[Kmurph]

What a performance by Deron Williams tonight. I'd like to know his real height (He looks 6'2), but wow was I impressed with his play (possible 2nd rounder Luther Head looked intriguing as well).

Could he be the answer for POR at #5? I think POR has to seriously consider him. I think he could be a real player in the NBA, he has always been pretty solid when I have seen him mplay before, but tonight he took over down the stretch, hit some great jumpers, showed great poise, good passer, FANTASTIC defense on Salim Stoudamire. One game does not a great NBA player make (LaRue Martin anyone?), but tonight he showed that he may indeed be worthy of a fairly high lottery pick, and IMO may be every bit as good (or better) than Chris Paul when all is said and done.

I wonder if he could serve as the 3rd\swing guard for POR? Play some b\u PG to Telfair, some b\u (or starting?) SG. Yeah he is a little undersized, and I am real interested to see his measurements, but I really think with Monia back there next year (with Great size at SG @ 6'8), and having guys like Outlaw\Miles who are very capable of defending SG, that it could work.

Ben Gordon is basically a 6'2 SG, albeit he plays with a 6'4 PG in Hinrich, but if Deron measures out at 6'3-6'4, I would think it could work...specifically if you have Monia to throw into the mix as well.

 

[bigbabyjesus]

I don't know about Deron at SG.

Sure Ben Gordon plays it, and is probably the same size as Deron, but Ben Gordon is a much better pure scorer than Deron. Deron is a true point guard, so I don't know how permantely playing him at SG would work. But playing as SG in short stints wouldn't be a bad idea ala Rafer Alston in Toronto.

 

[MAS RipCity]

You don't want Deron as a SG. I also would like to see him get a lower % body fat. He looks chubby out there or "thick". I think for conditioning purposes in the NBA(longer games time and season) he should translate the thickness into muscle. Like Vig said, Deron is not a pure scorer, which Ben Gordon is, so I don't know how it will work. I really don't think we should look at him at #5 in the draft, unless Taft blows his workouts and we need a backup for Telfair. You can never have too much talent. Right now if he's the best player available when we pick, who knows?

 

[Ukrainefan]

I like the idea of drafting Williams; even if Telfair turns out to be a great point guard, it wouldn't hurt to have two really good point guards. It would be helpful for endurance reasons if we decide to have a very uptempo game. Also point guards seem to get hurt a lot. And it'd be good to have a guy with some extra height when we need him for defense. i think Williams is so smart and so steady that he would be a real asset to the team and we wouldn't need a veteran "mentor" point guard. And i'm sure he could do an adequate job at SG for 10 minutes a game.

 

[stupendous]

Deron is my facebook friend, no big deal

 

[NateBishop3]

Seriously guys, looking at point guards is not the answer. If you're not conviced about Telfair, fine, but drafting another point guard would only worsen it. I think if anyone should understand that having two players competing for minutes has never been a good thing.

The only reason I can see us drafting a point guard is to trade him.

 

[PorterIn2004]

Seriously guys, looking at point guards is not the answer. If you're not conviced about Telfair, fine, but drafting another point guard would only worsen it. I think if anyone should understand that having two players competing for minutes has never been a good thing.

The only reason I can see us drafting a point guard is to trade him.

I hear you, Nate. We clearly have more holes than we know what to do with and if next season has Telfair and someone like Omar Cook logging all the minutes at that position, there'd be worse things. And, the Kings do really well with both Bibby and Jackson, the Mavs did well with Nash and NVE, etc. I'd certainly prioritize other positions and, if (somehow) management can set up trades that would otherwise balance the roster, it might be something to look at. And then there's the whole best player available theory.... :whoknows:

 

[STOMP]

Seriously guys, looking at point guards is not the answer. If you're not conviced about Telfair, fine, but drafting another point guard would only worsen it. I think if anyone should understand that having two players competing for minutes has never been a good thing.

If having two players competing for minutes is a bad thing, then Portland is in all sorts of trouble at many positions already... at SG next year we'll have Monia, Outlaw, and DA... at the 3 Miles, Patterson, Vic... the 4/5 will probably be Zach, Theo, and Pryz (I hope management reads the writing on the wall with Joel and moves him...but I doubt it). Anyways it seems like PG is the least stocked position to me, someone be it a starter or a backup needs to come on board... a 6'3ish combo guard sure would be nice.

STOMP

 

[Sambonius]

I think someone like Eric Snow would be the ideal backup PG for us, but with his contract and team location I don't think there's much of a chance we acquire him.

 

[NateBishop3]

sure, having a combo guard would be nice, but not one who expects to start. If we've learned anything from the past few games, it's that confidence is paramount. A young player needs to know his team has faith in him. Otherwise they are not comfortable on the court, and can not play as they should.

Why put that kind of pressure on Bassy?

 

[STOMP]

sure, having a combo guard would be nice, but not one who expects to start. If we've learned anything from the past few games, it's that confidence is paramount. A young player needs to know his team has faith in him. Otherwise they are not comfortable on the court, and can not play as they should.

Why put that kind of pressure on Bassy?

Maybe you've learned that Nate, I'm not so sure about including all of the rest of us. I'd be fine with Telfair playing behind a superior talent, or having a talented guy push him and make him earn his time. I think he's probably going to be a pretty decent point, but he's not there yet IMO (6pts 6assts 4 TOs last night) and he's got lots of career ahead of him.... I'm going to borrow the he's only 19 argument at this point.

STOMP

 

[NateBishop3]

Telfair's line from last night was deceptive.

The 6 points were right on... He wasn't very aggressive on offense, and his shot simply wasn't falling.

The 6 assists, however, should have been much more. I swear, you put Bassy on a team like the Sonics and he's averaging at least 10 a game. AT LEAST.

The 4 turnovers were acceptable. His first half was flawless. Only one turnover, and it wasn't that bad of a pass. The second half wasn't so great.

Overall I thought he played good, but I want to see more effort from Bassy. Sometimes he gets a boost of confidence and then starts playing like the guy I know he can. Other times he seems very reluctant. This has a lot to do with age.

But I stand by my statement about confidence. When Travis Outlaw gets consistent playing time he shows confidence. When he shows confidence he plays better. Games like last night are a prime example.

 

[Oldmangrouch]

While I can understand the "confidence" argument, we need to remember that the question is what's best for the *team*, not Telfair!

If the best player available at our pick is Paul or Deron Williams - you take him. If it turns out that he is actually *better* than Telfair....then sorry Bassey, but life is rough. If he *isn't* as good as Telfair (and he has any sense of professionalism) he will learn to contribute off the bench. If all else fails, trade him.

You don't take a lesser player just to keep an incumbent happy.

 

[NateBishop3]

Here's the problem with that argument. Jermaine O'Neal.

He didn't flourish until he was given a starting spot and told the Pacers had faith in him.

If you draft another young point guard, and then you pit them against one another, it could hurt both of their development.

Also, Telfair has all the tools we've been clammoring for. Great passing skills. A head for the game. And lots of upside.

We need to avoid another score-first point guard.

 

[STOMP]

Also, Telfair has all the tools we've been clammoring for. Great passing skills. A head for the game. And lots of upside.

We need to avoid another score-first point guard.

You keep saying we... and I keep not agreeing. IMO Portland needs better talent. I don't see anyone that has a lock on their position as a sure fire HOFer. Telfair looks promising, but I'd rather he be bigger and a better outside threat, so thats a couple tools that he's missing IMO.

I don't have a problem with scoring point guards, especially if they can guard their position and even better if they can guard the 2 when they get switched over. I definitely like points who are outside scoring threats.

STOMP

 

[Ed O]

Here's the problem with that argument. Jermaine O'Neal.

I think that O'Neal might be a bigger problem with your argument.

We already had Rasheed and Brian Grant, who were in a delicate balance for playing time. Drafting Jermaine could have been seen as a challenge to either or both of them, and perhaps we should have drafted another position (Travis Knight? Derek Fisher? Or, maybe if we were lucky, Ilgauskus).

Jermaine didn't reach his full potential with Portland, but he DID bring us Dale Davis, who acted as a pretty good big guy for us for several years... and that turned out to be of more value to the franchise than avoiding playing time or confidence conflicts.

Ed O.

 

[Ed O]

Looping back to the another point: I don't care what's good for Telfair, as Omg stated... I care what's best for the team.

If (objectively) Chris Paul is better that Telfair and/or better than other options where we pick: get him. If Deron Williams is the real deal, let's draft him and upgrade our back court talent.

I'm hoping that the team isn't forced to make this kind of choice, because Sebastian clearly shows promise and the team could use an additional young big with a lot of upside, but I hope the Blazers don't walk on eggshells TOO much because of what they've already got because what they've already got isn't exactly the best situation in the world.

Ed O.

 

[hasoos]

I don't think Deron Williams is too short to play SG, it all depends also on his "wingspan". I see Dwayne Wade play SG all the time, even guarding Kobe, and he does quite fine at 6'4". The main thing is, can they score like mad at an efficient rate, and can they guard their guy. That is all that matters to me.

 

[Oldmangrouch]

Looping back to the another point: I don't care what's good for Telfair, as Omg stated... I care what's best for the team.

If (objectively) Chris Paul is better that Telfair and/or better than other options where we pick: get him. If Deron Williams is the real deal, let's draft him and upgrade our back court talent.

I'm hoping that the team isn't forced to make this kind of choice, because Sebastian clearly shows promise and the team could use an additional young big with a lot of upside, but I hope the Blazers don't walk on eggshells TOO much because of what they've already got because what they've already got isn't exactly the best situation in the world.

Ed O.

Exactly. Does the name "Damon" ring any bells? Damon pouted and whined everytime his position has been challenged. Is that the attitude we want to foster in Telfair?

BTW, I don't get the claim that Williams is a "shoot first" PG. You can't judge his career on one game in the tourney where his team was struggling and *someone* needed to step forward.

 

[hasoos]

I agree with ya oldmangrouch. You don't finish with only one loss on the season and get deep into the tournament unless you have a good TEAM. Illinois has been playing great team ball all season long, and they have a few tough players who step up when the going gets tough. That's what separates the men from the boys. What do people expect? A PG who has zero points and 16 assist a game? The more weapons you have on the court, the better off your team is.