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Simmons: 2012 NBA Draft Diary Blazers Excerpts

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Bill Simmons of the pop culture, entertainment, fashion and sports website Grantland.com -- also known as "The Sports Guy" -- offers his reaction to the Portland Trail Blazers selections in his 2012 NBA Draft diary. ------------------------------- Questions asked in my living room after Portland's pick: "What conference is Damian Lillard from again?" … "Has any top-10 pick ever had more highlights that happened against white people?" … "Is it WEE-ber or Weh-ber?" … "Has anyone ever picked a backup point guard this high?" … "Did they just pick Jerryd Bayless again or am I crazy?" … "Are these highlights from Division I games?" (Answers: Big Sky … no … "Weh-ber" "Wee-ber" … yes, Jonny Flynn in 2009 … it's unclear … yes.) ... Like everyone else, I get nervous every time Portland spends a first-round pick on a center. It's like hearing that Larry King got married again. Poor Meyers Leonard. Jacoby thinks Portland drafted a white center to boost Damian Lillard's confidence during practices. House thinks Leonard should get the "highest insurance policy he can possibly get." I didn't mind the pick — at some point, Portland is going to draft a center who stays healthy for more than five years. I can feel it. ------------------------------- ed: text edited, bumped to front page