Q & A
Got a Question for DJ Augustin? Ask it here.
Survey
How will the Bobcats finish in 2010-2011?
Miss the playoffs: 11%
Make the first round: 47%
2nd round of playoffs: 23%
Conference Finals: 12%
Eastern Conference Champions: 1%
NBA Champions: 8%
Updates
Thu, Jun 19th 2008, 12:39
Blazers impressed with DJ
DJ spent Wednesday working out with the Portland Trailblazers in an individual workout at the Blazers practice facility in Tualatin, Oregon. The Blazers, who are in need of a franchise point guard to pair with their core of young stars Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Greg Oden, hold the 13th pick in this year’s draft.
“You know what he is, he’s a pure point guard,” Portland general manager Kevin Pritchard said. “He’s crafty, he knows how to get in the paint and make the right decisions. And we were talking about it a little bit: The thing about D.J. is he thinks the game very fast. His ability to see the floor and react to the situation — which is what the great point guards do — he does that well. You can tell he’s been a point guard his whole life.”
Head coach Nate McMillan was also impressed with DJ’s performance in the drills and 3 vs 3 scrimmage. “I tried to put a physical guard, a quick guard and a big guard on him just to take a look at all that . . . and he did a nice job of getting where he needed to be,” McMillan said. “The one thing he has is the ability to handle the ball very well. Even though some of the guards were trying to pressure him and get to the ball, his ability to handle the ball forced them to have to back off. But also his ability to shoot the ball forced them to stay pretty close. He’s a guy who can get where he needs to go on the basketball floor.”
While the Blazers clearly liked DJ, DJ seemed excited about the possibility of playing with the Blazers. “I’ve been doing this all my life,” Augustin said. “I know how to lead a team and hopefully I can come in and do that for any team (in the NBA). I’d love to play with the players (Portland has). It’s a great organization. I’m friends with LaMarcus Aldridge. It’s a great team and . . . it would be great to play here.”
While DJ’s skills are a perfect match for Portland’s needs, it remains to be seen if he is still on the board when Portland picks. DJ has already worked out for Indiana (which has the No. 11 pick in the draft), Phoenix (No. 15), Sacramento (No. 12), the Los Angeles Clippers (No. 7) and the New York Knicks (No. 6) and many mock drafts have DJ being selected before the 13th pick.