The Blazers and the NBA Draft
Well, it's no secret that the Blazers are notorious for making bad draft-day decisions. Spurred by a comment on the previous post, I have created a list of who the Blazers should have (and could have) drafted in the past few years. Here you go:
2005 - 6th Pick - Martell Webster - Charlie Villanueva (UConn), Channing Frye (Arizona), hell, even Nate Robinson (Washington)
2004 - 13th Pick - Sebastian Telfair - Josh Smith (Oak Hill Academy), Jameer Nelson (Saint Joseph's)
2003 - 23rd Pick - Travis Outlaw - Josh Howard (Wake Forest), Kyle Korver (Creighton), Travis Outlaw (if we'd have played him, not sat him.)
2002 - 21st Pick - Qyntel Woods - Tayshaun Prince (Kentucky), Carlos Boozer (Duke)
2001 - 19th Pick - Zach Randolph - Gilbert Arenas (Arizona), Jamaal Tinsley (Iowa St.), Tony Parker (France). Zach was a good pick, but we could have had these guys!
And it all started in 1984:
1984 - 2nd Pick - Sam Bowie - Michael Jordan (North Carolina)
Well, I know I'll be watching intently to see who we pick up this year. Hopefully it won't be another addition to this list.
3 comments:
lets not forget that the blazers traded down to aquire two players (webster & jack) when we could have just as easily picked up chris paul, soon to be nba rookie of the year and future nba all star.
lets not forget that the blazers traded down to aquire both jarret jack and martel webster. if we were planning on getting another point guard after telfair y not chris paul soon to be nba rookie of the year and future nba all star.
To add to your case before I make my own point, in 2005 the Blazers traded down to the 6th pick, they held the third pick originally, and thus could have drafted superstar in the making, if he isn't already, Chris Paul.
Yes, the Blazers do have a penchant for taking high school players with high upside and athletic ability, but low polish. However, these players aren't bad, and neither are the picks. Yes, other players could have been better picks, but the real question is if they would have been better players if they stayed with the Blazers. I don't think the Blazers have a problem with identifying talent, I think they have a huge problem developing talent.
Look at Travis Outlaw, the guy is an athletic freak of nature. If he was given decent coaching and possible development, he could be a force, I truly believe a force capable of being one of the elites in the NBA. There is still time for him though, as he was a high school player, I believe this season would have been his senior year in college. Had he gone to college and developed an all around game, I think he could have been the top pick this year, he is just that freakishly athletic. However, under Maurice Cheeks (a truly horrible developmental and X's and O's coach, just look at how teams declined under him in Portland and now Philly) Outlaw and all the other high schoolers rode the bench and learned nothing of the NBA game.
Finally, I know the point about drafting Bowie over Jordan has been ridiculed for years, but I'm here to defend the logic (not the results) behind the pick. At the time, the Blazers already had Clyde Drexler (Mr. Blazer) at guard. As we all know, Drexler is a hall of famer (just not the caliber of MJ, but nobody is). The Blazers took Bowie because talented size (Bowie was a center, and for that matter Hakeem Olujuwon (sp?) was the first pick in that draft) always trumps any other position. A talented center is much more valuable to a team than a talented guard, at least that is the thinking in the NBA. No one could have predicted Bowie would flop due to injuries as badly as he did. Just think how many championships the Blazers would have won if Bowie had developed into the kind of player that Hakeem was, especially with Drexler playing along side. And who's to say that the Blazers wouldn't have totally screwed up Jordan, and thus deprived us all of the greatness of MJ.
Anyway, rambling aside, I actually believe the Blazers have a bright future ahead with an abundance of talent and a stern, brilliant coach in Nate McMillian. While it's easy to complain about the current state of the team (for God's sake, the second richest man in the world can't/won't keep them financially afloat) if the team stays in Portland, the future is bright indeed. I could see the Blazers winning 40ish games next year, as long as the talent they have is developed properly over the off season, and during the season itself. Get rid of malcontents like Miles, and even Randolph, and teach the youngsters to play the right way.
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