With the first overall selection in the NBA draft the Portland Trailblazers select Greg Oden (Big Surprise).

Here is the interesting thing about this year’s draft: if the Celtics or Grizzlies got Oden those two teams still would have had absolutely no shot at making the playoffs, but the Blazers may have a legitimate shot to make the playoffs with Oden. But let’s not mince words or get any hopes up unnecessarily, they have no chance to make it out of the first round.

How do the Blazers get to the playoffs next year?

They start the following lineup:

C: Oden

PF: Zach Randolph

SF: James Posey or Luke Walton

SG: Brandon Roy

PG: Jarret Jack

A couple things you need to know. First, our boys at The Big Lead think the Blazers have to trade Zach Randolph and his bad attitude to make this team work. We respectfully disagree. The Blazers need Oden, Zach Randolph, and last year’s first round pick LaMarcus Aldridge to be successful.

We are not sold on Aldridge’s ability to compete with first team Centers in the NBA. Seriously, do you really think that Aldridge can handle Shaq, Yao Ming, Amare Stoudamire, Tim Duncan, and Dwight Howard on a daily basis? However, we feel really good about him against the likes of Kwame Brown.

Second, the Blazers need to decide that they are going to be a defensive team in the mold of San Antonio. Zach Randolph is not going to be a first team All Defense guy anytime soon, but he will get you 23pts. and 10 rbs., so deal with it.

The rest of the guys in there rotation can play D if they assert themselves. In the paint Aldridge and Oden should be able to make up for a lot of perimeter mistakes. And on the perimeter Jack, Roy, and Juan Dixon can prevent dribble penetration. The real key to this team is they need a Bruce Bowen and not a Vince Carter at SF.

Therefore, the Blazers need to let Jamal Magloire and his 8 million dollar salary go in free agency (which they will). Ime Udoka, the guy who got the most minutes at SF for the Blazers last year, is also a free agent. The Blazers should resign Ime, but with the intent of using him off the bench. Darius Miles missed last season with microfracture surgery on his knee. He is a complete bust, and more importantly he is a frail, uninterested defender.

Which brings us to the Blazers’ best two options in free agency to address the SF position:

1) James Posey - Posey makes 6.3 mil, so the 8 mil the Blazers are getting off the books should be more than enough to sign the guy. Posey is known for being a good defender because of his freakishly long arms. Also, he shoots the ball well from 3-point land so he can help spread the floor.

2) Luke Walton - Walton makes 1.7 mil, so again the 8 mil is plenty. Walton is slow, but he will have Oden to back him up when he gets beat off the dribble. What Walton will bring is great passing and an extremely high basketball IQ, which this young team will desperately need.

Our prediction: The Blazers will try to reintegrate Darius Miles into the lineup, trade Zach Randolph for not enough value sometime before the trade deadline, and then force Aldridge and Oden on the floor at the same time putting one of them out of position. Meanwhile, Brandon Roy puts up another solid season and goes largely unnoticed.

P.S. What’s with everybody’s favorite Canadian grabbing Luke Walton’s junk in the top pic? Weird.

Email This