The Trailblazers acquired forward Nicolas Batum from the Rockets in a trade last night. Batum is only 19 years old but he’s been playing pro ball in France. He has played in 89 games (15 starts) as a pro and he has averaged 7.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. The Blazers generally now what they’re doing when they draft players outside of the United States so you have to give them the benefit of the doubt on this one.

The Trailblazers just couldn’t resist making a trade with the Pacers to get the player they wanted in the draft all along. Jerryd Bayless will likely be the perfect running mate in the backcourt for Brandon Roy. He is 6′3″, 200 pounds so he will be able to post up some smaller guards and he’s very fast with the ball. He’s not a pure point guard however as he likes to get his points too. Bayless played in 30 games (all starts) in his freshman year at Arizona and he averaged 19.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Watch out for the Blazers this coming up season.

The Trailblazers acquired rookie point guard Jerryd Bayless and power forward Ike Diogu from the Pacers for guard Jarrett Jack, rookie shooting guard Brandon Rush and F/C Josh McRoberts. The Traiblazers will give Bayless every chance to win the starting point guard job this season and give Brandon Roy a running mate that can keep up with him. Diogu is a 24-year old power forward who is very strong at 6′8″, 255 pounds. Diogu has a huge upside as he is a very talented player. He just hasn’t gotten much of a chance to show what he can do on the court. Diogu played in 30 games (1 start) last season for the Pacers and he averaged 10.3 minutes, 5.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Diogu has now played in 158 games (17 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 13.3 minutes, 6.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Look for Diogu to have increased minutes for the Blazers this season and he will produce. This was a good trade for the Trailblazers.