Eric Gordon will be selected between draft picks 6-10. I wouldn't say he's a "can't miss" PG, but he is a can't miss scorer and 3-point specialist. He has a great outside shot with decent driving ability, but his passing skills are marginal at best. I think he's a slightly taller version of Ben Gordon. I see his game translating into more of a scoring guard position rather than point guard.
Some might think that the Blazers could use a little more scoring and outside shooting. I agree, but with our PG I would prefer someone also with the ability to be a distributor that can get everyone involved in the offense. Obviously the cream of the PG crop in the draft is Derrick Rose. He's a Chris Paul type of impact PG that not only knows how to score but has the ability to get everyone involved and has a knack for distriubuting the ball to the right player at the right time. He's a very special player indeed, so much so that I think if he was added to Roy, Oden & Aldridge he could elevate the Blazers to instant championship contender next year. And how perfect is his last name for a team that plays in the Rose Garden? But we can all get that dream out of our head because it's not going to happen. I think he will be the first pick in the draft because most of the worst teams have PG as their biggest need. I don't think the Blazers could put a good enough package together to move up to the #1 pick, and I don't think a Seattle or Miami or Minnesota or Memphis or New York is going to pass on either Rose or Beasley so moving to one of the top 2 picks is out of the question unless the Blazers are including either Oden, Aldridge or Roy in their package offer, which defeats the whole purpose.
So, forgetting about Rose, there are other PG's that will be available in the first 10 picks that the Blazers could move up from 13 to get. Besides Gordon there is also Jerryd Bayless, O.J. Mayo or Russell Westbrook. I think Bayless has a similar game to Gordon. In my opinion neither of these players are worth moving up to get. If either slip to 13 fine, but I think between Brandon Roy and Rudy Fernadez the Blazers will have enough scoring guards. They need a distributor.
I really like O.J. Mayo. I didn't like this kid at first because I thought he was a ball hog. But I watched a lot of USC games this year and he is a great scorer and 3-point shooter, but he also really knows how to distribute the ball and get everyone involved. I was very impressed. He would be able to knife through the defense and then kick it out to Roy or slip an underneath pass to Aldridge or Oden. Mayo is worth packaging their #13 pick with a combination of players and/or future draft picks. He's not as good as Rose right now, but I think Mayo's upside as a PG is much higher than Bayless or Gordon.
Problem is that with such a need for PG out there Mayo is the likely #3 pick. It would take at least the #13 and Sergio, Webster & Jack to make this trade. Most likely the Blazers would need to throw in next year's pick too. I know that seems like too much. But I'm telling you, unless there is an impact PG free agent out there (Chris Paul & Deron Williams aren't going anywhere) they are going to have to find their guy in the draft. Sometimes it is necessary to sacrifice some depth to get the player you need.
The other option that I like is Russell Westbrook. He may not be a pure PG, but to be fair he didn't get the chance to handle the ball much with Collison on the same team. Westbrook did show flashes of brilliance as a scorer & distributor. He has a great drive and a decent jump shot. But the best thing about Westbrook is he is an amazing defender. He would fit right in with the tough defensive minded Oden-centered Blazer team next year. I think the Blazers could really benefit from having another great perimeter defender. Between Westbrook & Roy it wouldn't really matter who the designated PG was because either can handle the ball, drive to the bucket, shoot from outside and distribute. Add Rudy Fernandez to the mix and the Blazers would have 3 very capable distributors and scorers. The other great thing is Westbrook should be available in the 6-10 area so the Blazers would not have to give up quite as much to move up to get him as they would Mayo.
If the Blazers try to draft a PG at #13 they will be choosing between Collison, Lawson & Augustin. These are all undersized PG's that will be exposed defensively. Lawson & Augustin would be better than Collison because they are better drivers and distributors with higher upsides in my opinion. But I'd much rather they move up to get Mayo or Westbrook than settle for Lawson or Augustin.
PG - O.J. Mayo / Russell Westbrook
SG - Brandon Roy
SF - Travis Outlaw
PF - LeMarcus Aldridge
C - Gred Oden
Bench - Steve Blake, Rudy Fernandez, James Jones, Channing Frye, Joel Przybilla
This is a realistic possibility if the Blazers are really serious about moving up.
Of course if we get out of this world insanely lucky and win another lottery we can go ahead and start celebrating future championships now. Derrick Rose is going to be the real deal. But realistically I am targeting either Mayo or Westbrook for the Blazers to get in the draft. My first choice would be Westbrook because I love his defense and the Blazers would not have to give up as much to move up to get him as they would Mayo.
