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Howard-Cooper: Blazers GM Neil Olshey Wants To Keep Picks?

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Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com with some notes about the Portland Trail Blazers from the Chicago pre-Draft combine. -------------------------------- There is a good chance the Trail Blazers will wait until after the draft to hire a new coach or remove the interim tag from Kaleb Canales. Indications are that general manager Neil Olshey, hired Monday, is more open to keep both lottery picks and build for the future in contrast to the previous plan that seemed to lean toward trading No. 6 and/or No. 11 for immediate help in win-now mode around LaMarcus Aldridge. The new Portland management team, wanting the roster to help dictate the coach, is more likely to see the direction of the team before deciding whether to go with an assistant in line for a first job or an experienced hand. There were no shortage of positive reviews for Damian Lillard of Weber State, but some perspective: While he impressed people, he didn’t actually help his draft stock. Lillard was already the top-rated point guard on the board and a strong candidate to be taken as soon as the Trail Blazers at No. 6. -------------------------------- -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter