SB Nation User Blog: The Penguin

Fan Fest Tix - Free

The Penguin — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:15:15 -0000

Fan Fest Tix - Free

I have a whole bunch of tix to the fan fest on Sunday, for anyone who missed out on getting them at Wells Fargo, like me. If you want some call five-oh-three-seven-nine-three-nine-one five-oh. You just need to be willing to pick them up at my office near PDX (today by five) or near 39th and SE Division, sometime this weekend.

Off Topic - Chappelle in Pi Square..

The Penguin — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:28:01 -0000

Off Topic - Chappelle in Pi Square..

Way off topic, I guess, but I see people bickering on the internets about the way the city handled this and wanted the take of the Sedgers.

For those that dont know - Dave Chappelle had an impromptu "show" in Pioneer Square last night at 1am. He expected a few hundred people (based on word of mouth and Twitter) and instead got about 4,000 strong.

Blistering KP Criticism from Yahoo's Woj...

The Penguin — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 17:36:12 -0000

Blistering KP Criticism from Yahoo's Woj...

Brutal. Just Brutal.

Especially the call out of Nate's REAL intentions in signing year-to-year. Don't read this if you are already depressed about our offseason.

I agree with his Odom take. Man, KP, at least TRY!!

Dr Jekyll and Mr Sedge

The Penguin — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:58:16 -0000

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.

Check the action, KP. The cards will come.

The Penguin — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:22:48 -0000

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!

Will Greg Stay?

The Penguin — Wed, 27 May 2009 05:30:58 -0000

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.

Poll

Greg Oden will...

Be a Blazer and an All Star for many more years

241 votes

Be an All Star but for another team after his rookie contract expires.

24 votes

Never llive up to his #1 pick potential, and stay a Blazer

49 votes

Never live up to his #1 pick potential and play for another team after his rookie contract expires.

31 votes

Other (with comment)

13 votes

358 votes | Poll has closed

Think before you "publish"

The Penguin — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 04:47:11 -0000

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.

Run laps? (poll)

The Penguin — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:23:59 -0000

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.

Poll

What would YOU do differently on defense?

Stick with the current team defensive scheme. It got us 54 wins.

7 votes

Go straight man to man (except with Yao)- Foul if we have to, but don't leave 'em.

6 votes

Throw some crazy zone at them.

6 votes

More Batum, less Trout!

20 votes

More Twin Towers.

8 votes

Other, with comment.

1 votes

48 votes | Poll has closed

Thank You Clay Bennett

The Penguin — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:20:39 -0000

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!!

Rep us well!

The Penguin — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 03:42:12 -0000

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.