Oden Is No.1 Draft Pick

Blazers, Sonics both deal veteran stars after acquiring top two draft prospects
By Jesse Andrews,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 29, 2007 4:13 AM CDT
Oden Is No.1 Draft Pick
Ohio State's Greg Oden, right, poses for a photo with NBA commissioner David Stern after being selected by Portland Trail Blazers as the first pick overall in the 2007 NBA Draft, Thursday, June 28, 2007, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)   (Associated Press)

Portland chose conventional wisdom over daring in the 2007 NBA draft, picking defense-first Ohio State center Greg Oden over Texas's scoring prodigy Kevin Durant. Division rival Seattle nabbed Durant and traded the team's leading scorer, Ray Allen, to Boston for two players and the draft's #5 pick, which became Georgetown forward Jeff Green.

Portland also moved talented but troubled 6'11" forward Zach Randolph to the Knicks, resolving a glut in their frontcourt caused by Oden. Said the star center of Durant: "I know we're going to be connected for a long time.... I'd love to win more championships than him." (More NBA stories.)

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