Portland Draft Picks: The Bad, The Good, and the We're Still Waiting

(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

• The Blazers, amongst their bad drafts, have had some great ones as well. Mentioned before, LaRue Martin was a bad pick and was pretty much shown the door when the Blazers picked Bill Walton in 1974, a tall, lanky, fiery red-haired kid out of UCLA. The Blazers nailed this pick and it only took three years for that pick to come to full swing when the Blazers won their first and only NBA Finals in 1977. Walton went on to be named one of the 50 greatest players and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Portland retired Walton's #32 in 1996
• The Blazers selected Clyde Drexler in 1983, who is perhaps the best player to ever be a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. He played the majority of his career in Portland as a leader and a scorer. Clyde the Glide went to eight NBA All-Star games as a Trailblazer. He is a member of the 50 greatest players and a member of the Hall of Fame. His No. 22 jersey has been retired by the Trail Blazers.
• The Blazers used their 24th pick in 1985 to draft Terry Porter. Porter played for the Trail Blazers for ten years. He was an important figure to the Trail Blazers while reaching the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992 seasons. Porter had his No. 30 retired in 2008. 
• The Blazers have had good fortune for drafting players and then trading them for better talent. Most recently, the Blazers drafted Brandon Rush from Kansas as the 13th pick in 2008. He was then traded to the Indiana Pacers along with others for Jerryd Bayless and Ike Diogu. Bayless plays an important role in the late success of the Trail Blazers.
• In 2006, the Blazers struck gold in the NBA Draft. They had the fourth pick in the draft. Portland picked Tyrus Thomas from LSU. Two picks prior, the Chicago Bulls picked LaMarcus Aldridge from Texas. The two teams swapped their picks. The sixth pick was belonged to the Minnesota Timberwolves. They picked Brandon Roy from Washington. He was traded to Portland for Randy Foye who Portland got from Boston. The '06 draft was a busy one for Portland but it landed them their current team captains and was the start to the good things going on in Portland.
  

We're Still Waiting

• In 2007, the Blazers' continued their winning streak in the draft. At the NBA Draft Lottery Portland won the top pick with a 5.3 percent chance of obtaining the top pick. The debate began as whether to draft Kevin Durant or Greg Oden. The Blazers chose Oden since there was a need for another big man and Durant was too much like Aldridge as far as size and play. Missing his first year because of a knee injury, Trailblazers fans held their breath. Flashbacks of the Sam Bowie pick started coming back. The whole going with the big guy and passing on the scorer nightmare. This past season was Oden's first time playing. He did face some additional injuries but showed promise. He has a lot of room to grow and in the minds of many, a good pick. Still, fans alike are still waiting to see if Oden will payoff.

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