http://draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=1389 Grade:A+ Anytime you manage to come away with two players who very well could have went #1 and #2 overall in a draft while not giving up that much in return, you ’ve done quite well. The Blazers knew who and what they had targeted going into the draft, and they made sure they got exactly that. It was not only inspiring to see the Blazers made trade after trade to ensure they secured the players they wanted; it was incredibly entertaining as well. Taking on the ugly contract of Raef Lafrentz certainly isn’t pretty for the bottom line for a franchise that is trying to be sold, but considering the circumstances involved, it needed to be done. When you consider the equally shaky status of Theo Ratliff’s knees and the fact that he has just one less year on his contract than Lafrentz, it’s a move that makes quite a bit more sense. Continuing with the trend of talent, character, and an abundance of upside, we find another potential steal at the #27 pick with Sergio Rodriguez. Acquiring a player of his caliber that late was a huge coup for Portland, as he’ll develop into a very solid backup point guard at the very least. The jury is still out on Joel Freeland and whether he’ll ever make it in the NBA, but considering the roster crunch involved with all the picks the Blazers already made, it’s a move that makes quite a bit of sense. Portland got two future 2nd rounders from Indiana for the #31 pick and then picked up another one from Memphis for the player they got at #45 to go along with the future 2nd rounder they picked up earlier in the night from Chicago, further showing how slick Kevin Pritchard and Steve Patterson are when working under pressure. The highlight of the night for me personally was seeing Portland single handedly destroy a trade the Timberwolves and Rockets had in place (#6-Brandon Roy, for Luther Head and #8-Randy Foye) by forcing Minnesota’s hand and taking Foye a pick early at #7. That ensured that the Timberwolves had to trade arguably the 2nd best player in the draft to the Blazers for Foye and cash considerations, a move that was entirely lost on ESPN at the time but should go down as one of the most ballsy ever. Despite the ridiculous criticism that was levied on Portland as part of the embarrassing draft night coverage provided by ESPN, the Trailblazers had a fantastic night and had every right to call it a “homerun.” --

※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 61.228.105.168 ※ 編輯: Rostow 來自: 61.228.105.168 (06/30 23:07)