Mark Humphrey / AP file

Ohio State freshman center Greg Oden will be taken with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft and that team, in this case, the Blazers, will play for the championship in the next five or six years, writes MSNBC.com contributor Sam Smith.

The consensus No. 2 pick is Texas freshman Kevin Durant, a perimeter shooting specialist who was the dominant collegiate player and should easily surpass Oden's statistics early in their NBA careers. But with so few centers and given the importance of a post player and the rarity of post players in this era, Oden should be a unanimous No. 1.

But Durant, personnel directors say, is so good that you could build a team around him despite not being a center, similar to the Cavs with James and the Bulls with Jordan. Durant is a player who will require considerable defensive help and with time and maturity could be the dominant player to lead a team.

There doesn't appear to be that kind of player after No. 2.

The general view is Florida's Al Horford and North Carolina's Brandan Wright come after the top two, though neither is close to being a finished product or a major impact player quickly. There are a few good center prospects in Spencer Hawes of Washington, Roy Hibbert of Georgetown and Joakim Noah of Florida. Oden's college teammate, Mike Conley, is a good point guard, and Florida's Corey Brewer and Georgetown's Jeff Green are nice wing prospects.

They will be nice rotation players within the next few years.

There only are two players, though, with predicted stardom.

Only a few times a decade do these players come along at the top of a draft. There was James in 2003 and while Dwight Howard is elite, no one was quite sure if he was better than Emeka Okafor. Michael Olowokandi was No. 1 in 1998 because he was a center as was Andrew Bogut in 2005. There was Andrea Bargnani last year in a weak draft for big guys.

Kenyon Martin and Elton Brand have been All-Stars as No. 1 picks, but not good enough to build teams around and sustain. Allen Iverson, Joe Smith, Glenn Robinson, Chris Webber, Larry Johnson, Derrick Coleman, Pervis Ellison and Danny Manning were the eight No. 1 overall picks from 1988 through 1996 around O'Neal. Not exactly much to get excited about.

But with players like Oden and Durant, a team can begin to dream immediately, which means its fans do, which also means its accountants do.

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In 1997, the Celtics were pretty much dumping games for the worst record and best shot at Duncan. The lottery balls failed for them and they fell to No. 3. Then coach Rick Pitino offered everyone on his roster for the No. 1 pick. The Spurs were polishing their trophies in their minds.

Expect the Blazers to start getting offers for No. 1. It's a feeding frenzy when a potential star center is available.

But it's not like Oden is Russell, Chamberlain or Abdul-Jabbar. He's very good, but more the defensive player now. Though he looks 35, he's still a kid and quiet, not the vocal court leader. It will take time. Champions aren't built in a day.

But a team can start the foundation in a day. And that was Tuesday.

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Nathan Denette / AP

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