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Written by wendell maxey
Wednesday, 24 June 2009 00:10
Kevin Pritchard isn’t the only one working the phones heading into draft day.
Forget having my cell surgically attached to one ear. I’m officially
sporting the laptop too.
No doubt we will continue to hear names floated around with Portland a final
stop – or departure in some cases. All I can tell you – after making calls,
sending texts and swapping emails - is what I’m hearing from sources around
the league and in the market in regards to the Blazers.
So here goes….
We already know Travis Outlaw has plenty of suitors, but one Eastern
Conference team – one in the top ten in this year’s draft actually – is
heavily interested in Outlaw according to one source. The team is said to
love that Travis can get out and go on offense. But will he go on draft night?
Petteri Koponen and Joel Freeland have never been so popular in Portland. Are
their rights being renounced? Will they be included in a trade? Maybe a
little of both. They can be traded, but that’s not Portland’s highest
priority. Kevin Pritchard said he isn’t going into this draft saying he has
to trade Freeland and Koponen.
“They hit our cap, but it’s such a small number,” Pritchard said. “It’s
like $800,000 dollars. It’s not like a $5 million cap on us, so it’s not
that big of a deal.”
Remember all those Sergio Rodriguez to the New York Knicks rumors? They go
all the way back to the regular season and have had legs for the past couple
weeks. Now according to one person close to the Knicks, the interest in
Sergio has faded fast.
That doesn't mean he'll remain in Portland after draft night....
Speaking of point guards….Jason Kidd, Andre Miller and even Steve Nash have
been linked to the Blazers of late. And while any of those three would be a
solid fit for Portland, word is management is torn about Chicago’s Kirk
Hinrich. It’s not Hinrich’s talent that is in question. It’s his
character.
Let’s just put this out there about Kidd....if Portland really feels Jerryd
Bayless is their point guard of the future, bringing in a veteran presence
and leader like Kidd is beyond wise. Who better for Bayless to shadow? Who
knows how much longer Kidd will play. Two more seasons? That’s plenty of
time to pass the point guard torch if Kidd is an offseason addition.
Don't drink the Ricky Rubio Kool-Aid....despite Pritchard's relationship with
Jordi Villicampa - team president of Rubio's DKV Joventut - Portland is not
trying to snag him by moving up in the draft.
Trade up or trade out: I still believe the Blazers will trade out of the
first round, and also deal two of their four second round picks. But knowing
the moves Portland has made with their picks over the past few drafts, it’s
a constant game of draft and deal. Last year is a perfect example: Brandon
Rush, Joey Dorsey, Omer Asik and Mike Taylor were all drafted and dealt. It
should be more of the same this time around.
And yes, Portland will make a move well before David Stern announces Blake
Griffin as the number one pick. Even if it is a trade for future picks or
cash consideration. Bank on it.
And yes, Omri Casspi is said to be going 24th by Portland. But again, if he’
s taken he won’t wear that Blazers hat for very long, or at all.
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