Just came back from the Portland Trail Blazers practice facility. Big doings over there today. Greg Oden worked out for the basketball staff and the team named former Nike executive Larry Miller as its team President.

Those happenings were small potatoes when compared to the main event for me though. What could top seeing the potential #1 pick in the June 28th draft work out? Well, I finally got to sit down - one on one - with Trail Blazers and Seahawks Chairman Paul Allen. This day has been a long time in the making.

I didn't get a ton of time with Mr. Allen, who as you can imagine was being pulled in many different directions today, but I'm happy that I finally had the opportunity to sit down with him and chat. We discussed his two pro sports franchises - the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers and the NFL's Seattle Seahawks - and we even briefly discussed his plethora of diverse interests which include SpaceShipOne and the Allen Brain Institute. I also asked Allen if he has his sights set on buying yet another sports franchise - rumors have run rampant that he is interested in purchasing English football club Southampton.

The interview will air on this weekend's edition of Sports Business Radio, so you won't want to miss this rare opportunity to hear from the Microsoft co-founder and the 5th wealthiest individual in the United States ($18B) according to Forbes magazine.

Allen is passionate about his sports franchises and that was evident during our conversation today. I could hear in his voice just how badly he wants to win a championship.

So, on to some impressions from the Oden visit and the Larry Miller press conference:

- I worked for the Trail Blazers back in their heyday in the early 1990's when the team was in the NBA Finals and they enjoyed a tremendous amount of success. I have not seen a gathering of local and national media like the one we saw today since the early 90's. It was over the top.

- After seeing Oden work out today and then hearing his press conference, I will be absolutely astounded if the Trail Blazers don't draft him with the #1 pick in the June 28th draft. Oden made a very good showing for himself today, on and off the court. Unless Kevin Durant walks on water, grows a foot and adds a hundred pounds of muscle before Friday, I don't see the Trail Blazers passing on Oden.

- Trail Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard and Trail Blazers Head Coach Nate McMillan raved about Oden's skills, his work ethic and how humble he is. They mentioned how humble he is and how he wants to get better several times during the post-workout press conference. (audio courtesy of the Blazers Blog on Oregonlive.com).

- Oden was very personable during the press conference. He was animated and showed that he has an engaging personality. He even told a story of walking by himself from his hotel to a nearby Applebee's last night. He said he was eaten alive by mosquitos. Imagine seeing a 7'1 guy walking on the side of the road by himself swatting mosquitos and hoping not to get food poisoning from Applebee's the night before the biggest workout of his life. (audio courtesy of the Blazers Blog on Oregonlive.com).

- The most memorable thing for me about Oden's workout was not what Oden did on the court. It was watching the expressions of current Trail Blazers players Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Zach Randolph and Dan Dickau during Oden's workout. Each of them sat very focused, almost in awe, of Oden's skills. And then at one point, they started slapping each other like giddy kids as if to say, "Are you kidding me? We get to play with THIS guy??!! Woooohoooo!!!!" To say Oden impressed the Trail Blazers players in attendance today would be a gross understatement.

- As I told you would happen, Larry Miller was introduced as the new Trail Blazers President today. Vulcan Sports & Entertainment President Tod Leiweke introduced Miller, but first ran down a list of achievements the Trail Blazers organization has accomplished in the last 100 days. He called the last 100 days "quite possibly the franchise's most productive stretch in the history of the organization." These achievements include:

1.) Reacquiring the Rose Garden arena

2.) Naming Kevin Pritchard as the team's new GM

3.) Brandon Roy was named the NBA's Rookie of the Year

4.) The Trail Blazers won the NBA lottery and then proceeded to sell 3000 new season tickets and have their all-time greatest week financially in franchise history.

5.) Today they named former Nike Basketball VP/GM Larry Miller team President

Not a bad stretch indeed. Still a long way to go, but I would agree that the past 100 days have been monumental and have make the brand of the Trail Blazers relevant again - locally and nationally.

Tod Leiweke also listed 6 reasons why Larry Miller was the best fit for the Trail Blazers:

1.) He makes people around him better - they really liked what they heard about his management style

2.) He is a "brand" guy and knows how to energize a brand.

3.) He has a financial background and that fiscal responsibility made him an attractive candidate.

4.) He has a great passion for the game of basketball.

5.) He is revelvant in the NBA and well known in basketball circles around the world

6.) He is a fine human being

A few thoughts here. First, Miller's skill set certainly seem to fit some of the Trail Blazers biggest needs at this point in time. Mainly re-energizing the Trail Blazers brand. Secondly, Mille, from his days at Nike, knows many of basketball's biggest players and their agents. I would think this could only help GM Kevin Pritchard when it comes to recruiting free agents and making Portland an attractive destination in the future.

I still think Miller will have his work cut out for him when it comes to overseeing the operations of the Rose Garden arena and developing the land around the Rose Quarter that Paul Allen owns, but he's a smart enough guy to ask for assistance with those projects when he needs it.

A busy day indeed in Blazerland. But exciting times for sure.

SIDENOTE: A quick "thank you" to the Blazers Evangelist for all of his help today! And if you're note reading his extensive coverage of the Blazers pre-draft happenings, you should be!