Wednesday’s NBA Draft Lottery was a pretty hopeful night for the Portland Trail Blazers. While they didn’t beat the odds and score the number one pick, meaning Anthony Davis, they did score the number six and eleven picks in the first round. The Brooklyn Nets were selected to have the sixth pick in the draft and had to give it up to Portland due to the Gerald Wallace trade. While trading away Wallace was hard to deal with, a number six pick in the draft is pretty nice. The number eleven pick was granted to Portland as their normal pick in the draft. I guess that’s the Blazers reward for a miserable ending to their 2011-2012 season. These two picks, on top of a tenth and eleventh pick in the second round, can help fill some voids in the lineup, either by trading the picks or using them. However this won’t be decided until Paul Allen decides on who should be GM. Whoever becomes Portland’s new General Manager, he/she will be making these critical decisions soon, with June 28th’s NBA Draft coming up quick.
I personally think keeping most of the picks and going for some young talent should help out the Blazers. By selecting Greg Oden and passing up on Jordan, Portland can’t screw up as bad as they have before. There’s definitely a need for a good starting center on the Blazers’ roster. Oden was a joke, Camby is gone, and Joel Pryzbilla is old and not a starter. It’s a definite need for Portland to draft a center that can consistently play and be a presence down low. Tyler Zeller seems like a real tempting sixth pick, so does Jared Sullinger. It’s sort of a toss-up but ultimately, I feel it’s Zeller who wins. Zeller is 7′ tall and very quick for a center. While Sullinger is much stronger than Zeller, he is only 6’10”. Sullinger went to Ohio State, the lovely school that brought us the incredible Greg Oden. Zeller went to North Carolina on the other hand, where that one guy went, you know, the one the Blazers passed on in the 1984 draft? I know these are weird conclusions to draw, but I’d rather give a UNC player a shot than another Buckeye a shot. Let’s not pass up on another Tar Heel, or draft another busted Buckeye.
UConn’s Andre Drummond is another highly sought after big man in the draft. I don’t see him getting drafted by Portland however. Either someone else will grab him prior to Portland, or the Blazers will see too many flaws in his game to draft him. For one, he is still only 18 years old while Zeller is 22 and Sullinger is 20. This brings up speculation of if Drummond can be healthy consistently, especially with how huge his body is. Another problem with Drummond is that he shot only 28% from the free throw line last year. That’s just terrible and not something you want on your team, I mean Shaq shot twice as good as that from the line! Zeller and Sullinger both shot roughly 75% from the line last year. All of this being said, I think the Blazers should try to get Zeller with their eleventh pick. He would be the best fit; he brings size and scoring and could help rev up Portland’s offense with his speed.
Portland’s other big need on the court is a point guard that can run the offense effectively as well as bettering everyone around him offensively. Raymond Felton let just about everybody down last year with his lackluster play, especially his field goal percentage. Felton won’t be a Blazer this fall and hopefully his replacement will sparkle at the point. Look for Portland to try and sign a free agent point guard this offseason. They won’t nab Deron Williams or even Steve Nash, but hopefully they can grab Goran Dragic. Dragic proved himself in the second half of the regular season when he finally got his opportunity. He replaced injured Kyle Lowry at point guard and was able to start and get big minutes, shredding many defenses in the processes. Even with a proven NBA guard like Dragic, the Blazers will still need to draft a point guard. Either Weber State’s Damian Lillard, or UNC’s Kendall Marshall will most likely be available with the number six draft pick. These guys have two very different style but are very effective at what they do.
Damian Lillard is an electrifying scorer that can carry a load offensively for his team due to his versatile style. He can shoot the three, create space with a good step back and a wicked jump shot, especially off the dribble. Lillard was Weber State’s main scorer, which prohibited him from working on or proving his passing game as much. It wasn’t his job to set other players up as much as it was to create shots himself. Marshall, on the other hand, is the opposite of Lillard, with a weak scoring game and an incredible passing game. Marshall will rack up the assists wherever he goes and if he continues playing like he has, he will rarely turn the ball over. He spaces the floor very well and knows how to run an offense. That being said, he avoids shooting the ball and when he does shoot, it’s usually a poor percentage. Ideally, Marshall could play back-up for Goran Dragic and not need to be relied on so much to score while learning some things from his teammate. Lillard would definitely wow some people if he did end up playing in the Rose Garden, but a passing guard is more necessary than a scoring guard for the Blazers right now. Batum, Matthews, Aldridge, and others will be able to score plenty of points next year, so why not have them score more? Better passes and better execution of plays is what Portland needs in a point guard. Marshall over Lillard seems like a logical decision for the team’s future but who knows, Lillard could be the next Russell Westbrook.
The 2012 NBA Draft will be somewhat unpredictable like many in the past and it will take years to really see who scored and who screwed up in the draft. Picking two UNC teammates could be a great idea or it may not be. It also might not happen at all; the Blazers may have their eyes set on a certain pick, only to have the team before them draft that pick. Zeller and Marshall are just who I would pick if I was GM. I’m not a UNC fan, I just like their style of play more than the other guards and centers that they’re up against. Great passing and a more run and gun style of play could be a good new look for Rip City basketball. Let’s hope all this disbanding and changing of the Blazers’ players and staff worked out for the best. Draft day will be a very buzz worthy day in Portland sports; hopefully it just won’t lead to any more jokes in this town, like “Oden in 08′, Worth the Wait”.
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