Welcome to a new, hopefully semi-regular end-of-week feature we're trying called "Around the League".  Things being what they are, I get so caught up in talking Blazers that I seldom have a chance to address things that go on beyond our confines.  In these posts we'll do exactly that, plus mop up some Blazer topics that we didn't have time to treat in earlier conversation.  My intention is not to play the expert here as much to share opinions which could lead to interesting discussion.  So away we go!

Get Well Paul Allen

The most important real-life news out of the league this week came from our own franchise, as Blazers owner Paul Allen was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.  There's nothing revolutionary we can say about this other than facing any kind of cancer makes for a tough fight but we know Paul Allen is a tough fighter.  However I'd like to add my personal well-wishes, however humble they may be compared to what is needed. 

Things like this transcend our normal relationships.  We know you because you're the owner of the Blazers, Mr. Allen.  We appreciate you because of what you've done for (and with) the team over the last two decades.  But even though a life is measured by one's accomplishments it cannot be wholly defined by them.  It's time to show support for Paul Allen the human being...not the billionaire, the final decision-maker, but the person.  No matter what happens with the team, the season, or anything basketball-related we support you, Mr. Allen.  We are with you, sending our hopes and prayers in your direction, and if ever you doubt that you need but ask.  I'm pretty sure thousands of pick-me-ups are at your fingertips anytime, day or night.  Thank you for being who you are.  Strength and peace be with you in this struggle.

Thoughts and prayers also go out to others in our Blazersedge and greater Blazers community who are also fighting this fight.

Click through for a bunch more topics.

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Game Time: 7:30 p.m.  TV:  KGW

The Warriors come into this game 3-8, tightly clutching the coveted "At Least We're Not the Worst Team in the League" award by virtue of home victories over (wait for it...)  the Timberwolves, Knicks, and Grizzlies.  This exactly like Vanilla Ice saying he's a better listening experience than Milli Vanilli, Vicki from the Love Boat, and driving a slotted spoon through your brain.  The take-away lesson here is not to be a no-defense-playing, messy-mismatched-talent-having doormat disaster of a franchise when you go to Oakland or they're going to drop a buck fiddy on you and send the fans home happy...or at least less unhappy than usual.  Any team with a fingernail's worth of claim to legitimacy in this league has handled the Warriors.  And the Kings have too.

(Note:  Low blow there.  Sacramento is actually 5-5.)

So what do the Warriors do?  What they've always done.  A brief explanation, to the tune of "Jingle Bells":

Run, run, run!  Score, score, score!

Run run, score score score!

Run run run run run run run

Score score score score sco…ore!

Run, run, run!  Score, score, score

Run run, score score score!

Run run run…the game is done

And we just lost one more!

So why does a team averaging 109.7 ppg (2^nd best in the league), 22.1 fast-break points per game (1^st), 47.8 points in the paint (3^rd), 48.7% shooting percentage (3^rd), and 38.9% from three (5^th) lose so many games?  A brief explanation, to the tune of "Silent Night":

Silent "D", Hole-y "D"

We score one, they score three

We can’t get the ball off the glass

Their rebounders are kicking our [*cough*]

Watch their score increa…ease!

Wa-atch their sc…awww, to heck with this!  Run, run, run!  Score, score score!

Run run, score score score…

(Note:  Had the holiday season not been nearing that would have been, "Why can't we de-fend?  Why can't we de-fend?")

In any case, the Warriors are scoring almost 110 per game but giving up more than 113.  They're losing the rebounding battle like Sally Jessie lost to Oprah.  And that's on both ends of the court.  They're shooting 49% and giving up 50.5%.  They're shooting 39% from distance and giving up 43%.  They're making 26 trips to the line per game and giving up 28.  They remind me of a guy trying to get over his financial crisis by charging everything to a credit card.  No matter how wisely and well he spends the debt somehow always gets bigger.  One wonders when the front office will simply file bankruptcy and attempt to start all over.

As if that weren't bad enough, Golden State is fielding fewer healthy players right now than you see in your average chess match.  They just traded Stephen Jackson for Raja Bell and his pre-existing wrist problem.  He's now having surgery on it.  (How badly did they want rid of Jackson?)  Andris Biedrins, Blazer-killer Kelenna Azubuike, Brandan Wright, C.J. Watson, Rony Turiaf, and Devean George are all out with various maladies and ailments.  Who's left?  Monta Ellis, Corey Magette, The Anthonys (Randolph and Morrow), Stephen Curry, Vladimir Radmanovic, and Mikki Moore.  5 out of 7 are 6'6" and under and all of them have the scoring mentality.  Radmanovic is a finesse player.  Mikki Moore is basically on an island out there.  But that's OK.  He and Vlad are suddenly getting 39 minutes per game which is like a week's worth of time for Radmanovic and a month's worth for Moore.

The one thing the Warriors do well outside of the run-score thing is turn you over.  They get an enormous amount of steals and should continue to do alright even after the trades and injuries.  You don't want to lose the ball to this group because they'll jump on it like a Doberman, race it down like a Greyhound, and then laugh at you like a hyena.

Also we'll reiterate what we always say when playing great offensive teams:  they always have a puncher's chance.  You're in the ring with a team that can knock you out even though their chin is made of glass and their guard is non-existent.  Despite the tongue-in-cheek preview the Blazers do have to pay attention tonight.  Give up your fundamentals, get loosey-goosy, and the Warriors will punch your ticket.

Pivotal Points to the Game

1.  This is a huge contrast in tempos and styles.  The Blazers aren't going to be able to stop the Warriors from running.  The Warriors won't be able to stop the Blazers in the halfcourt if Portland makes any kind of effort.  The in-between areas will determine the winner.  The Blazers should have a massive control advantage on the boards.  Aldridge and Oden should be able to offensive rebound to their hearts' content.  If the Blazers bother to break down the Warriors at all with penetration every miss should have a legit chance of being scooped up by the good guys.  The other side of that equation, though, is the guards and small forward getting the heck back.  Assuming one guy is penetrating and two bigs are crashing the boards (or at least hanging out near the middle) that means the other two smalls better head the other way as soon as the shot leaves somebody's fingertips.  Even if you're the coffin corner three guy you have got to get back and defend your goal tonight.

2.  OK...let's do the math.  Golden State has five guards, Vladimir Radmanovic, and Mikki Moore.  The Blazers can attack with LaMarcus Aldridge, who is bigger and stronger than Radmanovic, and Greg Oden, who is bigger and stronger than the entire other team combined.  Greg should be posting up about two inches from the rim tonight.  Catch, spin, dunk.  Catch, spin, dunk.  See how easy that is?  If you get stuck in the halfcourt, feed the bigs!  You can do it in the post.  You can do it by driving and trying to draw the big defenders for help and then flicking a pass through the lane.  However you do it, do it!  The stupidest, dumbest, most idiotic thing you can do is play into Golden State's hands by getting into that Happy-Fun-Jumper mode.  They're going to beg you to shoot over the top.  They don't care if you make it either.  You're setting the table for them every time you settle for the long ball.

3.  This is not to say the Blazers should never shoot a three.  In fact Golden State defends the arc so poorly than threes are one of the ways Portland can keep the score up against the track stars.  But the Blazers should not be shooting threes when anyone is within six feet of the shooter.  There's no need for that.  Drive it and then get a wide-open three later.  And for goodness' sake, HIT your wide-open shots!  All we need tonight is that weird, brain-sucking contagion that causes everyone to start missing shots they otherwise could hit in their sleep.

In short, just don't make this hard, OK?  Play your game, pass, execute, and walk away with a "W".

Among our oldest friends on the network are the folks at GoldenStateofMind.  Pay them a visit if you want.  It's an experience!

You can find tonight's Jersey Contest form here (fixed).  Don't forget that the form for tomorrow's game against the Timberwolves will be open as soon as this one is over.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)  

After letting go of studio host Tony Luftman and not televising a single pre-season game, Blazers Broadcasting has tightened its belt again, grounding sideline reporter Rebecca Haarlow for all road trips during the 2009-2010 regular season.

Haarlow was absent from the Blazers' recent five game trip; many assumed it was because she was continuing her college football broadcasting work with FSN.  This morning, the organization confirmed to Blazersedge.com that Blazers Broadcasting has decided to cut back to a two-person on-air broadcasting team during road games while continuing to use the full three-person team for Blazers home games. 

In Haarlow's absence, play-by-play man Mike Barrett has picked up post-game interview duties following road games.  Mike Rice continues in his role as color commentator. 

The team next hits the road tomorrow night for a visit to the Golden State Warriors.

-- Ben Golliver | (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com) | Twitter

More photos » by Don Ryan - AP

Brandon Roy did enough to beat the Detroit Pistons Wednesday night but searched for answers after the game.

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When I last spoke to Brandon Roy, prior to last week's road trip, I asked him how he wanted to play down the stretch, how he envisioned his role on this new-look Blazers team.  His simple, confident, declarative answer: "playmaker."  With teams getting hip to the Blazers 1-4 fourth quarter offense, Roy's thinking was straightforward: get by his defender, read the help defense, make sound decisions (pass or shoot) and lead his team.

Since that conversation, the Blazers put away weak competition on the road, Travis Outlaw went down with a serious foot injury and the team collapsed down the stretch against a playoff quality team in Atlanta.  Roy logged the most minutes of any Blazer during the road trip, looked dead tired during overtime against the Hawks on Monday night, was held below 20 point per game for the trip despite the overall weak competition, and continued to adjust to guarding small forwards rather than off guards.  

The wins over the past week helped obscure some of these struggles and changes.  But tonight a new, less certain perspective from Roy was unmistakable.

During the Portland Trail Blazers' 87-81 home win over the Detroit Pistons, Roy provided the offensive spark that blew the game open during the third quarter and then watched as his team nearly blew a 20 point lead during the fourth quarter.  Rushed back into the game to put out the fire, Roy failed to score a point, notch an assist, grab a rebound and only took one field goal attempt in nearly five minutes of fourth quarter play.  The Pistons regularly ran a second defender at him to force the ball from his hands, then did a solid job of rotating defensively, necessitating extra passes. His shot-making taken away, his passing countered, Roy was as neutralized as I can remember seeing him down the stretch, a bystander as his teammates committed turnovers and struggled to break a scrambling Pistons trap.

The Pistons's wild fourth quarter comeback was surprising and confusing and, surely, frustrating for Roy who is now dealing with the dual prospects of playing without Travis Outlaw and playing out of position at small forward for the foreseeable future.  

So after the game I addressed the same topic that we had spoken about prior to the trip: how does Roy envision his role on this team right now?  Does he still see himself as a playmaker? "Nah," Roy admitted. "I wouldn't necessarily say playmaker," he said, pausing to think about it. "I don't know. That's a good question. How would you describe my role?"

It's generally not a good sign when your franchise player turns back to the inquiring writer for help answering this type of question.  It doesn't happen often with a player as cerebral as Roy who is coached by someone as discipline-minded as Nate McMillan.  Roles are generally established in late September, refined in October. It's now more than halfway through November.

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "That's why I'm asking. It seems like you're thinking pass first some times. And then other times you're really looking to get your shot. It seems like it changes play to play, quarter to quarter." 

"Yeah," Roy nodded. "Maybe even game to game [too]. Some nights I think opportunities are there for me to be more aggressive. Other nights I'm maybe not as aggressive as people have seen me in the past. For me, it's just trying to do whatever it takes to help this team win games."

Through it all -- the double teams, the injuries, the juggled lineups, the mismatches -- Roy has remained impressively flexible, impressively ego-less.  Many doubted that he would last this long playing out of position in a three guard lineup without raising a fuss, either publicly or privately.  But it was clear tonight that Roy is in limbo, forced by recent circumstances into repeating a cycle of reading situations and making adjustments, reading and adjusting, reading and adjusting. "A lot of things have changed," Roy stated. "I'm just trying to make sure that everyone is keeping a rhythm. Now with Greg in the lineup and Dre, I'm trying to figure it out and make sure our offense continues to flow better." Less playmaker, perhaps, and more dance instructor.

But with only seven guys playing like they deserve real rotation minutes right now, the physical and mental burden on Roy will only increase.  And sooner or later, clarity will either emerge for Roy or it won't. 

Both for his sake and the success of his team, hopefully the next time we talk roles Roy won't need to turn to writers for help answering the question. 

Random Game Notes

• Austin Daye will be an NBA All Star before he retires. Watching his thorough, impressive warm-up routine, it was easy to see why, despite his slight frame, he was a darling of the scouts during the pre-draft process. His movements with the ball are crisp, precise and fluid, recalling a slightly less confident Kevin Durant. His footwork before and during catches was excellent, his shooting form consistent and his competitive desire was oozing, even two hours before the game. During the game, he disrupted Steve Blake during the fourth quarter by trapping 3/4 court and he knocked down a three.  His frame is a liability and will remain so for a few years -- not unlike Durant -- but the sky is the limit.  If I was Joe Dumars I would view Daye as my least tradeable asset, Stuckey and Gordon included.  
• Bill Simmons was spotted chatting up Kevin Pritchard before the game but was not shown on the Rose Garden's big screen. Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey, Jr., however, drew cheers when shown on the Jumbotron and drew autograph seekers to their courtside seats. Juwan Howard and Jerryd Bayless both made a point of getting/giving daps from/to Griffey Jr. during halftime warm-ups.
• The official box score seems to be in error tonight.  They charged Steve Blake with just 2 fourth quarter turnovers. In actuality, he had 1,378.  Hopefully the NBA will step in and correct this.
• A clash of generations occurred when 52 year old Juwan Howard posted up 13 year old Austin Daye. It was like slamming together a Discman and an iPod, only in human form.  
• Rudy threw a pass between Kwame Brown's legs to Greg Oden for a dunk. It was sweet but would have been sweeter if you didn't have the suspicious feeling that Rudy is looking to nutmeg someone on every possession. 
• Blazers Owner Paul Allen drew cheers when shown on the big screen and dropped in on the locker room after the game. Be sure to read Nate McMillan's heartfelt response to a question about Allen below.

Nate's Post-game Comments

It almost slipped away in the fourth quarter. Thoughts?

You play the game 48 minutes. I've often been criticized for not playing guys down the stretch, you don't play with the game. You don't ever. It was a good game for us. A good lesson. You play that game 48 minutes and you play it the right way and you don't relax because it's never over. I think a bad shot or a turnover can always give a team momentum. That's how I coach -- to win games. When we feel like we have that game under control we'll make substitutions. But we had our guys in there and we had to bring back that group that got us there. We stopped doing the things that we needed to do. Execute both ways. You start launching quick j's, turning that ball over, being loose, playing the scoreboard as opposed to playing the game the right way anything can happen.  I thought for 3 quarters we were good. Coming off the road we wanted to give a strong effort on both ends of the floor. Defensively as well as offensively. And we did that for 3 quarters.

Margin of error slimmed down due to injuries?

I think it's just that it's the margin for error is where it's at because of the group. It's a young group that is still trying to learn how to win and how to win big. We have a lot of work to do. We have one year where we won some games but we're not there yet. We have to play that game the right way for 48 minutes.

What caused the collapse?

The thing is, turnovers and I thought maybe we just relaxed. You turn the ball over, you don't execute offensively. You lose your rhythm. You lose a little bit of confidence. They get excited. And you know make some plays, get some momentum and you start to get a little tight. I know we had turnovers, I don't know how many. I thought some shots, we may have taken some quick shots. And all of a sudden it's a three point ballgame. It was a positive that we won that game. 

Blake's 3 at the end of the game

Well we needed it. We don't want him to hesitate. He had an open look. He can knock that shot down. As you mentioned, last game he had some similar shots that didn't fall. Big shot. Big free throws for Blake. And then those other guys down the stretch.

Brandon and LaMarcus offensively

Those are the guys. We gotta get them going. Tonight to see both of them score, we haven't seen that this season. We had a third guy with Blake, and Miller being able to score. So we were able to, I thought our assists were really good throughout the night for the most part. Turnovers were pretty good until that fourth quarter.

Andre missed his first four free throws. Were you nervous with him at the line at the end of the game?

Those are our best free throw shooters. Miller is an 85 or 86 percent career free throw shooter. Blake is shooting well. And Brandon. So you get up there and you have to knock them down. And he ended up doing that.

How did you address the team in the locker room?  Tough love?

It's a lesson. I've said this always to the team, you don't play the scoreboard. We said that at the start of the fourth quarter. This team was down 25 points last night to the Lakers and came back. And that's what we said to them. This team is not going to quit playing. And we don't play that scoreboard. You play this game the right way. You keep pushing the ball, get into their legs because their legs are tired, they're heavy. And defensively don't give them anything. Offensively keep executing because they've been down before and last night they were down. Now it's a lesson. Sometimes you have to learn the hard way. Lucky us that we were able to pull it out.

Martell

Well, he's getting good looks. Those are shots he can knock down. He's just got to keep shooting that when he gets them. Of course, don't hesitate.

Paul Allen's presence at the Rose Garden and his interaction with the players

We were surprised that he was here. I saw him and just hugged him. He's a strong man. He loves his Blazers. I think it showed the fact that he was getting medical attention just a couple of days ago and as soon as we come back he's here wanting to see us. I think the guys were probably surprised to see him and I didn't see it but I'm sure just like I did, I was happy to see him and we're praying for him. He's a strong man. That's the man. I'm sure they were happy to see him.

Anything unusual with their press or trap at the end that gave you trouble?

Nah, they were scrambling. And just trying to create some turnovers and we gave it to them a couple of times.

-- Ben Golliver | (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com) | Twitter

More photos » by Don Ryan - AP

I started this game with a full head of hair.

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Big Ben, Little Ben, what begins with Ben?

"Ben" puzzled how the Blazers let the Pistons within ten.

Tonight's game was an exercise in agony and ecstasy.  More precisely it was an exercise in ecstasy then agony.  But the Blazers won and that's the important thing.  A loss after getting up 20 in the second half would have been too depressing to contemplate.

The game started out quite well for Portland.  At first the Blazers controlled the tempo like Lawrence Welk but then they pushed it like Salt-N-Pepa.  The Pistons didn't have much of a defensive answer in the halfcourt and they had none at all when LaMarcus Aldridge and the Blazers started running.  Portland streaked out to a 17-9 lead and it appeared that Detroit's tired legs would prevent them from showing up tonight.  But then Andre Miller went out of the game at the 4:50 mark of the first and Portland tallied one field goal the rest of the way.  The Pistons closed the gap to 21-17 heading into the second.

Miller started the second period and all of a sudden the offense picked up.  Joel Przybilla scored twice right at the rim, once off of a pass from Rudy and once off of a pass from ‘Dre.  Miller and Fernandez combined for assists on three of the next four Blazer baskets and the lead was up to 9 in short order.  Then Andre Miller left the game and the offense went into a stall, allowing the Pistons to climb back to within 4 again.  The Blazers played some good defense to close the period while simultaneously deciding to go through Roy and Aldridge.  It was a good move, allowing them to stretch the lead to 10.

The third period was all Portland.  It was a textbook example of how to win a game.  The shots were layups or open jumpers off of passes.  The Blazers shut down the middle on the Pistons and Detroit responded by firing jumpers.  Portland allowed no offensive rebounds.  Portland resumed running whenever they were able.  It was basically a massacre throughout.  10 points became 20 and it looked like the Blazers had this in the bag.

Apparently the Blazers thought so too as their first four shots of the fourth period were three-point attempts, all misses.  They got further in after that but it was still mostly jumpers.  Meanwhile the Pistons went layup-free throws-layup to pull within 16.  No biggie.  They cut it to 14 soon after but Portland responded with a massive Oden dunk off of a Rudy pass and it looked like they were free and clear.  Then Andre Miller left the game.  Portland got a nice straight-away 18-footer from Juwan Howard right after but that was the only shot the Blazers hit with ‘Dre on the bench.  The litany read like this:  Rudy turnover, Blake miss, Blake turnover, Rudy missed three.  Then Andre Miller came back in the game.  But now the team was snakebit.

In succession we had an Oden turnover, a missed Roy jumper, a shot clock violation off of a Miller miss, two Aldridge free throw makes, two Miller free throw misses (!), a Blake turnover, and a Blake missed three.  Meanwhile it's Detroit layup, Detroit chip shot, Detroit free throws, Detroit threes, and those offensive rebounds that the Blazers had been denying all game were coming fast and furious.  Portland's up 4.  Up 3.  Up 2.  Where's my Tums?  Naw, forget those.  It looks like I'm going to need something prescription-strength after this one, if not downright medicinal.

In the end, though, the clock ran out on the Pistons.  22 seconds showed by the time they cut the lead to two, which required fouling.  Mercifully Blake and Miller hit all 6 of the free throws they took and Detroit couldn't connect with a three.  87-81, the Blazers it at 9-4.

It's tempting to rail at the team for almost letting this one slip away.  The one quibble I have with the strategy is Portland playing slow-down ball too early and continuing to play it even as the lead dwindled.  Yes you want to milk some clock on every possession when you're up huge in the fourth.  That's only smart.  But the Blazers weren't pushing anything when pushing was what got them there in the first place.  To brush off an old and terrible cliché, they started playing not to lose instead of playing to win.  Even when the lead hit the lower single digits they still played as if they were up 16.  There was no call for panic but it was certainly time to resurrect the aggression.  Maybe the strategy ended up being right as the clock foiled Detroit in the end.  Credit that, I suppose.  But this game got uncomfortably close without the Blazers showing much of a pulse.  One shot could have tipped it.  I think I'd prefer going hard through the fourth, planning on winning with the style that put you ahead in the first place.

You have to give the Detroit defense a ton of credit though.  They adopted a relatively simple strategy.  They trapped Roy and Fernandez every time they touched the ball in the halfcourt and doubled or tripled LaMarcus if he touched it in the post.  That left a lot of swings and shots going to Miller and Blake.  At that point the defense became easy.  Miller's jumper is legendary by now and needs no explanation.  I remember praising Steve Blake last year because he appeared to have developed some acceptable moves off of the dribble.  I don't know what's happened in the interim but he offends the heavens every time he puts the ball on the floor nowadays.  Seriously, tonight there was a choir of cherubim and seraphim up there charged with keeping the ceaseless round of praise singing:

Gloria in excelsis D...awwww, what the hell was that?!?     Ooops!  Our apologies, Big Guy! 

NO NEED.  WHOA! 

Detroit simply sagged off of Miller and forced Blake to drive.  By the time the ball had been to a primary scorer then been passed around to those two there wasn't time enough for another option.  So the Blazer offense became awkward shot central.  It isn't so much on either player.  They are what they are and they bring plenty of good things to the table too.  But this is one of the disadvantages to playing them together.  You have two guys you know how to guard.  Throw in Oden or Przybilla and that makes three.  When the pressure went up the Pistons knew how to exploit that.

Despite the fourth-quarter follies offensively the Blazers played a pretty solid game.  They held Detroit to 39% shooting and shot 47% themselves which was clearly the difference in the game, especially since the Pistons ended up with 10 more shot attempts than Portland did.  The Blazers got more free throw attempts and stayed relatively even on the boards overall despite allowing Detroit back in that battle by giving up those late offensive rebounds.  Portland also stayed even on points in the paint and were close in turnovers.  The Blazers almost doubled up the Pistons in assists which is indicative of the fractured nature of Detroit's roster right now, both because of new personnel and injuries.  Ben Gordon only got 12 shots and only made 4 of them which was huge for the Blazers.  It's going to be hard for Detroit to win any game right now where Gordon only scores 11.  Credit Blake, Roy, and helpers for making that happen.

Click through for individual notes, final thoughts, and links.

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This is the place to discuss the game until our Recap and Media Row Report go up.  Be tolerant of each other and have real conversation, eh?

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Here is your second half thread.  Things going well?  Here's hoping for a strong finish!  Keep the conversation civil, stay on topic, and as was announced earlier no posting of or request for streaming video links is allowed at Blazersedge.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Here's your discussion thread for the first half.  As always be respectful, keep on topic, and as per the explanation just below, no posting or request for streaming video links are allowed in the Gameday Threads.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Welcome to your Gameday Thread for the evening.  This is your place to comment on and discuss the night's events.  This pre-game version is all about the lead-up, predictions, and what have you.

Also I'd like to update you on a couple changes to the way we're looking at Gameday Threads as Site Editors and Mods.  Actually this philosophy has been around for a while but we haven't spelled it out specifically.  Now we are.

Change #1:  The moderators for the site work on a volunteer basis and the editors are busy scribbling notes and talking to people in the know during the game.  That means we can't guarantee that these threads will be policed in real time.  Sometimes it happens, sometimes not.  In essence we're leaving you the keys to the crib and inviting you to make yourselves at home.  Our hope is that you enjoy watching the game with each other just as if you were in our living room.  It's no fun at all to come home and find the place trashed though.  We're investing a certain level of trust in you, that you're going to take care of the site while participating.  Most people get that.  Some don't.

I have instructed the mods to go ahead and dis-invite the people who have trouble with that concept.  We try to give as much benefit of the doubt as possible at this site.  We'll probably give less in these threads for a while.  Nobody's going to over-react to things said in the heat of the moment during a crucial part of a game.  But if people are consistently aggressive, rude, or just seem to be here to spout off or troll instead of engaging in real conversation then Gameday Threads are probably not for them.  They're ruining the living room for everyone else.  This includes, as always, people who engage in attacking others (including, by the way, the attack of, "I'm sick of people being so negative!" which in itself is negative and hurts the conversation).   If you don't like something somebody else said either skip over it or flag it if you think it violates site policy.  The mods are going to need some help with gray-area decisions and your flags are the best indicator of how a comment or commenter is affecting the community.  You help both us and the site by making it easy and obvious to distinguish trolling behavior from the rest.  Flagging it and staying out of it otherwise is the best way to do that.

You're going to have to be a little patient.  As I said, we aren't always modding in real-time.  But if we come back and an obviously over-the-top comment went red with a dozen flags both it and the person who made it are going to be taken care of. 

Change #2:  The streaming video link thing has run its course.  Actually we never officially sanctioned that, as it is ethically shady, but we weren't always quick to weigh in as we'd usually not see it until after the thread was finished and taken down anyway.  But a couple things are happening now.  First the Blazers are taking steps to make online streams a reality and even though that's in it's infancy we need to respect it legally, morally, and otherwise.  Second, conversation surrounding such links is becoming overwhelming and distracting from our real purpose here.   Our policy is that either asking for or giving a link to such a site, whether done overtly or not-so-cleverly-disguised, is not allowed on Blazersedge.  I've instructed the mods not to impose penalities on the first night this has been officially proclaimed unless someone really goes overboard.  But from this point forward anyone posting or asking for a link will be warned and, if the offense is repeate d, banned.

I know this second issue affects some of you deeply.  As always I am happy to discuss these policies via e-mail, which is listed at the bottom of every post I write.  If you have a question or concern, feel free to write and I will answer as best I can from the point of view of the site.

With that out of the way, on to the game!  Blazers vs. Pistons tonight.  Trap or triumph?  Weigh in below.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

Bummer.

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From the Blazers' twitter...

Travis Outlaw undergoes successful surgery on his left foot. Expected out 3 to 5 months.

When it comes to foot injuries there is all sorts of variability in terms of recovery times based on the severity of the stress fracture.  

If you're rushing to the conclusion that the Blazers are setting a longer recovery timeline for Outlaw because they got burned by rushing Martell Webster back last year, I would urge caution.  Two different players, two different feet, two different injuries, two different timelines, two different surgeries.  As simple as that.

Now, with that said, 3-5 months puts Travis Outlaw out a long time: from the middle of February (3 months) until the middle of April (5 months).  That's a long freaking time.  That's until after the All Star break; 40 plus games from today at the minimum.  

Obviously, there are some changes to come. Reminder: here is Dave's analysis on how the minutes will shake out in Travis Outlaw's absence.

Some notes on that subject as tweeted by Joe Freeman...

Coach Mac will have to abandon his "small" second unit w/o Outlaw and Mac says the Blazers "style of play has to change."

That means Mac can't play "spread basketball" anymore and beat teams with athleticism and shooting in the 2nd unit.

Instead, with Howard and Joel, the 2nd unit will be bigger and more rugged.

Another negative to keep in mind with all the injuries. Mac says he'll have to significantly cut back on practicing to keep bodies fresh.

Brian T. Smith on the same subject...

McMillan said the Blazers will primarily turn to Juwan Howard to replace Outlaw. McMillan added that rookie Dante Cunningham is unlikely to see much of an increase in playing time, even though he is slated as a back up power forward on the team's roster.

When asked whether the Blazers will try to add a new player through a trade or signing, McMillan said Portland's roster is filled with 15 players at the moment, and that the only way the Blazers could pick up a new player would be by trading or cutting someone currently in uniform. "We're going to go with the guys we got," McMillan said.    

Here's a nice piece from Casey Holdahl with what Outlaw makes of his injury.

"Things happen for a reason, that's my thing," said Outlaw. "That's how I'm looking at it. I feel like I got a lot of things to be thankful for, you know?"
...
"We've got a lot of players stepping up. When I get back there's not going to be some big rush to get mine. I'm just going to try to make sure I fit in. Do what is needed for the team to win."

The big issues to watch here are, in order of importance...

• Will Nate McMillan continue to ride his small starting lineup indefinitely?  If so, can he keep all of his personalities happy and can he keep an undersized starting unit healthy?
• Is Rudy Fernandez ready to stay on track offensively? Injuries, carry-over fatigue from the summer, and inconsistency from Rudy are no longer allowable. There's no margin of error from him.
• Is Juwan Howard actually serviceable?  All pleasantries aside, is he able to fill minutes adequately?  If not, that's a big problem.
• Is Dante Cunningham -- 4 year college guy, good hustle, smart player -- ready to step up?  Will Nate McMillan trust him to play rotation minutes?

Playoff teams respond to adversity.  Make no mistake, the loss of Travis Outlaw, on the heels of the loss of Nicolas Batum, is adversity.  

-- Ben Golliver | (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com) | Twitter

PS Thanks to The Thinker for getting to this news first in the fanshots.