Blazers

[alby]

west >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> east

poor boston

[big_pth]

Originally Posted by u2sarajevo

Conspiracy theorists give me a good strong giggle.

It must be our tin-foil hats...

[purplefrog]

Maybe the Eastern Conference will be shipped down to compete with the NBDL. Send the Piston, Cavs, Heat, and Bulls over to the NBA side of things.

[nikeball]

i have a friend from boston...his status message reads "lighting myself on fire"

lol

[Dtownsfinest]

Serves Boston and Memphis right. Maybe not Memphis because yea they were a playoff team recently but Gasol was hurt a lot last year. But Boston was tanking games. They deserved to get in the 10-14 range lol. But 5 will do lol. Long as it wasn't in the top 2.

[Big Boy Laroux]

Both Boston and Milwaukee were obviously tanking games - the bucks were the most obvious.

[DevinFuture]

Before the lottery, there was talk of the possible need to change the lottery system so teams wouldn't tank games, now Jerry West is publicly complaining that they ought to just let teams pick in reverse order of record. Maybe the system in place is a good middle ground.

[Dtownsfinest]

Both Boston and Milwaukee were obviously tanking games - the bucks were the most obvious.

That explains Milwaukee's record. You look at their roster and clearly they have one of the best in the East. Buck's will probably make the playoffs next year.

[DOMINATOR]

bucks had many injuries. at one point they had 3 starters hurt

[Big Boy Laroux]

but they weren't major injuries. They shut down villenueva, bogut, and redd. bogut with a sparined foot, and villenueava for a hurt shoulder. If they really cared, they could have easily played through that. redd had "left knee pain".

trust me, i had all 3 across two fantasy teams.

[fluid.forty.one]

Originally Posted by DevinFuture

Randolph to Jersey, who could use a PF, for Carter.

Jack, Sergio
Roy
Carter, Outlaw
Aldridge
Oden

Maybe Carter could even bring some leadership.

That's funny, my friend and I were just talking about Carter. Not sure how the contracts match up but some deals that include Randolph for Carter or Randolph for Lewis would be AWESOME for the blazers.

[DOMINATOR]

why would the blazers want carter who is a bad jump shooter and mostly cuts to the basket when they have aldridge/oden in the paint? lewis would be a better fit and spread the court better.

[EricaLubarsky]

Stack might be a better fit there actually.

[Windmill360]

[StackAttack]

Originally Posted by DOMINATOR

carter who is a bad jump shooter

lol.

[DOMINATOR]

Originally Posted by StackAttack

lol.

he has horrible shot selection...

[alby]

vince is a bad jump shooter.

[wesbrynt]

I would take durant if I were portland. I just get weird sam bowie michael jordan vibes about greg oden. Durant was great at texas and I can see him being really special once he gets a little stronger and has someone to take a little offensive preasure off of him

[Tokey41]

I don't think any mediocore team should want Carter... I just hate that guys game. Trust me i've seen a lot of him as a Raptor and it seems he hasn't changed a damn bit as a Net. He won't be a difference maker, and he's definitely not a go to guy (or good jump shooter, very streaky).

[wesbrynt]

vince carter= most overrated player in the NBA? He has got to be in the top 3

[alby]

For the contact that he is asking? yes.

[alby]

Originally Posted by wesbrynt

I would take durant if I were portland. I just get weird sam bowie michael jordan vibes about greg oden. Durant was great at texas and I can see him being really special once he gets a little stronger and has someone to take a little offensive preasure off of him

I really like Durant, and I think he will be a fantastic scorer in the NBA once his body matures. He has the skills and talents of Carmelo on the offensive side of the ball, but he just needs to work on his body.. that will come in time. But you just can't pass up on a center of Oden's potential. Sam Bowie was definitely a top 3 worst pick of all time in all of sports--but at the time, you really can't blame Portland. You already have a great SG in Clyde and like I said, you just can't pass up on a big guy who can potentially be a difference maker.

[Steve13]

Originally Posted by wesbrynt

I would take durant if I were portland. I just get weird sam bowie michael jordan vibes about greg oden. Durant was great at texas and I can see him being really special once he gets a little stronger and has someone to take a little offensive preasure off of him

Oden is a guy who could be the next Duncan/Shaq. You don't pas on a guy like that who can win you titles for a swingmen no matter how good.

[V2M]

Portland's 'point' of view
By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports
May 24, 2007

Adrian Wojnarowski
Yahoo! Sports

Twenty-four hours had yet to pass on the draft lottery transformation of the Portland Trail Blazers, and general manager Kevin Pritchard and his staff already had brainstormed a most intriguing idea: If they're going to draft Greg Oden, they should take a hard look at making a trade to get Mike Conley Jr. to come with him.

So the discussion is under way, a source close to the team and Oden said Wednesday night, about trading into the top of the lottery for a second draft pick to secure the franchise center's personal point guard. It would be a brilliant, bold stroke for the Blazers G.M., and here's the thing: Pritchard has the parts and the imagination to make it happen.

He's on a professional roll, what with drafting LaMarcus Aldridge and trading for rookie of the year Brandon Roy. And now, against all odds, he won the No. 1 pick in the June 28 draft.

Does Pritchard have enough with Zach Randolph, a 20-and-10 low post scorer and rebounder, and Jarrett Jack, a competent point guard, as the backbone of a major trade? As it looks now, the Blazers are determined to find out.

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Oden and Conley have been together through AAU and high school ball in Indiana and a Final Four season at Ohio State. Before they even won the lottery Tuesday, the Blazers had done enough research on Oden to understand that to get the most out of this mild-mannered Midwestern prodigy he needs to be comfortable. He never has played without his best friend, Conley, who happens to be the best point guard in the draft.

Already Conley and Oden, who flew to Oregon on Wednesday for a meeting at Nike, privately are discussing the possibility of Portland crafting a deal to keep them together. While Oden understands it's still something of a reach, the fact that the Blazers immediately thought of trying to get Conley thrilled Oden.

After talking with confidants about Portland winning the No. 1 pick, Oden expressed relief that he was going to a smaller market. He never has been enamored with the bright lights and big city. He was born in Buffalo, raised in Indianapolis and had little appetite for the suffocating pressures of, say, Boston.

As for the Celtics, who sit miserably at No. 5, they logically should be one of the Blazers' most promising trade partners. Without Oden or Kevin Durant, G.M. Danny Ainge is wisest to look hard at packaging his pick and a young player or two for veterans. Yet there is the pending problem of Ainge agreeing to do a major trade with the Blazers after that draft-day disaster a year ago that left them without Roy or Randy Foye – and with Sebastian Telfair. Another issue muddling this possibility is that Randolph is too similar to the Celtics' Al Jefferson.

Even so, if Ainge is going to get duped again, you'd figure he isn't going to let it be Pritchard.

Truth be told, the Blazers might have to get the third overall pick out of Atlanta's hands to guarantee that they can get Conley. The Hawks could get their point guard at No. 9 with Acie Law and use the third pick to bring back a powerful inside presence in Randolph. Of course, Atlanta may not have the salaries to give back for the maxed-out Randolph, and that's where a third team could be useful.

Together, Oden and Conley are represented by Mike Conley Sr., who has aligned himself with Bill Duffy's BDA Management. Duffy is a powerbroker agent who can facilitate the kind of major trade needed to happen here, one which likely will need the involvement of a third team.

Whatever happens, Pritchard's imagination started churning the moment that pingpong ball bounced the Blazers' way Tuesday night. He's going to go through the motions of evaluating Oden and Durant, but it's inevitable he'll choose the center over the forward. As it looks now, his real work between now and draft day could come with getting Oden's personal point guard to the Blazers, too. It would be some story, some future.

[DevinFuture]

Conley, Roy, Webster, Aldridge, Oden playing together and improving together for the next decade?
Are you kidding me?
I almost wish I was a Portland fan.

[V2M]

Presuming that deal goes through, what an amazing transformation it'd be for Portland from...

The Jail Blazers: Stoudamire/Wells/Patterson/Randolph/Rashweed

to

Hail Blazers: Conley/ROY/Webster/Aldridge/Oden

[Big Boy Laroux]

ok, it's all nice and good that oden and conley like playing together... and they do play well together. but that's also a HUGE red flag on oden. The guy can't be comfortable unless he plays with conley? this is someone who's supposed to be the cornerstone of the franchise and he needs a security blanket?

[mcsluggo]

don't call that an Oden weakness... I haven't heard any demands/request coming from the Oden camp.

[Big Boy Laroux]

you are correct in that it is a rumor - but if it is true, that's a red flag.

[mcsluggo]

but its a rumor that the BLAZERS want to keep them together... not that Oden is pushing for it.. right?

So then what is that a red-flag for?

[Big Boy Laroux]

the rumors i've read is that it is coming from Oden's camp, not the blazers. but it's still a rumor.

[fluid.forty.one]

That's awesome that Oden and Conley have already been flown to portland. With Jack and Randolph on the trading block I think he'll be able to pull it off.

Conley/Roy/Webster(Outlaw too)/Aldridge/Oden

oldest one there is Roy at 23
wow..

[StackAttack]

Portland...freaking rocks.

[alby]

good for the city and region, the fans deserve better