Even before the NBA Lottery, there were reports and speculation that the team who ended up with the top pick in the 2007 Draft would also attempt to acquire Mike Conley to pair with Greg Oden.  On Thursday, Yahoo! reported that the Blazers are already looking for ways to make that dream come true for the Ohio State/AAU/Lawrence North friends and teammates.

No team was better suited to make a deal for Conley than the Trailblazers and no team is better suited to oblige than the Atlanta Hawks.

The deal would center around LaMarcus Aldridge and Jarrett Jack for Mike Conley.

In Jack, the Hawks receive a big bodied point guard who is NBA tested and will not demand a high volume of scoring opportunities.  It is clear he is a huge upgrade over Tyronn Lue and Speedy Claxton and would be the glue of a very talented nucleus, which includes the overlooked Joe Johnson, who averaged 25 points per game last season.  Not to be discounted is his status in Atlanta as a player who helped lead Georgia Tech to the Championship Game in 2005.

The big incentive to send Conley to Portland is of course Aldridge.  Aldridge is just one year removed from being the second overall pick and he fits a position need for the Hawks that Brandan Wright, Yi Jianlian, Al Hoford and Corey Brewer obviously do not.  

If Aldridge would have returned to Austin for his Junior season and was in this year?s draft, there is no question that he would be Atlanta?s choice with the third pick.

Is trading Aldridge for Conley worth the price for Portland?  It uncertainly is if they decide Zach Randolph is the power forward they want to play alongside Oden.  Randolph will still be only 26 years old at the start of the 2007-2008 season and had an excellent campaign last year, averaging 23.7 and 10.  When Randolph is healthy, he is one of the best five power forwards in the game and is a more effective complement to Oden than Aldridge.  

And the proof of Conley?s ability to be Oden?s running mate is evident in tapes of hundreds of games they have already won together.

Both the Portland and Atlanta teams outlined below will be better suited to win and to win immediately than if they preserve the status quo.  These two trading partners could even be rewarded with meetings in the Finals very soon.

Starting-Five For Each Team

Portland
PG: Mike Conley
SG: Brandon Roy
SF: Travis Outlaw
PF: Zach Randolph
C: Greg Oden

Atlanta
PG: Jarrett Jack
SG: Joe Johnson
SF: Marvin Williams
PF: Josh Smith
C: LaMarcus Aldridge