"To add four players probably isn't realistic unless a major trade is made. And I'm not so sure getting younger is at the top of our list," Pritchard told HOOPSWORLD recently.
"We look at picks as liquid assets. But since they are liquid, they are very movable. They can be traded; you can take a couple picks and move up or move down. What I look at is it gives me the flexibility to do a lot of things.
"We probably won't add four players, but it isn't out of the realm of possibility."
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"I look at the draft as risk assessment as much as anything," said Pritchard who is racking up the frequent flier miles on scouting trips during March. "We all like to say that we are basketball experts but in truth, it is somewhat a black box. You just don't know exactly how it is going to turn out. But you do background work, you evaluate the talent, you look at what the kid is like on and off the court, and hopefully you make good decisions.
"If you make good decisions the draft can be a wonderful thing. But no one is perfect in this business."
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Although Pritchard said adding four new players to the Blazers roster "isn't out of the realm of possibility," you wonder what would happen if Portland's GM decides to add a player or two to the mix.
Knowing the Blazers already have a large talent pool overseas with forward/center Joel Freeland, guard Petteri Koponen and swingman Rudy Fernandez, don't think for a second drafting another Euro talent isn't out of the question.
It would simply mean one more player gaining experience and learning the game in the European League, instead of sitting at the end of an NBA or NBDL bench.
"(Europe has) been very good to us in the past and we feel we've got some guys that could come over next year and step in and make an impact immediately," Pritchard admitted.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=7917
