2017 Draft

Casey Holdahl

Rookie forward Caleb Swanigan, who the Trail Blazers selected with the 26th overall pick during the 2017 NBA Draft, was a guest on the June 29 edition of The Jim Rome Show on CBS Sports Radio. During the interview, Swanigan discusses what it was like waiting for his name to be called during the draft, playing positionless basketball, overcoming homelessness and obesity and his mindset going into his first season in Portland. You can listen to the entire interview below...

On not playing a tradition position in the NBA...

Caleb Swanigan: "Right now, basketball is really about one position: the guy who is going to bring the ball up the court. That’s the point guard, the guy that has to get you into everything. You’ve got to have your biggest guy on the court that’s going to beat up and play on the boards, but the other three positions, they all do a lot of the same things on the court. They run in transition, they shoot, they pass, they do all those other things in those in between positions. That’s really all it is, you’ve got to know the plays at different positions. You could find yourself on the court doing anything."

Caleb Swanigan: "Mainly just the opportunity, really. That’s all I ever wanted in my life is just the opportunity. When I came out here (Roosevelt Barnes) broke it down really simple, he said ‘Get your grades, do this and I’ll do anything for you and give you everything then.’ He was holding his end of the deal up, he’s like ‘All you have to do is work hard.’ To me, that seemed simple from where I come from, as you said, just moving around, things like that. All I have to do is work hard and I could do whatever I wanted, have anything I wanted. Having that part of it really helped me a lot."

On his mindset now that's he's made it to the NBA...

Caleb Swanigan: "It’s just been a good one so far. The thoughts right now is just it’s a long journey. It’s back to the bottom, back to that 2011 summer. That’s the mindset I’m in right now where everything has to be earned again."

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Audio: Swanigan On The Jim Rome Show: 'Everything Has To Be Earned Again'

Shoutout to all the podcast fans out there. With the 2017 NBA Draft now completed and the free agent signing period about to begin, your humble content producing crew of Joe Freeman, he of The Oregonian/OregonLive.com, and I, Casey Holdahl of the planet Earth, hit the Moda Center studios to record the 106th edition of the Rip City Report podcast, which you can listen to in various format below...

In this edition we discuss the additions of Zach Collins and Caleb Swanigan, look ahead to free agency and the trade market, consider the reasons why the Blazers didn’t trade for a veteran at the draft, whether they think the Blazers will use the mid-level exception to sign someone in free agency and finish by answering listener questions about Noah Vonleh, Jusuf Nurkic’s body “imbalance,” Meyers Leonard’s offseason, Portland chances of hosting the 2020 All-Star Game, the NBA awards show, summer beer and much more. It's hot audio for a cool summer day.

You can subscribe and listen to the Rip City Report on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher and now on Tunein! And double shoutout to all the people who have submitted a review on iTunes. Get on that level.

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Podcast: Rip City Report, Episode 106

On Monday, Trail Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey and head coach Terry Stotts introduced forward/center Zach Collins from Gonzaga and forward Caleb Swanigan of Purdue, both selected in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft, to the media at the team’s practice facility in Tualatin. After months of preparation, the press conference represented the end of the draft process, Olshey referred to as one of the team’s main “player acquisition vehicles.”“We’re incredibly pleased with what we were able to accomplish in the draft with both of these guys and they are going to contribute,” said Olshey of Collins and Swanigan, who were selected with the 10th and 26th picks, respectively, during last Thursday’s NBA Draft in Brooklyn. “They’re going to earn their minutes like everybody that comes into the organization, they’re going to fight for whatever minutes they get, but their the kind of people, we believe, that’s important for them. From a talent standpoint, we’re incredibly pleased we were able to get both of these guys.”But while Olshey might be excited about what both Collins, who Portland acquired from Sacramento in exchange for the draft rights to Justin Jackson and Harry Giles, and Swanigan bring to the team, that doesn’t mean he’s done trying to improve a roster that went 41-41 last season and was swept by the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 2017 Western Conference playoffs. Though the Trail Blazers already have 15 players under guaranteed contracts for next season and have only the mid-level exception for which to sign free agents, Olshey said that neither factor would keep him from trying to upgrade the roster prior to the start of the 2017-18 season. “Until we get to October and training camp starts, the roster is always in a state of flux,” said Olshey during Monday’s press conference. “We’re always looking to upgrade and we’re always looking to accelerate what we’ve been trying to build the last couple of years.”In the run up to the 2017 Draft, many Trail Blazers’ fans were hoping the team would use one or all of their first-round picks to trade for veteran players, especially after news broke that multiple teams were taking offers for all-star caliber players. When that didn’t happen — costs for acquiring said players were reportedly astronomical — some of those fans felt as though the team missed an opportunity to take a step forward, though to hear Olshey speak on Monday, perhaps those hopes are not yet dashed. “Right now we’ve got 15 guys, there’s still a lot of work to do,” said Olshey. “We’re going to explore every opportunity to get better if there’s a player available.”Though they won’t mortgage their future to do so, which was the overarching takeaway from Olshey’s comments regarding roster moves yet to be made. While they are currently the youngest team in the NBA and could certainly use an infusion of veteran talent, skipping steps and taking shortcuts when trying to build a team that can ultimately contend for a championship is a risk, one Olshey isn’t willing to take at this point. “Nobody is saying this is all about youth and just the future and long term,” said Olshey. “What it’s about is building this thing the right way so it’s sustainable, so we can compete now and into the future. One thing I think we’ve all learned…. there are no quick fixes. Quick fixes create problems, that’s what they do and that’s not what we’ve been about here. We’ve been about building something that can be sustainable on a long term basis, and we’re going to be competitive while we do it. That’s why we got two of the most competitive guys in this draft because we know they’re going to raise the bar in practice, in games and in workouts every day.”

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The Draft Is Over, But Olshey Isn't Done

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Entering the 2017 NBA Draft with the No. 15, 20 (acquired from Denver) and 26 (acquired from Cleveland) picks, the Portland Trail Blazers and president of basketball operations Neil Olshey had plenty of options to bolster their roster for the 2017-18 NBA season. The Blazers made their first splash by swapping the No. 15 and 20 picks with the Sacramento Kings for No. 10 pick Zach Collins of Gonzaga. Portland then held on to the No. 26 pick to select Purdue big man Caleb Swanigan. 

Here is how those in the national media graded the Blazers' 2017 draft...

Chad Ford, ESPN (Insider access required):

Reid Forgrave and Jack Maloney, CBS Sports: 

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Blazers' Draft Night Graded Among NBA's Best

Even though the Portland Trail Blazers ended their 2016-17 season woefully short on big bodies due to injury, they didn’t necessarily set out to address that issue through the 2017 Draft. But in the end, President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey’s strict edict of selecting the best player available regardless of position or need just happened to result in Portland coming away with two players who should ensure they finish next season with plenty of options in the front court. On a night when many thought the Trail Blazers might try to flip their three first-round picks to shed salary or trade for a veteran, they did neither, instead using their first two picks to move up to select Gonzaga center Zach Collins while keeping their third pick to select Purdue forward Caleb Swanigan. Portland acquired Collins by trading the draft rights to the 15th overall pick, North Carolina forward Justin Jackson, and the rights to the 20th pick, Duke forward/center Harry Giles, to Sacramento in exchange for Gonzaga product, who the Kings selected with the 10th overall pick.“(Collins) is a big time rim protector, he’s a great one-on-one defender, he’s a big time post defender, he can really pass it — any of you guys who were at the Gonzaga/Portland game I’m sure saw that,” said Olshey after the draft. “He put on a clinic. He can stretch the floor, he’s got range, he can score over both shoulders. He’s everything you want to look for in a big man in our league today because he can play inside and out, he can defend the rim, he can defend one-on-one, he can defend pick-and-roll.”

Olshey said he and his staff were enamored in Collins “really early in the process”, but knew that, as the collegiate season wore on, their chances of acquiring the 7-0 Las Vegas native dwindled with every great performance he turned in. “We went Mountain West, Pac12, WCC to go scout, and it wasn’t just for the sunshine,” said Olshey. “We sat there, (Collins) just kept playing better and better and we kept getting more frustrated knowing the more minutes he got, the more the rest of the country was going to catch up. I was talking to his agent about it tonight, he said ‘You guys were on this in January,’ and I said ‘Yeah, unfortunately he went on a run in March that got everybody else up to speed on it.’”

That wait ultimately paid off, with the Trail Blazers getting a player they hope to consider a “franchise-level building block.” And while Collins himself wasn’t expecting to end up with the Trail Blazers, he was nonetheless excited at the prospect meshing his talents with those already on the roster. “I think I can bring my shooting ability,” said Collins. “I think I can stretch the floor, and I think in today's game shooting the three, regardless of position, is really important. I think I can bring some toughness, some shot-blocking, rebounding, and I just think I can bring a winning mentality.”After finishing the deal with the Kings for Collins, Olshey once again was stuck playing the waiting game in hopes that Swanigan, who worked out for the Trail Blazers prior to the draft at their facility in Tualatin, would last until the 26th pick. Even though Swanigan, who overcame bouts of homelessness and weight issues before moving on to a stellar career with the Boilermakers, put up some of the best stats in college this season, there were questions of how a player of his stature and athleticism might fare against NBA bigs. But if the Trail Blazers had those concerns, they certainly weren’t grave enough to stop them from using the 26th pick to select the Indiana native. “What he’s overcome off the court, on the court, the dedication and passion that he has to be the kind of person he is right now, it’s pretty incredible, it’s a great story,” said Olshey. “But he’s bought into it now. It was a means to an end, he’s turned his life around. What we really evaluated more than anything with him is he’s just a big time basketball player. You talk about a guy who shot 45 percent from three, he was number two in the nation in defensive rebounding, he can bang, he’s tough, he scores around the block. He’s just one of those guys we all keep talking about — non position basketball — you just put him on the court and let him play.”

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Blazers Look Long Term By Drafting Collins, Swanigan

PORTLAND, Ore. (June 22, 2017) – The Portland Trail Blazers have selected forward Caleb Swanigan from Purdue with the 26th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, it was announced today by president of basketball operations Neil Olshey.

Swanigan (6-9, 250), 20, posted averages of 14.4 points (50.1% FG, 37.6% 3-PT, 76.0% FT), 10.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists in two seasons at Purdue.

A consensus All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year as a sophomore, Swanigan averaged 18.5 points (52.7% FG, 44.7% 3-PT, 78.1% FT), 12.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists in his second season with the Boilermakers. Swanigan ranked second in the nation in rebounding in 2016-17 and became the first player nationally since the 1985-86 season to have 640 points, 430 rebounds and 100 assists in a season.

His 28 double-doubles last season were the most in Big Ten history and the 13th-most in NCAA history. A finalist for the Wooden, Naismith and Oscar Robertson Player of the Year Awards, Swanigan became the first player since Tim Duncan of Wake Forest (1996-97) to average 18.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in a season.

Swanigan averaged 18.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, leading Purdue to the Sweet Sixteen. 

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Trail Blazers Select Caleb Swanigan with 26th Overall Pick in NBA Draft

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PHOTOS » Draft Night 2017

PORTLAND, Ore. (June 22, 2017) – The Portland Trail Blazers have acquired the draft rights to forward Zach Collins from Sacramento in exchange for the draft rights to Justin Jackson and Harry Giles, it was announced today by president of basketball operations Neil Olshey. 

The Trail Blazers sent the draft rights to Jackson (15th overall pick) and Giles (20th overall pick) to Sacramento in exchange for Collins, the 10th overall pick in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft. 

Collins (7-0, 230) posted averages of 10.0 points (65.2% FG, 47.6% 3-PT, 74.3% FT), 5.9 rebounds and 1.77 blocks in his lone season at Gonzaga.

In his freshman season, Collins, 19, led the West Coast Conference in field goal percentage and blocked shots (69), good for second-most in a season in Gonzaga history. A WCC All-Conference Second Team selection as well as a member of the WCC All-Freshman Team, Collins averaged 9.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.00 blocks during the 2017 NCAA Tournament while guiding Gonzaga to its first National Championship Game appearance.

In a Final Four matchup against South Carolina, Collins, a Las Vegas native, recorded 14 points (6-10 FG, 1-1 3-PT), 13 rebounds and six blocks.

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Trail Blazers Acquire Draft Rights to Zach Collins

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