OdomLOL

Here is my top ten which is subject to change once we find out more info after private workouts.

1. Rudy Gay- IMO the best player in the draft regardless of position. Out of this world athlete that will be able to play 3 positions in the NBA (SG/SF/PF), has the ability to shoot the ball, post up and run the court as well as anyone currently in the NBA. Comes from an NBA factory: UConn. Worst case scenerio: Andre Iguadala/ Marvin Williams. Best case scenerio: Vince Carter.

2. Brandon Roy- My personal favorite coming into the draft. Does everything exceptionally well. Complete offensive and defensive arsenal. Will be able to play 3 positions in the NBA (PG/SG/SF) but will be best served playing SG but will be a very good player defending PG's. Worst case scenerio: Deron Williams. Best case scenerio: Jalen Rose.

3. Andrea Bargnani- The biggest enigma in this draft. A 7' player that is always compared to Dirk Nowitzki because of his mobility and shooting ability. What scares me the most about him though is that he is a Euro player and I have not seen him play enough. Worst case scenerio: Darko Milicic. Best case scenerio: Dirk Nowitzki.

4. Lamarcus Aldridge- One of the safest players to draft this year. Good post player on offense, good mobility, great wingspan and leaping ability. He lacks power and the ability to dominate equal competition at the college level. Worst case scenerio: Channing Frye. Best case scenerio: Brad Daugherty.

5. Rodney Carney- Superb athlete that does very well handling the ball and either shooting from the outside or taking it to the rim. Solid defender. Great college experience and coaching have made him into a fundementally sound player and his extreme athletic abilities will allow him to have success at the NBA level. Worst case scenerio: Bryon Russel. Best case scenerio: Michael Finley.

6. Shelden Williams- Probably the best post player in this draft but he lacks the "potential" that so many NBA teams wish to have. Great defensive player in the post (The Landlord) and a huge wingspan like Elton Brand (7'3"). Has the ability to score inside and has a decent midrange jumper. Worst case scenerio: Ike Diogu. Best case scenerio: Emeka Okafor.

7. Tyrus Thomas- I am just not sold on him because he is such a project. However he plays with a ton of heart and can jump out of the building. Emerged in the NCAA tourney as a potential rising star. Good defensively but offensively he is very limited. Worst case scenerio: Kenny Walker. Best case scenerio: Larry Nance.

8. Adam Morrison- How many unathletic NBA players have found much success in the NBA? Chris Mullin and who else? That is Morrison's problem. He is a great shooter and has nice height but he will always be a defensive liability and will have a rough time finding his shots without forcing them. Worst case scenerio: Christian Laettner/Danny Ferry. Best case scenerio: Chris Mullin/ Tom Gugliotta.

9. Patrick O'Bryant- Seven footer out of Bradley. Only got to see him in a couple of games but his one game against Pitt in the tourney really caught my attention. He is an underclassman with tons of potential to be a quality center in the NBA. Worst case scenerio: Bryant "Big Country" Rheeves. Best case scenerio: Chris Kaman/ or better.

10. Ronnie Brewer- Son of a former Blazer with the same name. Very athletic wingman that is very comfortable running the point. Had the chance to watch some game film on him and was immediately on his bandwagon. What worries me the most though is his outside shooting (funny looking shot). Ronnie is a lockdown defender and will be able to play 3 positions in the NBA (PG/SG/SF) which is a huge asset. Worst case scenerio: Corey Benjamin with ball handling skills. Best case scenerio: Scottie Pippen.

Other notables: JJ Redick, Randy Foye, Cedric Simmons, Richard Roby, Mardy Collins and Aaron Gray. All good players but they must prove themselves in predraft camps and private workouts-- they could all easily move into the lottery.

Utherhimo

1. Darius Miles- IMO the best player in the draft regardless of position. Out of this world athlete that will be able to play 3 positions in the NBA (SG/SF/PF), has the ability to shoot the ball, post up and run the court as well as anyone currently in the NBA. Comes from an NBA factory: HS. Worst case scenerio: Andre Iguadala/ Marvin Williams. Best case scenerio: Vince Carter.

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Mead for Life and Life for Mead ~ "ORAGUN", not "ORYGONE"!
WELCOME RUDY, BAYLESS and Batum to the Blazer Tribe: wear the Scarlet and Black with Pride. HAIL THE NORTH WEST! LONG LIVE OREGON!

00 this season is for YOU!!!! RIP!

PhilK

I wish that the Blazers' management would have thought the same way.

I get the feeling that we're going to pick one of Bargnani/Morrison/TyrusT- while picking Roy or Gay would've made us a lot better and would've given us one of the most talented back courts in the league.

PS- I wish darius could shoot. I wish he had half of the body Gay has.

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OdomLOL

Good thing Gay's attitude is nothing like Miles.

handclap problematic

I liked reading your takes on the players. Some of them were right on with my opinions, however, a few are way out of order (in my eyes). I would put Morrison and Aldridge at the top with Bargnini sitting in the 3rd hole (ready to make a move on up once player workouts begin, or not, of course).
For the most part I like your opinions though. I do think you are undervaluing Morrison and overvaluing Brewer and Carney.

Prunetang

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B_&_B

I agree. Morrison didnt have too much of a problem getting his shot off against the good players in the NCAA tourney, and the defense played in the tourney is FAR better than what is played in the NBA.

I do like Rudy Gay more and more as time goes on.

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Utherhimo

kevin on csmn said that there were things he liked aobut rudy gay and a lot of things he didnt like about him plus I think he should have gone back to school for one more years for the extra seasoning. :P

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Mead for Life and Life for Mead ~ "ORAGUN", not "ORYGONE"!
WELCOME RUDY, BAYLESS and Batum to the Blazer Tribe: wear the Scarlet and Black with Pride. HAIL THE NORTH WEST! LONG LIVE OREGON!

00 this season is for YOU!!!! RIP!

Dan

true. in the NBA, most teams don't double 1 guy almost everytime he touches the ball.

is that sort of like short attention span cinema (not to be confused with short attention span theatre, one of the original comedy central shows back when I was like a freshman in high school...what, 30 years ago)?

the less we hear/see about 1 player the more people like him...and the less we hear/see about another player, the less people like him.

a little confusing.

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Foulzilla

I know its trendy to do the Miles-Gay comparisons, but can you back this up?

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crandc

Wow, your best and worst case scenarios are all over the map. Some of the "worst case" are guys from last year's draft; I don't think you can reasonably judge the two Williams' (Marvin and Deron) based on one year. Remember, Nowitzki and Nash were considered busts their first year. OTOH, worst case Bryant Reeves would be a nightmare! Ike Diogu, another worst case, actually showed some decent improvement late in the year and is an open case. And Bryon Russell, another "worst case" is hardly a terrible player. He was a decent if not spectacular player on some pretty good teams. I could live with that (although not as a #1 pick). Emeka Okafor, another "best case" was injured most of last year. Tom Gugliotta and Chris Mullin are not in the same class; Gugliotta was a decent enough shooter but Mullin was an outstanding shooter and a first team all NBA. Considering the lousy shooting, especially from long range, and the dreadful free throw shooting, of this Blazers team, I'd be happy with a Chris Mullin, believe me.
Your personal favorite, Brandon Roy, is listes as "best case, Jalen Rose". No knock on Rose but I'd but Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitzki, Vince Carter and I think Brad Daugherty ahead of him.
If someone's best case is really Scottie Pippen, I'd say go for it.

ebott

What's to back up? It seems pretty obvious. They're both super atheletic players that have problems putting forth consistant effort and don't show up in big games.

And it's not trendy. People on this board have been comparing Gay to Miles for months now.

Foulzilla

So, would it be resonable for me to say "Morrison=Langdon, Bargnani=Tskitishvilli, Aldridge=Olowokandi, etc, etc"? I mean, we can definitely just come up with negative comparisons for every player in the draft. Is it really necessary to bring it up in every thread about Gay instead of debating the points that were made?

It is a trend. Just because people have been doing it for months doesn't change that.

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Schilly