When you take a look at the following extended video clip, it’s important to understand exactly what the Portland Trail Blazers are trying to accomplish this season …
and just how remarkable it would be, if they can actually pull it off, considering that they are playing WITHOUT their:
1. Starting Center, i.e. Greg Oden;
2. Back-up Center, i.e. Joel Przybila; and,
3. Back-up Power Forward, i.e. Travis Outlaw;
completely, and with several other key players like their:
4. Starting Off Guard, i.e. Brandon Roy;
5. Starting Small Forward, i.e. Nicolas Batum; and,
6. Back-up Small Forward, i.e. Rudy Fernandez;
each having spent a fair number of games on the Inactive List this season, due to an assortment of different major and minor injuries.
in spite of also having to cope with the fact that their head coach, Nate McMillan, is still in ”recovery mode”, himself, from a torn achilles tendon injury, sustained when he stepped into practice earlier this season because the Blazers did not otherwise have enough “healthy” players on their roster to be able to conduct a full scale session.
If Portland can sustain their current level of performance … especially their present Points Allowed Ranking and Rebounding Differential Ranking … now that some of their walking wounded are finally beginning to return to good health, and make the Western Conference playoffs, then, there should be NO DOUBT, whatsoever, which coach should eventually receive this year’s Coach Of The Year Award, in the NBA.
Prior to the start of NBA training camps this fall, if someone had told you that the Portland Trail Blazers would suffer the following list of injuries to key personnel:
Nicloas Batum, SF - Out for seaon, shoulder surgery
Travis Outlaw, PF - Out for season, foot surgery
Rudy Fernandez - Out indefinitely, back surgery
Greg Oden, C - Out for season, knee surgery
Nate McMillan, HC - Out indefinitely, achilles surgery
Joel Przybilla, C - Out for season, knee surgery
all before December 24, 2009 … and, yet,
their Won-Loss Record would still be 18-12/.600 [2nd, Northwest Division; 6th [tied], Western Conference],
it will simply be astounding, if the Blazers are able to compete effectively in their match-up this evening with the San Antonio Spurs, and then for the remainder of this season.
Whatever “deal with the devil” Paul Allen [owner] and Kevin Pritchard [GM] may have made, in regard to the ridiculous level of NBA talent which Portland has been able to assemble on its roster over the last few seasons, surely, cannot possibly be worth the degree of adversity their franchise is having to endure this season … could it?
If the Blazers can somehow make it through this season without falling aparat, completely … it says here that the old adage which goes like this:
“That which doesn’t kill you only serves to make you stronger.” - Anonymous
will never have been more accurate/true for any other franchise in the storied history of the NBA.
There’s a world-class champion incubating in the Pacific Northwest … if it can just manage to successfully navigate these incredibly turbulent waters this season.
In response to a most interesting article by David Berri …
The Impact of Losing Greg Oden The primary purpose of this post was to highlight how good Oden had played this season (to see how good, please read the post). Certainly it’s possible that the Blazers could overcome this loss. But it seems fairly likely that Portland’s season is not going to go quite as well as I thought earlier this year.
——————————————–
1. The Blazers were NEVER going to be the best team in the West this season.
2. The Blazers’ overall development arc, as “one of the best teams in the West”, will involve a wider sweep than just 2 or 3 seasons.
3. The problems with this year’s Blazers [at least, so far] this season were not rooted in the play of Greg Oden but in the following list of developments from the last 6 months:
i. Unnecessarily soliciting the services of Hedo Turkoglu [SF/Orlando who eventually signed with Toronto as an UFA], which upset/disrupted the flow they had been developing with Travis Outlaw [PF-SF] and Rudy Fernandez [SF-OG-PG];
ii. Unnecessarily signing a superfluous, ball-dominating PG, like Andre Miller [as an UFA/Philadelphia];
iii. The protracted contract extension negotiations with Brandon Roy [OG-PG-SF] and LaMarcus Aldridge [PF-C]; and,
iv. Re-integrating Martell Webster [OG-SF], a top 8 player, returning from an injury-lost season, into their everyday rotation.
v. The injury sufferred by Nicolas Batum [SF-OG], a long and athletic player who can Defend and Rebound at his specific positions;
vi. The injury sufferred by Travis Outlaw [PF-SF], an under-sized but very versatile and effective player who can: A. take/make big [jump] shots [catch & shoots, plus pull-ups] in the 4th quarter; B. Defend, at the #3/SF or #4/PF with good length and athleticism; and, C. Rebound, at the #/SF or #4/PF position with good length and athleticism.
vii. The long term effects of the “health scare” which their owner, Paul Allen, had last season, that artificially “pushed forward” the team’s perceived “development arc” this past summer in a way which their team was unprepared to cope with at this time … i.e. trying to “win now [!]” instead of gradually continuing their “incremental build-up” over an extended number of years [5-7?].
If Kevin Pritchard truly understands what’s been happening with his squad this season, from a team-building standpoint, then, what he’ll do now is:
I. Not try to “replace” Oden from outside his current group of players;
II. Continue to repair their internal relationships with Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Rudy Fernandez;
III. Move Andre Miller for another better-fitting asset, asap;
IV. Allow his group of Core Players to continue to grow together organically … while integrating this off-season’s main additions from the 2009 NBA Draft, i.e. Dante Cunningham [PF-SF], Patrick Mills [PG] and Jeff Pendergraph [PF].
If Kevin Pritchard does things things and then simply waits on the eventual return of Greg Oden … what he’ll have on his hands, 2 seasons from now, is a fully grown team that is ready, willing and able to challenge the Lakers, as the No. 1 outfit in the West, just as Kobe Bryant’s “development arc” is finally beginning to flow downwards its end-point.
On the other hand …
If Kevin Pritchard does not understand these things about the state of his own team, then, what he’ll do instead is “continue to try and rush” the Blazers through this key stage of their “upward arc” … which involves “learning how to lose before learning how to win”, just like Jordan’ Bulls and Zeke’s Pistons and Hakeem’s Rockets and Robinson’s [and Duncan’s] Spurs and Shaq/Kobe’s Lakers each went through before emerging as multiple-time league champions … then what he’ll do is make the WRONG MOVE at the WRONG TIME and end up blowing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which has come his way in Portland, i.e. to construct one of the NBA’s all-time great franchises with the likes of [youngsters] Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Travis Outlaw, Martell Webster, Rudy Fernandez, Nicolas Batum, Jerryd Bayless, Dante Cunningham, Patrick Mills, Jeff Prendergraph and [a healthy] GREG ODEN, plus [oldsters] Joel Przybilla [C], Steve Blake [PG] and Juwan Howard [PF].
The ball is in Kevin Pritchard’s court.
For the Blazers’ sake, it’s important that he doesn’t drop it.
PS. FWIW … Please know that ”curses” do not exist in pro sports. Poor decision-making skills - e.g. bringing injured players back too soon, acquiring ill-fitting players, trying to speed up the development process, etc. - on the other hand, can be found in abundance.
“A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.”
- Lao Tzu
——————————
Portland 122, Chicago 98: Everything falls into place for Blazers For a night, at least, order was restored within the Trail Blazers. Brandon Roy was back at shooting guard and controlling the pace and precision of the offense. Andre Miller, steadfastly saying he is accepting the reins of the second unit, played perhaps as hard and determined as he has all season. And the inside combination of Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge was dominant like never before.
The Blazers didn’t just beat Chicago on Monday, they overpowered them — dunking over, cutting through and stepping all over the Bulls during a 122-98 victory in front of 20,383 at the Rose Garden, its 79th consecutive sellout.
“A number of things are just starting to come together,” said Roy, who had 18 points and seven assists despite sitting the final eight minutes. “I think guys are back in their natural positions and we sensed that we have to get this going, too.”
Oden tied his career high with 24 points to go along with 12 rebounds, and Aldridge recorded his fifth double double of the season, finishing with 24 points and 13 rebounds. While the Blazers’ big men helped create a 50-32 advantage in points in the paint, the perimeter duo of Roy and Miller (16 points, five assists) not only flourished in separate units, they also thrived when they played together.
——————————
Building a championship calibre organization in the NBA is about making small steps forward each and every day … not swinging for the fences.
Although their individual games are different, Dante Cunningham [2008 No. 33, overall, Draft Pick, PF, 230] does share a number of similar traits with a certain “sleeper pick” from last summer’s NBA Draft, i.e. Luc Richard Mbah A Moute [2008 No. 37, overall, Draft Pick, PF, 230].
———————————
Trail Blazers Sign Dante Cunningham “We are really excited about the versatility and determination Dante brings to our team,” said Pritchard. “Dante had a great summer league and we believe he has the potential to become a very good player in this league.”
Selected by the Trail Blazers with the 33rd overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Cunningham led Portland’s 2009 NBA Summer League entry with 18.3 points to go with a team second-best 5.8 rebounds and 1.50 steals in four games (all starts).
———————————
Do not expect Cunningham to be a major influence on this year’s Blazers’ team, given the overall depth of talent on their roster, but keep your eye fixed on his development, as a rookie with considerable upside, whenever he does get a chance to see some live action coming off the bench for Portland.
A solid rebounder and interior defender already … similar to the under-sized LRMAM … Cunningham is also a capable interior scorer, with an emerging mid-range game and a very good work ethic, who should be able to expand his offensive repertoire over the next few seasons, become a solid NBA player, and make a great many NBA GM’s regret passing on him in this year’s Draft.
Prior to last night’s proceedings, these 15 individuals were identified by this corner as players who could have given the Toronto Raptors what they need, at this moment in time, heading towards a long term future [A] with or [B] without Chris Bosh:
Al-Farouq Aminu [6-9, 215, SF/PF, Wake Forest, now unavailable]
Tyreke Evans [6-6, 219, PG/OG, Memphis]
DeMar DeRozan [6-7, 220, OG/SF, USC] Earl Clark [6-10, 226, PF, Louisville] Derrick Brown [6-8, 225, SF, Xavier]
Terrence Williams [6-6, 213, OG, Louisville]
Wayne Ellington [6-5, 202, OG, UNC] Danny Green [6-6, 208, OG/SF, UNC]
Sam Young [6-6, 223, SF, Pittsburgh] Marcus Thorton [6-4, 194, OG, LSU]
Tyler Hansbrough [6-9, 234, PF, UNC]
Taj Gibson [6-10, 214, PF, USC] Dante Cunningham [6-8, 227, PF/SF, Villanova]
Tyler Smith [6-6, 212, OG, Tennessee, now unavailable] Nando De Colo [6-5, 190, OG, France]
This is what happened last night with each of those 15 players::
Al-Farouq Aminu. Withdrew from consideration; back to Wake Forest.
Tyler Smith. Withdrew from consideration; back to Tennessee.
Tyreke Evans. SACRAMENTO/No. 4, selected by Geoff Petrie.
DeMar DeRozan. Player the Raptors/No. 9 wanted all along.
Earl Clark. PHOENIX/No. 14, selected by Steve Kerr.
Derrick Brown. CHARLOTTE/No. 40, selected by M-Jordan/L-Brown.
Terrence Williams. NEW JERSEY/No. 11., selected by R-Thorn/K-Vandeweghe.
Wayne Ellington. MINNESOTA/No. 28, selected by David Kahn
Sam Young. MEMPHIS/No. 36, selected by Chris Wallace.
Danny Green. CLEVELAND/No. 46, selected by Danny Ferry.
Marcus Thorton. MIAMI/No. 43, selected by Pat Riley [traded to New Orleans-Jeff Bower/Byron Scott].
Tyler Hansbrough. INDIANA/No. 13, selected by Larry Bird.
Taj Gibson. CHICAGO/No. 26, selected by J-Paxson/G-Forman.
Dante Cunningham. PORTLAND/No. 33, selected by Kevin Pritchard.
Nando De Colo. SAN ANTONIO/N. 53, selected by RC Buford/G-Popovich.
———-
1. Over the next few seasons, it is going to be most interesting to watch the development of these 15 players.
2. The Charlotte Bobcats [37-45] are gradually building a very solid team:
* Adding Gerald Henderson [OG] and Derrick Brown [SF] last night
* Trading for Boris Diaw [PF-SF], Raja Bell [OG], Vladimir Radmanovic [SF-PF] and DeSagana Diop [C} last season
* Drafting DJ Augustin [PG] & Alex Ajinca [C} last year
* Re-signing Gerald Wallace [SF-PF] last year
* Re-signing Emeka Okafor [C-PF] 2 years ago
3. There’s a very good reason the same names keep popping up when the Larry O’Brien Trophy is awarded, in June, to the NBA Champions.
Update:
* Marcus Thorton has subsequently been traded to the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for two future 2nd Round Draft Picks [i.e. 2010 & 2012].
[PLEASE NOTE: This is a link to a radio interview from Jun 17, 2009 which every Raptors fan should listen to, as it deals with Thursday's NBA Draft, the acquisition of Reggie Evans and the team's POV re: Chris Bosh.]
From the perspective of this corner, however, by doing so … they will, once again, be throwing away another golden opportunity to build their team into a legitimate long term contender for a Top 4 spot in the Eastern Conference, by not trading down to a Middle or Lower Spot in the 1st Round, while acquiring an additional pick in the 2nd Round, in a classic two-for-one scenario.
Q1.Why does this year’s Draft qualify as such an occasion?
A1. Because the players who fit best with what Toronto needs right now, as well as looking down-the-road a piece … possibly, to a life without Chris Bosh … are not perceived by others to be worthy of selection in the No. 9 position but will most likely be available in the Middle or the Lower section of the 1st Round, and/or in the 2nd Round.
Derrick Brown is a player with a tonne of NBA ability, at the Wing position, who should be there for the Raptors in the Middle of the 1st Round.
———-
Xavier’s Brown has been coming on the last few weeks, benefitting from long arms (a 7-2 1/2 wingspan) good workouts up and down the first round, and the pedigree of bigs that Xavier has produced for NBA teams, including Brian Grant, Aaron Williams, Tyrone Hill, James Posey and David West. He’s active — “bouncy,” one personnel man says.
“Sometimes, kids get better and I think he’s one of the kids that’s grown with the process,” said a Northwest Division executive. “He’s been able to expand his game a little bit and show some of the things he couldn’t show at Xavier.”
———-
Derrick Brown would fill their need for an immediate ”starter” who can score the ball, rebound his position and defend with solid athleticism and considerable length.
Derrick Brown
SEASON
MIN
PTS
REB
AST
TO
A/T
STL
BLK
PF
FG%
FT%
3P%
PPS
2005-2006
Did not play.
2006-2007
16.9
6.3
4.1
.8
1.1
.69
.5
.6
2.5
.706
.700
.500
1.96
2007-2008
28.1
10.9
6.5
1.7
1.9
.90
.9
.8
2.5
.609
.706
.344
1.66
2008-2009
29.5
13.7
6.1
1.9
1.7
1.11
.7
.9
2.5
.504
.741
.433
1.42
For the number crunchers …
Q2.When you look at these simple game stats, what do you see?
A2. A player who shot 43.3% from behind the arc last season … shooting three times as many treys than the year before [in which he shot three times as many as he did his first year in college] … scored at a solid rate of 1.42 PPS [i.e. higher than DeMar DeRozan and Tyreke Evans], and improved his Ast:TO each of his 3 seasons at Xavier University.
[PLEASE NOTE: Players who are capable of doing THIS, and reach the point where their ratio is above 1.00 have a HIGH Basketball IQ.]
In conjunction with his outstanding Wingspan, his solid vertical & lateral agility scores, his ability to do THIS:
on a regular basis, and the fact that he conducts himself like THIS:
when dealing with the media in a first-class way … say that this young man, Derrick Brown, “Is ready” to play in the NBA, right away.
================================================
When you couple a player like Derrick Brown with a:
Taj Gibson [late 1st Rounder, early 2nd Round, Horace Grant type] Dante Cunningham [late 1st Rounder, early 2nd Round, James Worthy type] Danny Green [2nd Round, Bruce Bowen type] Marcus Thornton [2nd Round, Mitch Richmond type], or Nando De Colo [2nd Round, Manu Ginobili type]
you are talking about a serious increase in FIRST-CLASS athletic ability and NBA skill level that can immediately elevate the Quality Depth on the Raptors’ roster to the point where they could contend with the likes of Boston and Cleveland and Orlando, etc., in the not-too-distant future, either:
A. If Chris Bosh re-signs with their team;
OR,
B. If Chris Bosh is traded [for comparable parts] and Andrea Bargnani continues to improve, as their Center, moving forward from that point.
———-
The ball’s been placed in Bryan’s Colangelo’s hands … for the sake of loyal Raptors fans everywhere … let’s hope that he doesn’t drop it, again.
Welcome to the 2009 edition of ‘Match the Stats’ [re: Raptors' possible draftees].
This is your friendly DraftMaster, khandor.
Now … Whoooooooooo’s ready to play?
———-
The names of 15 players who at one time this spring were eligible for Thursday’s [June 25] NBA Draft:
Nando De Colo [6-5, 190, OG, France]
Earl Clark [6-10, 226, PF, Louisville]
Terrence Williams [6-6, 213, OG, Louisville]
Marcus Thorton [6-4, 194, OG, LSU]
Tyreke Evans [6-6, 219, PG/OG, Memphis]
Sam Young [6-6, 223, SF, Pittsburgh]
Wayne Ellington [6-5, 202, OG, UNC]
Danny Green [6-6, 208, OG/SF, UNC]
Tyler Hansbrough [6-9, 234, PF, UNC]
Tyler Smith [6-6, 212, OG, Tennessee, now unavailable]
DeMar DeRozan [6-7, 220, OG/SF, USC]
Taj Gibson [6-10, 214, PF, USC]
Dante Cunningham [6-8, 227, PF/SF, Villanova]
Al-Farouq Aminu [6-9, 215, SF/PF, Wake Forest, now unavailable]
Derrick Brown [6-8, 225, SF, Xavier]
The 1st year statistics for these 15 players, at the college level, in random order.
Toronto Raptors
2009 NBA Draft Prospects
1st Year at the College Level
PLAYER
MIN
PTS
REB
AST
TO
A/T
STL
BLK
PF
FG%
FT%
3P%
PPS
1
29.0
12.9
8.2
1.5
2.6
.57
1.0
1.2
2.6
.516
.671
.179
1.42
2
16.9
6.3
4.1
.8
1.1
.69
.5
.6
2.5
.706
.700
.500
1.96
3
16.0
5.9
3.8
.4
.8
.50
.7
.4
1.2
.480
.597
.370
1.28
4
19.1
2.2
4.0
.8
.8
.96
.8
.6
2.4
.468
.394
.000
1.15
5
28.2
14.7
3.6
3.3
3.6
.92
1.0
0.1
2.8
.444
.875
.352
1.31
6
33.4
13.9
5.7
1.5
2.1
.70
.9
.4
2.1
.523
.646
.167
1.32
7
23.9
11.7
2.9
2.1
1.2
1.68
.8
.0
1.3
.433
.836
.371
1.17
8
29.0
17.1
5.4
3.9
3.6
1.08
2.1
.8
2.4
.455
.711
.274
1.25
9
32.4
12.2
8.7
1.5
2.9
.51
.5
1.9
3.0
.558
.623
.000
1.45
10
15.3
7.5
3.7
1.1
1.3
.80
.7
1.0
1.6
.433
.792
.355
1.24
11
30.4
18.9
7.8
1.3
2.5
.52
1.2
.7
2.8
.570
.739
.500
1.68
12
33.7
14.9
4.9
3.6
3.0
1.21
1.5
.3
2.5
.442
.727
.254
1.17
13
33.6
19.6
5.6
1.4
2.2
.62
1.4
.3
2.0
.436
.817
.377
1.25
14
25.1
8.4
4.7
2.1
1.7
1.23
1.0
.3
1.8
.391
.612
.310
1.05
15
20.4
7.9
4.4
.8
1.5
.56
.7
.6
1.4
.521
.693
.190
1.39
Legend:MIN – Minutes Played; PTS – Points; REB – Rebounds; AST – Assists, TO – Turnovers; A/T – Assist to Turnover Ratio; STL – Steals; BLK – Blocked Shots; PF – Personal Fouls; FG% - Field Goal Percentage; FT% - Free Throw Percentage; 3P% - Three Point Shooting Percentage; PPS – Points Per Shot.
Your assignment comes in two parts:
PART ONE Rank the individual stat lines [according to their assigned number in the left-hand column] in the specific order which you feel best addresses the Raptors’ needs.
PART TWO
Match the individual stat lines [according to their assigned number in the left-hand column] with the correct Player’s Name from the list of fifteen provided above.
Once complete … you will then be ready to enter the Raptors’ War Room on Thursday night with your own version of ‘Raptors Match the Stats’:
[which should look something like this]
Raptors Match the Stats
Rank
No.
PLAYER’S NAME
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
11th
12th
13th
14th
15th
[NOTE: Interested persons are invited to submit their own version of 'Raptors Match the Stats' in the "comments" section.]
————————————————————
According to NBA.com’s 2009 NBA Draft: Consensus Mock Draft, the players most likely to be selected by the Raptors are Tyreke Evans or DeMar Derozan, each of whom was a college freshman this past season. Do you think these two players actually have the individual stat lines that Best Fit what the Raptors need from this year’s pool of draftees?
Go ahead and play ‘Match the Stats’ … and, you will soon find out!
The answer might surprise you.
[or, maybe not ... depending on what your impression is of the Raptors' Draft Record, in the Bryan Colangelo era.]
PART I
Bryan Colangelo could succeed in re-signing Shawn Marion to a reasonable contract extension this summer?
PART II
Bryan Colangelo could trade down from the No. 9 position in the 2009 NBA Draft … in exchange for a lower 1st Round selection and an additional 2nd Round selection
PART III
Bryan Colangelo buys an additional pick in the lower section of the 1st Round [i.e. $3.0 M acquired in the trade with Miami this past season].
———-
Here might be one plausible scenario for other Raptors fans to consider:
With Chris Bosh [#1] they are set at the Starting C position [please envision him at 6-10, 250, once he reaches 27 years of age].
With Jose Calderon [#2] they are set at the Starting PG position.
With the combination of Shawn Marion [#3] & Reggie Evans [#8] they are set at the PF position.
With Anthony Parker [#6] they are set at the Back-up PG/OG position.
With Joey Graham [#7] they are set at the Back-up SF position.
With Andrea Bargnani [#9] they are set at the Back-up C position.
With Roko Ukic [#10] they are set at the Back-up-to-the-Back-up PG position.
With Carlos Delfino [#11] they are set at the Utility Guard-Wing position.
With Kris Humphries [#12] they are set at the Utility Big Man position.
With Marcus Banks [#13] they are set at the Extra Guard-Wing Position.
With Patrick O’Bryant [#15] they are set at the Back-up-to-the-Back-up C position.
#4 - the Starting SF position then gets filled by the traded down for 1st Round pick [e.g. Derrick Brown?].
#5 - the Starting OG position then gets filled by the additional 2nd Round pick acquired thru the trade down [e.g. Marcus Thornton or Nando De Colo?]
#14 -the Extra SF-PF position then gets filled by the bought 1st Round pick [e.g. Taj Gibson or Dante Cunningham?]
… in which case there might be no need to trade [A] Chris Bosh or [B] Andrea Bargnani this summer, with the following line-up:
STARTERS
Jose Calderon, PG Marcus Thorton [or Nando De Colo], OG Derrick Brown, SF
Shawn Marion, PF
Chris Bosh, C
KEY ROTATION SUBS
Anthony Parker, PG/OG
Joey Graham, SF [or Carlos Delfino, OG/SF] Reggie Evans, PF Andrea Bargnani, C
SITUATIONAL/EXTRA PLAYERS
Roko Ukic, PG
Marcus Banks, PG/OG
Carlos Delfino, OG/SF [or Joey Graham, SF] Taj Gibson [or Dante Cunningham], SF-PF
Kris Humphries, PF/C
Patrick O’Bryant, C
Bold - New Athletic Young Player added via 2009 NBA Draft Bolded Italics - New Veteran Player added via trade this off season Italics - Existing Player shifted to a different role this season
heading into training camp for the 2009-2010 season … provided that Quincy Douby, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Jake Voskuhl and Nathan Jawai are each given their release.
Could THAT team of 15 players eventually become a legitimate threat to contend for a Top 4 playoff spot in the Eastern Conference by the end of next season? … at which point Andrea Bargnani will be due to have his contract extended and Chris Bosh will be in a position to opt out of his existing contract, in a move toward unrestricted free agency.
Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest [unfortunately, unavailable]
Danny Green [6-6, 208, OG/SF, UNC]
Dante Cunningham [6-8, 227, PF/SF, Villanova]
Derrick Brown [6-8, 225, SF, Xavier]
Earl Clark [6-10, 226, PF, Louisville]
Marcus Thorton [6-4, 194, OG, LSU]
Nando De Colo [6-5, 190, OG, France]
Sam Young [6-6, 223, SF, Pittsburgh]
Taj Gibson [6-10, 214, PF, USC]
Terrence Williams [6-6, 213, OG, Louisville]
Tyler Hansbrough [6-9, 234, PF, UNC]
Tyler Smith [6-6, 212, OG, Tennessee]
Wayne Ellington [6-5, 202, OG, UNC]
* None of whom should be traded up for *
————————————————————-
In conjunction with:
I. Shifting Chris Bosh back to the Center position;
II. Trading Andrea Bargnani;
and,
III. Trading Shawn Marion.
————————————————————-
After Blake Griffin [PF], Ricky Rubio [PG] and Stephen Curry [PG] … there is quick-sand everywhere in this year’s draft which needs to be avoided, if possible.
