Then some of those guys get cut. It’s part of the game. It’s no slight on Udoka or Collins. Whether or not KP knew he’d pick up Mills is beside the point.

… I really like Ime and his game, but he was let go by San Antonio and not picked up by the Blazers…. do you think you know better about his assets than people who have worked with him and assessed him in person?

Collins missed last year due to injury and has had an un-spectacular career.

Both are of high character, from all accounts, but gone are the days where the Blazers would fill the roster with high character and overlook on-court performance. Now, they need to find a way to blend and balance both.

I wish Collins and Udoka great success wherever they go….. except for the nights the Blazers are in town!

I think it’s an improbably good move by KP and company to alleviate the roster crunch by signing Mills and letting Ime and Collins go to teams where they can actually play. It would be a slap in the face to keep them here, nowing that they’d be buried at the end of the bench or on the injured list.

…who have now been re-nicknamed “The Bad Brothers” because now their roster “features”: Taylor (Blake) Griffin, Robin (Brooke) Lopez, and noe Jarron (Jason) Collins. Somewhere Harvery Grant and Brent Price are rolling over in their graves…(ha-ha!)

Here’s why: they didn’t think Mills would force their hand. They thought he would go play in Europe, but by signing, he forced them to keep him or lose his rights altogether. So if Udoka and Collins were slapped, it was a Millslap. (Didn’t we try to sign him?)

BUT: I don’t think that’s fair to Mills. (Or if it is, Batum did a very similar thing and we’re glad he did.) Udoka and Collins are fringe players. Lots of players with NBA experience have been waived (like Blakey’s NCAA backcourt-mate). Tough times. But they’ve at least had a chance to prove their worth/health, and it sounds like they’re going to stick with some team.

Let me say that again: the 15th roster spot

The Blazers gave those guys a look, but didn’t think either one was good enough to be worth keeping around.

1. Blake is in a contract year, and both he and Bayless would have value in a trade. So, an additional benefit of this selection is depth if we make a trade near the trading deadline.

2. I assume this means that Howard could play emergency spot minutes at center if one of the other two centers gets injured.

…might of just got caught in the grinder wheels of emotional and business side of basketball.

I don’t think McMillan or KP were ever disingenious about the reality for Udoka and Collins as Pre-Season players fighting for the 15th spot. The reality is the reality changed while pre-season played out. I’d be willing to bet, if we could of retained Mills rights while he played overseas, then Udoka or Collins would be that 15th guy.

Unfortunately it seems to be a combination of Mills signing the rookie contract and not being able to, or wanting to play overseas, perhaps combined with Paul Allen not wanting to lose Mills. Presto, Mills is your newest Blazer….

It’s too bad for Udoka and Collins, but they are both established enough commodities that opportunities have opened and will open for them. While in hindsight, they both knowing what they know today, probably would of prefered to spend pre-season trying out for a different team, I don’t feel this was a deliberate or malicious act on the part of The Blazers, KP, McMillan or even potentially Paul Allen.

Ultimately nothing is promised to anyone. Collins and Udoka both agreed to come into camp for a team that was being publicly heralded as one of the deepest in the league. They knew the risks, it comes with the territory. Udoka might of hoped this was all past him, but he competed with the very real chance all along that he could be injured and/or simply be beat by Collins. 15th roster spot guys know this.