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NBA DRAFT
Oden destined for Pacific Northwest?
In a surprise, Portland and Seattle land top two picks in NBA draft, making Boston, Memphis even bigger losers.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
The Portland Trail Blazers pulled the upset, and now it looks as if Greg Oden, the 7-foot Ohio State center, might start his NBA career in the Pacific Northwest, one way or another.
Portland, the franchise that once drafted Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan, won the draft lottery Tuesday despite having just a 5.3 percent chance at the No. 1 pick.
Extras
If the Trail Blazers bypass Oden for high-scoring Texas forward Kevin Durant, Oden probably would still end up in the Pacific Northwest (barring a trade) because Seattle has the No. 2 pick.
Atlanta ended up with the No. 3 pick and could take North Carolina forward Brandan Wright. Some analysts say the June 28 draft is the deepest in years.
Losing didn't pay
So much for Oden becoming the next Bill Russell in Boston, as breathless Celtics fans had hoped.
The Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies had the NBA's worst records, giving them the best chance of landing in the top two. But the pingpong balls did not bounce their way and they slipped to fourth and fifth, respectively.
Tanking talk
Because of speculation that bad teams lost games on purpose in order to have a better chance in the lottery, NBA Commissioner David Stern said he wants NBA owners to look at the lottery this summer to see if a new system is needed.
Numbers game
Oden averaged 15.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocks while leading OSU to the national title game. Durant led the Big 12 with 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds, but his team lost in the second round.
Top three in '06
The Toronto Raptors won the lottery last year and went overseas. Andrea Bargnani, a 7-footer from Italy, averaged 11 points and four rebounds as a rookie, and Toronto won 20 more games than in 2005-06.
2. Bulls: LaMarcus Aldridge, Texas, traded to Blazers, 9 ppg, 5 rpg.
3. Bobcats: Adam Morrison, Gonzaga, 11.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg.
Young nucleus for Portland
Last year, the Blazers improved from 21 wins to 32 after acquiring the 6-11 Aldridge, who was drafted No. 2, and 6-6 Brandon Roy, who was rookie of the year. Now they add Oden or Durant.
