What If the Portland Trail Blazers didn’t botch the 2007 Draft?
Andrew Elderbaum
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The 2007 NBA Draft forced the Portland Trail Blazers to relive one of the worst moments in franchise history. Do you take the elite big man or the otherworldly scorer with the first overall pick? Today we wonder what if history didn’t repeat itself?
The 2007 NBA draft found the Portland Trail Blazers in a position most teams would have been thrilled. With young building blocks with Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, the team also won the number one pick in the draft lottery. Unfortunately for Portland, the consensus top two prospects were eerily similar to the mistake they made in the 1984 draft. The big with some injury concerns or the athletic scorer. In 1984 they chose Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan. In 2007 they would choose Greg Oden over Kevin Durant.
What would have happened if the Blazers had used that pick on Durant? The history of multiple franchises would have been altered, and Portland may have celebrated its first championship since the Bill Walton era. In addition, maybe Seattle would still have an NBA franchise today.
What Could Have Been
If the Blazers had taken Durant, they would have had a nucleus of Aldridge, Roy, Durant with Martell Webster, Jarrett Jack, and Travis Outlaw. The young Durant would have been used as a wing and came into the league ready to drop 20 a night. At times, he could have led a second unit and given Roy and his knees a much-needed rest. Steve Blake wasn’t anything special, but he could have run the offense and kept things moving.
The Blazers improved from 32-59 to a .500 team in 2007 while getting no minutes from Oden. Adding KD was worth ten more wins and putting Portland on the cusp of making the playoffs. The following season Roy and Aldridge were producing, and the team took another huge step forward, finishing with 54 wins, tied for second in the Western Conference. With Durant, they would have been a championship contender. That’s not including a second What If from the 2007 draft.
The Other “What If”
If Portland needed a center in the 2007 draft (they did, Joel Przybilla was not the answer), there was a second-round choice that could have had a considerable impact. Marc Gasol went 11 picks after the Blazers took Josh McRoberts in the second round. Gasol spent a year in Spain before joining the NBA and would immediately have an impact when he arrived.
That would have left Portland with a starting five of Gasol, Aldridge, Durant, Roy, and Jack. They would also have Outlaw, Webster, Przybilla, Channing Frye, and Steve Blake coming off the bench. Maybe they still add Batum or package a pick and Outlaw/Webster for another guard. That is a championship contender for years. If they have Batum, Jack, and Durant, they can manage Roy’s minutes and extend his prime. Everything changes for Portland.
The Other Side Of The Coin
If Portland took Durant, then Seattle would have taken Greg Oden. They probably still do the Allen deal with Boston and take Jeff Green. Oden and Green would have been disastrous for the Sonics. With Durant, they finished 20-62. Without them, they may have been the worst team in the league, with no help coming. Maybe a bad team going backward isn’t as appealing to Bennett and company, and Seattle keeps their team in the Emerald City.
With two decisions in 2007, the Portland Trail Blazers could have been a contender for a decade, and the Supersonics could still exist. Let’s hope the next time Portland has a top-three pick, there’s no center involved.