The Bottom 10
No. 21 -- PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
2009-10 RECORD: 50-32, third place, Northwest; lost in first round to Suns.
ADDED: G Wesley Matthews (five years, $33 million); F Luke Babbitt (Draft day trade with Minnesota); G Elliott Williams (first round, 22nd pick overall); G Armon Johnson (second-round pick); hired new general manager Rich Cho.
LOST: G Martell Webster (trade with Minnesota); F Juwan Howard (signed with Miami); F Ryan Gomes (signed with Clippers); fired former GM Kevin Pritchard.
RETAINED: None.
THE KEY MAN: C Greg Oden.
The first pick in the 2008 Draft has played one season's worth of games (82) in three seasons total. Not a good ratio. He is recovering from his latest injury, a fractured kneecap, and is hopeful that he'll be ready by the start of training camp. When Oden went down in December he was playing the best basketball of his young career, and for Portland to ever become more than just a good team he has to stay healthy.
THE SKINNY: On the last day on the job, knowing it was his last day, Pritchard nonetheless did what he'd done for four seasons in Portland -- he got the Blazers more young talent. Most people had Babbitt as a Lottery pick; he went 16th. Williams will likely step in when the Blazers move Rudy Fernandez. Cho, from Oklahoma City, is well-regarded around the league. His first task is deciding whether to keep Andre Miller or to put a package together that could bring Tony Parker from San Antonio or Chris Paul from New Orleans. But if the Blazers can get Oden and Joel Pryzbilla healthy, allowing Marcus Camby to play more minutes at power forward, they should make a move in the West without a major roster upheaval.
