The thing that is hurt is Roy's ego. He doesn't like the way the offense is not running through him, and he is not going to commit and give his all.  He needs to put aside his selfish desires and play. If it is best for the team to run the offense soley through him than let Nate make that decision. All the talk he had about the realization of his selfishness with Dre and how he needs to consider how he can work with Dre's game to pull the best out of him, was just that TALK. Once the game gets going again he goes right back to the pouter he was early last year. Brandon needs to be a good soldier. If it is not successful that falls on Nate. If I'm wrong and Roy needs microfacture surgery due to lack of cartilage in his knee we're screwed anyway.

My bet is the only serious injury Roy has is his ego. That should take about another month for a famous yearly blow out by the team and then it all gets turned around once again. The sooner Roy buys in the sooner the Blazers will become the team we all dreamed they would be.

It has become widely known that just prior to the Melo deal fizzling with the Nets that the Blazers had taken the place of the Bobcats in the 4 team trade. The Blazers would have recieved back Harris had it gone through. The Nuggets are wanting high picks in return for Melo to help rebuild. The Blazers now have an additional high pick they can add to the kitty to help the Nets and themselves at the same time.

The Blazers can trade Andre Miller with the NO 1st pick along with their own 1st pick to New Jersey. The Nets get a needed additional pick to help pull Melo from the Nuggets while retaining a good pg option in Dre. The Nets  pick up even greater salary cap flexibility due to the Nets option to pick up Dre's 3rd year or not. The Nets I assume would be thinking of going after a Deron Williams or Chris Paul with the free agent dollars available, and the draw they would have by pairing a great pg with the talents of Melo and Lopez. Oh and of course Travis Outlaw would help to bring in the big free agents as well.

Devin Harris is a definite talent upgrade at the pg position. Then comes the proverbial but... he has a propensity to get hurt. He played 67 games last year, and once healthy following the all star break he had averages of 17 points a game along with 7 assists. He does a good job of getting to the line and is about an 80% free throw shooter. Harris hit just over 1 three pointer per game which would help to keep the defense honest with Brandon. Devin just makes a better match as he could play off the ball with Brandon in closing minutes, and would be another option to take big shots opening space for Roy. Think of how much better Devin's numbers would be as well with better players to pass to along with defenses not being able to key on him. Devin has been a great asset to Brooke Lopez, and would help bring out the most of Greg's low post potential offensively when he get's healthy.

Even if this trade does not come together you have to appreciate the flexibility and assets Cho has to make deals: expiring contract of Pryz, Bayless trade acception, NO pick, Miller's contract next year is the option of the team to exercise or not. It gives the Blazers what they haven't had, since Raef's expiring contract went to waste, large expiring contract's with picks to make a move for a serious upgrade at any particular position.

The Bayless trade is neccessary and a positive sign. Instead of overvaluing the Blazers players and waiting until their contract expires or they sabotage their value due to their unhappiness with playing time. We are trading away players when it makes sense, and the return appears to be at the highest level Cho could have attained. For Cho's first big move I think it is a positive sign of things to come.

Help the Blazers Help you. Ken Berger of CBS Sports and MSNBC who piggy backed the story are both reporting CP3 is now demanding to be traded. At this point where there is smoke there is fire, so even the  biggest debbie downers have to admit it could be plausible Paul is traded. The Hornets don't have to trade him, but you don't want your super star to talk to the press for a year or more about how their team is not competitive, and continue to lose more and more value in the trade market every week. CP3 reportedly has stated he wants to go to either LA, Orlando, or NYK. Brandon needs to be our DWade. Brandon and CP3 are friends they both have been in the all star game together since the first year they participated 3 years ago. Brandon needs to be our ambassador.

The Hornets will only do a deal that is good for them, and honestly maybe they want it to be out there that CP3 wants to be traded so they are not murdered by there fans for trading him. The current owner sounds  to have a definite need to drop salary or sell, and in my efforts at trying to be unbiased I can not see a better trade partner than the Blazers. A team that offers fiscal help while also making the Hornets team plausibly better in the win column after it is all said and done. Batum, Bayless, Andre, Joel, and I would even include GO for CP3 and Okafor. This leaves the Blazers with Wes starting at the 3 with Dante as a backup, and hopefully you can turn the boo hoo Rudy attitude around to be your back up at the 2 and point. Both Armon and Patty would be kept at that point. While Okafor would play the 4 and 5 positions, and the Blazers would focus next years mid level on a big. With Roy and CP3 the Blazers for once would have free agents dying to come to them. The Blazers would also have the expiring contract of Camby next year to help bring in a younger big to cover the center gap. 

Sorry about the 100th CP3 post, but with the new CBS Sports and NBC story coming out, I couldn't stop my Blazer homer self from posting.

If Kevin Pritchard is released I will no longer be a season ticket holder following the 2010-2011 season.

This email is intended for Larry Miller

Maybe it is just rumor mill in regards to the release of Kevin Pritchard, but he has had amazing results to shift the team’s talent base and identity from where it has been. I appreciate greatly the ownerships financial contribution to the team’s turn around which enabled the team’s change in direction. Kevin has shown an amazing propensity towards finding talent and pieces that fit together. Talent that has not come at the cost of character. Character that is  respected and representative of what is valued by the Blazers surrounding community. I would hate to see the team lose a large piece of its identity by releasing our GM. Kevin is more visible than most General Managers, but this has been necessary to repair the recent jail blazer face of the team. No person is larger than the team, but someone had to step up to the plate to turn this club’s direction. I am glad that Vulcan saw to it to hire Kevin Pritchard to lead that charge.

Most often you hope your team learns lessons while still attaining a win, the Blazers have done that and yet it hasn't sunk in. A loss to a poor opponent is what will hopefully shake the cage and wake the monster up that the Blazers were in the final quarter of last season. Brandon can say that it is still a matter of understanding how all their pieces fit together, and not so much their effort, but effort has more to do with it than game plan, plays, or defensive schemes. Lamarcus played against one of the softest defenders in the league yet how many times did he take it inside? When we are tired we fall back to what is easy. The Blazers have played as many games as any other team to this point of the season. The Blazers have won with defense, and perceviered over weaker talent, while having tired legs. That should be commended, but if you truly want to be the best you have to gut out wins, and tonight they did not, simple as that. No big deal, so long as you acknowledge it, and use it as motivation to learn and grow from it to raise yourself above the other equally and greater tallented teams of the league by always giving unending effort, always. The shots may not fall the game plan may not be perfect, but it will not be for lack of effort that you lose. Martel got this lesson tonight, lets hope players of this team do not allow themselves to be above this accountability. Losses happen, poor shooting nights happen; next time lets hope for a quicker reaction to the lack of energy by the team than two thirds through the second quarter. Maybe a loss in Utah will happen too. It  will indicate the guts of our team, and our leadership. I'll be excited to find out, if not in Utah it will happen at some point, but I know I am hoping for some disappointed Salt Lake fans.

Break out the rally caps! Never giving up may be Nate's greatest coaching quality, a warriors mentality.

Go Blazers!

We are not a small market team. Average yes, but 23rd in the US is not small. Especially considering we are a 1 team town with no other NBA options within 10 hours driving.

We are a larger market than Cleveland, San Antonio, Sacramento, OKC the list goes on. We need to stop perpetuating negativity about the market the team we support comes from. This is not 1 persons faux pau, I hear Blazer fans say it all the time. If we ever want to be considered something other than a small market team (which wouldn't hurt for aquiring players) than at least the fans of that team need to quit perpetuating the myth.

Portland is a great place to be, it's a middle market with no other competing sports options creating a rabid fan base. The Blazers have a phenomenal coach, GM, and one of the wealthiest owners in sports. Not only that Nike and Addidas US headquarters are located in Portland. Start a chain letter, tell a friend, email a NBA free agent. This is the Summer to break the myth!

The Spurs front office is very intelligent they know that their championship window is closed due to the age and health of 2 of their 3 legged attack. They need to add youth, and if possible remain viable as a possible playoff team in the rebuild process. Their most valuable trade chip is Tony Parker. Whom happens to fit our biggest need. You give up Blake, TO or Frye, Batum, picks, Euros, and either Bayless or Rudy and Sergio.  Channing would seem to fit well with the Spurs. A young player matched with the best active mentor still playing. I would see Rudy and Sergio as guys that would fit the Spurs mold, and provide the team with a strong youthful foundation. You have a future base of youth that can provide a strong direction for the Spurs future without having to completely rehaul their roster.

As far as TP the 2nd, Tony would be a great 2nd option in clutch moments. He doesn't have to play with the ball in his hands, and automatically gives us the playoff veteran savvy we lack. Parker would also be a great teacher to help bring up GO in ways to effectively use his talents. 

I'm sure most think this is a pie in the sky post. I think with the front office of the Spurs this fits not only their needs, but they seem to view talent in the same way as KP, a gm that came up with in their system. The Blazers would end up light on the bench at the SG and PF position, but we would still have the ability to sign players to fill those positions, and Bayless could fill a 3 guard rotation covering either the point or sg. Also with the addition of Parker I would imagine the desire of quality veterans willing to come our way would be greatly increased. The fact that it hasn't been floated out there makes me feel even a little better about it. Of course I haven't heard any LBJ rumors either, but my homering has it's bounds.

No disrespect to Maurice Lucas, I don't even know if his health will permit him to coach for awhile, but we need a great coach for GO. I've thought of over paying to get Ewing from the Magic, Kareem is taken in LA, Hakeem is doing community work I believe, and I'm not sure about Mr. Robinson. Ideally we have a home grown talent, Walton?

I say bring in the most underated player to hold down the center position. Not yourvidas, not myvidas, but Arvidas Sabonis. Sabas had all the tools, definsively he was not as strong as what Greg can be due to declining athleticism, but offensively he was amazing. GO would be hard pressed to find a better tutor. I'm guessing Sabas may be a little light on cash, and would be willing to venture away from his homeland once more for a couple years to bring along the veteran faced young one. Sabas speaks pretty good English, and his kids should be old enough that his wife should no longer have to drive them to school after her 9am happy hour.

At a minimum a summer session with Sabas would be phenomenal. Worry about replacing Penn later KP, go get Sabas. Nate just watch the you tube high lights and you'll remember how amazing he was. Do your self a favor though mute the sound. I have never found a player with such horific back ground music to their high light reel. Some body with you tube skills do this man justice and give him some decent beats. For the sake of all that is audible.

This was and is a year for the Blazers to grow into a team with a future of challenging for titles. With the way the Blazers finished the year we all got tingly feelings, and to be honest if it wasn't for a miracle by Finley we very well would still be living the dream. But we have gotten what we wanted experience, and lessons that will pay dividends for our future championship runs.

These are my humble thoughts starting from the top(KP) in regards to our playoff experience, and work my way down. Not to say the playoffs are over for us, but I do not see 3 wins in a row happening for our beloved Blazers.

KP: For the long term potential of this team he very well made all the right moves, but that will yet to be seen. I think it is apparent that in the future KP will need to have a greater willingness to add a player, most likely a smaller piece to tweak a roster during the season. I think as a team is older, and more mature this makes more sense, because the window for the team to adjust markedly improves. Example 1 John Salmons, would have been a tremendous need fit for our team. I won't beat the topic to death, but look what the guy has done for the Bulls. This is the closest I would ever get to critquing KP, I think he is the gold standard. This summer may show us why KP did not pull the trigger on Salmons. Realistically our window isn't now, it's 2 years from now, don't be greedy and go for instant satisfaction. Not only that, but who could have forseen our increase in level of play in the final month of the season.

On a 2nd note we have to trade a SF and a PG this summer. We can expect guys to be good team mates for only so long. I truly feel we will see a blossoming of any players from those positions we trade. No different than what we have seen with Von, or what I feel we will see from Diogu. But you can only play so many guys, and you keep the players that fit with in the team and give you the style of play that you believe will translate into wins. I thought this position jumble may have been cleared out at this years trade deadline at the pg position at least, but I would think we will see those moves made this summer. I love all our players, and do not wish to see any of them leave, but for players to recieve their fair opportunity and to keep team accord it must be done.

Nate: There is another reason I think of Nate as Sarge, he's stubborn. He coaches his players with a mindset of a former player, and that is you don't mess with guys playing time and their confidence. That is unless you are a rookie, or your name is Sergio. You have to earn it with Nate, but once you do, he will be loyal. This loyalty has paid huge dividends during the season and has led us to a 10+ game average improvement year over year for the last 3 years. Nate has shown us through the latter part of the season that he will give up control once you show him he can trust you. The example to me is his loosening of the reins in playing a more fast paced offense that can be more turn over prone. Key word is show, that doesn't mean once that means on a consistent basis, and then he will pull the trigger on change. I believe this is crucial for the stability of the team, and players for consistency and security as to players roles on the team.

But, I do not agree that this is the same way a coach should treat his team in the playoffs. You don't have the luxury to ride out a player struggling, or a series of mismatches. Nate in my opinion is learning just like the players in what works and does not work in the playoffs. To be fair he has a bunch of guys that haven't played in the playoffs so coaching players with such an irregularity of play has got to be difficult. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see Nate has been averse to throw a rookie in a playoff game that he has not completely gained the trust of definsively over 1 of 2 guys that have long time loyalty points in the final 5 minutes of the game. But, Blake has been getting burnt out there, to the point that Roy was put on Brooks and Blake was put on Battier, and it worked. Rudy is a better scorer and just as good on defense but with more height and athleticism. Rudy is not a rookie, Olympic games and cup play in Europe has shown him how to play, and his ability to play with huge pressure. He has lacked consistency due to the gruelling NBA season compared to what he was used to in Europe, but that goes out the window come playoffs. I expect to see a greater consistency with Rudy next year, now that he will know what to expect. I am sure that Espana fans want Nates head right now, but I think they will see a Nate with faith in Rudy next year. I love, love the lineup of Roy, Rudy, LMA, Travis/Martel/Batum, and Oden next year. This should be our final 5 minute of the game players. I think we will see that early on next season. I think Nate has made mistakes like everyone else on the team. I think he will learn from those mistakes and we will be a better team, and go further in the playoffs next year because of it.

Roy: Played the way we would hope. He wasn't perfect, defensively I would like to see a greater consistency in effort through out the game. I also would have liked to have seen just a little more faith (I stress little) in his team mates in minutes 5-2 at the end of the game.

Rudy: great feel for how to play playoff basketball. He seems to be calmer than any other regular season game I can remember. He will have many opportunities to show what he is capable of. I expect a break out year for Rudy next year with the addition of a mid range game, a greater ability to create his own shot, and more consistent play as noted previously.

GO: Great play, atletically we are truly starting to see what GO is capable of after microfracture. I wish that Pete Newell was still alive to work with Oden. I'm sure there is someone who is or will come out to replace Pete's camp. Oden needs to cut down the cheap fouls by only attempting to take the ball at the top of the shot, and avoiding contact with guards. We'll see refs lay off once he shows us that next year. I would love to see us pick up a Kareem/Ewing type coach to groom Greg. I understand that is Lucas' job, I just don't know that he is the optimal guy, and his health has made him unavailable so I may be flat out wrong. Think about this, when was the last summer GO could truly work on his game? I would say it would have been the summer after his junior year of high school. He broke his wrist going into his freshman year of college, and was sick most of his summer he was drafted before hurting his knee. Last summer he was limited due to rehab. GO is good now, I can't wait to see him after a summer of fine tuning to what he has learned he needs to know to excel in the NBA game.

Props to Dave: Dave noted that we needed 3 options to win a title, because in the playoffs teams will make adjustments to take away options 1 (Roy) and 2 (LMA). I would say that once again Dave has shown his genius through what we have seen in this years playoffs. I think with a summer of work GO will be that option. I also believe Rudy can be that player too if needed.

Joel: 0 complaints 0 issues, Joel is a true vet, he is consistent and a leader. Like Blake I feel this will be Joel's most productive year, not to his fault, but because of the up and coming beast that has been backing him up.

Blake: Solid play, but an apparent limitation definsively due to his lack of athleticism. In the playoffs your star player controls the game more. This has neutralized some of Blakes effectiveness.This is true also of the regular season, but it is amplified in the playoffs. I think this will be the best year we get out of Blake, and that we will see more of a Rudy Roy back court next year. The largest reason not to is defense, and Blake's is not an improvement over Rudy's. Tied in with the fact that Rudy is a greater offensive threat. Blake is key to our team, but I believe we will start to see a transition next year. We also have a wild card with a guy named Bayless. It will be fun and interesting to see how this and any moves we make all play out.

LMA, Travis, and everyone else: I think it is funny how different playing in the playoffs truly is. Everyones weakness' they have fought and overcome through the regular season seem to hit the reset button come playoffs and the struggle to work through those same issues starts anew. I think you have to have grace with everyone, and focus on the learning points as much as possible to shorten the curve come next years jaunt in post season play. In the same way those players over came their struggles in the regular season; they to will overcome the similar issues they have had in the post season. If I picked out one thing to work on for anyone it would be a stronger use of LMA in final moments of games to ready him for the times he may need to be the man because Roy is being triple teamed. LMA just seems to be averse to taking the big bucket, no different than KG, and he's above average,(sarcasm font) even though I can't stand his act.

Refs: We always get talked about as not being a major market, and thus a ref slant. I say youth has more to do with it than anything. We are not a small market. Is Cleveland a small market? No, well Portland's market is larger than theirs so why all the small market talk. We are a mid market, I would say a greater issue is that we are on PST so the East coast bias can tend to rain. I only mention this becasue in my opinion teams from major markets do tend to get a little love with calls, and even with a vet team in the late 80's early 90's we didn't get the calls a top team would have liked to have recieved. That's our stake, we will get more calls as we get older, and wiser. But, the bottom line is the Blazers will eventually play well enough a little ref slant on occasion will not matter.

Our playoffs are not over, but the mountain to climb has gone from a Mt. Hood to an Everest, and I just don't see it happening. I look forward to seeing us win game 5 in Portland, and what magic may come after that.

 On a side note I really did not care for our final true play of the game that lead to a Outlaw missed 3. For 1 as previously noted, I did not understand how Rudy was not on the floor for that shot, and secondly I felt that we should have controlled our own destiny. Play for the final shot, shoot a 3 with enough time to possibly launch another quickly if you miss. Not pass it in and heave it. In respect of Nate this could have been fault of Travis, and not Nate, I do remember this happening in a game near the midway point. But timing of the shot being taken had to of been discussed with the team during the timeout. You have a team of guys with only 1 guy on the court who truly wants to shoot it (Rudy wasn't playing). Show faith in them, that they can make the bucket and push it to overtime. Don't encourage the helter skelter nature of the team that Nate had previously noted after game 2. If you lose it's because you missed, not because you missed a rushed attempt in hopes of getting a stop and possibly getting the ball back. I realize there are a lot of senarios and everyone has an opinion. Just my vent.

Looking forward to June/July, and the magical makings of KP's final tweaks through the draft and trades. Sorry to the die hards for selling out and calling the season early. Maybe I'm just guarding my heart from getting stepped on any more for this year.

His humor.

His latest gem of genius in regards to Russell Westbrook's ability to bring down 8 offensive rebounds as a point guard.

"That's just Barry Manillow wrong"

He is a true veteran he brings it night in night out. Dave has a true respect for his craft/hobby. I have to say the insight is great, but the humor is classic. I guess this is my man crush valentine to Dave. Thanks for the genius of your humor. 

What is your favorite funny line by Dave?

The link on www.Oregonlive.com should be up shortly for Jason Quick's online chat he had today. In it he discussed that the Salmons trade does not pass the smell test, but that there are 2 trades that are being discussed. He was some what vague so as not to disclose something he shouldn't.

1 is with a Western conference team, and would be a minor deal. His personal feeling was that it would be unlikely to happen.

The 2nd trade he mentioned, was a trade that could bring us into title contention possibly. It concerns 1 player that has been rumored in past trade talks with the Blazers. The trade would bring over 2 players to the Blazers from an Eastern Conference team, filling 2 positions, that have been seen as a need for the Blazers. The Blazers would be giving back 2 players plus Rlec. The 2 Blazers being traded are not starters, but are players that are in the regular rotation.

In my opinion this is the Gerald Wallace and Raymond Felton trade we have been discussing in previous posts. They fill the SF and PG upgrades we have been looking for. Realizing that Felton is an improvement, but not necessarily the answer. The Blazers would be giving back Sergio, Travis Outlaw, and Raef. Both are role players, but not starters.

This is a great trade for all parties considered when you figure in the all powerful dollar. Rlec and other large ending contracts are of greater value this year than any other year, due to the 2010 Free Agency class and our current recession. The Bobcats ownership has been looking to shed $, and if you watched the recent game in Charlotte in regards to attendance, you can see partly why. Out of all the year ending contracts the Blazers have the only one that actually pays you back for the $ you would pay out for the remainder of the year.

Gerald is a lot for them to give up, but they get a poor mans version of their player back for less than half of what they are paying him now, and they get a back up point guard that fits the offensive mindset of Larry Brown however lacking he is on the defensive side. The Bobcats will not have to decide on giving Felton a long term contract or waiving him  to avoid  the double salary hit against their cap for the summer of 2010. They become major players in the 2010 free agency spree.  

The Blazers get a dominating SF who only lacks a solid 3 pt stroke. Nate very well may have to tweak the offense slightly to curtail more to Wallace's strengths, slashing to the hole! With Felton we get a solid pg who's some what lack of a pass first mentality will mesh well with Roy. Even if Felton is not the answer, he will be a valuable trading chip next year, possibly for a top flight back up power forward. I believe Bayless will be handling pg duties by the end of next year.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a pick or picks thrown in by the Blazers, and that the trade would be consumated at the deadline, or after Wallace shows he is up to playing from his partially collapsed lung, whichever comes sooner.

What do you think? 

Are these the players Quick is referring to?

If so do you like the trade, or do you think it is unrealistic and for which team?

If it happens I say hello Division champions for 2009, and Western Conference finals participants with a Championship contender status for 2010!

I'm going to be sacreligious here and say that Roy needs to accept Rudy and take advantage of what he brings to the team. In the same way Roy can be averse at times to fast break ball, he seems to be asserting his control with Rudy on the court by somewhat excluding him.

Who has been getting the loudest cheers at the Rose Garden..... Rudy. Roy is a great guy, but everbody has an ego and no one is perfect. Rudy in a small way is a threat to Roys complete control of the team. Not that Rudy will take over, not at all, but Rudy takes a little bit of the control of the team away from Roy and he doesn't like it, who would. I think it's subtle, but it's there. Roy's never had an issue with Blake and there is a reason, Blake isn't that good; so unless we are going to play out the rest of our days with a great backup pg we need to either make a trade for one or move Rudy to the point.

Roy was happy with Bayless why because he looks to score and not to control the play of the game through the pg position. He's mentioned that a star pg may not be best for the team, because they may not be willing to let Roy control play come the 4th quarter. But that is why Rudy is so great he can play the point for the first 3 quarters and then hand off the reigns to Roy come the 4th, and it would be seemless because of the player Rudy is. Nate in the near future may need to step in with Roy to discuss adopting this style of play and how it can benefit Roy not take away from what he does. If he's completely against it than Roy should play Point and Rudy can play sg. Obviously more playing time together very well is all that is needed, but hopefully it comes sooner rather than later.

I realize this could have been part of a previous post, but I am really curious to what other Bedgers think on this specific topic. Some of you may want to stone me from this post, hopefully I can't be somehow excluded from the site.

Let me preface this with the understanding that both players need to prove themselves for the month of November, but after that let them loose. There is a reason Nate makes a rookie or a shift in a starting position player truly earn the spot; you can't give a player a position and then yank it later. It creates uncertainty in that player and the team in their role and rotations. This is exactly why Nicolas did not start against LA, if Nicolas played poorly and he had to yank him a few games in it could really set him back. Where as if Nicolas earns that spot and moves Travis back, the damage with Travis will be minimal since he has already established a style of play and role on the team.

Rudy is phenomenal he is a glue guy a true team player, every one around him is better with him on the floor. He plays adequate to good defense, he is better than Blake right now. Rudy can drive the lane and draw fouls or stretch the defense with the 3 ball. Fernandez also has great vision, and an amazing veteran sense of when to slow play, speed it up, take advantage of a mismatch, and he doesn't care about his stats. What I'm saying is put him at point, because right now I'm sorry Steve is not playing to well, and it's only 3 games but if this continues through the month the switch needs to take place. Then come the 4th quarter Rudy and Roy can switch roles seemlessly.

On a tangent Nate needs to forget how Sergio played last year and give the guy some rope. Bayless should not see the floor unless it is in mop up minutes, or towards the end of the season when he's gotten his sea legs. I understand he got sympathy minutes in Phoenix because that is where he is from and all his family was there, but he needs to stay benchward bound. Oh and if a 3rd forward needs to be played forget Diogu play Shavlik.

Nicolas has to be the surprise of the draft if he continues to play anywhere close to the last 2 games. It blows my mind how genius KP is, here we all thought Bayless was the steal when it was really Batum. Remember when the Blazers went to go talk to Rudy prior to the draft and also to take a look at a few other players. How much do you want to bet that Batum was the focus of thier trip detour. How often do we see a GM fall in love with a guy and pick him way to high not because he doesn't play out to the potential he had percieved, but because he wasn't on any one else's radar. KP picked Batum 1 pick before the Spurs who had their eyes set on him, and not a pick earlier. He knew how the picks would go in regards to getting Bayless (excluding curveball GM Jordan) and he knew how it would go all the way leading to Batum. That's enough to make every NBA GM to get their war room de bugged. I got a man crush I just have to be honest. The guy even after the terrible summer league outing of Batum, stuck with him and took up a roster spot, and sent Kopponen back accross the pond. You have to have juevos and a supreme confidence in your scouting ability. I will admit that Batum's agent did lay down the ultimatum to marry me now or lose me forever, so a small thank you to Nicolas's agent too!

Batum appears to be an advanced Tayshaun Prince from about 4-5 years ago. I give Batum a slight edge in confidence and offensive ability with a shooting range that is yet tbd. Of course this does not mean he is Tayshaun or will be, but the prognosis is good that we will have something comparable or a Tayshaun lite within a few years. I'll have to get over the arrogance of the French accent, but I love his game. He has above average court vision, phenomenal reach, quickness, he's eye level with the rim when he dunks, and a serviceable jump shot. Defensively he appears to be that future stopper we have always wanted. He creates steals, blocks, rebounds, moves without the ball, and is every where with his high energy.

So where does this leave us for  our rotation and roster. I'm totally jumping the gun, but I say trade a combination of Blake, Bayless, and either Channing or Outlaw together with picks and Rlec for a Devin Harris or Michael Connely. I understand the package doesn't make much sense for Memphis, but it could for Jersey, could always go the 3 way trade route. I'll leave that for the espn trade machine bedgers. Channing or Outlaw can play the back up 4 with Martell covering the 3, Pryz backing up GO, and a 3 guard rotation of whoever we pick up plus Roy and Rudy. Sergio would see day light on occasion, but he would mainly be kept behind the glass that would be broken in case of pg emergency.

To start I'll say that preseasons of all sports can be highly overvalued come time for the regular season to start, but with my boundless Blazer enthusiasm, I need to blow off some steam.

Diogu will most likely play the season out with the Blazers, but that is it. The guy is serviceable, but he's a liability defensively, he's ok with his help d, but he puts pressure on the center to cover his defensive miscues. More than once I have seen Pryz posterized covering for Ike, and I think if he was KP, he would have cut him on the spot with the look I saw Pryz give him. Offensively he plays a little like ZBo the black hole. I like his aggresiveness to the hoop and his soft hands. But the tell to me was his decision to pass on playing summer league ball because of his perception that it was unneccesary considering his time in the league. What Blazer on this current roster would have said no, none of them considering the short actual playing time history of Ike. Ike is a NBA player, but any more to take up a roster spot on this team you have to be solid or improving and I don't believe he is either.

 Tatum is going to be nice on a NBDL team, no disrespect to him it's just where his talent level is currently at.

Steven of Nazareth hasn't had much of an opportunity to show what he can do during preseason. You wonder if the Blazers are hiding him from the rest of the league. If I had to pick a position to fill our 15th roster spot it would be center, considering our current roster depth at all positions. But I have to say without having seen much of HIll in preseason; I really like Randolph for that last spot. Based off of preseason I would cut Diogu and keep Randolph it the team is dead set on HIll. Randolph is a solid rebounder, defender, and he has a nice shot; he has the height for possible backup center and definite power forward minutes he's a little slight of frame for Center minutes but he can make up for that with his hustle. 

Luke Jackson is 15th man material he gives great energy, but our 15th man is like another teams 10th. I'm sure he will make the end of some teams roster, it just won't be the Blazers.

Bayless, will be a player, he's just not going to be pushing for as many minutes as one would have thought from watching Summer League, and with minutes being one of our top issues on this team that may not be the worst thing to happen. What makes me fearful is how Jarred responds to that lack of playing time when he does get PT. I worry that when he does play he will force things trying to prove to much too fast, and get him self in a pretty good midseason funk (I.E. Sergio 2007). This guy is ridiculously determined and is a phenomenal player; hopefully he will see that at some point during the season when any of our guards get hurt he will get serious blow and not just 2007 Sergio minutes. 

Sergio is coming along nicely, and I would be fearful of Sergio falling into the traps of last years play, but I think he has matured and he has a friend around who will keep him straight. He seems to be feeling out that line of forcing fast play and letting it come organically. For Sergio to play with GO, he needs to really work on getting him the ball consistently and more importantly getting him the ball in spots where he can be effective. I think Rudy will be huge for Sergio this year; on numerous occasions I have seen Rudy tell Sergio to slow down or to take the shot instead of passing. Rudy can critique Sergio and it doesn't hurt his confidence because he knows Rudy believes in him.

OK I can't wait any more I have to talk about Rudy, I expected so much from this guy and I have to say he is everything I hoped he would be. Not since Clyde the Glide have Blazers had their very own highlight reel of a player, it's about time! Rudy is learning the nba game and pushing things to see what works and what doesn't. I love his skill, humble confidence, creativity, and bbiq. He is like Roy in so many ways, I am wondering how well the 2 of them will mesh, and how Nate fits them on the floor at the same time. I don't care if Rudy doesn't start, but when it matters (4th quarter) they will always be on the floor together. I know a lot of people are saying why do you take an all star 2 guard and move him out of position;  I'll tell you why, Rudy is that good! 1 of the them will have to play out of their natural position. Rudy fits better at the 1 while Roy fits better at the 3 in regards to defense. 

We all know the story of Coach Knight calling up Jack Ramsey and telling him he had to draft this kid Jordan playing for the Olympic team he was coaching. Jack replied they already had an up and coming SG named Drexler and that they needed a center; Knight said well play him at center then I don't care he's that good. Now I'm not completely wasted on the Blazer sauce to say that he is Jordan, but what I am saying is, Rudy's that good. Rudy needs to get close to 30 minutes a game, so Nate is going to have to figure out how to make it work. Sorry Marty, Travis, & Blake collectively the PT is going to suffer, for the sake of playing Rudy. The clincher for me on how well Rudy is playing, was the point when Rudy went down holding his ankle, first thing I noticed was Nate running out on the floor like a worried dad. (Side note KP immediately went back into the locker room to wait for Rudy to be brought back.) I've seen him react that way one other time, and that was when Roy went down grabbing his knee, Roy ended up being fine and so will Rudy, in my eyes that was a poker tell as to how good Nate thinks Rudy is/will be.

Gregory Oden is a mamoth, he will dominate the league next year, but through this year he will bide through some rookie roller coasters. I have to keep reminding myself this guy has not played ball for an entire year along with the fact this is his first year. GO has endless upside, first thing first he still needs to really grasp his size and how to effectively use it to get into position to recieve the ball, and where to be on defense so that he may enforce his will not only with blocking shots but also rebounding. I think with increased playing time around Blake and Roy we will see they will help immensely in getting him the ball often and where he can be most effective. Just with increased Cardio endurance we will see huge diviends  in the way GO plays, but he will still have a lot of peaks and valleys his rookie year especially on back to back games. I'm excited to see his level of play come March!

Batum, wow I expected nothing, and I'm blown away by how much he is showing us progessively every game. (Another reason why Summer league play isn't everything.) Incredible length and timing, is the first thing that comes to mind. He just gets to balls that others can't. If he can shoot the way he did against Utah we are set. Hello Bruce Bowen/Tayshaun Prince Jr. I'm going to take a wild stab right now and say that our five players on the court come the 4th quarter in next years playoffs will be Roy, Rudy, Batum, LA, & GO. If we can have a solid defender who doesn't have to get his shot on offense, but at the same time keeps the opposing defense honest, watch out! To what we have seen so far, Batum appears he could be that man.

KP oh KP let me count the ways... seriously I could go on forever about this guy, but lets just stick with 1 aquisition and how it came about. The guy went scarface on his old boss and stole Batum right from under the Spurs. We all thought the huge bamboozle of the draft was Bayless, what if it was actually the guy he swiped down in the 20's. That would be 2 years in a row! The thing is I think KP knew that when he made the pick. This guy had the draft down before it happened he knew what team wanted who and what picks they were going to try to get them at. Good thing we won't be in the lottery for a long time because I think some GM's are going to be pretty tight lipped around him for a while. You could just go on and on about the guy. He's the Bobby Fisher of NBA GM's, it's hard to comprehend everything he has done in such a short time frame. The ZBO trade and the other moves it allowed to happen should put him in GM lore. I am extremely curious to see who KP will go after with his Raef chip; I'm guessing like every move he has made besides drafting GO it will be something none of us had seen coming. I'm going with trading for T Prince come Feb.

Nate is a great coach and more flexible in his game plan than we all know or give him credit for. This year will set the tone for the dynasty to come. He will be establishing who will play key roles for the team, and who is expendable. My only concern with Nate is how he takes the pressure and second guessing that will come from Blazer nation. The pressure will be bad this year, but it will get exponentially higher in the years to come. Here's hoping it's water off a ducks back.

For those of you who actually endured my lengthy Blazer gushing thank you for the patronage.

Does any one else out there feel like Rudy just got completely dumped for the hotter blonde once Bayless went demolition man and put up his numbers in Summer League. I agree that Bayless makes a great match with Roy through the first 3 quarters, but not in the 4th. Maybe with time that will change with Bayless, but I completely believe that Rudy is who you will see in the 4th he can be the man or the facilitator, and has no fear to hit the game winner from any distance.

I just feel like this is lost on some fans, or a little forgotten. I'm sure we just differ on opinions of how his game from the Italian league will translate to the NBA. To me Summer League stats should have the much greater question mark ala the Italian dude from Golden State (Binelli is how I like to Butcher it) from last year, or our very own preVick dog lover Qyntel Woods who tore it up in Summer league. Don't get me wrong I think there are some great points as to why JLess will translate over if nothing more to me than his obvious determination. But to me Rudy is Royesque and in most cases that wouldn't work, but with a selfless style of play I think they could make a perfect Boyz II Men harmony with KP Bivens producing the track. I just totally dated myself.

One question yet to be answered is how does there defense combined hold up in the 4th. I would think sufficient, but that I think will be one of the many questions we will have answered by the trade deadline.

And for the readers who just wanted another Harlow commentary, wah, wah, wahhh!

It's pretty amazing how quickly we have gone from being the brunt of most NBA jokes to the team recieving continual praise. In 3 years KP has become thought of as the top GM in the game nationally, which is extremely impressive but mind boggling considering the time frame he has done it in. KP is what Billy Beane would be if his owner was Paul Allen. If I run into you KP drinks are on me. Stay humble, hungry, and with a little patience all our Blazer dreams will come true! But for right now I'm enjoying the journey!

The following was written by Bill Ingram of www.hoopsworld.com .

Leaving Las Vegas

HOOPSWORLD's coverage of the Las Vegas Summer League will continue through its conclusion on Sunday, with Eric Pincus from LA coming to share his insight on what's going on at UNLV. This writer, however, is headed back to Dallas to sleep for a few days after logging six or seven games a day for eight days straight. Before I take off (literally), here are a couple of observations.

Jerryd Bayless is going to be Rookie of the Year.

Maybe that's an overstatement, as Bayless will have a ton of talent around him and someone like Beasley will put up better numbers on a team that's not as good. In fact, Greg Oden may give Bayless a run for his money right there in the same lineup. That said, Bayless has been hands-down the best floor leader of summer league. Execs and coaches agree that Pritchard really got a steal, as Bayless has averaged 27.7 points per game while shooting 45% and getting to the line 18 times per contest. He's not much of a distance shooter, but this kid can get into the lane and he doesn't shy away from contact. He also does a great job of finishing after being brutalized by sloppy seven-footers.

The best part? After getting iced up, taped, and bandaged he takes the time to come out and sign autographs for the hordes of kids who are looking for any attention they can get from a name player.

He should fit right in with the new breed of classy Blazers.