SBNation.com User Blog: retrobills

Friends, Romans, countrymen.. lend me your Blazer mock drafts!

retrobills — Thu, 09 May 2013 04:36:29 -0000

Hey ladies and germs! What does your mock draft bring in? What players will don the red, white and black? Do you keep all the picks? Do you trade them to move down? What holes will you fill, and what holes are left to address in FA? Here's mine: #10: Shabazz Muhammad, SG/SF I think this is the perfect fit. He may be smallish for a 3 but we need scoring off the bench and a credible first man behind Nic (sorry, Victor; you ain't it). If we don't resign EWill, this makes even more sense. (Blazers trade their first 2 second round picks and move up to get:) #29: Jeff Withey, C The defensive threat that Meyers currently is not. His offense isn't great but hey, maybe he can learn some offense from Meyers, and Meyers can learn a little defense from Withey. The center crop is not overly impressive this year, so no harm in getting some after the first pick. Get Jermaine O'Neal and I'm okay with these 3 at the 5. (Last pick) #45: Richard Howell, PF Good, strong rebounding machine who also shot 57%. 6'8 and almost 260? Yes sir! What have you got for me?

How many more years, at this point, do you think we continue to miss the playoffs?

retrobills — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 22:36:23 -0000

Yes, it's early and the draft hasn't even happened yet at this point, and we may still sign some veteran players to fill some holes in the roster. And later down the road when one or more of these events has happened, you may update your stance on this topic. At current though, I feel we are still 2-3 years away. Hell, we may hit jackpot on each pick in the 2013 draft, but I doubt it. I see whatever guard we have filling Levitre's spot taking some time to grow into the position, and for whatever picks we end up getting there will be some time needed for the ol' "learning curve". I feel the playoffs are around the corner.. we just need to continue to be patient. Ugh.. How far off do YOU think we are? And if you like, come back and update your opinion when we sign more FAs or the draft passes.

If you were a player for the Blazers, what would you want your jersey # to be?

retrobills — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 02:26:55 -0000

Lets' say you were somehow acquired by the Blazers.. via trade, being drafted, or they were so utterly decimated by injuries they picked people off the street to fill out their roster. It wouldn't matter if you actually played, just so long as you got your own jersey. What would you want your number to be? And why? Does it represent a number you had in high school or college? Is it just your lucky number? A lotto/Keno number? The number can be from #00 to #99. Me personally, I'll take any number that has not been used. I can't remember right away which all that is but I think 36 and 38 have not been used, nor has anything from 56-99, with the exception of 83 and 88. Lay it on me!

My first Blazers mock draft.

retrobills — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:29:28 -0000

I say we get the #12 pick from Charlotte, as Dallas passes us in the standings. With it the Blazers select: KELLY OLYNYK, 7'0 C Gonzaga A decent enough, but not great, center that can rebound and score. Will likely start right away over Leonard. Assuming we can keep Hickson, this will give us the luxury to put him at his natural position, which is at the 4 as a valuable backup to LMA. Round 2 picks: CORY JEFFERSON, 6'9 PF Baylor Good, big body whose rebounds, scoring and blocks all rose dramatically this year. Will definitely help improve the team's defensive deficiencies. ANDRE ROBERSON, 6'7 SF Colorado A great rebounder, maybe not a great shooter or scorer. But as we all know, rebounding can definitely mean the difference in games. Can fight with Claver for minutes behind Nic, seeing as Babbitt will probably be gone. That's my draft.. obviously there are other needs too but I think this would be an okay draft. This is my first draft, so please try not to be too mean. :) What do you think?

Dreams you've had involving the Trailblazers!

retrobills — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 23:56:45 -0000

Hey folks! What dreams have you had involving the Trailblazers? It can be about past or present players, dreaming about you starring on the team, hitting a game-winning shot, winning the championship, etc. Whatever so long as it's Blazer-related. I pose this because I had a dream recently.. I was scouring all possible sources to try to find more Blazers Buzzer-beating victories (not really sure if I've missed any), and in the dream I found out that Bill Schonely himself was credited with a buzzer-beating 3 to beat the Celtics! The ball had gone out of bounds with the time running out and Schonz (at the play-by-play table) caught the ball and launched a 3 that swished as time ran out. The refs didn't see that the ball had simply gone out of bounds; they simply assumed (bizarrely) that Schonz was a player! (well, he does have a #70 jersey) With the advent of instant replay reviews still a ways off, I believe, the refs just let it go, and the basket was credited to Schonely! Pretty odd dream, huh? What weird/cool/interesting/dumb/whatever ones do you have for me?

Does it strike anyone else as odd that NO mock draft shows us getting the Charlotte pick?

retrobills — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 23:21:23 -0000

I just thought it was kind of strange that of the 100 or so NBA mock drafts I've looked at, NONE of them show us getting the Charlotte pick and picking in the top 12. If Dallas passes us it is very possible, and Dallas is just a half game back. I think our remaining schedule is tougher than Dallas'. What do you guys think? And does it strike you guys as odd? Chime in!

Let's say we get Charlotte's top 12-protected pick. Who would you like to fall to us?

retrobills — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 06:06:40 -0000

The Charlotte Bobcats have the rights to the Blazers' first round pick this year.. as long as we aren't picking at #12 or higher. If we should happen to continue our losing ways and the Lakers and Dallas pass us up (and maybe a couple other teams as well), and we pick from the top 12, who would you like to get? What position should we try to fill? My choice: Alex Len, Maryland center. To me he seems to have the most NBA-ready body among the true 5s. I feel he'll fit right in for us. Instant defense is something this team clearly lacks. Getting Len would be a step in the right direction. Who would you like to see us get?

What's your Super Bowl munchies gonna be?

retrobills — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:51:12 -0000

What kind of spread (not point differential or anything, but food-wise) are you prepping for the big game Sunday? Me: My mom and I are plopping in front of the big tv and chowing down on Chinese take-out. General Tso's chicken, Mandarin Beef, Chow Mein, Green Pepper Steak, Won Ton Soup, Pork Noodles, etc. TONS of food, so tasty leftovers will be guaranteed. I don't care for either team, so I can at least eat and be happy. What are you guys planning?

What would YOU do with the bench this season/postseason? Who would you drop/keep?

retrobills — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 19:24:45 -0000

I elect to bring aboard an UFA for backup point guard, drop Smith and keep Price as the 3rd option. Maybe Mike Bibby?
I think SG is okay.
Having Luke as the first option behind Nic is a big mistake. I elect to turn to the draft to fix this. Neither Sasha nor Claver float my boat here.
PF should have Hickson be the first option behind LMA (JJ's natural position). Let's pick up a decent PF through FA. Not certain what all's out there at present.
As for center I don't see Meyers being starter material yet but it's a long season, he may start to "get it" and take over the spot permanently, so Hickson can play PF behind LMA. If Meyers can't cut it starting at the 5, I say we take a big man with our first pick so he and Meyers can "duke it out" for the starting role.

What do you guys think should be done with the bench? I haven't got a list of the FAs in front of me so I don't have the best grasp of who we could replace the less desirable bench players with.

Fire away!

Okay, let's look at the bench: PG Nolan Smith PG Ronnie Price SG Elliot Williams SG Will Barton SF Luke Babbitt SF Victor Claver SF Sasha Pavlovic PF Jared Jeffries PF/C Joel Freeland C Meyers Leonard I elect to bring aboard an UFA for backup point guard, drop Smith and keep Price as the 3rd option. Maybe Mike Bibby? I think SG is okay. Having Luke as the first option behind Nic is a big mistake. I elect to turn to the draft to fix this. Neither Sasha nor Claver float my boat here. PF should have Hickson be the first option behind LMA (JJ's natural position). Let's pick up a decent PF through FA. Not certain what all's out there at present. As for center I don't see Meyers being starter material yet but it's a long season, he may start to "get it" and take over the spot permanently, so Hickson can play PF behind LMA. If Meyers can't cut it starting at the 5, I say we take a big man with our first pick so he and Meyers can "duke it out" for the starting role. What do you guys think should be done with the bench? I haven't got a list of the FAs in front of me so I don't have the best grasp of who we could replace the less desirable bench players with. Fire away!

What was the worst NFL call you ever saw (doesn't have to involve Buffalo)?

retrobills — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 04:21:56 -0000

I just saw mine. Green Bay was so robbed. Any team that gets 8 sacks in one half really should win the game but Seattle was so offensively incompetent and penalty-prone. That last play was such a blatant pick. And I was rooting for the Seahawks, but I know GB got the short end of the worst call I have ever seen.

Have any of you guys seen worse? Involving the Bills or not? Post your experiences!

Make your own team nickname (not Blazers) and logo (not pinwheel)!

retrobills — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 04:16:52 -0000

Let's say there was another team with the name Trailblazers/Blazers and they had the same logo (5 on 5 red/black or silver pinwheel).

So, what name would you give the team? What would your logo look like? Describe it as best as you can. And maybe give your own history as to why the team was named as such.

Me: I always liked the name Pioneers.

If there was a way to incorporate a wagon train in the logo that'd be indicative of Oregon's origins, but might look silly. Not sure how I would make it look cool.

Have at it, folks!

Create a Blazer Frankenstein out of past/present Blazer body parts!

retrobills — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 22:57:43 -0000

Thought I'd try something very new and very different:

Create a "Frankenstein" out of the best Blazer body parts (head, feet, arms, legs, brain, eyes, heart, etc.) from the past or present. Maybe also the attributes that these parts would give your Frankenstein. Like:

Clyde's legs for his vertical ability.

Sabonis' hands for his incredible passing ability.

Or..

Create a "Suckenstein" out of the worst Blazer body parts!

The first thing I think of here is:

J.R. Rider's brain. LOL!

Well, at any rate.. have at it!

Thought I'd try something very new and very different:

Clyde's legs for his vertical ability.

Sabonis' hands for his incredible passing ability.

Or..

Create a "Suckenstein" out of the worst Blazer body parts!

The first thing I think of here is:

J.R. Rider's brain. LOL!

Well, at any rate.. have at it!

What was the biggest "what the heck..?" loss you can remember?

retrobills — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 00:57:29 -0000

What was the biggest head-scratching loss you can remember? After which you thought to yourself "There's no way we're that bad!", or "The other team isn't that good, we just stunk up the joint!". Pitch all the big ones you can remember to me. Yeah, it's a pretty depressing thread, but I have made positive ones as well.

My submission:

Indiana 124, Portland 59, 2/27/98

No joke! I remember hearing that one on the radio and turning it off around halftime. I had no idea it could get so much worse.

Definitely a hiccup on an otherwise talented team that would see 2 conference finals.

I trust you all have that one burned into your brain. What were you doing at the time? Did you watch the game? The WHOLE game? (ouch)

What other ones do you have for me?

My submission:

Indiana 124, Portland 59, 2/27/98

I trust you all have that one burned into your brain. What were you doing at the time? Did you watch the game? The WHOLE game? (ouch)

What other ones do you have for me?

Blazer buzzer-beating wins.. did I miss any?

retrobills — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 09:14:44 -0000

Hey folks. Just seeing if there's any Blazer buzzer-beating wins that I may have missed. Here's the ones I know of:

2/26/78: Hollins sinks a 40-footer to beat the Bulls 100-99.

12/30/80: Bates receives the inbound lob from Washington and tips it in to beat the Sixers.

4/25/85: In game 4 of the Mavs/Blazers series Audie Norris buries a jumper to send Portland to the 2nd round.

1/1/88: Clyde steals an inbound pass and races to the other end of the court to lay it in at the buzzer to beat the Sixers.

12/4/94: Clyde buries a bank 3 with .9 seconds left to beat the Bucks after Vin Baker had tied the game with a 3 of his own.

12/10/95: Sabonis, after numerous offensive rebounds, flips in a turnaround hook to beat the Rockets.

11/7/96: Kenny Anderson, trying to split a double-team, tosses a 2-handed prayer to beat the T-Wolves.

12/9/04: Shareef Abdur-Rahim pump-fakes a defender, then throws up the winning three to beat the Celts as D. Miles crumples to the floor in pain.

12/3/07: Travis drives along the key and hoists a wild bank shot as time expires to beat Memphis on the road.

11/6/08: Roy, after Yao gets fouled while hitting a shot and converts the and-one, buries a 3 with .8 remaining to beat the Rockets.

2/8/09: Roy splits the defense down the key and scoops in a wild lay-in as time expires to beat the Knicks.

3/25/11: After Batum ties the game with 2 FTs, the Spurs botch the inbound pass with .8 seconds left, giving the ball back to Portland. Batum lays in the inbound lob from Miller for the win.

4/6/12: Aldridge gets the inbound pass with 3.7 left, dribbles to the key corner and sinks a jumper as time expires to beat Dallas on the road.

You know of any I don't remember? Just trying to collect them. Got video clips of all but the first one.