BLAZERS: Fred Jones trade addressed

So many developments in Blazers basketball this summer. #1 draft pick Greg Oden will be fun to watch develop. I was also extremely excited to see the team move top scorer, Zach Randolph for 3 primary reasons: 1) He is a knucklehead and an embarrassment to the team off the court. 2) He is not a #1 option on a NBA contender. 3) LaMarcus Aldridge needs his minutes. Aldridge is going to straight blowuptuate this year.

However, as part of the transaction on draft day, I was disappointed that Fred Jones was to be part of the collateral. We picked up a solid player in Channing Frye - and additional space allowed the James Jones acquisition, but Fred was one of my favorite players. I was glad to see someone in the media finally address the issue. Mike Barrett took the issue straight on in the comment section of his blog. Well thought-out analysis:

"No one wanted to see Fred traded, and it was unfortunate. I talked to Dan Dickau after the trade, and he was surprised because he was told, by his agent, he and Freddie weren't even part of the original deal that had Zach going to New York. Things changed, and when the Knicks changed their demands, Dan and Freddie had to be moved to make the deal work. If you were the GM would you have let a demand that Fred being involved in the trade be a deal breaker in something potentially as big as this? I'm not saying you're wrong if that's the case. But, that's what it came down to. There are tough choices that have to be made in this business, and that wasn't an easy one. And, as much as I like Freddie, and I got to know him personally, to get Zach moved, and get Channing Frye, and James Jones here, I still make that trade. At the end of the day, Pritchard's job is to put this team in the best possible position to win a championship. Second guess the moves if you want, but the goal can't be questioned. The true value of that deal is what it will mean financially for the Blazers summer after next, when they're going to be way under the salary cap and in a position to go after some big-time free agents. That's why this deal was so important. I know how much Fred did for the Ducks, but should that outweigh the goals for this Blazer franchise in the future? Really, one has nothing to do with the other. As badly as Freddie wanted to be here, I'm confident he understands this business. It's not like Pritchard and his staff went out of their way to ruin Freddie. They helped him get out of a situation in Toronto he wanted to be out of. When the Blazers won the lottery it changed everything, and that's what it boils down to. Oden's acquisition gave them opportunity and flexibility, and certainly changed the direction of this team for the better. When an opportunity came to move Zach and bring in the people they did, it was too much to pass up, even if it meant trading a guy like Freddie, who they were not looking to move."