NBA Draft: Power Forwards

There is a lot of debate surrounding the Trail Blazers' needs this off season. Fans are chomping at the bit for further success in the playoffs, and everyone has their own opinions concerning the draft, free agency, and possible trades. Kevin Pritchard has a lot on his plate and one way he may look to bolster the rotation is through the draft. Also, many would like to see Portland address the back-up power forward position. Channing Frye's future with the club is murky at best and a more physical bench player at the four spot would be an intriguing option for Nate McMillan and the coaching staff. Let's look at some of the possible options at the power forward position in the upcoming draft. Notice I left out players like Blake Griffin, Jordan Hill, and DeJuan Blair. These three are most likely going to be lottery picks and will be unavailable when the Blazers pick, barring a collosal move by Blazer management (though one should never rule this out considering the way our drafts have gone in recent years).

Gani Lawal - Georgia Tech

Lawal has improved a lot and as a sophomore last year averaged over 15 points and nearly 10 rebounds in just under 30 minutes a game for the Yellow Jackets. He has good size and plays with a lot of energy. He is still raw in many aspects of his game however and would probably struggle to find many minutes in the rotation for his first couple of years. If the Blazers pick him, I would expect them to be patient with him and allow him time to develop in practice before putting him out on the floor in meaningful stretches. Many mock drafts have the Blazers selecting him with their pick at 24, which means nothing really. If anything, I expect the unecpected when it comes to Portland and the draft. Lawal would be intriguing but I wouldn't lose any sleep if some other team called his name on draft night.

Earl Clark - Louisville

Earl Clark is one of those guys who intrigues scouts with his talent, size, and quickness. He stands over 6'10'' with shoes and weighs around 230 lbs. His body is NBA-ready and he could potentially cause a lot of mismatches for opponents with his athleticism and ability to handle the ball out on the perimeter. He can also effectively defend the pick-and-roll, using his length and lateral quickness to step out on screens. This all sounds great right? Well there is a downside. Clark often seems to disappear when you watch him on TV. He becomes virtually invisible for stretches of games. He often hangs out on the perimeter but his shooting percentages aren't really very impressive. He doesn't have the mentality to be a go-to scorer like Rick Pitino would have liked at Louisville, but maybe he can become a solid contributer in the NBA, where he will be asked to fit in as part of a unit rather than carry his team through stretches of games. He probably won't be available at the 24th pick but he could be had in the late teens or early 20s. He seems like a huge boom or bust type of prospect and if the Blazers select him in the draft it should be an indication that they believe they can bring out all of the potential that so many scouts see in him.

Tyler Hansbrough - North Carolina

I will probably get teased for saying this, but I don't think Psycho T is a bad pro prospect when all is considered. Yes, I got tired of the Dickie Vs of the world raving about his "heart" and "tenacity", but it's not his fault that he was such a polarizing player for the premiere college basketball program in America. Hansbrough will almost certainly never be an all-star player but he has a lot of things that could allow him to contribute in the NBA. Many people assume that he is undersized but he measured up pretty well at the pre-draft camp in Chicago, standing over 6'9'' and weighing 235 lbs. His offensive moves look kind of herky-jerky and unorthodox, but they were effective. The guy could flat out score at UNC, he put up over 18 points a game for 4 years, topping out at over 22 a game during his junior campaign. His rebounding did dip during his senior year, which raises some questions about whether or not he will be a good rebounder in the league. Also, his attitude and work ethic appear to be top-notch, something that we know Pritchard looks for in potential draft picks. Many of us as fans love to hear stories about Jerryd Bayless working meniacly on his game, and I think Hansbrough brings a lot of those same qualities. You can never have enough of these guys as far as I am concerned and if Portland selected Hansbrough in a few weeks, I would feel confident knowing that he was going to do whatever the coaches asked of him and probably much more. I think the guy could be an effective role player, playing 10-15 minutes a night, bringing energy and toughness to a second unit that needs a little more muscle. I never thought I would write this but I am kind of intrigued by the thought of adding this all-american to our roster.