Blazer's Edge Selects UW's Robert Upshaw in SBNation Mock Draft

In the latest SBNation Mockup for Thursday's NBA Draft, Blazer's Edge selected Robert Upshaw, the center from the University of Washington.  I made the selection for BlazersEdge.

I targeted several other players, but my Top 4 were all selected before I had a chance to pick: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Pick 20), Justin Anderson (Pick 16), Montrezl Harrell (Pick 17), and R.J. Hunter (Pick 21).  Left with a choice between Delon Wright of Utah and Upshaw, I went with the former Husky.

As stated in my rationale for the pick, Upshaw is a fantastic player at a position of need for the Blazers.  While his behavioral issues that got him kicked off of two different college squads are a large red flag, he is only 21 years old and has time to work through his difficulties.  He led the NCAA in blocked shots before his dismissal (4.5 per game), and can easily be a Ben Wallace type player at the NBA level at the minimum.

While Wright is less of a risk than Upshaw, the reward is much smaller as well.  Wright's shot will need to be revamped to avoid being blocked, and his jumping ability is suspect for a player that lives on his jump shot.  He is a solid shooter, but has many other holes in his offensive game and consequently does not really have a place in the Blazers rotation, while Upshaw is an instant defensive upgrade over Joel Freeland and Chris Kaman.