The Finnisher: Will Petteri Koponen Ever Don a Portland Trail Blazers Jersey?

Petteri Koponen, who was drafted 30th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft, has been under the basketball radar since he was 16 years old.

Being one of the most hyped players to ever come out of a Nordic country, he naturally attracted the attention of NBA scouts. As a result, he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers then traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, all by the age of 19.

Koponen has seen major success, both in Europe and abroad. He played in the World All-Star team of the Nike Hoop Summit in 2007, and found major success. At the tournament, he was considered one of the top players despite guarding future Top Five picks Derrick Rose and OJ Mayo.

Most Blazer fans are adamant that what this team needs is a solid pass-first point guard to make the leap from the lottery to the playoffs. Although Jerryd Bayless is ultra-talented, many believe his skill-set will not suit the needs of this organization.

Hippo T. of NBAdraft.net says: "(Koponen is) A classic pass-first, pass-second, shoot-third point guard when (he) is fully adapted to (a) team's system". That, along with an excellent basketball IQ and NBA size, leads most to believe that he could be the answer to Portland's point-guard issues.

After a good (but not great) 2008 Las Vegas Summer League, there has been much debate over whether he will take over Portland's last roster spot. Many believe he will develop into a NBA-caliber point guard under Nate McMillan's coaching faster than he would overseas.

Although it is easy to believe that the Blazers can wait it out and sign him next year if they have the space, it's not that simple. In this past year, Koponen's body has filled out and his skills have become much more refined; and as a result he has garnered a lot of interest in Europe. 

Because of all this fame, he has several large, multi-year offers from established European clubs. Despite the fact that he has publicly stated that his first priority is to sign with the Blazers, he would gain much more financially to play for a Euroleague team.

Recent news shows that it is becoming more likely that the Blazers will not sign this Finnish superstar. Most people think that if we don't sign him now, he will be lost forever. 

While it is probably true that he will sign a three-to five-year deal overseas, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Being only 20 years old, his best basketball is still ahead of him.

If he signed with another team, he would get much more playing time against tougher competition than the D-League, which is most likely where he would end up. 

The Blazers can still sign him when he is in his mid-20s. By then, he will have much more experience and obviously be more skilled.

So sit tight, Blazer fans, it is very unsettling to know that we won't be seeing his name for another couple of years, but Portland still holds his draft rights and a buy-out is always possible. We definitely haven't seen the last of the Finnisher.