Drafting Preferences

DeJuan Blair.

I would scream like a little schoolgirl if we got him.

Please no jokes about how I would do that anyway.

all seem like they could be KP picks as well. It should be noted that KP has selected at least 2 of the players I would pick at the same spot 3 years in a row (LMA, Roy, Sergio, Oden, Rudy, Bayless and Batum). He seems to value a lot of the same qualities in players I have.

5. There’s usually something about the guy that gives him the potential to be dominant: Roy’s determination and leadership, LaMarcus’ fluidity and offensive skills, Greg’s size, Jerryd’s athleticism, Nic’s quickness, Sergio’s passing ability. You may ask, “Isn’t think true of every pick?” It isn’t. Some picks are safer, all-around guys…guys you know will be good but who aren’t going to be great. Jarrett Jack is a good player. Jarrett Jack is a generalist. Jarrett Jack is also gone. Jerryd Bayless is here though.

This is very important. In the NBA you surround your very good or great players with role players. The best role players in this league are specialists that are elite at one or two particular skills. Even if most of our picks didn’t entirely work out, or they weren’t able to become whole as a basketball player, particular skills that each of our picks over the recent years have had skills that make them special in certain situations. This will continue to be important as we’re currently in the part of our development that having those role players that surround our solid core is the most important things we can do.

When you hear rumors about players we’re interested in these days we’re noticing this more and more. Kirk Hinrich is a specialty defender with a great shooting stroke. Tayshaun Prince is a great wing defender that can play a passive role on offense and still be effective. Antonio McDyess is a really good defender and rebounder that also has a solid mid range game. Each of these type of guys has specific role to play on both ends of the floor. This is most likely also how KP will see prospects in this draft.

Ricky Rubio – Elite distributor on offense with a very good and disruptive game on defense.
Brandon Jennings – Great slasher with elite court vision. THE best gambler in this draft (5 steals per 40 minutes).
DeJuan Blair – Among the best college boarders in the history of college (8 offensive boards per 40). Can body up big post players.

There are a couple other guys that we might be able to find at our pick or later…

Darren Collison – Elite deep threat with ability to run an offense. Top level defense on quicker smaller point guards.
Austin Daye – Elite shooter from everywhere, creates matchup problems for power forwards. Disruptive defender with his length.
Danny Green – Strong perimeter defender with shutdown potential. High level deep threat with athleticism.
Rodrigue Beaubois – Great length and quickness defensively. Slasher with knack for finishing around the bucket.
Taj Gibson – Great athleticism and length in an already good defensive player. Ability to score at a decent rate facing up or with his back to the basket.

I suspect KP will come out of this draft with at least one of these players. If I had to guess I’d put my money on DeJuan Blair at the end of the lottery. He’s a great fit on this team and wouldn’t cost too much to trade up for. Although as you mention…

1. The Blazers tend to value height in their draft picks. Pretty much every player selected has been of average height or taller for their position.

KP has valued height in the past, that neglects Blair’s true measurements. His wingspan and standing reach make up for his height. But more than that, his statistics suggest a player that will make the most of his minutes by ending opponents possessions and extending our own with his legendary rebound rates. His ability to do these things in limited minutes will ease the pain of his supposed knee issues. I can’t see much worry about a player that will ideally play 10-15 minutes per game. I can’t imagine a better immediate fit from this draft on this team than DeJuan Blair. He’s been my 1a target since December, and I think it’d be a mistake to let the height or injury history come in the way of him being a Blazer.

At least not in Portland.

Add to your point about competition that KP seems to favor prominent programs for college kids. Washington, Texas, Ohio State and Arizona and in free agents Maryland, Duke. Pretty much all the rest are foreign players that KP has acquired. He knows the coaches and trusts their judgment and training is my surmise.

Or wingspan. Don’t forget wingspan!

Whom the Blazers pick is going to be decided by some other trade deal that’s on the table. There are a lot of potentially good point guards and a lot of backup power forwards. But until KP has an idea what trade he’s making, he won’t know which need he still has to fill.

He fulfills all criteria except for the “big school”, but is a known quantity now because he returned for another year. He strikes me as a mini-Roy in how he behaves. Humble but also very cerebral on the floor. Superpower: Shooting ability, you are surprised if a shot is nothing but net, could really spread the floor as an off-guard next to Roy. Problem: Questions about defensive ability. And he will go very high, we likely would have to trade for the #5 with Washington to be sure to get him.

DeJuan Blair: Fills the role of backup banger gobbling up rebounds perfectly. Great kid in interviews, eloquent and confident of what he can do but doesn’t boast. Knows he represents the city and the school. Good performance throughout the year and in the NCAA finals. Better stats (minute/pace adjusted) across the board than top 5 pick Jordan Hill. Undersized in height but of adequate size in terms of wingspan and reach. Has lost significant weight preparing for the draft. Might drop into a range the Blazers could trade up to thanks to questions about his knees and weight (not the ideal starter to build around, limited upside).

Darren Collison: Fights hard on the floor, and loves defense. “Veteran” team leader, poised and controlled. Very quick (3rd best in the draft overall), and great “game speed”. Makes his free throws at a 90% clip. Has a decent outside shot around 40%. UCLA product. Would be immediately useful as a #2 or #3 backup point guard if Sergio leaves, but limited upside (no real “star” potential). Should be available around #24.

Rodrigue Beaubois: International sleeper at the edge of the first round. Almost as athletic as Bayless, smaller but much more wingspan. If Bayless is B-Rex, he is a winged dinosaur. Blazers already worked him out twice last year, when he pulled out of the draft. A scout said a few years ago he couldn’t speak English, couldn’t shoot, couldn’t dribble, and now he does all of those things.

I absolutely agree with quite a few of the names listed above. I’ve been on the Beaubois bandwagon since last June, and with Blair since the start of the college season. Those two make a lot of sense, given Blair’s elite rebounding and Beaubois’ elite athleticism and draft-n-stash potential.

Collison makes a lot of sense as a situational third point guard to bring in for defense and shooting. A perfect backup point guard going forward.

Others that seem like a KP pick: Curry, Gibson, Casspi, Claver, De Colo, and Norel.

dave just called greg oden “obvious, overpriced” . lol

did you just throw out a Perry Mason reference. Maybe 5%of this site have any idea who that is.. :)
I doubt Ben even knows.

One thing you failed to mention is athleticism. Although Brandon doesnt look like, he is. KP has a history of picking guys with strong athleticism. Even Oden was a beast in the combine. Just a thought for the Blair lovers.

but the one that is screaming loudest to me is Jrue Holiday. – Elgin

I say we go with Chase Budinger as a reserve. Blair would be a great fit, but he’ll be gone, and the last thing we need is another young pg. We need a veteran pg, not another young guy whose ego and confidence can be so easily rattled. With Budinger, we’d be duplicating Fernandez’s place, but Fernandez may be (I hope not) the key piece in a trade…

-We’re hearing that DeJuan Blair is in pretty good shape at the moment, and he continues to have very strong workouts that are easing the concerns teams have about his knee. Blair’s draft range looks pretty steady between 12 and 16, although he will work out for teams above and below those picks. Don’t be surprised to see a team like Oklahoma City or Portland try to make a move for him on draft night, as both organizations are reportedly very high on him.

-One team that might be interested in moving down in this draft is New Jersey, as they are reportedly very high on Israeli Omri Casspi, but may not want to invest such a high pick on him.

http://www.draftexpress.com/blog/Jonathan-Givony/#Early-Entry-Withdrawal-Deadline-Rumor-Mill-3260

Do y’all smell what I’m cooking? Or do I have to spell it out for you?

Evans, Clark, and Green all bring height/length to their position and are incredibly versatile

Blair makes it in even though he is short for the posiiton based on his wingspan and heft

Maynor, at 6-3 has solid height for the PGs in this draft and is NBA ready

I’m a big Steph Curry fan, and just thinking of him and Brandon Roy in the backcourt together is amazing, but we’d have to trade WAY up to get him and don’t know if its worth the assets we’d have to part with