Say hello to your new backup small forward, and the player who thankfully was NOT compared to Luke Jackson immediately after being drafted. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

There is plenty to talk about regarding the poorly-time firing of Kevin Pritchard, but for now let’s discuss how the Blazers did in the draft. After all, it always comes down to the guys who get on the court.

Pick No. 16 — Luke Babbitt, 6’9″ SF, Nevada:
Babbitt, along with Ryan Gomes, was acquired in a deal for Martell Webster and, as sad as it is to see Martell Webster go, Babbitt will probably be better than him, at least offensively, very, very soon. While he isn’t a fantastic athlete and will have trouble guarding faster players, Babbitt is very skilled with the ball in his hands. He can play the high post and out on the wing, can hit a variety of different jumpers and can put the ball on the floor. He isn’t a playmaker, though, so don’t expect to mold him into a point forward or anything. Considering Babbitt isn’t great at playing off-ball, running off screens and such — the Blazers have Rudy for that still — he’s effectively the offensive player that Webster wasn’t.

He could struggle in the pros to get his shot off, but he’s not going to be asked to create as much of his own offense as he was at Nevada, which should allow him to pick his spots with greater effectiveness. Of course, the same could also have once been said about Josh McRoberts, who himself was considered a first rounder for a time before falling to the second round.

Numbers-wise, Babbitt had a low turnover rate (13.9) while collecting 19.6 of available defensive rebounds, shooting 41.6 from deep with a 61.4 true-shooting percentage (anything over 60 is gold) with an offensive rating of 119.8. So yes, the offensive numbers check out fine.

The Blazers lose a little defensively with Babbitt playing the three, but you probably make up for that with the lineup and roster flexibility Babbitt offers. Add in the fact that you get Ryan Gomes, a player of value himself, and this trade is a win all around. While Gomes is a good rebounder for his position, his contract is the best asset in that it is not fully guaranteed if he’s waived by June 30. Gomes is due to make $4.3 million next season, but if waived that number drops to $1 million, giving that team $3.3 million in savings. It’s been reported that the Miami Heat, who are trying to shed salary for free agency, were looking to trade Michael Beasley for Gomes’s contract. Gomes can’t be traded in a package deal for two months though, but he can always be traded by himself in addition to a separate trade.

Of course, drafting Babbitt also violates Blogger Law by taking someone who was once shut down by a team blogger, but that’s another story entirely. (More after the jump)
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