PORTLAND, Ore – Over the past few seasons the Trail Blazers’ head coach Nate McMillian and the team has been looking to fill a void at the point guard position and during Thursday night’s NBA Draft it looks as if they may have accomplished that goal.
Over the past few years Portland has gone through multiple starting point guards — Jarred Jack, Sebastian Telfair and Andre Miller to name a few – but none have taken them to where team owner Paul Allen would have hoped.
Earlier Wednesday there were talks that the Trail Blazers were in talks with the San Antonio Spurs to acquire Tony Parker for Miller, but the trade fell apart once the Spurs insisted that Portland absorb Richard Jefferson’s contract.
Jefferson’s three-year contract will have him making $30.5 million and that would have put the Trail Blazers’ backs against the salary-cap.
Once that deal fell to the wayside, there were talks all of Thursday about a possible trade involving the Denver Nuggets and their point guard Raymond Felton heading to Portland in exchange for Miller and other possibilities.
As the drafted started there were no signs that the trade between the teams was going to happen — so when Portland’s first round pick came around they selected Duke point guard, Nolan Smith, with the 21st overall pick. Portland also selected John Diebler with the 51st pick.
Nolan Smith was selected 21st overall by the Trail Blazers. //Photo: CLNSradio.com
Portland held a private interview with Smith at the pre-draft camp in Chicago in May and he also traveled to Portland on June 17.
McMillian and the Trail Blazers stand-in General Manager, Chad Buchanan were both impressed and thought that he could contribute right away.
“He’s what this organization is about,” Buchanan said. “He’s a winner, Number one. (He was a) national champion at Duke his junior year. Were big on guys improving every year and he’s a guy who showed that at Duke. He can play a little one; he can play a little two. I think he’s got some versatility that we like.”
Diebler, a three-point specialist from Ohio State, left school as the Big Ten’s all-time three point shooting leader. He also is the state of Ohio’s all-time leader for points scored at the high school level.
Shortly after the pick of Smith was announced by NBA Commissioner David Stern the rumors began to rumble again that Miller was headed to Denver for Felton, but nothing seemed to be final until mid-way though the second round — when the NBA announced that there had been a three-team trade executed between Portland, Denver and the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks.
The deal sent Miller for Felton and also sends Rudy Fernandez and the NBA rights to Petteri Koponen to the Mavericks in exchange for the draft rights to Jordan Hamilton (the 26th overall pick). Hamilton’s rights where then sent to the Nuggets as part of the trade for Felton.
“We addressed a need now and for the future,” McMillan said. “I like what we did today.
Felton, who played for the Knicks before being shipped to Denver in the Carmelo Anthony deal, looks to be the leader on the court that the Trail Blazers have been wanting for quite some time.
There were talks between Portland and Felton’s agent Tony Dutt last summer before he signed with New York.
“We were close to signing with them,” Dutt, said. “They were our second choice.
Raymond Felton hit a career high 116 three-pointers this season. //Photo: The Associated Press
Last season he set career-highs in 15.5 points, 8.3 assists and 116 three-pointers made in his stints with the Nuggets and Knicks. He also ranked in the NBA’s top-10 in both assists and steals per game last season.
Felton’s shooting percentage is not his strong point, but his durability is what really shines from the former North Carolina Tarheel. He has not missed more then seven games in any season he has played in the NBA.
“He’s a legit starting guard that is in his prime who’s going to be solid,” McMillan said. “I think he’s going to give us a different option than Andre.
Allen could not hide his excitement of the transactions that were done on Thursday.
“I want to acknowledge our basketball personnel staff for their hard work and thorough preparation for tonight’s NBA Draft,” Allen said in a release. “I thought it was a very good night for the Portland Trail Blazers and our fans.
“I also want to thank both Andre Miller and Rudy Fernandez for their contributions to the team these past few seasons and wish them all the best for the future.”
Fernandez had not been happy with his role in Portland over the past two seasons and has been vocal about it. The NBA fined him $50,000 before the beginning of last season, due to his agent requesting for the Trail Blazers to release him.
“thanks all blazers fans for ur support this 3 years!! So happy to be in the best team in the nba!!!dallas!!!,” Fernandez posted on his Twitter minutes after the trade was announced.
Buchanan was very pleased by adding two players that have won titles on the college-level to the organization.
“When you get two players who have won national championships at the collegiate level, you know you’re bringing in winners,” Buchanan said in a release. “Both Raymond and Nolan are as competitive as it gets, and we’re excited to call them both Trail Blazers.”
Smith won a national title during the 2010 season and last season he was named First Team All-American, Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and ACC Tournament MVP.
“Nolan proved he is a team-first player when he stepped in for Kyrie Irving at Duke this year,” McMillan said. We really like his up-tempo style and the way he competes on the defensive end of the floor.”
Alan K. Fox can be reached at alanfoxjr@gmail.com or on Twitter @alankfox
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