blazermania.com
     
 
HomeColumnsBlogForumLinksCalendar
   

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

First date jitters.

The draft is like a first date. Every year, unless you are one of those unfortunate teams that do not have a first round pick. Perhaps fortunate, for the fans. No jitters.

Speculation is running rampant on what the Blazers will do. Several reports have been coming out the past twelve hours that Portland and Utah have a trade in place with a few conditions. Condition one is that Marvin Williams or Andrew Bogut don't drop to three. Number two is that the Blazers can take a better deal if it comes along. Here is what the deal is speculated to be.

#3
Ruben Patterson

For

#6
Gordan Giriceck
Kirk Snyder

and possibly the #27.


I do not like this trade. This trade makes me nervous. It makes me feel that the Blazers would then pass up Gerald Green and Martell Webster and take a C prospect like Andrew Bynum, which is also what some reports are saying.

Here is a trade I would like to see.

#3
Ruben Patterson

for

#6
Gordan Giriceck
Kris Humhpries
Curtis Borchardt

and either the #27 or #34

This gives Portland a physical backup power forward behind Zach, who also has a nice offensive touch. Portland would get Martell or Green, most likely Martell, with the sixth pick.

This would leave us with a possible line up, if Portland waived Derek Anderson, as..

Telfair/(Robinson?)Or a vet MLE PG
Webster/Giriceck/Monya
Miles/Outlaw/Khryapa
Randolph/Humphries
Pryzbilla/Ratliff

I think this is a much better lineup then..

Telfair/Robinson or Vet PG
Snyder/Giriceck/Monya
Miles/Outlaw/Khryapa
Randolph/Turiaf?
Joel/Theo/Bynum/Ha

The reason I leave Borchardt off is I believe he would be waived, but it is possible he'd be third in the center rotation. He is a legit 7 footer.

I hope we do not pass on Martell or Gerald for Bynum. I have no problem picking up Bynum with a second first round pick, but not before these guys.

I have also read from several posters on various boards that they remember John Nash in an interview after last year's draft stating he thought Kirk Snyder was nothing more then a good college player. I do not see why he would want him now.

Snyder also had some problems in Utah, being suspended and benched by Coach Jerry Sloan for taunting and shouting racist (I believe) things at the Houston bench after a so-so play he made. He was also in a parking lot arena fight with Jerry Stackhouse of the Dallas Mavericks.

The Zach #3 for Boozer #6 trade I believe are simply unrealistic. I don't know if the new CBA will take away Zach's PPP contract. However, while still under this CBA until July, it isn't possible. Randolph's contract was also 6 years, 84 million, compared to Boozer's 6 year, 66 million. So Utah would have to throw in I believe around 2-3 million filler.

We will know the fate of our Blazers tonight. It will be interesting. I just hope it isn't a bad interesting.

In other news, I'd like to give my congratulations to Jason Quick for manning up in his chat yesterday and apologizing for his irresponsible reporting. He not only apologized for that, but also for his immature reactions during interviews with 1080 The Fan, along with trying to suggest it was the Blazers' fault for his article being wrong. Even if he was sat down and told to do this, I appreciate him doing it. Much more can be said for him apologizing, that can't be said for John Canzano instead writing a three page article on how it was Nash's fault and how they should switch jobs. Or for chat host Kevin still trying to blame the Blazers after Quick's apology.

Surprisingly, Quick has also been writing some good articles lately. So props to Jason Quick.

Friday, June 24, 2005

Journalism.. for real?

The Webster Story.

For all the bashing of The Oregonian I do, I must admit that Jason Quick's article this morning is very good. You should read it.

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Karma, did you make an appearance? Terry Porter for Coach? No. Marc Iavaroni? Maybe. The Oregonian shows their worth.

So many topics, so much time. I think.

Welcome back faithful readers, it has been a week or so since my last entry. I apologize, as I have been busy doing other things. I assure you this will pick up much more once the draft takes place, as summer league comes along, as training camp opens, and the season begins.

First, let me say one thing. Tonight I am happy! I take a certain pleasure in Detroit losing, and annoying Sheed loving trolls getting kicked in the mouth. I know, that isn't nice. However, certain trolls in the http://www.oregonlive.com/forums/blazers have caused me to choose to feel this way.

Did karma take place? Was their losing an act of karma, for the chain of events Ben Wallace started back in November, in that disgusting brawl? For putting in motion the loss of Indiana's season? The last chance for Reggie Miller that was washed away?

Now, on to the recent firing of Coach Terry Porter.

While his firing wasn't obvious, and quite a shock considering last month his assistants had been fired, it does deliver a dilema to the TrailBlazers. Already Portland media and fans are insisting on the hiring of Coach Porter for our vacant position. A coach that will connect us back to the last real glory days of Portland. A coach who is.. not much of an upgrade over Maurice Cheeks, unfortunately. As a frequent visiter and participater on http://realgm.com/boards/index.php, the TrailBlazer board there was right on top of the news of Porter's firing. We asked questions amongst ourselves, "Will Porter be hired?" "Should we hire him over McMillian, or Iavaroni?" "Is.. Porter better then Cheeks?" Luckily, we got some input from Bucks fans which I will now share snippets with you.

Input from VegasVic, a moderator for the Bucks board on http://realgm.com/boards/index.php

"As a Bucks season ticket holder who has seen Porter in action I wouldn't get too excited about him as a coach. Yes he's a local hero. He was in Milwaukee too (grew up and went to high school here). But he wasn't a good teacher which is one reason he was let go. The Bucks have a young and getting younger team and need a better teacher. He may be good for Telfair but he could do that as an assistant with you, rather than as a head coach. His rotations were puzzling, his defensive schemes terrible."

From El Duderino, also from the Bucks board. Who has perhaps one of the greatest icons ever.

"As a Bucks fan,i was happy to see Porter go.Granted the talent was mediocre,but the team played zero defense for both years he was coach.Overall the Bucks were just soft as butter in Porter's time here regardless if he had average talent at best. "

I'm sorry, but this sounds exactly like Maurice. I trust their opinions on this matter, as they have no reason to lie. I just think Portland needs to pass. Which.. leads to another problem.

Like I said, Portland media and fans, for the most part, are calling for Terry's name. This is going to bite the Blazers in the backside. If Portland doesn't hire him, they're going to call for their heads for not hiring one of the most beloved Blazers of all time. If they do hire him, and he's just as bad as Cheeks, they're going to scream at the TrailBlazers for hiring a bad coach, and settling. Not getting a big name.

I am in the firm belief that Portland should hire Iavaroni, who has had experiencing in developing good big men, and has been taught under great coaches like Pat Riley and Mike Fratello, and another but the name escapes me. He brings in an uptempo offense, which is what we want. Zach likes him, Grgurich is a close friend of his, and it looks like he would come back with no objections if Iavaroni was hired.

I also wouldn't mind Carlesimo, which I know isn't a popular choice. However, he does have a lot of head coaching experience, and has been taught under the great Coach Popovich. Carlesimo now has two rings on his fingers, and apparently good relationships with players as it was reported Duncan and Ginobli were devestated to learn that Carlesimo had started interviewing with other teams.

I trust Portland to make the right decision, and not (hopefully) the easy PR hire.

The Oregonian last week showed that it was at the top of the journalism game, proving that it goes to all lengths and ends to provide you with hard facts!

Haha, okay, now that we can all breathe again.

I found The Oregonian's blunder last week to be one of the greatest things I have witnessed in the last two years. Not only was Quick's source Canzano, but then the two pals tried to blame it on the TrailBlazers. Suggesting it was the organization's fault for not sharing vital draft and coaching information freely to bumbling reporters Canzano and Quick.

Well, boys, maybe they don't share information with you two because neither of you have the slightest clue of how the (almost defunct) CBA worked, or about options on contracts of our players. Shouldn't this be a requirement when you apply for a job covering a professional sports team? Maybe they don't want to share information with you because you do whatever it takes to BASH THEM at every turn. You like to use words to trick the readers, which is unfortunate. Canzano constantly tells the fans not to listen to what the TrailBlazers tell us, because all they're trying to do is confuse us and tell us what to do..

Well, isn't that what Canzano is doing?

Canzano and Quick's irresponsible 'reporting' has cost The Oregonian both advertising from The TrailBlazers, along with subscriptions from disgruntled readers who stopped buying because they were tired of the Gossip Pals.

If I am presented articles about how evil the TrailBlazers are for firing people who leak information, or for investigating computers to check for leaks, I want to hear the same thing about Nike. Nike, as we all know, is also a major fixture in Oregon. That would be top news. Businesses aren't evil for firing people who leak reporters vital information, that is how they stay in business. Ooooh, freaky concept.

One more thing. Why aren't one of the three reporters down in Los Angeles talking to Grgurich, Joel and Outlaw about how their summer training is going? Outlaw has been down there with Grgurich since MAY, working daily with Tim. I want to hear about that. I want to know about his development.

Thursday, June 16, 2005

The Internet Message Board Drama.

Apparently a few people find not only this blog, but the entire Blazermania site and it's affiliate boards (http://www.blazerboard.com) to be disloyal to http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers

I find this interesting.

As you can all tell, http://www.blazerboard.com is not heavily used at this time, and probably won't be in the future.

Why is it there then, and why is it affiliated with http://www.blazermania.com ?

Well, here are perhaps, a few reasons.

1. http://www.oregonlive.com/forums/blazers/index.ssfbreaks on several occasions, making it completely unusable.

2. http://www.oregonlive.com/forums/blazers/index.ssf is often invaded by what is known as a 'troll'. Typically disgruntled Laker fans who keep living back in the year 2000. (You are not living on a Conan O'Brien night show segment, LF's. Back to earth, with you.) Usually they will come in at the start of night and disrupt thoughtful conversation. It generally takes the mods anywhere from one minute, to TWO HOURS to get rid of the trolls and the posts. (although it only takes them thirty seconds to get rid of my asking people if they are on narcotics.) Http://www.blazerboard.com offers an alternative place of discussion during the time that the troll tries to take over http://www.oregonlive.com/forums/blazers/index.ssf

3. http://www.oregonlive.com/forums/blazers/index.ssf mods do not seem very friendly when in regards to site creator, PHATGUYSRULE posting a link to the newest interview/article on http://www.blazermania.com , often deleting the post to a good article, or questionnaire.

4. http://www.blazerboard.com is (I believe) more heavily and objectively moderated. There will be no out of control spazzes like Oregonlive sometimes contain.


I also hate to be the bearer of bad news, but...

Neither http://www.blazermania.com nor http://www.blazerboard.com take away from the hits that the http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers site receives. There are many people from both http://realgm.com and http://www.basketballboards.net that visit only the main page, the Eric blog, and Canzano's blog for information, then return to their own little forums. Many people avoid the http://www.oregonlive.com/forums/blazers/index.ssf forums because they are disorganized or full of spam.

http://www.blazermania.com did not affiliate itself with http://www.blazerboard.com to take away anything from the http://www.oregonlive.com/forums/blazers/index.ssf boards, but simply offer a place to post when http://www.oregonlive.com/forums/blazers/index.ssf is broken or invaded by trolls.

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Paul Pierce, Gerald Green, Chris Paul and why I am uncoordinated.

Before I start this blog entry on basketball related themes, I thought I would share a story with you to give you an idea on how frickin' clumsy (or incredibly unaware regarding some things) I am.

As I was preparing to take my shower last night, I removed my shirt and swung it around behind me to place on the sink.

However, it seems I am unable to judge distance without actually looking in a particular direction..

Because my shirt LANDED IN THE OPEN TOLIET.

Anyways, on to basketball topics.

In my previous entry, a Blazer fan left a few comments wondering about my views on acquiring Paul Pierce for the third pick and NvE, as well as news regarding possible Blazer (With the third pick) Gerald Green.

Paul Pierce:

For the last week or so, there have been many articles coming out that there have been talks between Portland and Boston regarding all-star guard/forward Paul Pierce, the third pick in this years draft, along with the non-guaranteed contract of Nick VanExel.

This trade has actually been discussed even before the articles started coming out, mainly on the http://www.realgm.com forums between Blazer and Celtic fans.

Let me start out by saying, Paul Pierce is a good basketball player. Obviously, I don't watch a alot of Celtic games but what I've seen I've -generally- liked. He draws alot of fouls, gets to the line, is clutch at the end of the game (game six meltdown aside.)

However, one thing I did notice that stood out to me in a Derek Anderson fashion, during the Pacers-Celtics round one match, is..

He wasn't moving without the ball. He'd linger around in one spot at the top of the perimeter, just waiting.

We can't have that here in Portland. We need tons of movement without the ball, Rip Hamiliton and Reggie Miller style.

It was also brought to my attention by somewhat crazy Celtic fans, that apparently Pierce is not a hard runner. They say the reason they wish to trade him is they are trying to make the transition to a uptempo style of play.

Well, last I was aware, so are we.

So with these things brought to my attention, along with the fact that I can only imagine Pierce getting us to the seventh or eighth seed and a first round exit, I would pass on trading two very valuable assests for him.

People are going to ponder now, "You wouldn't want to trade for someone who would put us back in the playoffs, Cajun?"

Well, it depends. I'd easily trade for someone who could put us in the top four/five and move us into contenders. However, putting us in position for just one of the last two seeds, and an annual first round exit won't bring the crowds back again. Fans will get angry if they don't see Paul hustling, and it will turn into Sheed Part 2.

Now, onto...

Gerald Green:

The commenter who also asked about Paul Pierce, asked for some information on Gerald Green.

I am here to give it to you, although many of you are probably aware of who he is, where he's from, etc.

Gerald Green is a 6'7" (in shoes), 192 pound shooting guard/small forward from Gulf Shores Academy (prep school, I believe. Although it could be a normal highschool.) in Houston, Texas.

He has a 6'9 ¾" wing span, and a 8'8" standing reach.

Most of the scouting reports originally had him listed as 6'8 (in shoes.) but the pre-draft Chicago camp official measurements put it to rest.

It is said he has a 44" vertical, which is of course, very very impressive.

Here is the McDonalds all-american report on him:

"Gerald is one of the best shooters in the 2005 class. He uses his height and athleticism to get his shot off at will. Lethal from three-point range, Gerald can also put the ball on the floor and get to the basket. He possesses a solid mid-range jumper, which will make him a force at the next level. Gerald is active on the defensive end, using his athleticism to create steals and block shots. He has drawn favorable comparisons to NBA star Kobe Bryant. As a junior he averaged 28 points, 13 rebounds and an incredible six blocked shots"

His 2005 senior statistics were:
PPG 33.0 - RPG 12.0 - APG 7.0

He also shot an amazing 60% from three point land.

He's also rail thin. Think Travis Outlaw from two years ago. Green has supposedly been working out and hitting the weights with his father in Houstin, in preperation for the draft.

I hope this gives you some information you were wanting, commenter.

Other Stuff:


In today's article from The Oregonian, Jason Quick talks about John Nash's disappointment with Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Gerald Green refusing to do two on two, or one on one workouts.

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1118743039287040.xml&coll=7

"Houston high schooler Gerald Green -- one of the prospects on the Blazers' board for the third overall pick in the June 28 draft -- said he will work out with the Blazers only if he doesn't have to compete against other players.
The Blazers' response: Don't bother coming. "

"They wanted to have Green included in those workouts, but his agent has informed the Blazers that he will only work out by himself.
Illinois point guard Deron Williams and Wake Forest point guard Chris Paul also have made the same request to work out only by themselves. "

""I'm frustrated today because it seems like a number of players at the top are unwilling to showcase themselves, saying they don't want to work out one-on-one or two-on-two," Nash said. "But that makes it hard for me, because if they don't want to compete for the third pick in the draft, then it's hard for me to envision them competing 82 times a season." "

I have to agree with John Nash on this one.

I understand why Gerald Green doesn't want to do one on ones, or two on two's. He's rail thin, and he could probably be pushed around by the more NBA ready (body, at least) that Martell Webster has. (6'7 in shoes, 229 pounds, with both a 6'10 wing span, and 8'10 standing reach, better then Green's.) If he had a poor workout, he could fall and lose tons of money.

But on the other hand..

Martell Webster has alot to lose too. Except, he has more to gain then Green. Green is basically guaranteed a top seven spot with only doing individual workouts. Webster could move up into the top ten with good one on ones, and two on twos. He could also move down, if he doesn't show quickness or great athleticism. Or his shots aren't falling.

Which brings us back to last year's draft.

Telfair had alot to lose too. He was thin (160ish, which I think he still is. He may be up to 170's though) and had a suspect shot, but he still did one on one drills against Duhon and Nelson. This shows his desire to keep trying to move up and show he belongs.

Concerning measurements, Chris Paul measured in at 6'1 in shoes. This is great for Portland. Why, you ask? Well, originally it was thought that Chris Paul would barely hit 6'0 in shoes, which may have caused Atlanta to shy away a bit. So maybe Atlanta will end up taking Paul with the two, then Portland could take Marvin Williams (Who ended up measuring in at 6' 8¼" in shoes, not 6'9) at the 3#. Or Portland could offer the number 3 and the 35# for 2, which wouldn't be unreasonable. Charlotte moved up last year, two spots, with their four, their second round pick, and a future second. Perhaps Portland could offer 3, 35 and a future second. I don't forsee Charlotte offering up both it's first round picks. They can still get a great player at 5 (Gerald Green, Deron Williams, Raymond Felton) and a good player at 13. That is what a young franchise, with only four players under contract next year, needs.

If we can't get Marvin Williams, and with these reports about Gerald Green not wanting to show what he can do one on one, or two on two, I'd like to move down to 7/16 and maybe we could get future second/1st thrown in (although unlikely.). This however, should only be done if Martell Webster greatly impresses in his drills against other top prospects. Here is the McDonalds all-american report on him:

"Martell is a big, strong shooting guard with a consistent three-point shot and NBA range. He complements his perimeter shooting with the ability to post up, which makes him a very difficult match-up. He is a solid ball handler and passer and when combined with his quick first step, he can be unstoppable. Martell also has a smooth mid-range shot, which he creates with his quick first-step. His combination of size and athleticism gives him the ability to guard several positions."

Here are his senior statistics:
PPG 27.1 - RPG 10.0 - APG 2.0

He is also a local Pacific Northwest product, as well.

Nbadraft.net compared him to Glen Rice, along with this:

"Strengths: The total package ... Has the ability to score from anywhere on the court against any defender ... Unstoppable mid-range pull up J off the bounce ... Acrobatic finisher on the break ... Unlimited arsenal of offensive moves that allow him to tear through opposing defenses ... Threat from both inside and out ... Very active on the boards ... Tight handles, effortless drives to the hole, and an overall ease to which he plays the game ... 20 and 10 capabilities every time he plays ... At 6-6 and a rock solid 215 pounds has the size and versatility to play any position at the next level. "

Or maybe Antoine Wright (who draftexpress compares to Ray Allen).
"Offensively, Wright is a true talent and can score in many different ways. His athletic ability makes him an outstanding slashing threat, but what makes him truly unique and dangerous is how he combines that with a deadly perimeter shot. His stroke is beautiful, with nice mechanics, and he hits it at a very accurate clip (about 45% on a large number of attempts). He can shoot it with a man in his face or off the dribble, and he uses just the threat of shooting very nicely as a decoy to catch his man off balance with a head or shot fake and drive towards the lane. He loves to put the ball on the floor and pull-up from the mid-range area (NBA style), usually from 14-16 feet out, and is pretty accurate from here as well. His shot selection is outstanding, as you may have guessed by the fact that despite the fact that he's a star on a small team, he shoots slightly over 50% from the field. "

All in all, I look forward to the workouts this week. It will be quite interesting.


Monday, June 13, 2005

A formal introduction.

Before we begin our wonderful blogging experience together, I thought I'd introduce myself.

My name is Carrie, but we will refer to myself as C.

I am a regular on the oregonlive forums (CajunGolf) , along with the realgm forums (The Sebastian Express) (where crazy people don't go.)

I have been a TrailBlazer fan all my life, which is a mere twenty years.

I was born and still live in Oregon, but I do not reside in Portland.

I will be providing opinions, links and such here.

Feel free to leave any and all comments.

I have arrived.

I am your new blogger.

It is true.

I staged a hostile takeover.

I will post more in a few minutes after I see how this turns out.

Oh, anonymous posters, you may now make comments. No need to register.