Although it seems no Tony Parker trade will happen, it is a fact that Tony Parker was seen at the Benson Hotel in Portland last night. As much I love Batum, I would do Miller & Batum (and Rudy) for Parker. However, the Blazers are presumedly and thankfully too smart to take on Richard Jefferson's ridiculous contract. That contract was San Antonio's worst mistake in a very long time. Let's not make it our mistake.

Just FYI, the Blazer Dancers for many years have intentionally worn the least -revealing outfits of any NBA dance team. They have stated this intention publically. If you want specifics... they refuse to wear bikini-style bottoms on a regular basis, and instead wear squared-off shorts that extend down their legs. The Blazer Dancers have been quoted as taking pride in this fact. I know that Portland and Oregon often take pride in being different just to be different, but banning modern dance squads would be laughable.

Here on BE there are continual references to how very valuable Raef's $13 M expiring contract will be at the trade deadline next February. That''s a nice thought in principle, but it ignores 2 overwhelming realities. 

1. Large-Expiring-Contract Deals Almost Never Happen  near the trade deadline.

Last year the only trade remotely fitting the type that people talk about was the Gasol deal, in which the Kwame Brown expiring contract  was key.

The year before that, there were ZERO such trades.

Over recent years, the average is no more than one per year.

2. Large Expiring Contracts Are Common As Dirt

Here's a partial list for this year, not even counting player opt-out deals:

Marbury $22 M

Iverson $22M

Kidd $21 M

Marion $17 M

Bibby $15 M

Odom $14 M

Szczerbiak $13 M

Rasheed $13 M

Miller $10 M

Walker $9 M (team will opt out)

Artest $8 M

Nesterovic $8 M

When everyone has one of something, it isn't very valuable. Yes, KP is clever. Just don't count on a trade with Raef - history and the odds are much against it. It would be a pleasant but shocking surprise.

 

 

Just passing along a new article.

Consensus opinions of 4 anonymous NBA scouts:

They say Bayless will not be an NBA starter - too selfish. I think they are wrong.

They think Mayo is the biggest steal.

They love DJ Augustin.

Beasley - great numbers, not a winner. Think Carmelo.

Gallinari, Gordon, and Alexander - the biggest busts.  They predict Euros will finally be dead after the Gallinari bust.  I think Rudy and Rubio will prove them wrong.

http://www.probasketballnews.com/amico_071408.html

I realize that many Edgers have a deep hatred of Boston for whatever reason, matched only by their love for the Blazers. But please, this board would much better if we stuck a little more to facts. I am a season ticker holder and I hope the Blazers win several championships; it is possible. Literally, when speculating about any future sport championships, anything is possible, as Boston just proved.

1. In 2007 Boston had the WORST record in the Eastern Conference. The next year they are World Champions. If the Blazers had achieved the same thing, Edgers would be calling it the greatest achievement in sports history. 

2. Boston won the ring with a team of solid citizens. All of the Big 3 have long histories of community giving, and they have several citizenship awards between them.  As far as I know, not a single criminal history.

3. Winning a championship - actually winning one - is incomparably greater than speculating about how good of a chance you might have 3 years from now. Boston fans are not crying about what their team will be like in 3 years. They are World Champions. Don't hint that somehow the Blazers have accomplished more than Boston. Their ring is real, not imagined. Why is it so important to find snide things to say? We should perhaps make the playoffs first before boasting, or even before comparing.

Here's their "Team Needs: NW Division"

http://nbadraft.net/2008northwestteamneeds001.asp

Here's the response I sent:

"Hi guys -   Thanks for all the great work you do and the excellent website. However after reading your "Team Needs: Northwest Division" article, especially concerning the Portland Trailblazers, I felt I really needed to contact you about multiple factual errors. This would be less embarrassing if the first line of the Blazers' review was not "We all know about the Trailblazers...". Everyone except the person who wrote those words, apparently. In no particular order:   "Martell Webster... selected third overall a few years back..."  A great source called NBADraft.net shows that Webster was selected at #6.   "Darius Miles... At this point he is merely an afterthought on this team..."   He's not "on this team". Your article appeared 5/28/08. Miles was released 4/14/08.   "Channing Frye...an offensive game which relies mostly on put backs."  I cannot quickly locate the stats today, but anyone who watched a Blazer game this year knows that Frye shoots perimeter jumpers almost exclusively, and most people including his coach complain loudly about his lack of put backs.   "The Blazers don't see the PG position as a position of need."  Except that every fairly legitimate trade rumor involves the Blazers getting a PG; Kevin Pritchard stated 2 weeks ago that the primary team need was "getting more athletic at the point"; and every Blazer blog is 90% talk of which PG they can acquire.   I recommend choosing a writer who either watches basketball games or reads NBA news or researches his stories."