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    <title>SB Nation User Blog:  Montavilla Steve</title>
    <link>http://www.sbnation.comhttp://www.sbnation.com/users/Montavilla%20Steve</link>
    <description>Posts made by Montavilla Steve on SB Nation</description>
    <item>
      <title>Video of GO taking over vs. Denver?  Anyone?</title>
      <link>http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/10/23/1098276/video-of-go-taking-over-vs-denver</link>
      <author>Montavilla Steve</author>
      <pubDate>Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:11:38 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">
&lt;h2&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/10/23/1098276/video-of-go-taking-over-vs-denver&quot;&gt;Video of GO taking over vs. Denver? &amp;nbsp;Anyone?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;

&lt;blockquote class=&quot;chat&quot;&gt;
  I didn't go to the game, and I had to put my kid to bed, so I didn't get to hear the call of the 4th quarter.  Does anybody have any video of that part of the game?
You would make me a very happy blazer fan...
&lt;/blockquote&gt;

&lt;div class=&quot;source&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
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      <title>A theory about how Pritch makes/spins picks (bayless content)</title>
      <link>http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/6/24/923662/a-theory-about-how-pritch-makes</link>
      <author>Montavilla Steve</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:14:43 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">


&lt;p&gt;I try to only post when I have a thought that I haven't read much about on the Bedge -- which means I almost never post since we have so many people people posting about most every angle of our team. &amp;nbsp;But, I don't think I've read much about this aspect of the drafting process (or I've missed it when it was discussed recently): how KP spins the draft/trade choices he makes and how we function as accomplices to his mythology by building him up as some sort of svengali.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My example is my recollections of last year's draft and the weeks leading up to that draft. &amp;nbsp;We were looking to upgrade the point guard spot. &amp;nbsp;I remember being (along with alot of other informed folks) being really high on Westbrook. He was supposed to be an unselfish, defensive-minded point with great athleticism. &amp;nbsp;We were looking at the 9-13 range and he was slotted to be right in there along with DJ Augustin. &amp;nbsp;Not alot of lobbying for Bayless. &amp;nbsp;A few were trying to throw stuff together to find a way to talk Chicago into trading Rose, but no Bayless (for the same reasons most of didn't want Mayo).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The week before the draft Westbrook shoots up the ladder and people are talking about him going in more of the 3-6 range. &amp;nbsp;KP picks Bayless and we all talk about how he was brilliant to get a top 5 talent somehow at 11 while getting rid of Jack. &amp;nbsp;Now, my point is not that Bayless is no good, nor that shipping Jack out was not a good move. &amp;nbsp;My point is that I don't think Bayless was KP's guy: it was Westbrook. &amp;nbsp;Westbrook made and still makes more sense than Bayless. &amp;nbsp;He would have been a better fit at the point. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I've read posts asking if KP's made his first mistake yet, and if your view is KP as svengali, I would say yes. &amp;nbsp;I think KP can rightly claim (and we as fans can feel good about) getting a great value in snagging Bayless at 11/13, but I would have been more impressed with some sort of mis-information campaign or something to get us westbrook. &amp;nbsp;And it would've made more sense (to me) and not required the spin. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I'm posting this just to get our recollection of last year's draft (and subsequent integration of picks) to inform what we're expecting from (and reading into) this year's draft. &amp;nbsp;And to also suggest that KP doesn't have 1 guy that he will mystically acquire to the astonishment of all, but rather, a whole slew of guys and moves to go to as the draft develops. &amp;nbsp;None of them are &lt;i&gt;bad&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;options, just some are better than others. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What do you think of my idea that Westbrook was actually &quot;the guy&quot; - and KP spun (and we bought into the genius of) Bayless? &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And just because I don't do these very often, here's a poll:&lt;/p&gt;
  


 	&lt;fieldset class=&quot;poll-box&quot;&gt;
  &lt;legend&gt;Poll&lt;/legend&gt; 
  &lt;h5 class=&quot;poll-title&quot;&gt;KP is:&lt;/h5&gt;
  
    
&lt;div id=&quot;poll_container_44118_993686994&quot; class=&quot;poll_container&quot;&gt;
  
    &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option clearfix&quot;&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_percentage&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;8%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_result&quot;&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;a svengali.  He'll be by any moment to make you print a retraction and fan him while your wife feeds him grapes&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_bar&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;vote_count&quot;&gt;13&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
    &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option clearfix&quot;&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_percentage&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;8%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_result&quot;&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;not a svengali, but Bayless was his guy.&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_bar&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;vote_count&quot;&gt;13&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
    &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option clearfix&quot;&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_percentage&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;76%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_result&quot;&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;not a svengali, just an excellent GM with a matrix of good options and a lot of cell phone batteries.&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_bar&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;vote_count&quot;&gt;111&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
    &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option clearfix&quot;&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_percentage&quot; style=&quot;display:none&quot;&gt;6%&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_result&quot;&gt;
      &lt;h5&gt;trying to find a way to trade for Westbrook&lt;/h5&gt;
      &lt;div class=&quot;poll_option_bar&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;vote_count&quot;&gt;9&lt;/span&gt; votes&lt;/div&gt;
      &lt;/div&gt;
    &lt;/div&gt;
  
  &lt;p class=&quot;poll-total-votes&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;146&lt;/strong&gt; votes
      
    | &lt;span class=&quot;poll-has-closed&quot;&gt;Poll has closed&lt;/span&gt;
  
  &lt;/p&gt;  
&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;script&gt;

  FastInit.addOnLoad(function(){
    new SBN.Poll('poll_container_44118_993686994').animateResults({renderImmediately:true});
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      <title>Bill Simmons take on the 09 Finals</title>
      <link>http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/6/15/910807/bill-simmons-take-on-the-09-finals</link>
      <author>Montavilla Steve</author>
      <pubDate>Tue, 16 Jun 2009 05:52:58 -0000</pubDate>
      <description type="html">
&lt;h3 class=&quot;link-title&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090616&amp;amp;sportCat=nba&quot;&gt;Bill Simmons take on the 09&amp;nbsp;Finals&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;description&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;Simmons absolutely nails what I'm sure most of us were feeling watching the coverage of the Finals (and most all of the playoffs where K*be was involved).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
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