Nate McMillan & the Trail Blazers Win The NBA Draft Lottery

Alums General NCS Basketball66

Nate wins the NBA draft lottery and gets to pick between Oden and Durant.

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Alums General NCS Basketball

66 Responses to Nate McMillan & the Trail Blazers Win The NBA Draft Lottery

  1. TNCSU 05/23/2007 at 1:01 PM #

    ^^^I was implying that Durant could either — sorry I meant was NOT implying. Also, just kidding about the overrated Dookies and Tarheels — well, sort of…

  2. noah 05/23/2007 at 1:08 PM #

    “^i never said you cant win the championship without a dominant center, im saying that if you have one then recent history shows you are probably going to win.”

    Not unless you put another great player with him. Shaq, at his absolute peak, couldn’t win a title. It was only after he had Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade that he could get over the top.

    Jordan couldn’t win without Pippen (and to a lesser degree, Kukoc). Kareem had Oscar Robertson and then Magic and Worthy (and Byron Scott).

  3. Lunatic Fringe 05/23/2007 at 1:29 PM #

    BJD…I guess that is why I feel that this is a clear cut decision for the Trail Blazers.

    1) As lush alluded to, TB need an inside defensive presence more than a scorer.
    2) Blazers will be under more scrutiny if they chose Durant over Oden since the majority of the world believes Oden is the better player.

    In 2003, you had Lebron, Anthony, and Wade who have all had successful careers while Wade to this point has had more “success” with a NBA title win. Cleveland (even beyond getting the hometown guy) HAD to get Lebron, because the scrutiny for chosing anyone else would have been devastating since the majority of the world felt he was the better player.

  4. redfred2 05/23/2007 at 1:29 PM #

    “I think he could be a special player with the right players around him.”

    That’s a fairly generic statement that could fit just as well with respects to a center like Greg Oden.

  5. lush 05/23/2007 at 2:08 PM #

    “Not unless you put another great player with him”

    that applies to every championship team, does it not? it is rare that one person is soley responsible for a title. i cant think of any examples of a one man show….anybody?????/

  6. redfred2 05/23/2007 at 2:48 PM #

    Back eons ago Wilt was about as close to a one man wrecking team as anyone has ever been. But not him, not Jordan, and now, not even LeBron. It can’t be done, especially now.

  7. redfred2 05/23/2007 at 2:49 PM #

    ^team = crew

  8. packbackr04 05/23/2007 at 2:58 PM #

    touche Lush. Luc Longley was MR INTANGIBLES! i too have an uncle

  9. packbackr04 05/23/2007 at 3:01 PM #

    i think everyone is right on. you have to have a dominant post player, you have to have a good/serviceable point guard (although recently the way fouls are called, the NBA is becoming more of a guards league), you have to have scorers, and YOU ABSOLUTLEY HAVE TO HAVE role players…. something yall were mentiong a few posts ago about what is exciting about PACK bball. we wont 11 MCD’s AA’s, but we will have a couple great players and some role makers, or glue as i like to call them… if you have too many superstars on the same team they are competeting amongst each other and not against the team, ie the heels last year

  10. packbackr04 05/23/2007 at 3:07 PM #

    sorry typing got sloppy. you know damned work interupting me…
    i meant to say it is finally nice to be excited about pack basketball because we have all the components of a winning team for the frist time in a long time. sid hasnt done it with 11 burger boys. he has scoured the southest, and found a couple guys who can be big time players, found a couple guys to come in and fill needs, found a couple guys who will be projects, etc… sid has an innate feel for the game and it is exciting to watch his brand of bball.
    btw- herb recruited another 6’7″ white wing player for his start to the class of 08. the herbivores must be elated

  11. redfred2 05/23/2007 at 3:38 PM #

    That 6’7″ white guy can really rain the threes.

    I don’t really know, but I’d bet my house on it anyway.

  12. packbackr04 05/23/2007 at 3:48 PM #

    Johnny Coy- looks like a real beast

    http://arizonastate.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=60807&Sport=2

    anyone see UNC’s first recruit for 08? scary good PG from California

  13. TNCSU 05/23/2007 at 3:49 PM #

    ^^Jordan couldn’t win without Pippen (and to a lesser degree, Kukoc).

    IMO, Pippen was good, but he was no Kobe Bryant, Oscar Robertson, or Worthy. I know this goes back to the old debate about did Jordan make Pippen better or vice versa. Yes, you have to have other players — one of my first comments was “the best teams win Championships.” Jordan made that a great team, not Pippen or Kukoc. You could have put a handful of other players like that with Jordan, and he’d have won. Pippen and Jordan played great as teammates and the Bulls were a great team, but look what happened when Pippen was without Jordan…not so stellar.

    Not trying to take anything away from Pippen, because he was a great player, and has 6 rings to prove it. Again, they were a great team — without a dominant center.

  14. lush 05/23/2007 at 4:06 PM #

    ^nice pot shot. too bad you are referring to a team 10-15 years ago, that had what most consider to be the best player ever. there are always exceptions, and you have found the one exception in the last 20 years.

    no you dont have to have a dominant center, you can have mj, but you better have one or the other or your not going to win a title. and sense there will never be another mj……..

  15. noah 05/23/2007 at 4:16 PM #

    You don’t have to have a dominant post player. It does appear you need more than one great player though. If one of them happens to be a center, so be it…

  16. highstick 05/23/2007 at 4:17 PM #

    I’ll take Anniston over Jolie any day! Jolie scares the crap out of me!

  17. TNCSU 05/23/2007 at 4:24 PM #

    Sorry lush, I didn’t really mean it as a pot shot….you’re right in that MJ is definitely an exception. I agree you have to have a “very good” center. I’m not sure about “dominant.” Is Tim Duncan dominant? Or is he just very good. To me, he doesn’t seem to dominate games. There truly have been few dominant centers in the past 20 years. Shaq comes close, but I can shoot left handed better than he can. I really have a hard time with his lack of any type of finesse/touch. Again, the NBA game has become extremely physical, so big men with very little offensive ability can still “dominate” games on the glass and by dunking every other shot — not that there’s anything wrong with that, but to me, it’s not “great” basketball when I watch Shaq.

    I just prefer seeing a skilled player like Durant. That being said, I think Oden could very well be that type of dominant player that could win alot of Championships — BUT…alot of folks thought that about Patrick Ewing when he came out of Georgetown. Again, I’d rather be in Seattle’s shoes because that pick is the real “no brainer.”

  18. packbackr04 05/23/2007 at 4:27 PM #

    I WOULD SAY TIM DUNCAN IS pretty damn dominant.
    ill second taking aniston. i heard she got a new nose recently, god what i would do to her

  19. PackGirl 05/23/2007 at 4:28 PM #

    Our 2007-08 recruting class was ranked #16 on Scout (1 place below Herb’s, interestingly) and #19 on Rivals (3 above Herb’s). The Rivals rankings were old (late 2006) but you couldn’t tell when the Scout rankings were done. May have been from the early signing period also.

  20. TNCSU 05/23/2007 at 4:29 PM #

    I’d personally take Jolie — more versatile. I think Anniston is overrated, and a little one-dimensional. Did you see Jolie in Alexander?….SCARY GOOD!!!

  21. redfred2 05/23/2007 at 4:30 PM #

    pb04,

    Does the new recruit, 6’7″ Johnny Coy, look tailor made for the “Sleep America Classic” or what? A little groggy already there, and he hasn’t even had his first official, and inspirational, pre-game/in game speech yet.

  22. TNCSU 05/23/2007 at 4:30 PM #

    ^^The movie, on the other hand, was boring as H$%#…..ZZzzzzz

  23. TNCSU 05/23/2007 at 4:31 PM #

    ^^The movie, on the other hand, was boring as H$%# (to me, at least)…..ZZzzzzz

  24. TNCSU 05/23/2007 at 4:33 PM #

    ^^Sorry about that. I didn’t think I had hit “submit” yet.

    Does everyone agree Duncan “dominates” games? I don’t watch enough NBA to know, but I think Parker and Genobli need to get alot of credit for the Spurs (and of course, their “Hit Man,” Horry)

  25. haze 05/23/2007 at 5:23 PM #

    C or PF, Duncan is definitely a dominant defensive presence… as was Shaq (though not so much with Miami)… as was Wallace… as was Akeem… as was Kareem… as was Parrish.

    The teams that won without dominant interior players were the Bad Boy Pistons (Lambeer was tough but not dominant, though the Pistons in general were dominant defensively) and the Bulls.

    It can be done but a dominant defensive presence helps a lot. I think Portland would be nuts to take anyone but Oden.

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