The Trail Blazers model

[mcHAPPY]

Actually, Lillard is really the result of trading for and flipping Gerald Wallace & mortgaging the future a bit (Blazers 2014 1st round pick), but hard to argue that a late round 2014 pick is going to be any better than Lillard already is.

Gerald Wallace acquired by Portland:
February 24, 2011: Traded by the Charlotte Bobcats to the Portland Trail Blazers for Dante Cunningham, Sean Marks, Joel Przybilla, cash, a 2011 1st round draft pick (Tobias Harris was later selected) and a 2014 1st round draft pick.

Gerald Wallace traded by Portland to Brooklyn:
March 15, 2012: Traded by the Portland Trail Blazers to the New Jersey Nets for Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams and a 2012 1st round draft pick (Damian Lillard was later selected).

Fair enough and thank you for the clarification.

Essentially they traded a 19th 2011 pick and likely a mid-high 20s 2014 pick for a #6 2012 pick.

I'll take that.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

That is what blows my mind about the people posting, "But how are we going to sign a free agent without winning!"

No the correct post is, "How are we going to sign free agents without an appealing roster."

Build through the draft, collect assets for a couple of seasons and go from there.

You can't build a new house on a developed lot until you tear the old house down.

The worst part is that if the Raptors had properly tanked that year and managed to draft Lillard, then the whole Nash/Fields/Lowry fiasco would have been avoided. It's not just the immediate ramifications, but the subsequent domino-effect actions that make me so frustrated at this franchise's continual ineptness. lol

[torch19]

What the Trail Blazers have, we don't have. They have LaMarcus Aldrige as their #1 option; a savvy post player & one of the best power forwards in the game today. They surrounded him with shooters -- Batum & Matthews -- both are your so-called 3 & D players. They found a point guard in Damian Lillard which gives them the option for pick and roll basketball. They found a defensive presence in Robin Lopez, helping Aldrige anchor the defense. Last, they upgraded the bench by bringing in quality veteran pieces & energy bigs.

That was their process. It doesn't mean it would be ours. They found their #1 a long time ago. They committed to him & built a roster around him.

Other teams went through a different process. There is no clear cut way to assemble a quality roster but they all found their #1 option & consequently built a quality roster around them backed by good coaching. Until you find 'that guy,' you cannot possibly know how the rest of the roster will shape up; meaning, we have ways to go.

[lewro]

if we followed the 'blazers model, we would have drafted aldridge instead of bARGs.
at this point, i'm more interested in Exum than Smart but I haven't seen enough to know for sure.

[yukhan1980]

if we followed the 'blazers model, we would have drafted aldridge instead of bARGs.
at this point, i'm more interested in Exum than Smart but I haven't seen enough to know for sure.

Just not intrested in Exum i mean what is his competation in Australia need to see him against reall talent to be sold on him.

[Eric Montross 00]

Just not intrested in Exum i mean what is his competation in Australia need to see him against reall talent to be sold on him.

Wiggins definitely is the favorite for us, but in case whatever happens Marcus Smart is the real deal. Wiggins, Parker, Randel are all potential franchise changer, same thing with Smart but what set Smart different than any body else is he is a Point guard. Look at our team the biggest need is point guard this is why I am so high on him and this is why we really really need to tank this year if we don't get Wiggins that's fine we also get Smart instead. this is once in a century opportunity(sorry for the exaggeration).

[yukhan1980]

Im happy with any of these guys take who ever is best player available at the time. Dont look at the need take the best player dont make the same mistake like we did with Ross when we selected him over Drummond beacuse we had JV. Should have picked drummond interior of JV and drumund would have been lethal

[mcHAPPY]

Just not intrested in Exum i mean what is his competation in Australia need to see him against reall talent to be sold on him.

With that type of perspective players like the following would never have been drafted:

An incredible 140 players who have participated in the Nike Hoop Summit have been drafted by NBA teams, including six No. 1 picks.

The list of World alumni includes: Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Serge Ibaka, Yi Jianlian, Luis Scola, Bismack Biyombo,Nicolas Batum,Andrea Bargnani, Omri Casspi, Enes Kanter and Vladimir Radmanovic.

http://www.nikehoopsummit.com/news/

It's really too bad he's not competing with them directly.

Had Dante Exum been able to participate this year in the NCAA, the top-prospect debate would be between four 18-years-olds—not just three.

Quite frankly, he should still be in that conversation with Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Julius Randle, regardless of where he's currently playing. You could even argue that Exum, a 6'6'' scoring point guard, offers the most potent package of athleticism, skill and size for his position of any of the previously mentioned standouts.

Exum still hasn't made it clear whether he'll declare in 2014, but the general feeling is that he's ready to make the jump if someone is willing to reach up and grab him.

When discussing the current field of top prospects, ESPN' Chad Ford recently spoke (subscription required) with an NBA executive who said, "All of them are going to be great, but when you watch Exum, you see the ability to be a generational talent. My owner might kill me, but I think you take Exum, regardless of what the other guys do this year. Exum's already proved it to me."

By proving it, that executive was likely talking about Exum's performances during international summer competition.

In 2012, he finished fourth in scoring at the U17 FIBA World Championships with 17.3 points per game.

The following summer, he was invited to participate in the 2013 Nike Hoops Summit, where he played alongside Wiggins and against Parker and Randle. After generating buzz all week in practice, Exum went on to score 16 points in the main event during the World's win over U.S.A.

But his most impressive feat came at the 2013 U19 FIBA World Championships, when he led Australia to a bronze after putting up 18.2 points and 3.8 assists a game.

Exum went for 33 against Spain and 28 against Lithuania in July, earning the full attention of NBA onlookers in the process.

He's built a little like Wiggins—thin, yet incredibly explosive with a first step that makes him impossible to contain off the bounce.

At 6'6'', he's a ball-handling guard and problem for every opposing backcourt. The mismatch he presents is what really drives his unique NBA upside. He's got the skill set to play either the 1 or the 2 while maintaining a substantial physical advantage at each.

Quick, shifty and elusive, Exum draws a ton of fouls simply because nobody is able to stay in front of him.

With the ability to break down the defense and the instincts to know what's around it, he's a playmaking machine off the dribble.

As a scorer, Exum has the ability to completely take over a game. He's a tough cover whether he's generating offense with the ball in his hands or playing off of it as a 2-guard.

And though not the best shooter, Exum has tremendous confidence, which allows him to score points in a hurry or in bunches on the perimeter.

Like Wiggins, Exum is also dynamite in the open floor. And with a point guard's handle, he's able to initiate the break himself and take it coast to coast.

Defensively, Exum has massive potential with the foot speed, length and size to completely overwhelm. He's going to have a few extra inches in every direction against almost any point guard he faces.

Exum's two-way upside is really can't-miss, and makes the 2014 draft even more star-studded than it currently seems.

He's a game-changer. We just haven't seen anything like him, which really plays to his appeal as franchise guard. For Exum to go No. 1, we're probably going to need a general manager with maximum job security—especially with how well the American kids look this year.

But this isn't just another international prospect. Exum is the real deal, and should be considered a surefire challenger at the top of the lottery.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...raft-prospects

[golden]

Wiggins definitely is the favorite for us, but in case whatever happens Marcus Smart is the real deal. Wiggins, Parker, Randel are all potential franchise changer, same thing with Smart but what set Smart different than any body else is he is a Point guard. Look at our team the biggest need is point guard this is why I am so high on him and this is why we really really need to tank this year if we don't get Wiggins that's fine we also get Smart instead. this is once in a century opportunity(sorry for the exaggeration).

I would like to start a petition to permanently ban the use of expressions like: ".... our biggest need is...", "what our team needs is...", in reference to ANY draft for at least the next 2 seasons. lol. Raps need talent, period. And this team won't even look the same (hopefully) if it's anywhere close to what we are all looking for. This type of drafting-for-need thinking is what got us Ross over Drummond, for which we can squarely place the blame on BC & Casey.

[Nilanka]

Wiggins definitely is the favorite for us, but in case whatever happens Marcus Smart is the real deal. Wiggins, Parker, Randel are all potential franchise changer, same thing with Smart but what set Smart different than any body else is he is a Point guard. Look at our team the biggest need is point guard this is why I am so high on him and this is why we really really need to tank this year if we don't get Wiggins that's fine we also get Smart instead. this is once in a century opportunity(sorry for the exaggeration).

Isn't Smart more of a combo guard. They're comparing his game to Harden's.

[Axel]

Isn't Smart more of a combo guard. They're comparing his game to Harden's.

Maybe 10 years ago, he's a scoring guard with good size and good D. Stylistically he's like Harden (but better D) but his projected role will be more like Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook, etc.

[MangoKid]

Speaking of Lillard. 2 years ago was where the Raptors should've tanked. It was the perfect situation. They had a bad team + short season.

Dwane Casey though was too busy building a "winning culture" that he didn't allow it to happen. Raptors won too many games. A couple more losses and they would've had a legit chance of drafting Lillard. Heck, the final game of the season against the Nets. If they threw that game away, Harrison Barnes would've been playing for the Raptors right now.

This team would have been a lot better with Drummond (who was there for the taking) instead of Terrence Ross. Once the Ross pick was made, I cursed Colangelo out loud and then proceeded to get my fill of Stellas to drown my sorrow. But I still felt empty inside the day after. My word, did Colon-jello ever screw us over.

[Eric Montross 00]

I would like to start a petition to permanently ban the use of expressions like: ".... our biggest need is...", "what our team needs is...", in reference to ANY draft for at least the next 2 seasons. lol. Raps need talent, period. And this team won't even look the same (hopefully) if it's anywhere close to what we are all looking for. This type of drafting-for-need thinking is what got us Ross over Drummond, for which we can squarely place the blame on BC & Casey.

Then answer my question why Magic traded their first overall pick Christ Webber for Penny Hardaway? yes both are talented players but it's more of a positional needs. Exactly happened here in this year's coming draft, we are talking about specifics here and just this year, Wiggins, Parker, Randle, Smart, and Embiid are all very talented players, but who do you pick as raptors, I think again their biggest need is at point guard and Smart fits perfectly.

[Eric Montross 00]

This team would have been a lot better with Drummond (who was there for the taking) instead of Terrence Ross. Once the Ross pick was made, I cursed Colangelo out loud and then proceeded to get my fill of Stellas to drown my sorrow. But I still felt empty inside the day after. My word, did Colon-jello ever screw us over.

I think the Ross-Drummond thing is not entirely Colangelo's fault, the reason why we have the Ross-Drummond topic is entirely based on the performance of Jonas Valanciunas, because JV isn't playing or at the same level as Drummond. This is why we should blaming the coaching stuff on JV's development and JV actual play on the court. I still believe Bargnani's failure was some part our own fault, I mean "ours" are the coaching stuff, management both Colangelo and Ghardini. Not many people give credits to Butch Carter and Kevin O'neal, both of them had short career and losing seasons with the raptors but they developed Vince Carter and Chris Bosh into all-stars. What worries me the most is okay Dwane Casey is a bad coach, but at least be a good development coach, I rather see raptors losing next 20 games but having JV scores 25-30 points and 15 rebounds per game.(JV has the potential to do that if he does record those stats we wouldn't have the Ross-Drummond conversations)

[Puffer]

I think the Ross-Drummond thing is not entirely Colangelo's fault, the reason why we have the Ross-Drummond topic is entirely based on the performance of Jonas Valanciunas, because JV isn't playing or at the same level as Drummond....

You always take the best talent, not the most needed talent, because you can trade the best talent for need +. BC could have showcased both JV and Drummond and then traded one of them for a player better than Ross. It's that simple.