I got called a troll in a game thread last night for suggesting that this team could be an NBA bottom dweller inside of a year. Reminder, folks. that if you don't agree with others on here, keep it respectful. I have been a member here for years, and a Blazer fan for three decades, so the accusation was ridiculous, but I have been seeing way too many snarky comments than I feel are good for this blog. Rant complete...

Anyway, it got me thinking about the negativity rising up inside of me. When you think about the pieces we have, and the expectations (justified or not) that we had for each of these players, we should be a better team. Here's how both sides look to my eyes.

First, the optimists view of our roster, coming in to this season.

Ray Felton - Good PG, possible borderline All-Star. Speedy, solid court vision, and able to hit the open 3 pt shot. Lateral move from Andre Miller, but much younger, so a possible long term upgrade.

Wesley Matthews - Gunner, solid defender who would hopefully add a move or three to start getting to the basket, and creating his own shots.

Gerald Wallace - Aging star with a few good years left in the tank. Undying hustle and a threat to slash and finish. 15-20 ppg to support Aldridge as a second star player for our team.Add in rebounding and defense from the 3 spot!!

Nic Batum - Rising star-level triple threat slasher, shooter and defender. The future #1 or #2 option for this team.

LaMarcus Aldridge - Simply continue to be aggressive and balance that sweet jumper with the strong inside game to open up the court for the shooters. Be the franchise player who shows up every night. Improvement hoped for in rebounding and defending the rim.

Marcus Camby - Bang and grind as much as his old body would allow. Get more blocks and rebounds than his counterpart, and hold down the lane on defense along with Aldridge.

Jamal Crawford - Was a 6th man of the year before, so why not for us? Be instant offense when the starters stall. Fill the role of "closer" due to his history of clutch shooting.

Now, the pessimists current take on those same players...

Ray Felton - Bottom of the barrel NBA point guard, not worthy of a starting job on a team with no other real option. Probably the most visible reason that we have taken a step backward in the standings.

Wesley Matthews - Stats down across the board on offense despite playing more minutes. Good defender, but opposing guards still light us up from time to time. Average to poor NBA starter at SG. Has lost his starting job to Batum, and it's hard to find a sole who disagrees with that roster move.

Gerald Wallace - Aging star without a few good years left in the tank. What I am really seeing may be attributable to his busted hand/finger, but he is not elevating or finishing like he used to. Still solid on defense, mostly, but his drop off has hurt almost as much as Felton's poor play. Asset rapidly dwindling in value.

Nic Batum - Expectation met, but only after a botched , almost volatile contract negotiation failure that was way too public. He has stepped up into his starters role, but are he and his agent he bitter enough to quickly sign his QO and head for free agency after 2013? Maybe not, but at this rate, it's safe to say that we will be over-paying to keep him in town.

LaMarcus Aldridge - Little improvement here, despite what some may have you believe. As of today, his stats basically mirror his averages of last year, which doesn't scream progress when you consider how strongly he played in the second half of last year. My eyeballs tell me he is settling for the mid-range jumper more than pounding it inside like he was late in 2011, and though he is very, very good with that jumper, the team will benefit more from his post play and kick out possibilities.

Marcus Camby - Is Marcus Camby. Always will be. Expectations met.

Jamal Crawford -Impossible to grade. He's been streaky as always, and at his best he has helped this team through some rough stretches. However, like the other two guards, lots of misses and turnovers, which means lots of extra possessions for the opposition. Now he is our starting PG because he has been slightly less harmful than Felton.

That's a lot to digest and remain optimistic.I have intentionally avoided discussing coaching here, too. It's been done.

Depending on how you look at it, this team needs major change, or simply time to gel and put it all together. Either way, I love the discussion. I know going into every season that our chances to win the title are slim, at best, and discussing this stuff is a cornerstone of my enjoyment of the NBA.

My opinion is that this team is going the WRONG way, and blindly trusting the FO will not change that. We have no GM, and no immediate plan to head hunt a good one, which we probably could not get because of Paul Allen being so public in his admonishing of the last two. We have one sure fire player that shows up an produces EVERY night. OKC has three. Miami has three. NY has three. Chicago has two or three.On and on....

Make some moves, Chad.. Prove me wrong!

As I look across the NBA landscape, post lockout, I see a league that is, competitively, still on a similar road as it was in the spring.

The movement of the two biggest free agents seems to be toward NY and LA, to create mini all-star teams like the one in Miami. Whether or not this is a recipe for sucess remains to be seen, as we saw with Dallas beating Miami with a more balanced game plan and roster, but I believe in the long run, we may be seeing the same two or three teams at the end, year in and year out, but I guess it's been that way for a while.

I know that we have to kind of wait and see with the new CBA, but I think that it's fair to assume that the league is trending toward players calling their own shots a little more, in terms of where they play - opting in many cases for large and/or warm weather cities. Bad news for P-Town which has benefited from a couple of pretty sweet drafts, but now looks to be mired in being one or two free agents away from contending, due to the poor health of Roy and Oden. I guess there is still hope for those two, but I don't see much to make me optimistic that Brandon will return to form, or that Greg will ever "form" at all.

Short of the amazing fan base (which might overrate itself from time-to-time) and some kitschy cuteness that Channing Frye seemed to love, it's hard for me to imagine Portland being able to lure the key free agents, ever. You might have a guy or two who likes one of our players and wants to join up with them from time to time, but we don't have South Beach, Hollywood, or Manhattan to sell itself to young men that, frankly, dig those places.

I became a basketball fan in the early 80s, and I don't really remember players positioning like this back then. You had Magic in LA, Larry in Boston, Mike in Chicago, Clyde in Portland, Dominique in Atlanta, etc., and didn't see them trying to bolt and get with each other. In fact, you saw them going to battle year in and year out and it made watching all the more fun, as that history developed. To watch the NBA become a high paying version of all the best jocks on the playground running the table, while dudes sit and wait 10 games to take the court and get killed again... Ugh!!

With this in mind, I gotta say I love Durant for re-upping with OKC, as much as I do not like that team.

So I wonder... Do we just have to know our role and accept that we are fortunate to have a team here to entertain us, but short of lightning striking twice, we ain't winning the title. Are you still a fan, if all we are is a B-league team for player to try and work their way to the big time? I think I am, but it bums me out.

I hate the Oklahoma City Thunder. There, I said it.

Continue reading this post »

- Brandon Roy dug deep and it was impressive considering his mojo appeared shot after Game 2. He played confident and inspired ball, and did look like his old se'f, and it was fun to watch.

I really don't get why he, as a subject, has to be so polarizing. It seems that he either has to be some golden boy savior demigod, that people feel compelled to defend to the death, and write 10,000 word letters and essays to/about, or some demon who has stolen the soul of our team, and did so on purpose. Either way, it puts a strain on our conversations as fans, and puts a lot of undue pressure on him. He's just a guy who struggles sometimes and excels sometimes, like the rest of us.

- I believe it was Nate McMillan who called Chris Johnson's number in the 3rd, and also coach Nate who put GW on Kidd. Those clamoring for some brilliant coaching moves can give it up for him...... NOW!

- I am tired of hearing about how Gerald Wallace is having a sub-par series. He's not lighting up the stat columns, but the eye test tells me he is leaping over much taller guys to secure defensive rebounds that would otherwise be second chance opportunities for the Mavs. Any points we get from him are icing on the cake, as far as I am concerned. He is ALWAYS the hardest working guy on the floor, and it's not close.

- I did not miss Patty Mills last night. Love him, but didn't miss him.

- Chris Johnson completely changed the game flow with his two blocks (right after we had the lead snatched from us by the second look at LMA's shat after the shot clock buzzer). Doesn't mean he'll do it again, but we should be thankful he was ready to go.

- LMA is still not on the same level as Dirk, though similar in playing style. This summer, he should make his 3-ball a viable weapon (not become a bomber, or outside player, but to put in the arsenal), and work on making sure he gets to the line if the shot in the lane doesn't fall. Dirk's flailing is ridiculous, but it puts points on the board. Get your lane flail on, LMA.

- We won't lose this series if Matthews plays like that every game.

- Did Rudy go back to Spain or something?

- I hate that tomorrows game is at 2pm. Seems like a rhythm killer. I also have hated three goggles, but the fact that Kevin McHale also hates them makes me like them a little more. 

- Go Blazers!!

So now we have a game 2 where the lead official is part of the story, before the game even starts. Never mind how anyone feels about game 1 officiating, or whether or not you believe any of this "Crawford hates Dallas" stuff, but it seems to me that the guy must EITHER have it in for Dallas, or else he would REALLY feel the pressure to prove 'em wrong after reading this, which would be devastating to the Blazers, down 1-0 already.

I seriously doubt these refs live in a bubble and don't read these articles, or have family/friends that point these articles out to them.

Either way, having officials be a part of the story before the game starts is pretty lame. They shoulda flown in a substitute ref  the minute ESPN decided to run with this BS article. 

Here's hoping the Crawford jinx holds up tonight, at any rate. Go Blazers!

I think that I have never seen a player go from rags to riches, in terms of popularity, as much as Rudy Fernandez has. When he dropped onto our scene in '08, he was the mysterious Euro, who was to be our Ginobli. People lined up at the airport. Women screamed and fainted, and men secretly wished they could scream and faint.

I am of the opinion that he wrote his own ticket. His play was pretty lame last year, and his attitude has been nonchalant at best, and downright petulant at it's worst. I hope he is not with the team when camp breaks, but I wanted to see what popular opinion is, poll style.

My internal conversation

Dr Jekyll: Team management has had a rough go thus far in the off-season.

Mr Sedge: "Rough!?!?!" Are you kidding? It's been a disaster! KP is an idiot!

Dr Jekyll: Whoa, there pal. That's Kev you are talking about there. The wizard of the war room, the best GM in sports, so ease up a minute...

Mr Sedge: OK. Explain the draft then. We coulda had DeJuan Blair, like, twelve times and passed, and instead took some dude that won't play in America for at least a year, Richie Cunningham, and Teddy Pendergrass? He's lost his touch, fo sho!

Dr Jekyll: Well now, if you can consider, for a moment the fact that we are already paying lottery money to a couple of guys who are still developing and that two other key players are entering their sophomore season, perhaps ol' Pritch considered the first round money less than cap friendly. Back-to-back-to-back quality drafts can leave a roster pretty young, and it's no secret that Nate is ready for some veteran blood.

Mr Sedge: Fine, let's assume that you are rational and correct... Wherfore art thou, oh seasoned vet? Turkoglu? Laughed in our face. Bass? Gone to the Magic. Ariza? Couldn't wait to sign with Houston. Oh, and did I mention the L*kers got one of the best wing defenders in the league? We are the laughingstock of the NBA! ARRRGGGGHH!

Dr Jekyll: Easy there, my loathful little pal. Turkoglu followed the money and the culture. It's not like we are talking about an all-star here, is it? He's a nice player, no doubt, but many believe his presence would have upset chemistry, and weakened our starting defense, which was a huge priority for us to improve. Brandon Bass is not worth frothing at the mouth about, and the Ariza, Artest swap is basically a wash, in my opinion. Factor in that Shaq is headed East and Yao will be out next year, and our road to the playoffs is easier in 2010 than 2009.

Mr Sedge: That's debatable. Either way, now we have an offer sheet out there on a signing that will be sure to raise the eyebrows of an already insecure Lamarcus Aldridge! "Hmm. They are going after a pure PF as insurance so they don't have to give me a max deal". Gah! How can they be this stupid.

Dr Jekyll: Lamarcus will be fine. The daily scrutiny of the minutia of the Blazers offseason strategy is driving you mad! There is very little chance that Utah will not match our offer, meaning that we are driving their cap number up, or forcing the three way trade with the Bulls that wil land us Hinrich. It's smart business, a la Memphis signing Miles to sink us was smart.

Mr Sedge: Don't get me started on Miles. And, today, of course, we have heard that KP and Paul are waffling around with the future of our franchise, by telling Brandon that they would rather do a four year deal than a five?!?!? I have a mind to go down there and punch them both in the face!! Brandon said that he is "very frustrated and disappointed" with the way contract negotiations are going! GREAAAAAT! I am sure Dr Buss is on the phone with him right now, and LeBron is flying him to Cleveland and Brooklyn this weekend.

Dr Jekyll: Wow! Where to begin. What has been reported about Brandon, as far as I know, came from a tweet, text or AM radio interview. With the popularity of this new era of Blazers, we have a salivationg fanbase that is DESPERATE for news, and upon hearing the slightest inking of trouble, will freak out. Do you think that maybe, just MAYBE, Clyde Drexler might have been, at one point or another, frustrated by negotiations? How about Magic, or MJ? Of COURSE they were, but we didn't have the constant geiser of tweets, texts, radio personalities that are part leach and part blood hound, and auto-refreshing Sedge at work. Wait a few days before you judge Brandon OR team officials. I can tell you this... Paul and KP know that losing Brandon Roy would go down as a bigger mistake than drafting Sam Bowie.

Mr Sedge: Well, I can't wait to see our 2010 starting 5 of Blake, Martell, Outlaw, Pendergrass and Oden lose 60 games.

Dr Jekyll: And I am quite sure we will be in the WCF next year wondering how we ever had a conversation like this in the first place.

Mr Sedge: My ass itches.

Dr Jekyll: So does mine.

To make a poker comparison, I think that with our recent attempt and failure to reel in Turkoglu, what we have essentially done is make a big pre-flop bet on a high suited connector, and been called and now it's time to see a flop, and check blind.

I am not one who believes that we have a huge need at SF, at all.

via i.a.cnn.net

In Batum, we have a young defensively talented prospect, that we all seem to agree will improve by some factor for the next few years. This is a kid that beat out a veteran for a roster spot in training cap last year, and then earned a starting (if not primary) SF role via work ethic and desire.

via www.all-nba-all-basketball.com

In Travis we have a 6th man of the year candidate and a guy who creates his own shot and rises to the occasion in crunch time. You can no more write him off based on one years playoff performance than you can anoint him the next Robert Horry based on a few big time game winning shots. He is Travis Outlaw, and he has value, whether it be to us or another team... More on that in a bit.

via www.nba.com

In Martell, we have a guy that was the clear cut starter last year until he was injured. I feel like there are a lot of folks in the BE community that have forgotten how much he was showing us at the end of the 07-08 season, and how coach-able and in line with our culture this kid is. He needed to add muscle, and did, he needed to work on his defense, and did, and he needed to be more aggressive going to the hoop, and did. Watch this as a trip down memory lane for where we left off with Marty.

One of these three guys will be our starting SF for many years to come. I believe that this is a position on the floor where we have room to sit tight and evaluate one more year, due to the depth at 3 (remember, Brandon can slide in here, as well) on our roster and the strength of roster at other positions. I still contend that we dodged a bullet with Hedo heading for Toronto, as we eventually would have lost 2 of these 3 guys by signing Hedo. I think a lot of us are relieved.

My primary point is that the dwindling list of truly available FA's just isn't worth tweaking the chemistry of a team that exceeded most everyone's expectations in a year that saw three rookies garner significant playing time, and a fourth stuck in a logjam at PG until the recent release of Sergio. At most we need to get a capable, inexpensive veteran PG to fill a gap between Blake's experience and Bayless' potential, and a role playing. backup PF.

At PG, I am thinking Lindsey Hunter, Tyronn Lue, and Bobby Jackson types, and at PF, I think McDyess or Bass would be a good fit. It's not that I think that any of the players I mentioned are incredible players, so much as I think they fill a need. The ONLY exception to my way of thinking here is if somehow we can get the attention of Lamar Odom, in which case we overpay him to play in our wee little market, and then fire up the trade wagon, and move either Outlaw or Webster for a PG that fits, or package one of them with Blake for an upgrade.

I see moves for Hinrich, Kidd or Miller as potentially lateral or worse especially if we overpay. We nailed the 4 seed this year, and i am not so sure that Artest to LA, or Jefferson to SA is going to improve those teams as much as experience and cohesiveness will improve our Blazers.

Stand pat, KP, and just fill in the holes. One year is too short of a time to start over-tweaking this thing. We should know a thing or two about Martell and Bayless by the trade deadline, and be able to make a more informed and constructive trade. Outlaw's value has staying power, because regardless of whether or not one appreciates his skill set, he does a few things very well, and has done so for long enough to be considered a proven commodity.

Even if we stand pat in Feb, don't make a deep playoff run and decide we do need to fidget, the FA market will be much better next year, but I have a feeling this group will surprise us again, if we let them.

Added late: Many are pointing out that the cap space is now or never, which is true. I guess my point is to be wary of subtraction by addition, and losing the interest of players that are currently happy with their roles, but might not be if a player (like Turk) is added to the team. Again, of the available SF's, Odom and ONLY Odom is worth the shuffle to me at this point. Not having cap space does not render us completely leverage-less.

As for the PG spot, I say lets let Bayless get his 20 mpg for a while before we go and tinker too much. And no matter what you do, DO NOT bring Andre Miller over here, please!

So much of the future planning (trade and draft talk) I see on here seems to be based upon the assumption that Greg Oden will...

1) Realize potential that we see flashes of, but has yet to sustain.

and

2) Will be a Blazer beyond the terms of his rookie contract.

The second point will, no doubt, be misconstrued by some as blasphemy, but think about it. There are a few ways this could go.

1) He could be an all-star and a Blazer for years.

2) He could never live up to his #1 pick expectations and be a Blazer for years.

3) He could be an all-star and seek another team (either a bigger market or a midwestern team).

4) He could never live up to his #1 pick expectations and seek another team.

I should say that I really like Greg Oden, the man and the player, and hope that option #1 becomes reality and that he is the grand-freaking-marshal of many June parades in the near future.

However...

I am of the opinion, based on what I see and hear from him, that he will walk after his rookie contract. I don't hear him talking Portland up (when asked in an interview with an Indiana radio station about what there was to do in PDX, he replied with what amounted to the generic "outdoorsy" answer, and followed that up by telling the interviewer that he wasn't that into outdoor activities) and I don't see him having a blast out on the floor either.

Shortly after being drafted, you'll remember, he appeared with Justin Timberlake at the ESPY's. . It was right after the draft, and he seemed happy in the spotlight. I wonder if he misses that kind of attention and exposure, seeing as the positivity and promise of that moment has given way to a much more negative national image, wherein he is constantly criticized and over-analyzed.

And, of course, he doesn't seem to want to be in Portland unless he is contractually obligated to be during the off season. I get that he is young, and that it's normal to want to go home after a long season, but I would have liked to hear a thing or two from him this year about how hard he was going to work on his footwork, or his bad habit of bringing the ball down low, or his defensive tendencies and fixing the foul problems. He gets paid a lot for his craft and honing it, in my opinion, should be priority 1a, next to getting that degree. I will clarify that I don't think that he won't work hard in the off-season, but it would have been nice, as a fan, to hear it from his mouth. 

It'll break my heart if he leaves, and the organization will have gotten little to nothing from the lightning that struck in 2007.

Which brings me around to my point.

Most of my complaints about Greg have been uttered before, but I think the rational fan (and team management, for that matter) has got to look at the possibilities of him either leaving or not being the player we hoped, in moving forward with draft prep and in potential trade scenarios. If he wants to leave, how do we salvage some value from that 2007 draft, and if he had "peaked" as a player (however unlikely) are we OK with that, long term. I'd really like to know what other people think about this, other than that you think I am a jerk for bringing this up.

Here's a poll for pollsake, and post what you thing about his potential, work ethic and commitment to staying in P-Town.

I am pretty upset after tonights game. Most Blazer fans probably are.

Before the tedious geiser of trade this guy, or what was this guy thinking gets going, I wish everyone would stop for a second and think about this team and how hard they are working out there.

Joel Przybilla is not trying to get let Yao get offensive rebounds. Considering the way the series is being officiated, I think he has done a commendable job against this guy he gives up half-a-foot to.

Travis Outlaw is not trying to miss his jumpers. He's playing the role he has played all season, and maybe feleing the heat of the big stage a bit, but maybe our opinions of his play have become less forgiving, too. Trout is going to be Trout and give us a good game some of the time, and sometimes not. That's the way it is and has been.

Steve Blake is not trying to turn the ball over, Greg Oden is not trying to pick up quick fouls, and Nate is not sitting your favorite player because he somehow "accidented" this team to 54 wins. The playoffs just intensify our emotions, and that's what makes it great to be in them.

The calls, bounces and shots have not really gone our way in Houston, and there are a few calls from tonight's game that I would like to see reviewed by the league, but I gotta let it go.

We, as NBA fans simply cannot be relied upon to be objective regarding how games are officiated when our teams are playing. We have seen evidence of this in this blog and others when two opposing fans are absolutely positive about two different points of view on a foul.

My point is, if you are going to single out a player as worthless, a ref as clueless, or a coach as brainless, maybe you could hit the save button, sleep on it, and see if you feel the same way in the morning.

I KNOW THAT BLOGS ARE OPEN FORUMS, and you can say whatever the hell you want, but for the sake of the rest of us, remember who these guys are and how hard they have worked this year, and what a great ride it has been. Think about how much it sucked a few years back to hear that Paul Allen might want to bail out and sell the team.

Most of all, think about whether or not you want your snipe to be sitting here, archived, when we come out of Game 7 headed for LA.

First of all, I am more optimistic than ever that the Blazers can get homecourt back in this series. Absent the first 12 minutes of last night's game, we outplayed a Houston team that was defending tougher than any other game in this series.

However, I am going to set myself on fire if I continue to see Wafer/Lowry/Brooks drive and dunk/lay it in on us! For some reason, the Rockets figured out (after "where 42 happens") that collapsing onto penetration might be a good idea, and the Blazers managed very few shots at the rim last night. Why then do our defenders continue to escort these slashers to the hole, waking up only to pull the ball out of the net.

I know I am generalizing, and that ours is a team defensive effort. I have the feeling that Blake/Brandon/Catfish are working within the sceme to not reach and allow the bigs to switch over, but IT'S NOT WORKING. In fact it's killing us with foul trouble when we actually do rotate, and the Rockets are passing out of doubles to their bigs for equally easy shots.

I would love to see some man-to-man accountability, and hereby suggest that any time one of these guys gets one of these (in the Rocket lingo) Highly Efficient Shots, Nate goes old school and demands 10 laps around the gym from the burned defender.

Also, does anyone else think that our beloved Trout might be playing his way either out of town, or to third on the small forward depth chart? I love me some Travis, but he looks lost on both ends of the floor, and obviously he is struggling with the big stage.

I am scratching my head as to why Nic's minutes have not increased (10 minutes to Outlaw's 31 last night), at least for the time being. If Travis can get a rhythm going, we need his scoring, but I say adjust to what has developed in these first three games, and let's see more of the Roy/Rudy/Batum at 1-2-3 in the next game. I say this knowing that Batum basically has NO stats last night, but I htink we all know that his contributions generally don't translate to box score stats.

Clay,

Your tireless efforts to keep the Sonics in Seattle were rivaled only by George W's efforts to hunt down terrorists, insomuch as neither actually occurred. Thanks for abusing your relationship with David Stern to screw a city out of their beloved team.

Also, thanks for destroying any semblance of a true northwest division. Who doesn't think of big oil and dusty plains when they think of the northwestern United States?

Thanks for blaming the people of Seattle for the outcome that was set in stone, by you, since the day you bought that team. It's definitely not enough to steal a team from it's rightful city and tradition after promising the previous owner you wouldn't "in good faith", but it's also important to blame it on the community on the way out.

Thanks alot, you big, fat smelly JERK!!

In the past few weeks since I joined, I have occasionally trolled over to the oppositions' blog to see the reaction/analysis from the other teams point of view (it's fun, so long as you can stomach the generic pot shots about Pryz being a "bum that fouls on every play", banal banter about how old Oden looks, and complaints about our color commentator).

One thing I have noticed a couple of times (and I am not here to call anyone out by name or create animosity amongst decent Blazer fans) are Bedge members trying to "convince" other teams how young/talented/great/intelligent/what-have-you our team, city and fanbase is.

As we have made the important changes of the past 4 years, and moved from laughingstock, to intriguing, to relevent, to playoff team, the energy at the garden has frenzied, and our pride has swelled. One of the things I have always loved about the Blazers and Portland, is that we are natural underdogs (small market, small city, not a lot of national spotlight) and we've always been a knowledgeable, modest bunch.

As we approach the playoffs, and move into the next few years that seem to promise a return to deep playoff runs, and hopefully a parade or two, I, for one would like to remain a fanbase whose pride is represented by home game decible levels, a tough team of good character, and an insightful and respectful web presence.

Specifically, I think that trying to convince the fan of another team to compliment the Blazers, acknowledge that Brandon is better than their guard, or warn them about how we are going to be beating their team repeatedly for the next decade goes beyond good taste. That kind of smack is appropriate in the "comments" of articles of big national sports sites, where incindiary instigation is expected and even encouraged, but other teams blogs should be a different story.

Best I can tell, it seems like this blog has as many or more members as any in the SBN, and checking in here is both informative and addictive to me. I can tell you that if we had a Laker fan trolling in here with any regularity talking up the Lakers and taking pot shots at our guys, I would have words with him, and it would certainly reinforce my already low opinion of that fan-base.

If I am meddling, and violating the basic "live and let live law", that's not my intent. I have seen a lot of great, respectful comments and conversations in opposing blog threads, too!

Just realize that fans of other teams feel about theirs as passionately as we do ours, and that the prospect of the Blazers taking over the NBA does not and never will appeal to them.

A couple of thoughts on the Rudy foul...

This is a fast game, and defensive players have very little time to react to what offensive players throw at them. No one but Ariza will ever know what his "intent" was. I, for one, will give him the benefit of the doubt (despite the fact that he's a L*ker) and say he was probably just trying to prevent his team from being embarassed. We would want our own guys to try hard, even when down by a seemingly insurmountable margin.

However, in baseball, if a player gets beaned (regardless of intent) it is understood that the next pitcher on the mound for the team that took the hit, will, at some point seek revenge.

I have heard it said before that these Blazers are soft, which I do not agree with, but after Odom's foul on Roy last year and now this incident with Rudy, I kind of wish that we would "protect the rim" in a way that sends a message to these Lakers that we are here to stay, and in the future these kinds of fouls won't fly.

I know... i am conflicted!! In one paragraph I am almost defending Ariza and then I am crying for blood.

What do you all think?

I know... I forgot to censor the offensive vowels in that most profane of team names. Probably get flagged for it, which I will deserve, but I'm trying to push past the hate...

Which got me thinking, what happened that has made me despise this team that, as a child, I pulled for in the NBA finals. Obviously, as we get older, we are more susceptible to cynicism, as we accumulate unpleasant memories and resentment of our foes. I was not capable of hatred at age 8 or 9, because the L*kers (better?) had never wronged me.

Well, obviously now they have. Like some sort of real life Inigo Montoya, I strut through life knowing that my own "six fingered man" is out there, and that he wears loud colors, and lives in a smelly metropolis to the south. It's palpable, every time I watch the Blazers play, and somewhere just beneath the surface of my conscious day to day observations, I am always looking forward to that next matchup with the Enemy.

Pinpointing the exact moment that they moved from "respectable foe" that I could get behind against the east in the Finals, to my last favorite team in any sport in the history of our planet is tough. Assuming many of you share my feelings, I figured I would create my first poll out of it...

Relatively new here, and this is by far the coolest group of online fans I have ever come across, but one critical observation...

This weekend we've seen a few posts from some folks that are also new-ish here about Greg Oden. Obviously, in this forum, the debate about whether his top pick was warranted has been played out ad nauseum amongst the long-time Bedgers, and many are sick of seeing the posts and reading the opines of fans frustrated with him not playing, or playing at a level less than what they had hoped.

However, the condescending tone of some of the replys is, in my opinion, much more irritating that whatever harm there might be in a redundant post. Assuming that this site is all about creating a community for Blazer fans to exchange thoughts, ideas, and experiences, the immediate gainsay or berating of a new member dropping a question about an issue that you consider "tired" is counterproductive. 

Maybe I am being overly sensitive (I don't think so), but I think we have enough elitist web-wizards in other regions of the internet that maybe we can allow free exchange here amongst our own without resorting to name calling or teaming up in ridicule of someone less savvy in the unpublished rules around here.  If you have nothing more to say on a topic, don't post on it. Eventually, if everyone does this, there will be no replys to someone posting about the issue, and it will slowly dwindle down the "recent" box, and go away forever.

In other words, a debate about Oden vs. Durant is far more interesting than a debate about whether or not someone should be posting about that debate.

Of course, freedom of speech is a beautiful thing and you will do whatever you like. God bless 'Merca and more power to you!!

Debate, don't berate!!

Peace.

I know I'm not the only one who has chewed off his own foot in frustration of the nightly comparisons between Greg Oden and Durant/Sam Bowie/David Bowie/a large carrot/Mothra... If comparisons were a stat relevant to the PER rankings, Oden would be in the running on every geek-stat ranking in the country.

Enjoying reading over posting, usually, I have seen every kind of post imaginable regarding Greg Oden in the past 5 months. My favorites are the reactionary posts after he has a rough game, or Durant has a good one, watching one nights work summon emotional declarations of "bust" faster than a KP draft day swindle, as if the big guy loses a little bit of his soul every time Durant scores 40 for his cellar dwelling "not Sonics".

So, to celebrate his triumphant return to the court later next week (that's my hopeful soul, not insider knowledge) I am honored to bring you Greg Oden vs Milovan Raković, the last player taken in the 2007 NBA draft.

We all know the sad tale of GO's 07/08 campaign, a tour-de-crutch after being sidelined by micro-fracture surgery. But why does Milovan get off so dang easy, after being picked by Orlando, who traded the 44th pick for the right to choose Raković with the 60th? [Mavs owner Mark Cuban threw in a bit of foldin' money as well]

One might ask, "what did this promising 6'10" 270 lb Serbian do alongside Dwight, Jameer and Co. to make him worthy of being picked dead last in the 07 draft?" And one would be wise and helpful to my premise to ask such a question...

The answer: Without even a video game injury to blame, Milovan selfishly defected to Russia, where he currently plays for Spatak Saint Petersberg in something called a "Russian Super League"... So not only has he not scored a single basket or corralled one rebound in the NBA, but he plays second fiddle to Sergei Monia in a league that needs the word "super" on it's marquee to attact viewership and participants. Pathetic.

Greg Oden averages 9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.15 more blocks per game than this guy who was drafted IN THE SAME DRAFT!!!! So get off his back, and recognize, believers, that had KP waited on Greg (thinking we might pick him up in the second round) we could have ended up with "Super-friend" Raković, holding down the Blazer faction in the Eastern Bloc. And if GO can avoid injuries and learn to stay out of foul trouble, and doesn't get run out of town by nervous, emotional reactionaries, he will dunk on Mothra someday, too!

** Post is sarcastic, and author knows it's ridiculous to compare a top pick to a 60th... Sheesh!

So... I love the ABC serial drama "Lost" and I love the Blazers.

And since I am bored as hell and feeling less than creative, I started trying to play that ridiculously stupid time-honored game of drawing comparison between TV and real life. Then I made the unfortunate decision to drag all of you into it.

The game is to draw a relevant similarity between a current Blazer and one of the characters on "Lost" with a brief explanation. Like this...

Greg Oden - Greg is our Hurley...  Like Hurley, Greg won the "lottery", but was almost embarrassed by the whole ordeal, and bad things started happening in his life almost immediately following his good fortune. He is beloved by everyone around him, but does not see within himself the greatness that is obvious to others. You get the feeling that he will play a major role in coming episodes...er... years.

Brandon Roy - B-Roy is our John Locke. Brandon exhibits great skill and awareness of what is needed to win. Much as Locke seems to be in tune with the Island, and what is required of his lost brethren in order to meet their destiny, Brandon plays this role of leader, not because he desires attention or accolades, bur simply because he knows it is his cross to bear. Also, I believe Brandon is good with a knife.

Channing Frye - Channing os our Sawyer. Like the buffoonish but beloved swashbuckling con on the Island, Channing is beloved beyond his apparent usefulness. Despite heinous misdeeds and a checkered past both are adored within the community. Channing's comic relief and love affair with Portland keeps him relevant, much as Sawyer's humor and romance with Kate does.

I could go on all day, but I wanted to see if anyone else wants to play.

Or maybe I am the only one who digs Lost, or plays these stupid games.]

** A couple of guys in the comments pointed out that this has been done before. Here's a link to their action...

http://trailpost.today.com/2009/01/19/the-lost-blazers/

Two pretty brutal losses in a row have shown our beloved Blazers a few things they need to work on. Perimeter defense, shot selection, and play execution come to mind. I think that Oden's absence has hurt (especially in the Houston game), not so much because he would have contributed key stats to win these games, but the second unit is playing horribly without Joel as their anchor.

We also have to admit that we are terrible when it comes to winning key road games against the top-tier teams in the west.  Of the western playoff contenders we have the worst road record and overall record against other WC teams. Though this is not at all where we want to be, it really seems about right, given the overall experience of each of those teams, and the combined experience of those teams key players.

And, of course, we are going to see a lot of anger on these boards directed at Nate's game plan, and our inability to stop Tony Parker last night, or defend the perimeter either night. A lot of this frustration is justified, but before we expect too much of these guys in hostile arenas against savvy vets who know how to frustrate and get to the line, it's important to remember their age (despite their salaries) and what our true expectations were heading into this campaign.

The obvious good news is that unless we fail to win a single road game in these crucial final weeks of the season, we will likely see improvement. Nate cannot teach confidence, and he can't teach maturity. Those things come from going to war with the galactically frustrating San Antonio Spurs, and the defensively menacing Rockets and getting our butts kicked a few times.

Questioning the coach and his rotation is natural, but remember that he and these players have brought us to a favorable position in the playoff race, in a year that many of us perhaps expected to have to fight our way up from the 9 or 10 seed. This is the best time of year to be an NBA fan, and watching these guys fight for a playoff berth will be a ton of fun, if we let it. if these guys deliver the world, it will be a rush, but if it takes them a few years, it will be worth the wait.