Source: Blazers Trying To Land Conley Too

[ducks]

Source: Blazers Trying To Land Conley Too
24th May, 2007 - 4:10 pm
Yahoo! -
A source close to the Blazers and Greg Oden said Wednesday night, that the team is looking at trading into the top of the lottery for a second draft pick to secure the franchise center's personal point guard, Mike Conley.

Oden and Conley have been together through AAU and high school ball in Indiana and a Final Four season at Ohio State.

After talking with confidants about Portland winning the No. 1 pick, Oden expressed relief that he was going to a smaller market. http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/46221/20070524/source_blazers_trying_to_land_conley_too/

[FromWayDowntown]

How on Earth is Portland going to get into the top of the lottery again without giving up Aldridge or Roy? And if it's Roy, why would you give him up for Conley?

This also seems to be a strange rumor, given the substantial rumblings on TrueHoop that Pritchard is more of a Durant guy. Obviously, they're all rumors, but there seems to be: (1) a lot of unreasonable expections; or (2) a lot of contradictory rumors.

[ShoogarBear]

Who in the lottery wants Randolph? bleh.

[exstatic]

Who in the lottery wants Randolph? bleh.
I don't know, but if you're prepping your locker room for a new young star, you get RID of his ass. Give him away for ending contracts, if need be.

[dknights411]

It's gonna have to be Randolph and a shitload of picks in order to pull this off. Portland's really rolling the dice here.

[ducks]

Where Is Thong?

[milkyway21]

How on Earth is Portland going to get into the top of the lottery again without giving up Aldridge or Roy? And if it's Roy, why would you give him up for Conley?

This also seems to be a strange rumor, given the substantial rumblings on TrueHoop that Pritchard is more of a Durant guy. Obviously, they're all rumors, but there seems to be: (1) a lot of unreasonable expections; or (2) a lot of contradictory rumors.this is waht i was trying to confirm on previous thread. They were saying if you want Oden it will be a package deal->include Conley. These 2 must work together. Oden is most effective if Conley is playing alongside him.

[jag]

i'd get rid of randolph for a bag of chips(sun chips) and a pick at acie law...

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I'm going to have to pull up a chair and watch this trainwreck. :corn:

[AFBlue]

Conley Sr. made every team aware that his client's preference was to play alongside Conley Jr. Assuming the top pick had gone to the Hawks it would've been a relatively simple proposition because of their #11 pick, but this will be a more difficult pill to swallow.

Actually I think it's Atlanta that could facilitate a deal. If Billy Knight would agree to let one of his swingmen go (say Josh Childress) and the #3 pick, plus a medium salary player like Speedy Claxton in exchange for Randolph and Jack...that deal might work. Portland might ask for Josh Smith instead of Childress and I'm not sure if Knight does that deal...still it's an interesting proposal.

To sum up:

Portland gets #3 pick (Conley Jr.), Claxton, and one of the Joshes (Childress or Smith)

Atlanta gets Randolph and Jack

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Why the hell would any NBA team accommodate Conley Sr. just for the hell of it? They'd just be setting themselves up for future problems. You don't run a pro sports franchise by chasing the whims of a 19 year old and his dad.

If any team (well, I guess we're talking Portland here) subverts itself just to make Conley Sr. happy, it's stupid as hell.

[AFBlue]

Why the hell would any NBA team accommodate Conley Sr. just for the hell of it? They'd just be setting themselves up for future problems. You don't run a pro sports franchise by chasing the whims of a 19 year old and his dad.

If any team (well, I guess we're talking Portland here) subverts itself just to make Conley Sr. happy, it's stupid as hell.

I agree with you on principle...but it just so happens that the Trailblazers might actually be willing to part with a player (Randolph) that would put them in a position to draft Conley and make the new face of their franchise a happy camper.

Pritchard said on PTI today that he liked the solid group of young guys the team was building....somehow I don't think he was referring to Randolph, who has improved his image slightly, but who I doubt is his idea of a "franchise" guy even though he's making "franchise" money.

I just think it is a possibility...

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Well, for starters they already have Jack up there. I think it's fairly obvious they will try and trade Randolph, but it will be for a SF, not so they can draft a rookie point.

As for Oden's 'happiness', dude is fixing to sign a 40 million dollar endorsement contract, I think he'll live.

[ShoogarBear]

Conley's an interesting prospect, but there's no guarantee he will be better than Jack.

And no way in hell is he a #3 pick.

I'd rather have the bird in hand.

[VaSpursFan]

say goodbye to dipshits z. randolph and d. miles...

[Horry For 3!]

If they are going to try to get Conley, they might as well trade Jarrett Jack or Sergio Rodriquez

[ducks]

Portland's 'point' of view

By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports
May 24, 2007





Twenty-four hours had yet to pass on the draft lottery transformation of the Portland Trail Blazers, and general manager Kevin Pritchard and his staff already had brainstormed a most intriguing idea: If they're going to draft Greg Oden, they should take a hard look at making a trade to get Mike Conley Jr. to come with him.

So the discussion is under way, a source close to the team and Oden said Wednesday night, about trading into the top of the lottery for a second draft pick to secure the franchise center's personal point guard. It would be a brilliant, bold stroke for the Blazers G.M., and here's the thing: Pritchard has the parts and the imagination to make it happen.

He's on a professional roll, what with drafting LaMarcus Aldridge and trading for rookie of the year Brandon Roy. And now, against all odds, he won the No. 1 pick in the June 28 draft.

Does Pritchard have enough with Zach Randolph, a 20-and-10 low post scorer and rebounder, and Jarrett Jack, a competent point guard, as the backbone of a major trade? As it looks now, the Blazers are determined to find out.

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Oden and Conley have been together through AAU and high school ball in Indiana and a Final Four season at Ohio State. Before they even won the lottery Tuesday, the Blazers had done enough research on Oden to understand that to get the most out of this mild-mannered Midwestern prodigy he needs to be comfortable. He never has played without his best friend, Conley, who happens to be the best point guard in the draft.

Already Conley and Oden, who flew to Oregon on Wednesday for a meeting at Nike, privately are discussing the possibility of Portland crafting a deal to keep them together. While Oden understands it's still something of a reach, the fact that the Blazers immediately thought of trying to get Conley thrilled Oden.

After talking with confidants about Portland winning the No. 1 pick, Oden expressed relief that he was going to a smaller market. He never has been enamored with the bright lights and big city. He was born in Buffalo, raised in Indianapolis and had little appetite for the suffocating pressures of, say, Boston.

As for the Celtics, who sit miserably at No. 5, they logically should be one of the Blazers' most promising trade partners. Without Oden or Kevin Durant, G.M. Danny Ainge is wisest to look hard at packaging his pick and a young player or two for veterans. Yet there is the pending problem of Ainge agreeing to do a major trade with the Blazers after that draft-day disaster a year ago that left them without Roy or Randy Foye – and with Sebastian Telfair. Another issue muddling this possibility is that Randolph is too similar to the Celtics' Al Jefferson.

Even so, if Ainge is going to get duped again, you'd figure he isn't going to let it be Pritchard.

Truth be told, the Blazers might have to get the third overall pick out of Atlanta's hands to guarantee that they can get Conley. The Hawks could get their point guard at No. 9 with Acie Law and use the third pick to bring back a powerful inside presence in Randolph. Of course, Atlanta may not have the salaries to give back for the maxed-out Randolph, and that's where a third team could be useful.

Together, Oden and Conley are represented by Mike Conley Sr., who has aligned himself with Bill Duffy's BDA Management. Duffy is a powerbroker agent who can facilitate the kind of major trade needed to happen here, one which likely will need the involvement of a third team.

Whatever happens, Pritchard's imagination started churning the moment that pingpong ball bounced the Blazers' way Tuesday night. He's going to go through the motions of evaluating Oden and Durant, but it's inevitable he'll choose the center over the forward. As it looks now, his real work between now and draft day could come with getting Oden's personal point guard to the Blazers, too. It would be some story, some future.


Adrian Wojnarowski is the national NBA columnist for Yahoo! Sports. Send Adrian a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

[ducks]

Jarrett Jack for the number 3 pick?
hawks would have to think hard maybe some picks zach might be to much
jack could easily be better then conley
hawks need a point to

[bdictjames]

Atlanta's getting Conley.

[ducks]

we are talking about the hawks

I do not know if blazers are over the cap I am sure hawks are not but if the blazers can offer jack and zack for number 3
you have to do it

hawks would go to playoffs

[JamStone]

if i were a GM of a lottery team, i'd ask for LaMarcus Aldridge, not Zach Randolph ... and figure out what other players to package to make the deal work.

[Trainwreck2100]

if i were a GM of a lottery team, i'd ask for LaMarcus Aldridge, not Zach Randolph ... and figure out what other players to package to make the deal work.


The only moron that would take Randolf's bloated contract without one of Portland's young talents is that fool Isiah.

[tlongII]

I seriously doubt we are trying to get Conley.

[Trainwreck2100]

I seriously doubt we are trying to get Conley.


It's smart to make a public effort, to appease Oden.