Jan. 6, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Wesley Matthews during game against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Trail Blazers 102-77. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

As all 30 teams prepare for the 2013 NBA Draft, each will have tough decisions ahead of them. For Portland, one of these decisions revolves around starting shooting guard, Wesley Matthews. The Blazers currently hold what will likely be the 10^th first round pick, but sources indicate that they may be looking to move up so they can draft Indiana’s Victor Oladipo. Oladipo is considered a top 5 prospect, and a very talented defensive guard.

This potential move would more than likely leave Wesley Matthews with a one-way ticket out of Portland. There is little sense in drafting a guard of Oladipo’s caliber just to bring him off of a crowded bench; and even less sense in benching Matthews to avoid such an option. Wesley is certainly valuable enough to receive some attention in the trade market, so who might be looking to make a deal?

The Phoenix Suns are projected to get the 4^th pick in the draft lottery, right around where Oladipo will likely be selected. With the 3^rd worst 3PT% in the NBA and a roster that seems compiled in the dark, Matthews would bring much needed efficiency to their squad. Who knows? Maybe the Blazers could finagle a deal for Phoenix center, Marcin Gortat, if they put a little more on the table.

Wesley is under contract with the Blazers for two more seasons and is owed a combined $14 million for them. While not a mammoth amount by NBA standards, that is still a chunk of change worth talking about. Phoenix has the need, the resources, and the space to acquire Matthews from Portland on draft night. Although I would personally hate to see him go, it could be just what the Blazers needs.

Let me explain where I’m coming from. Although Wesley is arguably worth more to Portland than yet another rookie, the difference between a veteran and a rookie contract should be taken into account. If the Blazers can unload Matthews’ $7M contract, they will have more money to spend on free agents. A Matthews/Oladipo swap would pay dividends if the price difference allowed Portland to bring in the pieces they need. Let’s not discount Victor either; he’d pay his own in due time.

So the Blazers stand at a crossroad. They can spin the wheel of fate in the name change, or they can pass and hone their existing skills. The draft can be your best friend or your worst enemy. For Wesley Matthews, it’s dangerously disguised.

@davidmackaypdx | @ripcityproject | davidmackaypdx@gmail.com

May 16, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Shabazz Muhammad is interviewed during the NBA Draft combine at Harrison Street Athletics Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Muhammad was considered to be the number 1 high school player of 2012 and has spent his time since with UCLA. Now he is ready to join the professional ranks. The NBA draft combine began today, in Chicago, and the Blazers wasted no time getting acquainted with the star shooting guard to-be.

Not only was Muhammad receptive to the notion of joining the Blazers, he seemed legitimately excited at the possibility, citing the ways in which he could complement Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge. He even had the team-first, learning mentality I like to see in a young player:

“I really want to help them in that position, and not even come in and try to score a lot; I want to come in and learn, and if it comes in a slow start pace at first, I mean, it’s a great situation for me and I think I can do a really good job there.”

(Video) – CSNNW

It is not even unrealistic for Portland to scoop him up with the 10^th pick. Sure, it’s still a stretch, but teams have voiced their concerns regarding his fundamental mechanics. While this will negatively impact his draft position, it is not the worst thing in the world. Consider that the Blazers just hired Assistant Coach, Nate Tibbetts, who specializes in player development, to work with any incoming rookies. So if Muhammad were to slip to 10 (a distinct possibility at this point) Portland has the resources to restructure his weak spots.

Suddenly, the draft has become very interesting for the Blazers. General Manager, Neil Olshey, has made it known that Portland’s picks are up for grabs if the right deal comes along, but the #10 selection just got more attractive. If they can snag Muhammad that late in a weak draft, I doubt they would hesitate to do so.

Muhammad averaged 17.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game this year.

@davidmackaypdx | @ripcityproject | davidmackaypdx@gmail.com

April 7, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts watches his team play against Dallas Mavericks in the first half at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

Nate McMillan’s legacy in Portland is surprisingly easy to sum up in one word: pace. Or rather, his teams’ complete lack thereof. If I were to sum up his legacy with six numbers, they would be: 30, 30, 30, 29, 29, and 28. Those were the ranks of pace (out of 30 teams) that his teams in Portland played at during his six full seasons.

Seeing how pace is just a fancy term for the number of possessions that a team has per game, a simpler way to put it would be: slow. McMillan’s Blazer teams played at roughly snail’s pace, and that might be shortchanging the snails.

To be clear, this is not inherently a bad thing by any stretch. As you can surmise, if there are fewer possessions in a game, there are fewer opportunities for the other team to score. This is generally a great thing for elite defensive teams – they trust themselves to come up with enough stops to see them through to a win.

There was a flaw in this plan, though. A chink in the armor if you will: the Blazers were never a great defensive team under McMillan. While at first glance the points allowed per game may have looked gaudy (remember this is skewed by the lack of possessions), the far more important points allowed per possession stat during McMillan’s tenure was downright awful at its worst (third worst in the league in 05-06) and dead average (13^th in 08-09) at its best.

Offense, which was never considered McMillan’s forte, was actually a strength during the latter part of his tenure – his final three full-season teams in Portland were all top ten offensive units. In fact, in 08-09, Portland led the league in offensive rating, scoring at a blistering 1.139 points per possession. (Brandon Roy, we miss you dearly).

We all know what happened soon after. The basketball fates decided to rob Portland of The Natural, the lockout happened, throw in a little Raymond Felton and Jamal Crawford mutiny, and next thing you know McMillan was out of a job and Terry Stotts was introduced as the new head coach.

One thing immediately stands out when comparing the two hires: McMillan came in with some sort of winning pedigree (three winning seasons out of five in Seattle), while Stotts had never actually had a winning record with a team as a head coach (before the Blazers he was in Atlanta and Milwaukie).

That’s in the past, though. What matters is production now. And in his first season, Stotts didn’t do much to assuage my worries about his lack of past success. He led the team to the fifth worst defensive rating in the league (26^th out of 30) and the 15^th best offensive rating. The average positions under McMillan were 13.6^th in the league for offensive rating and 17.2^nd for defensive rating.

I need to pull myself back and not get caught too far up in the numbers, though. The man has only had one season to prove himself, and I fully expect things to pick up. In addition to being new, he also inherited a team that had quite a tumultuous previous season (the aforementioned mutiny and mid-season coaching change).

Stotts has thankfully shedded McMillan’s plodding pace. This is a most welcome change. The Blazers were only the 13^th slowest team in the league this year, which is absolutely a move in the right direction. With a burgeoning young star at point guard, and a legitimate stretch four who could swing to the five, this is only logical. Another facet to this is the Blazers’ age – no two websites could agree, but by my best calculations the Blazers were the 6^th youngest team in the league this season. Running is not a problem, and I am happy to see Stotts loosen the reins.

On the other hand, some areas must unquestionably be improved under Stotts. This starts with opponents’ field goal percentage. As David detailed here, the Blazers were second worst in the league in this respect this season. Opponents shot a scathing 47.4% from the field against the Blazers, a number that is higher than any Blazers team under McMillan allowed, and not even remotely sustainable if the team wants to have any lasting success.

Believe me – no one is happy with this number. I am sure players and coaches alike are well-aware of where they ranked, and I expect to see a concerted effort to tighten up the D next season. With one full Blazer season under his belt, I look forward to seeing what Stotts can accomplish next year.

@ripcityproject