<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Trail Blazers busy again on draft night A night that started with ESPN’s announcement that the Trail Blazers had acquired Jerryd Bayless and Ike Diogu from Indiana in exchange for #13 pick Brandon Rush, guard Jarrett Jack and forward Josh McRoberts ended with no official announcement of a deal. The night also included four other deals, netting the Blazers another European prospect and a bevy of future draft picks. “We were very active,” General Manager Kevin Pritchard said after the last pick was made. “The biggest thing for us is that we were very well planned out. We saw the draft fold out.” The true repercussions of Thursday’s draft likely won’t be known for at least a couple of weeks, but what is certain is that Kevin Pritchard and his staff executed at least four trades. Brandon Rush was selected by the Trail Blazers with the 13th pick. In their first trade of the night, The Portland acquired the draft rights to forward Darrell Arthur (selected 27th overall) from the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for cash considerations. Arthur’s tenure as a potential Trail Blazer didn’t last long though, as he was traded along with Joey Dorsey, who the Blazers selected with the 33rd pick, to the Houston Rockets for Nicholas Batum, who was taken with the 25th pick. Batum, a 6-8, 210 lbs. small forward who most recently played for club team Le Man in France, is a long, ultra-athletic player who has possibly the most upside of any player in the draft. He’s considered a project at just 19 years old, but he has all the physical tools to become an elite wing in the NBA. Unlike many European players in this year’s draft, Batum is expected to sign with the Blazers and will be with the team at the start of the 2008-09 season.</div> Source: Blazers Official News You guys are lucky as hell for excellent GM decision making. I expected Batum to go in the lottery, but knowing he would drop I see exactly why the Blazers passed up on him until later acquiring him from the Houston Rockets. This kid is worth more then what the Rockets traded him for and they will heavily regret it over time. Here is the profile I wrote on Batum in the 2008 NBA Draft Live mock. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><div align="center"> <span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%">Nicolas Batum</span> Height: 6’8” (203 cm) Weight: 214 lbs (97 kg) Age: 19 Team: Le Mans Sarthe Basket (France) <u>Details</u> Where do I start with Europe’s most promising young talent? That’s right, forget the skeptics. For years he’s been touted as all likely being one of the better players in the NBA’s future and I still see him as that. Some say I’m biased, but that couldn’t be any further from the truth. Batum has excellent size and potential. He’s a defensive monster at his level and with more strength over time he could become the best defender in the NBA at his peak. He doesn’t like to play out of his element and needs to become comfortable with not only his teammates, but with how the team plays in general. This can be considered a downside, but I don’t think so. Once he’s able to fit in and grasp the team’s tactics at full capacity, he can and will go off offensively. He’s not the type of player to bang bodies, but that’s because he’s also a playmaker. His vision allows him to see the floor exceptionally and pass the ball with great skill when he cannot break the defense himself. He has a quick first step and can beat the quickest defenders out there, even when double teamed. The downside is that he should try to break defensive traps more often since he has the skill to do so. He needs to be hardened and will require plenty of time to adapt to the NBA level. He desperately needs strength training. I’d say he can reach a power point within a year or two, but he needs to be on the right team. Portland would be an excellent place for him to adapt more quickly to reach his full potential at this level. A great player for: Sacramento, Portland and Memphis (These three look to the best organizations to give him a chance at reaching his full potential at a quicker pace)</div></div>
Damn, Im not surprised if Trailblazers become Play Offs Contenders. They did good 41-41, which in the east that would of been at #6 With Oden back. my 2nd favorite team will 100% become contenders.
Even more impressive was that KP was able to convince Houston to screw with the Spurs by taking Batum right before them for such a cheap price
Man, what is Pritchard's secret?!?!? The man sure has done a fantastic job turning this team around. They are going to be tough this year. Really tough.
Buying picks isn't a problem for the Blazers. They could've bought every pick in the second round if they wanted to. I don't think some people know this, but the owner of the Blazers is one of the richest people in the world. I think he is the co-founder of Microsoft or something. This is all cheap change for him
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Brian @ Jun 29 2008, 05:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Buying picks isn't a problem for the Blazers. They could've bought every pick in the second round if they wanted to. I don't think some people know this, but the owner of the Blazers is one of the richest people in the world. I think he is the co-founder of Microsoft or something. This is all cheap change for him</div> Who doesn't know how rich Paul Allen is?
I was just giving the info for those who didn't know about the owner. Don't be surprised if the Blazers continue to buy picks and stock up on young talent next year
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (KobraTD @ Jun 29 2008, 10:08 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Damn, Im not surprised if Trailblazers become Play Offs Contenders. They did good 41-41, which in the east that would of been at #6 With Oden back. my 2nd favorite team will 100% become contenders.</div> I'd be pretty surprised if Portland doesn't contend for the playoffs.
I'm not sure who was the bigger steal, Bayless or Batum. I like Arthur as well, but I'm glad we got Batum instead. My only wish was that we had convinced Houston that Dorsey would fall to 36 or had given Seattle cash to move up from 36 to 34 so we could have picked Jordan.
