Blazers Win 2007 NBA Draft Lottery
Blazers Expected to Take Greg Oden; Sonics to Take Durant
The worst three teams were pushed out of the 2007 NBA Lottery by two teams in the northwest and a team that would have lost the pick had they not gotten a top three pick.
After an agonizing wait, the Portland Trail Blazers were announced as the winners of the 2007 NBA Draft Lottery. Unless they decide to trade their draft pick (which is extremely unlikely), they're expected to select Ohio State University center Greg Oden in June's draft. The Seattle Sonics' beat the odds to win the second overall pick, which is their highest pick since the 1990 draft when they selected future hall of famer Gary Payton.
The Atlanta Hawks secure the third overall pick, which means they will keep the pick. Had they fallen to fourth or worse, the pick would have gone to the Phoenix Suns as part of the Joe Johnson trade.
As a result of this top-three scenerio, the Memphis Grizzlies, Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks all have to settle for their worst-case scenerios, landing the fourth, fifth and sixth picks.
These results will make things more interesting in the northwest. If the Portland Trail Blazers draft Oden, he will pair with the 2007 NBA Rookie of Year in Brandon Roy, 20-10 forward Zach Randolph, LaMarcus Aldridge and others.
If the Seattle Supersonics select Texas University forward Kevin Durant, it could dictate what they decide to do with free agent star Rashard Lewis, who is a similar type of player.
After Oden and Durant, the draft stock drops a lot. The Atlanta Hawks badly need a point guard or center. Yet, the top players available at their pick will probably be forwards, which they already have a lot of. North Carolina forward Brandan Wright is the likely pick. Some think he could evolve into a Chris Bosh type of player in a few years. That makes some wonder what might happen with Marvin Williams.
The Memphis Grizzlies fall to the fourth pick, which was the worst they could possibly do. They need a center and would've loved to have Greg Oden. They also have an over-abundance of forwards and could go with swingman Corey Brewer from University of Florida, whose known for his perimeter defense and versatility. They could also draft forward Al Horford for his defense and toughness at power forward and play Pau Gasol more at center.
The Boston Celtics are reminded of their bad luck in 1996, when they had the best chance to land the top pick to select Tim Duncan. Instead, they fell to third overall to take Chauncey Billups, who didn't become good until after they traded him later on, and sixth overall, where they selected Ron Mercer, who was plagued by injuries throughout his career.
Here's an early mock draft through the lottery.
- Portland Trail Blazers select center Greg Oden
- Seattle Supersonics select forward Kevin Durant
- Atlanta Hawks select forward Brandan Wright
- Memphis Grizzlies select forward Al Horford
- Boston Celtics select forward Yi Jianlian
- Milwaukee Bucks select forward Julian Wright
- Minnesota Timberwolves select forward/guard Corey Brewer
- Charlotte Bobcats select center Jeff Green
- Chicago Bulls select center/forward Spencer Hawes
- Sacramento Kings select forward Joakim Noah
- Atlanta Hawks (from Indiana) selects point guard Mike Conley
- Philadelphia 76ers select forward Thaddeus Young
- New Orleans Hornets select forward Al Thornton
- Los Angeles Clippers select point guard Acie Law
The 2007 NBA Draft takes place June 28th.
