The Blazers have the #6 and #11 picks in the upcoming NBA draft on June 28th. What they do with these 2 picks could play a huge role in the rebuilding of this team for years to come. Brandon Roy is gone. Greg Oden is gone. Jamal Crawford and Raymond Felton will likely be gone too. The 2012/13 version of the Trail Blazers will be built around 4 players - Aldridge, Mathews, Batum, and probably JJ Hickson (assuming they give him a qualifying offer). And in my opinion, they should definitely bring Hickson back to be the 1st big man off the bench.
So, pretty clear the Blazers need a PG and a C. They might be able to land a rookie starter with the #6 and #11 picks. They could draft the small school phenom Damian Lillard at 6 and then pick either Meyers Leonard or Tyler Zeller at 11. Or they could go big first (take Andre Drummond at 6) and then grab Kendall Marshall from NC at 11. To me, Drummond will either be a DeAndre Jordan type Center or he will be a bust. And will the Blazers want to risk taking another Center at 6 only to have him turn out to be a bust? Can they handle that?
Another guy they may consider at 11 is Terrence Ross. The Washington Husky had a good season and I believe he's a Portland native so he'd be jacked to play in his home town. However, this may be too high to grab him. He's a perfect fit at SG for Minnesota if he lasts until 17. I just like the look of his game and think he will be a good NBA player one day.
So, the Blazers have their work cut out for them. They have 2 top 11 picks and both rookies should be able to make an impact right away. There are rumors that Charlotte wants to trade #2 and would consider taking PDX's 6 and 11 in exchange. If I'm Neil Oshey in PDX - I say no thanks - as I'm not sure there is a sure fire #2 player in this draft. I'd rather get 2 guys at 6 and 11 than the guy at #2. I've seen so many mock drafts now and there are about 3-4 guys being projected as the #2 pick.
The most recent mock draft I read had Charlotte taking Andre Drummond at #2. To me, this is a horrible idea. Charlotte was the worst team in the league last season. They can't score whatsoever. They already have defensive gem in the making Biyombo - so why would they draft Drummond (another projected defensive gem)? Again, Drummond is a monster - 6'11 and 280 pounds. He can apparently run like a gazelle. He's been compared to DeAndre Jordan and Amare Stoudamire. Who will he be? Well, to me, one red flag would be that he averaged a measly 10ppg and 7reb last year at UCONN. Hardly eye popping numbers. He also shot 29% from the Free Throw line. Is this really the guy Charlotte wants to draft at #2?? His college game and numbers don't scream NBA superstar. We'll see what happens...
Two other guys who I think are perfect fits for a team - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Harrison Barnes - are both perfect for Sacramento. They need a small forward and either of these guys would be perfect in my opinion. Will either one of them be available when the Kings pick at #5?
And who will win the NBA title?? Heat or Thunder? Either Lebron or Durant is getting their 1st ring. Whoever wins their 1st title jumps the ladder a few notches in the conversation of 'greatest ever'. Don't get me wrong -they have a long way to go to catch Michael Jordan and others who are already debated. But Lebron would have 3 MVP's and a ring and Durant is 23 years old and already has 3 scoring titles and would have his 1st ring!! The winner would suddenly enter the discussion as a 'great' player. I'm actually looking forward to watching the Finals for a change...
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