Seven years ago today, Illinois center Meyers Leonard was selected with the 11th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. The Portland Trail Blazers picked Leonard to be a pivotal piece in a building organization. This was a great memory for me because I thought Leonard was a really talented player who could have done great things with the Illini. Sadly, this was the last member of the Orange and Blue to get picked in the NBA Draft.
In the three years prior to the 2011-12 NBA season, the Trail Blazers had made the playoffs. They were a team that had some good talent like LaMarcus Aldridge who was entering the prime of his career.