In an interview with Esquire magazine, Howard said:

""There's more you can do in a bigger place. I'm stuck in a tough position because I feel like right now, where I'm at, I've done so much. And I just don't know what else I can do. I can't live for everybody else," Howard told the magazine.

"I don't know what decision I'm gonna make as of right now. ... Everybody wants me to come here, come play here, come to our team, do this. It's a great feeling, though, to be wanted, " Howard told Esquire. "

This sounds like he is good as gone. No doubt about it, Howard will not consider coming to Portland or 90% of the other NBA cities. He will want to join up with a collection of superstars to make another mega-star team. Most likely destinations are NY or LA.

This is the EXACT reason this CBA must do something to discourage this kind of thing from happening. How many times can the Lakers get a superstar big man from another team, before we all just throw our hands up quit watching. Off the top of my head the superstar big men, in their prime, the Lakers have poached from other teams are Kareem, Shaq, and Gasol. 2 of those 3 were arguable the best big men of their generation and the Lakers took them from other teams. This type of stuff has to stop.

A really good analysis of how a BRI reduction would affect teams. Just a few notables from the article:

- A 50/50 split would reduce the cap $58 mill, to $50 mill and luxury tax line from $70 mill, to $61 mill.

- The Boston Celtics would be luxury tax payers despite having only 7 players under contract.

- The Lakers would be $31 mill over the luxury tax line

- The Blazers (who currently have the 3rd highest payroll, though they have 13 players under contract so that is skewed a bit) would be over the luxury tax line by $14 mill.

I believe we will see a lot of players cut with an amnesty clause. Especially since we are going to see a higher luxury tax penalty. If you do the math at a simple 2 to 1 luxury tax (not the steeper graduated tax as has been proposed by the owners) and apply that to Brandon's contract of about $15 mill next year, using the amnesty on Roy's contract could save the Blazers $43 mill next year (That is $43 mill savings for just ONE year). And then remember, Roy's salary increases season to season, so that tax could potentially get steeper each season. This greatly increases the chances that the Blazers will use the amnesty clause on Roy.

A great article on Kemba Walker and what the "winner" label means for him.

However, one item in this article peaked my interest.

But at the very least, he has an encouraging history. When he was a pass-first point guard coming out of Rice High School (N.Y.), some wondered whether Walker would ever develop the necessary scoring skills. But after becoming an energy scorer off the bench in his freshman year at UConn and taking another major leap this past summer to become "the man" on a roster that at times appeared nearly barren, he’s progressed to the point where we question his ability to be a pass-first point guard.

This is interesting. Everyone thinks of Kemba as a guard who may struggle passing the ball. Yet when he came out of high school, Kemba was thought of as a pass-first point guard who may not be able to score at a high level. Why is that? It makes me wonder if Kemba had to change his game in order for UCONN to win? If that is the case, it does bode well for him to become a good all around point guard, rather than this undersized shooting guard that he is currently being billed as.

John Canzano of The Oregonian writes...
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A source familiar with the situation said Thursday that Portland figures it must deal with Roy's future if it's truly going to rejoin the league's contenders. Retirement for Roy is among the options they're considering.
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ed: bumped to front page
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Note: Roy is not going to retire this year. A medical retirement case is essentially impossible to make at this point given how he performed post-surgery. A buyout -- given the dollars remaining on his contract, the team's overall cap situation and the hole that would be left by his departure -- is very unlikely before the end of next season at the earliest. -- Ben

This may cause all kinds of speculation regarding LaMarcus' contract.

If those numbers prove to be true, Horford at 5 years and $60 million seems like a good deal for the Hawks. Especially considering the amount of money they are paying Joe Johnson.

Picks Portland to finish 2nd in Western Conference...possibly first.

I am assuming he will "settle" somewhere around what Aldridge was offered...5 year $65 million.

Do you value Aldridge and Noah the same?

A great article on True Hoop analyzing the ridiculous comments Magic made about LeBron. Not sure if it's hypocritical...more like comparing apples to oranges. At the heart of the argument is a comparison between Magic's teammates vs LeBron's teammates. Here's how it breaks down:

Then Mike gets to comparing the Lakers who played with Johnson in his first seven years to the Cavaliers who played with James over the same period. Johnson's teammates, in aggregate, had:

* Zero first team All-Rookie Selections
* Two All-Star game appearances (Mo Williams, Zydrunas llgauskas)
* Zero All-NBA first team selection
* Zero All-NBA second team selections
* Zero All-Defensive first team selections
* One All-Defensive second team selection (Anderson Vareajo)
* Zero MVP Awards

That is pretty overwhelming evidence that LeBron and Magic were dealing with two totally different situations. Magic was born into the royalty of the NBA while LeBron went to a poor team. Magic has little credibility telling LeBron not to get what he had himself.

John Wall wins Most Outstanding Player which is like the MVP. DeMarcus Cousins wins Rookie of the Month (Very weird that this wasn't Wall also, since he is a rookie and declared MVP). No Blazer made the All Tourney team. Here are the players that made the team:

John Wall (Washington)
DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento)
Sam Young (Memphis)
JaVale McGee (Washington)
Reggie Williams (Golden State)
DeMar DeRozan (Toronto)
JJ Hickson (Cleveland)
Ty Lawson (Denver)
Dominique Jones (Dallas)
Derrick Caracter (LA Lakers)
Larry Sanders (Milwaukee)
Gani Lawal (Phoenix)
Jermaine Taylor (Houston)
Alonzo Gee (San Antonio)

Wow! I really cannot believe Michael Beasley was just traded to the Wolves for a likely low second round pick...and that is all. Unbelievable! It's not like he is making max money or anything...he is still on his rookie contract and only played two seasons. That could be a coup for Minnesota.

UPDATE: It appears that the Heat and Wolves have agreed to swap future 1st round picks as well. That could make this deal a little more even.

Steven A. Smith reports several sources claiming LeBron and Bosh are set to join Wade in Miami. If that happens do the Portland Trailblazers have enough firepower to compete with Miami?

This really is a must listen. Steve Patterson was interviewed today on 95.5 the game on the MSP. Some highlights of the interview (I'm adding my own interpretation to some of this):

- Paul Allen and Vulcan's are tone deaf to PR
- Vulcan's in Seattle throw people under the bus to stay in Paul Allen's good graces
- Berte Kolde is very close to Paul Allen. They have been friends since they were young.
- Warren Lagarie overplayed his hand trying to get a new contract for Penn and KP - apparently Legarie and Bert Kolde have a longstanding relationship, and Legarie used Kolde by misinforming him about the Penn's status with other teams, that forced Paul Allen to give a Penn a bigger contract and promotion. KP and Penn got caught in that mess, since they perpetuated that perception of that misinformation that Legarie was spewing to Kolde. Furthermore, Kolde has lusted after running a sports franchise for a long time, which would give him motivation to throw KP under the bus.
- KP leaked information to the press and talked behind Paul Allen and Larry Miller's back...basically that KP took credit for the good things that happened, and blamed ownership and the president for things that went badly
- KP unduly got the sole recognition for getting Roy and LMA
- The only deal KP made the Roy year, was to get Sergio Rodriguez
- Paul Allen wanted Morrison over Roy
- KP and Penn with Legarie were trying to go around Larry Miller and gather more power in the organization
- Paul Allen is committed to putting a winning team on the floor
- Paul Allen wanted to extend Miles against the recommendation of the gm and president....knees were evaluated and doctors said they wouldn't last 18 months
- It sounds like there isn't enough direct lines of communication between Portland management and Seattle...too bureaucratic
- Paul Allen is very involved with the team....but sometimes people who are not informed or competent (namely Berte Kolde) have his ear
- Haha..this one is good, Patterson says he would've drafted Durant over Oden at the time

It was 4 Blazer players for CP3 and another Hornets player. Says Hornets have disengaged in talks. It was on MSP this morning. By the way, Nick Batum was in the deal. It also sounds like Oden or LMA could've been involved....though not sure why NO would want LMA if they already have West. Nevertheless, the package was not enough for New Orleans. I am encouraged that KP is thinking big.

Don't know if this is true...but man oh man if it is....maybe Ron Artest can lend Rasheed his shrink?

I am geeked right now!!!! Well maybe I need to calm down...nothing has happened yet. And he did mention this on 95.5 The Game earlier, so it's not entirely new news. But he spoke longer and in more detail this time. Jason Quick said on the O-Live chat, KP is working on a deal to bring in an all star...a deal that is so sweet there is no way Paul Allen could turn it down or fire him.

Quick says, "I think the Blazers are another all star player away from contending for a championship. Portland is much closer to that than many fans think." In the context of the conversation, it is clear he means that KP is working on a deal to bring in a big time all star. Quick says the deal, if it happens, will happen before or on the draft.

Also mentioned that if the Blazers start out slow next season, look for Nate to feel a lot of heat and possibly be fired.

I'm sure the podcast will be up soon. It's definitely worth a listen.

I found this part interesting:

The boldest moves in terms of tangible risk Pritchard has made so far have been the free agency signing of Miller and trading for Camby, neither of which sacrificed any members of their core. Whoever is ultimately GM of the Blazers must make an all-in move because even if Oden gets functionally healthy for an extended period, there are too many talented teams to really guarantee anything beyond the second round.

As a young hoops-head growing up in Seattle, Brandon Roy eagerly awaited the time he could hit the court with Lou Hobson.

Hobson, a longtime AAU coach, had helped shepherd some of the area's brightest basketball talents, and Roy was ready to be the next in line.

Click link for the rest of the story and video.

May shed some light on the situation...but it is hearsay until proven.