Thoughts On The Blazers' Draft Day

The Blazers had a pretty good day yesterday, albeit pretty busy and full of wheeling and dealing, but that's how the Blazers roll on draft day. When it was all said and done, we picked up Jerryd Bayless, some 19 year old French kid, and a bunch of future draft picks, got Ike Diogu, and saw Jarrett Jack, Josh McRoberts, and Brandon Rush go elsewhere. Chad Ford did a write up and gave each team grades, and I pretty much agree with everything he says about us. The Blazers got an A for the 3rd straight year, though it was an A-.

Here's what he said:

Portland Trail Blazers
Grade: A-
Round 1: Jerryd Bayless (11), Nicolas Batum (25)
Round 2: None

Analysis: For the third straight year, the Blazers walk away with an A in the draft. Portland GM Kevin Pritchard continues to be the most daring, creative and active GM in the league. If I were to use a draft term to describe him, I'd say he's got an amazing motor.

The Blazers had a prearranged deal with the Pacers to move up to No. 11 if D.J. Augustin or Bayless were on the board. After the draft, Pritchard told me they had Bayless ranked fourth on their board -- so that's great value at No. 11. As part of the trade, they also picked up Ike Diogu, an undervalued big man who has been injured a lot.

Pritchard also bought the No. 27 pick from the Hornets and traded up late in the first round to get another player he wanted, Nicolas Batum.

In the second round, Pritchard turned three second-round picks into four future picks. That works because, given the roster crunch of the Blazers, they just didn't have any room for more players now.

Bayless is an upgrade over the guy the Blazers lost in the trade, Jarrett Jack. Bayless is a better athlete and a much better shooter. If he develops his point guard skills, he could be a Chauncey Billups-type of point guard.

I'm not as high on Batum. The guy Pritchard traded away, Darrell Arthur, will probably be a much better NBA player. But some scouts believe Batum has great upside, and the Blazers felt he was worth the risk.

[via ESPN]