Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers stand pat at No. 10. Cleveland nabs the No. 1 pick, and Washington moves up to No. 3. Orlando falls to No. 2.

The Portland Trail Blazers will select No. 10 in the 2013 NBA Draft after the league conducted its annual lottery on Tuesday. The Cleveland Cavaliers won the lottery and will select first. The Blazers were represented by 2013 Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard on stage and GM Neil Olshey in the drawing. Portland had a 1.1 percent chance to get the No. 1 pick, a 1.3 percent chance to get the No. 2 pick, a 1.5 percent chance to get the No. 3 pick, an 87 percent chance to get the No. 10 pick, an 8.8 percent chance to get the No. 11 pick, a 0.2 percent chance to get the No. 12 pick and a 0.1 percent chance to place 13th, which would have required transferring the pick to the Charlotte Bobcats. Here's the full 2013 lottery order. 1. Cleveland Cavaliers 2. Orlando Magic 3. Washington Wizards 4. Charlotte Bobcats 5. Phoenix Suns 6. New Orleans Pelicans 7. Sacramento Kings 8. Detroit Pistons 9. Minnesota Timberwolves 10. Portland Trail Blazers 11. Philadelphia 76ers 12. Toronto Raptors 13. Dallas Mavericks 14. Utah Jazz The 2013 NBA Draft is set for June 27. -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter

1. We trade with Chicago. http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ktuyz4q We also get the 20th pick and they get all three of our second rounders to beef up their bench cheap. Chicago gets luxury tax relief (they have never, ever paid luxury tax). We get some tough veterans closer to Aldridge's age. After that, Chiacgo looks like Rose/Teague/vet min Matthews/Butler/2nd round pick Batum/Butler/2nd round pick Boozer/Gibson/2nd round pick Noah/Gibson/vet min We look like Lillard/Maynor Hinrich/Hamilton/Barton Deng/Claver/Barton LMA/Freeland Leonard/Freeland Trade Claver, the 10th and 20th round pick to Phoenix for the 4th pick and their second round pick. Draft Oladipo. Draft the Best Big Available (BBA) Don't bother re-signing Maynor. Bring over da greek. Lillard/Hinrich Oladipo/Hamilton/Barton Deng/Papanikolau/Barton LMA/Freeland Leonard/BBA Sign Jermaine O Neal. Lillard/Hinrich Oladipo/Hamilton/Barton Deng/Papanikolau/Barton LMA/Freeland/BBA Leonard/O Neal/BBA Sign Dejuan Blair Lillard/Hinrich Oladipo/Hamilton/Barton Deng/Papanikolau/Barton LMA/Blair/Freeland Leonard/O Neal/BBA Cut Ric Hamilton, sign JJ Reddick Lillard/Hinrich/Reddick Oladipo/Reddick/Barton Deng/Papanikolau/Barton LMA/Blair/Freeland Leonard/O Neal/BBA Resign Luke Babbitt and Elliot Williams, just because, as 14th and 15th men. Get LMA to play some minutes at C. If it doesn't work, get what you can for Aldridge and Deng at the trade deadline and rebuild around Lillard, Oladipo + the free agency class of 2014. 1. We trade with Chicago. http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ktuyz4q We also get the 20th pick and they get all three of our second rounders to beef up their bench cheap. Chicago gets luxury tax relief (they have never, ever paid luxury tax). We get some tough veterans closer to Aldridge's age. After that, Chiacgo looks like Rose/Teague/vet min Matthews/Butler/2nd round pick Batum/Butler/2nd round pick Boozer/Gibson/2nd round pick Noah/Gibson/vet min We look like Lillard/Maynor Hinrich/Hamilton/Barton Deng/Claver/Barton LMA/Freeland Leonard/Freeland Trade Claver, the 10th and 20th round pick to Phoenix for the 4th pick and their second round pick. Draft Oladipo. Draft the Best Big Available (BBA) Don't bother re-signing Maynor. Bring over da greek. Lillard/Hinrich Oladipo/Hamilton/Barton Deng/Papanikolau/Barton LMA/Freeland Leonard/BBA Sign Jermaine O Neal. Lillard/Hinrich Oladipo/Hamilton/Barton Deng/Papanikolau/Barton LMA/Freeland/BBA Leonard/O Neal/BBA Sign Dejuan Blair Lillard/Hinrich Oladipo/Hamilton/Barton Deng/Papanikolau/Barton LMA/Blair/Freeland Leonard/O Neal/BBA Cut Ric Hamilton, sign JJ Reddick Lillard/Hinrich/Reddick Oladipo/Reddick/Barton Deng/Papanikolau/Barton LMA/Blair/Freeland Leonard/O Neal/BBA Resign Luke Babbitt and Elliot Williams, just because, as 14th and 15th men. Get LMA to play some minutes at C. If it doesn't work, get what you can for Aldridge and Deng at the trade deadline and rebuild around Lillard, Oladipo + the free agency class of 2014.

The NBA Draft Lottery airs tonight at 5:30pm (PDT) live on ESPN. Here's a primer for the event: - The point of the lottery is to place the top three draft positions! After that, teams are simply placed in reverse order of their records. Because of that system... - The Blazers only have a shot at picks 1, 2, 3, 10, 11, 12, or 13. If they end up with pick 11, 12, or 13, it means that a team (or teams) below them somehow jumped into the top three. If the Blazers plummet to the 13th pick, they lose it as part of the Gerald Wallace trade with Charlotte. - What to watch for: Picks 10-13. If we do not hear the words "Portland Trail Blazers" by pick 10, something awesome happened. - What's the best case scenario if the Blazers don't jump? Probably the same as always: Having the top three picks go to the Eastern Conference, this year preferably Orlando, Charlotte and Washington. - What's the worst case scenario? The Blazers fall to 13th, losing their pick, while Utah and Dallas (along with Toronto or Philly) jump into the top three and get the best prospects. The chance of this exact scenario happening is, to put it mildly, remote. The odds are definitely stacked against the Blazers. They have a better chance of getting the 11th pick than any of the top three combined. Here are how the percentages break down: Top Three (Overall): 4.0% chance First Pick: 1.1% chance Second Pick: 1.3% chance Third Pick: 1.6% chance Tenth Pick: 87.0% chance Eleventh Pick: 8.9% chance Twelfth Pick 0.2% chance Thirteenth Pick: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria! Ok, those are the basics. So hang out here, speculate as the time approaches, and enjoy the lottery. As soon as the Blazers' name is announced, Ben will have a new post on the front page with the official news. -- Tim

As you all know the NBA draft lotto is being held tonight, with Damian Lillard representing the Blazers. Of course, we have had great luck in draft lottos when we are represented by a Rookie of the Year who was picked sixth after four years of college (though we don't need to bring up the success in using that pick). So to assume that we will move up would be completely reasonable. Post your predictions here for the draft lotto order. You can include a mock if you want, or just the order. Conspiracy theories, homerism, chance, and anything other reasons are fair game. Also, feel free to post your predictions WITH the Blazers moving up and without. 1. Orlando- Cleveland lost LeBron and then won the lotto. New Orleans lost Paul and then won. Now since the Magic lost Dwight Howard, they are next in line. Plus they have the best chance anyway 2. Phoenix- A large market that needs something to get excited about with a crappy team that just lost favorite son Nash and doesn't really have any pieces to get excited about. Plus it is nice to have one East and one West in the top two. 3. Charlotte- The Hornets badly need more talent. Can't let them fall too far or nobody will watch. 4. Cleveland 5. New Orleans 6. Sacramento It was really tempting to put them in second after all the drama and with new ownership. I could totally see that happening. 7. Detroit 8. Washington 9. Minnesota 10. Portland- Of course we're going to win 1, 2, or 3. I just put us here for the purpose of discussing why other teams would move up. 11. Philly 12. OKC 13. Dallas 14. Utah As you all know the NBA draft lotto is being held tonight, with Damian Lillard representing the Blazers. Of course, we have had great luck in draft lottos when we are represented by a Rookie of the Year who was picked sixth after four years of college (though we don't need to bring up the success in using that pick). So to assume that we will move up would be completely reasonable. Post your predictions here for the draft lotto order. You can include a mock if you want, or just the order. Conspiracy theories, homerism, chance, and anything other reasons are fair game. Also, feel free to post your predictions WITH the Blazers moving up and without. 1. Orlando- Cleveland lost LeBron and then won the lotto. New Orleans lost Paul and then won. Now since the Magic lost Dwight Howard, they are next in line. Plus they have the best chance anyway 2. Phoenix- A large market that needs something to get excited about with a crappy team that just lost favorite son Nash and doesn't really have any pieces to get excited about. Plus it is nice to have one East and one West in the top two. 3. Charlotte- The Hornets badly need more talent. Can't let them fall too far or nobody will watch. 4. Cleveland 5. New Orleans 6. Sacramento It was really tempting to put them in second after all the drama and with new ownership. I could totally see that happening. 7. Detroit 8. Washington 9. Minnesota 10. Portland- Of course we're going to win 1, 2, or 3. I just put us here for the purpose of discussing why other teams would move up. 11. Philly 12. OKC 13. Dallas 14. Utah Poll Where will the Blazers end up? 1 2 3 10 11-13 17 votes | Results

This is my first fanpost, so don't be gentle on me! How else am I going to improve? I'm going to compare two types of bigs (centers or power forwards) and make an argument for what Blazers need. You have a Gobert type that has length/height and shot blocking. This is what they do, and have done, their basketball career. They are offensively raw and probably at most going to give you dunks and free throws, both good things. These guys take longer to develop, thus tagged with a player who has 'potential'. I see Omer Asik in this category, along with Roy Hibbert. Course, you also have the Has, Thabeets, and countless other tall centers/forwards who really aren't meant for the NBA. You also have the offensive giants, without any defensive mechanics....hmm, who could that be? Hint: Backwards first-last name. Then you have a group of shorter, possibly more skilled hustle players that had to work harder against other players through development. That hard work paid off and you get a player with a lot of rebounds and put backs. JJ hickson, anyone? We all know how hard he worked for the blazers. Paul Milsap, who is skilled offensively, can be thrown into any team and improve win count. These players out hustle the other teams centers, and their offensive ability can take off pressure from perimeter players. I think of Kenneth Faried as a good example of a solid player that will go against a bigger player without too much of a problem. My vote for the Blazers is the first category. I think you put a good role player, specifically inside presence and shot blocking, next to Aldridge. Height matters. Some of these combine numbers can throw people off. I am stating that pure height combined with length, not athleticism, is what the blazers need. Have you ever tried to drive to the basket against a player over 7 ft? Regardless of anything else, a player is going to hesitate for a half a second longer than a 6'9 big. Of course, this big needs to be able to have lateral quickness to be a force in the paint. What do you think? Which big do the blazers need more? With the draft lottery today Rudy Gobert and Alex Len both have the defensive potential the blazers need. FA/Trade targets I'd consider in this category are Omer Asik, Roy Hibbert, and Javalle Mcgee. This is my first fanpost, so don't be gentle on me! How else am I going to improve? I'm going to compare two types of bigs (centers or power forwards) and make an argument for what Blazers need. You have a Gobert type that has length/height and shot blocking. This is what they do, and have done, their basketball career. They are offensively raw and probably at most going to give you dunks and free throws, both good things. These guys take longer to develop, thus tagged with a player who has 'potential'. I see Omer Asik in this category, along with Roy Hibbert. Course, you also have the Has, Thabeets, and countless other tall centers/forwards who really aren't meant for the NBA. You also have the offensive giants, without any defensive mechanics....hmm, who could that be? Hint: Backwards first-last name. Then you have a group of shorter, possibly more skilled hustle players that had to work harder against other players through development. That hard work paid off and you get a player with a lot of rebounds and put backs. JJ hickson, anyone? We all know how hard he worked for the blazers. Paul Milsap, who is skilled offensively, can be thrown into any team and improve win count. These players out hustle the other teams centers, and their offensive ability can take off pressure from perimeter players. I think of Kenneth Faried as a good example of a solid player that will go against a bigger player without too much of a problem. My vote for the Blazers is the first category. I think you put a good role player, specifically inside presence and shot blocking, next to Aldridge. Height matters. Some of these combine num

Man, I like this guy the more I see him. I think his style fits in perfect with ours. Here is what I like about him. 1- He plays a physical game, gets to the rim well and finishes well through contact. 2- He can break. Alot. A big part of the NBA shooting guards threat should always be running and attacking on the break. Easy buckets win ball games and are freebies. Vic does this really well and would certainly help Dame is this. How many times do we see Matthews running the lane and scoring in transition? Rarely. 3- He picks his shots well. He fixed his jumpshot and it worked. I think his shooting will really prevail in the NBA solely because he know whats a good shot and what isn't. Lebron FINALLY figured this out. Vic already has this. 4- He has a nice Pull Up off the dribble. Lots of balance and lift and a LOT of accuracy. You don't see a lot of this in the NBA anymore. Jordan developed this. Westbrook has added it but most of the other guys are fading and falling. You don't shoot this well (70%??) by fluke off the dribble. 5- HE CAN SCORE EFFICIENTLY WITHOUT DOMINATING THE BALL. Every freakin SG in the NBA seems to want to be a point guard and pound the nails into the court. I hate this. Remember Reggie Miller moving off the ball? D Wade figured this out last year. Vic already has this. This is a big deal especially with a scoring point like Dame. I LOVE this part. He uses cuts to get to the rim. Our offense has a lot of this already. I see him as kind of a James Harden with less handles, more athleticism, more defense, less hair, better pull up and more game off the ball. All he needs to do is continue to improve his ball handling. That will improve his drives (which are explosive and already great), improve his ISO game and also cut way down on his turn overs. I would take this dude #1 easily in this draft for Portland. High efficiency isn't a fluke with this guy. That also says ALOT about his decision making and tells me that his work ethic could REALLY make him elite. He has the body and the game to do it. Man, I like this guy the more I see him. I think his style fits in perfect with ours. Here is what I like about him. 1- He plays a physical game, gets to the rim well and finishes well through contact. 2- He can break. Alot. A big part of the NBA shooting guards threat should always be running and attacking on the break. Easy buckets win ball games and are freebies. Vic does this really well and would certainly help Dame is this. How many times do we see Matthews running the lane and scoring in transition? Rarely. 3- He picks his shots well. He fixed his jumpshot and it worked. I think his shooting will really prevail in the NBA solely because he know whats a good shot and what isn't. Lebron FINALLY figured this out. Vic already has this. 4- He has a nice Pull Up off the dribble. Lots of balance and lift and a LOT of accuracy. You don't see a lot of this in the NBA anymore. Jordan developed this. Westbrook has added it but most of the other guys are fading and falling. You don't shoot this well (70%??) by fluke off the dribble. 5- HE CAN SCORE EFFICIENTLY WITHOUT DOMINATING THE BALL. Every freakin SG in the NBA seems to want to be a point guard and pound the nails into the court. I hate this. Remember Reggie Miller moving off the ball? D Wade figured this out last year. Vic already has this. This is a big deal especially with a scoring point like Dame. I LOVE this part. He uses cuts to get to the rim. Our offense has a lot of this already. I see him as kind of a James Harden with less handles, more athleticism, more defense, less hair, better pull up and more game off the ball. All he needs to do is continue to improve his ball handling. That will improve his drives (which are explosive and already great), improve his ISO game and also cut way down on his turn overs. I would take this dude #1 easily in this draft for Portland. High efficie

As we await the ping-pong balls, here's a roundup of the latest NBA draft combine and lottery links.

As probably all of you know today is the day in which the NBA unveils the draft order for the teams selecting in the lottery. They make it a fun little halftime event in which representatives from each team sit at a desk marked with their team's logo and hold some lucky item while someone from the NBA (Stern or Silver I think) opens envelopes for the order of the picks. Commercial breaks are strategically inserted throughout, most notably immediately before and after the 3rd pick is disclosed. What could a curmudgeonly Blazer fan like myself dislike about this? Well, for starters there's the other half of this in which the picks are actually decided. From what I have read it takes place in a sterile room with some representatives from the NBA along with a potential figure from each lottery team who elects to be present. The 'lottery' takes place much as its name would indicate, as a lotto style ping pong ball machine with balls numbered 1-14 is setup and run by a 3rd party NBA contractor who handles the logistics and prevents tampering. This creates 1001 possible combinations as four balls are selected with the order of selection being relevant (i.e. 11-12-13-14 is not the same as 14-13-12-11) but only 1000 combos are assigned to teams as winners (in the event the 1001st combo is drawn its just a do over). Every team is given a certain number of winning combinations ranging from 250 to 5 (25% chance at winning down to 0.5%) based on reverse winning percentage and any tie breakers that were previously held. The 3rd party then runs the machine and gets the combo for the first pick, reloads and repeats for the 2nd and does the same again for the 3rd. In the event that a combo belonging to a team that has already won a top 3 pick is drawn, the selection is just re-run (just like if the 1001st combo is picked). I get that the NBA wants to have this semi-pompous thing where a non-playoff team gets to be a winner for the day with everyone starting out full of hope. Everything ends with the top 2 picks being announced in a moment filled with tense drama for both fan bases (especially the year they drew for the LeBron pick as Memphis got #2 in the drawing on a pick they owed to Detroit with only #1 protection. They went from LeBron to nothing with the opening of an envelope). That said, this procedure has unnecessarily left room for conspiracy theories to run rampant as the average fan doesn't understand how this all takes place. Opening things up to the public view would do a lot of damage to the 'lottery is rigged' talk (I understand most of it on this site is tongue in cheek at least), but it could also serve to create just as dramatic moments. First, by tweaking whatever algorithm/process assigns the combos to disallow a single team to hold all fourteen combos that contain the same first three numbers along with 1-14 as the fourth and you create a situation in which the team getting the pick hangs on that final ping pong ball for every selection! It gives the people commentating something more to discuss than "oh the Bucks are picking right as expected" as they can now show and commentate updated odds on every team's chances right up until the 4th ball is selected (after returning from commercials of course). This can happen with all 3 picks, and the reps from all the selected teams can still have their moment to shine with a brief interview while the machine is being reloaded and whatnot. Finally at the end they can show the final draft order before going back to the game being played. Of course there is one serious drawback to this, which is the possibility that the selection keeps pulling numbers that need to be re-run (i.e. 1001st combo or one owned by a team already picked). This is extremely unlikely for the 1st pick, but with the 2nd and 3rd it becomes variably more likely depending on which team's have been selected. So it is impossible to guarantee that the entire event will fit neatly in a h

Will the Portland Trail Blazers get lucky Tuesday night and land a top 3 pick in the 2013 NBA draft? Vote in our poll and post your lottery predictions.