May
21
21 and 51
By Kassandra Posted in: Blazers
The draft lottery has been conducted and the NBA draft order is set. Of course, the lottery didn't change Portland's draft-day fortunes. The Blazers hold the 21st pick (first round) and 51st pick (second round).
The NBA draft will be held at 4 p.m. pacific time, June 23 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. It will be televised on ESPN.
There will be much speculation over the coming month over who should be taken, what positions the Blazers need to fill, and so on and so forth. But what treasures might the 21st and 51st picks yield?
Portland will be picking in the 21st slot for the fourth time in franchise history.
The first was in 1988 when the team selected pf Mark Bryant out of Seton Hall. He played the first seven of his 15 years in the league with the Blazers, including in 1990 and 1992 when they won the Western Conference Finals. He averaged 4.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in 431 games (66 starts) with Portland. Bryant played for nine other teams in his professional career, but none for more than two seasons. He is currently an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Former Blazers forward Mark Bryant
James Robinson, a sg from Alabama, was selected in 1993. He played seven seasons in the NBA, the first three of which were in Portland. Nicknamed "Hollywood," Robinson averaged 7.7 points and 1.9 assists in 205 games as a Blazer. He competed in the slam dunk contest during all-star weekend his rookie season, finishing last, and he also had the distinction of being one of three players with the surname Robinson on the Blazers roster in 1995-96 (Clifford and Rumeal were the others). During his career, he also played for the L.A. Clippers, Orlando and two stints with Minnesota.
In 2002, Portland used it's first round selection to pick sf Qyntel Woods of Northeast Mississippi Community College. Woods played in 115 games for the Blazers (eight starts) and averaged 3.1 points and 1.6 rebounds. Woods was suspended and eventually released by Portland due to off-court troubles -- namely for participating in and staging dog fights from his home. He played in 52 games with Miami and New York before playing in Europe.
Other notable players taken at number 21 include: Alton Lister, Blue Edwards, Jon Barry, Michael Finley, Boris Diaw, Rajon Rondo and Darren Collison.
The Blazers have selected at the 51st position just once before. Coincidentally, it was in 2002 -- the most recent year in which they also had the 21st pick.
In that draft, they took sf Frederico Kammerichs out of Argentina. However, Kammerichs never played for Portland nor for another NBA team.
Notable players selected with the 51st pick include Corey Brewer and Kyle Korver.
The 21st pick has come in the first round since 1977; prior to that year, it fell to the second. The 51st pick has been a part of the second round since 1989. Up until 1987, it fell to the third. There was no 51st pick in 1988 since the league reduced the draft from seven rounds to two rounds beginning that year.
~ Kassandra
In Kassandra's Words will feature regular blogs throughout the off-season. Comments and questions are welcome and encouraged. Seasons begin and end, but our Blazers are forever. Please follow on twitter: @Kassandra227