2007 NBA DRAFT - ODEN and PORTLAND CRIPPLED (2 Viewers)

[Assani Fisher]

Aldridge is a PF, he's not really a back to the basket kid anyways. Man, Portland is going to be good.

Nothing wrong with him coming off the bench to backup both the PF and C positions initially. I'm sure Portland can deal with having Aldridge, Randolph and Oden in the front court. Trading out because Aldridge can play center makes me Guy barely played his rookie year.

Oden for Gasol

please stop acting as if I was suggesting making an outright swap of Oden for Gasol and I wasn't just throwing a random thought out there. Seriously.

your words, not mine.

If they could land Garnett or Gasol it might be wise to trade it.

Don't say dumb things if you don't want to get called out for it.

This can't be serious. Here I'll spell it out for youortland has a valuable commodity(#1 pick)-One weakness on their team is that they are very young and their older guys aren't good leaders-In addition to a lack of leadership, this raises the problem of future salary cap hell when all of their young guys' contracts come up all at once.-Therefore, they might want to trade some young pieces for an older veteran-Garnett and Gasol are on the trade block it looks like.I never ever suggested an outright swap of the pick for Gasol.

 

[Spike]

I bet David Stern wishes he froze a pingpong ball or two for this lottery. This turned out to be his worst nightmare imo.

Why?You couldn't choose 3 better franchises that needed saving.Seattle - threats of movingPortland - enough saidAtlanta - see aboveThe Boston markets of the league will be just fine.

You are on crack.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Wow. What a great lottery.

I agree with Capella - Oden is an absolute perfect fit for Portland. Roy is going to develop into an All Star caliber scorer and Aldridge will be an even better player at the 4. Getting Oden makes them a playoff team next year, and serious title contenders by 2010.

Just a great, great night for the NBA having Oden fall into that situation. Did Paul Allen sell the Blazers? Whomever owns them now just saw the value of that franchise increase 25% tonight.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

with the Larry Bird rule, it's not like Portland won't be able to re-sign all their young players, right? If Roy, Aldridge, and Oden are as good as they are supposed to be, that's pretty much the core of a great team right there. Not like they'll need a whole lot else.

 

[Your Mother]

Randolph - 33 mpg (35 last year)

Oden - 33 mpg

Aldridge - 30 mpg (mid-20's last year, although he played more near the end of the season)

Easy.

 

[Spiderman]

real GM has this mocker on the Wiz board:1) Portland__Oden 2) Seattle__Durant 3) Atlanta__Conley 4) Memphis__Brandon Wright 5) Boston__Noah 6) Bucks__Horford 7) Minnesota__Brewer Bobcats__Hibbert 9) Bulls__Hawes 10) Kings__Yi 11) Hawks__Splitter 12) 76ers__Julian Wright 13) Hornets__Thornton 14) Clippers__Splitter 15) Pistons__Law 16) Wizards__Stuckey

As a Bucks fan, I could live with this...though I don't think Conley will go that high, I would be very happy if they got him - I think after the big 2, Conley is everyone's (fan-wise) choice as he is a known commodity and an exciting little player...

I don't see how Conley DOESN'T go 3. Atlanta has Joe Johnson at SG, and Josh Smith, ZaZa Puchulia and Marvin Williams upfront. They need a point guard.

 

[Assani Fisher]

Aldridge is a PF, he's not really a back to the basket kid anyways.

Man, Portland is going to be good.

Trading out because Aldridge can play center makes me Guy barely played his rookie year.

Agreed. It's not supposed to be career threatening, but Aldridge also was diagnosed with a heart condition and had to miss the last few weeks. With the question marks on him and Randolph, and a good wing player in Roy, you can't pass on Oden.

Ultimately with the #1 overall pick you don't draft for need. So if they truly think Oden is a better prospect then I'd agree with you guys that they take Oden.But anyone arguing that the Trailblazers have a bigger need at center is completely insane! Their best two players according to RR last year were big men and they just spent a #2 overall pick on a big man. Meanwhile their small forward is Ime Udoka. Quick, without looking it up, can anyone tell me anything about Ime Udoka?

There is a reason guys like Duncan and Shaq have a fistful of rings... you take the center that everyone says is a once in a decade player and you move on, even if you have 5 centers on your roster already.

AHhhhhhhh!!!!!! How many times do I have to say this????IF THEY SCOUT BOTH PLAYERS AND DETERMINE THAT ODEN, AS A PLAYER, WOULD HELP A FRANCHISE WIN A RING MORESO THAN DURANT, THEN YES THEY SHOULD TAKE ODEN.

I agree with that!!!

But if they grade out equally then they should take Durant because they have a bigger need there.

I also think thats a bit of a myth. Guys like Magic, Jordan, Bird, and Kobe have a handful of rings as well while guys like Garnett, Ewing, Zo when he was a star, Robinson when he was a star never won a ring. Basically you just suggested a handful of players to make your argument. You have to look at every great center and guard to determine which is truly more valuable. But I've already been through this argument before and don't really feel like going any further.

 

[Arsenal of Doom]

Oden is a perfect fit for the Blazers. trading the pick would be foolish. I think Putting Aldridge at PF really compliments Oden and gives the team a solid defensive presence inside.

I don't care how much Randolph is making, his defense is abysmal and he should be on the bench.

Why do people make silly statements like this? Not sure if you've heard of Roland Rating, but what it does is measure how much better/worse a team is with a certain player on the floor versus with him off the floor. The Trailblazers, being a bad team, only had 4 players with a positive ratingickau: +0.5

Roy +0.8

Aldridge: +1.8

Randolph: +8.0

http://www.82games.com/0607/0607POR.HTM

Not quite sure how my statement is silly. Randolph is one of the worst defenders in the NBA, if not the worst. He is a turnstile, just a pathetically lazy defender. Defense wins championships. I am sure teams would jump at the opportunity to trade for the one dimensional player that Randolph is . . . wait a second.

Your statement ws that Randolph should be on the bench. Randolph was CLEARLY their best player last year. Do you really think thats not a silly statement?

The problem is that he was the best player on a very bad team. His PER is great (which is the basis of the Roland Rating) but if you look closely at his stats he's really being floated by his insanely high usage rate and solid rebounding numbers. His True Shooting Percentage is abysmal for a PF (particularly one who makes free throws), and he's a sieve on defense. On a good team his PER would plunge because he couldn't possibly keep up that usage rate.

 

[Assani Fisher]

Aldridge is a PF, he's not really a back to the basket kid anyways. Man, Portland is going to be good.

Trading out because Aldridge can play center makes me Guy barely played his rookie year.

Agreed. It's not supposed to be career threatening, but Aldridge also was diagnosed with a heart condition and had to miss the last few weeks. With the question marks on him and Randolph, and a good wing player in Roy, you can't pass on Oden.

Ultimately with the #1 overall pick you don't draft for need. So if they truly think Oden is a better prospect then I'd agree with you guys that they take Oden.But anyone arguing that the Trailblazers have a bigger need at center is completely insane! Their best two players according to RR last year were big men and they just spent a #2 overall pick on a big man. Meanwhile their small forward is Ime Udoka. Quick, without looking it up, can anyone tell me anything about Ime Udoka?

IMO, Durant's talent/skills are much more redundant with Randolph/Alridge than Oden's are.

Interesting point, but I disagree. You cannot play Aldridge/Oden/Randolph on the floor at the same time. None of them could guard a good SF. Can you imagine any of them guarding Tracy McGrady? You could play Durant with those two though.

 

[Spike]

This sets Celtics basketball back another 10 years.

1986 - Len Bias

1997 - Tim Duncan

2007 - Oden/Durant

Seriously, NO ONE in New England gives a #### about basketball anymore. Seriously.

 

[Sammy3469]

with the Larry Bird rule, it's not like Portland won't be able to re-sign all their young players, right? If Roy, Aldridge, and Oden are as good as they are supposed to be, that's pretty much the core of a great team right there. Not like they'll need a whole lot else.

Correct...though there is a luxury tax now that kicks in at some point, but MONEYBAGS Allen and GM should be able to front that bill

 

[Assani Fisher]

Trading the pick is crazy talk, just crazy. No matter the situation, you work around it.

Oden would be a good fit in Seattle imo. If they make an offer to move up, I think the Blazers have to seriously consider it.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

But if they grade out equally then they should take Durant because they have a bigger need there.

disagree. if they grade out equally, you take the Center over a player from any other position, regardless of need. Durant's a great consolation prize at #2, but Oden is still the crown jewel of this draft class. I'm guessing at least 80% or more of NBA GMs would take Oden over Durant.

 

[Sammy3469]

Trading the pick is crazy talk, just crazy. No matter the situation, you work around it.

Oden would be a good fit in Seattle imo. If they make an offer to move up, I think the Blazers have to seriously consider it.

What could they possibly offer? Anything they have is pretty redundant if the T-Blazers took Durant.

 

[Assani Fisher]

Oden is a perfect fit for the Blazers.

This is basically the sentiment that I'm just not understanding. Obviously any team could use another great player. But why is everyone suddenly acting as if center is the big need spot for Portland?If they draft Oden, then they will probably have to trade someone else away to make room for him. Thats not what I'd call a "perfect fit."

Oden gives them something they don't have...a dominant defensive presence inside.Durant gives them scoring and rebounding, which they can already get from Randolph and Aldridge.

Listen...Do you agree or disagree that if they take Oden then theres a decent shot that Randolph or Aldridge gets traded? A simple one word answer will suffice.

Now, if they get Durant do you agree or disagree that it is not any more likely whatsoever that they'd make a trade than if they hadn't gotten him?

 

[Your Mother]

Trading the pick is crazy talk, just crazy. No matter the situation, you work around it.

Oden would be a good fit in Seattle imo. If they make an offer to move up, I think the Blazers have to seriously consider it.

Offer what?

 

[HoTnickZ]

I bet David Stern wishes he froze a pingpong ball or two for this lottery. This turned out to be his worst nightmare imo.

Why?You couldn't choose 3 better franchises that needed saving.Seattle - threats of movingPortland - enough saidAtlanta - see aboveThe Boston markets of the league will be just fine.

You are on crack.

You're argument is convincing but please do explain further.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Karma for the Celts. Tanking should not be rewarded and it wasn't.

Then the 76ers should be rewarded, they were #3-#4 when the draft/lottery talk started taking place during the season.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Aldridge is a PF, he's not really a back to the basket kid anyways. Man, Portland is going to be good.

Trading out because Aldridge can play center makes me Guy barely played his rookie year.

Agreed. It's not supposed to be career threatening, but Aldridge also was diagnosed with a heart condition and had to miss the last few weeks. With the question marks on him and Randolph, and a good wing player in Roy, you can't pass on Oden.

Ultimately with the #1 overall pick you don't draft for need. So if they truly think Oden is a better prospect then I'd agree with you guys that they take Oden.But anyone arguing that the Trailblazers have a bigger need at center is completely insane! Their best two players according to RR last year were big men and they just spent a #2 overall pick on a big man. Meanwhile their small forward is Ime Udoka. Quick, without looking it up, can anyone tell me anything about Ime Udoka?

IMO, Durant's talent/skills are much more redundant with Randolph/Alridge than Oden's are.

Interesting point, but I disagree. You cannot play Aldridge/Oden/Randolph on the floor at the same time. None of them could guard a good SF. Can you imagine any of them guarding Tracy McGrady? You could play Durant with those two though.

You get rid of Randolph, for peanuts. And before his piss-poor attitude can infect Oden.

 

[Your Mother]

This sets Celtics basketball back another 10 years.1986 - Len Bias1997 - Tim Duncan2007 - Oden/DurantSeriously, NO ONE in New England gives a #### about basketball anymore. Seriously.

The odds were against Boston getting Durant or Oden, Captain Entitlement.

 

[Your Mother]

Aldridge is a PF, he's not really a back to the basket kid anyways. Man, Portland is going to be good.

Trading out because Aldridge can play center makes me Guy barely played his rookie year.

Agreed. It's not supposed to be career threatening, but Aldridge also was diagnosed with a heart condition and had to miss the last few weeks. With the question marks on him and Randolph, and a good wing player in Roy, you can't pass on Oden.

Ultimately with the #1 overall pick you don't draft for need. So if they truly think Oden is a better prospect then I'd agree with you guys that they take Oden.But anyone arguing that the Trailblazers have a bigger need at center is completely insane! Their best two players according to RR last year were big men and they just spent a #2 overall pick on a big man. Meanwhile their small forward is Ime Udoka. Quick, without looking it up, can anyone tell me anything about Ime Udoka?

IMO, Durant's talent/skills are much more redundant with Randolph/Alridge than Oden's are.

Interesting point, but I disagree. You cannot play Aldridge/Oden/Randolph on the floor at the same time. None of them could guard a good SF. Can you imagine any of them guarding Tracy McGrady? You could play Durant with those two though.

You get rid of Randolph, for peanuts. And before his piss-poor attitude can infect Oden.

Randolph's contract is gross. gllll.

 

[HoTnickZ]

Trading the pick is crazy talk, just crazy. No matter the situation, you work around it.

Oden would be a good fit in Seattle imo. If they make an offer to move up, I think the Blazers have to seriously consider it.

Oh, between the 2 teams is a different story but I highly doubt that happens either. Usually the 2 GM's can snuff out most of the negotiations as posturing, and ultimately they will just chose the guy they want.

 

[munga30]

AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHH!!!!

[/charliebrown]

 

[Assani Fisher]

Oden is a perfect fit for the Blazers.

This is basically the sentiment that I'm just not understanding. Obviously any team could use another great player. But why is everyone suddenly acting as if center is the big need spot for Portland?If they draft Oden, then they will probably have to trade someone else away to make room for him. Thats not what I'd call a "perfect fit."

I don't care what you say, both Randolph and Aldridge are PF in today's NBA. Neither are real interior defenders nor shot blockers. If they pass on Oden for a SF when either Randolph or Aldridge would net them a SF, they should be shot.

You're saying this because you believe that Oden is a better prospect than Durant. You believe this because ESPN has told you so.Now I don't disagree with that. But I realize that when teams scout sometimes they discover stuff that ESPN didn't know. And I'm leaving open the possibility that Durant could grade out to be as good as Oden. And if so then I think you take the player where you ahve the biggest need.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Aldridge is a PF, he's not really a back to the basket kid anyways. Man, Portland is going to be good.

Trading out because Aldridge can play center makes me Guy barely played his rookie year.

Agreed. It's not supposed to be career threatening, but Aldridge also was diagnosed with a heart condition and had to miss the last few weeks. With the question marks on him and Randolph, and a good wing player in Roy, you can't pass on Oden.

Ultimately with the #1 overall pick you don't draft for need. So if they truly think Oden is a better prospect then I'd agree with you guys that they take Oden.But anyone arguing that the Trailblazers have a bigger need at center is completely insane! Their best two players according to RR last year were big men and they just spent a #2 overall pick on a big man. Meanwhile their small forward is Ime Udoka. Quick, without looking it up, can anyone tell me anything about Ime Udoka?

IMO, Durant's talent/skills are much more redundant with Randolph/Alridge than Oden's are.

Interesting point, but I disagree. You cannot play Aldridge/Oden/Randolph on the floor at the same time. None of them could guard a good SF. Can you imagine any of them guarding Tracy McGrady? You could play Durant with those two though.

by the same token, if they were to take Durant, nobody on that team could guard Stoudemire, Duncan, Yao, Boozer, etc. Having a dominant defensive Center makes everybody better. Durant might be the next Garnett, but where has he gotten Minnesota? Oden has Duncan-like upside to me and it's clear which type of player has led to more success.

 

[trader jake]

Gotta love all the trade talk in this thread. Portland and Seattle are NOT going to trade those top 2 selections.

 

[Spike]

This sets Celtics basketball back another 10 years.1986 - Len Bias1997 - Tim Duncan2007 - Oden/DurantSeriously, NO ONE in New England gives a #### about basketball anymore. Seriously.

The odds were against Boston getting Durant or Oden, Captain Entitlement.

I'm not sure where you get off on the "Captain Entitlement" BS, but what I stated is true.NO ONE around here cares about basketball. This might have been a big boost, for either Oden or Durant coming here, but it's a bad thing to have happened.And for both Memphis and Boston to drop to 4 and 5? A disgrace.

 

[Assani Fisher]

Aldridge is a PF, he's not really a back to the basket kid anyways. Man, Portland is going to be good.

Trading out because Aldridge can play center makes me Guy barely played his rookie year.

Agreed. It's not supposed to be career threatening, but Aldridge also was diagnosed with a heart condition and had to miss the last few weeks. With the question marks on him and Randolph, and a good wing player in Roy, you can't pass on Oden.

Ultimately with the #1 overall pick you don't draft for need. So if they truly think Oden is a better prospect then I'd agree with you guys that they take Oden.But anyone arguing that the Trailblazers have a bigger need at center is completely insane! Their best two players according to RR last year were big men and they just spent a #2 overall pick on a big man. Meanwhile their small forward is Ime Udoka. Quick, without looking it up, can anyone tell me anything about Ime Udoka?

Udoka went to college in Portland (Portland St.?), was a journeyman, and won a spot as a training camp invitee. Effort guy, team loves him. Not a great SF though. I think Randolph and Aldridge's good PER ratings are partly due to awful Jamaal Magloire backing them up.The Blazers still have a young Martell Webster who could potentially play the 3 when Jack and Roy are in the backcourt. Between him and Udoka they're OK, but obviously not great. Still, I think they'll take Oden. It's a lot easier to find a scoring SF than a legit interior defensive presence.

agreed completely. Nice post.

 

[trader jake]

You're saying this because you believe that Oden is a better prospect than Durant. You believe this because ESPN has told you so.

Just stop with this. That's teh second time you've posted that nonsense in response to him.

 

[Assani Fisher]

Oden is a perfect fit for the Blazers. trading the pick would be foolish. I think Putting Aldridge at PF really compliments Oden and gives the team a solid defensive presence inside.

I don't care how much Randolph is making, his defense is abysmal and he should be on the bench.

Why do people make silly statements like this? Not sure if you've heard of Roland Rating, but what it does is measure how much better/worse a team is with a certain player on the floor versus with him off the floor. The Trailblazers, being a bad team, only had 4 players with a positive ratingickau: +0.5

Roy +0.8

Aldridge: +1.8

Randolph: +8.0

http://www.82games.com/0607/0607POR.HTM

Not quite sure how my statement is silly. Randolph is one of the worst defenders in the NBA, if not the worst. He is a turnstile, just a pathetically lazy defender. Defense wins championships. I am sure teams would jump at the opportunity to trade for the one dimensional player that Randolph is . . . wait a second.

Your statement ws that Randolph should be on the bench. Randolph was CLEARLY their best player last year. Do you really think thats not a silly statement?

Best low post scorer? Without question. But there are two aspects of basketball - offense and defense, and he is one of the worst defenders in the NBA. No concept of help defense, heck, no concept of any defense. Brandon Roy was their best player, IMO. I guess I just put a higher priority on defense than most.

Yes, I agree with you that he is a poor defender. I still don't agree that he should be benched though. Deion Sanders was a horrible tackler...would you have benched him for it?

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Oden is a perfect fit for the Blazers.

This is basically the sentiment that I'm just not understanding. Obviously any team could use another great player. But why is everyone suddenly acting as if center is the big need spot for Portland?If they draft Oden, then they will probably have to trade someone else away to make room for him. Thats not what I'd call a "perfect fit."

Oden gives them something they don't have...a dominant defensive presence inside.Durant gives them scoring and rebounding, which they can already get from Randolph and Aldridge.

Listen...Do you agree or disagree that if they take Oden then theres a decent shot that Randolph or Aldridge gets traded? A simple one word answer will suffice.

Now, if they get Durant do you agree or disagree that it is not any more likely whatsoever that they'd make a trade than if they hadn't gotten him?

the only teams who could justify passing on Oden are teams that already have a dominant Center. if you don't, you take him. Simple as that.Caron Butler was traded for Kwame Brown. Pretty clear that big guys have way way more value than talented small forwards.

 

[Nigel]

How badly did Tommy Heinsohn want to stand up and scream "Are you kidding me?!?!? ARE YOU ####### KIDDING MEEEEE?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!

Celts have to try to trade this pick for a vet. I'm very sad right now.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

You're saying this because you believe that Oden is a better prospect than Durant. You believe this because ESPN has told you so.

FYI, this is really lame shtick.

 

[HoTnickZ]

Karma for the Celts. Tanking should not be rewarded and it wasn't.

Then the 76ers should be rewarded, they were #3-#4 when the draft/lottery talk started taking place during the season.

This is true but I think the horrible GM shouldn't be rewarded clause kicked in here.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Karma for the Celts. Tanking should not be rewarded and it wasn't.

Then the 76ers should be rewarded, they were #3-#4 when the draft/lottery talk started taking place during the season.

This is true but I think the horrible GM shouldn't be rewarded clause kicked in here.

Its okay, Id rather not have my teams tank.

 

[RedmondLonghorn]

AWESOME NEWS

The last time the Sonics had the #2 pick, they took Gary Payton. I can only hope it works out that well this time around.

If Wally Walker was still around, I would be concerned, but since he isn't, I feel pretty good that they won't screw this up.

Take Durant (or Oden), then sort it out from there. Don't get fancy. Don't overthink it.

I would seriously consider getting a decent sized package of tickets if the Sonics draft Durant. At least I would get to enjoy one of my favorite college players ever play for my hometown team for another year or two. And maybe, just maybe, he could save the future of the franchise in Jet City.

 

[Ted Lange as your Bartender]

real GM has this mocker on the Wiz board:

1) Portland__Oden

2) Seattle__Durant

3) Atlanta__Conley

4) Memphis__Brandon Wright

5) Boston__Noah

6) Bucks__Horford

7) Minnesota__Brewer

Bobcats__Hibbert

9) Bulls__Hawes

10) Kings__Yi

11) Hawks__Splitter

12) 76ers__Julian Wright

13) Hornets__Thornton

14) Clippers__Splitter

15) Pistons__Law

16) Wizards__Stuckey

This guy's so versatile he can play for two teams!

 

[FairWarning]

The rich (West Conf) get richer, the poor (East) get poorer

Looking at back-to-back NBA champs, the poor Eastern Conference.It would be fitting if Oden failed a drug test walking through the JailBlazers locker room.

 

[RedmondLonghorn]

Oden is a perfect fit for the Blazers.

This is basically the sentiment that I'm just not understanding. Obviously any team could use another great player. But why is everyone suddenly acting as if center is the big need spot for Portland?If they draft Oden, then they will probably have to trade someone else away to make room for him. Thats not what I'd call a "perfect fit."

Oden gives them something they don't have...a dominant defensive presence inside.Durant gives them scoring and rebounding, which they can already get from Randolph and Aldridge.

Listen...Do you agree or disagree that if they take Oden then theres a decent shot that Randolph or Aldridge gets traded? A simple one word answer will suffice.

Now, if they get Durant do you agree or disagree that it is not any more likely whatsoever that they'd make a trade than if they hadn't gotten him?

the only teams who could justify passing on Oden are teams that already have a dominant Center. if you don't, you take him. Simple as that.Caron Butler was traded for Kwame Brown. Pretty clear that big guys have way way more value than talented small forwards.

I think it also is pretty clear that Durant is more than just a "talented small forward". Not that I disagree with your conclusion necessarily, but Durant is >>>>>>> Caron Butler.

 

[Your Mother]

This sets Celtics basketball back another 10 years.1986 - Len Bias1997 - Tim Duncan2007 - Oden/DurantSeriously, NO ONE in New England gives a #### about basketball anymore. Seriously.

The odds were against Boston getting Durant or Oden, Captain Entitlement.

I'm not sure where you get off on the "Captain Entitlement" BS, but what I stated is true.NO ONE around here cares about basketball. This might have been a big boost, for either Oden or Durant coming here, but it's a bad thing to have happened.And for both Memphis and Boston to drop to 4 and 5? A disgrace.

Nobody cares about basketball because Bostonians are bad basketball fans. You don't get another Larry Bird for a decade and you quit and buy a Jason Varitek jersey. As for Boston and Memphis getting low picks, that's how the balls bounced. Sorry it didn't work out for you, but like I said before, Boston and Memphis aren't really entitled to anything. And Portland and Seattle need help just as much as Boston does.

 

[Your Mother]

The rich (West Conf) get richer, the poor (East) get poorer

Looking at back-to-back NBA champs, the poor Eastern Conference.It would be fitting if Oden failed a drug test walking through the JailBlazers locker room.

Contact high?The Blazers have cleaned up somewhat. Randolph is still a registered sex offender (you'll have to look it up, I don't think I can recount the details here), and Miles is a malcontent, but his knee is fux0red.Any NBA team can survive one knucklehead. If Miles retires/is in perpetual rehab, I don't think Randolph can corrupt the entire team by himself. It was a different story back when he had 'Sheed and Bonzi around.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Oden is a perfect fit for the Blazers.

This is basically the sentiment that I'm just not understanding. Obviously any team could use another great player. But why is everyone suddenly acting as if center is the big need spot for Portland?If they draft Oden, then they will probably have to trade someone else away to make room for him. Thats not what I'd call a "perfect fit."

Oden gives them something they don't have...a dominant defensive presence inside.Durant gives them scoring and rebounding, which they can already get from Randolph and Aldridge.

Listen...Do you agree or disagree that if they take Oden then theres a decent shot that Randolph or Aldridge gets traded? A simple one word answer will suffice.

Now, if they get Durant do you agree or disagree that it is not any more likely whatsoever that they'd make a trade than if they hadn't gotten him?

the only teams who could justify passing on Oden are teams that already have a dominant Center. if you don't, you take him. Simple as that.Caron Butler was traded for Kwame Brown. Pretty clear that big guys have way way more value than talented small forwards.

I think it also is pretty clear that Durant is more than just a "talented small forward". Not that I disagree with your conclusion necessarily, but Durant is >>>>>>> Caron Butler.

of course he is, but that wasn't the point at all.Assani keeps saying "if you grade these guys equally, you take the one that fills a need."

everyone else is telling him that's wrong. if you grade these 2 guys equally, you take the Center over the forward.

bottom line for me is that I think Oden gives them a better chance at becoming championship contenders than Durant does.

With both players going to the same division and playing so close to each other geographically, it should be a good rivalry and will be fun to watch them both develop.

GM and Britney Spears have to be pretty psyched about all this.

 

[Your Mother]

Oden is a perfect fit for the Blazers.

This is basically the sentiment that I'm just not understanding. Obviously any team could use another great player. But why is everyone suddenly acting as if center is the big need spot for Portland?If they draft Oden, then they will probably have to trade someone else away to make room for him. Thats not what I'd call a "perfect fit."

Oden gives them something they don't have...a dominant defensive presence inside.Durant gives them scoring and rebounding, which they can already get from Randolph and Aldridge.

Listen...Do you agree or disagree that if they take Oden then theres a decent shot that Randolph or Aldridge gets traded? A simple one word answer will suffice.

Now, if they get Durant do you agree or disagree that it is not any more likely whatsoever that they'd make a trade than if they hadn't gotten him?

the only teams who could justify passing on Oden are teams that already have a dominant Center. if you don't, you take him. Simple as that.Caron Butler was traded for Kwame Brown. Pretty clear that big guys have way way more value than talented small forwards.

I think it also is pretty clear that Durant is more than just a "talented small forward". Not that I disagree with your conclusion necessarily, but Durant is >>>>>>> Caron Butler.

of course he is, but that wasn't the point at all.Assani keeps saying "if you grade these guys equally, you take the one that fills a need."

everyone else is telling him that's wrong. if you grade these 2 guys equally, you take the Center over the forward.

bottom line for me is that I think Oden gives them a better chance at becoming championship contenders than Durant does.

With both players going to the same division and playing so close to each other geographically, it should be a good rivalry and will be fun to watch them both develop.

GM and Britney Spears have to be pretty psyched about all this.

This is a good point, the NBA will get a nice bump from having the "Oden v. Durant" games.

 

[_4_]

This is a good point, the NBA will get a nice bump from having the "Oden v. Durant" games.

For several years...but once again the NBA is screwed...these games will for the most part start after 10:00pm EST....

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

as for Assani's claim that Seattle is a "great fit" for Oden, what about the fact that SF Rashard Lewis is a free agent and they spent their last 3 1st round picks on Centers?

 

[RedmondLonghorn]

Oden is a perfect fit for the Blazers.

This is basically the sentiment that I'm just not understanding. Obviously any team could use another great player. But why is everyone suddenly acting as if center is the big need spot for Portland?If they draft Oden, then they will probably have to trade someone else away to make room for him. Thats not what I'd call a "perfect fit."

Oden gives them something they don't have...a dominant defensive presence inside.Durant gives them scoring and rebounding, which they can already get from Randolph and Aldridge.

Listen...Do you agree or disagree that if they take Oden then theres a decent shot that Randolph or Aldridge gets traded? A simple one word answer will suffice.

Now, if they get Durant do you agree or disagree that it is not any more likely whatsoever that they'd make a trade than if they hadn't gotten him?

the only teams who could justify passing on Oden are teams that already have a dominant Center. if you don't, you take him. Simple as that.Caron Butler was traded for Kwame Brown. Pretty clear that big guys have way way more value than talented small forwards.

I think it also is pretty clear that Durant is more than just a "talented small forward". Not that I disagree with your conclusion necessarily, but Durant is >>>>>>> Caron Butler.

of course he is, but that wasn't the point at all.Assani keeps saying "if you grade these guys equally, you take the one that fills a need."

everyone else is telling him that's wrong. if you grade these 2 guys equally, you take the Center over the forward.

bottom line for me is that I think Oden gives them a better chance at becoming championship contenders than Durant does.

With both players going to the same division and playing so close to each other geographically, it should be a good rivalry and fun to watch them both develop.

I agree totally with that. The only exception would be if you were already really set at center. Like Shaq in his prime set. Which is obviously not the case here.But I do think that people are so focused on the Oden story line that they are losing sight of the fact that Durant is an absolute freak. And not just a freak in terms of potential, but in terms of proven production as well. He is really a Tracy McGrady/Kevin Garnett type of talent, only with a much better outside game than those guys had as 18 year olds. He needs to fill out some to be able to really mix it up inside at the NBA level, but there is no reason to believe he won't do that. Despite his frail looking build, he certainly didn't play soft in college.

 

[Assani Fisher]

You think that Oden is great because you've heard a few ESPN talking heads say so.

Condescending much? I remember reading somewhere (it might have been Chad Ford) that he polled a bunch of NBA GM's. The vast majority of them said they would take Oden over Durant. No names of the GM's are involved, and it's not really a situation where GM's would be trying to blow smoke up someone's ###, so it's fairly reliable.BTW, I just left a phone message with the Warriors front office asking them to offer up Biedrins for Oden.

Its not condescending at all, at least not meant to be.Fact: Durant had a better freshman year than Oden. You can look at any numbers your want, but you'll see that fact is true.Fact: Very few FBGs are adapt basketball scouts.Conclusion: The vast majority of FBGs believe that Oden will be better than Durant because of what someone else has told them.

 

[HoTnickZ]

Karma for the Celts. Tanking should not be rewarded and it wasn't.

Then the 76ers should be rewarded, they were #3-#4 when the draft/lottery talk started taking place during the season.

This is true but I think the horrible GM shouldn't be rewarded clause kicked in here.

Its okay, Id rather not have my teams tank.

I salute you.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Fact: Durant had a better freshman year than Oden. You can look at any numbers your want, but you'll see that fact is true.

which player went farther in the NCAA tournament?which player played most of the year with one hand?

 

[Assani Fisher]

Oden is a perfect fit for the Blazers. trading the pick would be foolish. I think Putting Aldridge at PF really compliments Oden and gives the team a solid defensive presence inside.

I don't care how much Randolph is making, his defense is abysmal and he should be on the bench.

Why do people make silly statements like this? Not sure if you've heard of Roland Rating, but what it does is measure how much better/worse a team is with a certain player on the floor versus with him off the floor. The Trailblazers, being a bad team, only had 4 players with a positive ratingickau: +0.5

Roy +0.8

Aldridge: +1.8

Randolph: +8.0

http://www.82games.com/0607/0607POR.HTM

Not quite sure how my statement is silly. Randolph is one of the worst defenders in the NBA, if not the worst. He is a turnstile, just a pathetically lazy defender. Defense wins championships. I am sure teams would jump at the opportunity to trade for the one dimensional player that Randolph is . . . wait a second.

Your statement ws that Randolph should be on the bench. Randolph was CLEARLY their best player last year. Do you really think thats not a silly statement?

The problem is that he was the best player on a very bad team. His PER is great (which is the basis of the Roland Rating) but if you look closely at his stats he's really being floated by his insanely high usage rate and solid rebounding numbers. His True Shooting Percentage is abysmal for a PF (particularly one who makes free throws), and he's a sieve on defense. On a good team his PER would plunge because he couldn't possibly keep up that usage rate.

I'm not really sure what you guys are getting at here. Zach Randolph is a starting calibre player in the NBA. If the Blazers trade him, he will most likely start for his new team. I can't fathom that people are actually disputing this.