SB Nation User Blog: RipCity

BREAKING: Hornets to Relocate.

RipCity — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 07:19:17 -0000

"We had to think about it long and hard," said team majority owner George Shinn at an emotional press conference. "But we've seen the success stories. Brandon Jennings, Josh Childress, and our very own Jannero Pargo have thrived in that environment. With the value of the dollar plummeting, there's no time like now."

The favored destinations would appear to be Barcelona, Moscow, and Stockholm, although the Bosnian city of Medugorje- whose lax tax policies and frequent religious apparations appeal to Shinn- is a darkhorse candidate.

Despite Shinn's upbeat tone, GM Jeff Bower struck a more despondent chord. "We definitely feel like we let the league down tonight. With all the goodwill that the United States has built internationally, especially in the last decade, especially in the Middle East, we definitely feel like we let the whole country down tonight. Nobody can take this great nation seriously any more, and for that we must atone." http://www.atthehive.com/

Im watching the Bulls-Ciltics games, and cant stop being amazed by Ben Gordon. He can shoot the...

RipCity — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:08:00 -0000

Im watching the Bulls-Ciltics games, and cant stop being amazed by Ben Gordon. He can shoot the ball really well. he can shoot it while still moving, he can shoot of picks, he can shoot the 3 well, and he is just good shooter. What if Blazers would get him next year. We know Roy is the point, so Ben could of play Shooting guard. I dont think it solves Blazers point guard problem, but I think he will be the best unrestricted free agent this summer. Any thoughts on this?

Hey Blazers fans who thinks it would be a good Idea for the Blazers to pick up Okur if he opts out...

RipCity — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 05:01:41 -0000

Hey Blazers fans who thinks it would be a good Idea for the Blazers to pick up Okur if he opts out next year?

Kobe on B-Roy

RipCity — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 07:20:07 -0000

Kobe on B-Roy

Kobe calls B-Roy a "bad boy.

By clearing cap space the past two years, Thunder general manager Sam Presti has flexibility that...

RipCity — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:07:36 -0000

By clearing cap space the past two years, Thunder general manager Sam Presti has flexibility that should benefit him in free agency. While it was disappointing to not land Chandler, the Thunder could sign an up-and-coming player like Knicks big man David Lee, Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge, Atlanta’s Marvin Williams, the Lakers’ Lamar Odom or Utah’s Paul Millsap. Other free agents this summer include: Mike Bibby, Raymond Felton, Andre Miller, Linas Kleiza, Leon Powe, Charlie Villanueva and slam dunk champion Nate Robinson. It’s doubtful Presti would sign an aging All-Star. But some team will commit valuable cap space to Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd, Ron Artest and Rasheed Wallace. Oklahoman

at Dec 20, 2008 8:12 am EST Bobcats offering Wallace to Kings for Miller The Charlotte Bobcats'...

RipCity — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 20:10:25 -0000

at Dec 20, 2008 8:12 am EST
Bobcats offering Wallace to Kings for Miller

The Charlotte Bobcats' ongoing attempts to acquire a true big man to partner Emeka Okafor have led them to propose the return of Gerald Wallace to the Sacramento Kings, NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com

The Bobcats, sources said, want Brad Miller in return.

But the Kings are unlikely to bite. They've had some interest in recent years in reacquiring Wallace — who has blossomed into a versatile and productive swingman at both ends since he was claimed by Charlotte in the 2004 expansion draft — but they also have a surplus of wing players at present ... too many to take on the four years and nearly $40 million left on Wallace's contract after this season.

Source: ESPN.com

Boozer opting out. Will be a Free agent next season

RipCity — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 06:20:46 -0000

"I'm opting out. No matter what, I'm going to get a raise regardless," Boozer told ESPN.com. "I am going to opt out, I don't see why I wouldn't, I think it's a very good business decision for me and my family, but I'd also like to see what happens with the Jazz and stay here."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3777170

Boozer plans to test free agency

Greet Blazers at the airport after great road trip.

RipCity — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 21:28:12 -0000

I dont know how we could organized it, but I would like to greet Blazers at the airport when they fly today back to Portland.

What do you guys think? How good it would make them feel if we came out 100-200 people to cheer them when they come out of the plane?

Does anybody know where they land? Maybe we can organize something together? I dont know where they land or what time, but it should be somewhere in 6 hours in Portland. If anybody could find out where they will be. Maybe someone can call the 5 quarter and find out the info?

Lets do this. GO BLAZERS.

John Hollinger, Blazers have 10.9% chance to win the title.

RipCity — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:31:09 -0000

John Hollinger + Portland = Thanksgiving

November 30, 2008 3:53 AM

Thanksgiving weekend has been fantastic. The eating, the family, all those things we all count on ... I'm loving it.

But also, as a fan of the Portland Trail Blazers, it has also been a little bit like Christmas.

Why? Yes they have won nicely at home.

But more importantly ... Have you seen John Hollinger's power rankings?

(I have been aware of this for several days, but have not wanted to make a fuss out of it ... for fear it would later prove meaningless. But now it has been hanging around for a while, and I can't stay quiet.)

Not to oversimplify things. But more or less the current state of events -- from a supercomputer programmed by one of the savviest experts in the game today -- is that all of the many teams of the NBA are spread across a vast array of quality. The exceptionally crappy Thunder are off the deep end of the charts, but ignoring that, every single team in the NBA has a Hollinger Power Ranking that is arrayed somewhere between 90 and 103 on the Hollinger scale.

The ranking is built on strength of schedule, margin of victory, and various other factors that have proven, over time, to matter.

Ignore Hollinger at your peril.

In any case, what I haven't told you is that not all the teams are either OKC or between 90 and 103 on the scale. There are actually four super teams that co-exist in the ether above the spectrum of normalcy. They're all over 108.

And they matter. Between them, these four teams hog a 90.7% likelihood of winning this year's title in an extrapolation of the power rankings.

Who are the NBA's four elite teams, based on Hollinger's formulas and the early returns? With all the normal early season provisos, and in order, they are: the Los Angeles Lakers (36.8% chance of winning the title), the Cleveland Cavaliers (30%), the Boston Celtics (13%), and ... my Portland Trail Blazers (10.9%).

By any conventional measure, the Blazers are somewhere between so-so and pretty good. They're 11-6 just like Houston, Phoenix, and Denver. They're a half game ahead of Atlanta, about which I'm sure you are lukewarm. But Hollinger's computer knows Portland has played all kinds of tough teams, and they have had some big-time blowouts (thank you Miami and Chicago!) as well as quality wins against the likes of New Orleans, San Antonio, and Houston.

Portland is loaded down with so many weapons that many nights they can make big mistakes and still win.

Look, I'm not getting ahead of myself here. I realize that Portland still has flaws, and will not be winning a title this year.

But I'm also starting to realize that Portland's much-anticipated entry into the NBA's elite may be arriving well ahead of schedule. It couldn't be more exciting. As a fan who has been on the outside looking in for a decade and a half, it's a real thrill to be part of the Big Boy NBA conversation. Especially with a roster that features heavy minutes from three rookies (Rookie of the Year candidates Greg Oden and Rudy Fernandez, as well as starter Nicolas Batum) and is built for three years from now.

Where does that leave us? With a lot to look forward to (if by "we" we mean "Portland fans"). Virtually every Blazer can be expected to get better over the course of the next two or three years. And yet, even now in its infancy this Portland roster is a profound threat to win every game it plays. It's a nice situation.

Unless, of course, you find yourself in the peculiar position of being both a national NBA blogger with a commitment to fairness and a dyed-in-the-wool Blazer fan. I have long feared the day when by Blazer fandom could cause profound and persisent objectivity problems for my NBA coverage.

That time is coming.

Please, bear with me.

I(RipCity) copied this from TrueHoop.

Walsh: I'm Worried About Oden Nov 30, 2008 6:08 PM EST Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh was...

RipCity — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:21:31 -0000

Walsh: I'm Worried About Oden

Nov 30, 2008 6:08 PM EST

Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh was asked about the state of the NBA and the future of talented big men like Greg Oden and Andrew Bynum recently.

"I'm a little worried about Oden," Walsh admitted. "He's young and these young guys come in, but their bodies are not ready for the NBA, and they do get hurt. I think with real young players, they're not ready for the NBA. All of a sudden they're playing at our speed and our tempo against men. It seems that even if they don't get hit, they start breaking down a little bit."

Via New York Daily News