Make sure you don’t cuss around here. We don’t take kindly to cussing.

We hope you come to love our team as we do. And we look forward to yet another talented writer here.

but this is worth actually logging in so I can respond.

There are certain things you should know about this place:
1. It was ok to cheer for Brandon even when you were a Sonics fan. We like classy players on other teams, and give them credit.
2. Further to #1, part of the definition of “classy players” is that they don’t play for the L@kers.
3. Ben is cool.
4. Dave is so cool that he even gave Ben a job.
5. I’m going to rule the world someday. Not by force, but by acclamation, because people will love me so much. Those who don’t will be kindly but firmly re-educated. It is advisable to begin learning to love me now. I’m so cool that I even let Dave run this website.
6. Henry Abbott supposedly posts here. Some people think he is Mortimer. Some people think he is tominhawaii. Some people think he is Dave. I think that Mortimer is really Kevin Pritchard. Storyteller must be Tom Penn’s cousin. Some of these names will mean nothing to you now. This will change, if you truly become a Blazer fan, and a Bedger (Blazer’s Edger). You will read and analyze every comment, even if it means forgetting to eat. This is more than a website, it is a community consisting mostly of lunatics.
7. KP stands for Kevin Pritchard. He is our general manager. He is not perfect, he is not omniscient, and he does not use mind control on other GMs. He is just smarter, works harder, gets lucky sometimes, and wins.
8. KP’s goal is NOT to build a team that will win 15 championships in a row. His goal is to build a team that will win 15 championships in a row AND have enough talent stockpiled that our Development League team will win the NBA Eastern Conference championship 10 of those 15 years.
9. We need multiple PG prospects to give fans things to talk about on Internet sites through the dog days of summer. The more, the better.

Enjoy your new flame. She is Blazing, Red Hot and Rolling. She will soon consume you, but you won’t feel burned.

you lose the “Mr” thing and dive right in.

Seattle was screwed from the point of NO moving to OKC. David (King) Stern decreed it and it was done. Never have I been so disheartened by the NBA that this. I predict that it will come back to bite him but that does not stop the pain for all Seattle NBA fans. Portland becomes a poor substitute (maybe we will follow the Patriot’s model and become the Northwest Blazers?) but we are glad to provide a port in the storm. I agree about putting another city through what Seattle had endured and hope that it does not happen even if we dilute a deep team with an expansion draft.

An unintended consequence to this loss might be to force a new rapid transit system between Seattle and Portland. A Japan style high-speed train would be really cool! I think given the growth rate in the Northwest we will all be one city sometime in this century.

and I just want you to know that Sherman Alexie will say whatever he thinks you want to hear. He says he hates the Lkers but it doesn’t take any courage to do that. Everyone hates the Lkers. It’s a lot of beautiful words but it just shows he’s not qualified to be a Blazer fan. Just a few weeks ago he said the Sonics were the most important thing and now he’s saying he could support the Blazers. My friends, I know you see this flip-flopping for what it is; pretty words from a Sonics fan who is not qualified to be a Blazer fan.

was a great read. Man, it looks like we have our first blog laureate.

Blazers Edge just got so much cooler in my mind. Go Ben!

so, i haven’t lost a long-term spouse, like mr. alexie, but I have been serially dating for many years, with disappointing results.

being from vancouver, i had a crush on a local for a while and had grand hopes for our relationship, before she heard elvis calling and broke my heart. after that i tried to date the girl down the street for a few years, but she never returned my affections and eventually moved away too. for a while, i licked my wounds and ogled this hot chick who could put it together in 7 seconds or less. but, like all fast girls, she didn’t age well. now, I can’t possibly date that girl from Toronto, cuz she is with my big brother.

there is this young lady down in portland – i sure like that town – and i have been admiring her for a while. i wonder if she would mind if i send her flowers now and then and maybe chat a bit on facebook? i am sure she has lots of new friends, sexy literate ones at that, but i am hoping she can tolerate another.

o, and a quick tip to any new alexie fans out there, don’t lend “the toughest indian in the world” to your father-in-law, no matter how much you liked it, unless he is fairly liberal for his age and doesn’t make fun of your earring.

When the literati come aboard, we know the ship is ready to sail. And, after the storm in Seattle, the calm waters in this ship’s port should be a welcome relief. Just think. No one is arguing about stadiums, coaches, moving, or players. They just argue about winning, and then winning some more. Here, the GM and the owner get along, both respect the coach and the coaches, and all work as a team. And because they do, the players they’ve assembled, for the most bright eyed, young, and excited, generate the same enthusiasm among the fan base. And the fan’s, hearing nothing of dogs, or dope, or fights, respond. And, why not. Who else has, for three successive years, kept the pot boiling the way the Blazers have. Roy and Aldridge, followed by Oden and Fernandez, and now Bayless. Portland has this very large Christmas tree, and every year, the fans get to open another present. And many years, we get two. So welcome aboard. There’s still one more present under the tree – Fernandez. You’ve arrived just in time for us to open this one. And then, and only then, can we argue about guards, and more guards. And who plays, and who doesn’t.

Not only am I a big Blazers fan, I’m also a fan of Sherman Alexie’s writing. So this rules.

I would not want a full bandwagon float for the championship parade through Portland in 2010. I would ride a tricycle while wearing a Lloyd Neal jersey.

And Bobby Gross was always my sixth man in my childhood stratomatic leagues. High FG% and that -5 defense

I think that Oliver Miller could push Galactus out of the paint and out eat him

“Hate” the Lakers? Not me.

I don’t root for them and I don’t think Kobe is the best in the game and Jackson can be pompous and the Lakers don’t need another title but I don’t dislike enough players or the style to make them “the enemy”. I try to avoid “hate”. With more serious cases in life I am fine with “aggressive opposition”. Potato / potatoe to some but I think there is a difference at least for me.

It is just sports so if you go that route I am not going to pontificate much against it but I am not moved to even strong dislike of the Lakers right now. I will admit to be being more negative toward Kobe before this season though.

Maybe there are or have been teams I’ve disliked in past but it is / was usually a mixed reaction with some respect for the good qualities.. I am not a big Lebron fan or a fan of the Cavs roster but it more about not being that impressed than hostility. I think though LeBron hype bugs me some. I’d rather someone else won.

But whoever does, congrats, see ya next season.

My regard for the Blazer may grow further with time based on their progress and good commentrary here but sorry “Lakers drool” or anything in that vein does nothing for me. But I don’t intend to discuss it further. Just felt like voicing me different viewpoint.

saying that I had a problem and needed help with it even in jest will draw a brief response.

Welcome I live in Sumner,WA. was born in Portland. Have always been a Blazer fan and a NBA fan. So when I moved to the Seattle area in 89. I started watching sonic games and every time Portland came to Seattle I would go to the game wearing my Blazer game gear and root for the Blazers. And would always have bets with coworkers on the games. Now my coworkers are grilling me for Blazer information and history and I love it and welcome it and welcome all Seattle fan base. I would like to get a group together to go down to the rose garden for a OKC game and boo bennett or correlate a silence like Dave from BE proposed. How about it lets get it done.

I too am a pretty big Nate McMillan fan and have been for a long time.
But this coming season will be quite the test for him as head coach. There are pretty big expectations.

Looking at a few stats I see Nate’s teams over his coaching career have lost 107 more games to teams over .500 than they have won, that he has only 1 year where they won more and that last year the Blazers had a poor record against teams better than .500.

And no team last season with a .500 or better record had a worse road record.

On the positive side no team not above .500 did better at home. The Blazers at least last year were dependent on home games and home team support.

Hopefully Nate and the team will improve on the road and against teams over .500. They will have to to get where they want to go.

I’m about the same age as you (42) I lived in Seattle for the first 22 years of my life and moved to Portland after college and have been here ever since. Being 12 in ‘78 was the erfect age to get hooked on the Sonics, I was just old enough to start really understanding sports and really following them. I still remmeber being devasted when DJ got traded for Westphall (the McCallvaine equivlent for the end of that era) Wally hiring Westphall as coach is a real sign of how clueless he is, does the man not undertsand karma?

As a basketball fan I shared Blazers season tickets for about 6 years, I’d root for them to win vs. anyone but the Sonics,, but I’ve only been able to really root for them as a fan the last couple years, but now I’m fully committed. Brandon and Nate help a lot of course, and overall the rest fo the team is just flat out likeable. Only a true misanthrope (or Lakers fan, though I suppose that is redundant!) could not like them.

going 500+ against winning teams is tough. Thanks for laying it out for others. I probably should have added more background. My comment was meant mainly to say that Nate and the Blazers will have a tough step up to take. Nate’s teams on average haven’t been that talented/successful (a little below average) and that led to only winning about 1/3rd of games against teams .500 or better across his coaching career. Only top ten coaches will do much better but if he is now a top 10 coach with a top 10 team or near it this is the time for his win% against teams .500 or better to step up towards 50%.

I’m confused… all this time I thought tominhawaii was Sherman and fatty was ee’s kid?