I am a Blazers fan, but more than anything I am a Portland fan. There is nowhere else in the world I would rather live. The City of Roses has been equally cruel and kind to me; I've taken my licks with pride, and ridden the good times to their outer limits. The recent blow came at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks, but my love for sport and city carries me through. It's another wave I'm looking for now--not to fill a void but to add a jewel to the mountain of love I hold for Portland.

It is in that spirit that I ask you, the veteran lovers of original football: what do I need to know about the world's sport and my town's team?

Continue reading this post »

Tired of watching Blazer games sober? Already drunk and need an excuse to clink glasses, even when the game is going poorly? Want to ease the tension after a hard foul? Fear not, the answer to these questions and more is here at last!

CrashOut!: the Gerald Wallace Drinking Game, is here to stave off sobriety with the pointy stick of excess! The rules to CrashOut! are simple...

1) Drink every time Gerald Wallace hits the floor.

2) Drink again when they show the replay of Gerald Wallace hitting the floor.

3) Drink when Gerald Wallace hits the floo--oh wait, I already... Never mind, I'm a little tossed. I was playing CrashOut! tonight.

Where was I? Oh yeah! CrashOut! is fun for Gerald Wallace fans of all ages, and can be played with any beverage. Beer, wine, whiskey, soda pop, cough syrup...well, maybe not cough syrup, but you get the drift. The important thing is to drink. It gives you something to do between saying "OOooh", and fretfully praying to every god you can think of.

Please enjoy CrashOut! responsibly. 500Dogs Inc. and it's subsidiaries take no responsibility for injuries to players, or stars of, CrashOut!. Do not play CrashOut! while pregnant, nursing, or operating heavy machinery.

My Blazers fandom reached it's zenith last night.

Continue reading this post »

Wallace is a game-changer. Adjust your Trade Machines accordingly. His 10.5 million over the next two years is an interesting addition to Cho&Co's assets and I'll be very curious to see how they use it. Personally, I think they should hang onto Crash for as long as they can. That was an amazing snag, and when they click, this new Blazer squad is going to explode. All the same, there remain some vital questions about key players that put a shelf life on this vintage of Blazers. What the heck is to be done about Brandon Roy? Also: How long are Miller and Camby going to keep this up? Most pressing: How can we get LaMarcus a break? And the related question: Do we still need a backup PF?

Continue reading this post »

The Marksman filled a hole in the roster when we needed it. Oberto's sudden retirement demanded that something be done, and the Marksist stepped up. He wasn't the greatest Blazer, but he certainly did the job. Okay, maybe not all the time, but he had some timely jumpers and one sick block.

Here's to you, Kiwi. May you always find a home in the NBA.

(No, this is not a sarcastic post, but feel free to go to town in the comments.)

As an Armon Johnson fan, I was at first excited to see him assigned to Blazers Developmental League affiliate the Idaho Stampede. It was widely felt that he hadn't quite made the jump to NBA caliber play, and specifically suffered from a high TO%. Myself and others believed that a little stint in the DL would chill the kid out and remind him that while the force may be strong in him, he is not a Jedi yet. I thought his time in Boise would alleviate the pressures of the NBA lifestyle and give him a chance to refine his passing skills, dial in his 3 pt. shot, and develop some moves with his right hand. The reality of his situation in Boise is far removed from these expectations.

It has come to my attention that Armon Johnson is playing out of position and being brought off the bench (source: blacknoiseNW in the comment section of this article). The Stampede are using him as their 6th man. Instead of focusing on play-making and running the point, Armon is playing 2 guard and being pressured to put points on the board. It seems as though this would encourage him to rely on the moves that he knows will keep him on the floor: spin moves going left. 

As we know, Armon got scouted. Coming into the league, he was giving opposing guards fits by bodying up on defense and surprising them with quick moves to the basket from the left-hand side. The defensive intensity held true, but it was soon circulated that our man Armon was a one dimensional offensive player: shut down his left, shut down Armon. He was shooting the 3 at a great clip, but it was obvious that he wasn't confident in that part of his game and would only attempt one or two a night. This allowed defenders to sag off and prepare to defend the left-hand drive. This, combined with lazy perimeter passing, led the coaching staff to promote Patty Mills from towel-waving mascot to 2nd unit PG, and ship Armon Johnson to Boise. 

So how is this stint on the Stampede helping AJ? He's not developing new weapons, he's not developing new handles, he's not developing new play-making skills--all he's developing is the Stampede's record. Sure, Armon is getting some game time minutes, but the competition is miles below what he would face in practice. I think he's being wasted out there. The Idaho coach doesn't care about his improvement as a PG, and probably has NBA aspirations of his own that are better served by a healthy win total than a constantly shifting roster. In fact, he may resent Portland for sending players down, yanking them back, then sending them down again, a la Mills.

I say, bring AJ back--not because he deserves minutes on this roster (Roy's return all but assures he won't get them), but because if he's truly going to improve as a player, it's going to be in Portland against NBA talent on the practice floor, not in Boise against scrubs for a coach that thinks he's a 6th man.

Summer of 2008 was when I rediscovered my team. I had passively watched some games leading up to the playoffs, saw the 41-41 finish against the Suns, learned to hate Brian Skinner and his ridiculous orange goatee and to love Jerrett Jack for just about cold-cocking him in a meaningless game. Summer of 2008 I watched the Draft and the Summer League for the first time, curious who the new Blazers were. I made an uneducated guess based on nothing but a gut feeling and a highlight reel that Nicolas Batum was going to be something special. This is how I found +/-.

Batum's Summer League was a forgetful outing where he was obviously adjusting to a new country with new rules and teammates that couldn't read his passes. The result was a lot of turnovers. All the same, there was an intelligence to the way he took the court and I felt my gut rumbling again. A coworker of mine said I should settle down and that the kid would spend the season on Injured Reserve, in the D League, or simply DNPCDed. He figured there was no way a 19 year old foreign rookie was going to unseat Webster and Outlaw. We all know the history that followed.

As Nico started logging minutes, I once again had that now familiar gurgle in the gut that he was doing something unique out there, but I would look at the boxscore following games and frequently it read something like: 3 Rebs, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 8 Pts...+18. Batum routinely led the team in +/-, whatever the heck that was. By Spring of 2009, I was thoroughly entrenched in the mystery of what this number was saying. 

Normally, a stat is useful because it separates the player from the team, allowing for analysis of the individual's contributions to a game. +/- seems to measure an individual's contribution to a length of time, or number of possessions, and is subject to the influence of every teammate and opponent. Therefor, a player in the South East that logs big minutes against the MIA3 for a crappy team will suffer (John Wall is -149). Likewise, a sub-par player in an easy division playing for a good team will look better (Arroyo is +120). Obviously, this doesn't tell us that Arroyo is a better player than Wall. So we can see that separating a single player out and looking at their +/- over a long stretch of time is an ineffective use of the information. If a larger sample size is desired, the honest thing to do is to include the other players on the team that may have led to that inflated number (surely, LeBoshAde had something to do with Arroyo's +120). 

This brings us, finally, to the point. Using NBA.com's +/- machine, I entered the top performing 5-person units in the entire NBA and the results were startling. As one might think, the top 25 units were occupied largely by the Lakers, Heat, and Celtics (those 3 teams occupy 9 spots). The rest was a mixed bag, and who showed up occupying the the 22nd and 23rd spots? Our Portland Trail Blazers.

The 22nd most effective 5-man unit in the 2010-11 NBA is...

André Miller, LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Nicolas Batum, and Wesley Mathews: +41

So as much as LMA doesn't want the title of Center, he's the biggest Big of this unit, with Nico playing above himself at PF, WesMath doing the same at SF, and the André/Brandon back-court performs better than chemistry-minded analysts would have us believe. To boil it down, going small seems to work for this team.

The 23rd most effective 5-man unit in the 2010-11 NBA may be a surprise...

Armon Johnson (!!!), LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Fernandez, Dante Cunningham, and Wesley Mathews: +39

It's the bench! The Blazers bench (with Armon) is competing with the best. These players individually (apart from LMA and WesMath) do not light up the +/- board. Dante is one of the worst on the team by himself, beating only Marx, yet pair him with the others and everybody performs better. Same with Armon, who clocks in at 9th on the team in +/-, but beats out Marcus Camby (6th) for a spot on the 5-player list.

What does it all mean? I don't really know. Evidently, Nate McMillan doesn't see much use to this, as he's played the 22nd most effective unit for only 30 minutes this season (of course Roy's absence influenced that), and the 23rd most effective unit for a total of 50 minutes. The unit he's given the most run to (Miller, Roy, Batum, Aldridge, Camby), which has logged 229 minutes, is an anemic +15. Maybe it's just a trick of time, and the +/- would even out; I don't know.

These numbers are saying something, and I'll continue to try to unpack their meaning. In the meantime, thanks for reading and sharing in my latest obsession.

(Cue kettle drums)

Ladies and gentlemen, behind this curtain is a beast of unprecedented proportions. Such enormity has not been seen in this world since that fine Hellenic day that young Zeus banished his father to the shadowy depths of Tartarus.

(Cue brass section)

As you gaze upon this fair city and it's limping team, you may imagine a puzzle without several pieces, being crammed into place by a toddler with money spilling from his pockets of his whale skin overalls. Is there hope? you may ask. Can this ailing franchise be pulled from its downward trajectory into those Tartaran caves where the beasts of a forgotten age gnaw the bitter bones of defeat? The answer, friends and neighbors, lies behind this velvet veil, and with a pull of this silken rope--tug!--we are free from our prison.

Here is the colossal behemoth of a trade that could save the season and lay the groundwork for western conference dominance for the rest of our lifetimes. The four lucky teams involved in breathing life into this monster all have the world to gain. They are Denver's Nuggets, New York's Knickerbockers, Memphis' Grizzlies, and our very own Portland Trail Blazers. 

Denver

The Nuggets are on the brink of reconstruction, looking down the barrel of an unsatisfied All Star with a jet pack and a map for Anywhere but Here. Their priority going forward is to obtain the maximum cap flexibility without completely sacrificing their season.

They Get

Marcus Camby and NOH's 1st round pick, which gives them a productive center and a valuable piece to be used on Draft Day.

They Give

Nené Hilario. With Chris Andersen back on the floor and Marcus Camby coming in, they still have plenty of rebounding and shot-blocking, but will have to find a new meal ticket in the painted area.

New York

Wall Street is looking for another big piece to pair with Amar'e Stoudemire. Gordon Gekko needs a Bud Fox to give him the scoop on Blue Star; hence them being in the Melo Mix. Enter Oden (cue kettle drums).

They Get

Oden gives them a big answer to go with his big question mark. If he can get back on the floor, an Amar'e/Oden front line would be a force in the east. Considering his relatively low QO, they might still be able to swing a deal for another premier player, creating another Big 3 on the Least Coast.

They Give

Anthony Randolph and Ronny Turiaf. With a healthy Oden (snicker), these two just clog the rotation and impact the cap. Mosgov and Curry can hold down the fort while GO has a breather, and they could even afford to dump Curry's salary for Whoever.

Memphis

Memphis could hold the course and not be too worse for the wear, but is getting them anywhere? Star Power Forward Zach Randolph has a contract to extend, and for all he's given them they should probably go for it. Yet, Conley's contract will only get bigger over the next 6 years...

They Get

The league's best Alley-Oop passer in Andre Miller, and one of the best Alley-Oop finishers in Rudy Fernandez. Randolf and Gasol will eat those passes up and spit out bucket after bucket after bucket. Rudy, without the Nate Hate, might finally get a chance to shine in an environment where his competition for a starting spot is injured guard Tony Allen and a under-performing O.J. Mayo, whose very name turns the stomach. Miller's expiring contract means more Z-Bo, and for Memphis that is a very good thing.

They Give

Mike Conley and Haseem Thatbeet. Thabeet is the price that must be paid for Conley. The Beeter has been shipped to the DL several times and never lived up to expectations. He's Memphis' big, fat 4.7 million dollar boil that must be drained. The Grizz can get by without Conley, and Miller's expiring contract will allow them to have a look around this summer.

Portland

We all know the situation here: injured Centers, uncertain Point Guard rotation, overworked Power Forward, future in jeopardy, still working hard, plenty of pieces to trade.

They Get

Starting Center Nené Hilario, starting Point Guard Mike Conley, backup Center Ronny Turiaf, backup Power Forward Anthony Randolph, and Bench Warmer Haseem Thabeet. This puts the roster at 16, so Marks will have to be waived (don't look so sad, Ben). Once the season closes, I imagine Joel would be allowed to retire, giving some space for Batum's extension.

They Give

Andre Miller, Rudy Fernandez, Greg Oden, Marcus Camby and a 2011 1st round pick that continues to look good as the upstart Hornets have met some cold streaks, but not enough to make that pick go up in smoke.

The Moral

Stay away from the Trade Machine, friends and neighbors, it will give you delusions of grandeur.

Reading Timbo's fanpost this morning, a sentence caught my eye that I started typing a response to. The response grew to the point that I didn't want to clutter his comment section with it, so here it is...

If you misjudged the team coming into the season, alter your horizons. -Timbo

The reality check came for me when I saw OKC take that OT win in Portland. I was at the RG for it with my dad and I felt the wind fall from my sails at the end of the 4th. I just knew that the game was out of reach and we had been surpassed by the new underdog. Friends and family said I looked like my dog had just died. That was the nadir of this era for me. From there I've been able to dash my expectations and take the season one game at a time. It's actually been one of the more enjoyable stretches of my time as a Blazer fan.

Coming into the season, I thought the sky was the limit. With Boozer and Shaq headed east, Yao still recovering, and Carmelo rumored to be heading to NYK, I thought POR could get a healthy win total and challenge LAL for a shot at the title (a challenge I figured they'd lose).

Lately, I've been watching for the joy of the sport and to mark the development of this team. It's been a hoot. A faster pace is what I've always wanted out of this group. It's not run-and-gun, but they are finally scoring in transition and taking advantage of Rudy, Nicolas, and (especially) LMA's abilities. There's still a healthy half-court game, but it's not the end-all be-all. This is evidence of Nate's development as a coach.

I never thought I'd see McMillan beat Sloan twice in the span of a week. Part of that is the unpredictable nature of a Royless Portland team, but I also see it as a changing of the guard. Maybe Nate's legacy will never reach Sloan-like proportions, but this shows that he's growing and developing with his young team. As much as I disagree with some of Nate's decisions, I'm not ready to cash in the chips. Adjusting to a season sans-Roy/Oden could net him Coach of the Year if he doesn't crash and burn.

My new expectations are for the players to give 100% when they're on the floor. That's it: play hard. If that's there I'll enjoy the game, support the team, and continue to buy tickets even if they're a sub-.500 team ranking dead last on Hollinger's list. The weight of further expectations is more than a fan can happily bear. The simple choice is to stop bearing them, relax, and enjoy a season of the most exciting sport on earth.

Hello Blazer fans!

Many of must be wondering how you're going to make through an 82 game season when all signs point to a drawn out slog through a bog of failure, leading nowhere but down, down, down. Well, fret not dear Blazermaniacs! 500Dogs is here with some tips on getting the most out of this shambling hulk of rubbish that our dear team has devolved into.

Tip #1

Drink heavily.

I know some of you may be taken aback by this first tip, but bear with me. Booze is man's best painkiller, but will also feed your rage. Not many substances can make that claim. The numbness of body and raw, spiritual emotion combine to give you, the beleaguered fan, just the license you need to fly off the handle, scream at your television, and weep openly. When guests, roommates, and family all desert you in a grand diaspora, you can also turn your rage on booze itself--don't worry, alcohol will forgive you when nobody else will.

Tip #2

Stay busy.

This, combined with Tip #1, helped me through last night's horrible defeat in Philly. I had just picked up a pair of new tires and a fender set for my bike, which I installed while watching the game and during half time. Having this engaging activity to distract me from the pathetic display on television was a real life-saver. I can only imagine the pain of devoting my full attention to the brick layer's convention that was the 4th quarter.

Tip #3

Get a dog.

As my screen name implies, I am a dog lover (don't worry, I only have one little dog). Nothing eases the pain of failure like scratching a cute puppy dog behind the ears or under the collar; their pleasure at this simple tactile experience reminds you that joy can still be extracted from life, even when it looks like the El Niño of crap storms appears to be blowing your (Rose) garden to smithereens. Equally uplifting is their complete ignorance to the game; just when you're about ready to smash your TV to pieces, you catch a glance of your dog, stretched luxuriously on the couch, snoozing the night away. It's hard to stay angry in the presence of such total relaxation.

Tip #4

Become a workaholic.

The more time you spend working or studying or researching or whatever, the less time you have to talk about the terrible state into which your beloved franchise has fallen. You'll still think about it, tearing your remaining hair out when nobody is looking, but at least you won't have time to look at the internet, breaking down the statistical and anecdotal evidence with the hope of finding the missing ingredient...unless you have my job. Never mind, disregard this tip, and refer to #1.

Tip #5

Divorce yourself from the present.

Live in the past, my friends--or if, like me, you weren't alive for the '77 run, it might be better to live in the future. Imagine a world where Oden's knees are replaced by bionic devices, capable of lifting a player to extraordinary heights. One day, they will literally be able to jump out of the building, briefly leave orbit, then reenter, leaving a smoking crater where the hoop once was. Someday, meniscus will be replaced by a synthetic jelly, made from tiny robots who will repair damage within the joint as it occurs. Players won't retire until the age of 200. Coaches will be replaced hyper-intelligent dolphins in silk suits with garish ties who will send messages to players telepathically. Best of all, in this glorious future, referees will be replaced with cameras that automatically detect fouls and deliver near-fatal shocks to the offending party, cleaning up the game for good. 

I hope these tips (especially #1) will help you loyal fans make it through what promises to be an excruciating season. Before you know it, the off season will be upon us and we can start building up unrealistic expectations all over again! Good night, and go Blazers!

Hey BEdgers,

Recently over on Barrett's Blog, I indulged in a position-by-position breakdown of the Blazers and why I though we should stand pat until the end of the FIBA games. These posts were spread out primarily over the month of August. Enjoy.

Point Guard
Depth: Miller, Bayless, Roy

The majority of the minutes at PG should go to Jerryd Bayless. If you'd kindly remove your hand from my throat, I'll explain...

Whether or not you think JB is the mythical Point Guard of the Future Bom, bom, bommmmm (PGotF), the team has invested heavily in developing his game to fit the mold. Statistically, it's working. Upper Left Corner recently wrote an informative Fan Post regarding Jerryd's progress called Rethinking the Point. Because of how well ULC crafted his essay and how tireless a champion of Bayless he has been, I encourage y'all to read Rethinking the Point, as well as some of the comments that follow.

Of particular interest are Jerryd's stats in the playoff series against the Suns. ULC writes that JB was, "...shooting 40% from 3 pt range; posting a AST% of 28%, a TO% under 10, an AST/TO of 3:1". While the six game series offers a very small sample size, it gives an idea of how well he plays under pressure. His performance in these areas (especially 3pt. shooting) indicate that he could become the floor-stretching point guard this team needs.

To get a definitive answer to whether or not JB is the PGotF, he needs minutes. More than that, he needs playing time with Roy, Batum, and Oden. I think Andre should start, but Bayless should be brought in pretty early to get some run with the core. If it works, keep increasing his minutes throughout the season, slowly working Andre out of the system. If it doesn't work, put together a trade package sending Bayless to a team that can better fit his skill set, bringing in the next candidate for PGotF. Personally, I have faith that he will succeed. In a few years, the Jerryd Bayless/Armon Johnson one-two punch is going to knock the NBA's teeth out.

Shooting Guard

Rotation: Roy, Mathews, Batum, Bayless
DNPCD: Fernandez

This looks funky, and I might be jumping to conclusions regarding Batum's ability to play the 2, but I think he could take advantage of some mismatches there. I put Bayless at the bottom because if he can't swing it at PG, the team shouldn't be bending over backwards to give him Brandon's minutes.

Brandon's backup is a tricky issue. The Spaniard's grumbling has simplified things substantially, but there's no guarantee that won't be Wesley in a couple years, thinking he deserves more meat than is on the bird. The key to keeping our new backup happy will be his ability to play other positions. This leads to problems of it's own as his second position is SF, where there are two very talented young men in Batum and Cunningham. Luckily, they can move around too, but where does it stop? At what point do you just want your SF to be a SF, SG to be a SG, and your backup to be a backup?

To answer these role questions, time is needed. These guys need to work out the kinks together and figure out where they can make the best impact. Nate needs to tinker with lineups and looks. Roy needs to adjust to either fewer minutes or the point guard position. As much as I was hoping that this season would start with some clearly defined roles, the Mathews acquisition has thrown that all up in the air.

Many have come to the conclusion that Rudy has got to go. I agree, but I maintain that the team can get better value for him in a different climate. I think a lot of teams are reeling right now from an exciting summer and are not looking to be one of the "losers" of the off season.

Rudy is a good player and should not be "Sergioed". There is not a real need to get rid of him, and his stock will only rise as time goes on. I believe he's primed to make another splash in the FIBA competition, which should get some GMs salivating. Let them sweat. Let him sweat. Let everybody work themselves into a frenzy as news that he's unhappy continues to spread until trading partners know that any deal with Portland will have to include Rudy.

The other side of this is, you never know. Last season the team should have dumped "Rise With Us", and replaced it with "Them's the Breaks", or "Challenge = Opportunity". In other words, a time may come when the Blazers need number 5 again. It sure doesn't hurt to have the dude around (cheap, cheap, cheap!), his attitude just makes him unreliable. The easy answer to that is not to rely on him. There are certainly others in line...

Small Forward

Rotation: Batum, Batum (he's that good), Mathews, Cunningham

Small forward is strait up the most solid position going into this season. Provided everybody stays healthy, there should be nothing to worry about with these three. I don't know much about Mathews' game, but Batum and Cunningham are rapidly improving players with great minds and bodies for the game.

I cannot get over how impressed I was with Dante's rookie season. He demonstrated why four year college guys have a leg up on drop outs--he already looks like a polished rotation player. If DC can continue to grow his game, I think the Blazers should do whatever they can to keep him on the floor and lock him up long term. I don't have a preference as to whether he develops into more of a SF or a PF, as I think he's capable of either. There will be more minutes at SF for now but if LMA continues to stagnate, he might find a hungry Dante gobbling up his playing time. As we all know, the way to Nate's heart is through his defense and DC has certainly put in the time there.

Power Forward

Dream Rotation: Camby, LMA, Cunningham

Actual Rotation: LMA, Camby, Cunningham

Sometimes I think I'm too hard on LaMarcus. After all, he is a gifted player with a silky smooth mid-range game. Also, last season he was forced into a role that highlighted his weak spots due to The Plague of '09. Perhaps Oden will cover up those spots and I'll go slinking off into the night to spread my wicked lies elsewhere...but here's the beef: LMA is an awful passer. How does Oden fix that? Furthermore, how is Oden supposed to flourish if he's being fed in part by atrocious entry passes from the PF? This is why I think Camby should start.

Camby's high post game is super crafty. Not only is he a crisp passer, he can bury that wind-up jumper if he's given the space and time. Camby is also what I'd call a Tactical Rebounder, which compliments Oden who I'd call a Proximity Rebounder. Basically, Oden snuggles up to the basket, snags all the close bounces and stuffs in the thunderous put-backs, whereas Camby seems to stay ahead of the play, carefully positioning himself for the long bounces.

Personally, I don't subscribe to the idea that there are some skills that players can't learn, so I'll not count LMA out, but I do think he needs some motivation. Maybe losing his starting spot to an old-timer will inspire him to clean up his passing game. Who knows?

The problem with this idea is long term chemistry. Camby is likely gone after his contract, leaving a gaping hole in the front line. If a replacement hasn't been groomed, that could be a major setback. All the same, I'd hope that in a couple years our core will be experienced enough to find a groove with anybody.

Center

Rotation: Oden, Przybilla, Camby,

Our only option going forward for this position is simply to have faith and hold the course. The Oden/Przybilla tandem is the best center duo in the league. Their health is all that stands between this team and complete dominance. Unfortunately, that's been a pretty massive gulf recently. So much so that the Blazers had to go out and hunt down a short term replacement. It's a good thing they did too...

I think this season Camby should be getting most of his minutes at power forward, but having him around helps to ease my center concerns substantially. I don't think we're in for another run of bad luck, but it's great to have such a quality big man that can fill the gap were something to come up.

It's mainly Oden I'm worried about. Joel had a bad injury, then suffered a freak accident, but is already on track to start the season. I don't know where folks get off saying he's injury prone. Sure, he gets hurt too, but he bounces back and plays through the pain. At the start of the off season, I toyed with different ideas involving his expiring contract, but at the moment I don't see anyone out there that would impact the team like Joel does. He may not be the heart of the roster, but he sure as heck is the guts.

Oden is a different story. His history is not encouraging. I think he should be handled with kid's gloves during the regular season, sitting for stretches to ensure that he's primed for a deep playoff run. It's all fine and good to say that a player should stay in rhythm, but Greg Oden is not a typical player--he's a titan with very serious health concerns. Extreme care must be taken in his management, because come playoff time there's nobody that will stand up to Old Greg. Think Godzilla. Think mushroom cloud. Turn the dials on your awesome machine up to "totally" and prepare to have your face melted off and your shadow burned to the wall in a cacophony of blocks; a blizzard of put-backs; all to set to the tune of a shattering backboard.

End of the Bench

Rotation: Babbitt, Pendergraph, Armon, EWill

With any luck, none of these players will sniff the court this season. If any of them get run beyond Garbage Time, something terrible has happened.

The guards are looking at an unbreakable starting PG, an unshakable starting SG, and three hungry youngsters clambering to get minutes behind those starters, all of which have seniority over the rookies. I have a very high opinion of Armon Johnson based on what little I've seen, but I'm not so high on him that I'd want to see the dude in the regular rotation at the expense of Bayless or Miller. He's good, but still raw.

Elliot is mystery. All I've got to judge his potential on are some freakish stories about his jumping ability. Of the rookies, Williams' future is the least certain. It will take the complete breakdown of Bayless, Mathews and Rudy to get him on the floor. There is no expiring contract ahead of him on the depth chart, nor any doubt concerning the starter's place on the team. Furthermore, his absence on the Summer League roster denied him the opportunity to prove himself. If he doesn't blow the doors off in training camp, it should come as no surprise to see him packaged with Rudy later on this year.

Babbitt has the most hope to see time this season, but I pray he doesn't. It's not that I dislike the dude, but if he's playing that means that Nic's hurt, Dante's tanking, or Mathews busted. Those three have proven themselves to be rotation-worthy players through hard work on the defensive end and enough offensive production/potential as to not be liabilities. Babbitt's work in Summer League (believe me, I wish I had more to judge him by) was very Martellish. It took him way too long to find his touch. Even with his old pal Armon feeding him, it wasn't until the end of the competition that I saw anything noteworthy. What I saw was about what I expected: good shooting, and a desire for rebounds. That inside game he liked to throw around in college evaporated in the face of big, mean NBA-caliber talent and with it went his confidence. I think we've got a headcase on our hands. In a few years that might work itself out, but I'm not crowning him 6th man of the year any time soon.

Pendergraph was the letdown of the Summer League roster. I expected him to have polished up his game a little, especially in the foul department. I like his attitude and desire to be a presence on the floor, but if he doesn't learn some craftiness, he's just another thug. I was very disappointed to see that the dimension he's working on adding is a jab-step jumper. I must have seen three or four of those over the course of the competition, and I don't think any went down. If he adds anything to his game, it should be cleverness. Offensively, I don't think he needs to reinvent the wheel. He's a slammer and a jammer--that's it and that's fine. All the Blazers will ever need from him is to pop in, rough some fools up, jam it home on some alley-oops, and sit back down. Keep it simple. Jeff just needs to be Jeff, without so many fouls. If he can do that, he'll find some minutes. If he can't, no biggie--he's an end-of-the-bench guy. The future of the Blazers rests on other shoulders.

That's that. I hope y'all liked my little opinion piece. Feel free to rip my conclusions apart in the comments!

~Dogs