2011 NBA Draft Results: Grading How the Portland Trail Blazers Did During Draft

In years past, draft day for the Portland Trail Blazers has been wrought with tension and excitement. It was the one day where anything could happen, and usually did. This year didn't disappoint either as the Blazers were in the thick of it, vying to once again rise up among the NBA's elite.

Here is a report card of each of the Blazers' three transactions that took place on draft night 2011:

Blazers Trade Rudy Fernandez to Dallas for Pick 26

I'm sorry to say that Rudy Fernandez began his swan song in Portland last summer, when he threatened to sit out of the upcoming season if he wasn't released from his contract and allowed to return to Europe. Following his rant (which he never followed through with) he piled hot coals upon his head by having a poor shooting season.

With that said, I must admit that I love most of Fernandez's game. His quick, unpredictable movements can easily confuse slower defenders allowing Rudy to get clean looks at the basket. When he's hot, he's hot—few in the NBA can launch threes like Rudy can when he's in the zone.

Though it was probably time for Rudy to seek greener pastures, it leaves me to wonder if we could have gotten a higher pick than No. 26 for Fernandez. The Mavericks may have gotten quite the draft-day steal with this deal.

Grade: C

Andre Miller and Pick 26 Traded to Denver for Raymond Felton

It was hinted that Portland was dangling Andre Miller as trade bait long before the draft ever began. What was unclear was where Miller may be headed and for whom. After speculation that Miller may land in Orlando, it was finally announced that he would instead be dealt to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for point guard Raymond Felton.

This trade fulfills the Blazers' desire to acquire a younger point guard with more years ahead of him than behind him. And though Felton has the ability to score points (17.1 ppg in 54 games with New York) and pass the ball (9.0 apg with the same team) his shooting has been called into question. Shooting only 42 percent from the field and 32 percent from beyond the three point line makes one wonder just how streaky his offense may be.

Also, Blazers' fans must ask themselves: Can Felton be the type of floor general who can lead a team to an NBA championship? Is he the "missing piece" that will get us over the hump in the playoffs? Was he worth giving up two players to get him? All we can do is wait and see.

Grade: C-

Blazers Draft Combo Guard Nolan Smith from Duke University with the 21st Pick

Nolan Smith is a guy I had heard about but hadn't done much research on while studying this year's draft class. Though he will most likely play backup to point guard Raymond Felton come next season, he is more of a combo guard than anything.

Smith has good control of the basketball, especially around the basket—he also knows how to knock down mid-range jumpers. A player who loves to slice and dice his way to the hoop, his weakness may be his inability to create space between himself and his defender—something he will have to work on in order to get his shot off at the NBA level.

Projected to be a second-round pick, Portland took him much earlier and only time will tell if they jumped the gun on this young Duke prodigy.

Grade: C+

Chad Buchanan: Portland's Draft Day Sleeper

Overall, I give the Blazers a C grade on their draft day report card. Though the player acquisitions were less than stunning and a bit spendy in terms of what we had to sacrifice, the most exciting part of draft day was interim general manager Chad Buchanan.

Buchanan wasn't afraid to mix it up and go toe-to-toe with the big boys in this league as he proved that he has the courage and the confidence to pull the trigger on some gutsy transactions—something he may have picked up from years working beside former Portland GM Kevin Pritchard.

Chad could have lazily meandered through this year's NBA draft, afraid to do anything big, knowing that he, after all, is only interim GM. But instead, Buchanan hit the ball out of the park and definitely gave team owner Paul Allen something to think about when considering who should become our next full-time general manager.

Chad Buchanan's Grade: A