Finished

Yesterday I drove up to Eugene and turned in my packet of paperwork. That means I am finished with my licensure program at the University of Oregon. I'm still pretty giddy about it, so much so that students were getting pretty frustrated with me this morning as they walked in to take their math final. I still have some things to get done, mainly relating to my new job in Compton, the move from here, and getting rid of my old car. It is so nice to be finished with my program. I also will have to finish my M.Ed soon, but that's not as frustrating to me because it involves more classes and research and writing, the stuff I like.

Blazer's Edge is doing a really cool mock draft right now, and the Blazers have pulled off three trades during it. I'm not sure I would be very happy if Portland did that in reality, but it's still a really cool idea that is being executed well. Portland's lineup for next year, considering the mock draft and the trades, looks like this:

PG Andre Miller/Sergio Rodriguez/Dan Dickau
SG Brandon Roy/Martell Webster/Freddie Jones
SF Kyle Korver/Julian Wright/Ime Udoka
PF LaMarcus Aldridge/Travis Outlaw/Raef LaFrentz
C Greg Oden/Steven Hunter/(Raef LaFrentz)

Of course this assumes the re-signing of Outlaw and Udoka, and doesn't include the next pick in the mock draft, which the Blazers just acquired. With the draft pick added in the Blazers would have 16 men on their roster (including Darius Miles). That is one more than they can carry, so either Miles would have to retire, the team would have to cut someone, or they would have to make a two-for-one deal. Regardless, I hope they use this mock draft pick to select Rudy Fernández. Draftexpress says this about him:

Rudy Fernández is a talented and skilled shooting guard who shows almost every characteristic that a player at his position should display. He's very intense and plays the game with passion. Gifted with very nice athleticism, his main strength is his versatility in the offensive end. The kid can flat out shoot the ball, including three-pointers, with polished mechanics and a good quick release. A clear clue of his ability is his remarkable free throw percentage. Also, his shot selection is very efficient.

This one is from the new Rookiepedia:

A very good athlete, who is able to use his quickness to get to the hoop, and jumping ability to finish strong. Good ball handler and passer, who could run the offense at least part time. Solid shooter with legit 3 point range. Good basketball IQ. Always plays under control, and has an excellent first step, which he understands how to use.

Each of these sites compares Fernández to Kevin Martin, with Rookiepedia also comparing him favorably to Cuttino Mobley and Manu Ginobili, and DraftExpress saying that Martin is the best case comparison while Sasha Vujacic is the worst case comparison. I like this guy, and if the Blazers really do go crazy with trades again to get three picks, I like him as the third after Oden and Wright.