The Pacific Northwest Hits the Lottery!
I have to admit that I was super psyched when Portland got the #1 pick with just a 5.3% chance going in. Ever since my disgust with Philadelphia management forced me to abandon them, combined with the fact that I actually live in Oregon, the Trail Blazers have become my second favorite team.
(Sidebar: For those that don’t know, it’s a very weird combination to root for the Lakers and Blazers here in Oregon, but I’m not originally from here, so it doesn't bother me.)
I’m not 100% sure what Portland will do with the #1 pick, but the smart money is on drafting Greg Oden. However, I’m not of the mind that it’s a slam dunk for a few reasons.
First off, they have a log jam of bigs under contract through the 2008-09 season with Zach Randolph, Raef LaFrentz, Joel Przybilla and LeMarcus Aldridge. Raef is a cap killer that is going nowhere, Joel is a fine backup and Aldridge is the future. Sorry Z-Bo, but you’re the odd man out. Zach is scheduled to make 13.3 million next year, so he won’t be easy to move, but it’s an absolute must that he is not allowed to stunt the growth of the Oden-LeMarc twin tower combo.
Then there’s the case for Kevin Durant. He’d come right in, fill a need and play along side Brandon Roy for the next 10 years. He’d also alleviate their obligation to resign Travis Outlaw and allow them to give up on the Martell Webster experiment. It might seem crazy to some, but I don’t think it’s that far fetched actually.
The most unlikely of scenarios is a trade. I bring it up only because of the plethora of marquee names sure to be available this summer (Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O’Neal, Jason Kidd, etc.) and the amount of dead weight contracts currently on the Blazers roster (Randolph, LaFrentz, Przybilla and the worst of them all…Darius Miles). If you could possibly unload two of those, get an established star and keep a top 10 pick, you’d at least have to listen. I really don’t know what I’d do in the end, but it’s time for new Portland GM Kevin Pritchard to earn his money.
As for the rest of the lottery, I LOVED that the three teams with the worst records were shut out. The reason? They all blatantly tanked. Memphis (22-60) was by far the most egregious offender, throwing in the towel 30 games into the season. Boston (24-58) was a close second, holding out Paul Pierce for extended periods and playing their youngsters extreme amounts. Milwaukee (28-54) joined the party when it shut Andrew Bogut, Charlie Villanueva and Michael Redd prematurely. Call it poetic justice, karma, whatever, but the moral to the story is tankers never win and winners never tank.
For all you conspiracy theorists out there you can surely say that the NBA just saved pro basketball in the Pacific Northwest. Although it’s hard for me to believe that the league would reward these two small market clubs over perennial powers like the Sixers and Celtics. I’d say the more likely conspiracy theory is that Commissioner David Stern preferred to reward the top three picks to squads that didn’t tank.
Other subplots from Secaucus, NJ…
> Seattle will be entertaining offers as well, with the #2 pick and Rashard Lewis (sign & trade) on the table. A deal with the Blazers is even within the realm of possibilities.
> Atlanta doesn’t have to give it’s pick to Phoenix (Joe Johnson trade) and thus ends up with two picks (Indiana's) in the top eleven. How’d that Al Harrington sign and trade work out Larry Bird?
> Pro basketball is officially dead in Memphis.
> KG is doomed for as long as he stays in Minnesota.
> The Eddy Curry trade may not be as bad as originally thought with Chicago only ending up with the #9 pick.
(Sidebar: For those that don’t know, it’s a very weird combination to root for the Lakers and Blazers here in Oregon, but I’m not originally from here, so it doesn't bother me.)
I’m not 100% sure what Portland will do with the #1 pick, but the smart money is on drafting Greg Oden. However, I’m not of the mind that it’s a slam dunk for a few reasons.
First off, they have a log jam of bigs under contract through the 2008-09 season with Zach Randolph, Raef LaFrentz, Joel Przybilla and LeMarcus Aldridge. Raef is a cap killer that is going nowhere, Joel is a fine backup and Aldridge is the future. Sorry Z-Bo, but you’re the odd man out. Zach is scheduled to make 13.3 million next year, so he won’t be easy to move, but it’s an absolute must that he is not allowed to stunt the growth of the Oden-LeMarc twin tower combo.
Then there’s the case for Kevin Durant. He’d come right in, fill a need and play along side Brandon Roy for the next 10 years. He’d also alleviate their obligation to resign Travis Outlaw and allow them to give up on the Martell Webster experiment. It might seem crazy to some, but I don’t think it’s that far fetched actually.
The most unlikely of scenarios is a trade. I bring it up only because of the plethora of marquee names sure to be available this summer (Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O’Neal, Jason Kidd, etc.) and the amount of dead weight contracts currently on the Blazers roster (Randolph, LaFrentz, Przybilla and the worst of them all…Darius Miles). If you could possibly unload two of those, get an established star and keep a top 10 pick, you’d at least have to listen. I really don’t know what I’d do in the end, but it’s time for new Portland GM Kevin Pritchard to earn his money.
As for the rest of the lottery, I LOVED that the three teams with the worst records were shut out. The reason? They all blatantly tanked. Memphis (22-60) was by far the most egregious offender, throwing in the towel 30 games into the season. Boston (24-58) was a close second, holding out Paul Pierce for extended periods and playing their youngsters extreme amounts. Milwaukee (28-54) joined the party when it shut Andrew Bogut, Charlie Villanueva and Michael Redd prematurely. Call it poetic justice, karma, whatever, but the moral to the story is tankers never win and winners never tank.
For all you conspiracy theorists out there you can surely say that the NBA just saved pro basketball in the Pacific Northwest. Although it’s hard for me to believe that the league would reward these two small market clubs over perennial powers like the Sixers and Celtics. I’d say the more likely conspiracy theory is that Commissioner David Stern preferred to reward the top three picks to squads that didn’t tank.
Other subplots from Secaucus, NJ…
> Seattle will be entertaining offers as well, with the #2 pick and Rashard Lewis (sign & trade) on the table. A deal with the Blazers is even within the realm of possibilities.
> Atlanta doesn’t have to give it’s pick to Phoenix (Joe Johnson trade) and thus ends up with two picks (Indiana's) in the top eleven. How’d that Al Harrington sign and trade work out Larry Bird?
> Pro basketball is officially dead in Memphis.
> KG is doomed for as long as he stays in Minnesota.
> The Eddy Curry trade may not be as bad as originally thought with Chicago only ending up with the #9 pick.
posted by D$ at 9:27 PM
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