I know we all want more than just to end this season above .500.  The playoffs? Certainly!  Winning a first round series? Why not?  But can we pause for a moment and celebrate the fact that this team will not finish below .500 for the first time in five seasons?

I know this might sound lame to some, but I think it is a good reminder of where this franchise has come from, and hopefully will not sink back down to for quite a while.  There will be time for criticism of certain players, the coach, the GM, the ticket prices, and a lot more nail biting before the playoff spot is clinched.  Just think about where we were four years ago and where we are now...

Doesn't that feel good?

Sorry folks.  With the back to back and then working late tonight, I missed my opportunity to connect you guys to the Wizards site earlier.  Their discussion has slowed over the topic of Oden vs Mcgee but they are looking for more Portland fans to comment.

I know everyone has moved on to other topics and I saw Timbo's fanpost below but I haven't seen this linked yet:  Discussion of McGee vs Oden.

Here's is Timbo's post so you can catch up on the discussion that happened here.

Here is Pradamaster's review of the game as well.

I will try to be on top of their visit to Portland.

Sergio's agent is making some noise here in Portland by demanding a trade through a Spanish newspaper.  What would you give up from your roster for the exciting, young PG from Portland?  Would he get minutes from Eddie Jordan?  Do you guys even know who I am talking about?

That last question was not meant to offend you about your NBA knowledge but to try to guage what another group of fans thinks about a back-up PG from Spain who has been limited to less than 10 minutes a game since he excited Blazer fans (some more than others) his rookie season with some electrifying play.

I have been lurking in the background for a while trying to get to know your team and your site.  Our site leader (what are they called?) Dave from BlazersEdge has assigned some of us to check out other sites and see what kind of Blazer talk is going on out there in the SB Nation and help fellow BE readers get to know teams' strengths and weaknesses and their fans' points of view as match-ups with that team get closer. 

Basically, I think he is trying to give some of us something to do instead of put fanposts up on his site. 

Anyway, I have given my first update of Bullets Forever to the BE readers and thought you might want to check it out and maybe see what is being cussed and discussed over at the BlazersEdge. 

Enjoy your season and good luck against the Pistons tonight.

Does that title sound official enough?

As the BE ambassador to the Wizards' SBN site Bullets Forever, I have been laying low and reading as much as I can to get to know their team and contributors before making too many comments and it has been quite interesting.  The Blazers do not meet up with the Wizards until December 3, but I thought some of you might be interested in how Juan Dixon and Antonio Daniels are doing and what BF readers expect to get out him this season.

I also felt compelled to post because a topic was brought up that we have been discussing for a couple of years now: substitution patterns.  Pradamaster, one of their "Dave & Ben", even links to Dave's post about this topic last fall.  Nate could have an easier time this year with more possible successful options from the bench than in years past. 

The Wizards are in a bit of a different situation than the Blazers.  They are hoping to win enough games early to still be able to make a run at the playoffs when they get Arenas back.  They have a mix of veteran stars, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, and young hopefuls, Andray Blatche and Nick Young and JaVale McGee, and some role player types that they hope will gel enough to keep them close.  But their hopes for a sucessful season are tied directly to Arenas' return and I imagine if they have a slow start, their readers will start calling for a lot more playing time for the youth on the team and thus a better shot at a good draft pick next year.  A couple have already expressed this opinion.

I will keep you guys posted if anything Blazer related pops up. 

UPDATE:  I just posted first fanpost as "ambassador" over at Bullets Forever.  Not that exciting; but if you want to say "Hi" to Wizards fans on behalf of the BE, here is the link.

Let me preface this with a hearty, "I know this isn't a huge topic and really doesn't matter that much."

But I am curious because I have not seen much of either yet.  Does anyone have any idea if Randolph has passed Diogu on the depth chart or does Nate know what he is getting from Diogu so he isn't playing him much in the pre-season.  I understand playing Frye 30+ minutes to get him in shape but 40+ for Randolph and 15 minutes for Diogu might indicate Diogu will be in street clothes on Tuesday.  Maybe I missed an injury or this was dealt with in the game thread.

The poll is meant to be based on your opinion unless there is knowledge of Nate's decision of which I am not aware.

Update: Freeman article I missed.  It doesn't really answer the question but it is a good update on Diogu's handling of the exhibition season Pre-Utah game.