Excuse me from distracting you from the subject of football for a few minutes, but it involves the important topics of food and beer, which, like football, is very close to my heart. 

I'm coming from out of town for the next home game and wondering if anybody had good recommendations for places to eat or drink around the Rose Bowl area (preferably within a 30-45 minute walk from the Rose Bowl).  I see that Big Mama's Rib Shack has some good reviews and the Yardhouse is close by,...anything else?

Cheers!

(apologies in advance if a Kirk and Hedu post has already been discussed)

Lots of rumors around the NBA pundits and posts around BlazersEdge about who the Blazers are going after in the off-season.  Here is why I think KP is looking at bringing both Hedu (free agent) and Kirk (trade) to Portland.

Positive effects on offense (compared to last year):
-More playmaking options offensively with Hinrich and Hedu.  Hedu in particular, is good in 1on1 and pick and roll situations.  Hinrich is an upgrade over Blake in creating shots for his teammates off the pick and roll.
-Less predictablility, harder for defenses to prepare with more options on the court
-Still a good 3 pt shooting team with Hinrich and Hedu (Rudy and Webster off the bench, assuming Blake and Outlaw are traded for Hinrich)
-Way less wear and tear on Roy, keeps him fresh from start to finish
-Better execution in the halfcourt set with a spread out floor (multiple starters can hit the long range jumper.  LMA and hopefully Oden can score inside)

Some quick negatives...less monster put back dunks from Batum, fewer fast break options with Batum out of the lineup, Batum's development is stunted with Hedu starting, M Webster's playing time will be insignificant.

Positive effects on defense:
Well...the biggest positive effect will be the fact that Roy will be able to devote more energy and attention to being an all around player for the Blazers.  With Roy doing absolutely everything offensively for the Blazers last year for 40+ minutes per game, he didn't have the wherewithall to shine defensively. He came into this league with a very good reputation for stout defense and has displayed this in big late game moments over the years.  Hinrich is an upgrade over Blake and gives the Blazers a very good defensive backcourt.  Tough on the ball defender and able to guard quicker players as well as more physical athletes like Wade, Hinrich will be a nice addition on the defensive side.

Negatives...team loses bigtime quickness without Batum and still suffers from being a poor rotating team, suscitable to quicker teams that pass and shoot well.  At least the bench will do better defensively with Bayless, Batum, and Pendergraph (4 yr college player known for tough defense) taking minutes from Sergio, Outlaw, and Frye.

Overall, these two moves taken together will make the Blazers a much better team offensively, capable of attacking the opposition from different angles.  LaMarcus provides the lost post threat with dynamic perimeter players surrounding him, spreading the court and adding balance.  Roy is saved some wear and tear and hopefully will reduce injury risk.

Defensively, the team will be better overall.  Losing Batum from the starting lineup will hurt, but he was only playing 15 minutes a game last year anyways.  The biggest factors that will help the Blazers on the side of the court will be Oden's development along with a more defensively engergized Roy combined with more defensive oriented players earning more playing time off the bench.

This is the makings of an up and coming team with an open window for the championship in 2009-2010.

Sound off peeps

 

http://blog.oregonlive.com/blazers/2009/01/rumor_salmons_for_lafrentz_and.html

 Interesting rumor floating around Salmons.  Haven’t seen him play much – he is in the midst of a career year putting up good numbers this year on a bad team.  Looking at this year’s stats, he certainly would fit in well with the Blazers.

 According to Hollinger’s scouting report, Salmons is an athletic, versatile 6’7” wing player who can defend multiple positions well and is a slasher offensively. 

 From what I’ve seen from his stats, his offensive game has flourished this year.  He gets to the line at a good clip and his shooting a respectable 48% from the field and 42% from three-point range.  In comparison to another wing player the Blazers had strong interest in at one point, Danny Granger is shooting 44% from the field and 40% from three-point range, although he gets to the line at a better clip.  Salmons also turns the ball over a lesser rate than Granger.

With regards to fitting in with the Blazers, he has the ability to start right away at the SF position.  He is a better all around player right now at the 3 spot compared to Webster, Batum, or Outlaw.  More polished offensively (slasher with the ability to hit the 3 ball) and with his defensive prowess, he would be give the Blazers a nice lift.  He gives the Blazers another athlete along with Roy and Batum that we could throw at Kobe and Manu.  At the end of games when we need a defensive stop, we could slide Roy to PG, and put Batum and Salmons in the game to defend the wings.  And offensively, outside of Roy and the little used Bayless, he is the only player that will consistently take it to the hole and draw contact.

Sounds good so far…

 Now comes the negative side. 

-Playing time for Webster and Batum will be tough, and I certainly would like to see these guys get more experience

-His numbers suggest that he is having a big year on a bad team, which brings about questions of how truly effective he would be on a good team with other good players around him (ala Donyell Marshall with the Warriors– somebody has to score points and put up stats on a bad team right?).  In all fairness, his percentages are pretty good offensively, so this may not be a big issue.

-While he has improved year over year throughout his career which is good to see, he has not played at a consistently high level for very long.

The big question is if he is a good cultural fit.  From Chad Ford of ESPN:

“Despite his talent, he's never really been known as a chemistry guy in either Philadelphia or Sacramento. His versatility, defense and ability to handle the ball have attracted a number of suitors. But buyers beware -- this guy has to start. Take him out of the starting lineup, and his numbers drop and his pouting increases.”

Portland has come such a long ways from a cultural and chemistry standpoint, and with such a young team starting to gel together, I think it would be hard to justify bringing over a talented player if there is any truth to Chad Ford’s report.

Sound off fans…yay or nay on John Salmons?

From Jason Quick today:

"I asked Pritchard if he expects Jones (James Jones)to be the starting small forward this season, and he hesitated, saying he wasn't sure if he was done making moves. It confirms a suspicion I've had ever since the draft was done: Pritchard still has one big move left."

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2007/07/aldridge_out_undergoes_mri_on.html

For what it's worth, Quick reported before the draft that the Rockets had approached the Blazers about trading Shane Battier for a combination of players between Outlaw, Webster, and Jack.  The Rockets apparently lost interest as they couldn't find the right combination for their team.

A lot has happened since that initial Quick report.  The Rockets added Mike James, who is a shoot first PG and brought in a new coach Rick Adelman, who is more offensive minded.  The Blazers traded for Channing Frye, who I would imagine the Rockets covet and drafted Rudy F, who the Rockets reportedly wanted over Aaron Brooks.

My best guess is that the Rockets are still interested in trading Battier for a package deal that involves Channing Frye and another player.  

With experience, leadership, defense, hustle, numerous intangibles, and three-point shooting, you gotta figure that Battier is the type of player that KP and Coach Mac absolutely love.

Clarification: The purpose of this post is not to promote the following trade proposal, but instead, try to get some insight into what K Pritch might be trying to do with his draft day positioning. It's been touched upon in the previous diary post by Dave and EngineerScotty, but worth more examination.  It seems to me that the stars and planets are aligning just so to get Rashard Lewis in a sign and trade.  

Seattle: Sign and trade Rashard Lewis

Portland: 1. Steve F's contract after buyout

2. Rudy F
   
3. Sergio (Rudy's old teammate) or Koponen

Needs: Seattle needs a SG and an upgrade at the PG position.  The don't need these players immediately and can afford to be patient.  Portland got great value in getting Rudy F (SG) and Koponen (PG), and in reading a lot draft websites, these players are hot commodities because of their potential and their abilities.

On paper, Lewis looks to be a good fit on the Blazer roster as a scorer and a shooter.

History: Nate's relationship with Rashard is a big factor.  There's also been a lot of speculation earlier in the year that Portland might be a destination for Rashard.

Instead of letting Rashard leave with no compensation, Seattle would get be a potential backcourt to go along with a solid nucleus.

Sound of Blazer fans...does anybody know the Francis contract situation well enough to speculate on whether this trade scenario can even happen?  Do you think this trade makes sense for both organizations?  Would you want to see this trade go through?

Before the draft, I didn't think Ptown had much of an opportunity to get Lewis...but now after reviewing the draft, it almost looks as if the Francis trade and the two later picks in the first round were designed to get Portland in position to trade for Lewis.  You could draft up a similar scenario for getting Marion from the Suns...but with Rashard's history with Nate and with his 3 pt shooting ability, Rashard seems to be a cozy fit.

I'm coming to the BlazersEdge party late, so excuse me if this scenario has already been played out.

Draft Oden!

Blazers give Zach Randolph and Jarret Jack to the Chicago Bulls for the #9 pick and Kirk Hinrich.  Bulls get a low post scorer to match up with Ben Wallace and get an effective point guard to distribute the ball on offense.  

Blazers take that #9 pick and package that with a combination of their 2008 first round pick or Martell Webster (who needs starter minutes that he can't get in Portland to develop) to get Cory Brewer, who should probably fall anywhere between #5 and #7.

Starting lineup:
PG- Kirk Hinrich
SG-B Roy
SF-C Brewer
PF-L Aldridge
C-G Oden

What you get out of this lineup is a new Blazer identity that focuses on defense, transition, a balanced offense, and leadership on the court.

Defense: Hinrich has been assigned to guard Dwayne Wade in the playoffs for the past few years and has enough athletic ability to be effective against the top point guards in the West (Parker, Nash, Williams, Davis, etc.).  Roy is a smart, versatile defender on the perimeter while Brewer has a reputation for being a premium perimeter defender, able to shut down quicker, athletic playermakers.  Oden and Aldridge team up to begin work at the Swat Factory down low in the paint.

Transition: Good defense (blocks, steals, loose balls) leads to transition.  The transition game will be in full force with Roy and Hinrich facilitating the fast break along with the athletic and mobile frontcourt of Brewer, Aldrige, and Oden finishing off breaks with authority.

Balanced offense:  In two to three years, you will have a strong inside presence with Oden, an inside/outside game with Aldridge, an athletic slasher with Brewer, and an outside game with Roy and Hinrich.  You have ballhandlers in Roy and Hinrich who will wreak havoc on pick and rolls and be able to distribute to any number of finishers and you will also have shooters in Hinrich, Roy, and eventually Brewer (has a nice shot now, but will take some time to extend the range).

Leadership: Roy will still be the man,....but it's always nice to have another option in Hinrich on the court who can breakdown a defense and make smart decisions on the go.

As Jim Collins often says, when you are putting together a successful organization, it's most important to first get the right people on the bus and to get the wrong people off the bus.

Brewer and Hinrich are the right people because they are dynamic impact players that contribute in their own ways offensively, defensively, and in transition.  Sound off Blazers fans!

Do you think these two players will fit in well with the core (Roy, Aldridge, Oden)?

If so, are Hinrich and Brewer worth the price of Z Bo, Jack, Webster/#9 pick?