they were rumored to like.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2008&playerId=19137

The caption underneath Bayless’s pic on this page says “Is Bayless the thinking man’s Monta Ellis?”

Chad Ford’s Analysis: Bayless really slid in the draft, which makes him a great value here. Why would the Pacers draft another point guard after trading for T.J. Ford? Because they’re sending Bayless to the Blazers for the No. 13 pick, Jarrett Jack and Josh McRoberts. So how will Bayless fit with the Blazers? He isn’t the pure point guard that Kevin Pritchard pined for, but he’s an excellent scorer and competitor, and an upgrade over Jack.

Draft Projection: Top 10

Similarities: Gilbert Arenas

Notes:
As a high school senior in 2006-07, averaged 33.2 points, 7.8 rebounds,
6.1 assists and 2.0 steals, and shot 89.1 percent from the free-throw line to help St. Mary’s (Ariz.) to a 19-13 record and state runner-up finish.

Positives: Big-time scoring guard who loves to attack the defense. Excellent athlete with explosive leaping ability. Quick first step allows him to get into the teeth of the defense. Good shooter who gets excellent elevation on his jump shot. Has good floor vision and passing ability.

Negatives: A bit of a tweener. Can play the point, but prefers to score. Can play out of control at times. Poor rebounder. Doesn’t collect steals at a high rate despite his quickness and athleticism.

Summary: Bayless’ combination of elite athleticism, shooting ability and quickness make him an excellent NBA prospect. One scout compared him to a better shooting, more intelligent Monta Ellis, another to Gilbert Arenas. He’s projected in the mid lottery.