Let's Panic
Well, that was demoralizing. But, it was just a game. One game. We lost. As I texted my stupid L*ker fan friend, we can still go 81-1.
Greg's out for .... who knows. That's sad. Poor Greg. I'm not exactly worried, and I don't know why. My brain's screaming things like ... well I'm not even going to say.
We've been beat down with the whole "don't expect too much too early" jargon from all the analysts. Good call by them. The Blazers were NERVOUS. You could see the pressure on them.
Does this lift the pressure? Maybe a little?
Did you see that stuff Oden had on Bynum? Did you see Rudy come in and provide some ENERGY? Did we see Outlaw start coming back to life at the end of the game? Did we see Roy regain his shot? Did we see Bayless throw his body into K*be? Did you see Batum with the steal?
That game sucked, but I saw so much that makes me wanna see the next game. I'm not happy at all about how that went down. Still, they're playing again. There's so much to be excited about. I'm so happy to be a Blazer fan.
So.... the game hurt. Every loss does. How do you feel about it? Am I retarded (please only use this post as an example)? Are you jittery or still excited? Does anyone else think the real season begins on Friday?
137 comments
|
6 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
First. How'd that happen?
Before anyone gets on me about the tittle, I’m just trying to play with the analysts that thought we’d freak out.
Props to Barkley for calling us the best fans.
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
We'll make LA pay, but for now...gotta' give you props...
Am I retarded (please only use this post as an example)?
That clause proves you are the exact opposite of retarded.
He who laughs last thinks slowest.
If we're panicking
How about Roy as a 6th man to give the 2nd unit a boost?
Only joking. I know someone would have thought I was serious.
I am feeling about what you posted
Bummed, hopeful about Greg, and I wish their next game was before friday to get this taste out of their mouths. Reminds me of last years start where they had 3 games really quick then 3 or 4 days off to think about their 0-3 start.
LA played good.
We shot terribly. If we hit 4 more shots and 3 more free throws, it’s a tight game throughout. If.
The good news is there aren’t any first game jitters after the first game.
"When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car"
by you'vegottomakeyourfreethrows on Oct 28, 2008 10:44 PM PDT reply actions
LA did not play very good at all
During last season they paced something like 104 ppg… going into the 4th they had what, 72? Something close to that?
The Blazers beat themselves. When you play the way the Blazers did tonight, it doesn’t have to be the Lakers to win, the team would ahve a tough time conquering the Thunder with the game they played tonight.
Here’s hoping that it was jitters, and they come home to a friendly crowd and get back in their groove.
Any time Roy starts 1/10, you’re pretty much screwed. They were not looking for their shots, they weren’t attacking the basket, etc.
by JordanLeDoux on Oct 28, 2008 11:43 PM PDT up reply actions
Reasons not to panic: Rebounding, assists, steals were good and turnovers within limit (even better than Lakeshow)
Things to practice: Easier points. Hit your open jumpers (Rudy can skip this one). Oh, and Travis got the 15+ attempts he wanted all summer. And made more than 50%.
Odenied: If you're given lemmings—make lemming-ade (Bow4Meow)
If we would have cloned B-Rex 12 times
we would have won the game. Just look at the +/-.
by parkinglotj on Oct 28, 2008 10:58 PM PDT up reply actions
ya 12 people shooting 20%
wait, isn’t that what happened?
O.o
PS: I got your joke
Rudy was the only blazer that decided to show up tonight. period.
It was nice of Brandon to start producing when it no longer mattered, but c’mon how many layups can you miss? I guess I’m just especially miffed about this game because I felt like they weren’t ready to play. Blame it on the coach, blame it on the “leaders,” they weren’t ready. GO looked scared, Blake gave nothing as the starter and our entire bench got outplayed by Lamar Odom. Forgive me, I’m not panicking, I just got back from watching my team get beat down from start to finish and had to sit next to an entire table of obnoxious laker fans who talked crap and tried to start fights with people all night. Sad thing is, every blazer fan in there had to shut up because we had nothing to say.
Afew years ago, a broadcaster once said Pryzbilla's name is "Polish for 'personal foul.'" Ouch.
by chrischa on Oct 28, 2008 10:51 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I stand corrected after looking at the boxscore
Travis’ crazy fadeaway ridiculous I can’t believe you’re taking that shot with a guy in your face, wait he made it? screw it, jump shot was falling tonight so that makes 2.
Afew years ago, a broadcaster once said Pryzbilla's name is "Polish for 'personal foul.'" Ouch.
Pryz's line is also adequate.
"It's not a joke -- it's not a game." — B-Rex
by timbo on Oct 28, 2008 11:03 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
To be fair
Roy was double or triple teamed at times and he had Kobe guarding him pretty much the entire night. Say what you will, but Kobe is a very good defender.
I’m more disappointed in LMA and Frye. C’mon guys, join the party, get your butts into the paint and bang a little!
forward progress.
the show must go on. there’s no stoping it now. dig your heels in and give as well as we take.
………. I think the ride home is going to suck.
scared?…..(shaking my head)….maybe. in awe? most certainly.
We’re not ready. :(
The faith (and I'm a guy) perverts. :)
There is an old Allman Brothers tune called
Every body got a mountain to climb
by southern oregon on Oct 28, 2008 11:03 PM PDT up reply actions
It is a fact that this is a different team at home than on the road.
Maybe that will change as the season goes on and they gain experience, chemistry, a rotation, etc….
But for now, who really thought they’d WIN that game? Against the defending conference champs, with the reigning MVP, on the road….starting a rookie center. The second youngest team in the league, in the Staples Center on Nat’l Tv on opening night?
So they have a lot to improve on. I know they’ll bounce back from this. We have to protect our home court, and get some on the road, and we’ll be fine.
Meanwhile, I’m a lot less nervous about Oden having seen the post-game interviews, etc.
Have faith, Blazer fans.
............................ and a full liquor cabinet...
"It's not a joke -- it's not a game." — B-Rex
by timbo on Oct 28, 2008 11:04 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Not anymore
"Hightide was the only "Yes" vote" - parkinglotj
Joel Freeland=Stud
by hightide on Oct 28, 2008 11:14 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
its more like a half-full liquor cabinet now
"Hightide was the only "Yes" vote" - parkinglotj
Joel Freeland=Stud
by hightide on Oct 28, 2008 11:15 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I have a hard time seeing our team run.
i know we have athletic players, but we just don’t run too well.
For what it's worth, running isn't all it's cracked up to be...
………………………… driving to the rack and getting to the line is. And that was a massive FAIL in this game.
"It's not a joke -- it's not a game." — B-Rex
A 19-year-old French boy is our best hope at defending the perimeter.
That’s not going to work. I think this game just confirms a lot of what people saw durring summer league. Forget about Roy and Aldridge, they will be fine. The thing I’m concerned about is the lack of a strong perimeter defender.
Oh, we also need someone to punch Lamar Oden in the face.
If somebody hits you with an object you should beat the hell out of them.-Charles Barkley
man
why blazers cant be the team that other team fans want to punch them? Why is it always we want to punch them?
What if we call the perimeter the Maginot line?
Then only Dirk will know how to get around him.
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
It's just one game
They were nervous and tentative and settled for jump shots until the 4th quarter. The offense wasn’t flowing and shots weren’t falling. There was too much dribbling and one on one.
The L*kers knew exactly how to guard us and they have the personal to do it. Defend the screen and roll (I hate watching the Blazers use the screen and roll on 10 consecutive plays and have it fail every time), and clog the middle. They dared us to take the outside shot and they kept Oden from getting deep position.
We got some open jumpers that just didn’t go in the hole. Bad shooting night. But we were also frazzled and completely discombobulated at times. We had 3 or 4 shot clock violations or bad shots with 1 second left. We couldn’t any easy buckets and it seems like every time we got in transition we dribbled it away.
Outlaw played well on offense, but was just atrocious on defense. I know that the L*kers and Kobe in particular are very good offensively, but ouch anyway.
I can still chant for Rudy. He’s no rookie. Everyone else looked like a rookie. Rookies aren’t the sole member of their team to play a real game. Ru-dy! Ru-dy! Ru-dy!
Oden…….okay…..you couldn’t ask for more bad luck. He didn’t look good, but no one else did either. The injury…..if there is one positive thing you could say about it……well, it was a freak thing. Landing on a guy’s foot doesn’t mean that you’re fragile or injury prone. I think his lack of conditioning contributed to rolling that ankle. He just didn’t have good footwork or any quickness.
That all being said, it’s just one game and it was against one of the best teams in the league on their court. The team just needs to turn their nervous energy into Rudy like energy on both sides of the ball.
WWKPD?
Ambassador to the Miami Heat
It's hard to start a season against the best team in the league in their own house...
………………………………… on the plus side, I called Lakers by 12 or so, and am ahead of all you homers in the jersey contest.
"It's not a joke -- it's not a game." — B-Rex
The two of you are on NOTICE
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
I couldn't bring myself to predict a Laker win
not even for a BE t-shirt. Already have one anyway! 8^P
"Personally, I'd rather give an elephant a prostate exam on Chili Day." --Dave on rooting for the Lakers or Celtics
by MiledAnimal on Oct 29, 2008 11:21 AM PDT up reply actions
It's why I always lose the prediction contests
I never ever play against what I want, so I always predict a blowout.
I am a Homer.
Mortimer
Terrible passing & no player movement.
Our offense & defense sucks !
but most importantly, it’s only one game on the
road against the team I HATE the most in Sports !!!
We’ll be back.
COINCAST SUCKS !!!! GO BLAZERS !!!!
It's GO time !
Oden's foot has me scared
I’m not going to lie. Centers, foot injuries. I do not like those words together. The worst part is that Oden seemed so preoccupied about not getting injured. I feel for the guy.
Is there really anything else to worry about?
No. All the other problems are result of being young. I can be patient. I cannot repair Oden’s foot.
Oden is looking looking like a basketball FIAT -- Fix It All the Time.
"It's not a joke -- it's not a game." — B-Rex
Fix Or Repair Daily
"Personally, I'd rather give an elephant a prostate exam on Chili Day." --Dave on rooting for the Lakers or Celtics
by MiledAnimal on Oct 29, 2008 11:22 AM PDT up reply actions
Honestly, I am almost to the point of writing off Oden as Sam Bowie II...
………………………….. ’Cept Bowie had a good season or two…
"It's not a joke -- it's not a game." — B-Rex
Bowie had a shattered tibia . . .
HUGE difference. I took human anatomy and
didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express, but have
played and coached for 35 + years. Strains,
sprains and joint injuries happen a lot in
basketball.
Shattered tibias do not. Take it easy.
It's GO time !
Looking at the photo
It’s hard to see how any sort of conditioning could have prevented him from tweaking his foot / ankle. He’s got Bynum all over him and he landed awkwardly – of course he’s going to roll that foot.
Nope, he was 0-fer...
Did you see that stuff Oden had on Bynum?
"It's not a joke -- it's not a game." — B-Rex
Rec'd hard
Best part of the game by far.
"Hightide was the only "Yes" vote" - parkinglotj
Joel Freeland=Stud
Another classic Odom brain cramp
In a long line, including dribbling the ball inbounds.
Odenied: If you're given lemmings—make lemming-ade (Bow4Meow)
The best moment in the entire game.
Rudyculize: The act of Rudy making others look slow, dim and generally oafish.
http://www.myspace.com/y5k
Look how fast Luke Walton sits down when he figures out what happened!
"It's not a joke -- it's not a game." — B-Rex
That play reminded me
Of a pass that Magic once made to Clyde. Johnson drove the lane and kicked the ball back (no look) to… Drexler who took the ball the other way and dunked it. Then CD pointed at MJ as if to say “thanks for the assist” as Magic broke character and cracked up
Very disappointed...
It is easy to point fingers…but Portland just wasn’t making any shots in the first quarter, and that other team that will go unnamed played great defense…(and had way too man y easy baskets) We were our own reason, we could never get over the hump. Hard to be successful when nobody can score…
I would have liked to see Roy get into a grove when it mattered.
Oh well.
Can I buy you a fish sandwich?
The Team that fell to Earth
At this moment the extent of Odens injury is unknown and certainly whatever the reality becomes will have impact. I’m hoping for the best as I would expect all Blazer fans. But beyond Oden, as ugly and painful as this loss was, perhaps it’s exactly what this team needed. Expectations were so high. Can we look at this loss like a dose of medicine? Assuming Oden is alright nothing has really changed for this team outside of we didn’t play a good game against the defending Western Conference Champions on opening night. Right out of the gate this really seems like a time when we need to pull together as a team and as a fanbase. This team got a hard dose of reality but it’s how we react that will matter.
"Mother Nature started this fight, I think it's about time we ended it!"
(copied and pasted from gamethread)
im not worried
lets be real for a second. we were all hyped up that the blazers were going to be a great team this year without having really proven anything yet, last year was fun but we didnt make the playoffs. we were playing the reigning western conference champs who are favored to win it all this year. did u really expect a win? OF COURSE U DID THATS WHY WERE FANS. but realistically we saw what a championship team looks like tonight and were building towards that and hopefully we can get there someday. we dont have to play the lakers every game of the season so no need to panic, we can still make the playoffs and see waht happens then.
no
the problem is not that we lost. Its how we lost. We could not drive inside and dint get to the line. When we get to the free throw line we cant make them. The other thing is this team should have easy baskets and they should run. But they look like the oldest team in the NBA. And its delusional to think blazers will be in the playoffs if they play this way and if Oden is always going to twist his ankle.
If I had photoshop skills I'd work Oden's photo into this

by Sexual Tyrannosaurus on Oct 29, 2008 1:29 AM PDT reply actions
I feel like we were just missing "something" last night...
i just can’t put in finger on it…
by Disgruntled Jarrett Jack Fan on Oct 29, 2008 6:33 AM PDT reply actions
An inside offensive game...
……………………. And the Lakers were playing good defense, which meant that all the outside shots were contested = 27.1% shooting.
"It's not a joke -- it's not a game." — B-Rex
our inside offensive game
last year was called “Jarrett Jack”, THAT’S what we’re missing…
by Disgruntled Jarrett Jack Fan on Oct 29, 2008 6:47 PM PDT up reply actions
Actually true.
………………….. Need to make Rex start watching 90 minutes of Tony Parker film every morning when he comes in ahead of everyone else and then telling him: JUST DO IT.
"It's not a joke -- it's not a game." — B-Rex
Instead, I suspect they are trying to make Rex into John Stockton or something.
"It's not a joke -- it's not a game." — B-Rex
You nailed it.
Bayless is clearly an offensive rim attacking pg. Not a Stockton. Using him any other way would be a mistake. Man I’m glad we traded Jack for a rookie with midget arms just to try and do what he already did.
by Disgruntled Jarrett Jack Fan on Oct 30, 2008 6:35 AM PDT up reply actions
incredible screenname
nice work!
honor terry porter
by Ben Golliver on Oct 30, 2008 8:12 PM PDT up reply actions
I miseed the game last night, but heard some on the radio
and Wheels was sounding like it was the absolute end of the world, and there was no good left in man kind. Now THAT guy hits the panic button easily.
My favorite teams are the Blazers and any team that is playing the Lakers.
Trade Wheels for Kevin Calabro
It’s so classless when he starts acting like a kid who doesn’t get his way. Give some credit to the other team why don’t you.
"Greg Oden is the strongest guy in the NBA" - Channing Frye.
I imagine him
throwing himself on the floor and pounding his fists on the ground, or holding his breath until the Blazers get a stop or a bucket.
Wheels is good, but I just don’t like the sky is falling mentality.
My favorite teams are the Blazers and any team that is playing the Lakers.
by OCBlazerFan1 on Oct 29, 2008 7:30 AM PDT up reply actions
webster was sorely missed
oden was being mauled, making it hard to get off to an easy start
bayless is fearless, but still needs as much work as anybody
roy, shot wasn’t falling
aldridge, jumper wasn’t falling
outlaw, i hate every shot he takes, but alot of them went in
rudy, played great
sergio, did nothing! tried to throw one alley-oop and turned it over, and got dunked on
by blackandwite323 on Oct 29, 2008 7:11 AM PDT reply actions
Sergio surprised me...
because as near as I could tell he was the EXACT same player as last year. I was looking forward to see the fruits of all his summer labor but that didn’t happen. It’s only one game, I know, but Roy and Aldridge’s problems, for instance, seemed to be missed jumpers, not carried over flaws from previous season.
I can't, but that is a really, really funny statement.
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
It stings
Man what a disappointing game. Maybe I was worked up by all the hype, I don’t know. The Lakers were the more poised team last night. It was clear that they are championship material, and they took advantage of the fact that this is the first game with our new guys. Man, the schedule maker in the NBA must really want to punish the Blazers for some reason.
We were jittery at first, which affected our shots. Had our shots fallen, we would’ve had confidence and it would’ve been more competitive.
I agree with what I heard on the radio this morning, that we can’t rely on Oden..we shouldn’t. I’m going to be skeptical, for my own psychological health, until he strings together several good games.
You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose.
-- Unknown
Outside shooting?
Here’s a big problem:
Both our power forwards seem to want to play small forward.
Channing and LaMacus have fallen in love with outside jumpshots instead of taking it to the hole.
This will not due.
Yes, LA’s interior defense was very good lastnight, but our guys have to be able to get in there. HAVE TO.
Rudyculize: The act of Rudy making others look slow, dim and generally oafish.
http://www.myspace.com/y5k
Henry Abbott said this:
“Channing Frye’s interior monologue: "I shoot 3s now! I shoot 3s now!”"
in his running blog last night. So true.
I have thought this for a long time.
He needs to play like a guy 6’11" and not 5’11". He can hit the outside shot, but we need the inside game.
My favorite teams are the Blazers and any team that is playing the Lakers.
by OCBlazerFan1 on Oct 29, 2008 9:02 AM PDT up reply actions
Exactly.
They. Were. Terrible.
Roy was missing good shots that he’ll make most nights. LMA and Frye were drifting around the perimeter jacking terrible shots that barely hit the rim (not a single one of them was close) and avoiding rebounds like they were on fire. I recall exactly one decent play from LMA, when he caught the ball in the lane and was basically forced to take a little jump hook – which looked GREAT. If he plays that soft, it’s going to be a long year.
Will somebody please tell Nate to tell LMA and Frye to stop practicing threes? There couldn’t be a worse thing for them to practice.
You guys are (supposed to be) power forwards. You are neither Dirk nor Sheed. There’s a reason you haven’t shot threes on any other level for your entire lives. YOU ARE NOT GOOD AT SHOOTING THEM. The NBA is not the time to change your game. It’s the time to improve the skills that got you there.
Q: Is Greg favoring his knee?
Frye: He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors.
Where was Batum? I was excited to see him start...Not like we could have done much worse
if he was in there to start
"People? You man Sheeple."
He was off cleaning the cryptonite out of the Blazer lockerroom. Someone had to make the sacrifice
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
I don't know which was worse
Missing my chance for great tickets to see the game, or taking part in the gameday thread.
So many negative nancy whiny baby butts in here when things ain’t goin’ right! Man!
We lost. It sucks in game 1, it sucks in game 57 but it’s just a loss. ODEN ROLLED HIS ANKLE ON SOMEONE ELSE. That happens to ANYONE, and luck would have it it just happened to happen to our franchise center who already deals with injury concerns because of a wrist and knee thing. If that makes someone injury prone, the entire NBA is injury prone.
Everyone looked way nervous and in certain cases played worse than we’ve ever seen then play— we KNOW they are good players who all collectively had a bad night since we have SEEN them play consistently much better. We’ve seen LMA not be so soft, or Roy so easily rattled. Why it had to happen on the 1st game of the season against the Lakers… well, maybe it’s not a “why” but the reason itself…
It ain’t Nate; he didn’t gameplan suckiness. This is the players allowing themselves to get too easily rattled from the very first punch thrown and to not give themselves a chance.
We love our youth and we’ll be able to keep them around for a long time… this is one of the downsides to it. It’s a loooong way till April however, and I still got 51 wins predicted.
We need Oden back, but we got a good team who just sucked for a night. It’ll be more than okay in the long run.
Mortimer
The replay doesn't substantiate your claim that
ODEN ROLLED HIS ANKLE ON SOMEONE ELSE.
. That was Greg’s thought on how it happened, but probably not really what transpired. Now are you worried?
Watch the replay again then
I got it cued up on my DVR, and he totally steps on Fisher’s toes and twists his ankle.
Fisher pulls his foot from under Oden, and Oden’s twisted ankle keeps twisting underneath himself.
Is there another angle people have that I haven’t seen? Because frame by frame, he steps on Fisher’s foot and Fisher pulls his foot out once he feels another foot on top of his. The still frame I’ve seen is taken AFTER Fisher removes his foot from under Oden’s.
And yes— I am not worried about a rolled ankle in basketball. I have heard a story of that happening before to people playing basketball before and it sounds crazy but is true.
I definitely ain’t accusing you of this, but I think some peoples out there might wanna jump the gun on the “I Told You So’s” after a thus-far mundane, common b-ball injury. If he needs to lose more weight, that’s great, and he probably needs to get his ankles stronger. Those’ll both happen easily enough.
Mortimer
He's rolled it 3 times already this season
and it’s not like we’re yet deep into it.
Keep those blinders on Mortimer. It’s a great coping mechanism.
Haha
Well, maybe when Oden is hurt you can sit back self assured that you warned us all and were right. That’ll be fun.
You are right, he rolled his ankle 3 times. It happens. He needs to stop stepping on feet and probably strengthen his ankle. If stepping on people’s feet makes one injury prone to you, I daresay you are jumping the gun and maybe might be hoping to say “I called it” more than being realistic about the situation.
I know you think I’m a company man, but I view the team realistically. Outlaw ain’t gonna magically become multi-layered, Joel ain’t ever gonna score double digits, and Oden ain’t injury prone till he has re-occuring injuries. That is how it works.
This ain’t about rationalizing last year’s draft pick or Durant vs Oden. This is realistically judging how Oden has gotten hurt and whether the problems are related— they are not. You like to jump on every little occurrence with the kid as proof he is fragile, when if it was anyone else we wouldn’t know they twisted an ankle in practice.
This is silliness personified. You can easily argue he has been unlucky, but you’re focusing too much on random injuries if you wanna see ‘brittleness’. That isn’t rational.
Mortimer
Right Mortimer.
You always are. Right down to your statement that Jerry Reynolds doesn’t know much about NBA basketball (but you do of course). In your eyes apparently, Greg could have 20 different injuries in a year but he would not be considered injury prone ‘cuz they weren’t the same injury. OK.
Other than Greg, I doubt there’s anyone hoping more than myself that the news from this latest injury is good. His presence will make a Blazer championship much more likely to occur sooner rather than later.
As a realist, it’s just hard for me to ignore the multitude of negative signs we have seen regarding Oden’s durability/health and I’ve been trying to adjust my expectations accordingly. No more, no less. And I don’t think I’m alone with these fears.
Since you're always in a rush to puff up the minor stuff...
…I do think you’re trying to be ‘right’ about Oden. Oh, I want Oden to be healthy, but his 2 injuries and a twisted ankle must mean he makes a cancer patient look like a guy who couldn’t keep his legs from not getting broken (or whatever order the comparison is).
Just because Jerry Reynolds is nice doesn’t mean he knows what he is talking about when announcing a game. Most announcers are often wrong even though it is their job. I don’t know more about true basketball than, say, Doug Collins, but he is very often wrong about obvious stuff and when it is their job to know this stuff but speak so factually (but incorrectly) about these matters they should be mocked and pointed out.
Despite my presence here, I am a busy dude. I read/watch a lotta basketball and it ain’t my job. When an announcer is blatantly wrong a lot, like Peaches and Reynolds are, there is nothing wrong with questioning both their wisdom and their knowledge of the current NBA game when it is their entire job to know this stuff. Especially when they say dumb things.
I don’t doubt you’d love Oden to be healthy like any other Blazer fan, but will be right there in front if he is hurt to say you knew it all along. You won’t be the only one, if that makes it any better.
It’s not like I think you root for Oden to be hurt or anything crazy, but you are quick to say I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT ALL ALONG when something pops up. I’d never say you or others ain’t allowed to say it, but I’ll call it out if I think it is unwarranted. An ankle twist is unwarranted.
If Oden didn’t have extra skin on his face, people wouldn’t worry so much about being ‘old’ and frail. Injuries that are not linked do matter, and so does the current one being because he landed on a foot (even if he has landed on other feet in practice recently).
Even if the injury ain’t a ‘good’ one, it is still way too early to reasonably say Oden is injury prone. Unlucky, yes. Horrible timing for it to be on national TV. But landing on a foot doesn’t equal brittle, and neither does the wrist in high school or the micro. We SHOULD be concerned about his weight and the recovery from micro, but overly worrying about every little REGULAR injury like a twisted ankle is being worry warts— as is trying to link those to a real injury as proof of brittle injury proneness.
Microfracture isn’t something that just happens, and he appears fully recovered from that real injury, except for his weight. That is one thing.
Daily basketball injuries, sprains, tendinitis, etc, are not cause for concern and are something else entirely. If this was Joel, it wouldn’t be so worried about even though Joel has had enough injuries for everyone— some unlucky, some reoccurring.
We will worry about the effects of the micro for a long time yet, but we do us all a disservice to make normal basketball injuries out to be something they are not.
Mortimer
ps: Now watch— now that I’m done writing this, the Oden update comes out and makes everything we’ve said meaningless.
Morty, the word you're looking for is pedantic and throw in a little dose of
defeatism. Pedeatism is the word you’re trying to use. That sounds an awful lot like pedophilism (I don’t know how to spell that because I’m not one, so there, or maybe I’m spelling it wrong on purpose, I’m crafty like that).
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
I just read Quick
And he says a replay shows that Oden didn’t roll it on Fisher’s foot, but the TNT replace clearly shows he did…
Like I said, is there another angle I am missing?
Morty
Ok, re-watched the replay
He definitely, completely, totally, steps on Fisher’s toes. I was watching it so much in frame-by-frame that I started second guessing myself, but when watching in slo-mo you can see where his foot lands on Fisher’s, Fisher pulling back, and then Oden’s foot twisting.
THERE, now that we solved that case we can figure out how to solve the economy.
MOrtimer
Ooph
I shouldn’t have compared our economy to Oden…
Is the hindenburg a better example? No, crap! Uh, uh, the Edsel? NO next one… uhhhh… Heaven’s Gate? DAMMIT.
Until I see Oden fallin’ apart, re-occuring injuries from old injuries (like with Yao or Bowie or Sampson), he is just too big, coordinated, talented, and smart to not be a good player.
There’s just too much Oden for Oden not to be good.
Mortimer
OK stop talking to yourself. I saw it the way you see it. He def stepped on Fisher
I’m not sure what everyone else is talking about either. It’s weird.
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
But I had 10,000 more words
To hit my Blazers Edge quota!
If one has access to the replay (I dunno if it is on YouTube) I don’t see how anyone could see it differently.
You got the nice 60 inch HDTV, so if you say he stepped on Fisher I believe it.
Oden either needs to wear stiff cowboy boots so he can’t move his ankle, or baseball cleats so if anyone moves their foot underneath him once they won’t do it twice.
Mortimerpherus
He'll learn how not to get hurt.
I’ve learned a lot of things that involved getting hurt. After a while, though, you learn how to fall, how to adapt. The tighter, more nervous you are, the easier you get hurt. Forget the boots, get him a shot or some pain killers. The drunk guy never gets hurt.
Once he relaxes, we’re home free.
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
Well, you're just a sacharine sally sassy puffy pants!
So many negative nancy whiny baby butts in here when things ain’t goin’ right! Man!
"It's not a joke -- it's not a game." — B-Rex
If we win convincingly Friday
Which we CAN do without Oden, I think people will get their hopes high again.
Morty
But it didn't have quite the same effect...
…. seeing as how he was wearing his leotard and tutu at the time.
hakkaa päälle !
I'm panicing as fast as I can ... but I think I'm faking it.
Reality is, we’re gonna get blown out some games, and opening night in LA is as likely as any other time.
Rudyculize: The act of Rudy making others look slow, dim and generally oafish.
http://www.myspace.com/y5k
If this was game 37 in San Antonio...
…I think the sky wouldn’t be falling for so many people.
But we gotta look at it that way: one game in a long season. True, we need NEED need to know how Oden is, but we know KNOW know that Roy and LMA are NOT that player(s) we saw last night. Not by a long shot.
Because they were bad. Really bad.
The timing for a youth-stress-hype-injury related meltdown is bad, but it’s better now than later… just like this rough schedule is better now, and makes every game afterwards easy as cake/pie/brownies/jello/creme brulee.
OOPH that was a crappy game, but Friday is the home opener and Oden or not I know we can take anyone ANYONE anyone at home.
Mortimer
Me too.
I think we can do OK without Oden and in fact should be gearing our offense that way.
We should have kept Hill.
I’m not a bit worried about Roy or LA … they will rebound from that game big time. Channing though is another matter. Well, he may have to back-up Pryz at center and he did that pretty well late last season.
Rather than trashing Outlaw we should be praising him. If he weren’t hitting those shots last night, the blow-out would have been by 30 points or more. Very well could be that Travis will go back to playing the 4 where his defense is the best (with Oden out that is).
As I posted in the game recap, I’m very afraid that Greg is fragile as glass and that I think he will end up making Sam Bowie look like Lou Gehrig. Wrist, knee, ankle, ankle, foot …. will it end?
I’m thinking Blazers tickets might be easier to get after last night.
1 or 2 nice wins...
…and everyone will be back on board, I think.
Outlaw had a good offensive game but a player at his stage of his career just needs to bring more— unless he IS just going to be Vinnie Johnson. That is a waste of his length and athletic ability, but if it is all he can do then that’s fine. He’s just so bad at defense, and from afar it seems like he’s better when the game is kept linear for him… starting adds too many layers, too many options to choose from and I’m not sure if he is suited for that.
As for Hill… I think he’s best as a practice player, and if we just wanted that he’d be a better choice then Shavlick. But if Oden is out, throwing Hill in as the 3rd stringer isn’t better than just going small. Hill is slow and unathletic and while tall he isn’t that strong. I think Frye/LMA would be better backups than Hill, and Shavlick is a lot more talented of a player than Hill.
As a 6th year vet, Outlaw should be continued to be held to a higher and higher standard though. He’s just so drastically incomplete as a player, and if we think he’ll magically learn how to exist within an offense or be able to move laterally we might be waiting for a while.
Off the bench as instant offense, he’s dreamy. But as a real NBA player at the 3 or the 4, he’s one-dimensional still.
Mortimer
I was surprise Shavlik wasn't in uniform last night
He had been working with the black unit .. he had provided some solid play and points here and there..
He's in the same position vis-a-vis Ike that Rex is with Sergio...
…………………………. Out of the rotation for the moment, ‘cept in Shav’s case it is a matter of 12/13 position on the roster.
I would expect him to go to the D League if he’s still eligible…
"It's not a joke -- it's not a game." — B-Rex
What's up with Oden landing on feet?
Does he have glass ankles? Come on Jay Jensen, wrap those suckers up! Then he’ll fall on Fisher, that’ll learn him.
My favorite teams are the Blazers and any team that is playing the Lakers.
He does seem to land on people's feet more than anyone, ever
That much appears to be true!
Maybe it’s the size 30 shoes (or whatever he wears), or that he truly has weak ankles, but they gotta figure out how to make him not do that.
I know right now Oden is so worried about getting hurt that he is being tentative.
Mortimer
You'd think that you wouldn't
want to be landed on by a 300lb. man. But Oden seems to have a case of Derek Anderson ankles. That guy used to constantly roll those suckers. Get some tape, or a brace.
My favorite teams are the Blazers and any team that is playing the Lakers.
by OCBlazerFan1 on Oct 29, 2008 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions
Ski boots.
"Personally, I'd rather give an elephant a prostate exam on Chili Day." --Dave on rooting for the Lakers or Celtics
by MiledAnimal on Oct 29, 2008 11:27 AM PDT up reply actions
change the Plan?
i thought the plan was to play batum.wtf. we are just not on the lvl of these contenders. watching the game it doesnt seem like we even have any kind of rotations set and we have a bunch of pieces that just dont fit yet. i always like seeing aldridge and fry out there together. i was serious awhile back when i said trade pritchard and let him steal from other good teams in the west for a while. once we blow our wad hopfully we wont need him for awhile and he might do more good for us in the east. after last nite im thinking mabey we should try to steal some of our divisions players with our $ this offseason and i wouldntmind delegating greg to 2nd string for awhile and plan on (keeping him) but developing a plan to create our championship team without him by finding another complementary big. or 2( bynum odom? id rather have lebron but…) and if he stays healthy great, if not no big deal. with all the pressure and scrutinization i think we are on some level making the issue worse or creating one that isnt necessarily there yet and relieving as much pressure might be the best thing we can do for his development. the best thing about last nite is that we set the bar really low so that we are sure to get better.
this is depressing
im out for the day but seriously nate is done, he fails in my book. At the beginning of the game i texted twiggs saying “if we lose, im blaming Outlaw”. Well we lost and I blame Travis. But I have to reevaluate that because Travis did nothing outside of his norm. He played garbage defense, was hot offensively but doesnt move off the ball and ruined the starting lineup’s offense. We all knew that was going to happen. Batum would have just existed. He wouldn’t have been a super PLUS but perhaps his presence would have encouraged lma and broy to shoot themselves out of their offensive funks. He would have played better perim. defense and at least stop some of the momentum . The lakers ran a lot last night, and Batum would have gotten back on d much faster than oden and outlaw, the perpetual, get-back-on-d-last-ers.
All in all the reevaluation has convinced me that with the massive quantity of talent the Portland trail blazers posses we must also posses a leader/coach who will qualify the talent to the best of it’s ability.
Nate is not the one. Its his fault. I blame Nate and its become plainfully obvious that he is not a good coach for the PTB if we want to win a championship.
Sophia
"Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcreaft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. [speech at GOP Presidential Convention 1992] Rev. Pat Robertson
You really do need to start a thread called simply: 'FIRE NATE!"
…………………………………………. I dare ya!
"It's not a joke -- it's not a game." — B-Rex
I am seeing a line up
of Blake, Rudy, Roy, LMA, and Prz (for the next 2-4 weeks). You are right. Outlaw does not fit with the starting line up.
My favorite teams are the Blazers and any team that is playing the Lakers.
by OCBlazerFan1 on Oct 29, 2008 6:32 PM PDT up reply actions
Which perhaps implies:
Sergio/Rex/Travis/Ike/Channing
And Frye needs to GET IT IN HIS BRAIN that he is neither a small forward nor a shooting guard.
"It's not a joke -- it's not a game." — B-Rex
Dave said 2700+ coments on the game thread
Which makes my call of over 3250 total posts look pretty good,lets call it a push.
by southern oregon on Oct 29, 2008 8:11 PM PDT up reply actions
No way Ike is going to get time.
Nate does not have to play 10 guys regular minutes. The whole concept of platoon subbing is pretty daft, actually. I’m a proponent of Roy, Blake, Batum, LMA and pryz, with Bayless/Sergio, Rudy, Travis and Channing off the bench.
by erastus25 on Oct 30, 2008 5:58 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
+1 for using the word "daft"
"Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcreaft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. [speech at GOP Presidential Convention 1992] Rev. Pat Robertson
WHOAHHHHHHHH, hold on there.
Fire Nate? No way. He’s widely considered one of the best coached in the league. I thought it was a strange move to swap Batum and Outlaw as well, but hey we can’t see what Nate can. He’s a SMART DUDE. He gets basketball. He played for 12 years, and coached 9. That’s 21 years of pro basketball experience.
I understand how upset you are, but don’t look for a scape goat. It was a bad game. That’s all. We were all excited and were all dissappointed. But, this is our TEAM. Nate is our coach. Let’s not start picking them apart at the very first sign of stress. Nate will make mistakes. All coached do. Hell, Phil Jackson got outcoached in the FINALS. Should the L*kers fire him (yes, but only because he’s a pompous ninny)?
It’s cool to be upset, but give Nate a break. Not one player went through that game with out significant mistakes. We can’t blame the coach for this. Period.
I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich
Panic? Nah, but lower the expectations
No team that is going to make noise in the playoffs gets worked like that in their first game. Sorry. But the future is still bright, it’s just going to take longer than we all thought.
Blazer Fan

by 

































