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[LegendofJoe]

Portland is going to be a better team next year, so that's only true if you think outside of lottery next year is more valuable than in lottery this year.

I think the talent will be pretty comparable between a high lottery pick this year and a mid-late first next year. More importantly though I want to use both your pick, Detroits pick, and our pick next year to move up and get the guy we want, whether it's Wiggins, Vonleh, or whoever else.

 

[Dominican Power]

Once Lillard gets some consistency and they find another go-to scorer aside from him and LMA, they should be a playoff team. Their win against San Antonio seems to be a little bit of fool's gold, though, after what Minnesota did to them. Without Tony Parker, the Spurs rely heavily on streaky shooters since they aren't able to get the ball inside to their big men. If their outside shots are falling, they can still beat anybody outside of maybe the Heat, but if not, they are just plain bad.

Batum has a messed up wrist.

 

[Justin Timberlake]

I'll take Davis, Drummond, and MKG over Lillard. I think Davis and Drummond could be franchise centers. MKG looks like he will be a dominant player when his jumper comes a long and he figures out that being aggressive is what team needs from him at times. MKG is a bigger Sidney Moncrief with a little bit of pre-knee injury Ron Harper thrown in. Lillard reminds me of Billups. I think Lillard will be a great piece on a title team, I don't think he'll be a dominant player though.

Wait what.

I can maybe see the argument for Davis, just cause hes young and raw as hell but

How is this thread underrating Lillard so badly? Hes incredible. I don't see Drummond or MKG on his level at all.

----

side note: prime Crash was pretty fucking awesome, and if thats MKG's ceiling Cats fans ought to be happy.

Once Lillard gets some consistency and they find another go-to scorer aside from him and LMA, they should be a playoff team. Their win against San Antonio seems to be a little bit of fool's gold, though, after what Minnesota did to them. Without Tony Parker, the Spurs rely heavily on streaky shooters since they aren't able to get the ball inside to their big men. If their outside shots are falling, they can still beat anybody outside of maybe the Heat, but if not, they are just plain bad.

Eh, it'll take a few more losses to make that conclusion. Both MIN and POR were scorching hot (POR moreso, that shit was unreal), and for the MIN game we didn't have Timmy or Kawhi. I don't think either of those games are representative of how good we are without Tony.

 

[Vahagn]

I think I'm the only one who thinks Austin Rivers is going to turn out to be a very good basketball player. Not a star, but a solid 6th man or role player on a good team.


Most people like him, chuckers their whole life, would be chucking their way through their rookie season on a bad team with most their key guys out due to injuries. But he's legitimately picking and choosing his spots and passing up shots to pass to teammates in a way I would have never thought he would do. Give him about 4-5 seasons tops and he'll be talked about in a positive light through and through.

 

[Rodeo Clown]

I think I'm the only one who thinks Austin Rivers is going to turn out to be a very good basketball player. Not a star, but a solid 6th man or role player on a good team.

He can't shoot, his handle is awful, and he doesn't have the size or quickness to play shooting guard at an NBA level. He won't make it to a 4th or 5th season.

 

[PBY]

He can't shoot, his handle is awful, and he doesn't have the size or quickness to play shooting guard at an NBA level. He won't make it to a 4th or 5th season.

Agreed. And I'm a huuuuuge Duke fan.

 

[MorisUkunRasik]

Agreed. And I'm a huuuuuge Duke fan.

I read this as 'And I'm a huuuuuge Drake fan.' at first and it still made sense.

 

[reilo]

Batum has a messed up wrist.

Yea, his wrist pretty much changed up Portland's gameplan and they're having a tough time adjusting to his lack of offensive aggressiveness because of it.

Wait what.

I can maybe see the argument for Davis, just cause hes young and raw as hell but

How is this thread underrating Lillard so badly? Hes incredible. I don't see Drummond or MKG on his level at all.

chars is wrong as usual, so he's doubling down on his fucktitude, just like he did with Rose.

 

[LegendofJoe]

Drummond and Mkg aren't on Lillard's level offensively, but half of the game is defense and they're both already better than Lillard. Drummond especially is a game changer, if he can stay healthy.

 

[Vahagn]

He can't shoot, his handle is awful, and he doesn't have the size or quickness to play shooting guard at an NBA level. He won't make it to a 4th or 5th season.

I know that this is the prevailing thinking at NBA-GAF but I'm not sure it's entirely justified.


1) There aren't a lot of big skilled SG's any more. Most SG's in the league these days are undersized. I've seen Austin Rivers get by a lot of people when I've watched him play, he's very passive, but when he wants to drive past someone, he does it pretty easily.


2) His shot isn't broken, it's just not developed. He has 3 point range, just needs a few years more of repetition.


Again, based on what we're seeing today, obviously it's easy to dispute what I'm saying. But we'll see what happens in 4-5 years. I think he's a solid player and definitely in the league. Considering how weak the SG depth is in the league, he should do just fine as long as he improves every year.

 

[reilo]

Wade is a relatively short shooting guard, as is Eric Gordon, but both of them are extremely athletic when healthy and have a big frame to them. Qualities that Rivers doesn't possess.

 

[Dominican Power]

Lillard might have Billup's demeanor but I think his game is much better than his. Drummond is going to be a beast and Cleveland fucked by drafting role players with their lottery picks.

 

[Vahagn]

Wade is a relatively short shooting guard, as is Eric Gordon, but both of them are extremely athletic when healthy and have a big frame to them. Qualities that Rivers doesn't possess.

Those are like two of the best/most athletic SG's in the game though. He won't ever be Wade, or even Monta, but he'll be a good 6th man getting like 12 ppg on 45% shooting or so in 4-5 years.


Which is still, a pretty big disappointment considering the hype he had around him a couple years ago, but he'll be good. Like a slightly poor man's Jamal Crawford.

 

[Future PhaZe]

Hard to make excuses for Rivers. Sample size and shooting percentages are pretty damning. Hard to believe he's that bad of a FT shooter, but then again the sample size is large enough to say that he is.

You can be an SG in the league at 6'3/6'4. Better to have Gordon/Beal/Wade bulk if you're going to, but Foye and Ellis are productive enough for not being all that thick.

Problem with Rivers isn't physical, it's just the fact that he flat out sucks at every aspect of basketball right now with a coach as impressive as Monty.

 

[Dominican Power]

If you see how Rivers holds the ball when he shoots, you can pretty much deduce that he would shoot a low percentage from the perimeter.

 

[reilo]

Lillard might have Billup's demeanor but I think his game is much better than his. Drummond is going to be a beast and Cleveland fucked by drafting role players with their lottery picks.

I feel like Billups was a much better defender while Lillard's offensive ceiling right now is bordering ridiculous.

Lillard in March: 24.8PPG, 6.5APG, 2.5RPG, 1.6TOV, 53FG%, 45.5 3PT%, 90FT%

 

[LegendofJoe]

Marcus Smart, Oladipo, and McLemore will all be better than Rivers. That's not even mentioning guys like Beal and Ross in his own class that are already better. The only way Rivers sticks is if he gets a lot better running the point.

 

[Rodeo Clown]

You can be an SG in the league at 6'3/6'4. Better to have Gordon/Beal/Wade bulk if you're going to, but Foye and Ellis are productive enough for not being all that thick.

He can't shoot like **** and definitely doesn't have Ellis' athleticism.

Although, really, if we're already in that territory when it comes to his player comparisons...

 

[reilo]

Is Rivers even as good as Will Barton?

 

[Dominican Power]

Rivers isn't even better than The Professor.

 

[Vahagn]

Rivers is complete ass. The point is whether he'll be out of the league in 4-5 years or if he'll be a solid 6th man. I think people are going too far negative, and I don't think a solid 6th man is out of his reach.

 

[MorisUkunRasik]

Rivers is bad at basketball. He can't play point and he can't be a SG.

Once his rookie deal is up, he'll need to find a team who wants a combo guard off the bench who can't score very well, defend or pass, has bad handles, isn't physical and isn't very athletic.

Some team will probably give him one last chance after his rookie deal and he'll fart all over their hopes.

 

[Fox318]

Rivers is bad at basketball. He can't play point and he can't be a SG.

Once his rookie deal is up, he'll need to find a team who wants a combo guard off the bench who can't score very well, defend or pass, has bad handles, isn't physical and isn't very athletic.

Some team will probably give him one last chance after his rookie deal and he'll fart all over their hopes.

Daddy will pick him up.

 

[diehard]

I think I'm the only one who thinks Austin Rivers is going to turn out to be a very good basketball player.

Rivers is complete ass.

k

 

[reilo]

Rivers is complete ass. The point is whether he'll be out of the league in 4-5 years or if he'll be a solid 6th man. I think people are going too far negative, and I don't think a solid 6th man is out of his reach.

He was a Top 10 pick after all and he played a not-so-insignificant amount of minutes. He's also coached by one of the best developmental coaches in the league in Monty. Monty made Travis Outlaw good for a couple of seasons.

 

[MorisUkunRasik]

Doc squinted when he watched Golden State play Nola and pretended Steph Curry was his son.

 

[charsace]

Wait what.

I can maybe see the argument for Davis, just cause hes young and raw as hell but

How is this thread underrating Lillard so badly? Hes incredible. I don't see Drummond or MKG on his level at all.

----

side note: prime Crash was pretty fucking awesome, and if thats MKG's ceiling Cats fans ought to be happy.



Eh, it'll take a few more losses to make that conclusion. Both MIN and POR were scorching hot (POR moreso, that shit was unreal), and for the MIN game we didn't have Timmy or Kawhi. I don't think either of those games are representative of how good we are without Tony.

I choose those guys because in the long run I think they will be better.

 

[Vahagn]

He was a Top 10 pick after all and he played a not-so-insignificant amount of minutes. He's also coached by one of the best developmental coaches in the league in Monty. Monty made Travis Outlaw good for a couple of seasons.

Monty is one of the reasons why I think he'll improve. Monty's already gotten him to abandon chucking. A lottery pick chucker on a horrible team would chuck his way through but he's doing better at picking his spots. He'll never live up to the hype even I thought he would - but he'll be better than everyone on here thinks he would.

 

[charsace]

Wade is a relatively short shooting guard, as is Eric Gordon, but both of them are extremely athletic when healthy and have a big frame to them. Qualities that Rivers doesn't possess.

Wade is 6'5. Him being short is a myth.

 

[Knux-Future]

Rivers was garbage in college too. Coach K was glad his ass was gone.

He is litterally having one of the worst seasons ever. EVER.

Dude always was feeling himself too much.

Hopefully for him he understands he isn't Kobe and chills out.

I don't like watching players bust...but I'm not surprised he's struggling.

 

[reilo]

Wade is 6'5. Him being short is a myth.

He's listed as 6'4 and at times looks 6'3. He's not a tall shooting guard, neither is Eric Gordon.

Your perception of reality is really fucking off bruh.

 

[Justin Timberlake]

I choose those guys because in the long run I think they will be better.

That takes a lot of hope and extrapolation dude

Lillard isn't far away from being a franchise guy right now let alone 2-3 years. Drummond and MKG are a ways off.

Lillard's ability to finish in the paint is Rose/Kyrie-esque. He makes some gorgeous layups. But hes not greedy with it: he runs an offense that is far more efficient than it ought to be. Theres a swagger in him you rarely see in rookies; he plays like he owns the court. Not to mention his shot is great, and hes only going to get more efficient....the kid's ceiling is sky high.

Once POR surrounds Lillard + LMA with talent, they're gonna be scary. Believe that.

 

[reilo]

Once POR surrounds Lillard + LMA with talent, they're gonna be scary. Believe that.

LMA has 2 years left on his super bargain contract and they should trade LMA for that talent and build around Damian/Batum and try to acquire a center via draft/free agency if possible because they have caproom.

 

[Vic]

Both the Clippers vs Grizzlies and Knicks vs Nuggets games playing at the same time. FUCK

 

[LegendofJoe]

LMA has 2 years left on his super bargain contract and they should trade LMA for that talent and build around Damian/Batum and try to acquire a center via draft/free agency if possible because they have caproom.

Trading LMA for a top 5 pick in next year's draft plus some other young talent/picks would be a master stroke move.

 

[Rodeo Clown]

Trading LMA for a top 5 pick in next year's draft plus some other young talent/picks would be a master stroke move.

Who is trading their top-5 pick for a guy that could walk after the season?

 

[Anth0ny]

If Andrea is done, BC should be too.

One cannot exist without the other. It's science.

 

[reilo]

Who is trading their top-5 pick for a guy that could walk after the season?

He's got two years left after this season and no player option.

 

[LegendofJoe]

Who is trading their top-5 pick for a guy that could walk after the season?

I could see several teams willing to take that risk. Suns, Wizards, Cavs, etc.

 

[Future PhaZe]

Hard to knock Lillard. Defense doesn't matter much at the point, and offensively he's exceeding the production you'd expect out of a sure fire superstar PG in his rookie year.


Redraft as of now goes something like this:

1. Davis
2. Lillard
3. Beal
4. Drummond
5. Waiters/MKG
.
.
.
.
.
.
T-Rob

 

[Justin Timberlake]

LMA has 2 years left on his super bargain contract and they should trade LMA for that talent and build around Damian/Batum and try to acquire a center via draft/free agency if possible because they have caproom.

Yeah, I'm not sure what POR's financial situation is, or what their options are, but I agree the focus should be more on Damian then LMA. But keeping LMA as part of the core is still a solid plan too; a big who can score in the midrange at that consistency is terrifying, especially with a PG who can penetrate at will. No one ever talks about it, but Amare's jumper in PHX was a big reason why things worked. LMA doesn't have the pick-n-roll talents prime Amare has (no big in NBA history does, to be fair), but hes still an extremely valuable player to have in your offense.

They just need a center. Like, any center. Any at all. LMA + Hickson frontline is inconceivably bad and it makes both of them look worse than they are. Neither of them are built to play the 5, and the fact that they're forced to is why POR is a bottom 5 defense.

Nothing Lillard does on offense can make up for that.

 

[reilo]

Yeah, I'm not sure what POR's financial situation is, or what their options are, but I agree the focus should be more on Damian then LMA. But keeping LMA as part of the core is still a solid plan too; a big who can score in the midrange at that consistency is terrifying, especially with a PG who can penetrate at will. No one ever talks about it, but Amare's jumper in PHX was a big reason why things worked. LMA doesn't have the pick-n-roll talents prime Amare has (no big in NBA history does, to be fair), but hes still an extremely valuable player to have in your offense.

They just need a center. Like, any center. Any at all. LMA + Hickson frontline is nuts and it makes both of them look worse than they are. Neither of them are built to play the 5, and the fact that they're forced to is why POR is a bottom 5 defense.

Nothing Lillard does on offense can make up for that.

http://data.shamsports.com/content/pages/data/salaries/blazers.jsp

 

[LegendofJoe]

No offense to Wolves-gaf, but the Blazers definitely need to make it difficult for the Wolves to keep Pekovic. What goes around comes around.

 

[h3ro]

This new Pope will make a great Knick in a couple of years...

 

[Zep]

Hard to knock Lillard. Defense doesn't matter much at the point, and offensively he's exceeding the production you'd expect out of a sure fire superstar PG in his rookie year.


Redraft as of now goes something like this:

1. Davis
2. Lillard
3. Beal
4. Drummond
5. Waiters/MKG
.
.
.
.
.
.
T-Rob

Switch Beal and Waiters.

 

[MorisUkunRasik]

This new Pope will make a great Knick in a couple of years...

New York's plan to get younger starts now.

 

[Future PhaZe]

I'd give up a top 5 pick + Okafor for Aldridge.

 

[Rodeo Clown]

No offense to Wolves-gaf, but the Blazers definitely need to make it difficult for the Wolves to keep Pekovic. What goes around comes around.

They don't have the cap space to make it difficult.

 

[Justin Timberlake]

Pek is going get paid

His value is probably in the 9-12 mil range, but naturally that means he'll end with 14-15.

Hes a good player though so I can't say he doesn't deserve it. Bit of it depends on Dwight

 

[Vahagn]

I don't really think successful teams trade away All Star Big Men in or around their prime for draft picks.

Not saying that deal wouldn't possibly work out for Portland depending on who they draft. But it's not always just about fielding players on Rookie Contracts. Unless LMA is really past his prime or washed up, he probably should be kept until he's an expiring, and then traded to a team that desperately needs luxury tax relief the following year.