Well for the fun of it, and keeping with the theme of the 2012 draft, thought I'd look at some players the Vikings might be targeting from USC, Notre Dame and Arkansas in 2013. Disclaimer - projected picks this far in advance could look very different a year from now. 1. Robert Woods - WR - USC - I think the team would have to finish in the bottom three to land Woods. 2. TJ McDonald - S - USC - Son of Tim McDonald - former all pro defensive back. At this point looks to go in the middle of the first round. 3. Manti Te'o - LB - Notre Dame - May go towards the end of the second round. 4. Cobi Hamilton - WR - Arkansas - Could go in the latter part of the first round or early second round. The Vikings should highly consider Hamilton - the WR core could call themselves Percy and the Hogs - would rival the old Smurfs. The Vikings could also adopt LSU into it's family of multiple picks considering the core of players that could come out next year. Chris Faulk - OT - LSU (may go pretty high - not sure if they would use another high first round pick on an OT, however I wouldn't mind two talented bookend tackles. Tyrann Matchieu - CB - LSU - Would add a lot to the secondary and on special teams. Sam Montgomery - LB - LSU Alex Hurst - OT - LSU - Might be nice to play RT.

Another possible deal that could at least work on paper, and make some sense for all teams involved. Blazers deal Marcus Camby and Rudy to NY for Ronny Turiaf and Danilo Gallinari (I do think it will be hard for them to give up Gallinari).

The Blazers then deal Turiaf, Gallinari, Bayless, Miller and Joel (might have to throw in Jeff to make the salaries work) to New Orleans for Paul and Okafur. The deal would allow the Blazers to keep their core intact (consider Batum at this point to be part of the core) but would leave the Blazers a bit thin, would have to rely a lot of Daunte, Matthews and some of the rookies...and hope Greg stays healthy as he and Okafur would be the only bigs.

The Knicks could get a player they like in Rudy, and Camby would team well with Amare, the Hornets would end up saving around 15 million in salary after next season, and the Blazers, would have a great starting five of Roy, Paul, LeMarcus, Batum and Oden/Okafur.

I hope Babbett will develop and Matthews provides the defense and some scoring the team is looking for from him,  but I have to wonder is Wesley Matthews better then Martell Webster? Martell played pretty good defense and while streaky, I think is likely a better offensive player then Matthews. I understand they are high on Babbett, but at this point, wouldn't the team be better with Martell then the deal they made to get the 16th pick (Luke) and then the signing of Matthews?

When the deal was made for the 16th pick and Gomes, it surprised me that Martell was the one that was dealt - thought it would be Rudy first, followed by Bayless. I think Martell, while he struggled some with his handles, could play some at the 2, while playing primarily at the 3...this seemed to make more sense given the number of guards that are now on this team (Brandon, Miller, Bayless, Rudy, E. Williams, Matthews, Armon Johnson/Patty Mills) - as Wesley can play some 3 but will likely play more at the 2.

Having Martell would have also made more sense if the team were to revisit the deal for Paul, which would likely include Batum - as stated above, Martell would make more sense at the 3 then Wesley. .

The team will/should be moving at least one (Rudy) of their guards, with the possiblity of moving 2-3 of them. It's spilt milk at this point, but I would have liked to have seen the team (even if Rudy and Bayless were dealt) going into the season with Martell backing up the 2 and 3 - while giving some minutes to Elliot Williams at the 2.

At this point, Rudy being dealt is kind of a foregone conclusion - I wish this wasn't the case - seemed to be so much promise here his rookie year, but doesn't seem like he has ever been happy here and can't see it getting better.

I think he would have been dealt to Minnesota, instead of Martell, if he and his agent would have been receptive to playing there. They have made it clear of the conditions of a team they would be happy going to.

So if Rudy is to dealt, one of two things need to happen. Either the team, who is interested in him, makes the deal despite what Rudy thinks about going there, or Rudy is dealt to a team that fits his criteria: a chance to win, opportunity to play more, and to play in a big market (seems to be a theme these days). 

Might be a bit of a challenge for all three criteria to be met, but he might settle for two of the three as there may be a challenge to find a team that has a chance to win (better then 50% of their games) where he would be getting the playing time he would like.

Here are some options that I can think of:

NJ - They have some good young players and seem to be headed in the right direction. They have Courtney Lee at the 2 and could use some outside shooting. They play in NJ for now but are looking to move into Brooklyn. The new owner probably wouldn't mind bringing in an international player.

NY: I don't think they are going to be winning too many games in the near future, but Rudy would like the offensive system and should get a fair amount of playing time and be in a big market.

Boston: Ray Allen just resigned but Tony Allen is a FA. They could possibly sell Rudy on getting some extended minutes behind Ray Allen, if they are looking at decreasing his minutes a bit, and Rudy could look/hope to take over when Ray eventually retires. 

Toronto: They are fairly weak at the 2 - drafted DeRozen in the first round last year, but would have to believe that Rudy could get a fair amount of playing time here. They have an international city, could team up with Calderon, but the team may not win a lot - I think they were pretty close to dealing Rudy here on draft day, but the Raptors didn't want to give up the 13th pick - wanting to draft a 4 knowing Bosh was moving on.   

Indiana: Maybe an outside chance, however I'm not sure it would be on the top of his list.

Orlando: If JJ Reddick were to leave, this might be a pretty good fit for Rudy - team likes to spread the floor and shoot the 3's.

Miami: I think it's still a possibility, but the rumors seems to be quieting - if the heat sign Mike Miller, I see this as less of a possibility, and not sure if Miami has any more picks to deal away for some time (two went to Cleveland and two went to Toronto).

Dallas: They don't seem to have anyone too strong as a true 2, but not sure if the Blazers want to be a trading partmner with the Mav's.

Phoenix: Not sure how much playing time Rudy would get behind Richardson, but you would think he would like the system. I would trade him in a heart beat for Goran Dragic.

As far as who the Blazers might get in return, if it were NY or NJ, I would look for a pick - perhaps NY's no. 1 in 2012 for Rudy and a no. 2. NY and NJ are both teams that are under the cap and wouldn't have to send anyone back to match a salary. As far as some of the other teams, would have to spend a little more time looking over rosters to see who the Blazers could make a deal for that has a similar contract and would make sense for them.  

I think there is a good chance the Blazers will make a draft day deal - bringing in a veteran player. That deal may or may not include one of the Blazers draft choices. I think there is also a good chance the team looks at trading up. My best guess is, if they keep the two picks they have, they will look at a F/C type with their first pick and a PG with the second selection. Should the Blazers trade up into say the 12-16 range, my guess is they are looking at two players: :

1.  Ekpe Udoh - 6'10 - 235 - He fits the mold of a little bit older player (23) who may be more ready to contribute in his first year then some of the younger players going ahead of him). He's a good defender and rebounder (averaged 3.7 blks and 9.8 reb) while scoring 13.9 pts on 49% shooting from the field and 68.5% from the line. Had a 31 inch vertical leap and showed pretty good speed and agility during the combine. 

2. Patrick Patterson - About 3/4 of an inch shorter then Ekpe, but still has pretty good size. Patterson turned 21 in March. He appears to have a pretty good all around game and is willing to defer to those around him (get a sense of him being a team player). Patterson doesn't appear to be as good of a defender as Ekpe, but likely has a better offensive game (averaged 14.3 pts - 7.4 Reb while shooting 57% from the field and 69% from the line - the year before he averaged 17.9 pts and 9.3 Reb).   

Daniel Orton is being projected to go around where the Blazers are picking, but I'd be surprised if they took someone who didn't log many minutes his Freshman year and is just 19 years old (would be surprised if they took a player at his position who at this stage is more potential then ready to play).

Another player that would seem to fit would be Greg Monroe - PF - Georgetown, but I think he'll go a little higher then the other two and the Blazers may not be willing to move up as high as they need to get him.

Should the Blazers deal Martell and/or Rudy, or possibly Bayless, they may look at getting a shooter - someone like Xavier Henry - 6'6 SG out of Kansas (a player I really like) or Luke Babbitt - 6'8 1/2 - SF - maybe the best shooter in the draft.

If they stand pat, or move up 4-5 spots, I could see them selecting Soloman Alabi - 7'l - Center - Florida State, maybe Damian James - 6'8 - SF - Texas, Kevin Seraphin - 6'10 - F/C - France, Paul George - 6'8 - SF - Fresno State, or maybe Larry Sanders - 6'10 - F/C - VCU. There are some guards that are being talked about (Avery Bradley, Eric Bledsoe) but I can't see them taking one of these two as they seem to dublicate Bayless a bit too much. Craig Brackins - 6'10 - PF - Iowa State, is being talked about, if he were selected I'd prefer it be with the 34th pick.  

My question is, if they trade up who might they target? In addition, if they stay at 22, who might they select?

I really dislike the idea of this post, as I find it hard to believe/accept that the team (Allen and the Vulcans) are going to fire Kevin. But at this point it looks to be the case. If so, I'm starting to think the next GM may be Mark Warkentien. It makes some sense to me because I Idon't think  the Blazers will be able to land some of the names that are being thrown out there - Jerry West and Sam Presti - can't see Jerry coming out of retirement for this, and Presti has a lot of autonomy and would likely want to see what he can continue to build in Oklahoma City.

Many other potential GM canadates would likely be very hesitant with the way the team is handling the situation with Kevin Pritchard, and may not see themselves with as much autonomy as they would ideally like to have. This brings me to Mark Warkenstien. His contract is up this summer in Denver. He still has a home in the Portland area, word has it that when he was the assistant GM in Portland (believe from '94 - '04) he had a good working relationship with Paul Allen and the Vulcans. and there is some chatter that he may be looking at moving on...wonder if he hasn't signed an extension because knows of the situation in Portland and covets the job (just speculation on my part).

If this is the case, I'm not real excited about it. Mark was here, under Whitsett, during the Jailblazer years and helped construct that team. I'm not excited when looking at the current Denver Nugget team. I would go into this questioning his ability to recognize good team chemistry and the importance of good character in building a team. He gets credit for trading Allen Iverson for Chauncy Billups, but he was also the one that traded for Iverson and thinking he would team up well with Carmelo Anthony (I believe in hearing him interviewed a few months back, he said he was contacted by Detroit, looking to deal Billups, and they inquired about Iverson). When on the Blazers, he was credited for drafting Zach Randolph among others.

This team recently lost a good assistant coach, one with a lot of character (as a Minnesota Viking fan it reminded me when they lost  their defensive coordinator, Tony Dungy, when he became the head coach at Tampa). They likely will soon lose a good GM, who brought in players with a lot of character. Will see who they bring in, but at this point I'm loosing some confidence in them going forward.  

Some thoughts about the team and possible moves...

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Decisions that have been made and may be made...

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Going into the draft two years ago, I thought the Blazers should take Brooke Lopez as insurance and thought at the time he'd make a great backup. Just prior to the trading deadline this year, I was thinking they should deal Bayless for Robin Lopez. With Joel's injury, and Oden's history of injuries, I would really look to make this deal at the end of the season, if you could get Phoenix to be a willing partner. I think Robin has started to blossum and could turn into a pretty good center - not at the level of Brooke, but I think there is a lot of potentia with Robin - in my opinion would be worth trading Bayless for him.

How can you offer Hedo a "5" year deal for $50 million and turn around and only want to give a "4" year deal to Roy - just doesn't make sense.

 It's a lot of money to offer Roy, or anyone for that matter, but if they are going to being offering players this kind of money, how can you split hairs over one year - I'd sign him to 7 if I could. I kind of doubt Pritchard is in favor of the offer for four, and is having to put a good spin on the situation when he speaks to the press. It is frustrating to the fan base though, when a player like Roy isn't being locked up - that doesn't breed a healthy culture.

Milsap - should Utah match the Blazers offer, it will likely mean they will try to make a deal for Boozer or pay a great deal in luxary tax. While they may not always be happy with Boozer, having him dealt will likely mean the Jazz won't be as effective of a team on the court.  

Lee: If the Jazz matches the Blazers offer for Milsap, Lee could receive the next offer. I don't mind seeing this linger a bit, as there is a better chance the cost could go down. I like Lee's energy and ability to play some at the 5 in addition to the 4 - could give the team more flexibility when looking at roster moves later down the road.

If no one is signed, I think the team has the opportunity to get a better feel for how Bayless plays at the point, how or if Martell comes back from injury, how Oden develops and Batum develops, and what pieces may still be missing before going into the trade deadline.

Do nothing and wait to see how Martell comes back from injury and see how Bayless develops at the point and then look at making a deal during the season.

Sign Brandon Bass and then wait to see how players develop during the season before making a major move

Make a deal to get Kirk Hinrich and then sign Brandon Bass.

Make the offer and hopefully sign Paul Milsap

Make an offer to David Lee

Make an offer to David Lee or Milsap, and then try to deal Joel, Travis and Bayless for Prince and Stuckey.  

Pursue someone not mentioned above.