To send this message to All of the Wannabe armchair G.Ms.  The sideline player trade experts.  The Fantasy League doomsayers.  Most especially, to the "Fans" who are now ready to throw our Team under the bus. All because "KP and the Powers That Be" chose Not to make the "Mother of all Trades" you thought  they should have. Get Over It Already!  We still look good to make the playoffs with the team we have. Truth be told, many people here are happy with the team just as it is, for now.  If that is not good enough for you, please have the courtesy to take your gloom and doom, lukewarm fandom someplace else.  This is a Portland Trailblazers FAN site.  "...we now return you to your regularly scheduled programming".

I truly mean that.  I propose a One Month Moratorium on all trade posts for this team. This is not a fantasy league, it is the NBA.  We have a team, right now that is raising eyebrows across the NBA.  And in a very good way.  Solid Team play and great Team chemistry.  Why in heavens name would we wish to change that?  That being said, to the poll.  Two choices, to simplify matters.  If you wish to add the reason why you voted the way you did, feel free

For the Blazer Fans here to make a decision.  After being knocked around by a schedule that has never happened in NBA history, we are 4-3.  Most of the teams we have faced were better than we were last year.  And we are still over .500.  Whoda thunk it!

My question is this;  why do we Still question our team?  They obviously have the heart to win.  The Will to win.  The Skills to win.  Why do we doubt the heart of the Stout hearted Gentlemen who choose to represent us!  The answer is simple, sorrowfully so.  Our lack of faith.

No matter what the reason, we have not the courage to believe in OUR team.  Who's fault is that!  Ours of course!  They are out there giving their best.  The very least WE can to is to Support their Effort!

Enough political BS!  This is a Blazer Blog.  Those of you who wish to make this a place where you can post your political opinions, bugger off!!!!!! Opinions are like anal orifices, we all have them.  That does not mean we wish to hear yours spout off.  IMHO, this a place for Blazer opinions, NOT Political opinions. [Edited out for semi-profane abbreviation roughly equal to "Cool it" --Dave] unless it is important to the Blazers.  Some of us wish to enjoy our team, just because it is our team.

I have been commenting and reading here for some time now.  Long story short, this is a Trailblazers Basketball Blog.  Or, at least I used to think it was.  It would seem, of late, that many subjects have become taken over by the opinions and personal agendas of folks with an axe to grind with one political party or another.  Why is this?  We have major elections coming up.  Yeah...AND?  WTH does that have to do with our team?  If I am mistaken in my perception that this is a BLAZERS BLOG, let me know.  If not, take your Personal Agenda somewhere else.  I come here to read BLAZERS.

I got to watch several games last year.  I saw some good things, some not so good things.   Wanna guess what I saw more than anything else?  A TEAM that played TOGETHER!!!  Anyone remember about teams playing together?!?  Why do we want to bust this team up?  Add if you wish, but do not, I REPEAT, do not destroy the chemistry of this team.  We have all seen where this leads.    Nowhere!!

Get a life, pay attention to what you have.  Give our team another year and Trade for need.  To do less means you could care less.  I think that means you truly do not care.

Just prior to the end of regulation.  Stand 5 players: Blake, Sergio, Frye, Martell and Pryz.
Tell them to run one play for either martell or Frye and pull them at the next time out.  Would have screwed the Bulls totally...no overtime.
5 fresh people, they would have had to call a timeout to adjust.  Oh well, guess that is why I am not an NBA coach.

Now that the streak is over, a whole New set of
questions are begging to be answered!  How will our team react to the end of the streak?  How will the average fan react to the end of the streak?  When will we get our next Chalupa's?
So many important questions :-), so little season left.
Was talking to a co-worker the other day (major
Celtics fan), what he thought about the streak.
He looked at me, with relief in his eyes, and said
"Thank Gawd G.O. is out for the season".  He then,
proceeded to tell me about how the Blazers were the Western Conference Team that scared him the most.  "On most teams, you know who will bring it from game to game.  With the Blazer's, you can Never be sure".  
The Dynasty has begun, the pieces are in place.
All that is left is for US fans is to sit back and enjoy the trip.
For those who would suggest trades?  Hush, impatient child, all will be clear to you in due course.
To those who would choose to second guess?  Ask yourself this question... Given the Talent, heart and Will of this team...How would you do better?
I kinda like the team we have :-).

I think it is time for the blazer streak to end!
Seriously!  All of the national attention they have been receiving lately, the sold out (insert
sponser name here) Rose Garden, having to walk from the Lloyd Center to the same said Venue because All of the Max trains are too full...it is
all Just too much!  Then, get in to find my seat, only to have every other person, it would seem anyway, raising their hand to me in the main concourse...(how was I to know they wanted a high-five?) Finally, I find my seat in the 300 section.
Just when I think it is safe to sit and eat my dinner (Expensive Hot Dog and Water), a Kindly, elderly lady behind me, strikes me several times about the head and shoulders, yelling " LOOK, it's Greg Oden"! (Never taking my mom to the games again, ever!)
Having cleaned the catsup, mustard and onions from my shirt, I settled in to watch the game.
Heck, I thought I was at a football game!  Seems like every other play, someone was trying to start
a wave of people standing up and cheering.  And they were yelling about some kind of construction project in broken english...some thing about a fence. But the worst part of all, when I got up to leave at the end of the game, nobody moved!  Just stood there clapping and cheering, hugging and everything, almost had a flashback to Woodstock!
Well, just thought I would share this rednecks view of the Streak, although I never did see any naked people running across the court. ;-)

And went YAHOO!  From all appearances, we are tied with Golden State for the 7th/8th spot in the western conference.  This from a team NO ONE
even expected to be close this year.  
Even if this is to be short lived, you have to love and respect this team for the way they have been playing this year.  No "Quit" here :-).  The
Link: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/standings;_ylt=Ah4JcC3d_OIrApFY_iY3s928vLYF

It would appear that Consistency is a dirty word.
On offense and defense. JJ1 cannot seem to find his way around the court with written directions, a Map and pictures of where he needs to go.  Brandon Roy and Lamarcus Aldridge are waiting until the second half to contribute and the rest of the team, whoa!  Martell Webster is the most Consistent player on the TEAM!  Is anyone here just a little confused?  Bemused?  Feeling slightly abused?  Well, I am here to ask you this question....WHY?  This is the youngest team in the league.  Summer league, early camp and pre-season is NOT the NBA!  These last 3 games should serve as a wake up call for the Team and the Fans.  As much as we love the new culture of our team and the skills they are developing, we Need to remember that they are still DEVELOPING!
"Patience is a Virtue"...this fan plans to be very patient...(lost my Virtue long ago ;-) )

Just came back from the coast (Warrenton) and spent the evening listening to the interviews from the Chat.  Upon comparison to some conversations I had with friends/blazer fans down
there, I reached a few conclusions I would like to share.  1.  It (the injury) ain't no big thing.
G.O. is a kid.  Kids bounce back.  No big thing.
2.  Our team has a lot of kids on it.  A team full
of kids always seem to rally around an injured team mate.  3.  We have a fine group of people, from the Owner down to the ticket takers in the
Rose Garden, who are really Excited about Our team.  4.  The media, far and wide are starting to
look at this team as The team in the western conference to be wary of.  5.  The Rose Garden is going to be insane this year!  Sold out home games
with fans chanting Oden, Oden, Oden every time the team starts to lose it's way; causing them to
become revitalized and fight even harder!
In closing, Blazermania is Back.  Rip City is here to stay!  Greg Oden is still a Blazer and will be on the sidelines, when he can, to be the
cheerleader only he can be.  This team will not falter, they will leave it all on the floor.  Just
because, listening to the interviews, they have become Believers in Blazer Mania.  And just because, Ms. Amanda Wilson, 80 years young and a Blazer Fan since the very beginning, said so.

I will be retiring from the military on april 24th, 2008.  That being said, I have on my computer at home and at work, a "Short" calendar. That got me thinking about something I have seen on a few of the NBA related websites,
a countdown ticker.  They count the Months,  weeks, days, minutes and seconds to the Draft, pre-season and regular season.  While I don't think ours would have to be quite that elaborate,
I think something in the corner that says something to the effect of " 29 Days to the Pre-season, 323 day's to G.O"
Just a thought.

How many of the fans here on Blazers Edge are into Rock and Roll, but found this site on MySpace with what I consider to be a Very good TrailBlazers intro tune.  All local musicians from what I understand.  Just a little somethin
somethin to pass the time until the preseason starts.  The link is: http://www.myspace.com/ripcityrockers

Instead of 1 and done players going to college, make the D league into an NBA trade school.  Minimum of 1 year.  One team per franchise.  Expand NBA rosters to afford the teams to carry two D league players, 17 players I think.  Allow teams to send 3 additional players down to D league for up to 3 years, and sign up to 5 free agents, who would Not count against their rosters. Salaries for the 1 year players should be uniform across the league.  They would not be eligible to join the team until after they did their first year of training. Team freshman and sophmore players could be moved up or down as needed.
Thoughts, gripes and questions all welcome.

You played sports because you Liked to play sports?  When the object was winning the game, but we were just as happy to support our team when they left it all out on the court, diamond or field?  This probably touches on several issues, but WTH...Where have those days gone?  Where have those athletes gone?  Is winning such a grand thing that we have forgotten the sheer Joy of the competition?  I have seen Way too many competitive sports go the way of gratuitive
fulfillment to pass this off as something that will just pass.  It is time for us to analyse what our (the fan) effect is having on our favorite sport.  Time to take some responsiblity for what we see and deal with in our Fandom.

This is a personal Request to Dave; No more diarieas (pun intended) about fair weather, Orchestra cart, Hardcore, Softcore and apple core
fans! It appears that some folks do not like other folks stepping into their Blogspace, cheering for Their team, just because they have been around cheering longer than people who have
become dis-enchanted with the team for one reason
or another and took a few years off. Reality Check kiddies! These things happen! No matter what the reason, not everyone who watches Basketball is going to agree on a given subject on a given day. To cast aspersions on some other
persons character because they do not fit Your
idea of what a fan should be is simply juvenile, asinine and just plain Wrong.  This is a TrailBlazer Fan Site.  All of us here, want to be here to show Our support for Our team. To converse with others who share a common interest in Our team. To disrespect others because you have more knowledge (assumed) or have been a "Hardcore" Blazer fan longer then some, smacks of "The largest Rooster" syndrome. Figure that one out for yourself. This negativity needs to come to an end.

I have been, on a regular basis, checking on Mr.
Treebeards...er Odens blog.  The thing that stands out for me more than anything else is that
this young man is just too good to be real!  His reflections on life in general, the Fans etc are like a breath of fresh air. Forget about baskeball for a moment (like that could happen) lol.  How many 18/19 year old young men would you
possibly expect to have such deep, yet simplistic
view on life?  Especially given his elevated status here in Portland and around the World?
The fact that he chooses to share his thoughts and aspirations with us, un-edited and seemingly
spontaneously, is a joy to behold.  What really brought it home for me was when my Grand-daugher came by the other day.  She is 7.  Saw me on the internet on this site, and said, "Papa (her name for me), what did Mr. Oden do today".  Turns out she reads his Blog!  At 7! WTH!  I did not even know what a blog was until 2 years ago!  But she saw him at Pioneer Square, and thought he looked
and talked really nice.  Turns out my daughter took her down there. Hehe, raised that girl right.  I guess the point of my rambling is this.
Given the state of things in our society, the world etc, it is so nice to finally see someone that gladly embraces the job of Sports Role-model.  But more importantly, the job of Person
Role Model.
P.S.  She called him Treebeard...she loves LOTR>

I have to admit, this diary was triggered by the post I read from usmcr3049.  OT: Glad I live in the USA, (about Yao Ming).  After having responded to a particular statement, I started thinking about what Blazermania means to me.  I for one, gave up on the "Jail Blazers".  Walked away from the team.  Said, good riddance to bad rubbage.  Was not going to watch another game, read anything about them.  I was done...finished
with the team I had loved for so many years.
Then a funny thing happened.  A friend showed me an article about the blazers that perked my interest.  I read it, then started looking for more.  Soon I was, once again hoping for a change in the franchise. Then, last year, I started watching the games again.  Bought some cheap seat tickets.  Saw something I had not seen in a lot of years.  Players playing for the fans.
Long story short...does Blazermania go into Hybernation?  Can we Love a team so much, that we can simply turn our attentions away, in hopes that they get the message and re-connect with us?
That being said, can we Smother them with our expectations, not allowing room for growth?
WTH, way too deep for my old mind.  Any thoughts?

The trend of Instant Gratification amongst fans here in the NBA?  GO was just the Nail in the Coffin for me.  I fully believe that we pay our Professional Athletes WAAAAAAY too much.  That being said, I cannot believe the Fair Weather, Low IQ, Single Dimensional fans we have in the NBA!  The instant gratification factor is way off the charts!  Had a fan walk up to me yesterday in Seattle (Had a Greg Oden T-shirt on)
talking shi7 to me!  I tried to educate this individual that it was only Summer League.  He persued me for 3 blocks.  His friends joined him in the meantime.  Being of a military stature, I did my best to ignore such childish actions.  I simply walked away.  Went down to see a country concert.  It could have been bad, except for a lot of Military folks who, Showed them the error of their ways.  It is just a game, folks

I came across this little gem. I found it amusing and I thought I would share it with everyone Here.
http://www.411mania.com/sports/nba/56463 .  Did not see it here and if I somehow missed, just go ahead and ignore this one :).  
For those who have not been there yet, they usually have some fun links to look at.  While the discussions over there are not quite as entertaining as this one, some of there content is hilarious.

I am in the Air National Guard.  Stationed at PANG (Portland Air National Guard) Base.  We recently lost one of our flyers to a tragic accident, and I bring this up only because he and I would discuss the Blazers from time to time.  It is my hope that those of you who believe, will remember him in your prayers.  He joined the military for the same reason I did...to defend our country from those who would choose to take our freedoms away.  He left a wife and 4 children and they, especially, could use your prayers.
Sorry if this off topic offends anyone, it was something I felt I had to do.

What was I doing The Day we won the championships?  I was a security guard, protecting a particular building in Downtown Portland.  Protecting it from what, I will never know.  So there I was, admiring the view of the river, when the Lobby guy calls me up in a state of Panic. "OH MY F@#$ing GOD!  Get down here RIGHT NOW!  There is a RIOT going on out in the street and THEY are trying to break into the building!!! I need help NOW!!!!"
So, being the Gung Ho, former Military person that I was, I immediately Walked to the elevator and pushed the down button. (Was NOT gonna get my head busted open for $2.65 an hour).
When I arrived in the Lobby, I was understandably upset!  Not only were we Not under attack, but the Lobby guy was nowhere to be found!  I could see why he fled, however.  There were people out in the street, Dancing, screaming, laughing, crying and carrying on like, well, nothing I had ever seen since my uncle's still had put out some of the Nastiest shine in 3 counties!  Well, I just hitched up my belt, took my 6 foot, 148 pound self over to that door, and unlocked it.  "What the H3!! is going on out here?"...I asked the elderly couple
who were kissing and doing something they called the Jitterbug right outside the lobby.  They told me the the Trail Blazers had just won the Championship!  Well, I have to tell you, I was sorely confused.  I had never in my life seen so many people in such a frenzy; all because a bunch of fella's had cut a path cross country, Blazin a trail as they went!  I stood there, looking a bit perplexed, when this pretty girl walked up to me, kissed me smack on the lips and said, "Isn't it Great to be a Port-land-er?"
Then the older gentleman, seeing my confusion, and the stupid grin on my face, immediately understood my chagrin.  He explained to me about the amazing feat accomplished by the team and how much joy and pride the fans felt for their accomplishment.  I thought to myself, Self, if it makes This Many people, This Happy...and makes pretty girls come up and kiss you...well, it can't be all bad.  I have been a fan ever since.
I haven't seen another championship since then.  But, you can bet that when I do, I will know exactly where to find the pretty kissing girls.

Portland trades the #1 pick and Magloire to Seattle for the #2 Pick and Rashard Lewis....hrmm.  Rashard/Durant/Aldridge or Rashard/Oden/Aldridge.  Must quit dreaming, cannot see anything wrong with either one of those lineups :-).  I may be out of whack with this but, what the heck.  I would Not put this past KP.  Is it Draft Day yet?!?

We have seen them both play, read and heard all the hype in the media (and on the Blogosphere).
In both of their interviews they came across as very polite, respectful and sincere individuals.
Almost.
Before Kevin Durant came here, I went to the UT website to watch the video presentation of some of his games.  I read almost everything I could find about him, feeling that the media had not given him his share of the spotlight.  Thus armed, I watched with great anticipation his interviews with the media after the workouts.  That was when an odd thought struck me.  His answers were almost Too good, Too structured.  Not only in What to say, How to say it, but his use of Body language as well.  I am no expert in these things, but having been a musician all my life, I can generally tell when someone is playing something they have rehearsed well, as opposed to just sitting in and jamming :).
Does it really mean anything?  Not for me to judge.  After the Carnival that Kobe Bryant has made out of the Media in the last several weeks, I have become skeptical of things that strike me as too good to be true.

I am pretty new to this posting business, so please bear with me :).  Was a Blazer Fan before the championship...yeah, I am older.  Given that perspective, why do we Not give the core of our Blazer team, with the addition of Greg Oden (YEEHAW)1 year to learn to work together?  Make no other trades, unless they are WAY Too good to pass up?  Are we Really in such a big hurry to reach the finals, that we cannot take the time to develop some Team Chemistry?

Just a thought.  Share your insight with this old guy ;).