Posting this as a fanpost because I didn't want it to get lost in the game day injury thread. About.com has some interesting info on fractured patellas. Here is the money quote:

"Patella fractures can also occur when the quadriceps muscle is contracting but the knee joint is straightening (a so-called 'eccentric contraction'). When the muscle pulls in this manner, the patella can fracture."

Contracting quad, straightening joint sure sounds like what Greg was doing at the time while simultaneaously coming to a stop and preparing to go up in the lane. If the fracture is severe enough surgery may require the placement of metal rods in the knee, which would then require an additional procedure a year out to remove the rods. Recovery can still be lengthy even if surgery is not required.

Interesting article on ESPN this evening. If I were to tell you there was a super-athletic, 24-year-old SF out there who played a major role on an NBA Finals winning team, would you be interested? What if I also told you he would be semi-affordable and that we might be able to pluck him away from one of our biggest rivals? The L@kers are in a bit of a fix with 74 million already committed in salary next year for only 8 players, not including Odom or Ariza. We could potentially use our cap room to make an offer to Ariza of around 6-7 million per year, a reasonable amount for a starting small forward with Finals experience. This is an amount the Lakers would conceivably match, but that would be a hard pill to swallow considering it would cost them 12-14 million per year in real dollars due to the luxury tax. Furthermore, the L@kers would be hard pressed to find a replacement since they would only have the mid-level exception to work with. I don't think I'd be comfortable offering much more than that (and we likely couldn't anyway unless we shed some more salary first).

To be honest, I don't see Trevor Ariza as being a huge upgrade over anyone on our roster. His stats don't stick out to me much other than a pretty good shooting percentage (with only an average 3p%) and 1.7 steals per game. What is more appealing than the stats, though, is the fact that he has played (and won) in the NBA Finals, played for a great coach, and played alongside a $uperduper$t@r, so he knows what it takes to fit in on a winning team. I've seen and heard the arguments for the Hedo Turkoglus and Tayshawn Princes of the world, and they are good arguments, but here we have a chance to nab a good player who fits our window and can mesh with our stars while also weakening the best team in the conference. Opportunities like this don't come along every day. This would also give us a chance to include some of our other more appealing pieces like Outlaw or Webster for a proven PG without it hurting too much, rather than trying to convince teams that Sergio is their PG of the future.

So what say you? You may not be enthralled with Trevor Ariza the player very much, but does the situation raise your eye brows at all? And further, are there any other players out there that appeal to you not only because they fit what we're trying to do, but also because acquiring them would hurt some of our main competitors for the division or conference crown? Looking forward to the discussion.

Hello fellow Blazer fans. It's been awhile since I've posted or commented on anything, and due to some recent and upcoming life changes it's looking more and more like those opportunities will be fewer and fewer as time passes. In a little less than 6 weeks my wife and I are due to have our first child, and in the fall I will begin pursuing my MSW at the University of Denver. Until now all of my little spare moments, and even some of my not-so-spare moments, have been spent online reading Dave's latest ponderings or the day's latest news and trade rumors, but no more. Now all of those little spare moments will be spent getting something off the top shelf for my very pregnant wife, or staring into my baby boy's little face (once he's born), or crossing the t's and dotting the i's on my next graduate paper.

In some ways I am saddened, because I have been a Blazer fan for longer than I can remember and for the last three years this site has been as big a part of that as anything. For much of my life my Blazer fandom has been spent on an island, but then this site helped me bridge that gap to places where I could share all the joy and heartache of being a fan of our storied franchise. I rememeber meeting DropstepJ at a game in Denver one time. I remember fatty and all of his ridiculous comments. I remember trading barbs with Blazer Nation back when there were maybe only 50-75 of us viewing the site with any frequency. I remember when this was the only Blazer site around (hard to believe now).

In other ways, I realize that growing up is a part of life, and it is simply my time to move on. I used to work at a job where I could just sit in a cubicle all day and surf the net. My responsibilties never mattered as much to me as Brandon Roy's heel. Now I work with troubled youth and I have a baby on the way. Mentoring these young people and providing for the well-being of my own child matters more to me than Greg Oden's feelings. For me, right now, it's time to put away childish things.

Before I go I just want to take a moment and thank Dave for all that you've done to make this site what it is. Dave, I have a lot of respect for your abilities as a writer, and for your insight into the game of basketball. Keep up the good work. And to Ben, thanks for all the time you put in as well. Your contributions from the locker room and the sidelines push this site over the top. I really believe this is one of the best sites in all of sports.

To everyone else, I wish you all the best in all of your endeavors. I will stop in to read the happenings from time to time, and maybe even to post some pics of the little one when he arrives. Maybe he'll be the baby PF to Dave's baby PG. At least I can dream. It's been a fun ride, and it is so great to know that there is still so much passion for what this franchise represents. Portland has never been a "big" city, but we carry more pride for our team than any place on earth. I will do what I can to represent that pride in Colorado. Have fun, and I hope you'll continue to spread the word and make this site what it is--a great place for families to come and share their joy for the game of basketball and the Blazers. All the best.

Cheers,

bfan

(goody)

No question we have had a tough schedule so far, and we are fortunate to be at 10-6. But check out our December schedule. If we come out of December still above .500, I'll be happy. 14 games in December:

• 2 against Boston
• 2 against Denver
• 2 against Toronto
• 1 each against Utah, Phoenix, Dallas, and Orlando
• @NY is no gimmee here since we struggle with potent offensive teams who push the tempo

Looking at our schedule, I see only 3 games in 14 that we ABSOLUTELY should win, against Washington, LAC, and Sacramento. Ouch. Somebody help me feel a little more optimistic about this.

Also, will be home to Portland for Christmas, and we're looking forward to seeing 2 games in person, against the Nuggets and then the Raptors for Edge Night at the Garden. Can't wait!!!

So I went to the game tonight with a couple of good friends and had an excellent time. We had great seats, and from the replays it looks like we would have been sitting just above the camera's view, so no props there.

Unfortunately I don't have a ton to report. Honestly, I think this might be one of the worst venues in the NBA to watch a game. The place was dead silent for most of the game until Al Jefferson swiped the ball from Oden and hit a jumper on the other end in the last few minutes. The lower level was half-empty for most of the game, which was embarrassing for a saturday night. Minneapolis should be ashamed.

As far as the game goes, I walked away to get more beers toward the first half and came back to find us down by more than 10, which was disappointing. But here's the thing, I never really felt this game was out of reach. It would have nice to start playing from the start of the game, but the whole time I just kept thinking "just keep it close until the 4th quarter, and then Roy can take over." And he did. They simply couldn't stop him from getting into the lane, and that is a nice thing to have. Sure enough, once again Roy was money down the stretch. Boy, I bet Minnesota sure wished they would have drafted him. Oh wait, they did.

As for Oden, I left being very impressed and excited about his future. He didn't do too much, but he was active in the lane on defense and definitely altered plenty of shots. He's even bigger than I expected in person, and he's just so darn quick. It's easy to see what he could become if he has a full offseason to train while NOT coming off microfracture surgery.

Finally, let me just tell you why the Timberwolves have the worst fans in the NBA. In the first half after a made basket, the fans would literally give a golf clap for their team. It was ridiculous. Absolutely no energy in that arena whatsoever. But even beyond that, they're just downright rude. I came to the game with a couple friends to have a good time and cheer for my team. So literally after every made basket I would stand up in my Roy jersey and wave my red towel, and then I would immediately sit back down. I wasn't saying anything to anybody else. I was simply waving my towel and having a good time. But, some [jerks] sitting a few rows behind us decided they would try to ruin our good time by throwing napkins with ketchup at us. Seriously? Ketchup? How on earth do people think that's okay? The Target Center: Where Stupidity Happens. So I stood up and had a few choice words with those fans and eventually had to get security involved. The best part, though, was the whole game (because we were behind), when I would stand up and cheer, one of the [jerks] behind me kept yelling "LOOK AT THE SCOREBOARD!" So I looked, and we were still behind, and that was too bad, but not really because I was having a ton of fun cheering for our team. But oh how nice it was to stand up and yell after Oden's big dunk toward the end, and then to turn around and tell the [jerk] behind us who was throwing stuff to "LOOK AT THE SCOREBOARD NOW A##HOLE!!!" Oh man I loved it. What a great night to be a Blazer fan.

Hey all. I just flew into the Twin Cities to attend tomorrows game with a good friend. I'll be sitting about 17 rows up, sporting a bear and my new Roy jersey--the red one. I'll also be making some signs, as I enjoy riling the home crowd. So, here's your opportunity ... Any sign suggestions? I'm all ears, and the best ones might very well make it into the Target Center. Fire away ...

(Also, if anyone is in the habit of TiVoing/taping the games, I'd love to see a clip if I actually make it onto the broadcast. That would be sweet.)

Am I first? I haven't been first in anything around here for awhile ... ever since I got laid off from my job I just haven't had the time to surf the net. If that isn't irony then I don't know what is ...

http://hoopshype.com/articles/blazers_narducci.htm

I haven't had a chance to read it, but it looks pretty flattering. If I'm wrong, then I'm sure you all will let me know.

Cheers,

bfan

Our new lineup looks like this:

Oden/Prz/RLEC

LMA/Frye/Diogu

Martell/Outlaw/Batum

Roy/Rudy

Blake/Bayless/Sergio/(Koponen)

That's a pretty balanced team right there. But I can't help but notice that RLEC staring me right in the face. Depending on Martell's production this next season, I could see the team saying this is it, this is who we go forward with.

Or maybe they still want to go get that "closer" that KP has talked about so often in the past. At this point I think such a player HAS to come at the SF position. The trade assets we have left amount to RLEC, Frye, Diogu, Martell, Blake, Sergio, Koponen, Freeland, and future picks. Does a combination of these assets net us a big name at the SF position?

Listening to KP on courtside last night, he said that he really likes what we have, but that there are still a couple other things they could do. Personally, I think they'll see what they have AT LEAST until the trade deadline, and then see what bubbles up for RLEC + a couple pieces. If Houston is struggling, does McGrady become available? Or would Battier make more sense? How about Stephen Jackson or Andre Iguodala or Tayshawn Prince if GS/Philly/Detroit get off to bad starts.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy just seeing what we have. I like Martell and think he could be the starting SF for the next 10 years provided he gets a little better. But you can't help but think we need to make just one more move to seriously compete for a title as soon as two seasons from now. What do you guys think?

Lots of talk about possible trades leading up to the draft. I get the feeling that Pritchard will definitely be trying to move up in this draft to get the player of his choosing, whether that be Westbrook or Alexander or Augustin or someone else entirely. There's already been enough speculation on who that player actually is, so rather than beat that dead horse I thought it would be interesting to take a look at possible trading partners and their needs.

When you look at the teams filling up the 6-10 range in the draft, which is what it will probably take to get at least one of the players mentioned above, the one team that really sticks out to me is the Clippers. Here are a few reasons why:

1. They simply need bodies. They officially have only 8 players under contract for next season, plus some dead weight, and of those Brand, Maggette, and Livingston are huge question marks. I just don't see how they can expect to improve much next season by adding only one player through the draft.

2. Some of the players they do have qualify as pretty good starters in the league: Brand, Kaman, Thornton, Livingston when healthy, Maggette, so they are not necessarily in the market for more starters. But they are sorely lacking in depth behind their quality players, and this is where we can help. We have a good crop of young, talented players who could do wonders to improve the bench play of a team like the Clippers.

3. The holes that the Clippers do have in the starting lineup and on the bench seem to match up nicely with what we have available. Brevin Knight needs help and Livingston is questionable, so they might be interested in Jack. There's nobody behind Kaman and Brand, so they might be interested in Frye. Maggette might opt out and Thomas can never really be counted on, so maybe Martell or Outlaw appeals to them as well. Clearly we have some answers to their questions.

4. Their competitive window is still open. With the two most important players on their roster, Brand and Kaman, at 29 and 26 years old respectively, they are in a position to still be pretty good if they can just infuse some young talent into their team. No reason to blow it up just yet.

5. Finally, Pritchard rarely leaves anything to chance when it comes to the draft, giving up whatever he needs to to get the player he wants. At #7, it's likely that he would have his choice between Westbrook, Alexander, and Augustin, the three most likely targets for us in this draft based on team needs, workouts, and media reports.

I obviously have no idea what a trade with the Clippers might look like ... Jack, Frye, and the #13 for Thomas and the #7 would work. So would Jack, Frye, a re-signed Wafer, the #13, and the #33 for Mobley and the #7 (I personally like that idea the best). Needless to say, I'll be looking for Pritchard to make a deal with the Clippers come Thursday. Thoughts?