To send us their only tradable asset AND their #6 pick for two first round picks that mean nothing plus an average PG just to get rid of a contract in the faint hopes they land LeBron in a couple years?

I say YES!

I’ve seen in some of the commentary about getting the 10th pick that the pick would allow us to snag whichever of Westbrook, Augustine or Bayless is still available at that pick (see TrueHoop, for example). This doesn’t ring true to me, for the following reason. KP has a stated philosophy of targeting the player they want, then doing what it takes to get that player. I don’t see him thinking, ‘whichever is still there is the one we want’. He may be forced to take whoever is left, if no deals are available. But if there is a targeted player in the draft, then there is a single targeted player, and hoping that he falls to number 10 is not the plan. Folks say that it is actually Augustine that is being targeted, but I don’t believe that is based on actual knowledge of the inside scoop. Fact is, we don’t know exactly who is being targeted, that is not public knowledge. Could be Bayless for all we know. If another team knew that, they’d do what we did in the Foye-Roy trade—disrupt someone else’s plan, take the desired player and force a trade. All that I can say for sure is that we’re not taking 5 players away from the draft this year, so something’s got to give. But it won’t be sitting and waiting for a consolation prize in case our guy gets away.

In a bold and rather stunning move, Paul Allen has agreed in principle to buy the entire NBA draft. He was quoted as saying, “We smoke you guys every year, so why let anyone take a chance on getting hurt feelings and then having to hear you losers whining in the team meetings every year.” Terms of the deal were unavailable at press time, but it was widely believed that the deal was similar to when Russia sold Alaska to the US for beaver pelts and several tins of canned sturgeon.

blah blah blah… we get kevin love. blah blah blah.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/insider/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=DraftWatch-080626

And earlier, Chad reported the Net/Blazer #10 for Jack, our #13 and the #33. In this case he said we wanted Augustin, now, he says we want Westbrook. And where does Love come into any of this? Why go to #5 to get a PF who can only play behind Aldridge? You don’t draft at #5 for a backup – you draft for starters. And on the Blazers, Love is a backup. C’mon Chad – that sounds like a lot of the smoke that’s been floating around for a few days.

Chad Ford is throwing around a rumor that the Blazers are thinking of moving up to take Memphis’ #5 pick in a package that could include Outlaw. Thoughts?