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There Is No Justice: Hill (and Jackson) Waived

Ben_tiny by Ben. on

Commence sobbing.  Once you've pulled yourself together, fondly reminisce about the bearded one in the comments.

On the flip side: congratulations to Shavlik Randolph, you're the last man on the island. You win: a roster spot.  That's right, Shavlik Randolph just went from zero to hero and his name appears on the Blazers' opening night official roster. I guess it's fair to say he had a heck of a preseason, given the (lack of) expectations. Good job.

This might have just ruined my vacation.

TRAIL BLAZERS WAIVE LUKE JACKSON, STEVEN HILL

Portland Sets Roster for Opening Night

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Trail Blazers waived forward Luke Jackson and rookie center Steven Hill, General Manager Kevin Pritchard announced today. Portland's roster stands at 15 players entering Opening Night at the L.A. Lakers on Tuesday.

"We want to thank Luke and Steven for their contributions during training camp and preseason and wish them all the best for the future," said Pritchard. "They've conducted themselves as real pros on and off the court and we believe both of them have a bright future in basketball."

A former All-American at the University of Oregon, Jackson (6-7, 215) played in three preseason games, averaging 5.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 19.3 minutes. The four-year NBA veteran was 5-for-15 (33.3%) from the field and 1-for-4 (25.0%) from 3-point range.

Hill (7-0, 245) saw action in three preseason games, recording averages of 1.0 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.67 blocks and 9.0 minutes. The rookie from Arkansas was a member of the team's 2008 NBA Summer League squad and signed on August 27, along with Jackson and Jamaal Tatum.

-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)

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BOOO!!!

I WANT HILL

When asked about his thoughts during the Olympic games about playing against Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard, Rudy responded "My first thought was respect. My second thought was to kick their ass".

Man I love him.

by twiggs on Oct 23, 2008 12:33 PM PDT   0 recs

great

a duke player.. there goes the playoffs!!
hehe

"Why would we lie to ourselves dude?"
"Be excellent to each other."
"All we are is dust in the wind, dude."
"Strange things are afoot at the Circle K."

The Wisdom of Bill S Preston Esquire and Ted Theodore Logan

by GreatOden'sRaven on Oct 23, 2008 12:36 PM PDT   0 recs

not quite

as a duke undergrad, i feel like i must defend the school. We don’t have a problem making the tourney, its when we get to it that we poop the bed. so i guess the blazers will make the playoffs a lot and blow it in the first round.

by bluthbanana on Oct 23, 2008 1:30 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

You just outlined our goal for this season :)

And that’s about the maximum amount of time Shavlik will be on this team if nothing miraculous happens.

Odenied: If you're given lemmings—make lemming-ade (Bow4Meow)

by Norsktroll on Oct 23, 2008 1:36 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Duke players in the pros

Grant (when im not injured) Hill
Carlos Boozer

thats pretty much about it,..

"Why would we lie to ourselves dude?"
"Be excellent to each other."
"All we are is dust in the wind, dude."
"Strange things are afoot at the Circle K."

The Wisdom of Bill S Preston Esquire and Ted Theodore Logan

by GreatOden'sRaven on Oct 23, 2008 3:19 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Seriously... That's all you can name?

Elton Brand
Corey Maggette
Luol Deng
Shane Battier
Mike Dunleavy
Sheldon Williams
Chris Duhan
Josh McBob

by Salem Stephen on Oct 23, 2008 3:26 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Yeah, there you go.

Salem Stephen FTW.

Jerryd Bayless has two emotions: Kill and Win.

"I think it’s going to be very beautiful game next year."
-Nicolas Batum

NorrisHopper30: "someone injure pubert jones"

by rockingharder on Oct 23, 2008 3:27 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

and soon to be: Singler

There is probably no more terrible instance of enlightenment than the one in which you discover your father is a man — with human flesh.
Paul Muad'Dib - Dune (Frank Herbert)

My Translation: My Dad is a dude just like me, and my sons are dudes like me also. I love that.
Season Tix: Section 315, with my sons

by johnv59 on Oct 23, 2008 3:50 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Kyle Singler is the next Adam Morrison.

That guy’s game won’t translate well to the NBA.

Also, I expect that Lance Thomas, Singler, Gerald Henderson, Jon Scheyer, and Greg Paulus will once again be bounced from the NCAA Tournament during its first weekend.

by AK1984 on Oct 23, 2008 4:25 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

He would really need to work on his athleticism this season (quickness)

Since in the pros he will likely have to play small forward, he just isn’t strong enough against most NBA power forwards. And while his shot has great form especially when catching and shooting with his feet set it takes veeeery long to release it. That needs to get quicker, or he will get contested quite a lot and then his percentage drops quickly. It’s no coincidence why he is the last of the top 10 players from the class of 2007 to still play in the NCAA next season. It’s not even clear if he declares for next year’s draft.

Odenied: If you're given lemmings—make lemming-ade (Bow4Meow)

by Norsktroll on Oct 23, 2008 4:37 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

It actually would form a pretty good team...

No center - but with boozer brand and shavlik you get some size….then theres JJ…people around the league HATE JJ --watched the crowd tear him apart in Philly last year…pretty much for just gettinon the court…

by LetsBlaze on Oct 23, 2008 9:01 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Luol Deng?

Right?

Jerryd Bayless has two emotions: Kill and Win.

"I think it’s going to be very beautiful game next year."
-Nicolas Batum

NorrisHopper30: "someone injure pubert jones"

by rockingharder on Oct 23, 2008 3:26 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

But is Randolph guaranteed a roster spot?

There have been rumblings that an empty roster spot may be more beneficial than a player. At least that’s what I remember reading somewhere before the pre-season began.

So he still possibly might get the boot as well.

One of Two Official Blazer's Edge Poets Laureate for the 2008-2009 Season

"In vino veritas." - Latin proverb
"Ich sitze hier und trinke mein gutes Wittenbergisch Bier und das Reich Gottes kommt von ganz alleine" - Martin Luther
"μηκέτι ὑδροπότει, ἀλλὰ οἴνῳ ὀλίγῳ χρῶ διὰ τὸν στόμαχον καὶ τὰς πυκνάς σου ἀσθενείας." - 1 Timothy 5:23

by T Darkstar on Oct 23, 2008 12:38 PM PDT   0 recs

I think its guaranteed

"Why would we lie to ourselves dude?"
"Be excellent to each other."
"All we are is dust in the wind, dude."
"Strange things are afoot at the Circle K."

The Wisdom of Bill S Preston Esquire and Ted Theodore Logan

by GreatOden'sRaven on Oct 23, 2008 12:40 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

well, he is on the official opening day roster… i’ll amend this post so that’s clear.

honor terry porter

by Ben. on Oct 23, 2008 12:40 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Ah, then that clears it up.

One of Two Official Blazer's Edge Poets Laureate for the 2008-2009 Season

"In vino veritas." - Latin proverb
"Ich sitze hier und trinke mein gutes Wittenbergisch Bier und das Reich Gottes kommt von ganz alleine" - Martin Luther
"μηκέτι ὑδροπότει, ἀλλὰ οἴνῳ ὀλίγῳ χρῶ διὰ τὸν στόμαχον καὶ τὰς πυκνάς σου ἀσθενείας." - 1 Timothy 5:23

by T Darkstar on Oct 23, 2008 1:05 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I don't get the "empty roster spot" talk

After all, there is a mechanism known as “waivers” that allows you to clear a roster spot easily at any time. Sure, you have to pay him still, but what’s a rookie contract anyway? $400k? Storyteller would probably be able to tell us more…

Sergio has a knack for making passes that lead to layups and dunks, for both teams. - Ben G.

by jamon51 on Oct 23, 2008 5:23 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

He's a fourth year

think he’s gettin 880K?

by LetsBlaze on Oct 23, 2008 9:03 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Nate wanted Hill, IMO. KP showed again who makes the roster.

Sergio + Rudy = 16
Sergio + Bayless = 16
Batum 8+8=16

by amlmart1 on Oct 23, 2008 12:44 PM PDT   0 recs

100 percent correct.

honor terry porter

by Ben. on Oct 23, 2008 12:51 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Because Nate is a NC State guy...

Where Shav’s namesake grandfather’s jersey hangs in the rafters (all american, all time school rebound leader, played with Knicks..) Maybe Nate was in favor of the signing

by LetsBlaze on Oct 23, 2008 2:43 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

well..just that he would know of other NC players

and probably has some extra insight on ACC players … and he did just spend the summer with coach K

by LetsBlaze on Oct 23, 2008 9:04 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

All of which means nothing...

… when compared to watching a player in practice.

As a coach, McMillan can learn all he needs to know about a player from watching him. What he did in college, what his grandfather did, or what some other coach might tell him rank a very distant second to first hand observation. If they rank at all.

hakkaa päälle !

by timg56 on Oct 24, 2008 7:02 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

That was before the "perfect boxscore"

Trainig camps are fluid, and full of drama. Cool eh? Considering we’re talking about the 15 spot.

"Brandon Roy a une énorme confiance en lui et un niveau de maturité assez impressionnant, et en plus c’est un vrai leader" - Nic Batum

by G_dubs on Oct 25, 2008 7:36 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

quick publicly reported nate's desire for hill

just like amlmart said below

honor terry porter

by Ben. on Oct 24, 2008 9:51 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

or above

honor terry porter

by Ben. on Oct 24, 2008 9:51 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

But will he ever get over the Hill?

(sooooo funny)

Rudyculize: The act of Rudy making others look slow, dim and generally oafish.

http://www.myspace.com/y5k

by Y5k on Oct 24, 2008 11:44 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

+1, haha

Jerryd Bayless has two emotions: Kill and Win.

"I think it’s going to be very beautiful game next year."
-Nicolas Batum

NorrisHopper30: "someone injure pubert jones"

by rockingharder on Oct 23, 2008 3:27 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

According to your signature

We get another player right? Lets use the 16th spot for Hill. Problem solved.

"Brandon Roy is your favorite restaurant" - Dave

by Sabonis4Ever on Oct 23, 2008 12:53 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

He had made a wonderful caricature, damnit!

Sergio + Rudy = 16
Sergio + Bayless = 16
Batum 8+8=16

by amlmart1 on Oct 23, 2008 1:01 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Can't wait for the RUUUUUDDDYY!

Caricature.

"You're really making me feel good about myself, little man," says Oden as he starts dancing after scoring a goal. "You better come harder than that."

by BlueBooYay on Oct 23, 2008 3:57 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Too bad...

I really hope Hill finds a legitimate spot on someone’s roster. He’s a good kid.

by DonkeyShins on Oct 23, 2008 12:47 PM PDT   0 recs

Congrats

to SR. Keep working hard

Sometimes I feel like I'm going in different directions...

by porterfan30 on Oct 23, 2008 12:54 PM PDT   0 recs

Denver waived Fazekas today. Fazekas > Randolph. And younger.

Odenied: If you're given lemmings—make lemming-ade (Bow4Meow)

by Norsktroll on Oct 23, 2008 12:57 PM PDT   0 recs

Indeed

Its not close either. Fazekas is a solid player, and would be a much better overall option than Randolph.

by as11osu on Oct 23, 2008 1:03 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Good luck to Hill

And for anyone who wants a good laugh to see Randolph in all his glory, I have posted some pictures on the “Breaking News” fanpost

When asked about his thoughts during the Olympic games about playing against Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard, Rudy responded "My first thought was respect. My second thought was to kick their ass".

Man I love him.

by twiggs on Oct 23, 2008 12:57 PM PDT   0 recs

Sign Hill to the 16spot.

Sign him as a staff member to go out onto the practice court and take the beating that Oden dishes out so Joel gets a break, once in a while. After KP trades Ike and someelse away, opening another slot, then sign Hill as a player.

by mrwonderfulone on Oct 23, 2008 1:07 PM PDT   0 recs

haha

“The head coach of the Trail Blazers is Nate McMillan. Assistant coaches are Dean Demopoulos, Maurice Lucas, Monty Williams, and Steven Hill.”

Jerryd Bayless has two emotions: Kill and Win.

"I think it’s going to be very beautiful game next year."
-Nicolas Batum

NorrisHopper30: "someone injure pubert jones"

by rockingharder on Oct 23, 2008 3:29 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

ehhh the last guy we wanted just cause he had interesting facial hair was a flop

Hill seems to be a really nice guy though. Good luck to Hill and Jackson.

by tweener on Oct 23, 2008 1:19 PM PDT   0 recs

stash

ammo

Adam Morrison

"Brandon Roy is your favorite restaurant" - Dave

by Sabonis4Ever on Oct 23, 2008 1:22 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Ruben Patterson is available again too :)

Denver waived him.

Odenied: If you're given lemmings—make lemming-ade (Bow4Meow)

by Norsktroll on Oct 23, 2008 1:25 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I loved Ruben's game

When he could play that is. Kobe stopper baby! Held him to under 30 points

"Brandon Roy is your favorite restaurant" - Dave

by Sabonis4Ever on Oct 23, 2008 1:34 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I loved Ruben's game too

The way he used to chase Zach Randolph all over the rose garden so he could punch him in the face, the way he committed sex offenses! Kobe stoppa!

Afew years ago, a broadcaster once said Pryzbilla's name is "Polish for 'personal foul.'" Ouch.

by chrischa on Oct 23, 2008 2:36 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

But seriosly....

I loved his effort on the court. He was a great role player (again…on the court)

"Brandon Roy is your favorite restaurant" - Dave

by Sabonis4Ever on Oct 23, 2008 3:01 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Same here.

He was a model citizen in Portland as well – I don’t count him as one of the Jail Blazers because his issues were before he got here.

Talk about low bball IQ, though – he was a bull in a china shop. Which worked out pretty well on D, but not quite as well on the other end of the court.

Jerryd Bayless has two emotions: Kill and Win.

"I think it’s going to be very beautiful game next year."
-Nicolas Batum

NorrisHopper30: "someone injure pubert jones"

by rockingharder on Oct 23, 2008 3:31 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

His dunks were truly powerful

Sergio has a knack for making passes that lead to layups and dunks, for both teams. - Ben G.

by jamon51 on Oct 23, 2008 5:24 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I know, he was an energy guy for sure

Afew years ago, a broadcaster once said Pryzbilla's name is "Polish for 'personal foul.'" Ouch.

by chrischa on Oct 23, 2008 4:31 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Check out an old post by Dave on Ruben.

He pointed out that Patterson often looked like a good defensive player to the fans, because he always seemed to be exerting energy. But in actuality he was a poor defender, because he didn’t stay within the defensive strategy. In otherwords, he often messed up the rest of the defense with his antics.

hakkaa päälle !

by timg56 on Oct 24, 2008 7:05 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Speaking of Morrison...

Have you seen the dudes hair this season? My gawd it’s half way down his back!

2-4 the who

by 24thewho on Oct 23, 2008 1:32 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

A flop?

You might want to reserve flop judgment until he plays a second full season.

by GUnit on Oct 23, 2008 1:43 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I want Hill.

can we at least sign him to be our new official mascot, he has the northwest look and the crowd would love him….

by shushu on Oct 23, 2008 1:27 PM PDT   0 recs

Hope Shavik is a good culture guy.

It’s nice to at least half like the guy you beat up in practice but who never gets in a game.

Rudyculize: The act of Rudy making others look slow, dim and generally oafish.

http://www.myspace.com/y5k

by Y5k on Oct 23, 2008 1:41 PM PDT   0 recs

Hmm, I thought you'd already answered that in the negative in the KP's mistake sidebar...

Well, lest there be any doubt, no he is not a “good culture guy”. Who wants a fanatical bigot on the team?

Palin drone: a statement that is equally nonsensical whether uttered or written forward or backward.

by CatMan2 on Oct 23, 2008 2:11 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

While his views may be hateful.

That doesn’t make him a bad culture guy. He has said some horrible things, but that doesn’t mean he would adversely affect chemistry.

by Cablinasian on Oct 23, 2008 4:47 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Technically, his reactionary remarks regarding homosexuality don't make him a "fanatical bigot."

As it is, Randolph was quoted making the following comments: “As long as you don’t bring your gayness on me I’m fine. As far as business-wise, I’m sure I could play with him. But I think it would create a little awkwardness in the locker room.”

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2007/02/08/shavlik-randolph-doesnt-want-any-gayness-brought-his-way

Although Randolph undoubtedly holds a culturally illiberal, socially unprogressive viewpoint, it isn’t as if he’s proclaiming tangible hatred toward homosexual individuals; on the contrary, he’s expressing a form of intolerance. Therefore, instead of improperly deeming Randolph a “fanatical bigot,” the more semantically appropriate label to place him with is that of a narrow-minded, prejudiced ignoramus.

In all honesty, it’s ill-informed of people to flippantly misuse the term “bigot.” The same thing happens when people misconstrue ethnocentricism and racism, for the former deals with one’s mindset (e.g., thinking that your ethnicity is superior to others) and the latter deals with one’s actions (e.g., instituting racial segregation like apartheid).

by AK1984 on Oct 23, 2008 5:02 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Let's agree to disagree

This will be my last word on the subject, at least in this thread.

According to http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bigot, the only dictionary I’ve bothered to consult today, a bigot is:

a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices ; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance

And, in http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fanatical, fanatical is defined as:

marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion

By expressing his intense, uncritical intolerance with excessive enthusiasm (i.e., publicly), he seems to fit the definition.

I think you are splitting semantic hairs here, and while I’m happy to see somebody take an interest in preserving the expressiveness of modern English, I’m not sure your post is really all about language.

Palin drone: a statement that is equally nonsensical whether uttered or written forward or backward.

by CatMan2 on Oct 23, 2008 5:41 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I can't stand the idea of rooting for a homophobe, especially in portland.

I was trying to put a smiley face on it, but it didn’t work.

Rudyculize: The act of Rudy making others look slow, dim and generally oafish.

http://www.myspace.com/y5k

by Y5k on Oct 23, 2008 5:44 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

I guess that in my, uh, somewhat subjective opinion ...

the Westboro Baptist Church is classified by me as a hate group that’s full of fanatical bigots.

Conversely, Shavlik Randolph is just a close-minded ultraconservative with antiquated values.

by AK1984 on Oct 23, 2008 7:14 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

It isn't like he went out seeking an audience for his opinion

he was approached and asked — this wasn’t a Hardaway… (or a LeBron) response.. He’s just naive, and he was honest in his assesment, and who is expressing more vigorous intolerance – him or you about him? Can someone have an opinion thats not yours?

hopeully he’s learned to not think out loud ..

he’s a simple sheltered kid from the bible belt … probably the first time he cosidered that someone might be checkin him out in the shower..

INtolerance might have looked like “oh wow, no way I could deal with this…” but thats not what he said. Sounds like he thought that it would make him uncomfortable to be hit on in the locker room .. again as if it had never occured to him that it was possible..

Anyway, I know him well enough to assure you that he meant no-one any disrespect by this..in fact I can tell you he probably doesn’t even know that anyone paid any attention to wht he said..he doesn’t pay attention to much outside of working out and working on his game

I have never asked him about this directly, but I will..

In terms of “culture guy” he was a fan favorite in Philly rookie season and #2..would get standing O’s when he came in just for having fought to make the squad after being undrafted. AI and Webber loved him, he has a big heart for kids . . did ALOT of community stuff in Philly area and here in NC , , ,

by LetsBlaze on Oct 23, 2008 9:33 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Thanks for your point of view

Sounds like Randolph has some redeeming qualities. Everyone has an excuse for why they behave badly, when they do. Attitudes of fear, distrust, and hatred of other people as a group based on ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc, are extremely dangerous. They are the basis for many of the worst atrocities in human history, leading people to beat, lynch, stone, and exterminate others.

Palin drone: a statement that is equally nonsensical whether uttered or written forward or backward.

by CatMan2 on Oct 24, 2008 8:21 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Yeah .. I appreciate the thanks..lol

Are there any thank you for the thank you cards?

by LetsBlaze on Oct 24, 2008 3:31 PM PDT to parent up   0 recs

By that definition CatMan, you then are a bigot....

… as you appear obstinately devoted to your opinion and prejudices concerning Randolph.

Where is your tolerance for Randolph’s viewpoint? Taking the three sentences Randolph uttered, you have 1) an expression that illustrates a fear of an unwanted advance, 2) an expression of tolerance on a professional level and 3) an observation. There is absolutely nothing to find fault with in either of the last two statements. As for the first, that appears to be more a case of a young man responding based on a mistaken image of homosexuals wanting to make sexual advances to every person of the same sex. It’s an attitude that can addressed by a little education and exposure. Condeming and castigating the guy as a bigot certainly doesn’t bring anything to the table.

hakkaa päälle !

by timg56 on Oct 24, 2008 7:25 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

Yes, I'm intolerant of intolerance

I knew this thread was going to suck me in. This really WILL be my last word on the subject.

Look, I don’t know anything about Randolph except what I’ve read, and I’ve read very little. I felt I had to say something after the Blazers signed him because nobody else seemed to be addressing his remarks.

In the Jail Blazers era, this would hardly have been worth mentioning, but signing Randolph now seems at variance with the apparent commitment of the Blazers organization to putting together a team of guys who can serve as role models in the community.

I hope he somehow manages to evolve and, until then, learns that it’s not a good idea to blurt out your prejudices. However, I do not like having a guy on the team who thinks it’s okay to publicly display intolerance. Although he has broken no laws, I don’t consider him a better person than one who raises dogs to fight to the death.

Palin drone: a statement that is equally nonsensical whether uttered or written forward or backward.

by CatMan2 on Oct 24, 2008 8:05 AM PDT to parent up   0 recs

That last sentence is truly amazing

The most amazing thing about my amazing ego is I have amazingly little about which to be egotistical.
The pick and roll this year will emphasize "roll" followed by "dunk", followed by the wailings and lamentations of your women.