I agree yo…

I cant wait 127 days till the start of the 2008/9 season!!!!!!!!!!

too bad im a poor college student/single mom and cant afford season tix lol :)

Koponen and Batum eventually earning the spots

I was going to put this in a diary, but since you already started one, I’ll just rec yours and put it here:

Last season, we ended the year with Pryz, LMA, Web, Roy, Blake, Frye, Outlaw, Jones, Jack, Sergio, Raef, McBob, Darius Miles’ ghost, Wafer, and Oden.

We now have subtracted from that list five players: Jones (FA, though might come back), Jack (trade), Miles (waived), McBob (trade), and Wafer (FA, probably gone for good).

We have added two on draft day who will, barring further deals, no doubt be on the opening day roster, in Bayless (#11 pick), and Diogu (trade). In addition, everyone expects Rudy Fernandez to show up.

That leaves two open roster slots. Wild cards include Nicholas Batum (will we see any of him?), Koponen (is he ready), and a few other euros stashed overseas, including Joel Freeland. We could also decide to add an inexpensive veteran—James Jones, should we re-sign him, or some other journeyman player who’s been ‘round the block.

One other interesting note-John Canzano is again stirring the pot, pronouncing Trout as the Blazers starting SF next year. While he will no doubt compete for the job-I don’t think Martell is shoved aside that easily. Also, Trout has done better coming off the bench, whereas Webster seems to do better in the starting lineup. The SF quandry will be interesting to see.

So, some questions:

1) How do you guys think we should use the open roster slots? Two vets? Two Euro prospects? One of each?

2) If we do go after a vet, how hard do we target James Jones? Is he this year’s Ime Udoka?

3) Martell or Outlaw at the SF?

4) While I expect Blake to be the starting PG on opening day—who will be the starter next to Roy by the end of the year? Blake? Bayless? Rudy? Sergio!!?

partially because it sets us up really well for a deadline deal, where RLEC will have the most value and when a couple of teams might be a little desperate and make a bad move (see Memphis, Pau Gasol). I suppose something could happen over the summer, too, but that makes less sense to me because some of our valuable trade assets (Martell, Outlaw, Frye, even Sergio maybe) will have a chance to increase their value during the first half of this season.
I see the first half of the season as a chance to get Oden in game shape and showcase some of our young talent for a deadline deal. Whatever space is left on the roster we can fill in with some of our promising Euro talent. Then we make a push with our shiny new piece for one of the lower playoff seeds in the West. We make a series of it and get some experience under our belts, although I don’t see how we can win a series, before reloading for a deep run in 2010.
Also, I think Bayless is a steal and am really excited about his future in the backcourt with Roy. All he needs to do is run the break OK and set up Roy to handle the ball in the halfcourt. And the guy can shoot, which is another requisite for that position. I’m not too high on the “pure point” need, we need someone to be the BJ Armstrong to Roy’s Jordan and I think Bayless is that guy.

But I don’t know how to spell recced. Maybe it’s with a ck instead of a cc.
Curious to see what happens with bah-Tooom. If he makes the roster he won’t get many minutes, but maybe he’ll be exciting. Don’t know nothin’ about his game.

I still think the team would benefit greatly from being able to make one more deal – a veteran SF. Think Caron Butler or Tayshaun Prince or perhaps even Mike Miller.

I’d be open to trading Martell Webster in a package for any of those 3 – then let Outlaw do what he does best – coming off the bench to backup the SF and PF positions.

Such a deal might cut into cap space in 2009, but so be it.

In fact, I put a scenario together where the Blazers trade Przybilla, Webster, Sergio and a 2nd round pick in 2009 to Minnesota for Mike Miller and their 2010 1st round pick (top 15 protected). Then sign Frye to an extension this summer (he’ll make $6 million in 2009-10) and get Rudy, Batum, Bayless and Koponen all under contract this summer. You let LaFrentz and Diogu walk at the end of the year as UFA’s and renounce their rights. That would leave about $13 million in cap space in July of 2009 ($18 million if the team didn’t pick up Blake’s option). That’s not a bad scenario, IMO.

You don’t trade a selfless, athletic C who rebounds, sets picks and
anchors your interior D. GO is going to be GREAT, but will have foul trouble
and or (fingers crossed) injury possibilities. We have the best one-two
Center combo and you don’t mess with that advantage.
Martell would be heading into his senior year in college. He has bought into
Nate’s vision of being a lock-down defender and improved in that regard this
last season. He’s already got the outside shot (needing to add more consistancy),
has shown improvement in moving without the ball and with his stated
emphasis on improving his ball handling this summer will be taking the
ball to the rack more. We’ve seen that he can finnish at the rim, but with GO
& Smooth drawing more doubles, he’ll have more room to attack the rim or
get his shot off. Get over the bias of taking him instead of Paul/Williams and
allow him to blend into our unique chemisty/TEAM. Rip City !!!!

BRING BACK OUR BLAZERS TO SO. OREGON !!!! COINCAST SUCKS !!!!!!

All of that cap space we could have is interesting assuming RLEC is allowed to simply come off of the books. However, if we are looking to sign a big-name free agent (and I’m assuming it would likely be a small forward) what available big-time small forward is out there that fits our timeline? The only one that is remotely close who will be a free agent after this season is Shawn Marion. However, he is already in that 30 year old range. Is there someone else I am missing?

The other option is to trade his expiring contract before the february trade deadline. Our best case scenario is to find someone who is in the process of gutting their own roster and doesn’t mind sacrificing big time expensive talent. Otherwise we are going to have to throw in about $5-6 million dollars worth of players salaries along with Raef’s contract, and draft picks to pick up this mega free-agent if it occurs via trade before this year’s trade deadline. That would probably mean Raef + Webster + Frye + $ + future draft picks. Then you just have to hope other teams go for it.

I heard Channing on the radio a week ago.

He was saying that he approached Nate and asked him how he could get on the floor more. Nate’s response was that Nate looks to have 5 guys on the court at crunch time who can score the basketball. So, Channing has stated that he is not a banger and needs to stop banging, so he is working to become a “Spread-Four”... in other words a big man with great range on his shot who can run and create mismatches while opening the lane for guards.

Channing said he has been working non-stop on his shooting consistency at 3-point range, mid-range, free-throws and working on his ball-handling and passing.

This is exciting that Channing is picturing himself as a very versatile option for the BLazers. He could fill three roles with one roster spot. 3rd string SF and 3rd string Center and 2nd string PF.

He has the talent and skill set to become that type of player… Robert Horry Jr, minus the Jerk-off-streak that Horry has.

50 to 55 wins? A division championship or the 4/5 seed? And a 1st round playoff victory? I can understand your wide-eyed optimism, for your team is deep, talented, young, and athletic. Nevertheless, aside from Aldridge and Roy, the Blazers are a band of unproven, inexperienced prospects and erstwhile journeymen. If the notes on the Blazer rotation are supposed to be some sort of testament as to the quality of your play next year, then I do not find it very persuasive. In any case, I don’t really see an argument that supports your prediction. Where is it?

You ought to present a substantive argument, if your aim is to be taken seriously, unless this is some postmodern exercise in performance art, and your desire to be mistaken for an intoxicated superfan is deliberate and by design.

So, how did you conclude that the Blazers will be superior to Utah next year(at best) or (at worst) superior to at least 4 other playoff contenders, namely Los Angeles, New Orleans, San Antonio, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, Denver, and Golden State?