Even though they only had a 5.3% chance, the Portland Trailblazers won the 2007 Draft Lottery and the right to draft Greg Oden. The Blazers jumped up five spots from #6 to #1. Rounding out the top three are the Sonics at #2 and the Hawks at #3. The lottery losers are Memphis, Boston and Milwaukee who each dropped three spots.
Things are looking up in Portland. They can now they can now pair Brandon Roy, the 2006 Rookie of the Year winner, with Oden and have a great nucleus to build around. Meanwhile, the Sonics, who are going through loads of ownership/stadium issues, will likely be able to add Kevin Durant to the roster. If Rashard Lewis decides to opt out of his contract and enter free agency this summer, Durant would be a natural replacement for him. If Lewis decides to stay, the Sonics could go small with Durant at small forward and Lewis at power forward. Throw in the league’s purest shooter, Ray Allen, and the Sonics would be a fun team to watch.
Even though Atlanta missed out on the top two picks, they were still winners tonight. Had they not cracked the top three, their pick would have been sent to Phoenix to close out the Joe Johnson trade. The Suns have had a couple of weeks of terrible luck. First, they lose the series with the Spurs (with some help from Commissioner Stern) and tonight they lose the #4 pick. Ouch.
From a macro standpoint, the NBA can’t be happy about the two best players in the draft going to the already loaded Western Conference. For balance, it would have been ideal for both Oden and Durant to land in the East, especially Boston, Atlanta or Chicago (when considering the marketing possibilities).
Here’s the full list:
1. Portland
2. Seattle
3. Atlanta
4. Memphis
5. Boston
6. Milwaukee
7. Minnesota
8. Charlotte
9. Chicago
10. Sacramento
11. Indiana
12. Philadelphia
13. New Orleans
14. LA Clippers
