It wasn't that long ago that rumors of CP3 to Portland were rustling about. It seems like it's been weeks since we've had constant breaking news updates from J Quick on the Game telling us about this rumor or that. That kind of stuff keeps my Blazer fire lit this time of year, and I feel like since KP has been gone we've heard nothing.

* Sidenote: That tells me enough as it as (i.e., KP was feeding J Quick information).

Anyway, the point of this thread is that if I'm being honest with myself, I've given in to the fact that no major trades will happen for the Blazers this year. There will be no sign and trade for Chris Bosh, no trade for Chris Paul, no creative three team deals or any other way of us getting better. I'm afraid we'll be going in to next season with the same roster we have now. They're good, and they are alone enough to be excited about (IF HEALTHY), but the local media had me so hyped up that it was guaranteed the Blazers would make a big deal this summer that I just feel deflated. I know summer is far from over, but lets be real here, it just doesn't FEEL like anything is going to happen. To be clear, I don't think that's because KP is gone because let's be honest, he wasn't wheeling and dealing for any blockbuster trades either.

I really hope I'm wrong. I am grateful for the team we have and I know they'll compete, but this current roster is not a championship contender and I feel like our window closed before it was even opened (to paraphrase Brian "Buzzkill" Berger).

Sorry I couldn't figure out how to put a poll in the FanShots. I know this isn't Blazer related in the least, but this is obviously the 2nd biggest story in the news these days, and I'm sure most of us have an opinion. Personally, I'm totally with Conan, and if I didn't love The Office would actually boycott NBC over this fiasco. I don't feel Conan was given enough time to establish himself as the Tonight Show host. He'll be funny wherever he goes, and Jay will always be a d-bag in my mind. That being said, where do you all stand on ths?

Take off the rose colored glasses and answer this question honestly. Knowing what we now know, seeing what we've seen, and given our current lineup, if you could go back in time would you really take Oden over Durant? I'm on the fence about this now. There is something about the passion and fire that Durant played with that made me very, very, very envious. His fluidity, quickness and size leave him virtually unguardable. I don't know guys, Odens lack of consistency at this point is starting to get worrisome, but what really bugs me is what was talked about before the draft; does his passion for the game measure up to Durants? I don't know, I know this is a serious loss hangover and I don't know if I'd be writing this had we won no matter how Ophone played. I do know this. A starting lineup of Pryz, LMA, Durant, Roy, and Blake seems like it would do pretty damn well. 

So how long will it be until we get our first excellent 20 pt, 10 rbnd, 5 blk game from the big guy? I'm not saying I expect it tonight, but looking at his improvement from the Miami game to the NO game, I have to say I wouldn't be surprised. I am certainly one of those people who said that we need to wait 2-3 months to see the real Oden, but readily admit my disappointment in the Oden situation up to this point ("this point" pretty much being before yesterdays game). I am not a moron, and I know that it will take time for him to get into shape. But what we all saw last night was a man that played through fatigue, and still gave tremendous rebounding and blocked shot efforts until taken out of the game. Obviously this is the second of a back to back, so reality tells me he won't have an explosive game tonight. HOWEVER; something tells me theres a fire brewing inside the big man and that he's gaining confidence very quickly. Who's gonna box him out tonight? There's no Tyson Chandler out there to compete with him. I know Jefferson is 6-10, averages over 10 rebounds a game (8 of them defensive), but I get the feeling that Oden, with energy, can have his way with him when it comes to rebounds and put backs. So, will we get our first monumental performance from Oden tonight? Let me also say, I in NOW WAY am using that stat line as a measuring stick for Oden. If it doesn't happen all year it won't necessarily mean he isn't progressing and improving. I just know that I, along with everyone else, will enjoy the hell out of the game that that happens, and we all know it will eventually happen!

So my sister (twiggs) got all bent out of shape tonight because I was pissed. I was pissed that Greg freaking Oden couldn't make it through his first NBA game without being injured. God darn it I'm pissed about this. Anyway, I told her it was going to happen. The GO vs KD talk would be re stoked immediately. So, no funny stuff. Simply put. Knowing what we know know about GO, would you re do the draft? Keep in mind, I'm not sayin Oden was a mistake. But not making it through his first NBA game, after missing his first entire NBA season, is FREAKING SCARY. And if you don't agree, you're being a homer plain and simple. Given their plus sides, I take Oden any day of the week. Given Oden's fragileity (word?), I'm starting to wonder...

This is potentially pretty lame. The only way this scenario could play out any worse is if we actually were the potential 10th game back instead of 11th (if he get's signed that is). I suppose if Danny Ainge really did want to stick it to us for getting Roy and winning the Oden lottery, he could quite literally hold him out one of those games so we are in fact the 10th and deciding game that sticks the preverbial nail in the coffin of our cap space. I'm not too worried about it because I honestly still don't think he'll make the team, but I'm just sayin... ... .. ... .. ... ... ... ... ...

"As it is, if Miles makes the Celtics (who have 16 players in camp, with Miles and Sam Cassell the only ones with non-guaranteed contracts), he would be ineligible to suit up until Boston's 11th game, Nov. 15 at Milwaukee. If Miles were to play in that game and eight of the next nine, he'd have an opportunity to both seek revenge against his old team and kill two-thirds of their cap space for next summer if he steps onto the court for what would be his 10th game, Dec. 5 when Portland travels to Boston."

 read this

I'm not a big fan of the Chinese Government. To put it bluntly, I think they're downright creepy. The Chinese people seem wonderful, and I harbor no ill will towards them. I found it very heartwarming that they were cheering so publicly for Michael Phelps to win his 8th. Anyway, I digress. I'm really creeped out by the facade they try to project on us (the rest of the world). This is a great ESPN article which lists out some of the things that they have done to project a "Perfect" image of China to the rest of the world during these games. The even creepier thing to me is that they don't try to hide it. That/s so wierd. They're like, "Yeah, we had the cuter girl lyp sync while the ugly one sang because it's not good for China and it's people for the world to see an ugly Chinese girl"... I'm not saying lip syncing doesn't happen here in the states (though I DESPISE, ABSOLUTELY DESPISE lip syncing). It's just wierd to me  because we all know the truth of every thing they're trying to hide, yet they still hide it all... And we never would have cared in the first place.

Read this now!

I'm so confused. I keep reading differing views on the D Miles situation. The assumption all along is that if he comes back and actually plays in more than 10 games in either of the next two seasons, that IT WILL COUNT AGAINST THE CAP. However, this article quotes otherwise..."As we've reported in The Oregonian and this blog, if Miles plays in 10 games during either of the next two seasons, the remaining $18 million on his six-year, $48-million contract would go back on the Blazers' books. The team is responsible for paying Miles, but it will not count against the salary cap because an independent doctor deemed his right knee injury career ending"... Either the Oregonian is wrong, or we're wrong. OBVIOUSLY if it doesn't count against the cap, then who cares if the Blazers have to SPAM, I doubt he does. However, if it does, then all of our worst fears look like they're about to come true.

So originally I was simply going to post this in the new "Junk Drawer" thread, but then determined it warranted more discussion.

Today is my first day back to working out in awhile. I've always struggled with my weight. I feel like Sisyphus in this regard. I always try to get skinny, and a couple times have almost made it, but then gain weight again. Now, I'm not like morbidly obese. I seem to always hover around 30 lbs overweight. This is due to a few factors. 1.) I likey to drinky. Now that I have a baby I'm obviously not going out anymore, but still during the summer it's soooo hard to resist the beer. 2.) my eating habits suck. I love cheese. 3.) I don't exercise. My job doesn't require me to do anything physical, and I can't go to the gym when I get home from work anymore because I need to help watch the baby.

So, now I'm doing the dreaded "getting up earlier to go to the gym" thing that I haven't had to do in years. I was wondering if there is anyone else here that has gone through weight loss and succeeded? What worked for you.

Also, for any gym rats, what keeps you motivated. Any good websites or books with exercise tips and techniques?

Please don't post anything like "hey, don't eat cheese or drink beer anymore and you'll lose weight!"... Duh. I know "what" I need to do, but I'm just looking for peoples advice who have done it on "how" they stayed motivated and succeeded. Thanks!

Did KP call you and tell you to remove it??? If so, that's even crazier. WTF?

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It seems that we all post a heck of a lot more than the other SB Nation NBA blogs. To the point where you're getting national recognition on ESPN (Dave's famous, I want royalties!!!)... Do you get any stats, or are you able to see how many posts/comments we average a day compared to the other sites? I'd be curious to know, I'm sure all the other faithfuls would as well. I don't know if it makes us look really nerdy time wasters, or really super duper devoted fans, but either way I'd love to know!

What are your thoughts on this? Personally, I think that though they still had to earn the championship by making it out of all the series, I still feel that they purchased this championship as much as an NBA championship can be purchased. Anything short of a championship would have been considered a complete failure. It is ironic though that both teams A.) had a star that stated he wanted to leave if not given better team mates  and B.) were the beneficiary of completely absurd and lopsided trades that can only further the conspiracy theories of the NBA. Either way I feel we were all screwed this year and I can't wait until next season starts.

sorry to post another diary when I have one a few down, but this is something I've been dying to bring up. Does anyone else think Pau is seriously overrated? The only person I've seen turn the ball over that much is Jarrett Jack. Seriously, he can't hang on to a pass unless it's handed to him, he seems like he has Pryzbilla hands!

Also, he is ESS OH EFF TEE==== SOFT, pretty much like Dirk light. I have learned that I'm not even scurred of the L*kers anymore, ODEN WILL DOMINATE THEM.

Plus, that beard is ridiculously ugly on him, he is one ugly dude.

So it's starting to look more and more like Shaq is the Jordan to Kobe's Pippen. Tonight was literally the biggest playoff choke job in NBA history, and unless more history is made by LA coming back from 1-3, Boston is going to win the championship. That makes me angry because I hate boston. Do you think that the Lakers, sans Bryant, are purposely losing to spite Bryant due to what we've heard of him being a jerk off teammate?

So, our baby is now 2 weeks old and what a difference! She only gets up a couple times a night now and is good about going to bed. I thought I was going to lose my mind the first week, but it's way better now.

Biggest problem now is that I'M BORED OUT OF MY SKULL!!! I'm spending so much time online that my wife disses on me everytime I pick up my laptop. Plus, i pretty much only go to Blazersedge, myspace, espn, oregonlive.com/blazers, foxnews and cnn. you can only visit the same websites so many times in one day before you want to perform minor surgery on yourself with a dull pencil.

i'm so bored that I actually spent 20 minutes this morning "unrecommending" a fanpost just to get it to over -400 recs.

my wife's too scared to take our daughter to any crowded public places this soon, and due to a few complications she had she can't really even go for walks right now. Plus the weather sucks anyway most the time.

I don't go back to work until next Monday so I have another week of this. I haven't been playing video games, maybe I need to start playing GT4 again. anyway, use this post for random thoughts, conversations, whatev.

What are you guys doing for fun these days? What websites to you recommend for fun (non adult please!)... i'm sooooo bored

please everyone recommend this so it's in the favorites, that makes me so happy!

on posts on the main page, it will show how many comments, how many new comments, and how many "rec"s... I'm probably missing something completely obvious, but I'm just drunk enough right now to ask...

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So my wife just gave to our first child, a girl, Sunday May 25th at 12:38 pm. Super exciting stuff for sure! That being said, I'm off work for 3 weeks and am already completely bored off my rocker and there isn't much going on with Blazers stuff right now so every time I come to the sight (these days usually at least once an hour!), I'm disappointed that there's nothing terribly exciting to talk about. Not that it's anyone's fault, there's just nothing to talk about right now. Whoopee, "who will we pick 13th"... "Which journeyman veteran pg will we end up trading for"... blah blah blah - pales in comparison to the discussions we were having this time last year.

also, my daughter refuses to sleep at night at this point, so I'm not even getting any sleep at night. I'm not talking only getting 2-3 hours at a time between my wife feeding her, I would love that. I mean like, if you don't hold her, she screams until you pick her up! Serves me right for putting my mom through hell during my teenage years by being out all night doing all sorts of unmentionable things! Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I love my daughter more than anything. It’s just that I'm just now getting used to not sleeping!  Anyway, this post is pretty much just me venting what's on my mind at this moment, feel free to post your random OT stuff here as comments, would love to hear what y'all have going on in your lives right now!

After last nights game between LA and Utah, I realized something, and I thought this place, though it might produce the harshest of responses, is the best place for me to confess this most deadly of sins. I'm rooting for the L**kers to win it all this year.

There, I said it! It feels kind of good to get it off my chest. Now, that being said, let me give you my reasoning so you at least know where I'm coming from. Keep in mind this is just my opinion, and I'm not pretending that I have some amazing reasons for rooting against the below teams, it's simply based of emotion and opinion.

Why I'm not rooting for:

Spurs: Can't stand their flopping and whining. I also think that they are pretty boring to watch, and they encompass a lot of what I don't like about the NBA sometimes (again, with the flopping, whining, and crying). Finally, I have a sick desire to NOT see them win 2 championships in a row for some reason.

Hornets: Sorry, I know that this is probably the most popular choice for people this year, especially Blazer fans, but I just don't like them either. Pretty much I'm the guy who roots against the team everyone else roots for, and that's my reason! Plus, I KNOW that they are going to be a thorn in our sides for the foreseeable future, so I'm just getting used to hating them now.

Pistons: Yeah, so, I pretty much root against Rasheed Wallace, so that's why I don't root for the Pistons. We could debate this all day, but the fact of the matter is that Rasheed represents everything about the previous crop of Blazers that turned everyone off. I still rooted for our team no matter what, but was so glad to see him go. I don't need to list all of the reasons for rooting against him, either you agree with me or you don't.

Cavs: When it comes to the Eastern Conference playoffs right now, this is the team that I am rooting for. Mostly because I hate the Celtics so much. If it came to a L**ers VS Cavs Finals, I would be rooting for the L**ers over the Cavs because of the reasons I want to see the L**rs win, not because I'm rooting AGAINST the Cavs. When it comes to the Celts or Pistons, I'm not only rooting for the L**rs, but AGAINST the Celts or Pistons. Make sense?

Celtics: It's wierd. Before this year, I never had a problem with KG. I respected his talent, and sort of felt bad for him that he was surrounded by scrubs for so long. Then, we played the Celtics in Boston. His tough guy attitude, and the way he tried to intimidate our team (though it obviously worked), really turned me off. Also, I'd rather see a team who has been built from the ground up win than one that was manufactured over one summer by aquiring TWO all star/hall of famers.

Why I am rooting for the Lakers:

My mom and I argue about this all the time. She says she'd never like Kobe, even if he was a Blazer from the start. I say this is complete hogwash. If Kobe spent his entire career in Portland, she would root for him. We also have the same argument about Shaq by the way. She's wearing blinders in my opinion, and so is anyone who says they would never have rooted for either of those guys had they worn our beloved uniform. Hell, we rooted for BONZI, RASHEED, RUBEN, and ZACH.

Back to my main point. I happen to think that Kobe, looking from an unbiased point of view, is one of the most amazing ballers to play the game. He is CLUTCH. Just from a bball fan's point of view, he's entertaining to watch. Also, I love how he was ready to bolt on this team, then had to suck it up and stay, and then eat his words, which he has done. He has pointed out on numerous occasions that his team is to get credit for the success, and has shown it in his play. This team really has been built from the ground up since Shaq left, and has obviously come together at the right time.

I also would love to see him get a ring without Shaq.

I like Lamar Odom a lot

I also like Derek Fisher

*DISCLAIMER

These opinions are valid only for the 2008 Playoffs. Once the 08/09 season starts, my undying hatred for L**ers will continue as I'm fully aware that they will be standing in the way of our success for many years to come. By the way, go figure that every time we become an awesome team, we have to get by them to succeed. That is annoying!

Pretty cool quick article with B Roy in Mens Health.  Nothing special per say, but really nice to see some more national exposure. Always nice to stay on peoples radars I suppose. Enjoy!

 http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=fitness&category=sports&conitem=ee52dab131e49110VgnVCM20000012281eac____

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So after watching  basketball all freaking day today (i love playoff ball), I've come to the determination that I hate FLOPPING!!! And who does it more than anyone? TIM DUNCAN and DIRK NOWITSKY... these guys are seriously ridiculous. I think Nowitsky takes the cake. If you are watching the Dallas NO game, and say him fly like 5 feet in the air after Tyson Chandler sort of pushed him, it was such a joke. It makes them look like the biggest wussesWho do you think is worse at this, Dirky or Timmy? By the way, I also hate how a.) they complain about every single call, and b.) they think they're fouled every time they shoot.

Does anyone have video from the last minute or two of the game when Nate was pulling guys to standing ovations? I really want to show my wife and accidentally deleted the game on DVR...

Does anyone have video from the last minute or two of the game when Nate was pulling guys to standing ovations? I really want to show my wife and accidentally deleted the game on DVR...

Does anyone have video from the last minute or two of the game when Nate was pulling guys to standing ovations? I really want to show my wife and accidentally deleted the game on DVR...

So a couple weeks ago I posted this diary with 5 games to go http://www.blazersedge.com/2008/4/6/22542/86443. I was sure at that time, with Brandon out with his groing injury (at the time we were told probably for the season), that we would most definitely end the season below .500. I was sure we would lose to Dallas, LA, and Phoenix. I asked if this was a disappointing end to the season. 66% of us jumped the gun and voted yes. Some of you said to not count them out yet, and you were right. Obviously, with Roy coming back and playing this changed the fate of our season and sent us off with a bang! However, I want to say that I am extremely sorry to everyone for that post. We do have one more game, but last night might as well have been the last of the season because you couldn't have painted a more beautiful picture than that. The feeling of excitement, hope, and anticipation for next year runs through all of our veins and this team has given us something so amazing to cheer for!

I never should have written that post because now, I couldn't think of a better way to end the season given the fact that we can't make the playoffs. Cheers to the team, and to all of us who have suffered over the years only to hope for something this great. We are going to see an amazing year next year and beyond, let's all enjoy this summer and rest our lungs for the extremely loud cheering we will be doing next year!

All this talk about the Odom flagrant foul has me wanting to bring something up I've had in the back of my mind for a long time... I think Roy is either WAY TOO DRAMATIC, or is kind of a sissy compared to other players... This only came to mind after watching almost every game this year, only to have my wife comment at least once a game "geez, he sure get's hurt a lot" after every time he'd get knocked down and roll around on the floor for an extended period of time.

Now, personally, I don't think he's a sissy, I actually think he's too dramatic. I honestly think that at least half the time he's laying on the ground wincing after a foul, he's just trying to sell the drama. What do you guys think? Please vote and comment!

so, with all the progress made this season, do you feel that the end is a huge let down? The fact that we are now below .500 with 5 games to go and will almost certainly lose at least 3 of them (Lakers, Dallas, Phoenix) says we will most certainly end the season below .500. Personally, I totally think this ending is a big fat let down!

Let me be clear, I'm not saying THE SEASON is a letdown, because it wasn't at all. I just wish the season would have ended differently than Pryz being out for the remainder, Martell probably out for the remainder, Brandon barely making it back from an injury, and James Jones not making a brick into the ocean. Can't wait till next year though!!!

All right, it's not quite over yet, but pretty much. So what will everyone do this summer to pass the time? I'm not too concerned with the draft, because I have a feeling we will be trading whatever lottery pick we get for some veteran leadership at PG, so I'm not following that as intensely... I will be killing the time with a new baby girl, which is due to come May 21st. That will make the painful non existence of the Blazers during the summer go by quickly for me! How about everyone else?

I for one am getting burned out on the Blazers not coming to play for 48 minutes. It's killing me, and I know it's killing Nate. Obviously, it must be the age/inexperience factor, but it's just hard to watch sometimes. I know a lot of people are stoked that they almost came back tonight, but I'm wondering why the hell they didn't play with that much heart the first half so we didn't have to come back from 24 down??? I'm just ranting, so don't question my devotion or whatever, but I'm just venting because I don't know how many half baked efforts I can stomach this year.