Oden selected as first pick in NBA draft

 The Portland Trail Blazers got Greg Oden and felt like they won a championship.
    The Seattle SuperSonics settled for Kevin Durant—thrilling fans disappointed by the trade of all-star Ray Allen to Boston.
    The Trail Blazers ended months of debate last night when they chose Oden over fellow college freshman Durant with the No. 1 pick in a highly-anticipated NBA draft.
    Portland opted for the seven-footer who can dominate a game with his defence over the sensational scoring of Durant, who would have been the No. 1 pick in many other years after one of the most outstanding freshman seasons in NCAA history.
    But franchise centres are hard to find—and most believe the Blazers got one.
    “I was on the phone with the radio station back in Portland,” Oden said. “They said they stomped the floor like they won the NBA championship once they called my name.”
    Fans rushed the court at the Rose Garden, where a perennial playoff team has fallen on hard times after some worse behaviour.
    But the Blazers got Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy last year, and got an early start on having next season’s winner when they grabbed Oden to play alongside LaMarcus Aldridge.
    “They did have a bad [reputation], but I think Brandon and LaMarcus kind of turned that around,” Oden said. “I hope that I can come and just push that along some more.”
    Even with Durant, feelings weren’t quite the same in Seattle.
    Moments after he was picked, Durant saw on TV that the SuperSonics had traded Allen, their leading scorer, to Boston. Fans booed the Allen trade at a draft party for the Sonics, who still face losing Rashard Lewis to free agency.
    The 6’9” Durant—wearing an orange tie to match Texas’ colours—doesn’t consider himself the Sonics’ saviour.
    “Not at all, not at all,” Durant said. “When you play since you were eight or nine years old, you know the game is not a one-man sport.
    “I’m far from being a saviour.”
    Portland also made a deal—clearing room in the middle for Oden by trading Zach Randolph to New York. The Blazers also sent Fred Jones and Dan Dickau to the Knicks for Steve Francis and Channing Frye.
    The Pacific Northwest rivals got an immediate jump-start to their rebuilding plans by moving up in last month’s lottery to grab the top two picks. Though this is considered the deepest draft in years, Oden and Durant were regarded as the only can’t-miss players.
    The Atlanta Hawks used the No. 3 pick—their first of two in the lottery—on Al Horford, who saluted the pro-Florida crowd with the Gator chomp.
    The two-time defending NCAA champions became the first school with three players selected in the top 10 of the same draft.