The more I've been looking through comments during this playoff series, I'm noticing a certain pattern with Blazer fans visiting brightsideofthesun. They are getting banned in droves for ambiguous reasons.

Did you not agree with a certain call? Banned.

Did you think Steve Nash had an off night? Banned.

Did you disagree with a comment by a Suns fan to "hire a gunman and kill the blazer players"? Banned.

Do you think Alvin Gentry goes a little over the top complaining about calls? Banned.

Are you not a fan of the Suns? Banned.

Do you live outside the greater Phoenix area? Banned.

So, I just wanted to get a head count of BEdgers that have been banned from brightside. I'll be the first to raise my hand.

I desperately want to see the smug in Pete's face replaced by shock and awe. Does anyone know where I can get either the transcript or video of him postgame? Maybe of the socal d-bag Matt Barkley as well?

So my damn fanshot has to be 75 words ling does it? Sorry guy.

I can't stand the USC Trojans. We killed it on offense last night. Pete Carroll cannot defend against a true spread offense. How does Matt Barkley get his hair like that after he takes off his helmet? I do not want to play Boise State unless it's in the Rose Bowl. Is that 75 yet?

1. Masoli is the darkhorse heisman candidate? That horse just got even darker. It's so black, it might be navy. Did anyone else let out a huge "WTF?" when he threw that interception? What kind of stance was he taking there? It looked like he had a short epileptic seizure, shifted position, had another tremor, then threw the ball straight to a Boise State player. I can't point to one promising aspect of his performance. When he should have ran, he threw the ball. When he should have thrown the ball, he ran.

2. LeGarret Blount. Let's just look beyond the post-game antics for a second. Remember the rumors about him not being in shape getting quashed before the season began? I saw a guy who looked like he's been training in competitive eating in the off-season and took up a two-pack-a-day habit. You know when a little kid wants to race you to the TV room and you let up at the end of it so he can win? And you're all like "Oh, looks like you got me!". Well the little kid would have legitimately beat Blount in that footrace and then Blount would have punched him in the face.

3. Chip Kelly. Oh we better make a move before he gets a head coaching job somewhere else! That gamble really payed off. Did you see him in the post-game interview? He looked terrified and the interviewer just looked sorry for him. I'm not a fair-weather fan by any means, but I'm about ready to write him off. He had no control over the team. The razzle-dazzle he brought before has been condensed to 6 poorly written up plays. A sweep in our end-zone? Brilliant. A running team that doesn't run? Legendary. I think there were more tears in his shower last night than there was tap water. 

4. The offensive line. The offensive line was like the gate at a soapbox derby. I thought we were running screen-plays every time, only to find the O-Line was writhing on the ground like when a worm has managed to crawl out on the pavement with the morning sun quickly rising. I saw them get tripped up more times than your average "America's Funniest Home Videos", only there was no 10,000 dollar prize or hilarious narrative to go along with it.

5. The defense. It's just sad when I look at a game and go "Wow, Aliotti sure did a good job this game!"

6. The media attention. Way to kick off the entire college football season, Ducks. There needs to be a new synonym created for "embarrassment" after that one. I don't just feel sorry for Ducks and Boise fans. I feel sorry for America. It was a marquee matchup that amounted to an opening act for Dokken at the county fair. Sure, the internet got a treat in the post-game with Blount making Ron Artest look like Smokey the Bear. But what's good for the internet usually isn't good for College Football or society in general.

7. The bright spot was the punter. I cannot stress this enough.

A quick, premature and informal break down, starting with the defending champions.

Los Angeles Lakers - So you just won an NBA championship. What's the next logical move? Screw around with your championship roster by acquiring the one player that gave your team fits in the playoffs. The big question mark will be what will Ron Artest do to the fragile locker room psyche of the Lakers? A team many believe just plain don't like each other. Can Phil Jackson and assistant coach Kobe Bryant keep reins on such a character? Regardless, this championship team just got a little more championshippy and remains the team to beat in the Western Conference.

San Antonio Spurs - The Spurs are a great team with All-Star talent. Don't expect a full dynasty collapse just yet. While reeling from injuries, an off-season of respite may just bring this dark horse back to hoisting a trophy come June. With Manu healthy, Duncan getting help from McDyess and Tony Parker probably not having to drop 35 points a night the Spurs are a much more balanced squad. A huge steal from the draft in DeJuan Blair doesn't hurt either. Expect this old dog to still have a few tricks.

Phoenix Suns - The Suns are an interesting case. By all accounts they should have a great team, but something just seems to be missing that keeps them from being a big contender. It could be their coaching. It could be the looming and realistic possibilities their star players will jump ship. It's probably the defense. They can put up as many points as they can give up. They're more than capable of battling for play-off position but the chemistry is all wrong and until they get a legitimate defensive piece expect more mediocrity in the Sun.

Denver Nuggets - The Denver Nuggets did exactly what they needed to in the off season - not much. The Nuggets deserved everything they earned over the season and remain strong. They got the one-and-done monkey off their back, competed at a championship level and showed great maturity. George Karl is one of the best coaches out there but his players are prone to something between tantrums and pouting. You'll see them in the playoffs but another shot at the Conference Championship is long.

Utah Jazz - It's hard to predict where the Jazz will end up. They're obviously solid. Well coached, play both ends of the court, have a true team leader in Williams. The front office is the big weakness for the Jazz. Uncertainty can shake morale and undermine on-the-floor performance. If they make the play-offs, no surprise. If they have a Suns-esque season, no surprise. If they lose a few players due to a budget crunch, no surprise. The Jazz should end up like the state they play in, bland.

Dallas Mavericks - You can't talk about the Mavs this season without talking about Shawn Marion. A regrettably brilliant move from Cuban and his staff. It's tough to say one player can change a whole team but Marion should bring it. The Mavs of 08/09 were good but seemed frustrated. Perhaps with coach Jim Carrey (Ok, EVERYONE has made that joke) or perhaps with one another. Marion should anchor the team a bit and bring a defensive presence to the perimeter and around the boards. Also, I have to mention J.J. Barea. Perhaps he had a fluke season because it seemed Cuban made him in a lab and no one was able to scout him. It should be interesting and entertaining to see what he can do this year.

Houston Rockets - One word comes to mind when you look ahead for the Rockets: Ouch. Their best season in years is capped off by losing both centers and a key small forward. Unless T-Mac can turn back the hands of time and there are some big acquisitions for the Rockets, they'll be rebuilding for a while. Brooks and Scola showed flashes of brilliance in the post-season. Shane Battier is still one of the best defenders in the league. Trevor Ariza should help with scoring at the three. But all these elements still shouldn't be enough to overcome such a blow to your team. It'll be lucky, and nice, to see them win 41.

Memphis Grizzlies - The fact that ESPN.com has the Grizzlies with eight players on their roster and have Jaric listed at the ambiguous "GF" position doesn't instill much confidence. Memphis has made itself out to be NBA kryptonite. Players would rather go to the D-League or the YMCA than Memphis. They have some good players, sure. Conley is good. Mayo is good. Randolph is good. But they're Memphis good. What to predict from the Grizz for the coming season? Empty seats.

Los Angeles Clippers - By all accounts the Clippers should be much improved this year. Does Blake Griffin make them an instant play-off contender? No. Does the supporting cast? Yes. The Clippers, if they stay healthy, have an outstanding roster on paper. They have a tremendous coach in Dunleavy. This may be a team that goes from laughing stock to scary good the fastest in NBA history. Even though he's a rookie, Griffin is a basketball freak created by the Gods. Any team who underestimates the Clips in the coming season should be served humble pie.

Golden State Warriors - The Warriors go into every game with a 50/50 chance of winning. Not a lot will change in the coming season. Expect them to jack up shot after shot while Nelly drifts in and out of an eyes-open nap through his patented hands-off coaching style. Could they make the play-offs? Sure they could. They have the players to be a really good team. They just never seem overly concerned with winning. I'd like to say their draft acquisitions will help, but expect more video-game basketball.

Sacramento Kings - Another underwhelming team in the Western Conference. The front office made some moves for the Kings, getting Nocioni and Rodriguez. Will those pieces be franchise-changers? Probably not. The Kings still lack an inside presence. Hawes is a big boy and a decent player, but with all the weight on his shoulders to be a true big man things don't look so great. If you're looking for improved three-point shooting, mission accomplished and congratulations. If you're looking to contend in an incredibly difficult conference, good luck!

New Orleans Hornets - The Hornets are an intriguing piece in the conference. They're very zen in the way that they could beat any team, but any team can beat them. The Hornets seem to believe they're better than they actually are. That can win you some games but it can also lose you some games. Too much is being put on Chris Paul. There needs to be a shooting guard to accompany him or else I fear this team becomes two-dimensional and squanders world class talent on the roster. They're fast, they're somewhat balanced and they play adequate defense. But I'm afraid they continue on the low-tier of the play-offs and get beat by much more complete teams.

Oklahoma City Thunder - When previewing a season it's always going to be tempting to say the Thunder could make the play-offs. You look at the roster and see the potential. Then you look at the age bracket. Two pieces are missing from the Thunder: a true center and a veteran leader. While the future looks bright for the Thunder, the less patient fans may want to focus on the Sooners for a few years. I'm sure the front office is clamoring to find the right pieces for the team and a marquee name to fill empty seats. But the conundrum is that the Thunder need to start winning to get those pieces, and to start winning immediately they need those pieces. The easiest team to compare them to would be the:

Portland Trailblazers - The Blazers have a lot to be excited about for the coming season, even after an unusually quiet off season from general manager Kevin Pritchard, who fans have come to expect fireworks from every year. The Blazers reached and exceeded goals set before the 08/09 season. Team leaders Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge continued a steady, albeit quiet, climb to becoming premiere players for their positions. Joel Przybilla had probably his best season in the league, showing harrowing toughness and establishing his role as enforcer. Even the rookies got in on the act. Rudy Fernandez has already become a fan favorite with several electrifying plays, a spot on 3 point shot and fiery demeanor. Defensive specialist Nicolas Batum surprised everyone this side of J.J. Barea, holding ground against the best players in the league and sparking a bit of a rivalry against Los Angeles Laker Pau Gasol. However, Greg Oden continued to worry fans and draw media attention with injuries and spotty play. Fans shouldn't be overly concerned though. Oden played about two thirds of a season and was more or less rehabbing the whole time and the microscope is shifting away from the big man, which many believed was the cause of some of his questionable play on the court. As far as 09/10 goes, the Blazers, in theory, should only get better. The concerns are going center around the play of now back-up point guard Jerryd Bayless, who will be thrown into the role after limited play last season and remains to show a consistent skill set at the position. Also, after such a great season can the Blazers continue to climb uphill or will this be a (some might say overdue) one-step-back year? But if they do continue to excel, then the play in the post-season has to be assessed after a disappointing first round to the Houston Rockets. However, for their youth and experience the Blazers are still way ahead of the curve and could end up number two only to the Lakers.

We've all been watching the finals, cursing, screaming and taking it out on our family members as the Lakers steer closer and closer to that trophy. Hoping Hulkamania storms out on the court and drops a suplex on Kobe Bryant. Crossing our fingers that Dwight Howard's errant elbows will windmill into a five man knockout blow, inducing the only forfeit in Finals history. Praying Phil Jackson's throne gives out from under him and crushes that back of his, leaving him to coach from a different type of special chair. The kind with wheels.

I think it's safe to say we all hate the Lakers. If you don't you need to get your head examined. And by examined I mean held underwater for an extended period of time. So get it all out here. Rant and rave within the boundaries of the rules, common decency and the court. We all know about Kobe's past discretions and what not. But what's happening ON the court that's getting under your skin? What are the finer points of the Lakers that cause veins you didn't know existed to pop out of your skull? Why is it that when you see purple and gold you're like a bull at, well, a Bull's game?

Me, it started with the under-bite. That new face Kobe seemed to put so much work into. I picture him in front of the mirror, practicing his new "mean mug" and thinking to himself "Yeah, Mark Jackson's going to have something to say about this one, they're going to be all like wow, Kobe sure is serious about winning this year, look at his face!"

He looks like a starving pelican. He looks like his shoddy dentist gave him the wrong invisiline. He looks like he's trying to eat his own face.

Of course we can't talk about the Lakers without talking about the national media's kiss-on-the-lips policy towards them. No one wants to mention they had the easiest road to the finals in a long time, paved with opposing team injuries and an unusually whistle-happy playoffs. Not a conspiracy by any means, but for some reason this year games were called as though any contact would result in a bench clearing brawl. Or all the players were actually little girls and a foul would cause their ice cream to fall out of the cone and onto the hot sidewalk. We all know Papa Stern is a tightwad and doesn't like to buy more ice cream. 

And Phil Jackson. Pfft. Phil Jackson. I'd have two hands full of rings if I coached teams with the best players of all time as well. Here's my brilliant strategy. Give it to my best-player-of-all-time and if he can't get a shot, dish it out to one of our role players sheepishly waiting in the corner. You really think if Phil Jackson took on a struggling franchise he'd be as good a coach? Send him to the Kings or the Clippers and see how well they do. He would be lost as a kid at the circus. Scary clowns towering over him, leering rubes taking note he has no parents, afraid he'd just have to live there the rest of his life.

Oh, don't forget the Lakers fans. I've never been to Staples Center, but I envision the gift shop being just walls of XXL Bryant Jerseys. Nothing else. If you went in and asked "Excuse me, do you have a Gasol jersey?" a record would scratch and the tinkling sound of forks being dropped would preface the accompanying silence. Or if you ordered a custom Lakers jersey for your kid like "Jeffery #1" you'd open it up and it would be "Bryant #24". They probably have a program like "guns for funs" only it's "Jordan for Bryant" where you bring in your early 90's Bulls gear for some brand new Kobe Jerseys and T-Shirts.

Not that the fans would care. The average basketball IQ of a Lakers fan is just beyond: "which color do we root for?" I swear during games at staples center you can hear various fans yell out "touchdown!" or "homerun!". This is likely because tickets to Lakers games are primarily used as currency for corporate and hollywood glad-handing.

"If you take a look at this script, we've got center court Lakers tickets for you"

"Why don't we discuss the merger on the floor at the Lakers game?"

"I think these tickets say I didn't strangle her, officer"

There's a whole myriad of other problems with the Lakers. Farmar's ears. Vujacic's I-just-hit-a-full-court-game-winning-world-champion-shot reaction FROM THE BENCH. Trevor Ariza and the bad blood all Portland fans have towards him. Shannon Brown and his beady ventriloquist's doll eyes that don't seem to move but follow you wherever you walk. Pau Gasol's looking like he was hatched from an egg and everyone knowing he's terribly overrated. That turncoat Luke Walton. Knowing Adam effing Morrison is going to be wearing a ring. Lamar Odom. Just Lamar Odom.

But I'll take this year for what it's worth. The pique for the Lakers is now and I'm sure low, low valleys will follow. The beginning of the next NBA season will be a fanfare of "Lakers will repeat" until the cracks begin to show. Until a certain team north of California threatens to dethrone the empire in the city of angels during the post-season, leaving them to walk away, heads held low and full of self doubt. Causing their superstar to rethink his future with that team and a legendary, but aging, coach to consider retirement. Knowing their days at the top are not numbered, but have reached zero.

It's going to be hard for me to write this because I don't want to diminish the effort, thought and overall quality of content on this site, but seriously everyone, it's time to reel it in. I want you to picture the NBA as a giant high school. At lunchtime all the cliques (fans) go to their respective tables. The popular, preppy kids are the Lakers. The bullies are the Celtics. The slackers are the Knicks.

And then there are the Blazers fans. The dorks, geeks and dweebs. Not in an endearing way either. Taped up glasses, pocket protectors, fancy calculators and inhalers. Our lunches carefully packed to be allergen specific and a little note from our Mom written on the front. Swatting away spitballs and paper airplanes. Ignoring the snickering and finger pointing from the other fans.

After spending some time over at The Dream Shake I became envious and wished I could go sit at their table. They were swearing and trolling and joking around. But I can't just change who I am. So I'm forced to sit at the nerds table as they crunch numbers and come up with predictions for what might happen, not unlike a marathon game of dungeon and dragons.

What I'm trying to say is that maybe we're taking ourselves a little too seriously around here. It's becoming easier and easier to get banned. The slightest bit of off-color humor is met with an avalanche of "not cool" comments or the like. These extensive posts breaking down stats, while impressive, really don't mean anything. The Blazers are getting better and the future is bright. I don't need a complex equation to figure that out.

I just wish, assuming we're mostly adults here, that things could lighten up a bit. So what if someone drops an F bomb? So what if people get into a petty argument that reverts to name calling? So what if people post "rec'd" or "this should be a fanshot"? This is the internet and ever since the first person dialed up onto AOL there have been unwavering truths regarding the world wide web. People will argue, name call, swear and bully. Does it really affect us that much? While this is a world-class sports blog, it's still a sports blog and I'd like to see what happens when fans here are allowed to say whatever they please.

I'm tired of defensively looking over my shoulder to avoid an inevitable wedgie. 

In the spirit of the "Get Rid of Travis" thread which desperately needed to be created for the sake of slimming down over-commenting, the inevitable "what we need" comments are going to be flooding in. Put them here.

The Blazers off-season needs have been narrowed down to a back up power forward and a new starting point guard. Fans and commentators have been discussing it all day. I don't think it's to anyone's surprise after the off season fizzled out like a cigarette thrown into a puddle. Yes, valiant efforts, huzzah, etc. but the next few weeks will be nothing but talk about what the Blazers need for the can't-come-fast-enough 09/10 season.

No salary cap talk. No this guy for that guy talk. We're not GM's. I just want to know what back up power forward and what starting point guard you'd like to see for next season and why.

Personally, I've found it easy, there are five guys I want. I don't care if they're realistic or not, I just think they're what we could use.

I'm swinging for the rafters at the point - Tony Parker, Steve Nash or Chris Paul

At the power forward I'm a bit more realistic - Chris Andersen (And please know it pains me to say that) or David Lee.

Your turn.

Is it not coming back next season? Or just leaving for the playoffs? Easily my favorite piece of Blazers material to read and I'd be sad to see it gone forever. It gives a great perspective about our guys. It's made me LOL several times and appreciate the team for their off the court demeanor so much more. What can I/we do to bring it back for another season? I always read game recaps, but I also see the game, BBLRD brings me what I can't see as a fan and that's invaluable.

Protests? Walk-outs? Sit-ins? Hunger strike? Light myself on fire? Whatever it takes. I hope you BEdgers carry the same attitude.

With the playoffs coming up on us it's time the Blazers stepped up their badditude for what's sure to be a Ruffin-tumble (hahahahahahaha, get it?????) Western conference. You've got to make the opponent and their fans hate you with a passion. You've got to be the villain. The arch enemy. The nemesis.

So this got me thinking: How am I going to win the Jersey contest? People sure seem to respond to these "If a Blazer were a" lists and I've been clammoring to get my hands on a Nic Batum jersey. Seeing as the two jerseys I own are an unwearably large Bill Walton and a (sigh) Gary Trent.

So here are your Blazers, as you've never seen them before: the bad guys.

Steve Blake - Colonel Kurtz - Apocalypse Now

Brandon Roy - HAL 9000 - 2001 a Space Odyssey

Nic Batum - Dr. Octopus - Spiderman

LaMarcus Aldridge - Jason - Friday the 13th

Joel Przybilla - Lord Humungous - The Road Warrior

Sergio Rodriguez - Alien - Alien Series

Rudy Fernandez - Vega - Street Fighter II

Travis Outlaw - Mr. Hyde - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Channing Frye - Chucky - Chucky

Greg Oden - Leatherface - Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Shavlik Randolph - Ivan Drago - Rocky IV

Michael Ruffin - Cyrus Grissom - Con-Air

Martell Webster - Mr. Glass - Unbreakable

Jerryd Bayless - The Predator - Predator Series

KP loves his blackberry. And his cell phone. And his blue tooth headset. But should we confiscate all those things in the coming off-season? Do we need to make any adjustments to this team? We all know how trigger happy he can be with the trades and its come to be expected for him to pritch-slap other GM's like they were hiding twenties in their bra.

But with the recent play of this team, notably Aldridge looking to establish his dominance, Channing Frye with his new defensive emphasis and Outlaw apparently choking down yellowjackets and roids before every game, could we reasonably win a championship with the unit we have now?

Trust me, I would not mind throwing an aging all star in the mix. Especially if they're hungry for a ring before they're forced into retirement (Steve Nash, I'm looking in your direction). But team chemistry seems so important to the Blazers. The play of this team pre-deadline and post-deadline is no coincidence. Players rumored to be on the chopping block seemed to be on both ends of the spectrum. Travis was tentative, Sergio was forced and Batum flat-out refused to shoot. Now that they know they have a role on this team they seem to be strengthening their "to be desired" categories with every game.

On top of this, we seem to forget, Martell has been out basically all season. When Greg has his head on straight he'll easily average a double-double (BRING HIM OFF THE BENCH, NATE. HE WILL EAT BACKUP CENTERS ALIVE). JBay will have shed the rookie shivers next year and maybe even develop a mid-range game. I even have hopes for Shav.

A timeline would be difficult to predict. I say two or three years we could make a serious run at the championship with the guys we have now. But is that likely with a maniac like KP at the helm? Will he be able to trust our guys through a mini-slump? Will the aging Western Conference remain this tough or do we stick it out until the opposing teams are taking their centrum silvers with a metamucil chaser and we've fully developed our abilities? If not, what would you do differently?

Well after readinf the "Does Oden Want to Play?" post earlier it got me thinking. Everyone wanted to give him some awesome nick name before he even hit the court. Then e quite literally hit the court and earned himself the disputed "Mr. Glass". With his recent perma-frown and speculation growing about his dedication to not just the team, but basketball itself I've decided to write my first fan post in suggesting a mid-season nickname change for number fifty two.

THE INCREDIBLE SULK.

Don't make him upset. You wouldn't like him when he's upset.