There is a desperate need to fill the void left behind by 2007 number 1 draft pick, Greg Oden. The Portland Trail Blazers will look to address the situation this offseason. That could be through the draft or free agency, or possibly both.
There is one center on the roster for next season. Kurt Thomas is a guy that is on their roster who can come in and play at center or power forward. Last year he played well to start, but as the season progressed, his game declined. I believe that he should retire. He is the oldest player in the NBA and he obviously couldn’t make it through the compressed short season.
If the Blazers choose to bring back Joel Przybilla in a back-up role, that’s fine, but they need to go out and get someone who can start. So, let me go over some options for the Blazers in both the upcoming draft and free agency.
The draft is just a week away. The Blazers will have a few choices in every position with both of their first round picks, as well as their second round picks. For centers, here are three guys they could look to take in the first round.
Andre Drummond – Connecticut: As I have stated in a recent column leading up to this one, there are five guys that are considered top-5 picks (outside of Anthony Davis of course). The five are Thomas Robinson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrest, Bradley Beal, Harrison Barnes, and this guy, Andre Drummond. One of these guys will in fact fall to 6. For me, I have been hoping for that player to be Drummond. I still do, but the more I look into this draft, the more I think about why the Blazers should pass on him.
I do like the idea of Drummond and LaMarcus down low for the next coming years. Drummond may not be ready to start now, but give him a season or two and he should be ready to take that next step. He has great athleticism and speed for his size. He has great shot blocking ability and is a force to reckon with down low. He can definitely alter shots with his length and alter decisions with his presence. He also has the strength to play against some of the biggest guys in the NBA. He does a good job of using his athleticism to play around the rim.
There are some weaknesses, though. He is very raw offensively. In a set offense he will be a non-threat early in his career. He doesn’t position himself well when rebounding. Boxing out is something you’re supposed to learn when you first start organized basketball (middle school to high school level). Maybe he was so tall and athletic that he didn’t need to. It worked okay in college for him, but in the NBA that is something he needs to make a habit. Also, there are the motor issues – does he have the competitiveness to be consistent?
Overall, just off sheer athleticism and size, he should be considered if he falls to the Blazers with the 6th pick.
Tyler Zeller – North Carolina: There is something about Zeller that steers me the wrong way. I think it might be the fact that his brother is better than him. His brother, Cody, out of Indiana, chose to return to college for next year. Zeller has his strengths and some weakness just like any of these guys.
Unlike Drummond, Zeller knows how to position himself to get rebounds and Zeller does a good job of doing so. Zeller also has great hands, and good touch on his shot. He also runs the court very well, but all three of these guys do. Zeller is the better offensive player right now. He is also considered to be the safest pick as far as centers go.
On the other hand, he can improve his strength, which many believe that he has a good frame to do so. He isn’t the most physical guy on either side of the ball – he is more of a finesse player in my opinion. As far as a center goes, I would like to see the Blazers go after someone who is willing to be more physical and really get after it in the paint. I don’t see that in Zeller.
Meyers Leonard – Illinois: Leonard has been shooting up mock drafts with impressive workouts over the past few weeks. When he entered the draft, he was believed to fall around 20. Now, he has moved into a possible lottery pick. I like him more than Zeller if there is the opportunity to take either guy with the 11th pick – and if Drummond is not selected.
Leonard is two years younger than Zeller, and has nearly the same frame. He is also believed to be able to add muscle. This is something Leonard has touched on in an interview I watched. He is a guy who loves the game, and plays with passion. He has been considered to be emotional on the court. Sometimes that is a good thing, you want someone to play with emotion and heart. But you don’t want it to get to their head. He has let things get to his head, hopefully this is something that can improve with maturity.
He has the willingness to get better every day – he plans to work at getting stronger and better offensively. He actually likes playing down low more than other centers in the draft and also doesn’t mind a physical game. This is what attracts me to him more than Zeller. He can do some of the same things as Zeller – just not as good offensively. He runs the floor well and he can step out and knock down jumpers. Leonard is a little more athletic. He is more of a defensive minded player as well. He thrives on being able to play defense and block shots.
Even if the Blazers draft one of these three centers with their first round pick they may still need to pick up another through free agency. None of these guys are going to be much of a factor in their first season. However, they do have great potential and could become solid players for years to come. Zeller is more likely to be a solid contributor from the start.
Here are a few free agents they could look to sign. The most notable free agents are restricted free agents Roy Hibbert and Brook Lopez. Lopez will likely be in trade rumors as a sign and trade to improve the New Jersey Nets chances of retaining star point guard, Deron Williams. I don’t see them letting him go. Hibbert will also be tough to get as well. Hibbert has made huge strides over the past season. His performance(s) in the playoffs was outstanding.
I like the idea of bringing in a guy like Chris Kaman for a couple years while giving some time to develop a draft pick. Kaman has fought through some injuries over the past couple of seasons. He can still come in and get double-double numbers when he is healthy. Injuries isn’t something teams want to plan for, but in case of injury, the Blazers could hopefully bring in either a rookie at center, or if we resign Hickson, he could come in and LaMarcus could move over to center.
Spencer Hawes is a guy who could come in and play that role as well. He is younger too. He might work better to have a big man in place in case of a draft bust, like Oden. Spencer isn’t extremely talented, but he gets the job done and brings some more recent playoff experience (Kaman played in 11 games in the 05’-06’ season – his only trip to the postseason, and, with the 76ers, Hawes has played in the last two postseasons).
Going back to the draft, I would like to cover a second round option. I will just touch on one guy. Kyle O’Quinn. I have seen him listed as both a center and power forward. I talked a little bit about him in the power forward preview. He is a solid presence down on the block and I believe he will be able to stick on an NBA roster. He will come in and work hard and push others in practice as he tries to get better. The Blazers could look to grab him with either the 40th or 41st pick.
There is one other guy the Blazers could be looking at. That guy is power forward/center Joel Freeman, who was drafted by the Blazers in 2006 with the 30th pick. GM Neil Olshey has stated that he will be traveling to Houston, where Freeland will be in town with the Great Britain national team. He will then evaluate whether Freeland is ready to make that next step in playing for the NBA.
Whatever the case may be, this team desperately needs to address the center position. They need someone who can provide solid minutes, someone who can rebound, play defense, and maybe even take some pressure off LaMarcus offensively. I don’t see a person that can be a for sure in free agency, so they will need to take a center with one of those first round picks.
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