tlongII
05-27-2010, 05:55 PM
http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=127490606158276100
The Trail Blazers own the 22nd and 44th picks in the June 24 NBA draft.
In the four weeks left before the draft, that could change. Yahoo.com reports that Portland is trying to move up to the No. 3 or 4 selection, meaning a trade with either New Jersey or Minnesota.
“I wouldn’t say 3 or 4 is where we’re looking to go,” Portland General Manager Kevin Pritchard says.
But don’t put it past the Blazers. They’ve made such deals in the past. In 2006, Portland moved up via trades to No. 2 to select LaMarcus Aldridge and to No. 6 to nab Brandon Roy in the draft.
During the past four years, the Blazers have made 14 deals at or just before draft night.
“We’re looking at trying to move up with our first pick,” says Mike Born, Portland’s director of NBA scouting. “We’re trying to have an early second-round pick, maybe even have another late second-round pick.
“If we find a guy we like, we’ll try to put ourselves in position to get him.”
That’s exactly what the Blazers have done with the draft since Pritchard has run the show. Last year, the Blazers were holding the 24th pick in the first round until two days before the draft, when they sent that pick and a pair of second-round choices to Dallas for No. 22.
There were two reasons. One, “we were looking to try to keep climbing,” Born says. Two, they had scouted Spanish forward Victor Claver.
“We liked Victor, and we knew he’d probably go in the first round, but we didn’t know where,” Pritchard says. “If we’re at 22, chances are better than at 24.
“We always try to get as high as we can, if (the price) is not prohibitive. You’re always balancing if it makes sense or not to exchange multiple pieces to move up.”
The Blazers were unable to move up higher in the first round, so they took Claver as a future pick at No. 22. They also traded guard Sergio Rodriguez, along with the 38th pick and cash, for the 31st pick. Two reasons: additional salary cap room via the removal of Rodriguez from the roster, and the chance to take Arizona State forward Jeff Pendergraph at No. 31.
“We wanted to get both Jeff and Dante (Cunningham) in the second round,” Pritchard says.
First-round picks require guaranteed salaries and salary-cap holds. Second-round picks get neither.
Portland had acquired the 33rd pick in a draft-day deal with the Los Angeles Clippers the year before and was able to snare both Pendergraph and Cunningham, two rookies who were useful during the 2009-10 season and have the potential to be solid rotation players for years.
The Blazers have also exploited a questionable NBA rule that allows teams to purchase first-round picks. Recently, they twice paid the maximum $3 million – to gain draft rights to Rodriguez and Rudy Fernandez.
As they proceed toward this year’s draft, the Blazers have a group of about 20 players they are targeting as prospects to be taken at No. 22. Over the next few weeks, they’ll pare the list and rank the players for whom they have serious interest. If there’s a player they really like, they’ll assess where he might go in the draft. If it’s higher than 22, they’ll do what they can to move up and get there.
As always, Pritchard says, “we’ll take the best player available regardless of position.”
This year’s first round, however, is heavy on wing prospects. Of the 36 players projected to have a good shot at getting selected in the first round, half are shooting guards or small forwards.
The draft evaluation process is ongoing through the season but accelerates in May and began this month with the Chicago pre-draft combine. The premier 52 American draft-eligible players were there, although the top 15 or so participated only in physical tests and interviews with execs of each of the teams. Agents don’t want the likely lottery picks to harm their standing by performing poorly in live scrimmages sessions.
The remainder of the players were separated by size and position into four groups of about 10. They went through two days of drills involving shooting, ballhandling and post moves and participated in one-on-one, two-on-one and three-on-two drills.
“It’s not enough, but at least it’s some live stuff,” Born says. “It’s better than just watching a player come off a pin-down and shoot a jumper.”
Pritchard, Born, college scouting director Chad Buchanan, scout Joe Cronin and coach Nate McMillan were in Chicago for the combine. Because the Blazers are prone to making deals, “we have a wider range of players to watch,” Born says. “We’re probably looking at players who might be drafted between No. 10 and 50.”
Some believe the most worthwhile aspect of the combine is the opportunity to spend 20 to 30 minutes with a draft prospect. Each NBA club has a room set aside, and its officials can request meetings with any player.
“You’ve watched these guys play so much, you feel like you know them, but you really don’t,” Pritchard says. “There are some questions you want to ask, and you want to get to know them a little bit as people. You want to evaluate to see if they could be a part of your team.”
The same Portland contingent has been in Minneapolis this week for four days of pre-draft workouts. About 40 players – again, not the top 10 or 12 in the draft – are divided into groups of six for workout sessions. The prospects are allowed to play one-on-one, two-on-two and three-on-three, but not five-on-five. Representatives of most NBA clubs will be on hand to watch.
“If we had to draft without seeing the workouts at Chicago or Minneapolis, we could do it,” Born says. “But if you can look at a player five or six times instead of three, you might see something that sways your opinion one way or another. We like to background ourselves as thoroughly as possible.”
Next week is a three-day Adidas-sponsored combine in Treviso, Italy, for international players, with the format similar to Chicago. Born, Buchanan, Blazer international scout Jason Filippi, Blazer assistant coach Bill Bayno and possibly Pritchard will be in attendance. Blazer draft picks Fernandez, Nicolas Batum and Joel Freeland participated in the European combine in past years.
By the following week, the Blazers will have begun bringing to Portland players in small groups for individual workouts. And before we know it, the draft will be upon us, adding a piece or pieces to the nucleus that Blazer management and coaches hope will one day bring a championship to the City of Roses.
The Trail Blazers own the 22nd and 44th picks in the June 24 NBA draft.
In the four weeks left before the draft, that could change. Yahoo.com reports that Portland is trying to move up to the No. 3 or 4 selection, meaning a trade with either New Jersey or Minnesota.
“I wouldn’t say 3 or 4 is where we’re looking to go,” Portland General Manager Kevin Pritchard says.
But don’t put it past the Blazers. They’ve made such deals in the past. In 2006, Portland moved up via trades to No. 2 to select LaMarcus Aldridge and to No. 6 to nab Brandon Roy in the draft.
During the past four years, the Blazers have made 14 deals at or just before draft night.
“We’re looking at trying to move up with our first pick,” says Mike Born, Portland’s director of NBA scouting. “We’re trying to have an early second-round pick, maybe even have another late second-round pick.
“If we find a guy we like, we’ll try to put ourselves in position to get him.”
That’s exactly what the Blazers have done with the draft since Pritchard has run the show. Last year, the Blazers were holding the 24th pick in the first round until two days before the draft, when they sent that pick and a pair of second-round choices to Dallas for No. 22.
There were two reasons. One, “we were looking to try to keep climbing,” Born says. Two, they had scouted Spanish forward Victor Claver.
“We liked Victor, and we knew he’d probably go in the first round, but we didn’t know where,” Pritchard says. “If we’re at 22, chances are better than at 24.
“We always try to get as high as we can, if (the price) is not prohibitive. You’re always balancing if it makes sense or not to exchange multiple pieces to move up.”
The Blazers were unable to move up higher in the first round, so they took Claver as a future pick at No. 22. They also traded guard Sergio Rodriguez, along with the 38th pick and cash, for the 31st pick. Two reasons: additional salary cap room via the removal of Rodriguez from the roster, and the chance to take Arizona State forward Jeff Pendergraph at No. 31.
“We wanted to get both Jeff and Dante (Cunningham) in the second round,” Pritchard says.
First-round picks require guaranteed salaries and salary-cap holds. Second-round picks get neither.
Portland had acquired the 33rd pick in a draft-day deal with the Los Angeles Clippers the year before and was able to snare both Pendergraph and Cunningham, two rookies who were useful during the 2009-10 season and have the potential to be solid rotation players for years.
The Blazers have also exploited a questionable NBA rule that allows teams to purchase first-round picks. Recently, they twice paid the maximum $3 million – to gain draft rights to Rodriguez and Rudy Fernandez.
As they proceed toward this year’s draft, the Blazers have a group of about 20 players they are targeting as prospects to be taken at No. 22. Over the next few weeks, they’ll pare the list and rank the players for whom they have serious interest. If there’s a player they really like, they’ll assess where he might go in the draft. If it’s higher than 22, they’ll do what they can to move up and get there.
As always, Pritchard says, “we’ll take the best player available regardless of position.”
This year’s first round, however, is heavy on wing prospects. Of the 36 players projected to have a good shot at getting selected in the first round, half are shooting guards or small forwards.
The draft evaluation process is ongoing through the season but accelerates in May and began this month with the Chicago pre-draft combine. The premier 52 American draft-eligible players were there, although the top 15 or so participated only in physical tests and interviews with execs of each of the teams. Agents don’t want the likely lottery picks to harm their standing by performing poorly in live scrimmages sessions.
The remainder of the players were separated by size and position into four groups of about 10. They went through two days of drills involving shooting, ballhandling and post moves and participated in one-on-one, two-on-one and three-on-two drills.
“It’s not enough, but at least it’s some live stuff,” Born says. “It’s better than just watching a player come off a pin-down and shoot a jumper.”
Pritchard, Born, college scouting director Chad Buchanan, scout Joe Cronin and coach Nate McMillan were in Chicago for the combine. Because the Blazers are prone to making deals, “we have a wider range of players to watch,” Born says. “We’re probably looking at players who might be drafted between No. 10 and 50.”
Some believe the most worthwhile aspect of the combine is the opportunity to spend 20 to 30 minutes with a draft prospect. Each NBA club has a room set aside, and its officials can request meetings with any player.
“You’ve watched these guys play so much, you feel like you know them, but you really don’t,” Pritchard says. “There are some questions you want to ask, and you want to get to know them a little bit as people. You want to evaluate to see if they could be a part of your team.”
The same Portland contingent has been in Minneapolis this week for four days of pre-draft workouts. About 40 players – again, not the top 10 or 12 in the draft – are divided into groups of six for workout sessions. The prospects are allowed to play one-on-one, two-on-two and three-on-three, but not five-on-five. Representatives of most NBA clubs will be on hand to watch.
“If we had to draft without seeing the workouts at Chicago or Minneapolis, we could do it,” Born says. “But if you can look at a player five or six times instead of three, you might see something that sways your opinion one way or another. We like to background ourselves as thoroughly as possible.”
Next week is a three-day Adidas-sponsored combine in Treviso, Italy, for international players, with the format similar to Chicago. Born, Buchanan, Blazer international scout Jason Filippi, Blazer assistant coach Bill Bayno and possibly Pritchard will be in attendance. Blazer draft picks Fernandez, Nicolas Batum and Joel Freeland participated in the European combine in past years.
By the following week, the Blazers will have begun bringing to Portland players in small groups for individual workouts. And before we know it, the draft will be upon us, adding a piece or pieces to the nucleus that Blazer management and coaches hope will one day bring a championship to the City of Roses.