# What a DISASTER!



## tlong (Jan 6, 2003)

This has to be one of WORST drafts I have ever seen the Blazers make! They take Telfair at #13 when he most likely would have been available at #22 and they take a Russian who will not likely be able to play in Portland for another 2-3 years. What an unbelievable waste of an opportunity! They pass on Humphries, Jefferson, Snyder, Josh Smith, J.R. Smith, and Podkolzine to pick a short, skinny kid straight out of high school. Ridiculous! They even blew it with their later picks in the 1st round by passing on Kevin Martin and David Harrison. There is a very strong chance that this Blazers draft will yield absolutely NOTHING to the future of the franchise. I think I am going to throw up....


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## Blazer Ringbearer (Jan 28, 2003)

Man, I remember that year that they passed on John Wallace to draft some skinny high school player...

What a disaster!


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## HOWIE (Dec 30, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Blazer Ringbearer</b>!
> Man, I remember that year that they passed on John Wallace to draft some skinny high school player...
> 
> What a disaster!


The disaster will come when Telfair is playing for another team.


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## Paxil (Jan 1, 2003)

You are deaming if you though Telfair would be there at 22. LOL. Nelson was the 5th PG taken... and that was before 22. We got the player we wanted... and for crying out loud, who gives a crock about WHERE they were drafted. We had the 13th pick... not the 15 or 17 or 19th... so do we take a player we DON'T really want just because someone else doesn't think is the right "slot" for them to go? Monya was slated to go at 13 in one mock I saw, and the Korean was a great pickup.

Sometimes I think people in portland would just rather complain... complain about everything... the weather... the blazers... the players etc... (oh... and about other people complaining *guilty as charged*) Telfair hasn't stepped a foot in Portland and we've already boo'd him. Cripes. No wonder no one wants to come play here.


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## meru (Jul 2, 2003)

*Problem solved!*

I've got it! Here's how we solve the Monya/Monia contract problem: we lend CSKA Moscow Telfair for the remaining duration of Sergei/Sergey's contract! 

It's perfect - Telfair's nowhere near contributing, we'd be better off playing Cook or Dickau right now - but we've no depth at SG.


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## tlong (Jan 6, 2003)

> You are deaming if you though Telfair would be there at 22.


Hardly. Nelson went at #20 and every board I have seen had him rated higher than Telfair. Picking Telfair at #13 was an exercise in gross stupidity. Why the Blazers wanted him so bad is a mystery that I hope is solved in the near future. I believe Adidas had something to do with it. The pick makes absolutely no sense.


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## kaydow (Apr 6, 2004)

I have to admit, I'm dissapointed in our draft. If we had gotten Telfair at #22 or #23 than I understand calling him a "2-3 year project". But at #13, there were guys like K. Snyder, who could be the SG that Portland would covet. And then, taking two Russians "swingmen" who barely averaged 10 pts/game COMBINED last year?? What was that? We need help NOW!! Plus, how many more SF do we need? Miles, Patterson, Outlaw. HEY---now we got two Russians to back those three up!!! Guess we'll be set at SF. Don't try to tell me Monia will be an outstanding SG. He averaged 6pt/game in Europe last year!! If we were a title contender and just needed to tweek a piece here or there than I understand this draft, but Portland needs players and all we have this year is mid-level ex. I'm totally confused.


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## Blazer Ringbearer (Jan 28, 2003)

I'm not sure that I buy the idea that Telfair is a 2-3 year project.

He's been holding his own against NBA players since he was a freshman in HS. By all accounts he's a workaholic in the gym and has very high basketball IQ.

I predict that he'll become a Cheeks favorite and earn around 20 mpg off the bench by the end of the season. 

The only obstacle will be his defense. If he's committed though, he can become serviceable in a hurry - going up against Damon in pracice will help him work on denying penetration.


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## Leroy131 (Mar 11, 2004)

All this talk about Telfair being available later is ridiculous. They obviously took him because they knew he was going to get snatched up by Atlanta, Miami, or Denver. Jameer Nelson never impressed me that much - his passing skills are nothing out of the ordinary. If we had taken Snyder, taking Monya would have been some uneeded duplication. Who cares what his #s were in Europe - obviously in European league the older guys play a lot more than the young guys and are counted on for most of the scoring.


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## kaydow (Apr 6, 2004)

BR--I think your being a little optomistic about telfair logging 20 min/gm this year. Nash even said last night they are thinking at least 2, probably 3 years for this guy to "make an impact". PG is an incredibly difficult position to play. You are repsponsible for so much on the floor. I hope you are right about his work ethic and all. Everytime I see the guy in an interview, he sounds like an idiot, but I have heard he does have hight BB IQ. I still think he won't be a factor next year, unless we start of like 6-22 and stop trying to win.


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## B_&_B (Feb 19, 2004)

How many threads are we gonna have about how bad this draft was?? why not just post your opinions in a thread that already been started?


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## Kmurph (May 7, 2003)

Here is a novel idea, let's wait and see what happens before crying like a bunch of babies.:uhoh: 

Let's see what Telfair does his 1st year

Let's see whether or not ONE of the russian playrs comes over this year.

Let's see what ONE of those players does when with the team.

Let's see what we do in Free Agency

Let's see what happens with SAR and possibly other trades.


As for Chad Ford, who the he11 is he anyway? Some wannabe draft expert who ran his own website, just like you or me or anyone else could have done, until he got picked up by ESPN. Big deal, he isn't a talent evaluator people, he is a glorified rumor monger. I'll trust Mark Warkentein, John Nash & Steve Patterson's talent evaluations above Ford's ANY DAY.

Quit whining guys, you read like those idiots on the FAN sounded last night.


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## B_&_B (Feb 19, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>Kmurph</b>!
> Here is a novel idea, let's wait and see what happens before crying like a bunch of babies.:uhoh:
> 
> Let's see what Telfair does his 1st year
> ...


:clap:


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## Paxil (Jan 1, 2003)

TLong, other teams have already flat out said they would have taken Telfair before 22 if he'd been there.


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

we should try to get Morgonov back on the team.


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## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Paxil</b>!
> TLong, other teams have already flat out said they would have taken Telfair before 22 if he'd been there.


Can you provide a link or links? I've missed those quotes this morning.

Thanks!

Ed O.


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

> "They pass on Humphries, Jefferson, Snyder, Josh Smith, J.R. Smith, and Podkolzine to pick a short, skinny kid straight out of high school. Ridiculous!"


Let me get this straight. Portland was wrong to take a kid "straight out of high school," when they could have taken Jefferson, Josh Smith, or J.R. Smith, who are ALSO straight out of high school? 

Where's the logic in that?


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## ABM (Dec 30, 2002)

FYI......-->>Here's some discussion on him from last year on another board....

Also...



> This time Telfair 'destroys' rival
> It was only one game in July, but Sebastian Telfair won the battle of elite point guards at ABCD Camp yesterday.
> Telfair scored 15 points and dished out nine assists in a 79-70 win over a team led by Orlando point guard Darius Washington at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
> 
> ...


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## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Talkhard</b>!
> 
> Let me get this straight. Portland was wrong to take a kid "straight out of high school," when they could have taken Jefferson, Josh Smith, or J.R. Smith, who are ALSO straight out of high school?
> 
> Where's the logic in that?


They're not short and skinny. I think those are key adjectives in comparing basketball players.

I don't agree that Telfair was CLEARLY a worse pick than them, but there are some physical differences that are important between him and the other prepsters drafted after him.

Ed O.


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## tlong (Jan 6, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Talkhard</b>!
> 
> 
> Let me get this straight. Portland was wrong to take a kid "straight out of high school," when they could have taken Jefferson, Josh Smith, or J.R. Smith, who are ALSO straight out of high school?
> ...


Jefferson and the Smiths are not short. Mark Warkentien (of the Blazers btw) said on KFXX yesterday that over 65% of the high-scholl All Americas that are perimeter players amount to *nothing* in the NBA. That doesn't even account for jumping straight to the pros from high-school. My guess is that the figure would be much worse if you confined the analysis to high-school All Americas under 6 ft.


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

> "They're not short and skinny. I think those are key adjectives in comparing basketball players."


Okay, I agree that being short is something of a handicap in the NBA. You have to have pretty special skills to overcome your height disadvantage. But it can be done. See John Stockton and Allen Iverson. Allen and Nash obviously think Telfair has those special skills. Not to mention that the guy is only 19, and could still grow a couple more inches.

As for "skinny," ever seen Tayshaun Prince? The guy is a bean pole, but he was a crucial piece of Detroit's championship.


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## Schilly (Dec 30, 2002)

BTW there is not a long enough history of HS players to the NBA to have a definative study IMO. The kids need the benefit of 4 -5 years before that analasys can accurately be made.

I seen to recall several GM's saying that Telfair was ready to contribute now.

Last night on "I am Max" the founder of the ABCD camp was asked about weather Telafair would make it in the NBA. He said absoilutely, he will be an outstanding PG in the NBA. He was asked to compare the talent between Sebastian and Livingston. HE said they are very equal in the skills department, the only real difference was the height. He then went on to say that he believes that Livingston will have a 10+ All Star Appearences careeer....

SO stop listening to the FAN and reading the Oregonian and actually read some legit info about the draft. Remember this is the media that made fun of a HS kid from the south because of his accent.


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## Minstrel (Dec 31, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Ed O</b>!
> 
> 
> They're not short and skinny. I think those are key adjectives in comparing basketball players.


'Skinny' is not very key in comparing high school players. Every perimeter high schooler outside of LeBron James has been skinny, like Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady. Even front court players like Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O'Neal and Tyson Chandler were tremendously skinny.

Players tend to develop their bodies after high school.

'Short' has relevance. But it is far from deterministic. Bob Cousy, John Stockton, Isiah Thomas, Nate Archibald were all 6'1'' and comprise 40% of most people's top ten list for point guards all-time. Kevin Johnson was 6'1'' and was brilliant until injuries slowed him. Calvin Murphy is a Hall of Famer who was 5'9''. In today's game, Mike Bibby is 6'1.5'', Allen Iverson is 6', Tony Parker is 6'2''.

Yes, it would be nice to have Oscar Robertson size, or even Gary Payton size, but plenty of short, highly-talented players have dominated this game or played very well from the point guard position. People are treating Telfair's size as the kiss of death or, even more strangely, more important and deterministic than his talent.


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## tlong (Jan 6, 2003)

Schilly,

I take what they say on KFXX with a grain of salt. I suggest you do the same when listening to KXL. :laugh:


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## Schilly (Dec 30, 2002)

I don't listen to KXL, and the only reason I listen to KFXX is becaus i was in the car.

Craig Ehlo on FSNW last night said that @ #13 Telfair was the best pick for the Blazers. Why? Because no PG was going to unseat Damon as starter this year ,ad Telafir has better tools and skills and is ...get this...Taller than Jameer Nelson.


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## tlong (Jan 6, 2003)

WHY did we HAVE to take a PG at #13???

We need a SG just as bad....maybe even more.


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## Schilly (Dec 30, 2002)

If Skinny is the measuring stick then Shaun Livingston was the apocolypse to the Clippers. He is 6'7" and he and Telfair weight the same!


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## Schilly (Dec 30, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>tlong</b>!
> WHY did we HAVE to take a PG at #13???
> 
> We need a SG just as bad....maybe even more.


Totally wrong.

WHo's better DA or Damon? Maybe Damon I'll grant that. 

Who is portland commited to for longer? Damon expires next year DA is on for a while yet.

Who would have knocked either Damon or DA from the starting spot? If anyone I would have guessed Monya would have knocked DA out if taken @13... But very unlikely.

Which position has greater depth PG or SG? Well Bench for PG is Cook and Dickau, Bench for SG is Woods and Patterson. Woods at least shows to have some great skill. 

WHich position had the dimmer future? To Me without a doubt PG.

SF's? Miles and Patterson
PF's ? Randolph and Shareef
C's? Ratliff, Davis and Stepania

Who @ 13 would have had more of an impact than any of those guys?


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## tlong (Jan 6, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Schilly</b>!
> 
> Totally wrong.
> 
> ...


Humphries, Snyder, and Nelson all would have had more impact.


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## Nightfly (Sep 24, 2002)

Guys, it's just the draft. John Nash even said last night on the KXL broadcast that they drafted while keeping in mind this isn't going to make or break next season. He said they were drafting for the future.

The bigger moves are going to come this summer.

This wasn't exactly a deep draft. If it doesn't pan out, it's not the end of the world.


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## kaydow (Apr 6, 2004)

The Blazers have been drafing for the future for 10 years. The only young kid Portland drafted to stay here (and achieve) is Randolph to date. Maybe Outlaw will show us something this year. I just can't imagine why you want Woods, Outlaw, Telfair, & (2) Russians picking splinters out of their azz all year.


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## tlong (Jan 6, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>HearToTemptYou</b>!
> Guys, it's just the draft. John Nash even said last night on the KXL broadcast that they drafted while keeping in mind this isn't going to make or break next season. He said they were drafting for the future.
> 
> The bigger moves are going to come this summer.
> ...


I agree. My analysis may even be wrong. However, I am not afraid my opinion when I believe the Blazers have screwed up.


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## Kmurph (May 7, 2003)

> We need a SG just as bad....maybe even more.


And we got one at #23. his name is Sergai Monya and he has been playing on one of the top euroleague teams for quite some time now. How can you possibly know if Snyder is better than Monya?

BTW, you are kidding yourself if you think Snyder was going to step in and siginifcantly contribute. I am willing to wait and see just what type of players Khryapa and Monya are before I say they suck. Snyder has question marks too you know. Namely his shooting percentage. I would have prefered we drafted both Snyder and Telfair, but I am willing to wait and see what Monya can do before I say we made a mistake. IMO, Telfair was worth the pick anyway.


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## Schilly (Dec 30, 2002)

Skills and athleticism wise Khyrapa is being compared to Andrei Kirilenko.


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## barfo (Jan 2, 2003)

Seems like a good draft to me. We swung for the fences, which is the right draft strategy in my opinion. It could be that all 4 will be busts, but so what? That would be a possibility no matter who we drafted. At least with these four we have the chance that one or more could turn out to be great, and all four will be interesting to follow as we find out whether they are busts or not. 

barfo


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## Schilly (Dec 30, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>tlong</b>!
> 
> 
> Humphries, Snyder, and Nelson all would have had more impact.


As a backup? Maybe. WIth the Currne tlineup Humphries is on the IR for the duration.

Snyder shot 27% from 3 as a junior and 35% as a senior. College 3 point line is same as HS 3 point line BTW.

Nelson averaged 20ppg and *5apg*...As a PG? Guess what he is only 5'11" also. 

None of these guys make Portland significantly better now. Telfair has the Potential to make them significantly better than any of these guys can, 3 years from now when trhe rest of Portlands core (Randolph,Miles) is coming into their prime at 25.


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## Schilly (Dec 30, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>barfo</b>!
> Seems like a good draft to me. We swung for the fences, which is the right draft strategy in my opinion. It could be that all 4 will be busts, but so what? That would be a possibility no matter who we drafted. At least with these four we have the chance that one or more could turn out to be great, and all four will be interesting to follow as we find out whether they are busts or not.
> 
> barfo


Exactly!!!

Porrtland as a team is still a potential playoff team if healthy. This is a team that played .552 after the All Star break. 

If they keep this team together they are a legit playoff contender. Noone in the draft would change that...no one at all. Portland is gambling on being a title contender down the road rather than a team of safe picks. 

Make up a team of safe picks and what do you have? Middle of the road IMO.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

Guys, Kirk Snyder is nothing mroe then the benefit of a few good tourney games. We don't need another bruiser at the sg. He can't shoot, which is what we need at the 2. Monya CAN. And you are damn right I'd take a risk on Khryapa on 22, just hte chance of him being as good as AK47 is worth it. Telfair is a stud, I wish people would quit whining about his height. He kills his competition, he has a drive to him. You don't think he has already heard the critics before? Kid is from the streets of New York, nothing he has seen here will shock him. He is a playmaker. Realisticy, not many of you complaining now would have liked JR Smith or Pavel at 13,seems like you are just whining for hte sake of whining. The ONLY other option at 13 was Al Jefferson, but you know what? Boston or Miami would have scooped up Bassy long before 22. Van Gundy even said they had eyed Telfair. We got the guy our SCOUTS wanted, not the guy that some wannabee anaylists say we should have taken who haven't even seen half these guys play indepth. I'll take my chances with our guys,some of you can go on ahead and riding the espn hype train.


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## Paxil (Jan 1, 2003)

Ed O, here is one quote on the teams interested in Telfair



> The Blazers considered passing on Telfair at 13, but were afraid he wouldn't be available later on. Telfair said Boston at 15, Miami at 19, Denver at 20 and Utah at 21 had told agent Andy Miller they would take the point guard.


From
link 

I read Boston and Miami wanted him in other articles as well.


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## Terrible (Jan 3, 2003)

I think there is nooooo for sure hit or miss in this years draft. There wasn't a Lebron or a Melo, hell even Darco who contributed next to nothing for the Pistons this year was said to be a lock at #1 for this years draft had he come out yesterday.

So what does that tell ya?

I'm more interested in who's going where this summer, and can we get a STUD #2 with all the players we have to throw some other teams way.

Every player you saw last night will need years to be a star. 

So relax, and let the dealings begin!


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## Oldmangrouch (Feb 11, 2003)

Did anyone watch the Nash interview on ESPN?

He may have *said* the right things, but his facial expression and body language looked like a man who needed to be on suicide watch!

The reality is that Telfair was a huge gamble, and the 2 Russians may not even be on the team next season! Nash can still redeem himself by trading SAR for something useful......but this draft was a waste of time.


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## Schilly (Dec 30, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Oldmangrouch</b>!
> He may have *said* the right things, but his facial expression and body language looked like a man who needed to be on suicide watch!


He always look like he had some really bad Sushi. I have never see the guy smile that I can think of.


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## Storyteller (Dec 31, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Schilly</b>!
> 
> He always look like he had some really bad Sushi. I have never see the guy smile that I can think of.


Exactly. I remember the night of the Wallace trade, he talked about being excited and how this was a move in the right direction - but his facial expression was "I feel sick to my stomach."

I think that's just his demeanor.


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## Minstrel (Dec 31, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Oldmangrouch</b>!
> 
> The reality is that Telfair was a huge gamble, and the 2 Russians may not even be on the team next season! Nash can still redeem himself by trading SAR for something useful......but this draft was a waste of time.


A gamble is a waste of time? Even before you know whether you won or lost?

Kevin Garnett was a gamble. So were Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady. I wouldn't call their draftings "a waste of time," even before they were resolved as successes.

And the two Russians may not be on the roster next season. But they may be the season after. So what? All that matters is whether they contribute to the team at some point and how much they contribute. Was Arvydas Sabonis worthless because he wasn't on the roster the season after he was drafted?


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

> "[Nash] may have *said* the right things, but his facial expression and body language looked like a man who needed to be on suicide watch!"


I thought the same thing. Very odd expression and body language for a guy who had just picked 3 players in the first round, and got "the guy" the team had said it wanted all along. 

Is it possible that Nash was pressured into taking Telfair by Cheeks and/or the scouts, and that he really wanted someone else? Or was he perhaps just feeling the pressure of his first NBA draft with the Trail Blazers?


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## Terrible (Jan 3, 2003)

Nash, Patterson nor Allen are going to be on the court with Telfair everyday for years to come, Cheeks is. If Mo loves this kid than Mo will be happy coming to work every day shaping this kid into a NBA type of PG. Lord knows Mo was a good one. You have to give your coach a few players he wants, this is a good PR move to make Cheeks step up his coaching for the upcoming season. If Telfair is a bust so is Mo.


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## The Professional Fan (Nov 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Kmurph</b>!
> Here is a novel idea, let's wait and see what happens before crying like a bunch of babies.:uhoh:
> 
> Let's see what Telfair does his 1st year
> ...



WORD!

Great post. I will lay my trust in the Trinity (Wark, Nash, Patterson) before I listen to anyone here, or any so called expert.

Let's see what happens, people. Calm down.


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## Paxil (Jan 1, 2003)

Good points Terrible. Telfair is also a leader, something Damon never seemed interested in. I think it really fits with the game Cheeks wants to play, and who better to teach a young point guard than Maurice!

Telfair can already shoot
Telfair can lead
Telfair is an amazing passer
Telfair is hyped, and all over the media
Telfair can be in front of a camera without looking stupid
Telfair doesn't do stupid things to get busted (said with fingers crossed)
Telfair ALWAYS had better stats than Livingston

I say, give the kid a chance.


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## Oldmangrouch (Feb 11, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Minstrel</b>!
> 
> 
> A gamble is a waste of time? Even before you know whether you won or lost?
> ...


In terms of the current rebuilding effort, yes. Portland drafted like a team that is a contender *now* and is worried about the distant future. 

For a team trying to win back the fan base, this was an odd approach.


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## Minstrel (Dec 31, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Oldmangrouch</b>!
> 
> 
> In terms of the current rebuilding effort, yes. Portland drafted like a team that is a contender *now* and is worried about the distant future.


They seem to be drafting like a team that is perhaps two to three years away. Which, not coincidentally, is what they are. Randolph will be hitting his prime then. Outlaw is a couple years away. Miles is a season or two from his best. Woods, if he ever amounts to anything, is a couple seasons away. Thus, acquiring Telfair and two Russians who may be a couple years from contribution makes perfect sense. They'll coincide with all our other most important pieces.

A team that is a contender *now* should be looking for contributors *now*, in general. To push them over the top. Portland is not a contender now...they should be drafting talents that will maximize *their* window. Which, at the moment, seems like it's a couple of years away.

Thus, their draft strategy seems perfectly in tune with what they, as a franchise, are.



> For a team trying to win back the fan base, this was an odd approach.


I think they should be focusing on trying to win games, not fans. Fans can't be reasoned with, they come and go seemingly at whim. The only way to pack them in reliably is to win games, not give them what they claim to want (whether today that's "good people," or "youth" or "veterans" or "exciting players," or whatever).

Hopefully these draft picks do what they are intended to do: Maximize talent and winning at one time (starting in a couple of years) so as to create a window.


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## Target (Mar 17, 2004)

*tlong*

It's too early to tell if the draft has been a DISASTER or not. Maybe you will be proven right, maybe not. 

What use is criticism now? It's done. Unless you have another agenda you might as well stay positive and keep an open mind.


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## tlong (Jan 6, 2003)

I am critical now to get it off my chest. That doesn't mean I will boo Telfair or any of the other picks. I am a Blazer fan and will support our players at the games as long as they give effort. I put this all on team management. I hope I am proven wrong, but this is certainly not how I would have drafted.


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## Draco (Jun 28, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>tlong</b>!
> 
> Jefferson and the Smiths are not short. Mark Warkentien (of the Blazers btw) said on KFXX yesterday that over 65% of the high-scholl All Americas that are perimeter players amount to *nothing* in the NBA. That doesn't even account for jumping straight to the pros from high-school. My guess is that the figure would be much worse if you confined the analysis to high-school All Americas under 6 ft.


Telfair is the shortest HS player taken FWIW. I think the blazers swung for the fences with him which was just fine, there really weren't better options at 13. I liked Al Jefferson but he has about the same upside as Telfair and is a HS kid too who will need time. I did NOT want the blazers to take Snyder I think he will be a decent bench player at the very best. A SG who cant shoot? No thanks.


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## Kmurph (May 7, 2003)

> Did anyone watch the Nash interview on ESPN?
> 
> He may have *said* the right things, but his facial expression and body language looked like a man who needed to be on suicide watch!



He also just made a pick, that many unimformed fans and media members loudly booed, and I am sure they knew that already


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## Hype #9 (Feb 14, 2004)

How often does a draft pick immediately help a team? Rarely does that happen on a veteran team. People are acting like the 13th pick is the same as a 1st or 2nd pick. Your expections should be for drafting for the future. Personally I think 2-3 years down the line Telfair has more room to grow than some of the other players we passed on. 

Telfair has a lot of hype, but also has a lot of doubters. Because he has a shoe deal and so much hype, people are expecting so much from him, yet people thought he was worthy of a 22 or 23 pick. I don't understand how you can a expect so much from a 22/23rd pick. He's 19 and atleast the same height as Nelson. Telfair is also 3 and a half years younger than Nelson. I bet Telfair will be better at age 22, than Nelson is now at 22. Its all about potential and looking down the road. 

And for the people that were wanting to get a player that will immediately help us... did you guys expect to do it through the draft? Its like some of you forgot about free agency. Kirk Snyder? So we need some depth at the 2 guard, but we need immediate help at the 2 guard spot. The logical way to address that now would be to get a veteran, not a kid from the draft.


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## cimalee (Apr 17, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Paxil</b>!
> You are deaming if you though Telfair would be there at 22. LOL. Nelson was the 5th PG taken... and that was before 22. We got the player we wanted... and for crying out loud, who gives a crock about WHERE they were drafted. We had the 13th pick... not the 15 or 17 or 19th... so do we take a player we DON'T really want just because someone else doesn't think is the right "slot" for them to go? Monya was slated to go at 13 in one mock I saw, and the Korean was a great pickup.
> 
> Sometimes I think people in portland would just rather complain... complain about everything... the weather... the blazers... the players etc... (oh... and about other people complaining *guilty as charged*) Telfair hasn't stepped a foot in Portland and we've already boo'd him. Cripes. No wonder no one wants to come play here.





man u are so right about that . Preach


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## Public Defender (May 5, 2003)

Overall, I thought this was a pretty promising draft, but we'll see what happens in the next few years. Who knew that Richard Jefferson was going to be such a prize when he dropped through the lottery? Marquis Daniels fell all the way to the second round, as did Gilbert Arenas, in recent years. 

I figure if Telfair turns into a serviceable backup, that's pretty good... but given the way some people talk about him, he may be ready to switch places with Damon in a couple years. A #13 pick becoming a starter-worthy PG would be a fine pick, indeed. 

As for the two Russians, I think it's a crap shoot. One of the two is bound to pan out. The team they come from is just too good for them both to suck. Considering their size, the scouting reports, and their contributions (small as they may seem) to one of the best European teams around, I'm willing to bet one or both of them will be cracking the rotation within a year or two, assuming the Blazers get them out of their contracts.


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## Goldmember (May 24, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Kmurph</b>!
> 
> 
> 
> He also just made a pick, that many unimformed fans and media members loudly booed, and I am sure they knew that already


That crowd booed just about everything. Every draft pick got some kind of obnoxious response. The only time they cheered was when Stern announced that there was a trade and even then they went on to boo again once he said what the trade was. New Yorkers...  I think they were just in a surly mood because the Knicks had nothing going on.


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Goldmember</b>!
> 
> 
> That crowd booed just about everything. Every draft pick got some kind of obnoxious response. The only time they cheered was when Stern announced that there was a trade and even then they went on to boo again once he said what the trade was. New Yorkers...  I think they were just in a surly mood because the Knicks had nothing going on.


I think kmurph was talking about the draft party that the Blazers put on.

Howie and I were in the studio, so we heard the live feed over the radio stuff. So when they announced pick, we could hear (from the radio guys speakers etc) the boo'ing.


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