Missed Again

The Portland Trailblazers endured an unnecessary first round playoff exit last night. And while that isn't a huge upset considering they faced a rejuvenated Houston Rockets team, there is one small issue that undoubtedly is gnawing at Blazers fans - this series would have been markedly different if the Blazers drafted Kevin Durant instead of Greg Oden with the first pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.

Not only that, but the Blazers made the same mistake in 1984 and drafted on need, not talent. The decision to draft Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan cost the city at least 7 NBA titles (Jordan's 6 plus the 1990 Finals Portland lost to Detroit), and forever changed the course of sports history.

Imagine Portland with Jordan. No doubt that city, basking in the glow of a basketball dynasty, would have both a professional baseball team and an NFL franchise. Streets would be paved with gold, and ATM machines would automatically give out an extra $20 for every withdrawal. They'd probably even let people pump their own gas!

Portland is largely considered a JV Seattle. But that would be flip-flopped if the Blazers took Jordan over Bowie. It's unbelievable to really consider the ramifications of this bone headed pick.

Drafting on need, not talent is equivalent to moving "Bangkok Dangerous" to the top spot in your Netflix Queue, ahead of "Gran Torino", because you need to watch an action movie.

Why not go for the far superior movie and reap the benefits of not wasting two hours watching Nicolas Cage?

So given the chance to right a wrong some 23 years later, the Blazers decided to go with the big man, and pass on the transcendent superstar.

Enter Greg Oden, the most over hyped big man in NBA history. It seems like just yesterday that Dick Vitale, Digger Phelps and Clark Kellog were seemingly dry humping Oden's leg. "The next great big man" is what he was labeled.

But unlike all the great big men before him, Oden's abysmal rookie campaign serves to give Blazers fans a small taste of what is to come.

59-60 Wilt: 37.6 PPG, 27 RPG
69-70 Kareem: 28.8 PPG, 14.5 RPG
84-85 Ewing: 20.0 PPG 9 RPG, 2 BPG
92-93 Shaq: 23.5 PPG, 13.9 RPG, 3.5 BPG
08-09 Oden: 8.9 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.1 BPG

Imagine Portland with Durant. It's scary. They would be an offense juggernaut.

Yes, there are several other cautionary tales about teams squandering picks (think the Pistons would be in blow it up mode if they drafted Melo or D-Wade?), but the Blazers decided to ignore history, and look what they got- a mildly overweight, largely untalented, foul machine who has already had microfracture surgery.

Oh, and the first of many early playoff exits.