There are so many terrific teams that are not going away any time soon. Even if (as expected), Boston, Detroit, San Antonio, Phoenix and Dallas wrap up their runs in the next couple years, the Lakers are going to be extremely good until Kobe is no longer dominant (and that’s probobly ~5 years away). The Hornets, Jazz, Magic and Cavs aren’t going anywhere either. These teams are going to keep improving.

Then there are young teams out west that are rebuilding and stockpiling draft picks (the OKC Robber Barons for one).

If Greg Oden and Rudy Fernandez reach their full potential, The Blazers may be able to win a title with Steve Blake at the point. You can’t think like that though. You have to be ready in the event that they do not reach their potential- if you have an opportunity to upgrade at any position, you have to do it.

It is NOT a foregone conclusion that this Blazer group wins a title. There are too many good teams out there and too much that could go wrong. Any move that increases the odds of bringing a title to Portland needs to be done.

When RUdy comes over and Greg Oden steps onto the basketball court, I envision a lineup and 5 back ups that could rival the top 10 of any team in the league. Starting Roy at point guard, either Webster or Fernandez at shooting guard, Jones at small forward and Aldridge and Oden in the post in pretty formidable. Then there is Steve Blake at the 1, Webster/Fernandez at the 2, Outlaw as small forward, Frye as back up 4, and Przybilla as center. The starters have power and Jones to hit open threes, the reserves have scoring punch with Outlaw and the SG, and veteran leadership in Blake and Przybilla. Channing Frye proved last year he could fill a role and stepped up when we needed him to. I could easily see Outlaw averaging 15 off the bench, with Roy and Aldridge putting in 20 apiece. Martell will get between 13-15 and Fernandez, as soon as he fully adjusts, could put up 12-16 depending on how he is affected by NBA defenders. If Oden records 15 and 10, with a couple blocks on top of it, I will be fully satisfied. Blake and Frye could also hit low double figures and Przybilla will chip in his steady consumption of rebounds. With that lineup, there are no real weaknesses and I would feel completely happy seeing that on the court.

The expression comes with a shrug and an air of self-entitlement.

Seriously. Why not get the best if the best is available in the draft? I dig (and I’m sure Paul Allen digs) rookie and second-year player contracts. One thing we can do through the draft is select a core of guys that are all going to peak at roughly the same time. Let’s face it. Oden is not going to peak (sheesh, let’s hope) for at least 3-4 years. That’s about what it would take for a PG drafted this year to achieve peak status. Seems like the same timeline to me. I could totally digg on the Blazers drafting our dear friend Mr. Rose. One could not ask for a more classic connotation: Derrick Rose playing at the Rose Garden. How could they ever change the name?

Not if the team should upgrade at PG, but when.

Next year they’ll be bringing two new major pieces into the picture. Priority number one is to get Oden established in a comfort zone and learn to play. Are the chances of the better with a current PG who knows the system integrating Oden, or with a brand new PG – rookie or veteran – who has to learn the system while Oden is playing in his first season.

I think there is a risk that you screw things up if you add too much new stuff to the soup.

Get Oden and Rudy working with team next year, then upgrade in 09.

Is all we need as an upgrade to our lineup, one who can set up our offense and lock down or at least slow down the CP3s/D-Wills/Barons/Parkers of the western conference. We don’t need another marquee name, just a reliable role player who can defer offense to our big 3 and play solid team defense.

The sooner we have the PG position settled, all the better for Oden’s development. We don’t want to wait til 2010 to rework our combinations and chemistry.

We can upgrade the Point whenever we want. If Rose or Westbrook is available then we have to pounce on that fellas. And we gotta play em.

of ever getting Chris Paul. After tonight he is officially a god in NO. He’d be stone crazy to think about leaving.

My biggest disappointment with the team this season is how we got TORCHED by the opposing point guard night after night after night. When the Earl Watsons and Jennero Pargos of the league start to look forward to playing us, we have a problem. I don’t know that the addition of Oden or Rudolfo necessarily helps us in this regard. And if this is a problem in the regular season when we’re playing middling teams, what happens when we get to the playoffs and play Jordan Farmar in round 1, Deron Williams in round 2, Chris Paul in Round 3, and Rajon Rondo in the Finals? Well, the answer is we might not get past Jordan Farmar. So yes, I would like to see a significant defensive upgrade at the PG position. If that answer is Westbrook, then great. If the answer lies elsewhere, I hope we find it soon.

As for the SF position, we’re fine here. Webster is 21 freaking years old and has gotten better every year so far. I think I was playing drunken ultimate frisbee when I was 21, so I’m willing to cut the kid some slack. He is a great kid who has shown this year that he is willing to work hard and is a team player. There were previously questions about his attitude and his confidence. I think this year has gone a long way toward answering those, and only moreso when he’s 22, 23, 24, etc. And let’s say just for fun that he’ll keep getting better each year for the next 3 years before he reaches his peak in terms of production in the midst of the other great players on this team (i.e., there’s only so many shots to go around) ... We could be looking at a 16-18 pt, 6 rebound type player in 30 minutes a game. That’s not bad for a fourth or fifth option when you consider Roy, Aldridge, and probably Oden and Rudolfo might get the ball before him … Needless to say, we’re fine here. Let’s go get our PG and start winning some championships.