Deep exhale.

Let's pretend I'm ok with the Felton swap. Let's also pretend the blazers had no shot to move up and snag a K. Walker type PG. We still had an opportunity to draft another type of PG, but went with the feel good N. Smith.

Did we do something special? Or did we make a safe bet? Could we have done better? Probably.

Gaze into your crystal ball and tell us who will have the best career of all...

From ESPN:

From Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports: "Kings have made it privately clear that they expect to trade 7th pick, sources say. 'They're confident they have deal,' one official says."

ESPN's Chad Ford adds this: "I'm told that ideally the Kings would like to find a way to trade this pick for a veteran."

If the Kings do end up trading this pick for a veteran, names like Kemba Walker, Brandon Knight (if he's still available at No. 7), Jimmer Fredette and Kawhi Leonard -- all names that have been listed in the mix for the Kings -- could fall past No. 7.

I predict this deal is with the Blazers; the question is, who is the player? Miller? Camby?

Let's be honest. If you're still on BE, you still love basketball. I watch the playoffs a little less since the Blazers were knocked out. However, the question since remains the same. Which team do you root for now?

The previous results were fairly balanced:

Which Team to root for now?

FIN:

Los Blazers Los Blazers Los Blazers Los Blazers Los Blazers Los Blazers Los Blazers Los Blazers Los Blazers Los Blazers Los Blazers Los Blazers Los Blazers Los Blazers Los Blazers Los Blazers Los Blazers Los Blazers Los Blazers Los Blazers Los Blazers Los Blazers 

Pretend for a minute as if you have some input on the ultimate decision. Do you keep KP or not? Background if you need it:

Devil's Advocate

Oden-KP

Blazers. Blazers. Filler. Filler. Blazers. Blazers. Filler. Filler. Blazers. Blazers. Filler. Filler. Blazers. Blazers. Filler. Filler.Blazers. Blazers. Filler. Filler. Blazers. Blazers. Filler. Filler.Blazers. Blazers. Filler. Filler. Blazers. Blazers. Filler. Filler.Blazers. Blazers. Filler. Filler. Blazers. Blazers. Filler. Filler.Blazers. Blazers. Filler. Filler. Blazers. Blazers. Filler. Filler.Blazers. Blazers. Filler. Filler. Blazers. Blazers. Filler. Filler.Blazers. Blazers. Filler. Filler. Blazers. Blazers. Filler. Filler.

I've got a lot of things to say about my poor blazers. But, I'm going to hold off for a bit. I need to get over this loss first.

xxxx

ad infinitum Arma non servant modum cum laude Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem Exigo a me non ut optimis par sim sed ut malis melior Facilius per partes in cognitionem totius adducimur Ilium fuit in propria persona Manus manum lavat Munit haec et altera vincit

It’s been a tale of two teams.

In game one, we played as a team. We drove and finished in the paint. The ball didn’t stick. We closed out and rotated on defense. I saw this team for spurts of the regular season. It was these flashes that got me excited about all our “potential” and future championships looked attainable.

Games two and three have been like a scene from any horror movie. We need to just run out the front door, yet we run upstairs to our impending doom. I’m not even going to point out the flaws, I’m going to point out what I feel is the bigger concern. We’re playing with no heart.

We’re playing like spoiled kids who finally get their way after hours of nagging on their parents. Our guys finally have a chance to step up, play hard, show some desire, but all it looks like is they’re playing for a check.

Sure, we can cite a number of reasons. Batum is hurt. Roy is hurt. KP’s job status is distracting. Nate’s assured job security may be leaking into the mind of his players causing lackadaisical effort. Our key players are paid, so who really cares? We just get hurt anyway.

I’m the first to praise. KP has done an outstanding job building this team. He’s made decisions based on a process and sticks to his guns. Nate has roped in so many wins with such a depleted team, he should have received coach of the year.

But which “Blazer” team is going to show up for a game is anybody’s guess.

And doesn’t get significantly injured next season. It may sound over simplified, but compare and contrast injuries at the center position by body type.

I assert that league longevity at the 5 is directly attributable to body size and shape. Slender, lean muscled centers are better able to complete the regular season and play more years then their larger build counterparts.

The search need not go further than our own team. Camby, a slender 6’11” 235 lbs is now 36 years old. While he may receive the occasional mild injury, significant career enders haven’t plagued him.

Even Joel, a little larger 7’1” 255, completed his first full regular season last year, and couldn’t repeat the performance this year. He’s a little too big for longevity, but don’t expect his body type to change.

Let’s quickly list slender/lean bodied big men who are considered veterans (6 or more years): Kevin Garnett, Chris Bosh, Tim Duncan well you get the idea, there’s a lot.

Contrast with taller or wider big men: Shaq, Yao, Oden and a slew of the early retired and you start to notice a pattern.

Of course there are always exceptions to the rule. Amare seems to fit into the slender category, yet has had 2 knee microfracture surgeries. Dwight Howard is built like a cannon, but hasn’t sustained significant injury.

Oden needs to work on shedding some weight. I understand it’s mostly muscle, but his 7’ frame already puts significant pressure on his joints compared to a 6’8” guy. This massive amount of weight is destined to breakdown. His body is simply not equipped to make basketball movements at his current weight.

Don’t take my word for it, look to history. The best big men: Kareem and Bill Russell weren’t super big. They were of average to slender body type and knew how to maximize their height advantage.

I’m not saying I want Oden to put on a bunch of fat in place of muscle. Nor am I saying I want Oden to look like Garnett or Duncun. What I’m saying is his weight is putting too much stress on his frame. If we want Oden to play for the next 7 years, we need him to drop some weight.

The heights of Blazer glory are in front of us, and we sit with baited breath and rubber gloves in heated anticipation of KP's next move.

Picture for a minute, you're KP. You recieve a call from Phil Jackson who would like to join the blazers, and add to his rings total.

Do not question why, or whom he may bring along. Just consider him. Would you hire Phil Jackson?

Go Blazers Go Blazers Go Blazers Go Blazers Go Blazers Go BlazersGo Blazers Go Blazers Go BlazersGo Blazers Go Blazers Go BlazersGo Blazers Go Blazers Go BlazersGo Blazers Go Blazers Go BlazersGo Blazers Go Blazers Go BlazersGo Blazers Go Blazers Go Blazers