"Still, while Roy complains that he's in a "Q Richardson role," referring to the Orlando guard who's averaging 7.3 points and 4.3 rebounds, he should be taking on a Wesley Matthews role — worrying less about what he can't do to and instead maximizing everything he can."

"There’s no alternative, really. To admit defeat is to go down a road of failure and self-restraint which, to be honest, is all too common in our society and is sometimes called for, but is also not heroic. And athletes, though they are almost never heroic anymore, still need that heroic mindset. They need to be able to push themselves beyond limits in order to succeed at their jobs, to really succeed."

"The Blazers have held off the expiration date for years, but it’s just become too much for the fates to hold back. Oden, Roy, Przybilla, the defense, the offense, the works. You’re witnessing the end of an empire, just one that didn’t hold hardly any land and kept getting overrun by extremists."

Turned a near-disaster into the best start in Hornets history, that is.

Matt Moore at PBT: "Roy is talking like a 35-year-old worn-out veteran, not the young All-Star of a team headed to contention. Again, maybe he’ll be fine. But if he’s not, Portland may not have an option. Is it worth sifting through year after year of purgatory hoping the Basketball Gods will reverse your fortune and make the unhealthy healthy? We’re a long way from that. But that button is on Rich Cho’s desk. And with each report that comes in, he’s got to glance at it."

Ben's latest CBSsportsline blog post.

"It’s very important for me to be there," Hollins said. "I’m close to his wife and his kids. He’s like a brother to me so I need to be there. I need to have closure as well. It’s hard to accept. He was a good person. I would be kicking myself for a long time if I didn’t go."

Phoenix had one of the best weapons in the NBA arsenal to pull out — the Steve Nash/Amare Stoudemire pick-and-roll.

Tuesday night, the Suns had no such weapon, and when the Blazers stepped up their play the Suns had no answer.

Blazers to finish 5th in the West. Thunder second.

I look at another highly touted team that also expects to make a run at No. 2 in the West this year, the Portland Trail Blazers, and wonder if the Thunder could sustain last season’s rash of Blazer injuries to players as important as Greg Oden (60 games) Brandon Roy (17 games) and Joe Pryzbilla (50 games). Portland, who many believed would make the leap to No. 2 last season, can absorb these sorts of calamities and still finish 6th in the West because Paul Allen has 416 ft. yachtfuls of money–the kind of cash necessary to launch a spaceship in your free time–and encouraged former GM Kevin Pritchard (a certifiable deal-making wizard) to make moves for insurance policies like Andre Miller and Marcus Camby.

The Thunder have allowed for no such contingencies.

Thomsen's comments about Oden start about 1:26 into the video.

He packs his gym bag and quietly walks down the hallway from the Clippers' locker room at the Staples Center. But if Kobe & Co. are back in the Finals next June gunning for their three-peat, chances are this guy will have played a big role getting there. The seven-year veteran is the ideal backup behind Derek Fisher at the point and could even see his minutes bumped up if age slows Fish down at all. He can shoot 3s, pass the ball and doesn't turn the ball over, which always endears him to coaches. In this case, Phil Jackson will be happy to rely on his dependability after the unfulfilled expectations with Jordan Farmar (who is now in New Jersey).

"Greg Oden plays all 82."

!!!

Yes, there's more...

They list the Blazers at #10, with their injury history being the main reason they aren't higher.

To skip directly to the Blazer page, add #page/22 to the URL and click Refresh.

Sportsline.com reports on the Rudy Problem.

The Thunder win the offseason division title.

A little encouragement: Robson says the odds of the Blazers suffering another injury-plagued season are "astronomical."

Carmelo unsigned so far. I'd like to see him in New York for our first game.

I think this writer is not drunk at a bar.

Blazers at #8. Bulls, Thunder, Nuggets are higher.

To skip to the page on the Blazers, append #page/24 to the URL and click Refresh.

"$33 million over 5 years for Wesley Matthews? What were they smoking in Portland?"

Click the link, then add "#page/26" to the end of the URL and click the Refresh button to skip to the page on the Blazers.

"By that time, I hated the Lakers more than Heidi Montag hates dignity.

"When I had a chance to move to Los Angeles in the fall of 2002, I made a pro/con list to help me make my decision. The very first "con"? The Lakers. I couldn't imagine living in Lakers country, being surrounded by their fans, seeing those Lakers flags on cars, hearing my neighbors gush about Kobe ... it just sounded excruciating.

"I made the move, anyway."

Beat writer Howard Beck says it's "very likely" that Sergio Rodriguez will start for the Knicks once he gets settled.

The Blazers received NBA permission to take over broadcast rights that the Sonics previously held, stretching to the Canadian border and east into Montana and Idaho.

Portland games that are not on national television are shown in the Seattle market either on Comcast Sports Northwest or on a secondary channel in a deal with Seattle's NBC affiliate. By next year the Blazers are optimistic they will have a radio affiliate in Seattle.

Click the image of Brandon at the far right and check the caption.

Nice to see a Blazer in the discussion for MVP, whatever his name.

Be sure to vote for Roy while you're there. Rate him a 10 and then rate all the other players on that page a zero.

"People who know me and my family and what I stand for will laugh at Magic and his beliefs. I'm tired of getting punched and people using me because they think I'm not going to say anything. Those days are over. Game on.''