The Portland Trailblazers are building themselves a factory. And they are producing talented young basketball players at an alarming rate. The NBA draft came and went once again Thursday night, and the Blazers came out smelling like a rose, even though they didn't pick one.

With the 13th pick in the first round, Portland selected guard Brandon Rush. They then managed to put together a package deal sending Rush on his way out along with Jarrett Jack to the Pacers for talented combo guard Jerryd Bayless. This to me, was a coup of sorts, as Bayless was considered by many leading up to the draft as a top five talent.

But the Bayless deal was far from the end of their dealings. In fact GM Kevin Pritchard was quite busy last night. Later in the round, Pritchard managed to pry Darrell Arthur, who plummeted down the draft board because of a belief he has ailing kidneys, away from the Hornets for only cash considerations. They then shipped Arthur out to the Houston Rockets for forward Nicolas Batum, adding depth to an already talented frontline.

Later on in the second round, Portland snatched up Joey Dorsey, Omer Asik and Mike Taylor. Dorsey being the headliner of this group. Being able to add any kind of quality depth, let alone three players, in the second round is a great accomplishment.

It's time for the West to start getting worried. A rookie class being headlined now by Greg Oden, Jerryd Bayless, Joey Dorsey and Nicolas Batum is promising enough. However, when added to their youthful, yet somewhat established core of players already in place, we're talking about a serious team.

Bayless will be joining a backcourt that is already extremely productive. Alongside budding star Brandon Roy and being guided at the PG position by solid veteran Steve Blake, Jerryd should be able to transition much more easily into the NBA game without having to do too much.

Greg Oden should step in immediately this year and help anchor the frontcourt at the center position. His hard nosed defensive game and raw athleticism should complement LaMarcus Aldridge's silky smooth finesse game from the power forward spot perfectly. Batum, Joey Dorsey and Omer Asik may not see the same amount of time, but on a young team, they should contribute, especially Dorsey who is the elder in the group.

Not scared yet? This draft class has left the Blazers with quite a large amount of possibilities over the rest of the off-season. They now have expendable and very talented players at nearly every position to land a key veteran star that may put this team over the top sooner rather than later. With Jarrett Jack moved out, I'd expect Travis Outlaw, who impressed in the sixth-man role last year, to be shopped around the league heavily.

There's a lot to be happy about right now in Portland. Count your blessing, Blazers fans... there are a lot of them.

Dburke1337