Hello all. My wife and I have toyed with the idea of moving to PDX for sometime now. Now that I am finally finishing up all my gradschooling, the time seems ripe for a move this summer. Ergo, we are trying to make some connections now in order to pursue job opportunities and living situations. Considering the great diversity on this site, I thought what a great place to put some feelers out. Read on below for a little bit about myself and my wife. If you know of anything we should look at, or anyone we should talk to, please let me know.

(If some people could rec this so it stays up for a bit, I would appreciate it. I will delete the post when it appears (if any) responses have slowed.)

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they pull me back IN (snarling and clenching fists)!

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Morehead St. is about to take on Richmond in the Tourney. Kenneth Faried had 17 rebounds against Louisville, and looked good doing it. Flat out outworked everyone else on the floor, and has a motor that just won't quit. A bit undersized for his position in the pros, but as of right now this is the guy I hope the Blazers draft this year. I know Nate and the Blazers brass have long coveted shooting and the ability to stretch the floor, but I believe we have lacked tough-minded role players who can do the dirty work. Faried fits the bill. Along with Camby, Wallace, Aldridge's newfound rebounding prowess, and the potential return of Oden, Faried would help us become the best rebounding team in the league.

Feel free to comment on Faried or any other NCAA Tournament thoughts you have here.

[EDIT: Since the Richmond v. Morehead St. game is over, changed this to simply a Tourney open thread. Drop your comments here if you're watching. Zags v. Jimmers up next!]

Just wondering what people are thinking of Brandon's role going forward. His effectiveness off the bench seems to be growing, and he's starting to remind me a little bit of Vinnie "the Microwave" Johnson, whose only job was to come in and light it up off the bench. Could be some pride issues with Brandon accepting such a role going forward, and not sure Blazers brass would want to pay max money to a sixth man. But I could see him doing well in such a role. Would save his knees from the heavy minutes, wouldn't have to defend other teams' best players all game, and could focus on what he does best--scoring. The would also allow Aldridge to be to go to guy early in games, keeping him integrated and interested. What do you guys think?

The key word here is "possible", in that these are trades that I could actually see happening before the deadline as certain teams realize they won't make the playoffs and would instead prefer to set themselves up salary-wise for the future. Therefore most of these trades have us taking on salary in the long term in order to fill immediate needs. And since I don't see us being successful if we trade Miller at this point, most of these trades have us dealing Joel to teams looking to reduce their cap numbers in the immediate future and beyond. Lastly, these aren't the "big name" trades that you may have seen elsewhere. We aren't getting back any stars because let's be honest, the only way this team will reach a contender status at this point is a healthy Roy and Oden, and no trade will fix that. See the trades after the jump. As always, interested in your feedback.

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I don't really care if the Blazers make a trade right now. I don't think they can really do anything to greatly improve the team this season. The only thing that will help this team in the long run is health: a healthy Roy, Oden, Camby, and young guys to take some minutes load during the season (losing Pendy and Williams this season hurt).

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Let me get this out of the way. Knock on wood. Salt over the shoulder. And whatever other hex breakers you might think of. I know, I know, we're only 5 games into the season, but I am starting to get the sneaking suspicion that the Blazers might have a bit of an aura about them this season. Who would have thought Armon would come in a be this good this soon? And LMA showing a sudden aggressiveness and energy that his game has lacked for the first 4 seasons? Brandon Roy is healthy and seems happy. If Matthews has anything, he's got passion. And all is quiet on the injured center front, which is only good news if you ask me.I have a sneaking suspicion both Joel and Greg will come back and really contribute before this year is done.

Perhaps most importantly, this team is starting to smile again like it did 2-3 years ago when the guys were just a bunch of young buddies who didn't know any better. Some may pooh-pooh team chemistry, but last season it  seemed like the pendulum swung too far, too business-like. There is definitely a place for that "taking care of business" attitude, but it seemed like the joy of the game had been sucked away as well. I don't know if it was the injuries or what, but the team seemed heavy--as if it were carrying a giant weight around all year. And the fanbase seemed to hold its collective breath, expecting greatness far too soon. In some ways I think the injuries of last year are a metaphor of the Blazers crumbling under the pressure of too high expectations. This year the fans seem to have a healthy curiosity about the team, rather than a do-or-die expectation.

All of these things point to the good if you ask me. We have some tough tests coming up in the form of the Thunder, L@kers, Hornets, Jazz, Nuggets, and Grizz. I am excited to see how we stack up, but not worried at all because I know Joel and Greg will give us a boost late in the year. This team is already good, but not as good as it will be at the end of the year. A fortune-teller I am not, but I am starting to believe there could be something special brewing for us this year.

Forgive me if this has been discussed/mentioned elsewhere, but I am wondering if the team could release Pendergraph and sign him as an assistant coach? I assume the team is on the hook for his injury cost either way since the injury occurred while in service to the team, so releasing him doesn't free the team of their obligation to cover his costs. So although seemingly disrespectful, releasing him to free a roster spot really only deprives him of team camaraderie during his rehab, which could be alleviated if he is kept on with the team as an assistant coach, personnel director, ball boy, whatever. Are teams limited by the number of assistant coaches they can have? Would this be viewed as some sort of salary cap circumvention by the league? Would Pendergraph see this as some sort of slap in the face and refuse such a deal? Interested in other perspectives here.

Lots of posts about offseason moves lately, so I can take this down if need be. But I haven't seen this idea mentioned yet and thought it deserved its own thread.

Before anybody jumps on me too hard, I'm basing this idea on one major assumption: San Antonio is a smaller market team. With nearly $64 million already committed to their 5 most expensive players for next year, and a luxury tax expected in the area of $68 million, something has to give.

That said, George Hill's emergence in the second half of the season and the playoffs has seemingly made Tony Parker expendable for San Antonio. If they feel Hill could be their future starting PG, they may be ammenable to trading Parker this offseason rather than pay him $13.6 million only to see him go into free agency.

A trade centered around Andre Miller for Tony Parker could work in both teams' best interests. Miller + Webster for Parker would give San Antonio a good weakside shooter to replace Mason, Bonner, and Bogans depending on who they lose. Miller + Prz for Parker would increase San Antonio's cap number but probably help their cash situation if Joel's contract is paid by insurance. San Antonio might demand Rudy in a deal for Parker, which we should probably consider, though making San Antonio TOO good could hurt us in the long run. 

I like Miller and think he's done a good job this year, but he's getting old and we need a PG of the future. Can't miss a chance to get someone like Tony Parker. Not to mention Parker and Batum should have some mojo playing with the French team. A move like this could rejuvenate Rudy a bit (if he's not included in the trade) because that's a team that's destined to run. Might mean we need a new coach, though. I think whoever we move along with Miller is pretty easily replaced through free agency anyway.

Bottom line is that Miller could start for them, doing a lot of the things Parker does for less money. They groom Hill in a bench role for one more year until he's ready to take over full-time when Miller's contract expires. Parker becomes our PG for the next 4-5 years. He's 28 in a couple of weeks, and not as fast as he used to be, but I think this improves our team.

I don't know, just thinking out loud I guess. What do you guys/gals think? Seems like a reasobable deal financially and strategically for both teams.

Anybody online right now? I simply can't think about anything else right now, and since I just finished a big paper for grad school and have that out of the way, thought I'd post a thread for a little chatting action. What are you expecting tonight? Where will you be watching? What else is going on? Anything and everything to help pass the time until the game starts in t-minus 4 hours 42 minutes ...

Don't get me wrong here. I'm all about what this team is doing in the here and now. But the Camby extension absolutely begs the question of what the team will look like next year. Now that we have answered a big question mark in our front court, what is left to be done? As it's currently composed, the team is likely to look like this:

Oden/Camby/Pryz/Pendy
Aldridge/(Camby)/Cunningham
Batum/Webster/(Rudy)
Roy/Rudy
Miller/Bayless


Are you comfortable with that bench going forward? Is Bayless a PG? Do we need better backup PG play in the future? Can Rudy get his act together, or will he continue to pout? Is Webster okay as a long-term backup? The biggest question marks remaining are clearly at the 1, 2, and 3 as far as the bench is concerned. I look around the league and wish we could get a guy like Jamal Crawford who could sub in and just tear it up--someone we could depend on for scoring night in and night out.

We've got some trade pieces, and we'll have the mid-level exception (but no guarantee the team will use it). As I look around the league, here are a few players who intrigue me, and who also seem attainable:

-Ray Allen: Last year of his contract, and Boston seems likely to blow it up. Another veteran presence, and has played well for Nate before.
-JJ Barea: Dallas can match an offer, but will they? He's small, but he displays some of the moxie I sometimes think this team lacks.
-Raja Bell: Defensive stopper off the bench. Enough offense left? Could be a solid glue guy.
-CJ Watson: Not sure about his contract situation, but GS has too many guards and this guy could be expendable for them. Could he be that Jamal Crawford type player for us? Seems to play several positions.
-Kyle Lowry: Could be a perfect fit as a backup, but Houston will likely match any reasonable offer, and I don't know that we want to make an unreasonable offer.
-Earl Watson: Killed the Blazers for years. Probably not who we want, but could provide solid play at the backup PG.
-Rasual Butler: Another guy who kills us when we play. Could be a solid pickup if we trade Rudy/Bayless/Webster for a player.
-Steve Blake: I wouldn't be surprised in the least.
-Mike Conley: Still an option to reunite him with Greg, and still a viable future starter IMO.
-Darren Collison: Best case scenario IMO, but not sure how to pry him frim NO. They need immediate salary relief, and other teams are in a much better position to provide it than we.
-Sergio Rodriguez: Just kidding.
-Shaun Livingston: Hmmm. Intriguing. Gave him a pretty serious look awhile back. Can play several positions, but possible great as a backup PG. Wouldn't exactly ease the team's injury concerns.
-Randy Foye: Washington could cut him loose to increase cap space.
-JJ Redick: Could be had for the full mid-level.

Who looks like a good fit? How would you get him? Who did I miss? Going forward, who do you think the Blazers need to add to complete the puzzle?

1. Roy's knee is OK.

2. We win out, earning the 6 seed.

3. Dallas wins out, earning the 2 seed.

4. Phoenix wins out, earning the 3 seed (they play Den, @Utah to finish).

5. We play and beat Phoenix in the first round.

6. We play and beat the winner of Dallas-OKC/SA in the second round.

7. LA, Denver, Utah, and OKC/SA beat each other up in the other series.

8. We play the last team standing for the WCFinals. Sick.

Of course, now that I've imagined/written it, there's no way it's going to happen.

So with roughly 30 (+/-) games left in the season, it may be a little early to start watching the scoreboard. But I can't remember a time when there were this many good teams in the West fighting for the playoffs. Three legitimately good teams with winning records are going to be left out in the cold. With a few frustrating losses and a rocky schedule ahead, I was starting to worry that we may be one of those teams. But rather than worry prematurely, I thought I'd take a glance at the remaining schedules to get an idea of where we're at juxtaposed to other teams, and what we can expect to see from other teams the rest of the way. Here are just a few thoughts ...

Our next 9 games are brutal. We should be in every game, but with team health still a question mark there is a legitimate possibility we could lose 9 straight. Our saving grace is that 7 are at home, Batum has provided a serious spark to the team, Miller is playing out of his mind lately, and Roy is expected back at some point, which should further fuel our energy level. If we can fight through with an even record over the next 9, we're looking at a patty cake schedule through the end of March. We could go on a serious winning streak if we can weather this storm. I'd go so far as to say there's still hope of a top #4 seed and home court in the first round if a few cards fall our way (we gotta have some good karma coming, don't we?).

At this point I'd say other obvious locks include L@L, Denver, Dallas, and Utah. Beyond that, though, everything else is wide open. Here is how I see the rest of the season panning out just based on teams schedules and my feel for how they've been playing lately ...

1. New Orleans: The Hornets struggled to come together early in the year, and didn't weather some missed games by Chris Paul particularly well. They have gelled at the right time, however, and have been beating tough teams both at home and on the road lately. Road games have been their achilles heel this season, though they boast one of the West's best home records. Thankfully for them they play 5 more home games than road games the rest of the way, including only one road trip of more than 2 games. I expect them to keep climbing the standings and comfortably secure a 5-7 seed by the end of the year.

2. Houston: My respect for this team has grown immensely this year. I just love the way they play the game. Actually, they remind me a lot of the Blazers. They (almost) always play together, they play tough defense, and they're in every game despite missing their best player all season. They have struggled lately, but much of that has to do with the caliber of opponent. Their schedule softens considerably in March, and I expect them to build a cushion that will eventually, like the Hornets, secure them a 5-7 seed.

3. San Antonio: They had a good stretch at the end of December and in early January, but they look to have come back to earth a little. Those wins prove hollow, though, as you look closer at the quality of opponents: Sacramento, Charlotte, LAC, Golden State, LAC, Milwaukee, NYK, Minny, Indiana, Wash, Detroit, NJ. And if you think our upcoming schedule is tough, look at theirs: 24 of final 36 games are on the road, including 12 of their next 15 and a 9 game road trip. That's not good news for a team that is under .500 on the road for the year. Not to mention their health has been an issue, specifically with Parker and Ginobli, and Duncan looks incapable of carrying a team like he used to. I expect them to make the playoffs just based on their experience, but they'll be fighting for that 8th seed down to the wire, and by the end we should be comfortably ahead of them. At the very least we hold the tiebreaker.

4. OKC: A team that has played well above expectations this year, but who I believe will ultimately be done in by the schedule. February and March are filled with road games, and though they end the season mostly at home, 11 of their final 14 games are against potential playoff teams. I really like this team and think they will be very good in the near future, but right now they lack experience and will fade down the stretch. They may very well be the last team eliminated, perhaps at Portland on the second-to-last game of the season.

5. Memphis: The Grizz have been surprisingly good this year and have been playing especially well lately. And unlike the Spurs, they have been beating tough teams and also winning on the road. Once again, though, the schedule gets tougher and experience usually wins out in the end, and I expect a drop off from this young team. Their final 9 games should seal their fate: Dallas, NO, @Orlando, Houston, @Dallas, @SA, Philly, @Denver, @OKC. Once again, it will be close, but ultimately I see them losing the fight for that last seed.

6. Phoenix: Last but not least (or maybe they are least), the Suns. Unlike the teams already mentioned, the Suns have not been playing well at all lately, losing to mediocre teams both at home and on the road. And that's not good considering their next 8 are against potential playoff teams, 6 of which are on the road. Also unlike most other teams in the West, they are experiencing some inner turmoil with trade rumors. If Amare gets traded, consider the Suns done. If they keep him through the year, I expect them to be up and down the rest of the way, but like Memphis they finish the year with some tough games against: SA, @OKC, Houston, Denver, @Utah. The Suns have been another fun team to watch this year, but ultimately I expect them to be with Oklahoma City and Memphis on the outside looking in.

So there it is. I expect the Western playoff field to include the following teams: L@L, Denver, Utah, Portland, Dallas, New Orleans, Houston, and San Antonio. Just based on a glance at the schedules and my feel for how teams are playing, I expect a 4-5 matchup with either Utah or Dallas. Obviously we're a long way out and something fluky could happen to us or someone else (trades, injuries), but at least this gets the conversation going. What did I miss? Where am I wrong? Looking forward to the discussion below.

Hi. Full disclosure: I'm a Blazer fan. Not trying to troll or anything--just curious what you all think about the Chris Bosh situation? As an outsider, I get the feeling that Bosh wants to go elsewhere. Do you agree? I suppose it's risky for the Raptors to wait until the off-season to try and find a sign-and-trade option for him, because they could lose him for nothing. But if it came to that, I'm wondering if the Raptor fan base would be satisfied with a sign-and-trade package from Portland?

If Bosh were to become available, and if he were interested in coming to Portland, my guess is that everyone apart from Roy and Oden would be available. Would a package centered on Aldridge and Rudy Fernandez get a deal done? Other pieces would need to be included. Take your pick from: one year of Andre Miller, a signed-and-traded Travis Outlaw, Jerryd Bayless, Nic Batum, Martel Webster, Dante Cunningham, rights to Joel Freeland (tough-nosed, athletic PF), rights to Victor Claver (Spanish SF), rights to Petteri Koponen (scoring PG) draft picks, cash. Here's my suggestion:

Portland gets: Chris Bosh

Toronto gets: LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Fernandez, Andre Miller, rights to Joel Freeland, 2011 1st round pick. (Bosh and the teams would need to agree in principle to this deal and then finalize on July 1st when Aldridge's BYC status is removed.)

What do you think? Am I undervaluing Bosh? Am I overvaluing him? Would you be satisfied with this deal? If not, what would you change? Could the Raps do better elsewhere? Curious what you all think.

And if this kind of post from an outsider annoys you, just tell me and I'll delete it. Thanks!

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.

With Joel's injury a few days ago, my expectations reached an all-time low for the season. For the past few days I have no longer been getting my hopes up for games. It's a lot different watching a game when you're not throwing things. With the teams we've been playing, I haven't really expected to win. In fact, I've expected to lose most of these games lately, so I guess it's a nice little surprise at the end when we actually win. But this is starting to get frustrating. I mean, with beating all these good teams at home AND on the road, my expectations are sure to go back up. If we keep winning, pretty soon I will no longer enjoy watching our team play again. Can someone please convince me that this is just a flash in the pan? Surely we can't keep winning these games in such convincing fashion, can we? Please say no. I don't think I could bare it otherwise.

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)