Drafted 1st overall in 2007, Gregory Wayne Oden has certainly had his share of ups and downs in his brief NBA career. Take a look at this (completely fabricated) celebrity roast centered around the talented, but oft-injured Blazer.

Nate McMillan: “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the first ever NBA roast. We’re here to roast Portland Trail Blazers star center Greg Oden. The good news is that we’re here to make fun of Greg. The bad news is, he’ll probably have to leave the roast early with some sort of knee injury.”

Paul Allen: “No way! He’ll foul out first.”

Greg Oden: “Screw you both.”

Rich Cho: “Don’t let their comments bother you, Greg.”

Oden: “Thanks, Rich. You have faith in me?”

Cho: “Nah. I’m gonna trade your ass before this roast is over, so your injuries will become someone else’s problem.”

Oden: “Ouch.”

Cho: “Ouch is right. I’m not going suggest that Greg Oden has a bad medical history, but let’s just say his gene pool could use a heavy dose of chlorine.”

Larry Miller: “Greg Oden is to basketball what Vanilla Ice is to music. Actually, I’ll take it one step further: Greg Oden is to basketball what Sam Bowie was to basketball.”

Oden: “WOW.”

Cho: “You’re surprised about that comment? Oh…I forgot you were educated at Ohio State. Nevermind.”

Oden: “Ohio State is a great school.”

Cho: “Why Ohio State? Doesn’t the University of Phoenix Online have a basketball team?”

Andre Miller: “No – and, besides…Ohio St pays better.”

Oden: “Screw you. Leave the Buckeyes alone. You’re criticizing Ohio St? This comes from the third best player to come out of the Rick Majerus era at Utah – next to Hanno Mottola and Michael Doleac.”

A.Miller: “Touche!”

Marcus Camby: “Forget about his education. Let’s focus on Greg’s looks. This is a guy who is 22 years old, but looks like he’s 82.”

Joel Przybilla: “Yeah. The only thing uglier than him is your jumpshot, Camby.”

Camby: “That’s cold.”

Brandon Roy: “Not as cold as you were during last year’s playoffs.”

Cho: “Guys, remember who we’re here to roast.”

Nicolas Batum: “Yeah. The guy with 3 massive creases in his forehead.  Does anyone have an iron with them?”

LaMarcus Aldridge: “HEY – stop the roast for a second. I hear an alarm going off!”

Batum: “Uh oh.”

Aldridge: “Oh – don’t worry. It’s just Greg’s Medic-alert bracelet going off again. What’s wrong, Greg – have you fallen and can’t get up?”

Oden: “Kiss my butt.”

Camby: “And what a butt it is. His butt is so big…”

Blazers Team: “HOW BIG IS IT?”

Camby: “His butt is so big, when we play pickup, we use his belt as the 3 point line. I mean, his butt is really, really big.”

Blazers Team: “HOW BIG IS IT?”

Camby: “His butt is so big, when he scraped his booty in a game of streetball last year, the cut poured out gravy.”

Oden: “Enough with the butt jokes.”

A.Miller: “Yeah…let’s switch the attention to the front half of Mr. Oden.”

Oden: “No…stop.”

A.Miller: “Why should we hold back? You didn’t exactly show any self-discipline when it came to taking that self-portrait with your cell phone.”

Oden: “That’s crossing the line.”

A.Miller: “Yeah, just like your photos. But I must admit I was impressed.”

Oden: “Thanks.”

A.Miller: “For those of you who haven’t seen the photo, let’s just say that the Portland Trail Blazers may need to issue two contracts to Oden for next season.”

Batum: “On the way up to the microphone, I tripped on a certain part of Greg Oden.”

Camby: “Yeah. It gets its own seat on the team charter jet.”

Przybilla: “Don’t focus on the photo scandal – it might cost Oden a contract extension.”

Batum: “Well, I personally don’t think Oden needs an extension of any sort.”

Oden: “Stop it guys. I made a mistake, and I wish I could take it back.”

Larry Miller (gazing wistfully at picture of Kevin Durant): “Greg, you aren’t the only one who wishes he could have a do-over.”

Steve Clarke covers the Portland Trail Blazers for Fanball’s Blazerstrail.com.  He’s on Twitter @SteveClarkeNBA and can be reached via email at sclarke22@hotmail.com

Several news outlets are reporting that Chris Paul has requested a trade out of New Orleans as he seeks a fresh start with a new team. Reports say he has narrowed the list of desired destinations to New York, Dallas, Orlando, and…you guessed it, Portland.

While reconciliation with New Orleans is certainly possible, it is clear that there has never been a better opportunity for the Blazers to make a move to acquire Paul.  New GM Rich Cho would certainly make a splash and put his imprint on the team if he were to acquire the ubertalented guard.

Let’s have a look at a few different trade scenarios which would fit under the NBA’s restrictive collective bargaining agreement.  I’ve used ESPN’s Hollinger ratings to show the kind of impact these proposed deals would have on the teams.

Scenario 1: The Monster Deal

Blazers Trade
Greg Oden
Andre Miller
Marcus Camby

Hornets Trade
Chris Paul
Emeka Okafor

Hollinger system analysis: Trade fits under CBA. Blazers up 4 wins, Hornets down 4.

Why Portland would do this deal: Blazers land Paul, getting the superstar point guard they’ve long craved.  By offloading the Camby contract, the team is able to take on the albatross of Okafor’s 4 remaining years at $11.5 million.

Why New Orleans would do this deal: All the contracts they would take back in this deal expire in 2 yrs or less, giving them cap flexibility. Andre Miller becomes a veteran leader to young Darren Collison, or one of the two could be flipped for other assets. Greg Oden could be the key to the deal if he lives up to his tremendous potential, but if he hobbles off the court with another injury, he could be off the books at year’s end.

Scenario 2: The Streamlined Trade

Blazers Trade
Andre Miller
Rudy Fernandez
Joel Przybilla
Future 1st round pick

Hornets Trade
Chris Paul

Hollinger system analysis: Trade fits under CBA. Blazers up 3 wins, Hornets down 3.

Why Portland would do this deal: Chris Paul comes in without the Blazers giving up any of its core stars.  Although Joel Przybilla is excellent insurance for the oft-injured Oden, he’s by no means irreplaceable.

Why New Orleans would do this deal: The Hornets have been looking for a legit 2-guard for years, and Rudy might just be their man.  Rumors have circulated about the Hornets targeting him all offseason. Joel Przybilla’s contract expires at year end, making him a key component of the trade, and Miller’s contract runs out in 2 years, also sweetening the deal.

Trade Scenario 3: The Realistic Scenario (aka “Pray for Oden’s knees”)

Blazers trade
Marcus Camby
Joel Przybilla
Andre Miller
Rudy Fernandez
Nicolas Batum

Hornets trade
Chris Paul
Emeka Okafor
Julian Wright

Hollinger system analysis: Trade fits under CBA. Blazers up 2 wins, Hornets down 3.

Why Portland would do this deal: Greg Oden claims to be working his way back to full health. Between him and the newly acquired Okafor, the two should be able to provide production which would alternate between incredible, tolerable, and utterly crappy…hopefully more of the former than the latter.  If the stars align in this trade, you’ve got yourself an NBA championship contender.

Why New Orleans would do this deal: Camby and Przybilla would solidify the Hornets frontcourt, assuming the Vanilla Gorilla’s knee injury doesn’t cause him to miss time.  Rudy Fernandez fills a gaping hole at SG, and most of all, the Hornets rid themselves of a contract which promises to look uglier and uglier with every passing year. Batum gives the Hornets a talented young player they’d love to get their hands on.

Sit back and enjoy the ride over the next few days as Rich Cho attempts to work his magic to bring CP3 to Rip City, and be sure to follow me on Twitter @SteveClarkeNBA as I bring you the latest in the Chris Paul Sweepstakes.

The following is the completely fabricated transcript of Mel Gibson and his girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva discussing the Blazers’ offseason moves. Please read at your own risk.

Oksana Grigorieva: Yes?

Mel Gibson: Stay on this phone and don’t hang up on me. I want to discuss the Blazers’ offseason, and I have plenty of energy to drive over there if you hang up on me. You understand me? AND I WILL! SO JUST F—— LISTEN TO ME. LISTEN TO MY F—— RANTING. LISTEN TO WHAT THE BLAZERS’ OFFSEASON MOVES HAVE DONE TO ME.

OG: They didn’t do anything to you.

MG: They’re a pain in the ass!

OG: You are exaggerating!

MG: The delay in hiring a GM has made my life so f—— difficult!

OG: Well you know what, it’s so –

MG: Why couldn’t Larry Miller and Paul Allen have hired a GM prior to investing $34 million in a f—— player (Wesley Matthews) who wasn’t even drafted last year? I can’t believe they couldn’t have gotten more bang for the buck! Did the Jazz match the offer sheet? NO!

OG: Mel, listen to me. Matthews proved last year that he can be a quality sixth man.

(crosstalk)

MG: Shut the f— up. I know he could be good, but I just think they should have let the new GM have some input into the f——- decision.

OG: One second please. Can I please speak?

MG: They fired Pritchard about 15 f————- minutes before the draft. Could they not have handled this better? And they bring in this rookie GM, Rich Cho, giving NO consideration to Blazerstrail.com blogger Steve Clarke’s recommendation of Jeff Bower. You accept this? Get the f— away from me! Now, they have ONE more chance to talk me into renewing my season tickets. And I mean it. (huffing with anger) They make me wanna smoke. They f—– my day up. All they care about is themselves and their Vulcan conglomerate.

OG: You’re a nutjob.

MG: When I’ve been so f—— good to this team. They f—— try to destroy me.

OG: They didn’t do anything. They did not do anything. This is your selfish imagination. That’s bull!

MG: Shut the f— up! They should’ve just f—— SMILED and BLOWN their Mid-level exception on Matt Barnes! ‘Cause we need him more than another shooting guard.

OG: You’re being a baby. Rich Cho will have an opportunity to swap Rudy Fernandez to bring back some sort of talent- maybe even Darren Collison if the trade expands. Remember, the offseason isn’t over.

MG: (huffs, hangs up phone, grabs Beaver puppet to head back to set to finish filming his final “straight to DVD” movie, Beaver)

You’ve probably seen the New York Times feature comparing home prices across America, which they call ‘Property Values: What you get for $210,000’, or some other price.

The concept of the ongoing column is to compare houses currently on the market in various locations at a given price.  It’s an interesting comparison of how much bang you would get for the buck if you were to purchase a home for a certain amount of money in, say, Phoenix vs Portland.

Using this format, let’s have a look at the Blazers’ signing of Wesley Matthews which was officially completed this afternoon.

WHO: Wesley Matthews

HOW MUCH: $34.4 million over 5 years (avg $6.68 million/yr)

POSITION: Shooting Guard

RECENT PERFORMANCE (per game): 9.4 PTS, 2.3 REB, 1.5 AST, 0.8 STL

PRICE PER POINT: $8,686.61

DESCRIPTION: Wesley Matthews went undrafted, but signed with the Utah Jazz prior to the 2009-10 season.  He started 48 of Utah’s 82 regular season games, averaging nearly 25 minutes per contest.   Matthews promises to be a spark off the bench, and will act as a solid defensive presence with Portland’s second unit.

While it may seem a bit redundant to bring another shooting guard aboard a team which is relatively stacked at that spot, indications are that management anticipates Matthews will be the team’s sixth man and the primary recipient of playing time off the bench.

It seems that the Portland braintrust zeroed in on Matthews as their primary target, so congratulations seem to be in order for sealing the deal. The biggest question mark about Matthews’ deal is not the dollar figure – it’s the length of the contract, and concerns that it could become an albatross 3 or 4 years down the road.

WHO: Josh Childress

HOW MUCH: $32 million over 5 years (avg $6.40 million/yr)

POSITION: Shooting Guard/Small Forward

RECENT PERFORMANCE (‘07/08): 11.8 PTS, 4.9 REB, 1.5 AST, 0.9 STL

PRICE PER POINT: $7,126.95

DESCRIPTION: Returning to the NBA from Greece, Phoenix signed the talented Childress to a deal comparable to the Blazers’ package with Matthews.  All-told, his athleticism and speed would have been an intriguing fit, and might actually be a lower risk signing – believe it or not. His increased scoring averages overseas might be a predictor of things to come in Phoenix.

WHO: Mike Miller

HOW MUCH: $30 million over 5 years (avg $6.0 million/yr)

POSITION: Shooting Guard/Small Forward

RECENT PERFORMANCE (per game): 10.9 PTS, 6.2 REB, 3.9 AST, 0.7 STL

PRICE PER POINT: $6,711.41

DESCRIPTION: The financial terms of this deal should be taken somewhat with a grain of salt, since Miller gave the Heat a bit of a hometown discount – or, should we say a “guaranteed championship discount”?  Although Miller is older than Matthews, this contract is excellent value for Miami.

WHO: Drew Gooden

HOW MUCH: $32 million over 5 yrs (avg $6.40 million/yr)

POSITION: Forward/Center

RECENT PERFORMANCE (per game): 10.9 PTS, 7.7 REB, 0.7 AST, 0.6 STL

PRICE PER POINT: $7,158.84

DESCRIPTION: Gooden is the type of player who bounces around from team-to-team.  He’s just good enough to be a desirable target, but his game has significant holes that make it easy for teams to give up on him.  He would not have been a good fit for the Blazers, so a comparison to Matthews is pointless.

WHO: Amir Johnson

HOW MUCH: $34 million over 5 yrs (avg $6.68 million/yr)

POSITION: Power Forward

RECENT PERFORMANCE (per game): 6.2 PTS, 4.8 REB, 0.6 AST, 0.5 STL

PRICE PER POINT: $13,072.40

DESCRIPTION: Bryan Colangelo clearly believes that Johnson is ready to step into the starting PF role in Toronto, giving him well-above perceived market value.  While Johnson would have been a nice fit in Portland coming off the bench, he’d hardly be worth the same investment given to Matthews.

WHO: Al Harrington

HOW MUCH: $34 million over 5 yrs (avg $6.68 million/yr)

POSITION: Forward

RECENT PERFORMANCE (per game): 17.7 PTS, 5.6 REB, 1.5 AST, 0.9 STL

PRICE PER POINT: $4,603.72

DESCRIPTION: Along with the 17.7 points per game, any team willing to sign Harrington must accept his well-deserved reputation as a ballhog.  His production is intriguing, but comes at the cost of a .435 shooting percentage, which can devastate a team’s efficiency.  His defense is suspect, and at 31 years old entering 2010-11, he’s entering the decline phase of his career.  Think the Blazers would want a 36-year-old Harrington on their team in the final year of his contract?  Think again.  Harrington would have been a terrible fit for the Blazers.  The Nuggets can have him.

Steve Clarke covers the Portland Trail Blazers for Fanball’s Blazerstrail.com.  He’s on Twitter @SteveClarkeNBA and can be reached via email at sclarke22@hotmail.com

Larry Miller:

“It is my pleasure to introduce you to the Trail Blazers new general manager, Rich Cho. Staying true to our commitment to Portland, our top priorities in this process were to find someone who has the proven abilities to be a leader in our business and in our community. Our search was dedicated to finding a person we knew could immediately take over the daily management of our team and basketball staff while focusing keenly on taking us to next level as a serious NBA contender. I am convinced Rich Cho is that person.

With roots firmly planted in the Northwest, Rich has grown up very familiar with Portland’s passion for its NBA franchise. He has great respect for the city, the team and our ownership’s dedication to building a championship organization both on the court and off. He and his wife, Julie, are excited to bring their two daughters to Oregon and make Portland their new home.

Going into this search, it was very important to me to be diligent in evaluating all possible options for Portland and not settling until I knew we had the right person. I have heard from so many people over the past several months. I know how passionate our fans are. I have full respect for the job journalists have to do on a daily basis. I am so proud of the work the Trail Blazers staff continues to do and am fully committed to continue to provide them all with what they need to be successful. For our fans, for our media and for our team and staff, Rich Cho will be a seamless and inspirational addition.

I want to thank Paul Allen for continuing to set the bar for professional sports organizations, bringing his passion and resources generously with one goal – bringing a championship to Portland and to Oregon. He is without a doubt this team’s biggest fan and we will work very hard to make his vision a reality.

To Trail Blazers fans, thank you for your commitment and support. This decision was made with you very much in mind. If you ask anyone that knows him, Rich Cho is first and foremost a great person. He is wildly popular and respected throughout the league. He will work tirelessly for this team and for you. I look forward to you all getting to know him and seeing him in action.”

Paul Allen:

“Today is a great day for the Trail Blazers organization. As part of our review of a talented pool of candidates with Larry Miller, I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Rich Cho. It quickly became very clear to me he had what we were looking for in a general manager.

Rich has depth of character, a foundation in business and legal matters and a knowledge of the game of NBA basketball that will help our team get even better. He is part of the new generation of NBA executives.

We’re glad to be bringing Rich back to the northwest, where I’m sure Portland fans will learn that he is a natural Trail Blazer. Everyone we talked to about Rich said great things about him. He has a great work ethic, insight and a commitment to doing things the right way, and those are all the qualities that we were looking for.

I also want to say that Larry Miller has run a thoughtful and thorough search. I appreciate his diligence in staying focused on finding the right person. In Rich he identified an executive who is proven and who will immediately dedicate himself to the tasks at hand and who will help us stay firmly focused on a team built on character and talent.”

Names like Danny Ferry, Rich Cho, Jerry West, and Randy Pfund have been thrown around, and reports say the team is getting closer to making a decision.  But there’s a newly available GM candidate whose name hasn’t been circulating among the rumors, and it behooves the Blazers to give him serious consideration.

His name is Jeff Bower – a humble, respected NBA figure.

While the NBA buzzed about the abrupt dismissal of Kevin Pritchard last month, Bower was quietly fired (or he resigned, depending who you talk to) from the GM position in New Orleans.

But his departure from New Orleans led observers to point out that the real problem in New Orleans wasn’t Bower’s on-the-job performance – nor was it anything along the lines of insubordination to ownership.  Rather, it came down to a delayed punishment for the decision to fire Byron Scott, which, in turn, reportedly upset star guard Chris Paul.

Rather than stand by their man, the two-man team of Hugh Weber and George Shinn (referred to in certain NBA circles as the Two Stooges) acted in their well-established fashion by making Bower just another classless casualty.

Ask Luther Head about the way Weber and Shinn handled his free agent signing earlier this week.

Here’s the truth…Bower wasn’t/isn’t the problem.  In fact, he’s managed to build a reputation as a gentleman, a clever tactician, and a respected colleague of opposing GMs.

Although he’s known as being reserved and slightly conservative, he’s the kind of organizational soldier who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.  Look no further than the 2009-10 season when Bower stepped in to coach the team following the dismissal of Scott.  Could you picture Kevin Pritchard on the sidelines?

A key dynamic of being the Blazers GM is resourcefulness in the draft, as the team will likely pick in the latter half of the first round for the foreseeable future.  Over the years, Bower managed to nab Darren Collison with the 21st pick, Darrell Arthur with the 27th (subsequently traded), amongst others.

He’s made a couple of lopsided trades, such as the swaps of Jamaal Magloire for Desmond Mason, a 2006 1st rounder, and cash, and Tyson Chandler for Emeka Okafor.

He’s made his mistakes, like any other GM.

On a couple of occasions, he ran the team’s salaries into the luxury tax range.  He extended Peja Stojakovic’s contract, which saddled the Hornets with an annoying financial burden.

It would be hard to find a GM with a completely spotless resume, and Ferry, West, and Pfund, are certainly not above the occasional lapse in judgment.

There is enough substance to the Jeff Bower story to warrant serious consideration.

Ironically, down in New Orleans, the leading candidate to replace Bower is Kevin Pritchard, and the new Head Coach of the Hornets is former Blazer assistant Monty Williams.

Why not swing a little trade with the Hornets?

KP and Monty for Jeff Bower…(and let’s see if they’ll throw in Darren Collison).

Steve Clarke covers the Portland Trail Blazers for Fanball’s Blazerstrail.com.  He’s on Twitter @SteveClarkeNBA and can be reached via email at sclarke22@hotmail.com

A seemingly humbled Allen Iverson has appealed to all NBA franchises, looking to find a bit-part in any interested team’s rotation.

While it might seem a bit crazy at first glance, acquiring AI might just be the small step the Blazers need to capture the Western Conference crown or maybe even more.

Want to throw opponents’ second units off kilter?  Want to launch a ‘shock-and-awe’ assault on their defenders with an explosive scorer off the bench?  The Answer is simple…Iverson.

Let’s take him at his word and assume he truly has been humbled.  If so, he’d be happy to accept a non-starting gig and bring a solid attack to the Blazers’ second wave.

With his obvious athletic talents, Allen Iverson also carries a certain brand of household recognition which remains surprisingly strong.

Does AI’s name still carry weight with NBA fans?  Check out the roster of last year’s All Star Games, and the 10 prior, where “the Answer” was voted to play in each.  Only Shaq, Kobe, Kevin Garnett, and Tim Duncan have more ASG appearances among active NBA players.

Iverson would come cheap, making him a healthy fit with the Blazers under a one-year deal.  In fact, he can probably be signed for the veteran minimum or just slightly higher.  The Blazers’ souvenir vendors would sell more than enough jerseys to cover his contract value in the first week.

Is he potentially a distraction?  Undoubtedly, yes.  He and his entourage are known to be disruptive to team chemistry.

But could Nate McMillan challenge AI with a crucial bench role, and engage the occasionally petulant legend?  If so, the Answer’s experience could actually have a positive impact on this roster.

And what about Iverson’s wealth of playoff experience?  It is simply not possible to name another free agent still available who has averaged almost 30 points per game in the playoffs over the course of their career.

The Blazers have a tremendous opportunity in 2010-11, and while drastic changes are unlikely, one has to wonder…could the ornery, but talented Iverson be The Answer?

Steve Clarke can be followed on Twitter @SteveClarkeNBA.  Send Steve a note by emailing sclarke22@hotmail.com

ESPN’s Michael Wilbon quizzed the duo about the rationale behind their decisions, answering many of the questions which had been on the minds of NBA fans for weeks, if not months.

But there are still some unanswered questions…

In order to find out the whole truth about Wade and Bosh’s decisions to sign with Miami, we’ll need to feed certain parts of the transcript of the interview through our patented Bullsh*t Translator™.

Wilbon: “The drama’s been high enough, so let’s cut to the chase”
Bullsh*t Translator™: “We’re sick of this crap…what the hell are you doing?”

Wade: “As of now, I’m back in Wade County”
Bullsh*t Translator™: “As of now, I’m skull-numbingly rich.”

Bosh: “I’m joining Mr. Wade in Miami”
Bullsh*t Translator™: “I’m finally free from ridiculous taxes, cold winters, and mediocrity of playing in Toronto”

Wilbon: “Are these final decisions, guys?”
Bullsh*t Translator™: “Please, for the love of God, tell us you won’t change your mind overnight.”

Bosh: “We’re fine. We have a golden opportunity to play together, and we’re going to take advantage of it.”
Bullsh*t Translator™: “We’re fabulously rich. We’ll now have golden toilets, thanks to all of you suckers who buy tickets and merchandise.”

Wade: “Right now, I’m one of the luckiest mans in the NBA…in the world”
Bullsh*t Translator™: “I’m great at basketball, but grammar is not my strong suit.”

Wilbon (to Bosh): “You had a chance to go to Cleveland in a sign-and-trade to be with LeBron.  Why did you turn down that deal?”
Bosh: “I wanted to choose the best situation for me and my family, and Miami was the best decision for me.”
Bullsh*t Translator™: “Seriously, Wilbon…have you ever been to Cleveland?  Not exactly South Beach.”

Wade: “Of course, like every man, you want to be the best dad possible, you want to have every moment with your kids, and that is true, but I couldn’t make this an emotional decision.”
Bullsh*t Translator™: “It’s all about the Benjamins.”

Wilbon: “(there are) reports about you guys talking with LeBron already, saying ‘come on down here and join us’. Where do those discussions stand now, and do you think you’re gonna have him?”
Wade: “Of course we’d love to have LeBron down in Miami – who wouldn’t?”
Bullsh*t Translator™: “If Pat Riley can find some sucker willing to take that nutjob Beasley, we’ll have room to add King James.”

Wade: “We’ll all be in front of the tv tomorrow to wait for (LeBron’s announcement).”
Bullsh*t Translator™: “If you thought the spectacle we made for our announcement was obnoxious, wait until you see what LeBron’s got up his sleeve.”

If Miami is unable to sign LeBron James, reports say they’ve been formulating a “Plan B” which involves the Blazers.

The proposed swap looks a little like this:

Going from Portland to Miami:
Andre Miller
Rudy Fernandez

Going from Miami to Portland:
Michael Beasley
Mario Chalmers
2011 1st round draft pick

It’s fairly obvious why Miami would want to complete this trade.

In one transaction, they end up with an instant backcourt, filling a couple of gaping holes in their roster.  Team them up with Wade, Bosh, and practically any 7-footer with a pulse, and you have an instant contender in the East.

The logic from the Blazers perspective is much less clear.

Removing Miller from the team and replacing him with Mario Chalmers is an instant downgrade.  Look no further than the performances Chalmers put up against the Blazers last year:

December 6th, 2009: 6 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal in over 21 minutes of play
December 20th, 2009: 3 points, 4 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal in over 25 minutes of play

Granted, this is just a microscopic sample size, but it is fairly typical of Chalmers’ production.  For his career, in an average of 28:36 minutes per game, he’s mustered just 8.6 points and 4.2 Assists per game.

He’s hardly the floor general the team needs, and has modest value if they intend to flip him elsewhere.

Beasley is an even more puzzling trade target.

Notorious for his drug transgressions, the first of which involved Chalmers during NBA rookie transition camp, Beasley represents a potential slide back to the Jail Blazers era.

Beasley is a known head case, causing turmoil in the Heat locker room.  He was benched on several occasions not for his on-the-court performance, but for his distractions and disruptions.

Last April, Beasley checked himself into a rehab center to address his off-court issues.  While he should be given credit for this, it fosters concern amongst NBA insiders, who fear a relapse.

Putting aside his off-court issues, what role does he fill with the Blazers?

He’s redundant with the existing roster.  LaMarcus Aldridge has a stronghold on the power forward position, and Nicholas Batum is an emerging star at the small forward spot.  Marcus Camby provides solid backup at the 4/5, and Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla, health permitting, provide excellent production at center.

The only way this trade makes sense for the Blazers is if Batum or Beasley could somehow be packaged off to the Hornets in a massive Chris Paul deal.  The likelihood of such a deal is supposedly minimal, as the Hornets have publicly stated that Paul will not be traded this summer.

Status quo should be the order of the day – this trade doesn’t help the Blazers.  In fact, it might significantly hurt the team’s chances at a Western Conference title this coming year.

There hasn’t been a better chance in recent years for the Blazers to win the West if – and it’s a big IF – they address their point guard situation.

Andre Miller filled the PG spot reasonably well last year, but to build a championship-caliber team, the team needs more than an aging placeholder.  A move must be made.

This year’s free agent crop offers little help at the point, with Raymond Felton seemingly as good as it gets on the open market.

There is, however, one player reported to be available this offseason who would make a massive improvement at the point. Rumors continue to connect the Portland Trail Blazers with the New Orleans Hornets’ meteoric guard Chris Paul.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire a legendary talent.

If he can be had, the Blazers MUST pursue the acquisition of CP3.  Why?

1.  Chris Paul is the total package.

In addition to the charisma and star-power that come with acquiring one of the NBA’s truly elite talents, the former rookie of the year also addresses the Blazers burning need for leadership and defensive intensity.

Remember that not only does Paul average almost 20 points and 10 assists per game for his career, he was also named First Team All-Defensive in 2009, and Second Team All-Defensive in 2008.

2.  Chris Paul fits the Blazers like a glove.

Picture CP3 dribbling the ball upcourt and alley-ooping to a healthy Greg Oden for a thunderous jam.  (Okay, let’s not go too crazy…)

An uptempo guard with almost psychic court-sense would elevate the games of incumbents Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge and offset some of the team’s defensive challenges at the two guard.

Quite simply put, CP3 was made to be a Blazer.

3.  Players this talented are rarely available at such a bargain price.

Here’s a simple fact.  There has never, and may never again, be an opportunity to acquire Chris Paul for this price.  The Blazers simply need to find a way to do it.

There has been speculation that he could be had for something like:
Nicholas Batum
Andre Miller
Luke Babbitt
Dante Cunningham
Future 1st Rounder

There has been speculation that Marcus Camby, or – get this – Greg Oden would need to be included in the trade, adding Emeka Okafor to the package coming back.  Regardless, these are all hypotheticals which would need to be adjusted to meet the NBA’s salary cap regulations.

No matter the package, the Blazers must seize this chance, provided it doesn’t disrupt the core of Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge.

4.  The time is right to win the West.

This is prime time for the Blazers to step up.  Their opponents are bruised and battered, and a supersized window of opportunity has opened.

The Lakers, fresh off their championship run are forced to face the possibility of life without Andrew Bynum early next year.  The Mavericks and Spurs are getting creakier and older by the day, and Phoenix has just lost the athleticism of Amar’e Stoudemire.

Chris Paul is the man to catapult the Blazers past the crowd.

5.  You can’t win an NBA Championship without 3 legit superstars

Look at the past 4 NBA Champions, and you’ll see a clear pattern…
2007 San Antonio Spurs: Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili
2008 Boston Celtics: Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce
2009 L.A. Lakers: Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum
2010 L.A. Lakers: Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Ron Artest

Each of the last 4 NBA Championship teams has had 3 all-star caliber players in the starting lineup.  They’ve consistently beaten teams with less star power.  Take the 2006-07 Spurs who defeated a Cavs team with LeBron James and little elst.  The 2009 Lakers finished off a Magic team featuring Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, and a handful of bit-players.

A core of LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy is an excellent place to start, but another superstar would elevate this team into the NBA’s elite overnight.  We can all hope for Greg Oden to fulfil his potential and step into the superstar role, but this is a wish which is far from guaranteed to be granted.

On the other hand, Chris Paul is a defensive specialist, a floor general, and an explosive scorer…all of which would do a world of wonders for the Blazers.

The days ahead will determine who is hired to replace Kevin Pritchard and lead the team in the coming years.  Clearly, the key priority for the successful candidate would be to address the PG position with a long-term solution.

There is simply no better way to do it than through the acquisition of an immensely talented thoroughbred named Chris Paul.