And the winner is..........
by timbo on Oct 23, 2009 7:08 AM PDT
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Hello, Blazer Fans!
Timbo from the Oregon Lottery here announcing the finale of our featured lottery game of 2009. Yes, sports fans, it is now time to check your tickets to see if you are a potential consolation prize winner in our special and oh-so-popular BlazerBillions Pick15 contest, the contest to predict the Blazers' OpenIng Day roster for 2009/10. Thousands and thousands of tickets were sold (thanks for the cash, suckers!) but there's only one winner out there who picked all 15 names, a gentleman who bought his ticket at a liquor store in Tualatin five days ago, Mr. P. Allen.
But several other tickets got 14 right, and as you will recall, that's good for entry into our drawing for the consolation prize, a Blazer beer coaster signed by gadfly and barfly M. Rice, with the able assistance of his handler, Mr. M. Barrett, who kept him from stealing it. So take a look at your tickets, if you will, and see how many matches...
THE BLACK UNIT
PG: Steve "Poppin' Fresh" Blake — Most of you lost the BlazerBillions game from the start, pegging Andre Miller as the starting Point Guard on the basis that he's a Top 7 player at his position. Your mistake, you see, is that you looked at this as a battle of individuals, whereas the smart money was on the guy who plays best with Roy. Miller needs the ball in his paws to make the magic happen. Roy needs the ball in his paws to made the magic happen. Two magicians fighting over one magic ball makes for an entertaining wrestling match, but a crappy magic show. Enter Perimeter Sniper Blake. Roy is the magician on this team, goddammit, Roy has a high comfort level with Blake (sorta like Kobe has a high comfort level with the poster boy of Meh Point Guards, Derek Fisher). Ergo, Blake starts, even though in a head-to-head matchup with Iron Andre in a skills competition of general point guardery, the only thing he does better than Miller is hit the 24 footer...
WING: Brandon Roy, commonly known as "BRoy," "Captain," "Boss," and "God" — No duh he starts. A couple screwballs theorized he might come off the bench so that Andre and Greg could play their two-man game as starters. Ha!!! This is Brandon's team — always was, always will be. Brandon failed to achieve chemistry bliss with Andre during the preseason (putting it politely and avoiding use of descriptive barnyard expressions) so, welcome to the White Unit, Top 7 Point Guard Andre Miller. Sorry 'bout that, etc.
WING: Nic "Sophia's Choice" Batum — Nic remains the best on-ball defender on a team of, ummmm, highly challenged defenders. He sits in the corner and hits the one shot he has to with regularity. He's a real cutie and his bitching to the French media about having to play "The Portland" (loose translation: sit in the weak-side corner behind the arc and jack up corner-3s) is also cute. We saw glimpses of greatness during his summer tour with Le Cordon Bleu, but we're back full circle with Sweety Tushie — a 15 minutes-per-game non-scoring defensive specialist. Will he grow during the year? No doubt. But this is a game to predict the 15, not the future.
BIG: LeMarcus "LA is a City in California" Aldridge — Along with Brandon Roy, this was the FREE SPACE on your Bingo card. The Blazers like him so much that they're willing to pay him about a 20% premium on a 5 year deal.(Good luck with that Oden negotiation, geniuses!)
BIG: Greg "Giggles" Oden — He's invested a summer to go from "raw" to "medium rare." Still some risk of food borne illness, I suppose, but way the hay more tasty than last year's version... The common mistake was to envision the passing acumen of Miller with the finishing acumen of Oden and to project that upon the STARTING unit. Whereas that might be fine for FINISHING — but Roy's Comfort Decides All.
THE WHITE UNIT
PG: Sir Andre "No Worries" Miller — No one is more surprised than Top 7 Point Guard Andre Miller that he's gonna start the season riding pine, and that includes nearly everybody who bought a ticket. Sir Andre can't hit the 3 ball, we knew that. Sir Andre can pass, we knew that. Sir Andre can get to the rack, we knew that. Sir Andre has a hard time playing effectively with Brandon Roy — now THAT ONE we missed. Nate saw it all along, one rock, two guys that need the rock. You mix them and you have a team that's always got a very effective penetrator on the floor. You match them and you've got Chocolate Avocado Pie. Chocolate is good. Avocados are good. Chocolate Avocado Pie is not good. Trust me.
WING: Rudy "Vote Me" Fernandez — He's cute and he's skinny and he's an NBA backup. And he'd better not get hurt this year, or he's liable to have little tyrannosaurus marks on his cute, skinny, little NBA backside. Yet another example why letting players go burn their summers playing for their national team makes for happy, tired, ineffective employees with back spasms.
WING: Marty "The Real Deal" Blazer — I officially proclaim Martell Webster to be The One Guy Who Really Gets It. This is about the team. It is about The Blazers. It is about The Portland Trail Blazers. It is about The Portland Trail Blazers of the Pacific Northwest. It is about The Portland Trail Blazers of the Pacific Northwest winning a World Championship. "What do you need me to do?" he asks. "Hit the open looks and run the floor with Andre," comes the reply. You go, Marty Blazer!
WING: Travis "Show Me the Money" Outlaw — Yeah, the White Unit has 3 Wings and 1 Big. It pisses me off. Damn you, Kevin Pritchard! Nevertheless, my own strong personal feelings about high volume, low passing Wings playing out of position to create phony Regular Season mismatches so they can hit their patented No-Trav-no-no-no-no-no- YES!!! fadeaways notwithstanding, Travis Outlaw is the correct answer to the BlazerBillions game. He's in his comfort zone off the bench and he racked up 17 points in the final preseason tilt to boot, proving something or other about the law of averages. But he's not gonna be a finisher this year, unless the team needs one big shot at the wire...
BIG: Joel "The Thrilla" Przybilla — Overlooked among all the crappy preseasons had by other Blazers is the crappy preseason had by Joel. With the white unit, his job will be limited to hauling down boards to feed to Andre and spending 6 fouls covering for the crap perimeter defense that he's gonna have to play alongside. No, Marty Blazer, I am not talking about you. Pryzzy remains one of the top per minute rebounders in the NBA, since technique and height do not go on strike, but neither will he start with the reemergence of Oden. Oh, yeah, one more thing — MB's inside info to the contrary, there is no way that Pryzzy opts out of the last year of his deal. He's paid.
ELEVEN TO FIFTEEN (had to be picked in order)
11. Juwon Howard the Wise — He "gets it," too. Coming to a Head Coaching position near you soon. A real veteran PF that somehow wasn't pieced out for a 6th Point Guard. Wonders never cease.
12. Jerryd "Rex" Bayless — Don't get hurt, other guards... Rex is coming and he's HUN-GREEEEEEEE!!! I'm sick of people saying The Rex is not a "True Point Guard" so maybe I will just agree with them. Rex is not a True Point Guard. Either is Steve Blake, since his passing is mundane and all he does is shoot perimeter open looks while Roy carries the ball. And Andre Miller is not a True Point Guard, since he plays the same essential game as The Rex, driving the lane, albeit as a gifted and experienced passer. So yeah, Rex is not a True Point Guard. Bite me.
13. Dante "The Inferno" Cunningham — Twice the player as Travis Outlaw in that he can actually play two positons: SF and PF. Travis is a Wing that can exploit mismatches if he plays out of positon but is not now, nor will he ever be a PF. As long as Travis is on this team, The Inferno is blocked and benched. Them's facts. But The Inferno is the real deal.
14. Jeff "Do the Robot" Pendergraph — I lost my taste for the Pendy pick (a) when he failed to impress during Summer League; (b) when he seemed to indicate his strongest goal in life was getting paid (see: some OregonLive "Meet the Blazers" thing or another). He's a nice guy, but so was Channing Frye.
15. Patrick "I'm a Point Guard" Mills — Paul Allen wants the Blazers to be the Timberwolves and he's willing to burn Ime Udoka to get there. Plus, if he let KP and Nate put Ime on the team, he wouldn't have been the sole winner of our BlazerBillions contest. And Paul Allen likes money.
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Now that's how you right a fanpost!
I would give it all up for a billion dollars
by Tyler Durrden on Oct 23, 2009 7:40 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
What was wrong with it?
"I think he can still play" - Kevin Pritchard on Juwan Howard
by Norsktroll on Oct 23, 2009 7:47 AM PDT up reply actions 14 recs
It was because previous people who had guessed our starting lineup got it upside down.
This was indeed the way to right a fanpost, as one rights a ship.
μὴ φοβοῦ, μόνον πίστευε.
I thought that you
wright a ship?
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
It's spelled raghng
I would give it all up for a billion dollars
by Tyler Durrden on Oct 23, 2009 8:26 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
well played
I can tell you how to make an Excel spreadsheet that proves Portland wins 62 games this year.
I think this comment took a right oblique
Forward …. harch
"Either way we have two phenomenal units. I'm excited to play with either one." - Martell Webster
Great stuff, timbo!
Mild boast, I got the starters right, and the first five off the bench, a long time ago. I could search, but I’m lazy. When I rule the world, I’ll appoint an “Imperial Comment Searcher”.
I had no clue on Howard until we signed him. Jerryd looked like #11 to me, Dante like #12, Pendergraph like #13. I still think Jerryd is #11, actually, with Juwan at #12. So if you require the last 5 to be picked in order, I think you missed it.
I never thought Mills was out of the running after he got hurt. Europe was no longer an option for him. I remember discussing that problem. Without Europe as an option, he was twisting in the wind and the gamble on him was lost from the beginning, if we didn’t put him on the roster. It wasn’t surprising, but I didn’t predict it. I’m glad for the decision, though.
I can tell you how to make an Excel spreadsheet that proves Portland wins 62 games this year.
I think both Howard and Rex are gonna be in the rotation by the end of the year.
Somebody gets traded and somebody gets hurt…
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
.......... Howard is higher on the table of ranks than Rex because there is basically only LMA in front of him at the (true) PF spot...
Rex has 2 bodies in front of him at either the 1 or the 2.
If any one of the four guards go down, Rex gets big floor time… He’s actually a VERY valuable piece in that he can play PG or SG, albeit neither perfectly.
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
Both may be in the rotation some nights depending on opponent matchups
Travis against Millsap, for instance, might be ugly but Howard can body up.
Rudy against Ty Lawson might be ugly as well but Rex is s great matchup.
(not that Rudy and Travis won’t play then but not all the backup minutes).
My uneducated opinion, of course.
"Either way we have two phenomenal units. I'm excited to play with either one." - Martell Webster
If that somebody in front of Howard gets traded
it will be for someone who is even more in front of Howard, IMO.
I can tell you how to make an Excel spreadsheet that proves Portland wins 62 games this year.
You were right, I was wrong.
I am truly sorry.
I still think there’s a 50-50 chance that Miller will be the starting PG by the All-star break, but for now the madness will reign supreme.
by Nick Van Excellent on Oct 23, 2009 2:30 PM PDT up reply actions
Why are you sorry?
Your argument has plenty of merit.
I also think there’s a good chance Miller starts before the end of the year. And I am about 95% certain he gets more minutes and closes games by the end of November at the latest. Perhaps by the end of October.
When Miller and Roy do click together, they will be superb. And I firmly believe it will happen.
One thing that might keep Miller on the bench — if he’s getting plenty of PT, and is in the running for 6th Man of the Year, he might reach the point of shrugging and saying, “You know, Nate, this is working better than I thought. I’m fine with it if you want to keep it that way.” That would be pretty cool if it happened.
I can tell you how to make an Excel spreadsheet that proves Portland wins 62 games this year.
I'm not apologizing.
I’m just sorry Miller is coming off the bench. :)
by Nick Van Excellent on Oct 23, 2009 10:02 PM PDT up reply actions
Ah, I see
You aren’t sorry you were wrong, you are sorry you were wrong. Got it. :)
I can tell you how to make an Excel spreadsheet that proves Portland wins 62 games this year.
Again, enlightenment from the master, ah bliss . . .
Mr. Still would approve. Nick we are in rare company :)
"Either way we have two phenomenal units. I'm excited to play with either one." - Martell Webster
Chocolate Avocado Pie - how true
I think those ingredients eventually make a good cake (after proper baking).
Timbo, I just wanted to hand out a +92 for this great post...well done sir
Dave….if you are looking for unsolicited advice…you should bump this to page one
"And in the end
The love you take
Is equal to the love you make." -The Beatles
Well played sir....
well played indeed.
"I'm a man, but I can change.....if I have to......I guess." - Red Green
Great stuff as usual, Timbo
"I just sort of know that around the water cooler they talk of reality tv stars, and I strictly drink coffee." -- EvilKaramazov
Argument seems to have a flaw
Your mistake, you see, is that you looked at this as a battle of individuals, whereas the smart money was on the guy who plays best with Roy. Miller needs the ball in his paws to make the magic happen. Roy needs the ball in his paws to made the magic happen. Two magicians fighting over one magic ball makes for an entertaining wrestling match, but a crappy magic show. Enter Perimeter Sniper Blake. Roy is the magician on this team, goddammit, Roy has a high comfort level with Blake (sorta like Kobe has a high comfort level of the poster boy of Meh Point Guards, Derek Fisher). Ergo, Blake starts, even though in a head-to-head matchup with Iron Andre in a skills competition of general point guardery, the only thing he does better than Miller is hit the 24 footer…
If the postulate is that Andre cannot effectively co-exist with Roy, are you suggesting that Andre will not finish games either? Because once its crunch time in the fourth quarter, Brandon Roy is surely going to be on the floor. But according to the logic presented, then Andre will not play alongside Brandon in crunch time in the fourth quarter.
No it is completely coherent
Crunch time is what…..six minutes? Then is ok to have multiple ball handlers for that limited amount of time (as long as you also have Rudy for sharpshooter duty as well). Where it is a waste is when you have 2 guys trying do exactly the same things for the bulk of the minutes. That is why you split those guys up the majority of the time. Roy then makes the 1st unit guys better and Dre makes the 2nd unit guys better.
"And in the end
The love you take
Is equal to the love you make." -The Beatles
by 92wastheyear on Oct 23, 2009 10:43 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yes.
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
Roy needs the ball in his paws to made the magic happen. Two magicians fighting over one magic ball makes for an entertaining wrestling match, but a crappy magic show.
So fourth quarter, game on the line, both of you are calling for crappy magic show? And according to stated logic, fourth quarter when Roy handles the ball the most, Andre the ball handler will work out fine alongside Roy; but in early game situations, when Roy does not handle the ball as much, Andre the ball handler, has difficulty co-existing with Roy.
The logic just does not compute.
Computes just fine
It is all about efficiency. The main part of the game is all about getting as many points (as well as assists and rebounds)as possible out of each guy and there is only one ball. Having Roy and Miller in at the same time in this part of the game mean neither is getting the most out of their respective games. At the end of the game it is different…the team has different needs…at the end of the game they work together because the other team won’t be able to key into where the attack is coming from. Makes perfect sense
"And in the end
The love you take
Is equal to the love you make." -The Beatles
by 92wastheyear on Oct 23, 2009 10:54 PM PDT up reply actions
My view is that Nate will feel things out as he goes, but it's probably gonna be Andre in, Nic out, Travis out at the end, most nights.
Whether that works or doesn’t work remains to be seen. If it DOES work, eventually Andre starts and Blake sits. But at the Game 1 mark, the starting experimentation is over.
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
I was hoping to see Andre lobbing to Greg
but by the time Miller checks in, Oden will be on the bench
poor #52
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I'm afraid you're right
Oden is the problem in the decision to start Blake, I agree. The only touches he’ll get with the 1st unit run by Blake are offensive rebounds. Retarding Oden’s development this way could be a big mistake, long term.
Andre and Greg
will get plenty of opportunity to play together. There may be some platooning, but it won’t be exclusively that by any means.
And Brandon is looking for Greg more. It will be fine. They’ve seen what he can do, he’ll see the ball.
I can tell you how to make an Excel spreadsheet that proves Portland wins 62 games this year.
If Blake only plays the first 6 minutes of each half
that adds up to 12 mpg that Oden and Miller won’t be on the floor, together
assuming Greg plays 24-30 mpg, that somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of the game that Andre will be watching him, from the bench
I sure hope Brandon and Steve don’t “overlook” Greg during this time, like happened so often last year
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Worry, worry, worry
You’re going to give yourself ulcers. Over a ball game, at that. :)
I can tell you how to make an Excel spreadsheet that proves Portland wins 62 games this year.
i think patty "i'm quicker than chris paul" mills would've been a better nickname =)
I've tried for quite some time to come up with an epic signature. I now realize that I don't post frequently enough for it to really matter.
I like I like
except I don’t think Dante can play PF, or I have a feeling he can’t play PF, since I’ve hardly seen him play.
"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy
He rather can play PF than SF at the moment
He doesn’t have the same mobility and handles as say Nic to stay in front of most small forwards. He can make up for a little lack of size by being very fit (dude is ripped and strong) and active, and he will hit open spot-up shots from 15-20 feet. Ultimately he could be a SF, at the moment he isn’t really.
lateral quickness
Dante has some impressive hops, but he wasn’t asked to defend on the perimeter at ’Nova (they played a 4 guard lineup, with Cunningham in the middle of the zone)
So for now he’s a 4-3. Hopefully he’ll get coached up to defend most SFs. But he’s not going to “break through” and start ahead of Batum and LMA, even though he’s got the talent to be an NBA starter in a few years (according to the scouts at Tim Grg’s camp)
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Nice synopsis - But the question is who plays when we go small with LMA at the 5?
Dante, Howard, Travis, Pendy (later)?
With all the 3’s available it seems the 4 is Dante’s position for now but It is still Travis’ position to lose, I think?
"Either way we have two phenomenal units. I'm excited to play with either one." - Martell Webster
Well, I for one
hope Nate never “has” to play LMA at the 5. That means either Greg or Joel are hurt, or are in serious foul trouble
When Greg was hurt last year, Channing Frye guarded the opposing centers, not LMA. Frye wasn’t physical enough for this role, but he was still a better choice than Aldridge (in Nate’s mind) and Channing was a better #3 center “option” than Howard will be, this year
Which is why I’ve been proposing that KP add another veteran PF/C for this contingency, since before last February’s trading deadline.
If the other team wants to replace their center and play two PFs and 3 guards,then LMA and Howard could get you by, but Juwan shouldn’t be “overexposed” by playing too many minutes. Outlaw and Cunningham should only play against undersized PFs who won’t outmuscle them in the paint
There’s currently an “unbalance” to Portland’s roster. One two many wings (and PGs, now that Mills has been added) and one too few big men. Hopefully KP will address this issue before the deadline passes
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Unless there are injuries only one of Howard, Cunningham, or Pendy
will be in uniform. I expect Bayless gets the #11 spot, and Howard gets the #12 spot (at least to start the year).
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Oct 26, 2009 12:04 AM PDT up reply actions
I thought he looked pretty good at SF in summer league
He looked fantastic when out on the wing. His pull up drives looked a lot like Travis’, but then, on the other end, he’d go get a rebound!!!
All that glitters isn't chrome
I nailed the starting 5
from a prediction way back when …. right after we got Miller (and repeated at least a few times subsequent to that). I made a statement then that it was a no-brainer that Blake would start over Miller. Of course I received some constructive criticism for that asinine statement.
This IS the correct line-up to start the season, despite a 95% disagreement from Bedgers this past month.
Brandon Roy just destroyed everything in his path. There's your rational analysis -- Dave
Also: COMCAST SUCKS!
i was right as well
We should have a flame war.
by southern oregon on Oct 23, 2009 6:10 PM PDT up reply actions
“Don’t they have a call in baseball, Something Indifference? * * * That’s what they should call tonight on the Lakers because they’re indifferent.” —JVG
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
Oops, wrong thread, ha ha!
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
I was wondering
"And in the end
The love you take
Is equal to the love you make." -The Beatles
by 92wastheyear on Oct 23, 2009 10:56 PM PDT up reply actions
One of these days I'll accidentally unleash a torrent of Lakers-thread pottymouth on the Bedge and will never be heard from again...
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
It's OK - we know you are working to get a professorship at USC
and sharpening your Faker skills here.
And yes, baseball – when the runner is going to 2nd on the pitch with no throw by the catcher it is termed advancing by indifference. That usually happens in the 9th inner and the defensive team is substantially ahead or tied and the road team.
"Either way we have two phenomenal units. I'm excited to play with either one." - Martell Webster
the play you're referring to
is when a baserunner isn’t being “held on” at 1st, so he “steals” 2nd base. Instead of being given credit for a stolen base in the stats, it’s known as “defensive indifference”
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Brilliant!
loved it…
"No disrespect to Jeff Blake"
by Eat Politicians on Oct 25, 2009 2:06 AM PDT reply actions
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