Full Court Press
by Ben Golliver on Feb 16, 2009 5:20 PM PST
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PrintI'm assuming you already read the NY Times article by Michael Lewis about Shane Battier, but if not here's your link.
Casey's all star work has been non-stop... click here for the latest, a couple of posts about Brandon Roy.
Dwight Jaynes has been dishing story after story over the last 3 or 4 days.
- Read about Kiki V the dunker.
- His memories of Fernando Martin.
- Some harsh words for Steve Kerr.
Chris Ballard describes B. Roy at the ASG.
NBA All-Star who drew the smallest media crowd: Brandon Roy. Whereas Stoudemire and Yao Ming and Bryant and James had crowds three-deep, Roy was conducting one-on-ones. Which is strange, because he's one of the best interviews. Perhaps it has to do, as my colleague Ian Thomsen so nicely chronicled in Sports Illustrated recently, with Roy's "old man" game.
Kelly Dwyer writes that Nate McMillan is one of many names in the Coach of the Year discussion.
Courtesy of Chris Littmann over at the Sporting News via the New York Times, Ike Diogu has found himself a summer internship.
Blazers forward Ike Diogu, perhaps out of sheer boredom from his lack of burn on a deep Portland squad, was in Phoenix this weekend arranging a summer internship with EA Sports.
Ike also admits to the videogame version of liposuction.
"Most of my friends, we don't play as ourselves, because the guys never do you justice," Diogu said. "You end up getting more frustrated that your player might be too slow or he doesn't jump high enough or he can't shoot good enough. If I am going to play as myself, the first thing I do is go to the edit menu and make the ratings the way I feel that they should be."
Blogfather wanted to make sure you saw this quote from Brandon Roy to Kevin Arnovitz about who he'd least like guarding him with the game on the line.
My older brother, Edward Roy. It's mental with him. He's been beating me since I was a little kid. And if he was guarding me late in a game, it would add a different kind of pressure, it would be more like, "Beat Big Brother." I'd probably make the shot today. I've finally matched up physically -- now I'm as strong as he is, and I can outquick him.
If you've got a spare hour or two, check out the comments section of Brother Wendell's post: 10 reasons Portland keeps RLEC.
John Canzano shills the company line for KP regarding Oden/Durant.
Still, Portland got the right guy.
I'm convinced of it. And I'm thinking those on the outside looking in, those who don't see Oden in practice and night to night, you know, the ones snickering at the Blazers today, are missing the point.
I fully understand Oden/Durant is no longer news but I want to make a single point to all writers/commenters/etc.: the easiest way to disqualify your argument from consideration is to trot out the "10 championships" line. Fact: no player in today's (and tomorrow's) NBA is winning 10 championships. Fact: the symbolic value of 10 championships as a counterargument to 10 all star games was questionable when KP first made it and is now totally irrelevant because that line been played out so hard. Let it go. Find a different approach.
Trade Rumors
Must read: Brian Hendrickson's trade talk roundup.
- Marc Stein with Jefferson/Ridnour. Also includes a Vince Carter namedrop.
- Sam Amick with Salmons.
- Ian Thomsen with Andre Miller.
- David Aldridge says no Amar'e to Portland.
Talk between Portland and Phoenix has been dormant for days, with the Blazers unwilling to include rising star forward LaMarcus Aldridge and rookie guard Jerryd Bayless in any deals for Stoudemire.
Power Rankings
-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)
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I liked the big New York Times thing on Shane B.
Want more aggressiveness? Try less Baylesslessness.
Coach of the Year discussion?
Fire Nate!
by Nick Van Excellent on Feb 16, 2009 5:33 PM PST reply actions
If I hear the words "fire" and "Nate" in the same fanpost, fanshot, or comment
(even in jest) uno more time….I’m going to go
Want more aggressiveness? Try less Baylesslessness.
Only Nate McMillan can prevent forest fires.
The Blazer should hire PJ Carlesimo. Then he could start playing Batum at shooting guard where he belongs.
by Nick Van Excellent on Feb 16, 2009 5:41 PM PST up reply actions
I sure hope NATE can FIRE up the BLAZERS
for the game against the Grizzlies. Because if they don’t come out with some FIRE NATE might be very hot in the post game interview.
GO
THE TEACHER ......come into my classroom "THE PAINT" for some tutelage.
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"The rancor reflected in that remark I won't dignify with comment. But I'll address your general attitude of hopeless negativism." – Everett "O Brother, where art Thou?"
Oh man, I was hoping for another pic.
You always have cool pics.
I must say I did read right over the
(even in jest)
and was kind of doing a Doh! after I posted.
GO
THE TEACHER ......come into my classroom "THE PAINT" for some tutelage.
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"The rancor reflected in that remark I won't dignify with comment. But I'll address your general attitude of hopeless negativism." – Everett "O Brother, where art Thou?"
better than timbo, who feels no regret and makes everyone else post his "doh's!" for him
Want more aggressiveness? Try less Baylesslessness.
by prezofdeath on Feb 16, 2009 10:15 PM PST up reply actions
Oh, and that Battier article
you mentioned up above (and in the main post) was a good read.
I’m really hoping in this computer age we start seeing some more meaningful stats where we’re better able to gage a player’s performance. But on the other hand, if KP has some secret weapons, they might be better kept secret.
GO
THE TEACHER ......come into my classroom "THE PAINT" for some tutelage.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The rancor reflected in that remark I won't dignify with comment. But I'll address your general attitude of hopeless negativism." – Everett "O Brother, where art Thou?"
OT-But listening to your favorite Page 2 columnist
Guess what his favorite dunk of Saturday night was? Yep, Rudy Fernandez’ 2nd dunk, and said the dunk contest was more scripted than a WWF event.
Vinny Del Negro interviewed for the job today. I mean come on! Nobody else thinks this is nuts?
by Juiceboxjerry on Jun 6, 2008 4:21 PM CDT actions actions 0 recs
I would be eternally grateful to Ike if he could put NBA Live on the next level while working for EA
That whole motion capturing of players is nice, but having a real NBA player who happens to love video games advise them on what to change for a longer time would be (industry) MVP worthy. That franchise is developed in Vancouver if I’m not mistaken, so he wouldn’t have to move far.
Brandon is one of those quiet assassins. - Chris Paul
you know
he puts all the stats up to 99 and rules the NBA when he plays as himself
Oderint dum metuant
I wish
Jaynes had some video of Kiki’s dunk, sounds sick.
He's not the only one who's frustrated...
Diogu said. "You end up getting more frustrated that your player might be too slow or he doesn’t jump high enough or he can’t shoot good enough
If you can’t beat out Channing Frye in practice for PT, you’ve got no street cred
I'm glad you gave me one last chance...
(albeit a slightly off-topic one) to say this: Am I the only person in the entire universe who really couldn’t give a flying fish at a rolling lugnut about whether or not Kobe and Shaq have made it up with each other? Good lord….
"You are never (fanatically) dedicated to something you have complete confidence in." Robert Pirsig
Dude, that was the highlight of the weekend and should make Stern a frontrunner for the Nobel Peace Prize
A man who can make Cactus and Mamba sit together, smile and even hug each other can easily broker peace between Israel and Palestine; North and South Korea; Democrats and Republicans; Cuba and America; Atheists and Evangelicals; Joker and Batman; Superman and Nate Robinson Lex Luthor; Van Halen and all former band members; …
Brandon is one of those quiet assassins. - Chris Paul
Hey Ben
The argument still stands whether its 10, 7, 4, or 2 championships. You whether have two championships than 10 All-Star appearances by one player ala Karl Malone and John Stockton.
they are totally different arguments. winning 2 championships is a legitimate goal for a player. winning 10 championships is not. saying a player is more likely to win a championship is a reasonable argument, predicting a player is the next bill russell from a bling standpoint is a joke.
by Ben Golliver on Feb 16, 2009 6:40 PM PST up reply actions
Greg Oden actually was compared to Bill Russell, albeit for his ability to alter every shot (in the minds of the opposing player) in some NCAA games, and not for his multiple ring winning potential. DraftExpress brought that up again in his progress report.
Brandon is one of those quiet assassins. - Chris Paul
yeah that has been a common comparison for the last 5-7 years.
it’s one thing when talking about on-court skills. it’s another to expect anyone (greg or anyone else) to do what russell did in this era.
by Ben Golliver on Feb 16, 2009 7:03 PM PST up reply actions
I completely agree
in this day and age, no one will win ten championships.
However, if rules concerning the salary cap change in 2011, things could change. Teams might be able to build rosters full of all-stars. There will be a nasty lockout, especially with this economy. We might miss a season.
nothing against boston in its day
but there were a lot less teams in those days, a much lower percentage of black players per team — the sport just wasn’t that developed yet.
i watched a lot of youtube of some vintage nba a few weeks ago on a sunday afternoon, and some of the ‘legends’ didn’t look that impressive until maybe the mid-60s or so.
it’s a different game now. some of the fundamentals are more rare (like passing well and running plays — which you definitely learned how to do in college then with NO SHOT CLOCK so when a team played slow-down half-court they would pass and pass and circulate and set screens and backdoor you to death — it was a different game.
here and now, let’s see if we can win a single championship. a dynasty is 2 in a row.
the pieces are almost all in place.
ignacio
Let it go?
how bout letting the mancrush on another team’s player go. I get that he and greg are connected and that Ben loves him but seriously. Let DURANT go.
The Blazers as a whole are far more like my wife than like me in the sense of their physicality on defense.
-Dave
believe it or not i like players on a lot of nba teams. to ignore or to not appreciate players on 29/30 teams because of mis-applied loyalty to a single franchise is selling the game and its many talents short in my opinion.
by Ben Golliver on Feb 16, 2009 6:42 PM PST up reply actions
I like other players too but you don't see me starting up websites about them haha
seriously though, write about freaking chris wilcox or brent barry for a change. I don’t care, just no more durant, I can’t take it!
The Blazers as a whole are far more like my wife than like me in the sense of their physicality on defense.
-Dave
we’ve got like 20 links up above to discuss… take your pick and i’ll answer any question you have on it.
by Ben Golliver on Feb 16, 2009 6:45 PM PST up reply actions
hmmm
well, we’re sitting in 4th place in the west but with our record we’re only like 3 games from not making the playoffs either. I don’t think the blazers have played a GOOD game (let alone a good road game) for quite some time and although they’ve eeked out some quality wins against some playoff teams early at home, they’re in for an uphill climb for the rest of the season. We didn’t make a move last year at the deadline and the team faded down the stretch. We have a ticket that has to be cashed in now for full value and a few players who we have a pretty good idea of what their ceilings are (I suppose this part is debatable). Would you be disappointed if KP doesn’t use these assets to make a move this week? Also, it seems like everyone is concerned with bringing in players that fit our “timeline.” Wouldn’t you agree that we could bring in an older vet that will kind of serve as a transition for our 1 and/or 3 spot as opposed to bringing in more young guys to “grow” into the system in the next 2 to 3 years? It would be nice to have vets that our younger guys could learn from but then again I get that taking minutes away from guys like Batum or Bayless could be detrimental to their development as well…
The Blazers as a whole are far more like my wife than like me in the sense of their physicality on defense.
-Dave
I guess that was more general as opposed to link specific, sorry
The Blazers as a whole are far more like my wife than like me in the sense of their physicality on defense.
-Dave
absolutely i would be very, very disappointed if RLEC is not moved. i don’t believe in “championship windows” or “timelines.” titles can be won in all sorts of ways at all sorts of times and teams can miss the playoffs in all sorts of ways. planning for 2-3-4-5 years down the road was a solid strategy 2 years ago, but the franchise has turned a corner. although the on court product isn’t there yet, the bar has been raised on the roster management side from playoff team to championship contender right now. although the team is talking publicly about “playoffs” management is already thinking “rings.” that starts with this trade deadline.
theoretically speaking only, KP’s moves from here forward will be aimed at bringing in the best talent at reasonable value. 1) talent 2) playoff experience 3) value should all come before 4) age for this team.
do we need a “veteran presence”? sure. our biggest need is a playoff-ready small forward or the team is setting itself up for quick failure. i am fully in favor of telling martell to come back in september — with the money the team has invested in him i think it’s a risk not worth taking to bring him back for the stretch run.
i love our young talent and would hold batum/bayless/fernandez out of just about every conceivable trade scenario. none of those guys “needs” to be playing huge minutes this season to develop into great players. minutes help but they’ll learn just as much if not more by watching the team go deep in the playoffs.
by Ben Golliver on Feb 16, 2009 7:15 PM PST up reply actions
question on martell
I would think the blazers are getting insurance money of 80% on Martell just as they do Raef or am I wrong??
that’s a great question. generally insurance is taken out on the largest 3-5 contracts only. given martell’s 5 million dollar deal that would put him on the borderline. i will confirm at practice tomorrow.
by Ben Golliver on Feb 16, 2009 9:51 PM PST up reply actions
Do you really think KP can move Raef LaFrentz and get a quality guy in return without including Bayless, Batum, or Rudy?
Release your inner Kraken
No, but why not give up someone?
Minutes are at a minimum even with Blake/Webster out. If we got another quality guy without giving up someone, it’d get even worse.
I didn't think so until today
I still don’t think we need a trade or today’s trade made the Blazers more likely to trade. Heck, today made the Blazers better and KP didn’t have to do anything. Even if some GM is throwing an all star at KP for Raef LaFrentz, the guy has to fit.
Rec this comment for good luck.
Also be sure to check out the videos
of Roy and Gasol talking about Rudy getting hosed, Tony Parker talking about Nic Batum’s television career and Roy noticing that I taking video f him with the LaMarcus Aldridge Mino Flip Cam. All at Blazers All-Star Central page.
Now I’m crashing until Wednesday.
So you are saying we don't need to look for trades tomorrow?
Brandon is one of those quiet assassins. - Chris Paul
Great questions. Good job.
Clyde the Glide >>> Jordan
Cliff the Stiff got mad at my brother who was trying to sell him a cellphone when my brother called him Uncle Cliffy. Apparently, he doesn't like that name very much.
by BeaumontTXBlazerFan on Feb 16, 2009 7:03 PM PST up reply actions
Mark Stein's article (as of 3-16-09...take it FWIW)
Given the future cap space that the Blazers lost in the Darius Miles unretirement saga, sending LaFrentz’s contract somewhere between now and Thursday’s deadline is considered a virtual lock, since Portland no longer has the forthcoming flexibility to make the free-agent splashes it anticipated.
I am seriously starting to hate Kenny Smith
he just seems so ignorant on everything
"shaq and zach randolph have the same trainer... "
best one liner i ever heard.
i think he's been jealous of barkley getting all the attention
and now with chuck suspended kenny is trying in his way to be “witty and outrageous” and he just doesn’t have it in him. he’s better as a 2nd banana.
ignacio
...
I love these round-ups of all the Blazer writing from the internet.
Wow, that guy is a fool!
He honestly believes Wright is better than LMA? He also said Shaq has a weak repertoire of offensive moves lol!
Wright is, on a per minute basis, just as good as Aldridge
Why Golden State never plays him, I have no idea.
Boomshakalaka
Shill the company line?
You kidding me? It’s Canzano, he’s been a pain in the “companies” ass forever. I didn’t read it because I don’t like Canzano but I can’t say I disagreed with the headline.
by neutroticblazerfan on Feb 16, 2009 11:54 PM PST reply actions
his stance has changed noticeably since his time with 95.5.
by Ben Golliver on Feb 17, 2009 10:00 AM PST up reply actions
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