This post is going to be a catch-all for Portland's other draft possibilities, covering names associated with the team through rumor or innuendo. You can also click around for previous reviews of Kemba Walker, Kenneth Faried, and Nikola Vucevic.
Bismack Biyombo, 6'9" 245lb Power Forward from the Congo
Besides having the best name in the last several drafts hands down (maybe the best name EVER...it sounds like a sweet musical group or maybe an awesome moped-scooter) Bismack Biyombo's main asset is being so athletically freaky he'd make Rick James blush. He is the bowling ball--an extremely buffed and cut bowling ball--and everybody else is the pins. He can rebound, block shots, and (largely thanks to his 7'6"+ wingspan) even defend. Your grandmother has a better offensive game. Most 7th graders possess more bankable moves. Go to the store, buy a thick, juicy roast, then cook it with a Bic Lighter. That's how raw he is. Yet he's still making an impact. That rawness is his limitation and his great hope. You know you're going to see super-spastic play early on but you hope that with a refined game Biyombo will turn into an unstoppable freight train later on. If his international play is indicative he'll certainly provide the effort. The main issue for the Blazers may be him landing in no-man's land, becoming a prospect just high enough to cost a legit player to get but not actually being worth that legit player. If they truly targeted him the Blazers could certainly get him but they'd need to love him.
Davis Bertans, 6'10" 210lb Small/Power Forward from Latvia
This guy has height, speed, and hops. He shoots incredibly well even for an international big guy. He's only 18 years old though. That means the prospects for him contributing immediately are small. At this point he'd get pushed around and mowed over in the NBA. But he'd instantly become the Blazers' brightest overseas prospect if selected. They'd likely let him percolate for a couple years and revisit the issue then. They'd love to see him stroking jumpers and running the court alongside Greg Oden if that ever panned out.
Darius Morris, 6'5" 190lb Sophomore Point Guard from Michigan
Height is a huge bonus for Morris and reasonable speed and strength accompany. He's got all the physical tools to make a point-guard dream come true. He can shoot from mid-range and in. He's pretty fearless and has learned to use his height to passing advantage. You'll not have to worry about him making something happen on the court. You might have to worry about him trying to make too much happen on the court, as his play borders on the reckless. His imagination often outstrips his skill. The jury is out on his defense but not on his outside shooting which pretty much blows. He'll need to add a long shot and maybe a couple pounds to make the best of those dreams come true. He's a guy who could make an intriguing high second-round grab.
Reggie Jackson, 6'3" 208lb Junior Point Guard from Boston College
Jackson has good size and length for a point guard, shoots incredibly well from everywhere on the court, can play some defense, and can score with the best of them. His physical strength doesn't quite match his size and there's some question whether he can really be a point guard at the next level. His ball-handling is so-so and his assist-to-turnover ratio was a wholly uninspiring 1.88 even in this, the best season of his career. It's quite possible the Blazers would end up with a 6'3" sort of scoring guard. If that's what they wanted, Jerryd Bayless was far better. But Jackson might merit a second-round look nevertheless.
Nolan Smith, 6'4" 190lb Senior Combo Guard from Duke
The Duke pedigree would be a big draw here. You know this guy knows how to play. Height is good if he's a point guard, bad if he's a two. He's a nice catch-and-shoot guy with just a touch of distance to his game, probably needing to develop more if he's going to be a Blazer. He scored 20 per game his senior year, drew 6 foul shots, but took over a quarter of his team's possessions to do so. He commits plenty of turnovers and his 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio is anemic. The big questions revolve around his ability to play point in the NBA. If he's the point guard of the future it might be a far future. He's another potential second-round pick Patty Mills replacement along with Jackson and Morris.
Kyle Singler, 6'9" 225lb Senior Combo Forward from Duke
The Duke pedigree is here too along with a local connection but the bottom line is that the guy isn't going to be enough of an athlete to play small forward nor enough of a rebounder to play power forward. His jumper isn't near good enough to make up the difference either way.
Be sure and chime in below with your thoughts about these prospects. Who would get you most excited? At what cost would you acquire them?
--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)