Go North, Young Man

Brandon Burton was drafted as expected, albeit later than expected. Burton (pictured here beating first-round pick Jon Baldwin to the ball) was projected to go as high as the third round, but that distinction went to Utah State's Curtis Marsh instead. Burton had to wait until the fifth round to hear his name called by the Minnesota Vikings at #139 overall.

Forty picks later another Ute was drafted by a team from the NFC North. The Green Bay Packers used the first of three sixth round picks to acquire Caleb Schlauderaff at #179 overall. Schlauderaff and Sherrod (Green Bay's first round pick) will be tasked with protecting Aaron Rodgers, one of the league's best (and most concussed) quarterbacks.

Burton will also have some company with the Vikings, as they drafted a second Burton: wide receiver Stephen Burton from West Texas A&M. Minnesota also has ProUte wide receiver Freddie Brown on the practice squad.

Sealver Siliga had been projected as a late sixth or seventh round pick but he, Matt Asiata, and Zane Taylor were not drafted. Normally players in their situation would be signed as free agents following the draft, but the lockout will block that route into the league. Other possibilities might include Arena Football or the UFL in the interim.

First Round Exit

The post-season is over for Portland, as they were defeated by Dallas last night. It is the seventh time in Andre Miller's career that his team has made a first round exit. Miller played well in the series, shooting 49% from the field, 40% from 3 point range, and 79% from the foul line. He averaged 14.8 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game, with his best game coming in game 5 at Dallas. When his teammates struggled on the offensive end Miller stepped up his scoring and led the Blazers with 18 points and 7 assists. He was named the Most Dependable Player of the game by the broadcasters.

Jason Quick of The Oregonian wrote a fine profile of Miller and the origins of his determination, which has led to his longevity and productivity in the NBA. The TrailBlazers have until June 30th to exercise their option to extend Miller's longevity and productivity in Portland. Considering how the Blazers were beset by injuries this season, $7.8 million is a reasonable price for a dependable point guard who rarely misses a game.

Boones A-Blaze

Receiver Aaron Boone, who played his college ball at Kentucky, broke one team record and tied another in last night's 69-62 win against the Spokane Shock. Boone became the all-time leader in receiving yards, surpassing Siaha Burley, and tied Burley's record for most touchdown catches. He is drawing plenty of attention for his record-setting performance, but he's not the only Boone catching passes from Tommy Grady this season. Aaron's younger (and larger) brother Jason, a 6'5", 300 lb. offensive lineman sporting the unusual number 8 in order to be pass-eligible, has also caught a few balls. He doesn't have Aaron's (#1) gaudy numbers (57 catches, 699 yards, 16 TDs in five games), but he has caught 6 passes for 41 yards, including a TD in the season opener. The big fella is displaying some versatility, filling a similar role that Ed Ta'amu played last year for the AFL champion Shock.

Fellow ProUte Tommy Grady is off to a big start, completing 138 of 215 throws for 1,532 yards and 33 TDs with only 4 INTs. Gabe Long has posted 10 tackles and 2 sacks for the Blaze defense, while Corey Dodds remains on injured reserve. The Blaze are 3-2 on the season, already an improvement over last season's 2-14 record. One can only wonder how good they would be if they added a third Boone: Aaron and Jason's brother Jesse, who is Long's teammate on the Las Vegas Locos of the UFL.

7000 Club

Andre Miller had 12 assists in a 98-87 win over the Jazz last night, putting him over 7,000 for his career. Miller became the 14th player in NBA history to reach the 7,000 mark, and fittingly he did it in Utah. Miller needs 86 assists to pass Tim Hardaway for 13th all-time, and he trails another TrailBlazer great, Terry Porter, by 150. At his average of 7.2 apg he could catch Porter in roughly 21 games. Hopefully Portland makes it to the Western Conference finals so he can achieve it before a potential lockout puts it out of reach!

The playoffs are out of reach for the Milwaukee Bucks, so the season is already over for Andrew Bogut. He will rest his elbow in preparation for another surgery. Bogut only appeared in 65 games this season, but he was productive when he played. He averaged 12.8 points, 11.1 rebounds (including a career-high 27 against Miami in January), and a league-leading 2.58 blocks per game. That's right - Andrew Bogut led the league in blocks per game. Not Dwight Howard (#3 at 2.4), not Serge Ibaka (#4 at 2.37), not even the surprising JaVale McGee (#2 at 2.44), but Andrew Bogut with his sore elbow. Check out this highlight video of a few of his 168 blocks this season.