<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Those coming in to workout for the Blazers today: Ronnie Brewer, Guard (Arkansas); Rodney Carney, Forward (Memphis); Thomas Gardner, Guard (Jefferson H.S./Missouri); Ryan Hollins, Center (UCLA); Alexander Johnson, Forward (Florida State). I saw Carney during the NCAA Tournament. He's a very long, very athletic player who knows how to get to the rim. Reminds me of Darius Miles with a much, much better head on his shoulders. I think he'll eventually be an NBA starter. I don't think he's the Blazers pick in the Top 5, but he'll go somewhere between 7-15. Hold that thought. Ronnie Brewer is long, athletic, a really terrific defensive guard. I expect Nate McMillan will fall in love with him during today's workout. He's going to have a good NBA career because he can flat defend, and has freaky length for a guy in the back court. He's 6-foot-7. Like Carney, he's not a Top 5 pick, but will go in the late lottery. Hold that thought. Alexander Johnson is the wildcard here. He's a super athletic PF who reportedly has this bizarre 40-inch vertical jump. He's an amazing offensive rebounder. Amazing. He'd be a nice fit for the Blazers, who need depth in the front court. He has great feet, and leaned down from 250 to 225 in the last year, and his upside is really interesting. I mean, REALLY interesting in the way that makes me think, with a little luck, Johnson could be a steal for someone. With Joel Przybilla's free-agent plans unknown, I expect Portland would love to get their hands on Johnson with a second pick in the first round for depth reasons alone. The tricky part? I don't see Johnson being available when the Blazers are slotted to pick again (No. 30 and 31). I think he'll go in the mid-20s somewhere. All of the above makes me really wonder what the Blazers are up to. Is it possible they're just working this bunch out in the event that someone slips down the board? Or in case there's a flurry of trades that shake up the order? Or is there more going on here? Because I wonder if Portland's chief aim right now is to package Nos. 30 and 31 (a non-guaranteed pick) in exchange for a higher first-round pick somewhere in the 20s. Stay tuned.</div> Source
