Wiz Won't Match Portland For Blake

It looks like Blake is a Blazer after the Wizards declined to match Portland's offer.

Zbo: Hard Working Man

Good Jason Quick article about Zbo's progress rehabbing his knee.

"I think about it all the time," said Randolph, who missed 36 games last season because of his right knee. "I just pray that at the end of the day I can be like I was before I got hurt and had the surgery. I just feel like any time somebody comes back from surgery, people ask if they are going to be the same. So I feel like there's a lot of people doubting me.

"And that's why I'm on a mission. I have a lot to prove."

Quick also has this observation...
"But perhaps the most important validation comes from Jensen, a trainer not prone to hyperbole, who gives the endorsement every Blazers fan has been hoping for: Randolph shouldn't miss any of training camp, putting him on schedule to reassume his status as the Blazers' go-to-guy for the Nov. 2 opener at Minnesota."

Blake Agrees to Two-Year Deal With Portland

Schilly from BasketballBoards.net alerted me of this...

From Ivan Carter of the Washington Post

"Steve Blake could be joining former University of Maryland and Washington Wizards teammate Juan Dixon in Portland.

Blake, an unrestricted free agent point guard who was picked by the Wizards in the second round of the 2003 draft, has agreed to a two-year contract with the Trail Blazers, according to his agent, Joel Bell."

"Theo Center" Opens Doors.

From The Demopolis Times

"Several community and national leaders were on hand for the grand opening, but Demopolis Parks and Recreation Director Mark Pettus said there was no doubt as to who the guest of honor was.

'Theo is the man of the hour," Pettus said. "He has not forgotten his roots and he has a heart as big as this gym.'

Mayor Cecil P. Williamson had this to say about Theo...

"This young man has definitely opened up his heart and his pocketbook to give back to Demopolis," Williamson said. "He is an embodiment of the word generous and we wholeheartedly thank him. It is Theo's day and we can't begin to thank him for being the role model he has been for us young and old."

Blazers Pledge $100,000, Paul Allen Pledges $1 mil

From the Blazer home page...

"PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS PLEDGE $100,000 TO

HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF EFFORTS

Team owner dedicates $1 million to assist disaster victims

PORTLAND, OR - The Portland Trail Blazers have pledged a donation of $100,000 to Mercy Corps in support of their Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. The team will make an initial donation of $80,000 in cash, and match funds being raised by employees and fans.

The Trail Blazers have also teamed up with Wells Fargo and the Portland Tribune to assist Mercy Corps in raising much needed funds and awareness as their staff tends to the immediate and long-term care needs of the countless displaced families and individuals affected by the storm. Wells Fargo has opened an account entitled "Mercy Corps Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund" to accept donations at all Portland and Southwest Washington stores.

Donations raised by fans attending the Wells Fargo Fan Fest on October 9 will be matched up to $15,000 by the team. The Fan Fest marks the debut of the 2005-2006 Trail Blazers team and the team’s new head coach Nate McMillan. Tickets will be available for a $1 suggested donation at Portland and Vancouver Wells Fargo locations beginning September 19.

In addition to these efforts, the team is donating TV and radio advertising inventory to run public service announcements promoting the needs of the organizations that are providing tireless relief efforts.

“The Trail Blazers organization is committed to assisting the victims of Hurricane Katrina,” said Trail Blazers President Steve Patterson. “We have friends and family that are victims of this disaster. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been impacted by this tragedy.”

In response to the devastation resulting from Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast states, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation (PGAFF) today made a pledge of $1 million to assist in the critical needs of disaster victims in that region. The Foundation is making two $500,000 contributions - one will go to the Red Cross supporting the immediate relief efforts currently underway to provide food, shelter, medical care and other interventions; a second $500,000 contribution will be made in the coming weeks to Gulf Coast charitable organizations, which will support the long-term rebuilding efforts in their own communities."

More on Monia and Viktor...

Posted by Goglic from the BBB.net Blazer forum

"Guys, I am watching the game live right now. Monya is awesome with Kryapa. Monya is very fast on rebounds and defense, he definately faster in running than Khryapa, so my guess he can play SG.
Russia is on top at the half time."

"My stupid live feed just broke, so i cant continue watching the game, but they were playing good minutes. I would say Monya is playing more than Khryapa in the game. But they come out quiet often."

And this post by Fork

"Final score 77-71, Russia beats Lithuania.

Monia had 17 pts, 5 rebounds, 1 ast, 2 steals, 1 block

Khryapa had 11 pts, 5 rebounds, 3 ast, 1 steal

Kirilenko had 11 pts, 14 reb, 1 ast, 2 steals, 6 blocks

Oh yeah, Nikita Morgunov had 9 pts too.

http://www.cskabasket.com/?lang=en"

Good Write Up On Monia...

Ziggyblazer, from the Oregonlive Blazer forum found this write up from Draft Express on Sergey Monia. Very nice!

"Monya could be viewed as a player that is just a step before breaking out in one of the most competitive European Championships of all time. After being selected low in the first round of the NBA draft in 2004 by Portland (which was quite a surprise, as many expected him to be a lottery pick), Monya combines not only the physical attributes and raw skills that a modern basketball player needs in order to shine in any type of competition today, but also the maturity that a young player needs to present in order to be trusted with rising responsibility despite his youth.

Monya is a 6-8 swingman who has been known for quite some time as a very solid role player for European powerhouse CSKA Moscow during the past three seasons. The 22 year old has improved over the past few years and did it patiently, accepting the limited minutes that the team offered him, as they were using veteran players at his position to try and realize their lofty Euroleague goals.

Monya was just a useful bench player this past season in CSKA, despite high expectations of becoming a starter and breaking at the European level before making the jump to the NBA. Although he was somewhat of a disappointment during the season, Sergey has been very good in his national team preparation games this August, looking ready to continue his very good tradition at this level, after a steady and impressive first experience in Sweden two years ago. Using his very strong legs, he is a very effective defensive player, whose body is well built and difficult to overrun by most offensive shooting guard/small forwards in European basketball. Sergey’s decision making on both sides of the floor is rational and rarely hurts the team, which is critical for such a young player his age to make an impact at this level.

Offensively, he can be very impressive. He is a solid shooter, a very good slasher and an impressive dunker. What could be characterized as a problem is his often-seen hesitation to take over the team's leadership, something which is not exactly unexpected when considering the presence of two alphas such as Andrei Kirilenko and J.R. Holder in the Russian team.

Both him and Viktor Khryapa are going to be Kirilenko and Holden's supporting cast, but for Russia to go deep in this tournament, they will need to step up, take more shots, play tough defense, balance out the ball-movement and provide leadership, as they could both probably start at the 2" and 3 spots for Russia. Monya will be playing next year for Portland in the NBA and his maturity and durability in this tournament will be a great test for next season, along with a terrific opportunity to give the Trailblazers a taste of what they can expect starting in October. Portland representatives will reportedly be on hand in Serbia and Montenegro to evaluate the progress of their back to back first round picks in 2004, Monya and Viktor Khryapa."

Monia And Khryapa Looking Good...

This post on Basketballboards.net was interesting...

"With regard to the Russian National team at the Efes Pilson Istanbul World Cup

Game 1 Victor 16, Monia didn't play because of insurance reasons, Kirilenko 23

Game 2 Monia 10, Victor 4, Kirilenko 27

Game 3 Monia 17, Victor 13, Kirilenko 13 - Monia was the high scorer for the Russian National Team

Game 4 Monia 14, Victor 9, Kirilenko 15

Game 5 Monia 14, Victor 15, Kirilenko 5, Victor was the high scorer

Hope you all might find this information helpful. Sorry I don't have more detailed information."

More discussion on this topic at Oregonlive.com

Thanks for the info LakeBlazer.