What to do?

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Hmmmm

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I really thought there would be a post about this last night. On courtside coach Nate was on and talking about the growth of the blazers this offseason, when asked about Odens offseason schedule Nate changed his tone and talked about Greg needing to really work on his lateral movement and offensive post moves. Nate also talked about Oden going to Ohio state for summer class's he did not sound very happy that Oden would do this, this off season. Nate did not come right out and critisize Greg but he sounded like he had concerns.

Later on during the same show KP came on and he was asked about players offseasons after a little rambling he was bluntly asked about Odens growth this summer and if going to school was going to fit in with the offseason plans. KP talked about flying Bobby Medina and ??? Brain cramp the coach that came back to us from Loyola Marimount. to Ohio this summer to work with Greg.

I dont really have a firm opinion on what the Blazers should do with there off time obviously they are going to take some time to decompress after the long season, but Oden is a huge part of this team going forward I would think he could could go back to school a couple seasons from now. I really wanted to hear about him going to a big man camp(if they have those anymore after Pete Newells passing away)or just working his tail off on his continued rehab and just overall conditioning. 

Great news about Jay Bay and Batum, they started working out the day after the playoffs were over. Incredible.

Its easy to feel doom and gloom about how are Blazers got manhandled, C'mon there were some major first round upsets in games 1 of the playoffs. If we think back over the years there almost always have been upsets with teams losing there coveted home court advantage.

Lets start with the Bulls vs Celtics, Yes we lost but look at the expectations Boston fans have and the roster they floor every night. They laid an egg and lost home court, they let a rookie scorch them.(Nice job to the bulls btw)Who's fan base should be more down Portlands fans because of the hype around are team or Boston fans with another championship on there minds.

I think the Mavs vs Spurs is the next upset that really should be a shocker The only hope that the spurs had was to hold home court. This series is over by default  the spurs just do not have the where with all they once did. Spurs fans have to be realising it was a great run but its done.

76ers vs Magic may turn out to be the best series of the opening round I thoink the magic are head and shoulders better then the 76ers but losing a comfortable lead the way they did.  Portland played like deer in headlights but what do you say about the Magic? Mental midget syndrome, they may not be able to overcome that loss and it would be too bad but they did it too themselves.

Rockets vs Portland I will try not to be to homerish but that game was what it was, all the prep rallys and preperation from an expierianced coaching staff cannot prepair a team for the intensity of the playoffs. Youth was served but shouldent be an excuse in the future. Portland just got there first taste of brussel sprouts and spit them out on the plate. NO NO NO young men you pick that up and put it back in your mouth. There are lots of things in life we dont like but must learn to like because there good for you, they make you stronger healthier and wiser.

(Didnt know brussel sprouts could do all that did you?)

Instead of dwelling on our upset loss(if it was that) who do you all think will have the toughest road back from there upset loss?

Two years ago Kobe and Odem stepped into a Blazers huddle and started to jaw at the VERY YOUNG Portland squad. Portland players looked around and basically looked like deer staring into headlights. Oh, how things have changed, if that same scenario happend with this not so young Blazers team I think we would actually have an altercation and a well deserved one.

Portland is not the western conferance doormat any longer we are young but we are also talented, alot is said about basketball IQ Portland has a ton of it, these players learn on the fly as well as anyone in any field. Well, (I'll give astronauts a little more credit doctors,military,etc,etc)we all can see there is a maturity happening, the team is growing. Heck, the fans are growing as well, the rose garden is finally losing the old guard and the new generation, like the blazers are exciting.(and excited) The Blazers are players in the western conferance arms race again.

Does portland need to make a move this summer? I was all for it but after the SA and LA wins Im not so sure anymore. Maybe just maybe we let this team grow up a little more and Portland starts to bring some of its intensity to the road and we find out what I suspect upper management has known for awhile, the pieces we want to aquire are already here we just havent seen them mature yet.

side note: Rudy I hope you get well soon.

First and formost  I am 100% behind the pick Of Greg Oden over K. Durant. There has been alot of finger pointing and petty arguments over who the right pick was.

 For one day lets take an opposite approach as to the player the Blazers picked and act like Durant was the Blazers pick. What would we be saying about Portlands future and what would Portland need to get themselves in the western conferance race.

I would be willing to bet that a center and point guard of the future would be in alot of trade discussions. Durant is good he put up 45 last night but why isnt Roy getting the ball more? We have to get better in the paint our rebounding is terrible. Whats up with the defense? I thought Nate was a defensive genious, Durant really needs to put some weight on our front line looks like tooth picks against other nba front lines. Durant needs to get his teammates more involved. The kid is going to take us to the promise land in a few more seasons. I hope KP gets a good lottery pick we really need to get the center of the future for this club. Why did we not make a trade for Chandler he would have been perfect for Portland.

These are just guess's as to what some of the comments would have been if the draft results would have been reversed.

Note: If your a Durant guy you need to reverse your thinking on the Durant vs Oden debate as well and become an Oden supporter and complain about why we did not take Oden.  

I apologise if this has already been posted.

NBA lines up $200 million for teams

NEW YORK -- The NBA has lined up $200 million to distribute to teams interested in additional cash, which the league considers a sign it remains strong in a slumping economy.

Between $13 million and $20 million will be available to each of 12 teams that have expressed interest in the funds, commissioner David Stern said Thursday. The money can be used for any purpose, including helping teams deal with operating losses incurred because of the economy.

It should not, Stern said, be construed as a bailout. At a time when credit markets have been frozen, investors saw the NBA as a safe bet.

"It's exactly the opposite" of a bailout, Stern told The Associated Press "This was a show of strength in the creditworthiness of the NBA's teams."

The NBA declined to name the teams interested in the money.

The league has an existing $1.7 billion credit facility, essentially a line of credit established by lenders from which teams can borrow. The league had been interested in growing the facility when the credit markets seized up last fall.

"They told us there's no chance of any additional funds being raised for any sports league, and indeed, the credit facilities that had come up for other leagues were being termed out rather than renewed," Stern said.

JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America recently approached the league to say $150 million might be available, a figure that eventually grew to $200 million.

"It's a great sign of confidence in us and that's wonderful that the market is opening up, so we'll take it," Stern said. "And we turned to our teams and said, 'OK, we've got this much more to distribute under the facility for those of you who want it now.'"

The 12 interested teams aren't necessarily those in the worst financial shape.

"Many of them are doing well," Stern said.

Still, the additional credit comes at a time when pro sports leagues are cutting staff and teams are slashing ticket prices and payroll. The NBA announced last October that it was eliminating about 80 jobs in the United States, or about 9 percent of its domestic workforce, and teams have also felt the pinch of a struggling economy.

Charlotte Bobcats owner Bob Johnson has acknowledged losing tens of millions of dollars since paying $300 million for the expansion franchise, which began play in 2004-05.

The Bobcats would not say whether they are among the 12 teams interested in the money.

"We don't disclose our financial information," Bobcats spokesman Michael Thompson said Thursday. "But the fact that NBA teams get opportunities like this really speaks to the strength of our business."

SportsBusiness Journal first reported that a credit deal was in the works. Alex Martins, chief operating officer of the Orlando Magic, told the journal that the money would help the Magic offset losses of between $15 million and $20 million and "bridge the time period between now and when we move into our new events center in 2010."

Magic spokesman Joel Glass said Thursday the team would not have additional comment until the league addresses the issue.

Paul Andrews, executive vice president of Kroenke Sports Enterprises, was unsure whether the Denver Nuggets will take advantage of the available money.

"We're still researching the situation and don't have enough knowledge today to give an educated opinion," Andrews said.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

I think there will be some serious relocation of teams the next several season.

... of openly saying the Blazers should stand pat come the trade deadline 6 weeks ago.

...of getting caught up in the trade rumor hype 3 weeks ago and flip flopping my stand on no trades.

...of thinking that the Blazers do not care about going over the cap and paying extra into the luxery tax.

...of thinking KP was going to trade nothing but RLEC to get C. Paul.

...of being a fan that preach's patiance to his friends but has none himself.

...of telling my wife I only had one chili dog for lunch when I really had..........

The Sports Business Journal has word about the NBA's new financial move:

The NBA is set to borrow $175 million Feb. 26, marking one of the first league financings since the implosion of the credit markets last fall.

The money, which will be available to 15 teams, supplements an existing $1.7 billion leaguewide credit facility that uses the NBA's media contracts as collateral to secure loans for the clubs. The NBA surveyed its teams, and 15 responded they would like to tap into the new borrowing.

While the league said it is pleased to borrow in an extremely illiquid credit market, the deal came at a cost, with interest rates up to 8.27 percent, hammering home the notion that the era of cheap money in sports is over. The 15 teams can use the money for any purpose, but covering operating losses may be high on the list.

"In this economic environment, it's tremendous that the league can place such a facility," said Alex Martins, chief operating officer of the Orlando Magic, which plans to borrow from the new debt. "It certainly helps us bridge the time period between now and when we move into our new events center in 2010. We've been operating at a $15 [million] to $20 million [annual] loss over the past half-dozen years, so it helps us."

Each of the 15 teams can borrow a maximum of $11.66 million from the debt proceeds.

• NBA securing $175M for clubs (Sports Business Journal)

Thank God we have an owner like Paul Allen.