| The Great Debate Authored by Billy Ray - June 25, 2006 - 2:37 pm
The Trail Blazers will have a lot of talks with various teams between now and Wednesday’s NBA draft. But if the popular draft guesses ring true on Wednesday, the Blazers may have the opportunity to ask themselves an important question: outside shooting, or another inside presence.
The outside shooting would come from none other than Adam Morrison. The 6’7” small forward out of Gonzaga would instantly become the Blazers best shooter—and possibly best known player. Morrison led the nation in scoring last season with a scorching 28.1 point per game average.
The inside presence would come from LaMarcus Aldridge a 6’11” power forward who can play also center. Aldridge’s skills may have been under utilized on college, but many scouts project a glowing career for the Texas big man. He can run like a gazelle and has a soft touch around the basket.
Unlike many drafts where it is easy to see which player is going where, this draft instead offers plenty of intrigue that will keep general managers throughout the league guessing and many fans on the edge of their seats on Wednesday.
The consensus right now is that the Toronto Raptors will select 6’11” forward Andrea Bargnani from Italy with the number one pick. Rumors have surfaced that the Bulls have decided on Tyrus Thomas and have given him a promise—although Thomas’ camp will not acknowledge the existence of said promise.
The last team in front of the Blazers seems to be the biggest wild card when it comes to the Blazers draft plans. The Charlotte Bobcats sitting at pick three also have big needs at the small forward position and are said to be wavering between Rudy Gay and Morrison.
If Charlotte opts for Gay—the Blazers could very well be staring at the choice between Morrison and Aldridge.
If that happens, who does Portland pick?
Only Portland knows who would fit the team the best. Morrison meets the shooting needs that were such a glaring weakness for the Trail Blazers last season, while also providing the Blazers with a guy who is quite capable of becoming a “go to” player. Aldridge on the other hand could step in and provide defense and rebounding that the Blazers also had a glaring weakness in as well.
While Aldridge may not serve an immediate need, size is welcome on any team. While Morrison may lack the all around athleticism and defense that a player like Gay would provide, every team could use more shooting.
And then there is also the possibility of a trading, making most of this talk a moot point.
Either way, expect something big from the Blazers on Wednesday. There has been a lot of work put into this current off-season, and the Trail Blazers are banking on making some waves come draft day. |
