Paul Allen's riches keep stocking Kevin Pritchard's cupboards, don't they? Last June, the Blazers bought James Jones and the pick which became Rudy Fernandez from the cash-strapped Suns. On Tuesday, word got out that Pritchard had pilfered away the #27 pick from New Orleans for the standard fee of $3 million.

Recent dispatches from the excellent Hornets 24/7 indicated N.O. didn't seem too likely to fall in love with any prospects expected to be available, so the sale of the pick isn't surprising. The identity of the buyer, though, is a bit surprising. As Henry Abbott notes, Portland already has too many players and too many picks (three second-rounders this year, plus #13 overall). Plain as day, Pritchard looks like he wants to move up into the top-10, possibly to grab either Joe Alexander or D.J. Augustin, both of whom impressed in workouts.

Maybe that's not the play at all, though. Here's my crackpot spoon theory: Allen wants to tap into the European market in a big way, so he's building a second pro basketball roster with the aim of purchasing a Europe-based club. He could stock the Blazers and the Euro club each summer based on needs out of his pool of 20 or so players (plus whatever free agents he needs). Raef LaFrentz and Channing Frye would destroy the Adriatic League!