Weekly Podcast Fun

by Dave on May 14, 2009 1:19 PM PDT

Your weekly dose of the TrailBlazers.com podcast is up for review. As usual, you'll hear Gavin Dawson of 95.5 The Game fame, Casey Holdahl of the Center Court Blog, and me, Dave from Blazersedge.

This week we get into the achievements of Brandon Roy plus what he needs to improve, Jerryd Bayless' future, the Travis Outlaw saga, Greg Oden's offseason, some pre-draft work, and a few other tidbits.

You can download the .mp3 here or click on Casey's link above to stream it.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

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Sweet!

I like the whole team.

by RenoBlazerFan on May 14, 2009 1:36 PM PDT reply actions

After hearing the Greg Oden talk

GO GET MIKE CONLEY JR. He IS a gym rat. He and Oden on the court together equals GO having fun, which equals him wanting to play basketball more. Make it happen KP.

by as11osu on May 14, 2009 2:00 PM PDT reply actions

why would Memphis give up their promising point guard, though?

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 14, 2009 2:02 PM PDT up reply actions

I'll tell you why: Kevin Pritchard

“This isn’t the point guard you’re looking for…”

by MavetheGreat on May 14, 2009 2:29 PM PDT up reply actions 5 recs

rec

for using the Jedi mind trick

Blazers win!

by The X-man on May 14, 2009 3:30 PM PDT up reply actions

There was talk we had the chance last year

Maybe they end up at #2 in the draft this year and trade him because they’ll be able to get Rubio. Maybe they need vets or depth or us to take on a bad contract or two. I don’t know. I think Conley would have more value on this team than he does on that team strictly because of Greg.

by as11osu on May 14, 2009 2:37 PM PDT up reply actions

they traded away Lowry though

which suggests they might be interested in keeping Conley. I’d definitely at least give the Grizz a phone call though.

by jksnake99 on May 14, 2009 2:40 PM PDT up reply actions

They traded Lowry away because he played like crap in Memphis

by as11osu on May 14, 2009 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions

Lowry's Memphis numbers are pretty good for a 22 year old PG

certainly not “crap.”

by jksnake99 on May 14, 2009 2:51 PM PDT up reply actions

Not really...

http://www.82games.com/0809/08MEM1.HTM

by as11osu on May 14, 2009 3:12 PM PDT up reply actions

hmm, those do look ugly

I was looking at the Basketball Reference stats. However, I have the utmost respect for Darryl Morey (the Houston GM) and I don’t think he would have traded for Lowry if the numbers he crunches suggested Lowry was playing like crap.

by jksnake99 on May 14, 2009 3:16 PM PDT up reply actions

as with Morey's interest in Battier

he looks at more than just stats.

That said, Lowry played pretty poorly in Memphis.

by as11osu on May 14, 2009 3:21 PM PDT up reply actions

Morey's interest in Battier is due to stats

just not the stats that are readily available to people like us/

by jksnake99 on May 14, 2009 3:26 PM PDT up reply actions

Interesting

Because Memphis was both worse offensively and worse defensively with Lowry on the court.

by as11osu on May 14, 2009 3:33 PM PDT up reply actions

and, as we know, raw plus minus stats are a strong functon of who you are in the game with

Perhaps Morey is looking at a variation on adjusted plus/minus that says Lowry was playing well. I don’t know. I do know that his stats like PER and such aren’t bad and that Morey liked him enough to trade for him.

by jksnake99 on May 14, 2009 3:35 PM PDT up reply actions

Supposedly, Daryl Morey liked Kyle Lowry's rate of drawing ...

fouls on 20% of his shot attempts. For a point guard, the ability to drive and draw contact is a function of Rick Adelman’s offense.

by AK1984 on May 14, 2009 4:18 PM PDT up reply actions

He also saw that T-Mac was over the hill and needed some guard on offense

Alston isn’t bad, but he is not an offensive threat. And Lowry is just as good on defense.

"Officiating has to be a science, not an art" - Rick Carlisle

by Norsktroll on May 14, 2009 4:38 PM PDT up reply actions

Tracy McGrady was declared out for the season one ...

day before the Houston Rockets acquired Kyle Lowry, so that definitely was also a factor.

http://www.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3914888

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/feb/19/report-grizzlies-trade-kyle-lowry-first-round-pick/

The Orlando Magic badly needed help at point guard, too, since Jameer Nelson had recently been declared out for the season with an injury; thus, the Houston Rockets had a destination to deal Rafer Alston.

by AK1984 on May 14, 2009 4:50 PM PDT up reply actions

Lowry has certainly looked good in this year's playoffs

He and Brooks seem to be a very dynamic point guard duo. – Elgin

VENTURA: It's drowning. It gives you the complete sensation that you are drowning. It is no good, because you -- I'll put it to you this way, you give me a waterboard, Dick Cheney and one hour, and I'll have him confess to the Sharon Tate murders.

by 22baylor on May 15, 2009 12:13 PM PDT up reply actions

that is a good point

I’m a little apathetic toward Conley, but at this point the team needs to commit to a point guard and go with it. If they decide it’s Conley, so be it.

draft rodrigue beaubois

by Cablinasian on May 14, 2009 2:43 PM PDT up reply actions

Good discussion

Although someone needs to explain to Gavin the difference between a team option and a non-guaranteed contract……

by Storyteller on May 14, 2009 6:44 PM PDT reply actions

It's hard to keep things straight on-air

especially when you’re going off the cuff. Even I stumbled about the trade-ability of the trade exemption and I usually know this stuff cold.

—Dave

by Dave on May 14, 2009 7:15 PM PDT up reply actions

I know it is

and I’m probably too hard on you guys when it comes to communicating details. It’s a little thing – but an important distinction this year because of the trade-ability factor on or around draft day.

I missed your ‘stumble’ about the TE, though…..I’ll have to go back and listen again, if only because you’re right that you always seem to be right on top of things like that.

by Storyteller on May 14, 2009 8:53 PM PDT up reply actions

Dave - I liked your comments about Greg

I agree that Greg showed flashes of promise during the playoffs banging with Yao and making some gutsy plays. Certainly a level above what he showed during the regular season. I liked what you said about Greg that maybe he needs to feel the urgency of the moment before he steps his game and his attitude up. I know that a lot of times I’m the same way. Perhaps that’s why I procrastinate things until they feel urgent. Like you said, the coaching staff should instill in him the importance of the regular season and to prepare himself for the big time.

What’s interesting to me though, is watching Andrew Bynum. He seems to be the opposite of Greg. He had a stellar regular season but appears to be shrinking under the pressure of the playoffs. It will be interesting to see a few years down the line how the match up between Oden and Bynum plays out in the regular season and in the playoffs.

I didn't mean to turn you on

by dukedee on May 15, 2009 10:24 AM PDT reply actions

One more thought

I would prefer Oden’s (perceived) attitiude over Bynum’s. If the pressure improves your game rather than crushes it, that’s the sign of an all-star.

I didn't mean to turn you on

by dukedee on May 15, 2009 10:26 AM PDT up reply actions

Another great podcast

I loved Casey’s comment asking if not having enough minutes for Outlaw is a bad thing. I think his team view most closely match mine out to the three of you.

I think Oden’s attitude is fine. Think about all the crap he’s gone through since he went to Summer League. He has been stuck in Portland either sick, injured, or rehabbing. Then he played his first full NBA season (with injuries) and the playoffs. Anyone who questions his desire to get away for a bit to unwind, reflect, and to get his head straight are insane in the membrane.

Letting Oden get away from everything, for a little while, will be as good for his game as say playing in Summer League.

I should have been one cowboy.

by tominhawaii on May 15, 2009 12:07 PM PDT reply actions