In my never ending effort to criticize (according to some) the management competence of Paul Allen and Larry Miller, I decided to throw this up (figuratively) in hopes that the cosmic forces that are out there will render the GM Watch no longer necessary as of...say, tomorrow. In that Saturday's probably not a great day to make a momentous announcement like "The Portland Trail Blazers have announced that ________has been chosen as their next GM", I suppose we won't hear anything until Monday at the earliest. As a side note, if it ends up being Chad B., I fear that all hope is lost. They simply couldn't find anyone more qualified who was willing to take the job or who Allen felt comfy with.

So, let's do a poll. What day of the great GM Watch will it finally end? Today is June 1, day 374 (or close enough for Blazer work). For poll purposes, it doesn't matter who is chosen, just that Allen actually makes a decision.

Poll

What week do you think the Great GM Watch will end? To make this simple, not asking for the specific day of the Watch (e.g. day 393) but just the week.

• Week of June 4
• Week of June 11
• Week of June 18
• Week of June 25

  73 votes | Results

As bummed out as so many of us are about how this past season went for the Blazers and as concerned as a lot of us are about the future direction of this franchise, I am reminded that things could be worse.

I'm not watching the playoffs closely, but I have watched some of the OKC/L*kers and Indiana/Heat games. It must really suck to be a Heat or L*ker fan right now. Long time Blazer fans have been there and we know how excruciating it is to watch a team that we thought had a real shot at winning it all crash and burn. I remember the pain and disappointment of seeing the Blazers lose to the L*kers in 2000. It was devastating. I felt the same way when we lost to Detroit and Chicago a decade earlier.

That's the problem I have with sports. It's personal. I always want to win it all and anything short of that is totally unsatisfying. I want excellence all of the time, from the top of the organization to the bottom. I don't think we've seen that from the Blazers for quite a while, and I HOPE that we will see it again beginning with a great new GM and HC coming to town and with high quality picks in the draft and judicious trades.

In the meantime, I'm just glad that I don't have to suffer the pain of watching my team lose in the playoffs.

I know SOME of you don't appreciate hearing the perspective of fans from other places commenting on our Blazers (you know who you are!), but personally, I find it fascinating how people who cheer for other teams see our little burg and Blazers.

Here's a post I sent to the Spurs fan forum, Pounding the Rock, and the first response may have nailed our situation on the head-or did it? What do YOU think?

Blazer fan here-I come in peace!

by kuhnsmith on May 14, 2012 1:05 PM CDT

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Nice going in the playoffs so far. All we Blazer fans can do is watch in envy. From what I can tell from the posts on Blazersedge, the Spurs are the team most of us are pulling for. So, GO SPURS!

Speaking of envy, as you may know, our franchise is in a bit of a funk right now. Rumors (denied by the owner) that the team is for sale. No GM for a year now. The last two GMs fired in a shameful manner. No head coach now, either, since Nate was canned. Oh yeah, then there's the loss of Roy and Oden. On the bright side, everything else is just peachy up here...

Here's my questions for you all: what do you think of Nic Batum? Rumors have it that the Spurs are hot after this guy. He's got a very sweet offensive game, is athletic as the day is long, but he's something of a defensive liability, lacks a killer instinct, and tends not to show up for every play. He just sorts of floats around the court on some days like he's in a day dream. People around here defend him by saying that the Blazers don't have the right "system" for him, or lack complimentary players.

Faling to sign him this past season could turn out to be a a big problem for the Blazers if another team comes in and offers stupid money for him. He's obviously one of our few decent trade pieces, and we've got holes all over the line up, especially at the 1 and 5.

So, any thoughts you'd be willing to share about how Batum is viewed down your way would be much appreciated. Also, if you'd be willing to lend us Pops for a season or two that would be very kind of you 8>)!

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You might know that the Spurs had intended to draft Batum, but one of your now-fired GMs, Pritchard, took some ‘corporate knowledge’ with him from his San Antonio days and grabbed him ahead of us. I still haven’t quite forgiven Kevin for that. :)

I don’t believe that the Spurs are going to throw crazy money at Batum, or anyone else right now. The primary focus after the end of the season is Tim Duncan… does he want to continue playing? More importantly, does he want to play for the Spurs, and how much will it take to keep him in the Silver and Black? What is fair for both parties? Those decision affect how much money will available.

Don’t get me wrong, I love watching Batum play and would love to have him playing for San Antonio… on his rookie contract. I suspect that he’ll get a nice payday as a free agent, but not from the Spurs.

And… the Spurs have a lot of good wing players of their own. Last year, when finding a backup for RJ was an issue, might have been a good time for the Blazers to get max value for Batum from the Spurs. Now, not so much.

As for Pop in Portland… no way! But that misses the point… even if you transplanted the entire Spurs front-office and coaching staff to the Rose City, they might not have the same level of success there, because it starts with the trust and support of the owner. It is evident that that is a key factor that is missing in Portland (all the turnover in the organization), and until that is addressed, all the great players and lottery picks that you have will be wasted imho. It’s really a shame, because several years ago the Blazers were the team (on paper) that I figured would be doing what the Thunder are doing now… emerging into true contender status.

They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!

Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.

by freshtunarightofftheboat on May 14, 2012 1:39 PM CDT reply

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Nice going in the playoffs so far. All we Blazer fans can do is watch in envy. From what I can tell from the posts on Blazersedge, the Spurs are the team most of us are pulling for. So, GO SPURS!

Speaking of envy, as you may know, our franchise is in a bit of a funk right now. Rumors (denied by the owner) that the team is for sale. No GM for a year now. The last two GMs fired in a shameful manner. No head coach now, either, since Nate was canned. Oh yeah, then there's the loss of Roy and Oden. On the bright side, everything else is just peachy up here...

Here's my questions for you all: what do you think of Nic Batum? Rumors have it that the Spurs are hot after this guy. He's got a very sweet offensive game, is athletic as the day is long, but he's something of a defensive liability, lacks a killer instinct, and tends not to show up for every play. He just sorts of floats around the court on some days like he's in a day dream. People around here defend him by saying that the Blazers don't have the right "system" for him, or lack complimentary players.

Faling to sign him this past season could turn out to be a a big problem for the Blazers if another team comes in and offers stupid money for him. He's obviously one of our few decent trade pieces, and we've got holes all over the line up, especially at the 1 and 5.

So, any thoughts you'd be willing to share about how Batum is viewed down your way would be much appreciated. Also, if you'd be willing to lend us Pops for a season or two that would be very kind of you 8>)!

What do you all think of this?

Given the circumstances, I no longer want Batum.

Airete laid it out nicely — the only way to get him is to pay more than the Blazers are willing to pay, and I don’t want to go as high as I expect that to be.

My opinion of him cooled a bit after looking at his +/- numbers. His 2-year adjusted value (the “adjusted” part means it is the result of a regression analysis intended to control for lineups) is negative and borderline statistically significant. That doesn’t happen all that often. His +/- and accompanying standard error rank him near the likes of JJ Barea, Shawn Marion, and Nick Young. I’d still like him at the right price, but that stat scares me a bit.

by Madison Dan on May 8, 2012 10:20 AM PDT up reply actions

I posted that I was glad he (or whomever) wrote his "letter" to the fans. Overall, I thought it addressed several of the issues that needed to be addressed by him, the owner. It was high time he came out with a statement like this.

Naturally, I have a concern. He said something to the effect that he's not going to just spend a lot of money because that didn't work before. He's right, it didn't work if going deep in the playoffs or winning a ring are the measuring sticks.

The problem is, I think he going to have to spend BIG bucks to make the Blazers a winner. Spending's not the problem, spending smartly is a whole different matter. For some odd reason I can't find a basic list of NBA winning teams over, say, the last 10 years and what they team payrolls were. I suspect what we'll find is that, on average, teams that spend a lot win a lot. I could be dead wrong about that, however. I'd appreciate it if someone could find this data and respond with it.

Thanks!

Hey, the playoffs are going and will be dragging on for another month +. We don't have a horse in the race, so while we dream about who the next GM and head coach will be, we need something to keep our Bedge wits sharp, right?

Just for fun, I was looking at Wikipedia today to see what the career win/loss percentages for active coaches is. I thought it might be interesting to discuss how Bedgers think that list compares to what a ranking would look like only considering the "quality" of the coach. In other words, does a coach's win/loss percentage equate with his coaching skill? Lots of variables contribute to a coach's record, but presumably there's only one variable regarding their qualities as a coach which is just plain talent and all that word connotes.

So, who are the outlyers here? Maybe more importantly, how do we get one of the top guys here? I understand that a few recently fired coaches aren't on this list because they're not "active"-at least not yet. Feel free to throw them into the mix 8>).

Here's the list based on win/loss percentage:

1. Thibodeau
2. Pops
3. Brown
4. Spoelstra
5. Stan VG
6. Karl
7. Carlisle
8. Adelman
9. Johnson
10. Brooks
11. Rivers
12. Drew
13. Vogel
14. Skiles
15. M. Williams
16. Del Negro
17. Corbin
18. Gentry
19. Hollins
20. Frank
21. Scott
22. McHale
23. Woodson
24. Casey
25. Smart
26. Canales
27. Jackson
28. Wittman

No, it's not because they're playing another meaningless game. Have you noticed how packed the race is for lottery positioning? Lots of teams vying for the coveted ping pong balls. Tonight, we really need NJ to lose and Cleveland to win! No matter what, it looks like there will need to be several coin flips before the dust settles. It's too bad the NJ didn't lose and extra game or two along the way, but oh well.

Go Blazers in the lottery!

While Blazer denizens (including yours truly) debate John Canzano's recent column which basically says PA should poop or get off of the pot, I am pondering the tried and true belief around these parts that the reason PA "micro-manages" (does that actually mean does very little management?) the Blazers into the ground while the Seahawks (record aside) seem to be run more like a professional sports franchise (you know, with a GM and an actual coach) is because he actually thinks he is a basketball expert. Has he ever said that?

Perhaps people mistake PA's decision making regarding the Blazers as proof that he thinks he knows it all. If he actually has thought of himself as a one man FO all along, then why would he have hired some pretty darned good coaches and GM's over the 25 years or so he's owned the team? Did he suddenly wake up one day (about the time he started firing GMs and decide that he could do a better job than they could.? Is that why he hasn't hired another GM and took several years too long to fire Nate (should have done that when the Nate got out coached in the first playoff series he coached the Blazers IMO).

Could the real explanation be that PA just started getting fed up with the Blazers sometime after the early 2000's close but no cigar run they had and this finally manifested itself with his successive firings of several GMs and his decision to not hire an experienced guy to replace them? Could it be that he just stopped caring somewhere along the line?

This is what PA's Seahawks management structure looks like: http://www.seahawks.com/team/staff.html Same goofballs at the top, but lo and behold, there's actually a name next to the GM slot.

The way I look at it, IF PA is the self fashioned basketball expert that many claim he is, then the Blazers are doomed as long as he owns the team. He either won't fill critical vacancies or he'll fill them with the likes of Larry Miller. Personally, I'd prefer to believe that PA is burned out on the Blazers and should, as Canzano intimates, either go all in or go all out.

You know, the total loss of credibility usually starts with "small" lies. Like saying that every game is sold out, when they're not. Manipulating the definition of "sold out" doesn't change the fact that it is still a lie. I assume there will be a LOT of empty seats for this game and I cannot believe that every one of those seats was sold and the buyer just decided they didn't want to come to the game.

I think the Blazers should give those brave (or foolish) souls who do come to this game a real break and: give the Blazer dancers a night off, ban thundersticks, and tone down the music. You know, try to make the game more of a professional sports experience and less of a circus, for once. Who knows, this just might catch on and a real game might break out some day.

To season ticket holders and wannabes, I hope you will NOT re-new or purchase and send a message to PA that enough is enough. He needs to prove some things to the customers. Being honest about the "sell out" streak would be a tiny start. Making a decision either to sell or not sell the team would be a bigger start. Hiring a freak'n GM would be on the right path. Hiring the best head coach he can find would be another indicator that the team is heading in the right direction. Oh yea, not blowing the draft would be pretty special. You get the idea. PA has to EARN his money from the fans.

Let's change the paradigm here. I know Pdx is a small puddle in the sports world. Yes I know we've only got one major league team (if you don't count the Timbers), but let's get some spine and not just hand over thousands of dollars to a team owner who acts like he doesn't really give a rip any more.

I'm new to STF and don't want to violate any rules. I am the proud owner of 4 season tickets in the Timbers Army section and MAY not be able to go to the March 31 game. Even if I am able to, I probably can't use all of the tickets. I'd sell any excess tickets at face value (Timbers Army rules, you know 8>)). Also would sell the all day Tri Met passes I have for this game at FV.

Is this something we do here or is it off to Craigslist?

I know a lot of people are bummed about today's events. Some angry that Nate's gone and others very happy about it. Others are bummed because Felton's or Crawford are still here (for now). Still others don't think we got enough for Camby and Wallace. As I see it, what happened today has the potential for helping the Blazers turn the franchise around. Yes, there is still the need for a quality GM. That piece is still missing. However, I don't think the Blazers are going to get any better without getting a lot worse first. Odds are that the team that remains will end up with an even worse record by season's end. That's all good for draft positioning. It's just too bad they didn't go in the toilet at the start of the season instead of racking up 20 wins. The bottom feeders in the East's records are so bad they will obviously have a better shot at high draft picks than the Blazers do, but you never know how the ping pong balls will bounce. Without Roy and Oden, the Blazers had to sink before they could rise. Free agent signings are un-likely. The draft is the best hope. It may take a few years to get back to being a strong team, it may not. Having a new philosophy in a head coach will be good. Nate tried his hardest and was a decent seeming man, but I think he has used up all the gas in his tank with this team. It will be intriguing to see who replaces him. Yes, PA may sell the team sooner than later. That could also be a very good thing if it goes to the right owner. On the other hand, maybe PA will get a second wind and change his mind about staying through another re-build. The only folks I feel bad for are the season ticket holders that have sunk a big wad of dough into this season and who may see even worse basketball ahead.

I was going through my usual routine of trying to jam the little me marker thingie as far to the left as possible (never quite able to get past zero into negative territory) when it suddenly struck me: what the heck are we really supposed to be measuring here? You well might wonder why I'm even bringing this up. For starters, I like to ask questions about just about anything. Also, some degree of precision in matters like these seems mildly important. Finally, I think Dave uses the fan poll as his sort of diving rod in order to judge the mood of Bedgers, so I'm sure he would like to know just what our mood pertains to. So, here are a few options for what the fan confidence poll is actually intended to measure:

Poll

What do you think the fan confidence poll should actually be measuring?

33%

The chances of the Blazers making the playoffs

24 votes

16%

The odds of Felton throwing another bullet pass into the stands

12 votes

4%

Whether Paul Allen will sell the team within a year or two

3 votes

18%

There will be a GM hired by the beginning of next seasson

13 votes

26%

Nate still being the coach when next season starts

19 votes

71 votes | Poll has closed

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf/2012/03/canzano_trail_blazers_face_a_t.html

I know even mentioning Canzano on Bedge tends to bring out a ton of hostility from some people. However, I wouldn't be referencing his piece if I didn't agree with his message. How about trying to read what he wrote and forgetting who wrote it?

Canzano is saying what a lot of us around here have been saying in recent months. Try not to kill the messenger-another common practice on Bedge. Check out some of the responses, as well. I'm increasingly finding the comparison between Allen's approach to the Seahawks and the Blazers to be fascinating. Maybe it all does come down to Allen feeling he knows enough about basketball to run the Blazers without a full and competent FO. Well, he's wrong about that. I don't know who Pete Carrol's equivalent in the basketball world would be. I'm no fan of Carrol, but right now I'd love to have someone like him on the Blazer bench. I doubt Allen would dare try to operate the Seahawks without a GM.

Canzano says the Allen seems dis-interested and may be leaning toward selling the team. I've been saying that for quite awhile here. Don't know, it's just a feeling, but a feeling that's getting stronger every day. Complete lack of communication and passion are not good signs in my book.

On the brighter side, the right kind of a new owner, if a sale actually takes place, could be a huge shot in the arm to this franchise and town.

I went to the New Orleans game last night with my son. Both he and I have become pretty serious Timbers fans over the past year. I bought a five game package last year and now have season tickets in the Timbers Army section.

I also had Blazer season tickets for twelve years from 1977-1989. I remember how raucous the old MC was back then. The place was electric. We didn't have great teams during that era, but there was a feeling that the team would win another championship sooner than later.

Last night's game was-well, stunning. It wasn't because the Blazers won, but because the crowd and the team seemed not to really be into the game. There were a LOT of empty seats (though I suppose the Blazer will claim another sell out). Those who were there seemed very quiet for the most part. Most of the Blazers seemed to be going through the motions save Nic and Wes and Pryz. LMA looked like he wanted to be somewhere else. And Nate-what can I say. He stood rigid most of the game with his hands on his hips. Old soldiers never die-they just fade away.

We also went to the last Timbers' pre-season game. Totally different experience. Sitting with the Timbers Army is a trip. Reminds me of the old days back in the MC watching the Blazers-only a lot more fun. The place was packed, as it tends to be these days. People are VERY excited about this team. The players-many of whom get paid maybe $50k a year or less-work their butts off throughout the entire game. The whole experience is pretty electric.

I've been a Blazer fan for a very, very long time and I'm sure always will be. However, I'd be lying if I said that watching them play these days doesn't make me sad. I miss the passion and the commitment that seemed to be a part of past Blazer teams. Frankly, I have to wonder if this lack of passion and commitment doesn't start with Paul Allen. His silence is deafening. No GM for all of this time. A head coach who is obviously struggling. A team that plays half heartedly. And all the while, no communication from Mr. Allen save that he's "not up for another re-building process". Well, how many of us really are? I'm sure we'd prefer that the team was stocked with all stars and had a coach that is bright and full of energy, new ideas, and most of all, enthusiasm. But, that's not what we've got. So, it's either re-build (I guess with a new owner if this one doesn't have the heart for it), or just keep limping along, mired in mediocrity.

Meanwhile, the first Timbers' game is next Monday night and I am really pumped for it. As for the Blazers, sadly I don't plan to go to another game this season. In terms of sheer thrills at a fairly decent price, the Timbers win hands down at this point. I can only hope that something great and good happens to the Blazers organization so that they will again be worth being passionate about...

Like many Blazer fans, I spend a lot of time thinking about the future of this franchise. The team seems to be stuck in a pretty bad place right now. An assemblage of talent that doesn't quite seem to fit. Players who like each other and seem to be good citizens, but who lack key leadership on the floor at crucial times. A team that's usually slow out of the gate and then gathers steam as the game goes on, only to fall a point or two short at the end. Coaching staff that doesn't seem to have the answers.

Listening to Paul Allen talk at his recent meeting with reports makes me wonder if his heart is still in owning this team. One of his comments really stuck with me: he said he still is committed to owning the team, but that he doesn't have the stomach for another re-building effort. So, just why, I wonder, hasn't he hired a GM for all of these months? Is he really that cheap? Somehow, I don't think so. Why else would you not hire a GM if you're truly committed to moving ahead and winning? One possibility, of course, is that the "right" guy simply isn't out there. But, since recent trade moves don't seem to have worked out for the team, one would think the guy we have (Chad B.) sure isn't the right guy and that would amp up the urgency to find someone who's at least better at the job if not the "right" guy. But, Apparently not.

I don't know about you, but it feels like the team is going sideways and backwards at the same time. Allen's lack of communication about the team doesn't help. Larry Miller is...I have no idea what he does. I'm no fan of Nate, but I have to wonder if even he knows what Allen's plans are and that must feel pretty un-settling. To me, Nate acts like someone who's just waiting to be fired, but no one can even make a decision to do that. Very unsettling for all concerned.

I've been a Blazer fan for a long time, and like many of us, suffered through the "Jail-Blazer" years, almost ready to jump ship for good. I guess the current situation's not as bad as that was, but someone, it this seems like just another version of hell for Blazer fans...

Jersey contest-wise. Maybe if we hadn't had a lock out and we could have gotten our typing fingers in shape. But we didn't. On top of that Nate (err-Dave) simply insists on playing us starters and refuses to put the subs in. So, I've got to do all of these myself. Doing the research for each game one after another is exhausting. Plus, I have a hard time getting up for some of these games. I seem to play the jersey game to the level of the competition which isn't all that great every night.

Well, at least I'm being well compensated for all of this effort-424 points and 200th place. Not bad for only 8 entries. Sometimes I just have mental lapses and forget the plays.

In the much bigger scheme of things, last night's game was a real bummer. One would have thought the Blazers would have pulled themselves together enough to beat a really crappy team and salvage a 3-3 road trip. But no. It seems this game meant a lot more to me than it did to them.

On a lighter note, I am wondering if Bedge management might be able to tweak the jersey contest entry form so that when one is entering one can't screw things up so that their points get properly credited to them? As it is, I would have the honor and distinction of being the second highest scorer among those who only remembered to enter 7 times in January IF all of my points went to the same user name. But no, since the form allows you to use different user names with the same e-mail address, I have points under one user name for 6 games and points under another one for 1 game. What happened is that for that one game (one, I think, that I entered via my iPad) the first letter of my username was capped when it shouldn't have been-one annoying aspect of the iPad. Seems that the form shouldn't allow one to sign in using different usernames with the same e-mail address, right?

Small potatoes, I realize, when compared to the Blazers' woes. BTW, I was looking at the schedule for remaining games and if we think a 6 game road trip was rough, it looks like they have a 7 gamer in March! And all I have to worry about is making sure I don't accidentally screw up my jersey contest entries 8>)!

Questions: IF our latest man-crush-object, Mr. J. Crawford, decides not to play for the Blazers and IF it's partly due to his not being particularly fond of Nate's style of play, and since Mr. B. Roy who seemingly WAS the only Blazer that liked Nate's style of play, and since Mr. B. Roy is now all but gone, and since the Blazers have changed just about everything about the team except the aforementioned Coach Nate, why is he still the coach?

Answer: I guess he fits the style of play of the only guy who counts: Mr. P. Allen.

The elephant(s) in the room....

In a response to the news of BRoy's apparent medical retirement, one poster said that they think Brandon's jersey should be retired. Frankly, my first reaction was "wait, not sure sure about that". Yes, he's been a great Blazer, but great enough to join the "greats" whose jerseys are currently hanging in the RG?

Looking at the list of Blazers who have been honored up to this point, I see there are 12 of them including original owner Larry Weinberg. The Celts have 23 and the Lakers 14. It looks like the Blazers are near the top in at least one NBA category: the number of jerseys hanging in the rafters (probably also at our near the top in terms of really bad luck injury-wise).

Here's who the Blazers have "hung up" so far:

Weinberg

13 Twardzik

14 Hollins

15 Steele

20 Lucas

22 Drexler

30 Porter

32 Walton

36 Neal

45 Petrie

77 Ramsay

Looking at this list, I now think that Brandon's probably got to be up there with the rest of these guys. What do you think?

Poll

Should Brandon Roy's jersey number be retired?

93%

Yes

296 votes

6%

No

19 votes

315 votes | Poll has closed

I just posted on Ben's piece about Paul Allen signing the latter along with nine other owners decrying the 50/50 split offer that Stern made to the players and that was rejected yesterday.  I also posted something a bit along this line in something called "where the owners went wrong" in an earlier fan post.

It's not secret that I favor the owners' position (the "hard liners'" in particular) over the players in this little drama.  Of course, I'd be even more hard line than the "hard liners".  I'd simply say to the players, "I'll pay you what I can afford to pay you and that I think you're worth based on your performance".  Absolutely none of this BRI business and the rest that clutters up the process.  The sign of way too many lawyers in the kitchen as far as I'm concerned.

Anyway, here's my question.  What if  (and that's a huge if at this point because even the hardest of hard liners, to my knowledge, haven't proposed this) the owners followed my path and said "every dime MY business generates is MINE and I'll pay you what I think you're worth"?  And then, what if the players started screaming and sniveling and said "no, a thousand times no.  You are horrible people and I won't play for you any more (you need to picture petulant, spoiled children with their arms crossed, pouting, and stamping the ground all at the same time-well they are, athletes after all and therefore  (capable of such dexterity)   And then, what if the owners said thusly:  "all righty then, you guys go find another way of making a living, form your own league, whatever, and we'll just hire us some players who would really appreciate the opportunity to play hard every night, be adored by fans, and make way more than what the average American can ever dream of making in their entire life times?"  

So, does anyone REALLY think that the players, if push came to shove, would then go out and form a league with the same busted business model that the current league has had?  I mean seriously.  One only needs to look as far as M. Jordan (never mind what one might think of him as a human being or as a former Blazer killer) to see what how a player turned owner sees the world much differently now than they probably did before.  

I don't.  In fact, I think the players- turned- owners would make the current owners look like Santa Claus.  It's not nearly as much fun to be in a "players' league" if that would mean having to take all of the risks that the owners do AND guarantee players salaries no matter how well the league does or how well players perform.  Funny how things work that way.

What do YOU think? 

Everyone throws around "BRI" as if we all understand just what it includes.  I finally decided to Google BRI tonight and up comes Larry Coons' NBA Salary Cap FAQ (http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#Q13).  When you look at the long list of everything that's included in BRI, it becomes obvious where the owners went astray somewhere along the line:  they basically made the players co-owners of their teams.  Not necessarily a great business move as far as I'm concerned. 

Now what we have is a squabble between "co-owners" of these teams over how much of the pie (BRI) they're going to split.  Seems to me, what the owners SHOULD have gone for is to throw this whole BRI sharing business out rather than fight over what percentage split both sides get.  What they should have done was simply say:  from now on, we're going to pay each of you what we think you're worth.  Period.  LMA, you're going to get $10 million, or whatever.  BROY, you're going to get $8 million, and so on.  Furthermore, I'm going to employ you as long as you perform up to what we agreed to when we signed the contract.  No such things as guaranteed contracts.  Every game and every season is a "contract" game or season.  You know, sort of like it is in the real world.  With something like that, I would actually begin to relate to NBA players again.  Winning and losing might actually start to mean something again.  

I can dream, can't I?

Seems that the good old Rose Garden might have fewer "live" dates this year with the NBA's contract problems not close to being resolved, or so we hear.  I people I feel most sorry for aren't the fans, the players, or the management.  It's the folks who toil away at the Rose Garden serving food, bartending, cleaning the joint up, ushering, guarding,  attending the parking lot, etc.  They're the ones who most likely will be hurt the most by ANY loss of income.  Most of these folks, I suspect, aren't working at these jobs just for fun.  They really need the money to support themselves and their families.

So, here's my lame idea of the day:  how about if good old Paul Allen would work his magic to bring in one or two exhibition hockey games over the next year?  Would that even be possible?  I suppose the schedule for the exhibition season for the NHL was long ago set, but they again, I've heard rumors that the NHL would LOVE to have Paul Allen as own of their team owners.  Maybe, just maybe, something to be done to make something like this happen.  Other than giving a lot of people a couple of extra paychecks, I'd love to see the NHL in Portland and showcasing the game via a couple of exhibitions mights be a pretty cool thing.

What do you all think? 

My son and I are going to the Griz v Blazers game Tuesday.  When we bought tickets to this weeks ago, I didn't think much about the meaning of this game.  Now, things get interesting!

While I'm NOT one of those that celebrate just getting into the playoffs, I'm glad we'll have SOMETHING to cheer about in this one (maybe two sport counting the Timbers?) town.  After all, there's no pro baseball in Pdx (thanks for nothing, city "leaders"...) 

I'm also not one who hopes we'll play the Mavs.  I think it's bad karma to care about  playing against a particular team.  It seems to come back to bite you.  Just witness the embarrassing Blazer rally in Pioneer Square a couple of years ago when people were so giddy about playing Houston.  We all know how that turned out...

Speaking of Gerald Wallace, I can't remember a trade that brought a player to Pdx that made as big an impact as he has-other than #20.  RIP Luke!

DJ recently posted on his blog about a study authored by someone named Griffin that, according to Jaynes, PROVES that Tim Donaghy (ruined former NBA ref. who bet on NBA games) was wrong about his allegations that the NBA and it's refs are crooked and basically fix games so that the teams they want to win do, in fact, win.  

The following is the response to Jaynes' post.  I'd appreciate hearing what your reaction to this is.

 

I haven't read Griffin's study, but I HAVE read everything that was in the links you posted as well as the links Griffin included in his blog posts.  I don't see anything there that refutes Donaghy's claims that other NBA refs have biases against certain NBA teams, that those biases have in fact altered the outcomes of games, or that the NBA has in fact directed that the refs. officiate certain games in a way that alters the outcome of those games.

 

The central issue here isn't whether Donaghy is a pathological gambler, a liar, or a crook.  Obviously, he's all of these things.  The issue for the NBA and we fans is whether the NBA is on the up and up, or whether it's really more like pro wrestling or roller derby.  

 

Clearly, Donaghy is a liar and a crook.  However, assuming, therefore, that he's entirely wrong about what he's accused the NBA of could be a big mistake.  Don't give the NBA a pass because of Griffin's study!  Where there is smoke, there is fire.  Bank on it!

 

I've read so much negative stuff about "The Vulcans" over the past several months on BE that I finally decided this

morning to actually do a little low level research on them using my favorite tool, a Google search.

 

The picture I had in my mind going into this is a group of shadowy, faceless creatures that reside somewhere

around Seattle.  Vulcan sounds a lot like Vampire or maybe Vulture (why is it that these "v words" all sound so

sinister?

 

The Vulcans have been credited with being cold, blood thirsty  creatures who love to torture KP, fire assistant

coaches on a whim, will end up firing Nate sooner or later, only consider the bottom line, and generally suck the

soul out of the Blazer franchise.  Most of us don't know anything about the Vulcans, but many assume they are evil

doers-just because SOMEONE must be!

 

So, full of trepidation, this intrepid cub reporter asked Google "who are The Vulcans"?  What came up was George

Bush's war cabinet and "fictional extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek universe who evolved on the

planet Vulcan".   Not being much of a Trekkie myself, this latter description may help explain why the Blazers'

Vulcans are seen in the light they are.

 

Yet, I had a feeling that these definitions were not what I was after.  So, back to good old Google again.  This time I

asked "who are Paul Allen's Vulcans"?  Bingo.  What came up this time seemed more promising.

 

Vulcan (not The Vulcans) has a web site at www.vulcan.com .  Perhaps not surprisingly for an outfit connected with

Paul Allen, the web site is pretty cool with lots of good video including a picture of the Rose Garden.  At the top of the

web site it says this:

 

WELCOME TO VULCAN INC.

Vulcan creates and advances a variety of world-class endeavors and high impact initiatives that change and

improve the way we live, learn, do business, and experience the world.

 

Sounds interesting (and safe) enough, at least so far.

By clicking on the About Us tab  it says:

 

Leadership

Vulcan's leadership is a diverse group of individuals, bringing their broad expertise, foresight and verve to our

endeavors. Our organization's collaborative approach to everything we do fosters high levels of achievement

within the Vulcan community, starting with senior management. They champion and support talent, model our

company values, and spur the creative thinking and teamwork that makes our mission and vision achievable.

 

Sounds like what we'd like for our Blazers, doesn't it?

One more click on the Leadership tab and up comes what must really be "The Vulcans"!  Here they are:

http://www.vulcan.com/TemplateGeneric.aspx?contentId=92

Some even come with pictures!

 

Reading through each Vulcan's bio doesn't immediately reveal any basketball expertise, let alone anything that

sounds like an evil doer.  However, these creatures are crafty and they probably wouldn't print anything incriminating

(did you ever happen to visit Blackwater's web site?)

 

I don't know what conclusion to draw from this little fact finding journey.  But I do know that I like to be at least a little

knowledgeable about people before I start laying some pretty nasty labels on them.  On the surface, it wouldn't

appear that any of these Vulcans (save Paul Allen and maybe his sister) would have much interest in who the

Blazers have as assistant coaches or even for that matter, as the head coach.  Or, even who is the GM.  

 

Maybe it's the "Hat Guy" after all....  Time for another Google search!

 

  

I just read all of the post on Spurstalk.com  It's very interesting hearing the perspective of the fans of another team.

Posters started out brimming with confidence that the Spurs would easily defeat the short handed Blazers.  Confidence soared even higher as word came out that Roy wouldn't be playing.

Things started to get ugly as the game went on.  Spurs fans wrote in shock about how well the Blazers (especially Bayless and Howard) were playing.  Shock turned to increasing anger toward the refs. , the Spurs, and Popovich, in particular.

Interestingly, many posts were actually very positive about the Blazers and how much heart they were playing with in light of all of the injuries the team has had.  

Toward the end of the game, most posts simply complained about how lousy the Spurs are against +.500 hundred teams, ripped Manu and Parker, and even said the the Spurs' time has passed because the league is too fast and long for the way the Spurs were designed to play.

There was a brief, half hearted glow of hope when the Spurs pulled close at the end, then resignation that the Blazers had done what Spurs fans was impossible-beat them!

One thing that really jumps out at you when you read the Spurs forum is just how much swearing many posters do.  So much different than Blazersedge!

Maybe I've missed something, but is there going to be a jersey contest this year?  I didn't start playing last year until a bunch of games had already been played and by then I was too far behind to catch up.  I don't want to make the same mistake again this year.   

 

Regarding last night's game.  I thought the Blazers looked pretty good considering how they played during the pre-season.

The most recent issue of Sporting New magazine has an article by Gail Goodrich (former college and NBA star) listing the top 50 coaches in major league and college baseball, football and basketball.  I was somewhat surprised that Jack Ramsay wasn't on the list.  According to Wikipedia, Ramsay's record as a pro coach was .864-783 (.525), was elected to the basketball hall of fame in 1992, and, of course, won the NBA championship with the Blazers in 1976-77.  Maybe he didn't win enough NBA titles to get onto the top 50 list (at least in Goodrich's opinion). 

Four NBA coaches did make it on the list.  Can you guess who they were?

Can you guess who was rated as the #1 coach (in college and pro sports)?

Who were the top 5 coaches on the list?

Has anyone been who's been watching Blazers Courtside tonight noticed something seems "off" with Mike Rice?  He makes some off the wall comments, and it seems like he and Antonio Harvey are on the verge of getting in a fight.  I don't think it's acting-it seems like they really don't like each other.  He also seems on the verge of harrassing Rebecca Harlow.  Mike B. has been stepping in to keep Rice from saying really crazy stuff.

 

What's going on here?