SBNation NBA Mock Draft, Pick #24: Portland Trailblazers
by Scott Schroeder on Jun 24, 2009 9:00 AM EDT
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PrintWith the twenty-fourth pick in the SBNation Mock Draft, the Portland Trailblazers, represented by SBN's very own Blazers Edge, select... (Drum Roll please)
From Dave @ BEdge: If the Blazers end up with the 24th pick on Thursday it means that they tried and failed to move up for a player they really want. That being the case, Portland would be more than happy to sell this pick in order to recover more cap space this summer. The Blazers will be under the cap anyway but the Darius Miles contract going back on the books ate a large portion of their potential play money. Even a million or so could make a difference in swinging a trade for a veteran point guard. If it's permissable, the first option would be to dump that pick on Houston.
If that will disrupt the draft, then of the remaining players Portland would probably go for Darren Collison of UCLA. He's a defensive-minded point guard who hits a good percentage of his shots. He's too skinny, turns the ball over too much, and will need to adapt his game to the pros. Portland may well invest three years in him and come out with nothing but a semi-adequate back-up. Having already paraded a litany of young point guards through the town this isn't a pleasing prospect. But beggars can't be choosers and the Blazers do need help at point.
The 2009 SB Nation Mock Draft thus far:
1. Los Angeles Clippers - Clips Nation: Blake Griffin
2. Memphis Grizzlies - 3 Shades of Blue: Ricky Rubio
3. Oklahoma City Thunder - Welcome to Loud City: James Harden
4. Sacramento Kings - Sactown Royalty: Tyreke Evans
5. Washington Wizards - Bullets Forever: Hasheem Thabeet
6. Minnesota Timberwolves - Canis Hoopus: Stephen Curry
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I like Collison
I think this is great value at the bottom of the first round because he’s a very solid player. Something that gets overlooked in his game is just how fast he is. Some claim he’s got better speed than Lawson (Josh Akognon did, and he ain’t too slow himself). He also shoots a million percent from the line (it’s true). I think he could be a rock at point guard for some team, maybe it’s portland, but his floor is a solid backup, making him valuable here.
President and Personal Escort of the Gerry McNamara Fan Club
I like him too
Lawson has better north-south speed in straight lines, but Collison has great “game speed” dribbling the ball, stealing, etc. Collison shoots around 90% of his FTs, but doesn’t get to the line a lot. Still it’s a nice thing to have. He shoots about 40% on threes. He works hard on defense even though he isn’t the most athletic player. I would instantly take him if our own Sergio Rodriguez gets shipped as his replacement. Not a terribly high ceiling, but a high floor.
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