SB Nation User Blog: einman77

Back to a reference to a Point Guard statistic post

einman77 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 23:50:49 -0000

I found an article over at the Sixers blog, and there is about a fan post a week over there. The guy made an (apparently fualty) way to break down point guards offensive contributions. He put a ton of work into it and the only comments he got was about how Miller sucks. Check it out, and rec it if you could. It would be the first rec'ed fan post of that blog. It's only been around for about a month or so, but this guy deserves it. There was more, but I cut the fat, made it a junk drawer are the same time as deadprez, so now you just get the fat cut version.

That's just crazy talk!

einman77 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:32:04 -0000

Over the last few weeks, after this rocky start, there have been a lot of fan posts where fans are "being fans". Now, while I can't see many of the games, I can see how people can be upset. Now this has been a roller coaster of a time, from the draft to the Olympics to the preseason promise, to the injuries and disapointment, and even a surprise win thrown in there. Overall though, people are reacting, well, fanatically. Huge swings at every turn. Also other people are jumping on people for reacting like this. I wouldn't say that anyone is a bandwagon fan or insult thier intelligence or foresight because of this. In fact, last season, my first season blogging on this site, gave me some valuable experience. I can regard what it is to be a fan and how this team plays in a different light. I think I can draw on some previous experiences to highlight how people should maintain an even keel, regadless of the weather.

My examples are short and sweet and hopefully will serve to get the point across. The first comes from the rough start we had last season. I'm not just talking about the first 3 games, I'm talking about the first month and a half. We had a nice spurt there for some time, but all in all, we had a disapointing showing early in the season. Despite the fact that we were the youngest tem in the NBA and our #1 draft pick was out, everyone was looking to point a finger. Nate was target #1. People publicly claimed he coudn't handle this team, that he was a poor fit, ect. During and after the win streak, people were appolgizing that they said such comments, stating that they learned what they did. Those are the now the 'experienced' bloggers that people have been referencing lately. Point #1: Don't throw people under the bus because of a bad stretch.

My second point is in regards to how we view players. Last season, at the begining of the season, there was a log jam of question marks at the point spot. 2 of those 4 aren't here now, including one who made a splashin the preseason, but that's not the one I am going to talk about (though anyone who was on the Green bandwagon and is now on the Bayless one, just think about that for a minute). Early in the season last year, Jack was the best player off the bench IN THE NBA! It only lasted a few weeks, but he was doing well. Then he slid. Far. He was given enough rope to go as far up as he wanted... or to hang himself. He was a streaky player who never produced the consitent results that would indicate the type of pay that the team needs. However, he was given enough time on the floor to make a sound judgement about his future with the team (or lack thereof). Meanwhile, a young man with a fishy name really broke his game wide open in the middle of the year. For 2 months. During this time there was a deal on the table for him... where we could have landed Devin Harris. Like the fans, even the management said that price tag was too high. I can't really argue that because had Travis reached that level and stayed there through his career, New Jersey would have gotten a steal of a trade. However, again, it was just two months. Right now, the fan base and the management are thinking "re-do?". Too late. All that being said, he still does have potential and should be given the chance to show excatly what he can do in this year of decisions for our young Outlaw. With Batum growing up right behind him, it makes people a little jumpy, but there is still the big picture to think about. Also, touching on the Batum thing a little, comes point number two. Don't let recent history (and especially a small saple size to work with) blind you to the point of only basing your judgement soley on such a run. Also, fiding out what we have in a player is a better option than trading a possible solution to the problems we are facing.

The last part is just a glimpse in the mirror. Hoestly, when I step back out of the moment I am able to laugh at people bashing the team. If you proclaim shortsighted things as a reaction to one or a few games, well, you state it pubicly on here. Really, over the long haul, hopefully these people will be fans for a long time, even if they are just getting on now. And you'll have the chance to review the comments that you made, when they really don't hold water anymore. You have two choices at that point. The first is to admit that you were wrong, appologize and admit that it was just a knee-jerk reaction and that you'll try and keep your peepers open and your mouth shut in those situations. The second is when you stick with those kind of comments because you stated them publicly and look for little holes to poke in the rock that has become situaion x. This leads to just overall negativity, personally and on the site. Neither of those are great options, but one is a learning experience. Along with that, riding all your hopes on one player could turn out very disappointing. In addition to this, insulting people when they make those ascertations doesn't make you any better or smarter. Riding the tide, countering misguided attempts at venting politely and reasonably, and letting people realize thier own mistakes saves both people a lot of anger. We're all in this together, and we all have a lot to learn about this team. Hopefully we can pick up a few things about ourselves too.

Looking to unload my tickets, and man, do I have a deal for you!

einman77 — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 02:42:34 -0000

Looking to get those stains out of your white shirts? Thought that your new white carpet was ruined from that whine stain? Well throw that old shirt out, put on on a Blazers jersey and get yourself out of house, away from that trashed floor and head on down to the Rose Garden. Don't have tickets? Well here's your shot!

I had 2 sets of season tickets, but now am down to about 1/2 a season. In order to stick to the rules of the site, I have divided what I have left into tiers, and you just pick two games from corresponding tiers. This is the last of what I got, and they aren't difficult to get rid of, but I thought that some real fans might want a shot at getting into some nice games at face value again.

Now the tier system I will use seemed to work pretty well before, so hopefully it goes well again here.So you would have to pick 2 pairs of tickets from inverse tiers. For example, if you pick from the top tier, or A, you have to pick from the bottom, or D. A pick from B would require a pick from C. First to pick a pair of tickets they want in the comments part, first serve. I'll email you about details about how we go about the transaction. Please leave your email address when you post. The tickets are in 334 row A and have a face value of $49 a ticket. They are really nice seats, behind the Blazers bench on the upper level.

But wait, there's more! It would hardly seem fair if I was able to get rid of a bunch of my regular season tickets and leave you guys out when the playoffs come around, right? While I can't give everyone a playoff ticket, I will give away one pair of tickets every round for face value. In order to get the playoff tickets, you first have to get a pair of games from me. Then, all you have to do to get the playoff tickets is tell me 1. How many games the Blazers will win this year, 2a. How many points Rudy will average per game, and 2b. How many rebounds GO will average. The closest WIN total will be the ultimate qualifier, so if you're one game away from the closest person in that, even if you're dead on with points and rebounds, that's a tough break. After that, the person who is closest to EITHER Rudy's point total or Oden's rebounds get the tickets. If there is still a tie at that point, then the person who is strongest in the last category will get the tickets. If you buy 4 pairs of tickets (two upper level and two lower level games), you get to make 2 predictions. If the Blazers make it to the 2nd round, the 2nd place person will get tickets to one of those games at face value. Please put your predictions in the comments part along with the games you want. Do not email them to me, I don't want to have to go rooting through 6 month old emails at the end of the season. Make sense? I'm kind of confused, so if you have any questions please ask.

Anyway, without further ado, here are the games I have left:

In 334 row A (behind the Blazers Bench! $49 a ticket, $196 for 2 tickets to 2 games)

Tier A

Phoenix 12/18, New Orleans Fri. 1/2, Phoenix 3/26, Utah 3/3, Dallas 3/11

Tier B

Philly 3/23, Denver 12/23, LA Clippers (Friday)12/12, Toronto 12/27 (Sat), GS sat. 1/10, LA Clippers 2/22,

Tier C

Minnesota 11/08, Wizards Sat. 1/24, Minnesota Sat. 3/07, Ind. 3/04, New York Sun. 2/08, Atlanta 2/20

Tier D

Charlotte 1/28, Memphis 2/18, Memphis Sat 3/28, New Jersey Fri. 3/13, OK city 4/13,

Well, have at it. I'll try and update it as much as possible if there is any updating that needs to be done, but I am in Japan which makes it tough sometimes. Here's the stadium map on the Blazers website, click on 334, row A-G for the 3d view.

I can't wait until I am able to use these tickets again, but right now my loss is your gain. Let me know if you have any questions.

Ambassador findings

einman77 — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 06:05:18 -0000

A few weeks ago, Dave said he would like people to be ambassadors for other teams. I volunteered to be the person who covered the Sixers, but since they didn't have a sister site I really couldn't do much. They recently started one (with a guy running it who is a sef-proclaimed cowgirls fan. That's like someone starting a lumberjacks blog in P-town and being a l*kers fan) and I sent them a welcome message and told them a little about me. I also found out something unbelievable...

They think that they are going to be the next great team in the NBA! Everyone knows about Iggy and Brand, but they also have a blooming point guard behind MIller. They have Thadeous Young, who you may or may not know, and they think he is poised for a breakout season. They are also fawning over this rookie, Speights. They are calling him Amare 2.0. Also, they think that THEY have the best GM in sports. I was absolutely shocked! Don't they know about KP and the Blazers? It got me thinking, what have other people found in thier searches reaching out across the SNB network?

I was also curious if there are teams that are covered and ones that aren't. I'm not sure if there was an official sign up post to clarify who was covering which teams, just the post where the idea was thrown out. To help clarify, it would be helpful to put the team you are covering in the title, or at least in bold somewhere in the body of this post. If you only want to put a title up to clarify which team you are coving, that's fine too. Maybe I'll follow it up with a post about which teams still need ambassadors at some point, but I really want to know if there are other sites that for some reason think the Blazers aren't the team of the future. Are there more?

Welcome to SBN

einman77 — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 02:15:27 -0000

Hello from Japan. Glad to see that the Sixers finally have a blog up on SBN. I am a Philly native, but I have to confess I am a Blazers fan. I used to like the 6ers in the Barkley, Hawkins, Dawkins and, of course, Bol, era, but fell in love with the Flyers and saw the Sixers as the other team that used the spectrum/center. I moved to Portland and found out the town was so big into basketball and they managed to root for the team the right way. I love the way that we treat our football team and stadium (though the Vet had the best memories of that for me), but I just don't think that stuff belongs in the NBA arena. I still love the Flyers and Eagles, and if I were to chose a 2nd NBA team, it would be the Sixers.

In fact, that's kind of what I did. Over at Blazers Edge (the Blazers SBN sister site), in an effort to get more involved with other teams and extend the olive branch, people have volunteered to become ambassadors for other SBN sites. I picked the Sixers, but they didn't have a site. Until now. So I welcome all the crap I will take for switching teams (actually I would never switch, but I really didn't have a team for a decade or so, and I still don't recognize baseball as a major sport no matter where I am. Again, fire away) and hope that we can talk some ball together. Since reading the blog, I do have to know about Speights. I'm sure just asking won't be enough, and I'll be around enough to pick up why you guys are so jazzed about this guy. Honestly, I think the Sixers and the Blazers will be duking it out in the finals in a few seasons if things stay on the up and up for both of these teams.

Need a Season Ticket Buddy?

einman77 — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:10:43 -0000

Have you always wanted season tickets, but never had anyone to go in with? Maybe you are now thinking it's too late to fulfill such a dream anyway. Well, this might be your chance to have your dream come true. I came across someone in my search to get rid of my overabundance of season tickets while I am out o the area, and they had shared season tickets for the last 5 years with someone and then got left out in the cold this past offseason. Ouch. The other person took the seats and decided not to split it up with her (despite her saving the account one season) and now she is left with nothing but the memories of the past 5 years of the Rose Garden. Again, ouch. She had some people who she went to the games with, but now they don't seem to be happy with what has transpired and they don't want a downgrade from some of the best seats in the stadium. So she needs someone to go in with, and some reliability.

I have season tickets and good priority when the open house rolls around. The Garden may be sold out now, but there are probably a good number of people who are new season ticket holders who didn''t realize what a committment season tickets are, and there will likely be some open seats in the garden next season. You would likely be able to grab something fairly nice next June. If you want to go to a game together this season, I would let you have a couple of tickets to my 334 row A behind the Blazers bench seats to see if this is someone you would want to become ticket buddies with. You guys would have to work out the details about how much of what you want after the season (though I believe she is loking for lower level seats). This isn't a date set up or anything like that, there are plenty of websites for that that you can go to, and this isn't about the 334 seats, as they are my seats and I'm going to use them when I get back. This is a chance to get on board with the Blazers with a true, die hard Blazer fan after the boat is completely full. Anyone interested can contact me at einman_77@hotmail.com.

Could the love come back?

einman77 — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 02:07:13 -0000

Over the last year or so, there seems to one Blazer who, despite his limited playing time, seems to strike up an enormous amount of conversation. Most people either love him or hate him. If you can't figure it out by now, I'm talking about Sergio.

I am a big fan of him. I love nothing more than a sweet pass that leads to a phenomenal dunk that brings the crowd to it's feet. The energy from there becomes contagious. I also think that a world of untapped innate ability is really much better to have in a player than strong commitment and just moderate (NBA level) talent. Yeah, they have to work at it, but there are a lot of mediocre talents trying to make it that just won't ever cut it. There are 30 other teams, and taking the safe bet will beat out half of them. The risks that pan out help you beat out the 29th. Sergio still has the potential to become awesome. But there is of course the risk that he won't.

To my surprise, many readers recently seem to think that this has been a dead issue. The drafting of Bayless is the organization proclaiming the end of the Sergio experiment. Uh, why? Before we went into the draft we knew the position we were going to draft for was the point. On top of that, we traded a point guard above El Mago on the depth chart to get Bayless. Furthermore, I still question his long term role on this team. Yeah, he was a great pick up where he was, and could be a fantastic scorer. It is difficult seeing him playing on the first team, where he would actually take shots away from Roy and not distribute to Oden or LMA that much. His defense seems like exactly what is needed there though. Yet, I have the feeling that he will remain a better fit on the white unit. That still leaves us with a hole in the point on the black unit. While Blake is a good fit right now, I'm not sure he is gonna be the guy who takes us to the promise land. That still leaves us us with the bigger problem, that we still have no ultimate answer to the question at the point.

The thing is, I'm fine with that. It would be nice to have it figured out now, but I am optimistic that we have enough firepower and potential to come up with an answer when we need it. We just need to have patience in this era of 'win now or trade someone and fire the coach too'. When Sergio was drafted, no one thought he would contribute right away. It was assumed that he would at least need 3 years at minimum to develop into an NBA caliber player. Personally, being that the point is such a tough position to fully grasp, I would like to give the guy 5 years. It seems like he may be able to get that now. With Koppenen playing in Italy and getting paid like royalty to develop, that means we are now down to 3 point guards for the next 4 years, unless it is decided that PK has developed enough to come overseas. However, I just don't think that will be a likely scenario in the next 2 or even 3 years unless he lights the Euroleague on fire.

One thing worth pointing out though is that the organization HAS NOT given up on Mag (yeah, I don't use Spanish chocolate. The point of a knickname is to make it easier to refer to that person. That one drags out and is just awkward. Even more so, he's not black, so it's just confusing). In fact, he is currently our longest tenured point guard. Do you really think there is no interest from the rest of the league in a point guard with great vision and the ability to bring the crowd to it's feet? Come on. The management has decided to keep him for a reason. The fans however seem to have a new point guard every month. In the last year, let's count the answers at the point that the fans have vigorously backed. Green, Roy, Bayless, Rudy, Koppenen and Jack (do you remeber last November?). Surprisingly, Blake doesn't seem to have a huge following, and he's our #1 guy! That's not even counting the trade theories involving Williams, CP3, and Harris. Despite his tenure, the overwhelming consensus is that Sergio's stock has gone down. Hmmm.

I think that ultimately Sergio will be the key in solving our point guard spot. Honestly. I think that either he will develop into the #1 point, or he will be part of a package to help the team who does give us our 1 spot to lead us through the championships a good deal of compensation or at least hope for the future for their loss.

But I, for one, want him to stay right here. In order for him to do that, there is no question that he needs work. He turns the ball over, not an absurd amount (2.66 to 1 assist to TO ratio), but enough to be worried. He backs away from taking the easy two. Those should be the easy fixes with a fair amount of work. The bigger problems are his shooting percentage (under 40%) and his defense. He has good size for a point at 6-3, has quick hands and can make a steal, and he is a quick as a humming bird, but he just doesn't have the fundamentals to be as effective as he needs to be. If he can put in the work and turn those two aspects of his game around to at least average while showing that he has made a commitment to improve on them, that will be the difference between him being trade bait and being our guy.

I also think this year he will need to take two steps forward after his 21 year old sophomore slump. I think this year will be a great chance to do it. Yes, Rudy is coming over and it seems to be the opinion that that should help (because that they both speak Spanish?). But really there will be a much wider array of scoring options, and that will be the complement to his game that could make the difference. I think the man he would have a fantastic mutually beneficial partnership with would be Oden. He has a long way to go before he proves he can play with that squad, but if he gets there, watch out.

So am I a ridiculous homer? Is there still some love out there for Sergio? What is it that you want to see from him this season? Was that really TominHawaii that left us the "I'll see you in the preseason" message?

Looking to go to a couple of games this year?

einman77 — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:19:32 -0000

I have a pair of season tickets that I am not using this year. I decided I would let all the fine folks at BE have first go at them. I figure since everything is for face value on this site, the best way to divide them up on was to put the tickets into tiers and you can chose 2 games, on inverse tiers (eg. if you pick from the top tier, or A, you have to pick from the bottom, or H. A pick from B would require a pick from G as well, ect). First to pick what they want in the comments part, first serve. When I get the tickets we can worry about emailing the tickets and the money bit. If you don't have your email on your page at this site, then leave some kind of contact info when you post. The tickets are 118 row C (the upper, cheaper, part of 118) and face value is $75 per ticket. They are really nice seats, and yet not astronomically priced. Here are the tiers that I came up with:

Tier A

- Sold Out -

Tier B

New Orleans Fri. 1/2, Cleveland 1/21,San Antonio Sun. 3/01, Detroit 1/7, Rockets 11/06

Tier C

Phoenix 3/26, Orlando 12/09, Utah 3/31, Utah 1/31, Dallas 3/11

Tier D

Philly 3/23, Toronto Sat 12/27, Clippers Sun. 2/22, LA Clippers 12/12

Tier E (inverse of D)

Chicago 11/19, Indy 3/04, Wizards Sat. 1/24, Denver 12/23

Tier F (inverse of C)

Memphis Sat 3/28, Minnesota 11/08 Sat, Minnesota Sat. 3/07, Atlanta Fri. 2/20, GS sat. 1/10, New York Sun. 2/08,

Tier G (inverse of B)

Milwaukee 1/19, Charlotte 1/28, Memphis 2/18, OK city 4/13, New Jersey Fri. 3/13,

Tier H (inverse of A, preseason games)

- Sold Out -

I have 2 tickets for every game. Coming up with those tiers was really difficult. I kept having to add additional tiers. I tried to make it as fair as I could because I seriously doubt that all of these will go and I really don't want to get stuck with the really tough games to get rid of and all the best ones gone. I'm still a little worried that somehow it will still happen, but all in all, they did a good job with the schedule and the west is so strong that there aren't many doubles of the really bad games, so I think I'll be OK. I am going to give my friend the Lakers game in April for making it to the open house for me and grabbing the seats, so I didn't put it up. There is therefore an extra game in tier E, which I think I'll keep just because I usually have at least one person ask me for a game every year. Other than that, have at it. I'll try and update it as much as possible if there is any updating that needs to be done. I'm also not sure how to strike through what I wrote once someone picks something up.

Here's the stadium map on the Blazers website, click on the light blue part of 118, row A-F, for the 3d view.

If I'm not mistaken, Ratbastard said he just got 3 seats in the upper level purple section somewhere that he is going to split up on this site too. I'm not sure how he is going to do that, but if that would suit you better, you might want to hold off.

Why it should matter to you

einman77 — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:47:13 -0000

In the recent weeks there has been some discussion about fan conduct, stemming from the impromptu goodbye celebration some fans had for Jack. There seems to be a lot of people who think “Who cares? It doesn’t bother me nor does it have anything to do with me.” I would like to share my thoughts on why it does affect all of us and why it should matter before the sands of time make this discussion irrelevant, or another incident or buildup occurs. This is a complex issue, so it’s a long one. I will also touch on the use of Pritch-slap a little because it fits in nicely with this and is closely related. I apologize for my long-windedness and for any redundancy as I felt it necessary to paint a comprehensive picture. I’ll start big and work my way down.

First there is the viewpoint from other fans. I know there was a post about this recently, and a lot of comparison was made to the Spurs and how they don’t really have people giving too much of an opinion on them despite being repeat champions. While both teams are clean as whistles (and hopefully it stays that way), this still won’t be our fate. The Spurs just outplay their opponents, make their foul shots, play team defense, make the right play, punch out and go home. Also, Duncan runs from the spotlight. That won’t be our fate. With Outlaw, Oden and Bayless (assuming all goes well there) on this team, we will play some in your face type of ball. People will have no choice but to love us or hate us. This team could be the Bulls of the next generation, having kids jumping on board the band wagon (along with your usual band wagoneers) and choosing this team to become a fan of because this is the kind of basketball they want to see. GO is also much less camera shy and a much more handsome man for his age than TD. The media will have plenty of coverage of him. With all this attention, there are a lot of reasons that people love us or hate us. What you don’t want is when people start talking about things other than basketball. I think we are pretty safe from someone on this team jumping into the stands for a fight, spitting on a fan, smoking a doob on I-5, or any of that fun stuff. Will they hate us because of the fan base? Before last Thursday I would have said “no, why would they?” I don’t think what happened was a big deal in the national spotlight, but it was only a draft party. If the Pacers come back next season and the fans start chanting “PRITCH SLAP, PRITCH SLAP, …..” after a JJ turnover, well, we aren’t going to win over many kids from Indiana with loose affiliations that way, especially when they go in the next room and say “Mommy, what’s a Pritchslap?” Moreover, we get the media and the national spotlight talking about something other than the basketball we are playing, which is usually not a good thing in the NBA, as any Blazers fan should be able to attest to. That stuff affects more than just national opinion (more on this below). We can’t help if they love us or hate us or not, but we do have some control over why they would.

The second piece of this is how our behavior affects the team. When Eagles fans cheered when Michael Irving was carried off the field on a stretcher, the media didn’t question the fans about what it was like nearly as much as they questioned the team. Is that fair to put this team (any team for that matter, but especially this one) in that type of position? How do you think they would feel? Maybe a little betrayed? Maybe like they are holding up more than their fair share of the bargain? It would certainly take the focus off of basketball. How do you think Jack feels right now about all the hard work he put in to this team? In all my days of watching sports, I have never seen a community and its players so connected. From the invites to meet draftees, to the personal messages from GO during his rehab, this team has put a lot of effort into connecting with the fans. You can certainly feel that connection too when you go into the Rose Garden. Last season was phenomenal at home, and I’m sure the team could feel it as much as the fans could. Why would you not want to hold up your end of this relationship? Using the above mentioned chant as an example, let’s take a look at a player interaction during the game:

Roy: Yo JJ, how are things in Indy?

JJ: Pretty good. Things are working out well here. I’m still disappointed that I had to leave here though. I mean you guys are 37-0 already.

Roy: It’s not the same without you.

(chant starts)

JJ: (shoots a sideways glance and and curls his lips a little)

Roy: Yo baby, forget them.

That’s right, Roy said ‘forget them’, talking about the fans. Talking about you. Whether you were there or not, participated or not, a slight on the fans is a slight on you and his perception of all the Blazers fans changes a little. He, or someone else on the team, could have already said this. The more that the players feel they have to stop thining about the fanbase, the more it happens.

That brings me to how it affects you. If the team had to start ignoring the fans, they wouldn’t be as receptive to the appreciation we are showing them right now. That would in turn rub off on you and this amazing atmosphere at the garden would be tarnished. In fact, even though Jack is gone, I would be surprised if the players were still as happy with the fans, even if it's just a little bit. Stuff like that could come up in retrospect if another incident were to occur. Also, with marginal infractions, the margin then shifts if not corrected, leading to more or more severe offenses. Would you want to take your kids to a game where all the people are acting like, um, appropriate spot for a curse, inappropriate website (and post)? I mean we have a 13 year old right here who could need our help getting his parents to take him to games. How about bringing your wife or girlfriend, or boyfriend out and having to try and ignore or explain the other people around you? Think they would want to do it again if you were trying to turn them on to the Blazers, or even better, trying to present an argument to buy season tickets? What about if your son or daughter talks about how he Pritch-slapped another kid in a pokemon trade at school?

I’m not advocating the employment of the thought police here. I don’t think that saying “Shut up” every time someone boos is appropriate. I personally don’t have any problem with people showing their appreciation or dissatisfaction in their own way. I’ll tell you, I’m no saint at sporting events, but I try not to cross over into serious disrespect. I do consider taunting other teams and sparring comments with appropriate fans of the other teams as part of the game. If you’re just screaming the whole time at a guy wearing a Clippers cap who hasn’t said a word the whole game it’s a little different than someone who is engaging in the banter. As for the players, let’s face it, Jared Dudley probably won’t get a lot of catcalls if he makes a mistake. If K*be does, he will. Why? Because deep down somewhere we respect his game and the threat that he poses so much that we want to throw him off. Well, that, and he’s the anti-christ. The times that warrant something outside of a cheer and let cheer policy is on the rare occasions when it crosses over into overly disrespectful. The chant is the most likely thing I could think of as an example and a reasonable step away from that song, but it really could be any number of things. This is just food for thought so you have a chance to really think about this before the Oregonian writes an article about it the morning after.

Prior to me writing this, you already have two factors working in your favor. One, the organization is doing a tremendous job of creating a positive atmosphere. You just have to follow their lead. Two, the arena will have a lot of full and partial season ticket holders next season, creating a lot of accountability and an opportunity to foster that positive culture. If someone close to you is joining in with something ridiculous, a simple “dude” a squint of the eyes and a shrug of the shoulders, for example, would do. That isn’t uncomfortable for anyone, and there would likely be a bit of mutual appreciation if that moment ended peacefully. I bet if anyone on this site sang that song, they feel now feel a little ashamed if they got caught up in the moment and joined in, and would have appreciated such a gesture. That shame would be nothing compared to if we were put in the national spotlight for an incident. IN the case where someone is being so obnoxious and persistent that you feel you have to say something, you’re probably not alone. Conversely, if someone does step up to someone else being obnoxious and you feel the same way, it’s not a terrible thing to give them some support so the offender doesn’t feel like it’s just one uptight person against them trying to have a good time.

All in all when this type of behavior is occouring, the only people it doesn’t bother is the people who are being disrespectful. If you think about it, it's because they aren’t taking other people’s perspective into consideration. That is why I feel it is alright to let them know that their behavior is bothering you.

Trout vs. Webster vs. Sergio vs.........

einman77 — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:23:51 -0000

In the past day and a half there was some serious talk about trading for Devin Harris. That rumor apparently was close to fruition and then completely squashed all within about the same time. I am very grateful this trade didn't go through, and a lot of that is because of Harris' contract, the dreaded 'poison pill' that years from now would bind us to him like it or not. The overriding sentiment that killed it though seemed to be that we were giving away too much, simply by the inclusion of 1 name... Travis Outlaw. This doesn't surprise me given his recent level of play. So we move on. But, one article that I came across while emphatically pondering this proposal highlighted the necessity for us to make a trade. The reason behind this was that next year we will have 22 players vying for roster spots, if you include Freeland and Kopenen. Since the Blazers don't play in the NHL, we can't accommodate all of them. We are going to have to make a trade, maybe several, to compact our roster.

In terms of trade value I assess that there are 3 levels. There are the untouchables, which are going to be our core. Our big 3. The likelihood of any of them getting moved is remote. Very remote. There are also our anchors. The sludge underneath our shiny super cool new vessel that we are going to have to practically bribe someone to take off. Then there is everyone else. Now Blake and Jones I think have shown us what they can do. Blake won't go up or down and he plays well with Brandon. It would be great to keep him, and if he goes I think most people would be alright since we know what we are losing and will likely be dually compensated. Jones is probably going to leave after this season, but with him as a threat from the outside we have a better chance at the playoffs. Seems like his future with us is pretty set. So that leaves our projects. And we have a lot of promising ones, but projects none the less.

First off, yes, everyone else is a project in my opinion. You think I'm crazy? Travis has been on fire the majority of these last 2 months, that much is true. He has also been inconsistent for 4 1/4 years. This last 1/4 of a season has been nice, but I would not call him a rock anymore than I would call Isiah of sound mind for wanting to keep Lee. What's more is that so many people (or the same person repeatedly) kept voicing their intentions of dropping Sergio and Webster like a bad habit during the Harris rumors. Take this into consideration for a moment; Travis at 23 has been with in the NBA for 4 and 1/2 years. Webster at barely 21, on the other hand, has been here for 2 and 1/2 years. Sergio is also 21 just 1 and 1/2 in, at a more difficult position to learn in a completely different environment (rules, style of play, language). They are both on a good learning curve it seems to me. If this trade were to have sprung up say last Feb. after the Denver game, Sergio would have been as untouchable as Outlaw is now. If it were to have happened this November, then Webster easily would have been considered safe from the clutches of another team according to the BE majority. There are huge upsides to all of these guys, after all they could be the best answer imaginable to our biggest questions.

There are also other names that were thrown in to the Harris deal. The most likely candidate to be jettisoned was Jack (24, 3 and 1/2 years in). Also, Frye (24, 3 and 1/2 year in) seemed all but gone. Our draft picks from both rounds, Kopenen and Freeland were all prospects to be moved as well. Realistically though that is what needs to happen to make a move.

On a side note, the reason we were probably involved with the New Jersey talks as a third party is because likely most trade scenarios will look pretty similar to what we saw (in theory). First, a team needs to rebuild, so they drop a fading star but don't want to get rid of their young prospects. The second is well up and needs something to get over the hump now and is willing to give up a piece of the future to do so. We are the 3rd party, the one who gets that piece of the future and gives the first team a lot of parts to work with in their rebuilding process. So we gotta give up something we like.

Anyway, let's get down to brass tax. Who is the trade bait that is going to pack their bags and leave our beautiful city of roses behind? I want to find out who everyone thinks we should drop. I'm only talking about our projects, the unfulfilled potential guys, on this team. You can pick a number of guys here because we do have to drop a lot to fit out roster.

P.S. I included Green with McLovin and Freeland just to give them a fighting chance. That and lack of poll options. Same with the 2nd rounders.

P.P.S. Why *in the world* was it between Mohamed and McLovin?! (I wanted to say that ever since I saw Superbad and my window to do so may be closing soon.)

Dave, I could use some help. Apparently the 'Allow multiple selections in poll' tab that I checked really isn't allowing multiple selections in the poll. Can anything be done?

Poll

Who will leave us either before the trade deadline or during the summer?

Frye - More like a 'buffett' of week old sushi

3 votes

Webster - "Has anyone seen my shot? Anyone?"

7 votes

Sergio - He'll take that wide open lay-up.... someday

4 votes

Kopenen - The best prospect north of the Artic Circle EVER!!!

0 votes

rd 1draft pick - It'll almost be a 2nd rounder anyway after we win the title

2 votes

all three 2nd round picks - No need to get more maybes

10 votes

Rudy - I think Almart1 is really a Lakers spy

3 votes

McLovin, Freeland, Green - Dude, D-league is like where all the best players come from

13 votes

Trout - Sell now while his stock is soaring

2 votes

Jack - Seriously, why does Nate even play this guy anymore?

45 votes

89 votes | Poll has closed