SB Nation User Blog: Bedhead

Update: Alternate jerseys for this season

Bedhead — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:22:27 -0000

It looks like the Blazers are going to have an alternate jersey for this, the fourtieth anniversary of the franchise. Shirts, pins and jerseys can be found here. It also looks like there are going to be "Hardwood Classic" jerseys (in the style with Portland written vertically), but I don't think that they are going to be worn during games. My friend was on the fan advisory board a while ago. When they asked about alternate jerseys, the Blazers just said they had "something in the works." I guess this is it. Thoughts?

Update: According to oregonlive the Hardwood Classic jerseys will be worn during games.

Please Stop freaking out over Hedo

Bedhead — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:02:31 -0000

Today did you stop by Mike Barrett's blog? He dropped some serious science:

...The Blazers' executive team is playing this very, very close to the vest, and all we're left with are rumors and the usual sell jobs by agents.

This, after all, is when the agents are at their best (or worst, depending on your perspective). To say that they use the media during times like this is an understatement. I would bet that 75 percent of the stuff you've heard up to this point has been planted by a player agent. This is not to bang on them. They're just doing their jobs- drumming up support, creating a marketplace, or pushing the value of their clients. They know this is such an emotional time, a few well-placed texts or e-mails will be followed by front-page news.

He continues:

When it comes to trade rumors, or rumors of a big signing in the NBA, it's often true, where there's smoke there's usually fire. But, this isn't always the case. Again, the agents have PR machines at their finger tips, and they've become masters at selling high. In short, the illusion they create often becomes real.

The rules state that if you sign a free agent you can't trade him for 90 days, or until December 15th, whichever is later. That's always been the case. BUT, there is a bit of a loophole here. If the free agent you're about to sign is aware that he's going to be traded immediately upon signing, this is legal. So, if a free-agent contract is specifically designed to be a sign-and-trade deal, it's okay.

Going this route would definitely give you a much larger pool or prospects, provided you could find a willing trade partner, and a willing free agent. If a team that's over the cap has a free agent its targeting, it would just have to find a team that's under the cap to help them, and then, of course, you'd have to find a trade that works.

So, even though we've only been hearing about a handful of guys being possible future Trail Blazers, I'm telling you to think outside the box. That's what KP always tells us he does, right? So, should we be set for Andre Miller, Turkoglu, Jason Kidd, or Brandon Bass? If we're to believe what we've been reading, it should be one of those guys. Maybe I'm reaching here, but I don't think it will be. Of course, I could be dead wrong.

So, in summation, there might just be more than meets the eye here. There's a good chance that KP and the Blazers brain trust are angling to raise Hedo's stock and get Toronto to overpay for him, or sign him to trade for some serious pieces to the Blazers championship puzzle.

It may be that the Blazers are trying to let Hedo know that they are serious about adding him. With Portland he won't be able to get the most money this offseason, but he can make the most money while still contending for a title.

Our beloved KP has done well by us so far. I think it would be best for us to calm down and wait to see how the chips fall. I have no doubt that whatever done this summer will make this team better for the long haul. It just takes a little patience.

I have some thoughts about the Amar'e talk from Marc Stein

Bedhead — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 17:33:52 -0000

Of course this this is pretty much just a rumor right now, take with a grain of sat accordingly:

Marc Stein has been dropping hints about the Blazers talking with the Suns about Amar'e here and more specifically here. In the first link, he suggests a trade of Travis, RLEC and Jerryd could work. He then mentions that the Blazers do not want to trade Bayless. If, and I know it's a big if, the Blazers are talking about shipping RLEC, Travis and some other piece for Amar'e, what are your thoughts? I wonder if a starting lineup of Blake, Roy, Amar'e, LaMarcus and Oden be too congested on offense. Would smaller teams run circles around them, or would having three athletic big men be able to snuff out almost any team? On offense, I don't know if there would there be enough balance. Would everyone be able (I'm looking right at LaMarcus) to get their shots? I'm also not sure how Amar'e would ease into our system. From Stephen A. Smith, earlier this season:

When asked about his situation, Stoudemire said, "You've got LeBron James who's a featured guy. You've got Dwyane Wade. He's a featured guy. Dwight Howard? They go to him. Chris Bosh? They go to him.

"Bottom line: I want to be that guy. I want to show the league and the world that I feel like my game has improved to that level."

When asked whether he felt Porter's new system was helping that cause, Stoudemire said, "I'm not sure."

When told it wasn't good for him to feel that way, his response: "It ain't great!"

Do you think it'd be worth it to pull the trigger? I'd love to hear other people's thoughts.

Enjoy the Zach Randolph Era

Bedhead — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:45:31 -0000

Oh, we loved it in Portland, and they loved it in New York. Maybe this is addition by subtraction? Subtraction by addition? I dunno. I wish you luck. Like most NBA fans, I have a soft spot for the Clippers (except against the Blazers). Zach Randolph is putting up some nice numbers this year, and it never hurts to have a SF that knows how to score.

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/basketball/knicks/blog/

Knick fan reactions:

http://www.knickerblogger.net/?p=1039

Warriors fan reactions (who are kind of going insane right now):

http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/

No Oden cameo at Summer League

Bedhead — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 06:12:08 -0000

Per Marc Stein guesting on TrueHoop:

Meanwhile ...

The Portland Trail Blazers play their first summer-league game Monday night against Washington, but Blazers front-office chief Kevin Pritchard has squelched any notion that Greg Oden might make a cameo in one or two of the Blazers' five games.

When we checked on Saturday night just to make sure, Pritchard said that Oden is far enough along in his recovery from September microfracture surgery on his right knee to return to the Cox Pavilion. That's the same building where we last saw Oden in uniform for two games last summer before he underwent a tonsillectomy, but the Blazers see no need or upside to hurry him back onto the floor.

And who can argue?

As much as we'd all enjoy a big-name cameo -- with this July's rookie contingent in Vegas lacking the buzz factor Oden and Kevin Durant generated in 2007 and now without Gordon it's not as if Oden needs a big summer to secure a spot in the Blazers' rotation. You can safely assume Oden is up there with Mayo on the list of favorites to win the 2008-09 NBA Rookie of the Year award, which Oden is eligible to win after sitting out his entire first season with the injury.

"We like him, Pritchard said with a smile.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-33-46/Hamstring-Pull-Sidelines-Gordon.html