Who is #1 on the Blazers draft board?

by Stumptown Doug on Jun 3, 2008 8:42 PM PDT

I thought Sean Meagher had a great interview with Jonathan Givony of Draft Express a couple days ago. There was a lot of information that I've already heard but he brought up a couple interesting points.

The first thing brought to my attention was how many lottery teams were interested in trading their pick. Some teams mentioned were Minnesota, Seattle, Memphis and Milwaukee. Of course, every year we hear that teams are looking to trade down a few spots, and the truth is it rarely happens. That being said, Blazer fans have seen some of these trades work to our benefit in recent drafts.

The second thing that Jonathan brought up was something I never really thought of. He was asked what player would be the best fit for the Blazers (with Rose and Beasley excluded) and the player he proposed surprised me. Removing the Blazers draft position from the equation he simply stated that Jerryd Bayless would be the best pick (followed by Westbrook). Jonathan is pretty savvy to the Blazers needs and he said the most important attribute the Blazers are looking for is someone who is ready to contribute right away. He said that Jerryd Bayless is an NBA ready PG and Westbrook is going to take 2-3 years to develop.

So this got me thinking. If we could see the Blazers draft board (with Rose and Beasley removed) who would be in the #1 spot? A few days ago I would have assumed Mayo or Gordon would be up there simply because of their athletic ability and sky high ceiling. But taking everything into consideration (Immediate impact, character, athleticism, positional need) I would say hands down, Bayless is the man at that #1 spot. If this is in fact the case, it makes you wonder if KP and company can pull another rabbit out of the hat and swing a deal that gets us our top prospect on the board?

Now, I know we could talk for days and give multiple statistical analysis stating why the Blazers could or could not move up that far in the draft. So, without going too far down a slippery slope, I will simply propose one question. With Rose and Beasley removed from the equation (yes Mayo is still on the board):

WHO IS THE #1 PLAYER ON THE BLAZERS DRAFT BOARD AND WHY?

Here is a link to Jerryd Bayless info on Draft Express. (For a bonus question read his strengths and tell me who on our team this reminds you of?)

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Bayless

He is the 3rd best player in the draft. And of course we need a PG. Makes sense. After that, Mayo
I know the posters here LOVE them some Westbrook, but I just don’t see it.

by RememberRastaMonsta! on Jun 3, 2008 8:46 PM PDT 0 recs

not the third best player, but the best fit, mayo is a better player than bayless is

by blackandwite323 on Jun 3, 2008 8:49 PM PDT up 0 recs

You think so?

I could see that. Of course if we add in character he EASILY becomes the 2nd best player (beasley and mayo PLUMMET)
I honestly wouldnt mind Mayo. The question is, does KP get crucified if he gets him? Its a gamble when we have such good citizens on the team

by RememberRastaMonsta! on Jun 3, 2008 9:04 PM PDT up 0 recs

I agree with you that

Mayo is the probably 3rd best (highest ceiling) player available. But when you already have the 2nd or 3rd best SG in the league, why would you draft him? Then again, why are there rumors that Miami wants him instead of Beasley???

I think the whole “BPA ” thing is a crock. But that is just me.

by Stumptown Doug on Jun 3, 2008 9:48 PM PDT up 0 recs

don't be such a homer, dude

Realistically, how can you call Roy a top two or even top three sg in the league? Off the top of my head, kobe and dwade are better right now. After that, you have mcgrady, Allen, ginobili, Durant, hamilton, etc. (scratch Durant), but even so, I think i would be comfortable calling Roy a top five sg right now. Anything higher is me being a homer.

by premthegrem on Jun 3, 2008 10:26 PM PDT up 0 recs

i agree

Objectively Roy had a better year than Allen and Durant but the per minute numbers say Ginobili and TMac were better. Roy is top 5 but not top 2-3 right now. I don’t think its unreasonable to project him as a top 2-3 SG in the near future though.

Boomshakalaka

by jksnake99 on Jun 3, 2008 10:32 PM PDT up 0 recs

he is top 2-3
he plays with his teammates, and unlike ginobli he is on a developing team and has the role of team leader, which of the others have this role Durant?, oh wait roy is better than he is. Allen is the third best player on his team, so is ginobli, T-mac is good but is not clutch, and played with a dominant center

by blackandwite323 on Jun 3, 2008 10:35 PM PDT up 0 recs

Tmac was resp for win stteak

Roy is the main man in ptown this year. Mcgrady was main man in Houston from ten games into the win streak, and got his team into fifth seed, fourth best record. And ginobili has won two or three rings. Nuff’ said.

by premthegrem on Jun 3, 2008 10:46 PM PDT up 0 recs

yep

In the 2nd half of the season (when TMac was playing hurt and w/o Yao), TMac was clearly better than Roy. Not particularly close either. Tim is the Spurs MVP but Manu is the closer for that team and had statistically the best year of his career (though he did tire noticeably during the playoffs).

Boomshakalaka

by jksnake99 on Jun 3, 2008 10:53 PM PDT up 0 recs

Where you rank on your team

has no bearing on where you rank against other players at your position.

The Spurs have arguably the best center in the league and a PG that is at least top 5. Ginobili can be the third best player on his team and still be a top 5 SG.

by timg56 on Jun 4, 2008 7:08 AM PDT up 0 recs

that's why I included durant

if you talk about projection, I agree Roy will be a LOT better in a couple of years, but so will guys like durant. If you think about how gm’s were rating Roy in his draft, he has already blown past his ceiling according to the average prognostication. Durant, on the other hand, was believed to have a higher ceiling. But you know what, I’m going to agree with you on the projection. Why? Because of roy’s mj style layup over bosh. That midair switch was a thing of beauty.

by premthegrem on Jun 3, 2008 10:43 PM PDT up 0 recs

I think Dwade is arguable

The pictures kinda small, but Im giving the C's a big thumbs down

by Blazermaniac77 on Jun 3, 2008 11:55 PM PDT up 0 recs

Let's not hyperbolize

Wade’s been hurt and out of the public eye cuz his team’s been absolute garbage for the last 18 months, but when he’s healthy, he - objectively, not talking as homers here - blows Roy out of the water. He’s an offensive force along the lines of Kobe or LBJ who has every bit as much playmaking ability as B-Roy—when he’s healthy. That, admittedly, is a big “when”.

by BlazersOrBust on Jun 4, 2008 8:53 AM PDT up 0 recs

And

His commercials are better than Roy’s.

This monkeys gone to haven

by tominhawaii on Jun 4, 2008 9:01 AM PDT up 0 recs

look Im not saying its open and shut

Wade is great, but what we havent seen is much improvement in his game. since they won the championship. He’s been paying for not developing his game past driving the lane with 50 game seasons. I do agree with Tom, his commercials are much better

The pictures kinda small, but Im giving the C's a big thumbs down

by Blazermaniac77 on Jun 4, 2008 9:35 PM PDT up 0 recs

look

Let’s chill out about this. Both kobe and wade won championships with the exact same potential hof center, so I would say that we should renew this debate in a couple of years, once roy and oden have had a chance to click. Although it won’t mimic the miami/la situations in terms of personnel, it should make for a better comparison to have roy playing with his own potential hof center (crossing fingers).

by premthegrem on Jun 4, 2008 3:59 PM PDT up 0 recs

hahahhaha

Premthegrem,
did you just call Ray Allen better than roy? the dude barely made all star in the east, and is currently re defining the meaning of the word “choke”

--Josh

by prezofdeath on Jun 3, 2008 11:58 PM PDT up 0 recs

The names I listed are potential top five sgs

I was not indicating that ray allen is better than roy. And you know what, prezofdeath, I don’t know exactly how many times allen has been an all-star, but I know that as far as the rest of this league is concerned, except for homers like you, ray allen is a LOT better known than roy. Besides, which player is mentioned as part of the big three and currently playing for a championship? But to reiterate, I DID not state that roy was better than ray allen. If you read my comment more clearly, you would have seen that I call roy top five at the end of the comment, BUT I CLEARLY LISTED MORE NAMES THAN CAN FIT IN A TOP FIVE! Read and comprehend posts before speaking.

by premthegrem on Jun 4, 2008 3:55 PM PDT up 0 recs

Yes, I'm a self-admitted homer

Realistically, how can you call Roy a top two or even top three sg in the league? Off the top of my head, kobe and dwade are better right now. After that, you have mcgrady, Allen.....

I was not indicating that ray allen is better than roy.

ray allen is a LOT better known than roy

I DID not state that roy was better than ray allen

I usually try to be non controversial, so I hesitate to use all these block quote things…but I’m still not getting it. Is Ray Allen better than Roy or not?

And one more time, yes, I’m a homer. Me, Mike Barrett, and Mike Rice. We’re homers, and we know it.

The name's Ainge, Danny Ainge. Fear our team; fear it's range.
No longer do we find making the playoffs strange.
We are the chosen, but we don't fear change.
Send us a valid trade offer, and maybe we'll make an exchange. Just don't estrange us by short changing us.

by prezofdeath on Jun 5, 2008 12:25 PM PDT up 0 recs

"When you already have the 2nd or 3rd best SG in the league...

...Why would you draft him?”

This is the franchise that passed up MJ because we already had Clyde Drexler. THAT’S why you draft him.

Trade Freeland!

by rockingharder on Jun 4, 2008 1:07 AM PDT up 0 recs

Fair point

But the Blazers were in a completely different position when they drafted Sam Bowie over Jordan. Drexler only played 17 minutes a game and averaged 7 points when we drafted Bowie. I hope you’re not insinuating that Mayo is the second coming of Jordan either.

by Stumptown Doug on Jun 4, 2008 6:36 PM PDT up 0 recs

BPA

Boomshakalaka

by jksnake99 on Jun 4, 2008 6:49 PM PDT up 0 recs

That's Rudy

Mayo is the second coming of Kobe.

"lowest common denominator - every time I think you hit rock bottom you sink it deeper into the shale" -- bow4meow talking about me

by tominhawaii on Jun 5, 2008 3:29 AM PDT up 0 recs

I agree with Bayless

I like what I see and hear about this kid. Short arms, but good shooter, good defender, not necessarily a TRUE PG yet but he did play PG in college, and we don’t need a true PG to go next to Roy. Preferrably someone who can handle the ball, be a playmaker but not the main playmaker, and guard those pesky quick PGs.

That sounds like Bayless, right?

I dunno what it would take to get the pick from Minny or Seattle, both division rivals who know we’re gonna be tough to deal with for a long time, so perhaps it isn’t possible. Would Bayless fall to #5, Memphis? They don’t need a PG, but could use the pick on a big man and aren’t gonna wanna trade it for what we offer…

Hmmm…

Bayless sounds good, dunno if we can trade up that high.

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Jun 3, 2008 8:57 PM PDT 0 recs

I also agree

Bayless has always seemed like the best fit for us given our PG needs. I don’t think that we’ll find what we need in this draft, though, I’m thinking we’ll trade out of the draft or significantly down to the point where we’re taking a fly on guys like Freeland or Koponen.

by kickbrass on Jun 3, 2008 9:04 PM PDT up 0 recs

Its a possibility he goes to 5...

If Minny REALLY needs a C, which of course they do, and they take Lopez.. and if OKC/Seattle/Bombers/Sonics decide to take Mayo, Bayless is sitting there at 5. And we could probably trade them McBob for the pick (Im gauging this on Chris Wallaces trading skills)

by RememberRastaMonsta! on Jun 3, 2008 9:06 PM PDT up 0 recs

And if Memphis wants too much for #5

And they don’t want another PG, they could take a big man too, and then Bayless falls to the Knicks at #6.

Under the old regime, I’d say it’d be a piece of cake. Under the new regime? I feel like they’d favor a nice lottery pick, and if Bayless fell in their laps D’Antoni would be quite happy (and Walsh as well, who would be doing the actual drafting).

But, they also wanna get under the cap sometime in the next decade, so if we ate a bad salary…

If we do that, Bayless has to be THE GUY we want, because it could eat up our chance to have flexibility in 2009. Maybe we won’t need it then if Bayless turns out… or, whomever we take as a salary dump from NY has a bad contract but not bad enough to ruin our free agent/cap room flexibility plan, and we can still do all that (it’d be like if we got Hinrich—Hinrich takes Miles’ place on the cap, so we’d still have a good amount of room to play with, just not enough to pay someone 20+ million a year (which I doubt we’d do anyways)).

It’s all certainly thought provoking to me. I dunno if Bayless is worth taking back a bad salary and losing some flexibility, but he could be.

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Jun 3, 2008 10:01 PM PDT up 0 recs

Somebody give Mort a shake.

He’s dreaming again.

by timg56 on Jun 4, 2008 7:10 AM PDT up 0 recs

here's my measuring stick.

If we traded rudy to move up, how high up would we need to move to make the trade have value? Is rose the only player we would consider trading rudy for? If the answer to the previous q is a yes, then we might not get a deal of agreeable value for lesser players like mayo/bayless.

by premthegrem on Jun 3, 2008 10:32 PM PDT 0 recs

honestly

i would trade rudy for westbrook, bayless, or mayo
if we could do it without the #13 we could also draft another player that KP likes, where we may have other players, personally, i think we could do the trade without signing rudy and he might not even sign with another team anyways. This would be the ultimate deal for us, we have outlaw to score with the whites, plus hes getting przy to rebound, Rudy is not a necessity and a PG is

by blackandwite323 on Jun 3, 2008 10:40 PM PDT up 0 recs

I'd trade Rudy

for Mayo for sure. Westbrook, Gordon and Bayless are tougher. I haven’t seen enough of Rudy to decide.

Boomshakalaka

by jksnake99 on Jun 3, 2008 10:41 PM PDT up 0 recs

I'd say Mayo if KP is comfortable with the character issues

Bayless if he’s not.

Boomshakalaka

by jksnake99 on Jun 3, 2008 10:33 PM PDT 0 recs

wow

I thought there would be people breathing down my neck for mentioning rudy in a trade scenario. I guess a lot of people aren’t quite sold on Roy as the pg, eh? I echo the sentiment, and would welcome a trade for mayo involving any of this years picks and rudy.

by premthegrem on Jun 3, 2008 10:50 PM PDT up 0 recs

Well, if you really want me to. (sigh)

I don’t think trading Rudy is an option right now, for four reasons.

1) Portland fans are more excited about Rudy than anyone outside of Derrick Rose in the draft right now. Disappointing one’s fanbase is never a good idea if one wants to sell tickets.

2) The entire Blazer’s office and staff have visited him in Europe. I know Paul Allen’s rich, but at the price of fuel nowadays, it’s probably cost him half of his fortune already. That is a huge investment that trading him evaporates.

3) If they trade Rudy, they can kiss goodbye any chance of bringing over any Euro ever again. If they were willing to trade away Rudy after that much time and effort for a draft pick, a draft pick, then who will ever take them seriously ever again?

4) I think if we trade Rudy, we’ll regret it down the road. He’s going to be good in the NBA, at least eventually, if not next season.

One of Two Official Blazer's Edge Poets Laureate for the 2008-2009 Season

"Scholars have long known that fishing eventually turns men into philosophers. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to buy decent tackle on a philosopher's salary." - Patrick McManus

by T Darkstar on Jun 4, 2008 6:11 AM PDT up 0 recs

good points

I didn’t think about the time and money already invested in this guy.

by premthegrem on Jun 4, 2008 4:05 PM PDT up 0 recs

KP said tonight on 95.5--No Mayo, please

He said that he doesn’t think that he fits the culture. Maybe KP is lying though.

by parkinglotj on Jun 3, 2008 10:53 PM PDT up 0 recs

KP mind games?

saying that he’s targeting LOVE? and not Mayo.
We have 3 PFs on the roster right now in LA, Frye and Outlaw and he says he’s targeting Love
and we’re looking for a deffending PG and he’s not looking at Mayo?

...strange?

The pictures kinda small, but Im giving the C's a big thumbs down

by Blazermaniac77 on Jun 4, 2008 12:00 AM PDT up 0 recs

....Strange.

by BlazersOrBust on Jun 4, 2008 8:55 AM PDT up 0 recs

Bayless ?

My old roomy is a HUGE Cats fans and a former player. He called Bayless
a combo guard, not a point. He mentioned the # 1 strength was his ability to
elevate on his jumper with good %. Defense – Ok. ” He’ll stay in front of most,
but gets beat at times”. Good quickness, good handle, but shoot first.

The same friend attended several UCLA games and marveled at Westbrook’s
athleticism, speed and defensive ability. “Great anticipation in the passing lanes,
big wingspan and still improving”.

I think Westbrook is the best pick from the Blazers perspective because we
need superior perimeter defense & speed. A slasher who can spot up for the
kickout or leak out with speed to get easy buckets when GO rebounds and looks
to outlet. I think Westbrook has a couple of years to work on his handle and shot
while he grows into his body. Roy will initiate anway, but RW could help bring up
the ball and pass into the post (GO/Smooth). Excellent work ethic from all reports.

It's GO time !

by walkoff41 on Jun 3, 2008 10:54 PM PDT 0 recs

MAYO!

The pictures kinda small, but Im giving the C's a big thumbs down

by Blazermaniac77 on Jun 3, 2008 11:57 PM PDT 0 recs

I'm with you.

But I also wanted Adam Morison, and Telfair (Not NOW, today, of course). So I don’t know how much my opinion is worth.

My favorite teams are the Blazers and any team that is playing the Lakers.

by OCBlazerFan1 on Jun 4, 2008 9:04 AM PDT up 0 recs

Eh, hang on..

the most important attribute the Blazers are looking for is someone who is ready to contribute right away. He said that Jerryd Bayless is an NBA ready PG and Westbrook is going to take 2-3 years to develop.

Everything I know about the Blazers and their situation is that we ARE waiting for 2-3 years of development for our whole team. To put it in perspective, this was Dwight Howard’s fourth year.

Earth hath no escape from heaven: flee she up or flee she down heaven invades her, energizing her, fructifying her, whether for her weal or for her woe.
--Eckhart Von Hocheim

by 12sharks on Jun 4, 2008 1:19 AM PDT 0 recs

I say you're right

I like the DraftExpress guy, but I think he (and many of us) are overstating the need to ‘win now’. Our window isn’t closing for another decade; it hasn’t even opened yet until we know Oden is healthy and good. We don’t ‘need’ to win now, and if we take a PG prospect to play behind Blake, we can totally afford to wait for 2 or 3 seasons for him to be the perfect PG for our team (provided it works that way of course).

We want to be good, we want to make the playoffs next season, but we don’t need to overlook someone who will be great in 2 or 3 years for a guy who can help now. We aren’t the Suns or the Mavs, where the window is slamming shut. We’re just starting out here.

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Jun 4, 2008 1:35 AM PDT up 0 recs

I think our window is even longer than a decade

Greg is only 20.

by BlazerD on Jun 4, 2008 4:49 PM PDT up 0 recs

It's a reach

Bayless is good, and so is Mayo. But getting to #4 to #6 where they seems to be a concensus pick will not come cheap. Westbrook and Augustin are in the 9 – 11 range, and more reachable. To take any of these players, KP has to be convinced that they will be the PG of the future. After all, with the cap space he has clearing over the next 12 months, and Oden and Fernandez coming in, he’s now got that cap space with LaFrentz, his current #13 and 3 #2’s, and several players that can be added into the mix – all of which can be manipulated ownstream to get a solid PG. The talk now is that he’ll trade out – not up. And go for a vet PG now or later, not a rookie. We’ll see. They are taking a hard look at Augustin on the 18th. Ironic how he was the concensus All American PG this year, clearly made his team better even though Durant was gone – yet everyone talks about everyone else, but not him.

by Eben Calder on Jun 4, 2008 6:29 AM PDT 0 recs

I agree

it’s unfortunate in a sense that height can be such a overwhelming barrier (or lack of it, as it were). My feelings about what we should do on draft day has been changing rather rapidly, but right at the end of the season, when I started to look at the offseason, I thought augustin was the sure bet for this team. We’ll see in a few weeks what KP does, (or doesn’t do).

by premthegrem on Jun 4, 2008 4:04 PM PDT up 0 recs