PORTLAND, Ore. -- Paul Allen was in Europe when the NBA
draft lottery was held, and fell asleep before finding out where
the Trail Blazers would select.
With a 5 percent chance of getting the top pick, Allen figured
his team would probably land somewhere in the middle of the top 10.
When he woke up, he consulted the Internet and couldn't believe
his eyes.
"It says, 'Blazers Win Draft Lottery.' I did a double take.
Like, wait a minute, am I still asleep?" he said.
Allen, the enigmatic co-founder of Microsoft who has owned the
Blazers for 19 years, has since immersed himself in the process
leading up to Thursday night's NBA draft.
Last week he watched as the Blazers worked out the probable top
two picks, 7-foot center Greg Oden out of Ohio State and versatile
forward Kevin Durant from Texas.
"This gives us an incredible opportunity to improve our
franchise for the next decade. So obviously it's something we have
to be extremely careful about," he said. "But this is a lot of
fun, to have the first pick in the draft, which certainly we
haven't had since I've been the owner."
The Blazers have the top pick for the first time since 1978,
when they chose center Mychal Thompson of Minnesota.
Last year, Portland made six draft-day moves, landing exciting
first-rounders Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and guard Sergio
Rodriguez. Roy went on to be named the league's Rookie of the Year.
It has been said that last year's draft led to Allen's renewed
fervor for the team. In the months before that, the franchise's
future was in turmoil.
The Blazers were burdened with a high payroll and a sullied
reputation from several years of player arrests and bad behavior.
Fans had turned away from the once-beloved team that won the NBA
championship in 1977.
And Allen had relinquished control of the Rose Garden Arena by
declaring it bankrupt in 2004, so there were no revenues from
things like luxury boxes.
It got so bad that Allen said in early 2006 the team was
hemorrhaging money, and he could be forced to sell it.
A couple of months after last year's draft, Allen, without
explanation, pulled the team off the market. Over the course of
last season excitement grew surrounding Roy, Aldridge and Rodriguez
-- and Allen reacquired the Rose Garden.
Then Portland landed the top pick.
"If you compare this organization from a year ago today, it's
like 180 degrees -- maybe more than 180 degrees," Allen said.
Like everyone else in the Blazers organization, Allen was not
hinting about whether the team was leaning toward Oden or Durant.
Oden averaged 15.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.3 rebounds while
leading Ohio State to the national championship game, even though
he was limited for much of the season while recovering from right
wrist surgery.
Durant led the Big 12 with 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per
game, and was the AP Player of the Year.
"You look at Kevin Durant and you think he might be able to
lead the league in scoring before too many years are passed. You
think about Greg Oden and how you might have the top center in the
league in a few years, so those are very exciting prospects either
way we end up making our decision," Allen said.
General manager Kevin Pritchard was at the Blazers' practice
facility on Wednesday morning, where he spoke briefly to reporters.
"I think we have a good feeling right now," he said.
Allen will be holed up with other team executives in the
so-called "War Room" at the practice facility during the draft,
while the team throws a party for fans at the Rose Garden. The next
day, a rally is scheduled to celebrate in downtown Portland.
"It's just going to be so much fun in the Rose Garden the next
few years," Allen said. "I'm just about jumping out of my skin
just waiting for summer league to start."