Blazer's Edge: FanPosts

sMiles and nod boys...

MGNNoah — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:46:22 -0000

I am aware of the fact that this topic has been discussed a bit before, but I think I have enough new subject matter to warrant a Fanpost, and apologize if I am mistaken and this has been gone over. So we all know Darius supposedly impressed in Boston. Well, Reports have it that Phoenix has also inquired about him. This is according to Hoopsworld, who did not specify as to whether or not Miles worked out. I may be mistaken, but I'm under the impression Darius served a five game suspension while he was sitting out injured last year. Do you remember hearing about him being suspended five games? No. Exactly. Maybe they didn't want the bad press and couldn't dump him yet, maybe he wasn't doing pot. Do you think he impressed Boston with how high he could get (couldn't help it) smoking, or do you think he is trying to recover from this thing by doing some sort of steroids. A lot of baseball players do it, but I don't know how effective it would be for a knee injury since microfractures are induced to grow new cartilage. Then again I'm not a doctor. Same old Darius? If they had one more bad seed left who made the same mistake he always makes, why not say so and publicly penalize him, at least give him an imaginary suspension publicly? Next time he is tested it's gonna be 15 games. Then 20. Soon we won't need to worry whether or not he is gonna play in ten games. My opinion? Not surprised if it was both, but I honestly think he is trying to get back in by doping. If he ends up being a champion on the Boston Celtics next year, take solace in the fact that might be the first player in the NBA with breasts...as in girl breasts.

Poll

What do you think the drug Darius was caught with was?

Truth in Size: Bogus Rounding

Portland Dynasty — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:28:25 -0000

I just read it again today: Michael Beasley, 6'10".... Bogus. How badly does the sports media want to enhance certain players measurements? Obviously bad enough, because he is listed nearly 2" taller than his actual in shoes measurements.

Let's be fair, rounding up is going to happen. Any of these players can be round up ONE FULL INCH over thier "In-Shoes" Height, but anything more than that is Bogus Hype. It is interesting to see how many players are not rounded up, as opposed to the players are given the benefit-of-the-doubt everytime. What about our Blazers? Well, they all measure out very favorably compared to other top players at thier positions.... with out any bogus rounding.

What strikes you as interesting about these measurements?

Here is a compiled list of 70 current NBA players with their pre-draft measurements from www.draftexpress.com:

Name	Height w/o Shoes	Height w/shoes	Weight	Wingspan	Standing Reach
DJ Augustin	5' 10"	5' 11.5"	172	6' 3.5"	7' 10.5"
Jameer Nelson	5' 10.25"	6' 0"	193	6' 2"	7' 9.5"
T.J. Ford	5' 11"	6' 0.25"	162	5' 11.5"	7' 9.5"
Raymond Felton	5' 11.5"	6' 0.25"	199	6' 4.25"	8' 2"
Mike Conley Jr	5' 11.75"	6' 0.75"	175	6' 5.75"	7' 10.5"
Chris Paul	5' 11.75"	6' 1"	178	6' 4.25"	7' 9"
Derrick Rose	6' 1.5"	6' 2.5"	196	6' 8"	8' 2.5"
Jerryd Bayless	6' 1.75"	6' 3"	204	6' 3.5"	8' 1"
Deron Williams	6' 1.75"	6' 2.75"	202	6' 6.25"	8' 2"
Randy Foye	6' 2.25"	6' 3.25"	212	6' 6.25"	8' 1"
Gilbert Areanas	6' 2.25"	NA' NA"	199	6' 9.5"	8' 3.5"
Monta Ellis	6' 2.25"	6' 3.25"	177	6' 2.75"	8' 2"
Russell Westbrook	6' 2.25"	6' 3.5"	192	6' 7.75"	8' 4"
Jarrett Jack	6' 2.5"	6' 3.5"	198	6' 7.5"	8' 4"
Kirk Hinrich	6' 2.75"	6' 3.75"	186	6' 6"	8' 2.5"
O.J. Mayo	6' 3.25"	6' 4.25"	200	6' 6"	8' 3.5"
Rodney Stuckey	6' 3.75"	6' 4.5"	207	6' 7.25"	8' 4.5"
Dwyane Wade	6' 3.75"	6' 4.75"	212	6' 10.75"	8' 6"
Rodney Carney	6' 4.5"	6' 5.75"	204	6' 10"	8' 7.5"
Rudy Fernandez	6' 4.75"	6' 6"	172	6' 7.5"	8' 5.5"
Michael Redd	6' 4.75"	6' 5.75"	214	6' 9"	8' 6"
Brandon Roy	6' 5.25"	6' 6.25"	207	6' 8"	8' 5"
Caron Butler	6' 5.25"	6' 6.5"	222	6' 11.5"	8' 7.5"
Josh Childress	6' 5.75"	6' 7.25"	196	6' 11"	8' 9"
Al Thornton	6' 5.75"	6' 7"	221	7' 1"	8' 8"
Thaddeus Young	6' 5.75"	6' 7.5"	210	6' 11.5"	8' 10"
Ronnie Brewer	6' 5.75"	6' 6.75"	223	6' 11.25"	8' 7.5"
Martell Webster	6' 6"	6' 7.5"	230	6' 11"	8' 10"
Paul Pierce	6' 6"	NA' NA"	229	NA' NA"	NA' NA"
Tracy McGrady	6' 6"	NA' NA"	212	7' 2"	NA' NA"
Carmelo Anthony	6' 6.25"	6' 7.5"	233	7' 0"	8' 9.5"
Ike Diogu	6' 6.5"	6' 8"	255	7' 3.5"	9' 1"
Shawn Marion	6' 6.5"	6' 7.75"	220	NA' NA"	NA' NA"
Corey Brewer	6' 6.75"	6' 7.75"	185	6' 8.25"	8' 7"
Joe Johnson	6' 6.75"	6' 8.25"	226	6' 9"	8' 9"
Michael Beasley	6' 7"	6' 8.25"	239	7' 0.25"	8' 11"
Rudy Gay	6' 7"	6' 8"	222	7' 3"	8' 11.20"
LeBron James	6' 7.25"	6' 8"	245	7' 0.25"	8' 10.25"
Joe Alexander	6' 7.25"	6' 8.25"	220	6' 11.5"	8' 10"
Danny Granger	6' 7.5"	6' 8.5"	225	7' 1.5"	8' 7"
Antawn Jamison	6' 7.75"	NA' NA"	230	NA' NA"	NA' NA"
Carlos Boozer	6' 7.75"	6' 9.5"	258	7' 2.25"	9' 0.5"
Kevin Love	6' 7.75"	6' 9.5"	255	6' 11.25"	8' 10"
David Lee	6' 7.75"	6' 9"	230	7' 0"	8' 10.5"
David West	6' 8.25"	6' 9.25"	226	7' 4.25"	9' 0.5"
Elton Brand	6' 8.25"	6' 9.5"	260	7' 5.5"	9' 2"
Travis Outlaw	6' 8.25"	6' 9.25"	210	7' 2.5"	9' 1.5"
Rashard Lewis	6' 8.5"	NA' NA"	190	NA' NA"	NA' NA"
Al Jefferson	6' 8.5"	6' 9.75"	263	7' 2.5"	9' 2"
Amare Stoudemire	6' 8.5"	6' 10"	233	7' 1.75"	9' 0.5"
Emeka Okafor	6' 8.75"	6' 10"	257	7' 4"	9' 2.5"
Al Horford	6' 8.75"	6' 9.75"	246	7' 0.75"	8' 11"
Nick Collison	6' 8.75"	6' 10"	255	7' 1.5"	9' 0"
Kevin Durant	6' 9"	6' 10.25"	215	7' 4.75"	9' 2"
Dwight Howard	6' 9"	6' 10.25"	240	7' 4.5"	9' 3.5"
Anthony Randolph	6' 9"	6' 10.25"	197	7' 3"	9' 1"
Channing Frye	6' 9.5"	6' 10.5"	244	7' 2.5"	9' 2.5"
LaMarcus Aldridge	6' 10"	6' 11.25"	234	7' 4.75"	9' 2"
Chris Bosh	6' 10.25"	6' 11.5"	225	7' 3.5"	9' 1"
Eddy Curry	6' 10.5"	NA' NA"	301	7' 6.5"	9' 3"
Joakim Noah	6' 10.5"	7' 0"	223	7' 1.25"	8' 10.5"
Spencer Hawes	6' 10.5"	7' 0.75"	244	7' 0.5"	9' 2"
Greg Oden	6' 11"	7' 0"	257	7' 4.25"	9' 4"
JaVale McGee	6' 11"	7' 0"	241	7' 6"	9' 6.5"
Andrew Bogut	6' 11"	7' 0.25"	251	7' 3"	9' 2.5"
Brook Lopez	6' 11.25"	7' 0.5"	256	7' 5.5"	9' 5"
Tyson Chandler	6' 11.5"	7' 0.5"	224	7' 3"	9' 2"
Tim Duncan	6' 11.5"	NA' NA"	252	NA' NA"	NA' NA"
Chris Kaman	6' 11.5"	7' 0.5"	252	6' 11.75"	9' 2.5"
Darko Milicic	6' 11.5"	7' 0.75"	250	7' 5"	9' 3.5"
Andrea Bargnani	7' 0"	7' 1.25"	249	NA' NA"	9' 2"

Some props for B-Roy

EngineerScotty — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:37:59 -0000

Andrew Perna at RealGM has released his list of Top Ten Careers of Players Picked Sixth--and our boy Roy is at #10.

The entire list:

10. Roy

9. Shane Battier

8. Downtown Freddie Brown

7. Hersey Hawkins

6. Antoine Walker

5. Kenny Smith

4. Orlando Woolridge

3. Adrian Dantley

2. Lenny Wilkens

1. Larry Bird

Now, this is a *career* achievement award, so the three active players on the list (Roy, Battier, and to lesser etent, 'Toine) probably have room to move up. Roy is better than Battier today overall (though Battier's a far better defender); and I see Roy vaulting up to #4 rather swiftly. The top 3 are all HOFers, and Bird is of course the best at his position. (LeBron may challenge him one day as best-ever SF, but not yet).

I can see Roy eventually being considered a better player than Dantley--who was a bit of a one trick pony, but damn he did that one think (score) well. Wilkens playing career occurred mostly before I was born--I know him far better as a coach than as a player.

Fox Sports Article about KP

usmcr3049 — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:04:20 -0000

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/8324086/How-the-Blazers-got-back-on-track

Mike Kahn, over at Fox sports writes a nice piece about KP stratagies, the Blazers promise, and a break down of some impact moves.

"Blake, center Joel Przybilla (28) and forward/center Raef LaFrentz (33) are the only players on the roster older than 24, and the 6-11 LaFrentz is crucial because his contract of nearly $13 million is expiring after this season -- opening the door for either a trade or free-agent acquisition down the road. They off-loaded problematic Darius Miles with a bum knee and more than $27 million on the salary cap with what was ruled a career-ending injury. (And even if he does make a comeback, it won't count on the cap -- although Allen would have to pay the salary as opposed to insurance coverage.)

Clearly, it's all part of the master plan of eradicating the losing culture."

Loaded with FABULOUS rookies (?)

BlazerHomer — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:03:48 -0000

Can this be for real? Can we really have a good to great upcoming core of players and then we've just added an awesome rookie class?

According to David Thorpe of ESPN.com we have 4 of the top 20 rookies of 2009.

Oden #2

Rudy #3

Bayless #12

Batum #19

Though I agree with the rankings of our top 3, more or less, I've got to admit I'm pretty surprised that Batum was ranked so high after hearing mixed reports on and after the draft. It's going to take some pretty impressive play in the summer league to get me believing that Batum slipped past half of the GM's in the league. Batum is playing in Vegas isn't he?

Now I realize that rookies rarely make as big of a splash as the media would like us to believe, but this list is pretty impressive, if it's to be believed. Personally, I think the impact that each of these guys will have has been a bit over-hyped. To hear some people, Oden and Rudy are going to step in and be perennial all-stars from Day 1. I think they're going to suffer through the normal rookie mistakes, but slowly mature into good or very good NBA players.

Here's the link:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/rookies/rankings?season=2009&playerRankingType=1&period=1&set=1

Out-of-towners: How do you get Blazers on TV?

jtanzer — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:12:20 -0000

For someone who doesn't live in Portland (anymore), what's the best way to get the most games on TV?

I'm in NJ. Listened to last year's games via Internet radio, but would like to get them on TV this year, whether by cable, satellite or Internet. I'm wondering what other people do.

The system requires me to make this post longer, so this sentence is just to make it longer.

Surprising Sergio news?

CatMan2 — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:45:46 -0000

Check out this story:

http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=121549497932308900

About Sergio, it says:

'Portland has sent shooting coach John Townsend to the Canary Islands to work with point guard Sergio Rodriguez. Rodriguez was cut last month from the Spanish Olympic team. “Sergio is doing a lot better (emotionally) now,” says Pritchard, who has spoken with Rodriguez. “He feels good about his spot on the (Blazers), sees that maybe there might be more minutes for him.”'

As somebody who does appreciate the occasional glimpses of talent we have seen from him, this is nice to hear. I'd like to see Sergio succeed in the NBA, if not here, then someplace else.

Interestingly, there is also word today that Nate has been approached regarding extending his contract. He is going to be keeping his options open. Does anybody think that there may be some tension between Nate and KP centered around personnel decisions? Hmmm...

Here's the link for that last bit:

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1215483969201330.xml&coll=7&thispage=2

Nate refuses contract extension talks?

Replacement Level Poster — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:44:54 -0000

Jason Quick is reporting that Nate has turned down contract extension talks this summer.

McMillan said he turned down an offer this summer to negotiate a contract extension with the Blazers. McMillan, who has two years remaining on a five-year, $30 million deal, said he wants to finish his five years before thinking about an extension. "I want to earn it," McMillan said. "We haven't done anything here yet, and when my five years is done, I want to make sure they want me and make sure I want to be here."

This was an add on to a post about Bayless playing at the point. For the full article click here.

Koponen to Stay in Europe Next Year?

grigs — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:12:55 -0000

I was a bit surprised by this tidbit in Jason Quick's article this morning about Bayless:

"In Las Vegas, McMillan said the Blazers will begin games with point guard Petteri Koponen -- a first-round pick in 2007 who will remain overseas next season -- and Bayless at shooting guard, but that Bayless will eventually get large chunks of playing time at the point."

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1215483969201330.xml&coll=7

I had expected Koponen to have a decent shot at making the roster based on summer league play and the fact that all reports are that he is looking much better than he was in previous years.

This new strategy of drafting players and stashing them overseas is something I need to become more familiar with. Does anyone know how long San Antonio usually lets their players season overseas before bringing them over?

My Latest Video

JordanLeDoux — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:51:59 -0000

Well, some of you already know my work. I just enjoy making videos in my spare time ^_^

If you're not familiar with me in particular, I did the following videos:

It's Not About The Shoes

Let Your Game Speak

What Makes A Hero

Year of Trials, Year of Memories

People have been asking me non-stop to make a new video, and you know what, I finally did.

But this video is not about the Blazers, it's about the Sonics.

That's right, I'm sure everyone here is getting tired about hearing stuff abotu the Sonics... I see that a post was just made ont he main BEdge... but you know what, this isn't something small going on, this is important, and I feel that I've proven my Blazer creds with my previous videos.

So for your viewing, here is my latest video:

A Tribute to the Seattle SuperSonics

The Junk Drawer--July 8th, 2008

Dave — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 07:19:06 -0000

Sorry I forgot this yesterday.

Here is the post for all of your thoughts, questions, and comments that don't require their own fanpost but still merit a mention. As long as you follow the general site rules for civil conversation both on- and off-topic comments are fine.

Almost forgot...filling in the 75 words:

hamstring, Archibald, effervescent, plantain, gigolo, consumption, quadratic, filibuster, illuminati, trachea, moonlit, Hardaway, resuscitate, immaterial, truncated, alabaster, wigwam, spongeworthy

--Dave

summer league??

Duck4Lif3 — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:39:57 -0000

i saw that bulls and heat were playing tonight and i was wondering when blazers started there summer league.

i think i also heard that all the games well be on comcast sports net is that true someone fill me in!!!!!!!!

space space space space space space space space space space space space space space space

space space space space space space space space space space space space space space spacepace space space space space space space space space space space space space space space

space space space space space space space space space space space space space space space

Why it should matter to you

einman77 — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:37:17 -0000

In the recent weeks there has been some discussion about fan conduct, stemming from the impromptu goodbye celebration some fans had for Jack. There seems to be a lot of people who think “Who cares? It doesn’t bother me nor does it have anything to do with me.” I would like to share my thoughts on why it does affect all of us and why it should matter before the sands of time make this discussion irrelevant, or another incident or buildup occurs. This is a complex issue, so it’s a long one. I will also touch on the use of Pritch-slap a little because it fits in nicely with this and is closely related. I apologize for my long-windedness and for any redundancy as I felt it necessary to paint a comprehensive picture. I’ll start big and work my way down.

First there is the viewpoint from other fans. I know there was a post about this recently, and a lot of comparison was made to the Spurs and how they don’t really have people giving too much of an opinion on them despite being repeat champions. While both teams are clean as whistles (and hopefully it stays that way), this still won’t be our fate. The Spurs just outplay their opponents, make their foul shots, play team defense, make the right play, punch out and go home. Also, Duncan runs from the spotlight. That won’t be our fate. With Outlaw, Oden and Bayless (assuming all goes well there) on this team, we will play some in your face type of ball. People will have no choice but to love us or hate us. This team could be the Bulls of the next generation, having kids jumping on board the band wagon (along with your usual band wagoneers) and choosing this team to become a fan of because this is the kind of basketball they want to see. GO is also much less camera shy and a much more handsome man for his age than TD. The media will have plenty of coverage of him. With all this attention, there are a lot of reasons that people love us or hate us. What you don’t want is when people start talking about things other than basketball. I think we are pretty safe from someone on this team jumping into the stands for a fight, spitting on a fan, smoking a doob on I-5, or any of that fun stuff. Will they hate us because of the fan base? Before last Thursday I would have said “no, why would they?” I don’t think what happened was a big deal in the national spotlight, but it was only a draft party. If the Pacers come back next season and the fans start chanting “PRITCH SLAP, PRITCH SLAP, …..” after a JJ turnover, well, we aren’t going to win over many kids from Indiana with loose affiliations that way, especially when they go in the next room and say “Mommy, what’s a Pritchslap?” Moreover, we get the media and the national spotlight talking about something other than the basketball we are playing, which is usually not a good thing in the NBA, as any Blazers fan should be able to attest to. That stuff affects more than just national opinion (more on this below). We can’t help if they love us or hate us or not, but we do have some control over why they would.

The second piece of this is how our behavior affects the team. When Eagles fans cheered when Michael Irving was carried off the field on a stretcher, the media didn’t question the fans about what it was like nearly as much as they questioned the team. Is that fair to put this team (any team for that matter, but especially this one) in that type of position? How do you think they would feel? Maybe a little betrayed? Maybe like they are holding up more than their fair share of the bargain? It would certainly take the focus off of basketball. How do you think Jack feels right now about all the hard work he put in to this team? In all my days of watching sports, I have never seen a community and its players so connected. From the invites to meet draftees, to the personal messages from GO during his rehab, this team has put a lot of effort into connecting with the fans. You can certainly feel that connection too when you go into the Rose Garden. Last season was phenomenal at home, and I’m sure the team could feel it as much as the fans could. Why would you not want to hold up your end of this relationship? Using the above mentioned chant as an example, let’s take a look at a player interaction during the game:

Roy: Yo JJ, how are things in Indy?

JJ: Pretty good. Things are working out well here. I’m still disappointed that I had to leave here though. I mean you guys are 37-0 already.

Roy: It’s not the same without you.

(chant starts)

JJ: (shoots a sideways glance and and curls his lips a little)

Roy: Yo baby, forget them.

That’s right, Roy said ‘forget them’, talking about the fans. Talking about you. Whether you were there or not, participated or not, a slight on the fans is a slight on you and his perception of all the Blazers fans changes a little. He, or someone else on the team, could have already said this. The more that the players feel they have to stop thining about the fanbase, the more it happens.

That brings me to how it affects you. If the team had to start ignoring the fans, they wouldn’t be as receptive to the appreciation we are showing them right now. That would in turn rub off on you and this amazing atmosphere at the garden would be tarnished. In fact, even though Jack is gone, I would be surprised if the players were still as happy with the fans, even if it's just a little bit. Stuff like that could come up in retrospect if another incident were to occur. Also, with marginal infractions, the margin then shifts if not corrected, leading to more or more severe offenses. Would you want to take your kids to a game where all the people are acting like, um, appropriate spot for a curse, inappropriate website (and post)? I mean we have a 13 year old right here who could need our help getting his parents to take him to games. How about bringing your wife or girlfriend, or boyfriend out and having to try and ignore or explain the other people around you? Think they would want to do it again if you were trying to turn them on to the Blazers, or even better, trying to present an argument to buy season tickets? What about if your son or daughter talks about how he Pritch-slapped another kid in a pokemon trade at school?

I’m not advocating the employment of the thought police here. I don’t think that saying “Shut up” every time someone boos is appropriate. I personally don’t have any problem with people showing their appreciation or dissatisfaction in their own way. I’ll tell you, I’m no saint at sporting events, but I try not to cross over into serious disrespect. I do consider taunting other teams and sparring comments with appropriate fans of the other teams as part of the game. If you’re just screaming the whole time at a guy wearing a Clippers cap who hasn’t said a word the whole game it’s a little different than someone who is engaging in the banter. As for the players, let’s face it, Jared Dudley probably won’t get a lot of catcalls if he makes a mistake. If K*be does, he will. Why? Because deep down somewhere we respect his game and the threat that he poses so much that we want to throw him off. Well, that, and he’s the anti-christ. The times that warrant something outside of a cheer and let cheer policy is on the rare occasions when it crosses over into overly disrespectful. The chant is the most likely thing I could think of as an example and a reasonable step away from that song, but it really could be any number of things. This is just food for thought so you have a chance to really think about this before the Oregonian writes an article about it the morning after.

Prior to me writing this, you already have two factors working in your favor. One, the organization is doing a tremendous job of creating a positive atmosphere. You just have to follow their lead. Two, the arena will have a lot of full and partial season ticket holders next season, creating a lot of accountability and an opportunity to foster that positive culture. If someone close to you is joining in with something ridiculous, a simple “dude” a squint of the eyes and a shrug of the shoulders, for example, would do. That isn’t uncomfortable for anyone, and there would likely be a bit of mutual appreciation if that moment ended peacefully. I bet if anyone on this site sang that song, they feel now feel a little ashamed if they got caught up in the moment and joined in, and would have appreciated such a gesture. That shame would be nothing compared to if we were put in the national spotlight for an incident. IN the case where someone is being so obnoxious and persistent that you feel you have to say something, you’re probably not alone. Conversely, if someone does step up to someone else being obnoxious and you feel the same way, it’s not a terrible thing to give them some support so the offender doesn’t feel like it’s just one uptight person against them trying to have a good time.

All in all when this type of behavior is occouring, the only people it doesn’t bother is the people who are being disrespectful. If you think about it, it's because they aren’t taking other people’s perspective into consideration. That is why I feel it is alright to let them know that their behavior is bothering you.

The Bulls Made the Wrong Pick and Other Ironclad Conclusions from Orlando Summer League

jksnake99 — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:58:11 -0000

In case you missed it, the Bulls and Heat faced off in the Orlando Summer League today (Box Score). The Heat won easily, 94-70. Beasley had an impressive 28 and 9 in 23 minutes while Rose had 10 points, 4 assists and 5 turnovers in 28 minutes. So, we can draw the conclusion that the Bulls clearly blew the pick. End of story. Former Blazer draftees Tyrus Thomas (12 pts, 10 reb, 6 fouls) and Demetrius Nichols are playing for the Bulls.

In other news, Team Oklahoma City (yes, that is what they are being called) lost handily to the Pacers, 95-78 (Box Score ). OKC was led in scoring by Jeff Green (21 pts) and Russell Westbrook (18).

Finally, the Nets defeated the host Magic, 86-74 (Box Score). Sharpshooter Jaycee Carroll (the NCAA's 3 pt % champ last year) led the Nets with 22 points and surprisingly didn't hit a 3. Chris Douglas-Roberts had 15 while the pac-10 tandem of Ryan Anderson and Brook Lopez had 14 and 10 respectively. Yuta Tabuse, the only Japanese NBA player ever, is playing for New Jersey.

Blazers sign Joe Prunty

CroRupt — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 02:06:27 -0000

Click here for Link

Was with the Mavs and Worked with Popovich,

guessing this is a good sign, anybody that worked with popovich and the spurs organization is a good thing for us ALA KP.. but yah seems like a good sign what do you guys think?

OT:Beasley looked good in summmer league, Rose was ok not great and Tyris Thomas seems like a bust, please dont regard this cause im just typing this for the word count,thanks. GO BALZERS!

What? No Junk Drawer? (Breaking news)

jorga — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:25:27 -0000

So where shall I put this? If I made it a FanShot only 3 other people would see it. Hmmm.

Anyway, the Blazers have picked Bill Bayno's replacement. He's Joe Punty, former assistant at Dallas and San Antonio. He'll head for Las Vegas to help Monty Williams with the summer league team.

Link to story by Jason Quick.

Since I need more words I'll borrow Jason's quotes from Nate: "He has an excellent background, and both Monty and Kevin really endorsed him,'' McMillan said. "The fact that he coached in Dallas, and worked with (Gregg) Popovich in San Antonio ... I think he can bring something to the table. We need that. He has been a part of championship basketball. I want his knowledge, his information, as well as his ability to work on the floor.''

Youngest team no longer?

joelor — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:55:14 -0000

The Blazers reign as the youngest team in the NBA could be over after all, especially with the Nets making as many moves as they have in the past weeks.

http://www.netsdaily.com/blog/?p=515

Not that this really matters much, but I sort of felt it was a point of pride that our team was so incredibly young, a testament to our maturity, teamwork, and potential. Alas, that era is over....and now we get to reap the benefits of our maturity, teamwork, and potential. YAY

Clearing Up the Bayless-Draft Debate

Muad'Dib — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:04:26 -0000

Everyone seems to be really worried over one question: Can Jerryd Bayless be our PG of the future? There are a lot of doubts as to whether a score-first combo guard is really the answer to our current situation. Some even seem disappointed that Kevin Pritchard didn't trade the 13th pick and Josh McRoberts for Chris Paul, Jason Kidd, and Deron Williams. I mean, we all knew that he would land three all-star points in the same draft, so where are they?

What I haven't seen is a realistic look at what we actually got on draft night. Everyone seems to be either really doubtful or unrealistically optimistic; either Jerryd Bayless won't be able to solve our PG problem and is therefore a complete failure or he will magically turn into the next Chauncey Billups. No one seems to find the positive aspects in the trade without being completely unrealistic by suggesting that Jerryd will be the answer to all the Blazers' needs. So here are my reasons why it really doesn't matter whether or not Jerryd is the right PG for us when evaluating the success of the draft:

1. We've been spoiled by KP. He's drafted at least three future all-stars in the past two drafts. Everyone is expecting another miracle. We want to see another future all-star. Everyone's expectations were so high that when we didn't come away with everything we needed, we were disappointed.

2. Because Jerryd is a PG, people assume that he should be the future at that position for the Blazers. Everyone is evaluating him as a starter. Really, though, he should be looked at in terms of who he's replacing: Jarrett Jack. Jerryd will definitely be an improvement over Jack, even if he doesn't become a polished 1. If nothing else, we improved at the backup point guard spot for when we find a real starter.

3. In fact, the trade with Indiana is really about improvement. Essentially, we traded our 13th pick for upgrades on current players. Bayless is an upgrade over Jack and Diogu, as a player who has at least proven that he can play at an NBA level, is an upgrade over McRoberts.

So KP may not have come away with an all-star. He may not have even come away with our starting PG. But what he did do was improve our roster and give us a chance at that starting PG that we need. People want the PG issue to be solved now, whether that means that Bayless is the starter we're looking for or having either Roy or Rudy play point (which, by the way, wouldn't work). And this makes them overlook what actually happened in the draft: we improved at each spot that we traded away. And this, in the future, puts us in a better position when we do find our starting PG. So I hope everyone will realize that we had another good draft even if we don't come away with our starter. The debate over the point has gotten ridiculous; people are way too impatient. We can get a starting point guard, if not Bayless, then in free agency or in a trade. For now, though, we improved at the backup PG and that's what matters. I don't expect us to have found a starter at the point for at least another season, which makes all this debate now pointless. What happened in the draft was improvement and that's what matters. That is why drafting Bayless, even if he doesn't turn out to be a starting PG in the league, was a good move.

Sergio left off Team Spain?

JackBrown — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:12:31 -0000

Not sure on any of this, but SLAM posted a review of the Spanish National Team and one Sergio Rodriguez is not included. They only list 11 players, so I see a glimmer of hope. I imagine this would be pretty rough news for Sergio. I haven't been able to locate any official release of the actual roster yet, help!

Here is the slam article:

http://slamonline.com/online/2008/07/spanish-fly/

Anyone know anything else?

A Rudy Interview

bbfred — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:52:30 -0000

It's in Spanish so I don't know if it has already been posted or if it's new. If someone would be so kind to interpret (Tigard schools expected we would be well served learning French). The link is from ESPN.

http://www.abc.es/20080707/deportes-baloncesto/volver-paso-atras_200807070257.html

According to the ESPN summary Rudy is talking about the option of going back to Europe if he doesn't adapt well to the NBA or if he doesn't get enough playing time. Hopefully he will do great and Blazer fans won't have anything to worry about.