Blazer fans: Check out this article about CJ McCollum (scroll down to section 2: entitled: Which young guard do you expect to make the top 30 within the next two years.)

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/page/nbarank5on520682346/5-5-experts-joel-embiid-lonzo-ball-devin-booker-more-rising-stars-nbarank

In my opinion, these types of national articles that are starting to come in lauding CJ's talents in addition to a slew of others about Dame, are not only feel good grub for the blazer fan's sole, they are reason for optimism about Portland's near future ability to attract free agent talent. You can argue all you want about Portland's geography, perceived lack of diversity, the Oregon income tax, and a host of other reasons cited in the recent past regarding Portland's inability to attract free agents. In spite of a recent article on BE stating otherwise, who can argue with the fact that talent, chance of ongoing publicity, and perceived success have their own gravity?

Case in point: Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Lebron James, LA, Chandler Parsons (went with the team more likely to be successful), among a host of others. Some of these players (Durant, Lebron, Gary Payton, Karl Malone) pursued teams where they are as virtually assured of winning a championship as possible. Others, such as CP3, LA, and Melo, seek situations in which they reasonably believe their addition will tip the scale to drive a team toward conference finals and an eventual championship. Players instinctively know that national publicity in addition to relative team success are the ultimate determinants of long term income and, more importantly, impact on the game.

Congrats to CJ for battling thru the NBA fog that mired his early NBA career and coming out on the other side, a beacon of light for Portland and potential NBA talent.

Do you feel that additional media focus on Portland will help land us big name free agents in the future?