Rozier vs. Portis

[TheSlipperyWhistle]

Ainge was scratching lottery tickets instead of working the 9 to 5 with this one. That is exactly what we need. We have a bench full of Bobby Portis types, and if our season turned into a dumpster fire like Chicago's then we would be seeing a bunch more of Rozier and his statline might very well be comparable to Portis'. I keep seeing people cite this as a mistake by Ainge, and if the goal was "get the most productive player right now" then they might have a case. But it wasn't, so they don't.

[Csfan1984]

Bulls were talking about moving one of their bigs due to Portis. That included Pau and Gibson! We don't hear Rozier making Smart or IT available. Portis was a much better pick. We need to move on and not make excuses.

[jr_3421]

Bulls were talking about moving one of their bigs due to Portis. That included Pau and Gibson! We don't hear Rozier making Smart or IT available. Portis was a much better pick. We need to move on and not make excuses.

That's really a completely different situation. They're talking about moving veterans so a younger player can get more experience. We're still trying to develop Smart.

You may ultimately be right but that's not the right argument.

[moiso]

I was upset when Ainge took Rozier instead of Portis and I felt that way for the first part of the season.  Now I'm not so sure.  I don't think I'll be able to have a definitive opinion for another year or so. 

[Evantime34]

Bulls were talking about moving one of their bigs due to Portis. That included Pau and Gibson! We don't hear Rozier making Smart or IT available. Portis was a much better pick. We need to move on and not make excuses.

Yet, even when went down recently he's been playing 10-15 minutes a game. He's playing only slightly more minutes lately than Christiano Felicio.

Let's not act like Portis is playing like a world beater.

[Denis998]

I have been watching "Crazy Eyes" Portis for seemingly every game this season. Portis has his clear cut strenghts and will develop into a great starter next season. I hopped that Danny draft him this season, I was sitting in Barclay's center yelling his name when Silver was about to announce the celtics pick. When comparing Portis and Rozier I often flip flop who I think is better. There are things Rozier does that is astounding, and with continued development can become a great player. His speed with the ball, rebounding ability, and defense set him apart from all the other guards in this draft class. Rozier has the chance to stand out in this league, Portis has a chance to blend in.

[Lucky17]

Bulls were talking about moving one of their bigs due to Portis. That included Pau and Gibson! We don't hear Rozier making Smart or IT available. Portis was a much better pick. We need to move on and not make excuses.

Smart and IT are on excellent/team friendly contracts. Barring landing a superstar, there's little reason Boston should trade either of them.

Gasol is a pending free agent, who may walk. Bulls should have moved him before the deadline.

[fairweatherfan]

Bulls were talking about moving one of their bigs due to Portis. That included Pau and Gibson! We don't hear Rozier making Smart or IT available. Portis was a much better pick. We need to move on and not make excuses.

Smart and IT are on excellent/team friendly contracts. Barring landing a superstar, there's little reason Boston should trade either of them.

They're not going to be 36 and 31 on Opening Day, either.  And one team is building it up while the other is blowing it up.

[PhoSita]

Yeah, Rozier might turn into a decent player, but it looks to me like a safe bet that Portis will end up having a more significant career.

It's true that the Chicago situation is different than Boston, but they were still loaded with veteran bigs vying for playing time and yet they were looking for reasons to work Portis into the rotation early on this season, before Noah had even gone out for good.  Portis has good size for either big position, can rebound, defend at least a little, and seems to have some range.  He's got a role in this league, in other words.

Rozier ... hard to say.  In the limited minutes he's gotten, he looks to have the physical ability to compete at the NBA level.  He's pulled down a fair number of boards for his size.


Looking back at the draft, it seems Ainge reached for a long-armed combo guard who's active on the boards and in man-to-man defense, but who has no true position and may or may not be able to shoot.

Shocker.

Oh well, not a make-or-break, just like the Young versus Hood thing.  Hopefully Rozier actually becomes a guy who can be relied on for rotation minutes, unlike Young.

[oldtype]

I hate, hate, hate, hate, hated the Rozier pick, but having seen some of his raw athleticism lately, I think the "lottery ticket v. 9-to-5" characterization is fair.

Portis tops out as maybe Jared Sullinger. (Not that they're similar players, but roughly that level.) There's a tiny possibility that Rozier could be something more.

Mostly I just wanted RHJ though. Even one more backup guy who could defend wings would have made a humongous difference this year.

[number_n9ne]

I hate, hate, hate, hate, hated the Rozier pick, but having seen some of his raw athleticism lately, I think the "lottery ticket v. 9-to-5" characterization is fair.

Portis tops out as maybe Jared Sullinger. (Not that they're similar players, but roughly that level.) There's a tiny possibility that Rozier could be something more.

Mostly I just wanted RHJ though. Even one more backup guy who could defend wings would have made a humongous difference this year.

I'm ok with the Rozier pick now. But I agree with you, at the time I really wanted RHJ. RHJ, RJ Hunter, and Mickey would have been a really solid draft for me.

[danglertx]

I was on the Portis train before the draft.  I thought he'd possibly be one of the top 5 players of this draft.  Needless to say, I was disappointed with Rozier.  Although, he wasn't a surprise to me.  I mentioned in the predraft combine scrimmages how it looked like Rozier played the game at a different speed than everyone else. 

Now I am excited about Rozier.  He has shot the three well, seems to have an elite rebounding skill for his size, and has shown the ability to defend 2's and some 3's.  When he settles into a rotation and gets regular minutes, I think he could be pretty good.

[Evantime34]

Yeah, Rozier might turn into a decent player, but it looks to me like a safe bet that Portis will end up having a more significant career.

It's true that the Chicago situation is different than Boston, but they were still loaded with veteran bigs vying for playing time and yet they were looking for reasons to work Portis into the rotation early on this season, before Noah had even gone out for good.  Portis has good size for either big position, can rebound, defend at least a little, and seems to have some range.  He's got a role in this league, in other words.

Rozier ... hard to say.  In the limited minutes he's gotten, he looks to have the physical ability to compete at the NBA level.  He's pulled down a fair number of boards for his size.


Looking back at the draft, it seems Ainge reached for a long-armed combo guard who's active on the boards and in man-to-man defense, but who has no true position and may or may not be able to shoot.

Shocker.

Oh well, not a make-or-break, just like the Young versus Hood thing.  Hopefully Rozier actually becomes a guy who can be relied on for rotation minutes, unlike Young.

Yes they were looking for ways to get Portis into the rotation, then once he got in the rotation, he didn't give them a ton. There is a reason he's only been playing 10-15 minutes a game lately.

For a point of reference: Last season before the C's made all their trades Danny Ainge stated that it was an organizational goal to get James Young more playing time. Just because the organization wants to get a young player time doesn't mean that player is any good, it just means that they have shown intriguing talent.

[LooseCannon]

When I look at the roster construction and project it into the future, I think Ainge expected to make a push for acquiring a big man via free agency and saw more playing time for someone who might be the fourth guard than someone who might be the fifth big.

[GzUP617]

 What's interesting is that the Bulls wanted Terry Rozier in the draft,  but we snagged him first.