Damian Lillard Up To 6th in Chad Ford's Mock Draft

A popular landing spot for Damian Lillard over the past month has been the Portland Trailblazers at pick 11. In Chad Ford's latest mock draft, he still has Lillard going to Portland... but this time at pick 6.

Analysis: If Drummond falls here, I think they take him. But if he doesn't, I'm hearing Lillard could be the man. He wowed at the draft combine and measured very similar in size and athletic ability to Derrick Rose. While Lillard isn't nearly the same prospect as Rose, the Blazers need a point guard and Lillard has the potential to be very, very good. Taking him at No. 6 is no longer a reach. Harrison Barnes and Jeremy Lamb would also be in the mix here.

He shot up boards at the NBA combine, and it is no real surprise why. He is a great kid and has a great skillset. He should make whatever team that drafts him very happy.

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Damian Lillard Creating Lots of Buzz at Scouting Combine

The NBA Combine has been going on this week, and one of the guys that has stood out the most is Damian Lillard, the Big Sky Player of the Year. Don't believe me? Here is DraftExpress:

Other guys getting good reviews from NBA people at the Combine today: Damian Lillard (big time), Royce White, Jeff Taylor, Terrence Ross.

Sam Amick from SI.com wrote a nice article on Lillard also, saying that he is making the leap from being a mid-major player to a top 10 pick.

The point guard from little-known Weber State is being sized up from every angle by executives who are still learning about him, still just starting to see this enticing mixture of substance and style from the player who is bridging the enormous gap from mid-major school to possible top-10 pick. This is a fun experience for the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Lillard, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that he's trying to enjoy as he attempts to join the likes of Jason Kidd, Gary Payton and Brian Shaw as the next player from Oakland, Calif., to do big things.

Andy Katz of ESPN also wrote an article this week about Lillard and Weber State, as Randy Rahe tries to build the program in part due to the large level of attention brought to it from Lillard.

Rahe is convinced his 6-foot-3 star has left his mark with the program, as a trail of recruits will follow his lead.

Rahe isn't naive enough to think he'll find another hidden gem like Lillard, a lock for the NBA lottery and quite likely the first lead guard selected in the June 28 draft. But he is convinced that the dynamics of Weber State's recruiting has changed.

Lillard will be a great pro, because he possesses all of the tangible and intangible things that you need to succeed as an NBA point guard. He is looking more and more like he will be a top 10 pick come the NBA draft. It will be fun to watch where he lands and fun to watch him develop at the next level.

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Dime Magazine Profiles Damian Lillard

Dime Magazine has put up a solid NBA draft profile of former Weber State guard Damian Lillard, and I was happy to be able to contribute with my view on his NBA potential.

"At times last season, Damian Lillard looked like a man amongst boys in the Big Sky - his best was simply better than other people's best. He missed most of the 2010-11 season with a foot injury, and he used the time off to get stronger and faster, earning rave reviews for his time in the weight room. His range starts the minute he steps on the court, and he shot 41% from beyond the arc, making just about three per game. His offensive game is far more than just launching threes, however. He is adept at getting into the lane (and is a strong finisher) and getting to the charity stripe, as he shot over eight free throws per game last year (making 89% of his attempts). He will play PG in the pros, and he has the skill set for that. He averaged four assists per game, and was a willing passer. Among all elite PGs in the country last year, his turnover rate was among the best. Defensively, he is average, but he has the athletic ability to get better. He may draw comparisons to Rodney Stuckey, because of the Big Sky ties, but he is more skilled (though less athletic) than Stuckey. He is not a natural point a la Kendall Marshall, but he could be the first one off the board because he knows how to score, and he should be ready to step in and contribute from day one."

Lillard is projected to be a lottery pick in this June’s draft, and could go in the top 10. He is widely expected to be the first point guard off the board, thanks to his NBA readiness and versatile scoring skills (especially from deep range on his jumpshot).

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Some Damian Lillard Draft Info

Pistons Powered, a blog about the Detroit Pistons, asked me to contribute a paragraph to a post he was writing about Damian Lillard.

Check the post out here, along with some other links/scouting reports on Lillard, and how he would fit in Detroit.

Lillard is projected as a lottery pick.

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Damian Lillard Leaning Toward NBA Draft

At the end of last week, a report came from CBS' Gary Parrish that said Damian Lillard would be entering the NBA Draft.

Roy Burton of the Standard-Examiner then said that according to Lillard, there is no decision yet, but that Lillard is leaning toward the NBA Draft. There is nobody more plugged into Weber State than Burton, and Lillard is not a guy that I picture as trying to pull any fast ones, so I believe he hasn't 100% made up his mind yet.

But it would certainly be a shock if Lillard does not go pro. As we have said on here, his stock will probably not be higher than it is now, coming off a season where he was the conference MVP and a third team All-American. This is also a weak PG class, and the thought is that Lillard has a great chance to be the first PG off the board. It is easy to see why.

Nobody could blame Lillard for cashing in on this opportunity. Arguably, he is making the smart choice if he goes, and I think most Weber State fans realize that. It sure would be great to see him playing another year in Ogden, but if he were asking my opinion, I would turn pro if I were him.

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Damian Lillard in NBA Mock Drafts

Mock drafts are obviously no guarantee of where a guy is going to go in the NBA Draft, but they can help get a picture of where someone might go. So in that vein, let's take a look at where Damian Lillard is going in some mock drafts. Lillard is, of course, a junior, but he is widely expected to enter the draft.

- On nabdraft.net, he is projected to go tenth to the Milwaukee Bucks.

- Hoops Hype has him going 11th to the Phoenix Suns.

- ESPN's Chad Ford has him going ninth to the Utah Jazz (which would surely delight Weber State fans).

Needless to say, he projects as a lottery pick right now, and he appears to be the best point guard in the draft.

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