ChrisHaynes, CSNNW.com Trail Blazers Insider (@ChrisBHaynes)
Everythingwent as planned for the Portland Trail Blazers as the 2012 NBAlottery revealed they will pick at No. 6 and No. 11 in the 2012 NBAdraft on June 28.
TheBrooklyn Nets didn't land a top three pick and the Trail Blazersconquered their spot at six. This is all good being that the TrailBlazers now have a vast range of players to break down and analyze.
Whenwe made this trade, this was what we were anticipating, that we havetwo lottery picks going into what is considered a deep draft,Trail Blazers president Larry Miller said. This is great for ourorganization.
However,with those picks, comes immense pressure to make sure they draft theright players at those selections. If the Trail Blazers whiff on theNo. 6 pick, then No. 11 better be a steal in the draft.
Thosetwo lottery picks the Trail Blazers possess should almost guaranteepre-draft workouts from North Carolina's Harrison Barnes and KendallMarshall, Connecticut's Jeremy Lamb and Andre Drummond, Duke's AustinRivers, Weber State's Damian Lilard, and Florida's Bradley Beal justto name a few.
Ihave a feeling that the cream-of-the-crop players will be in the gut ofthe lottery and it'll be up to the Trail Blazers to make sure theyget their picks right. And by get their picks right, I mean atleast one of the two players better be a productive player for theteam for years to come.
Actinggeneral manager Chad Buchanan says they'll likely pick the bestplayer available with No. 6, so it's imperative that they do justthat.
Personally,I think the Trail Blazers will package those picks to bring inimmediate help, but if the plan is to hold on to them, here are thetwo players I think they should grab assuming they're still on theboard:
AtNo. 6, the Trail Blazers should select Harrison Barnes This 6-7wing player has an NBA body and will contribute for a teamimmediately. He's one of the most athletic prospects in the draft andhe's only 19 years old, which means he has tremendous upside.
Barnes' stock has been rising of late and he might be off the board by thetime the Trail Blazers pick at No. 6. However, if somehow big manAndre Drummond is still on the board, I take him.
AtNo. 11, the Trail Blazers should select Perry Jones out of Baylor Look, I know these two selections don't necessarily address thebig-man need, but I think the Trail Blazers can address that need viafree agency.
I'm not sold on many big men (besides Drummond) in thisdraft. Jones is a 6-11 shot-blocking, athletic stud who I think willbe around at this pick and I think he's the best available. Jones canshoot the outside shot and play inside. He's more comfortable on theperimeter and needs to bulk up, but that will come naturally.
Forgetabout the fact that the team has LaMarcus Aldridge already. Peoplewere saying the same thing when Brandon Roy was on the team and theTrail Blazers elected to select Greg Oden instead of Kevin Durant.
Eitherway, there are tough decisions to be made by the organization and ifhaving two lottery picks ends up not translating into rotationplayers next season, all hell is going to break loose.
It'sall good to have these picks, but it's great to do something with them.
