Blazersedge: FanPosts

Portland and the summer of Lebron

2009-11-20T18:27:22Z

Lebron James wants to be a NBA Champion.

Most commentators see James going to New York. At least one says he well stay in Cleveland (or should stay).

But what teams would give James a legitimate chance of winning a championship?

First, if he wins with the Cleveland team he has right now, then I'd say he could win anywhere.

If James, and Cleveland don't win this year, then where would James go? I am not going to address the possibility of getting personnel that might make it work in Cleveland, but what teams have the personnell James needs to win now.

Let's start with the Lakers. A proven champion without Lebron. A big market team with deep pockets. Always willing to make a big deal. Everyone feels this would be a good team for James. The lakers have two good post players, a great two guard, a capable if not outstanding point guard, and a very good defensive small forward who can score in streaks. James would be a definite upgrade at small forward.

What other teams are similar to the Lakers?

Orlando. Two post players. A very good shooting guard. An excellent point guard. Weak at small forward. Enter Lebron.

Portland. Two post players. A very good shooting guard. A good, capable point guard. Deep at small forward/guard but Lebron would be a definite improvement.

These teams have the talent, two have the market, and Portland has a deep pocket (Allen). James wouldn't have to worry that the teams listed would have to rebuild or be just another Cleveland--plenty of good players but not enough to bring home a trophy. These teams have very good defensive centers, good scorers at power foward and shooting guard, good if not excellent point guards, good to adequate small forwards (Portland may have very good small forwards as they become more experienced) and they don't have to acquire additional pieces to go with the addition of Lebron.

It seems to me if Lebron James wants to win a championship, and team skill is the main criterion for choosing a team, then the following teams would be the best destination for James:

1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Orland Magic
3. Portland Trailblazers

Is Roy a Good Teammate?

2009-11-20T05:18:44Z

I like Brandon Roy a lot. As a Blazer fan, how can you not? He fits the culture perfectly. He's skilled beyond measure. ROY and 2-time all star in 3 years. And now, he commands our loyalty if, for no other reason, he's locked up for a while with a big contract.

But I've sometimes felt a vague disquiet watching him play. And I see that diquiet on the BEdge at times.

Roy has to have the ball in his hands
Roy talks to the officials about a no-call instead of getting back on defense
Roy walks the ball up the court
Roy doesn't run the fast break
Roy doesn't play off the ball well
Roy can't play with Miller (people don't say that much any more)
Roy can't play with Rudy
Roy can't play with Sergio
Roy can't play defense; Roy doesn't try on defense
Roy plays too much one on one
etc.

I don't know how much of this is true. But I started to think about how to quantify what Roy means to a team. Do people want to play with Roy? Is a good teammate? When I hear people talk about the "right way" to play basketball--something McMillan says all the time--I think of team basketball, lots of passing, lots of running, lots of defense. The "right way" doesn't really describe Roy for at least some of the time.

Is it heresy? Can anyone even say these things without getting stoned?

So I went through the play-by-play of the games this season. I looked at all the points Roy scored (excluding free throws) that were assisted by another player or created on his own. One of the knocks is that Roy works all by himself in isolation in this 1-4 offense (a term I never heard of before Roy). How many of Roy's points are "in the flow" versus self-created? (Caveats: I don't know if free throws were "assisted" or not, nor are missed shots the result of one-on-one play or not... my sense is that a great deal of the free throws were the result of one-on-one action--a significant part of Roy's scoring.)

It turns out that 53.4% of Roy's points have been "unassisted." More than half. But is that too much? It turns out that of the 13 games played this far in the season, Roy has scored over half his points "unassisted" in five of those games:

9 to 5 (Denver)
15 to 4 (San Antonio)
8 to 3 (New Orleans)
16 to 3 (Charlotte)
8 to 7 (Altanta)

Does this promote stagnant offense? Is this appropriate for your superstar? I'll be frank: I was surprised that it was only five games. I thought it would be more. Perhaps I have inhuman expectations of Roy.

The other thing I took a look at was the type of assists that Roy dished out. If Roy is passing for layups and dunks, why that's a fun thing and it's a joy to play with a teammate who provides you with easy buckets. On the other hand, assists that lead to jump shots--well, that's a different story. It means the receipient of the pass is generally standing around waiting for something to happen and perhaps not involved in the offense (I'm thinking of complaints from Batum and Rudy along with the pretty weak expectations of offense from Blake and Webster: just make 3s). Moreover, a pass for a wide-open jumper carries a different kind of pressure. The sort of pressure that says: "Don't let me down... you'd better make this!!" Maybe not a "flaming bag" pass but certainly a pass that carries the weight of expectations with it.

It turns out that 37.8% of Roy's assists have been for easy buckets (almost exclusively to "bigs") with the majority going for pressure-packed jump shots (often 3s). Of the 13 games, 7 of them featured more perimeter assists than "paint assists."

4 to 1 (Houston)
5 to 0 (OK City)
4 to 2 (Atlanta)
5 to 2 (Memphis)
4 to 1 (Minnesota)
5 to 0 (Charlotte)
3 to 2 (Detroit)

So it's awesome that Portland's mega-star guard actually passes the ball as much as he does to generate these assists. But, I do have this vague disquiet about the style of assist.

I watched Roy pretty closely in the Detroit game as I was letting these matters percolate in my head. What I saw Roy do, I'm not sure I ever noticed before. Maybe he was tired. He played a lot of minutes. But he took plays off. Just like Randy Moss took plays off in Minnesota, Roy would camp out at the 3 literally with hands on hips not even remotely involved in the offense. Again, do I have inhuman expectations in that I expect him to set an off-screen or move a bit or perhaps look around for a long offensive rebound? I do know that this isn't what Rudy or Bayless do when they're on the floor. But maybe Roy doesn't have to.

In summary, I think I'm looking for Roy's game to continue to evolve. I guess I'm saying that--all star though he is--if doesn't develop further I don't think he's worth the contract. I don't think that he can legitimately say that he's making his teammates better. He is most certainly making the winning percentage better... but I don't think the individual games of Rudy, LMA, Batum, Webster or any of these other guys is necessarily better when he's on the floor. I want to see him catch a pass from someone else on the move. I want him to create opportunities for other players that don't involve a perimeter jumper. And most of all, I want to see some off ball effort.

Or maybe he needs to be the PG after all? Maybe my "disquiet" is completely unwarranted in the face of a fine start to a season and games where Portland has really dominated teams for majority portions of games.

Is anyone else disquieted?

Tough act to follow junk Nov.19

2009-11-20T04:36:01Z

The last few Junk Drawers have been classic

I have nothing even remotely that clever to offer but over 2000 comments is over 2000 comments and somebody has to do it.In a preview of my announcer ratings i have the Bucks,Pistons,Clips and NY crews near the top,the Celtics,Hornets,Jazz and Thunder guys are the worst.As far as network guys,Hubie is the best,Reggie Miller is the worst and Eric Snow is the best studio analysis guy.Any thoughts or input?

Nate? Avery? Adelman?

2009-11-20T04:21:54Z

I'm Just trying to see how my fellow Blazer Maniacs feel about the coaching situation. I personally believe that we have every piece that we need, as far as our roster is concerned, to win an NBA Championship within the next few years with the right system, strategy and Identity. So please put your two cents in and let me know what you think. Is Nate the right coach? Larry Brown? How about Isiah Thomas? Whoa I didn't mean that one! but seriously, The Championship window doesn't open for every team but it has for us, Now we just need to ensure that we have a coach who can push us through.

Poll

What coach do you think would get the most out of this Blazer team and eventually push us to NBA Championship status??

How would Ellis fit?

2009-11-20T00:44:17Z

There is an excellent chance that the Warriors will be looking to trade Monta Ellis sometime in the near future. It's hard to anticipate what their front office would want in return since it seems to be absolute chaos over there since Chris Mullen was forced out. However, would Ellis be a good fit as the starting PG for the Blazers? I've been thinking about this for the last couple of days, and I figured that BE is probably the best place for the discussion. His salary is $11M per year I believe. By late December, we will have some pieces that would definitely work from the financial end. I don't know what the Warriors would want concerning talent.

Oden's minutes compared with other centers in the last 25 years

2009-11-19T23:35:30Z

I think most of us are somewhat frustrated with the low number of playing minutes that GO has seen so far thru 13 games. Right now he's averaging 24.2 minutes, with more games coming in under 20 minutes -- 2 -- (11/3 v ATL and 11/14 @ CHA) than games where he cracked 30 minute mark -- just the 1 -- (11/16 @ ATL game - which went to OT).

How does this compare with other centers from the past 25 years? Before I looked into these numbers, I assumed that he would compare fairly similiarly with other centers who are young and raw, since you have to figure that accummulating fouls is a common issue with young centers, as they are still learning footwork, aren't getting the benefit of the doubt since they haven't yet built up a big reputation yet, and are probably being targeted by opposing teams drawing up plays to try to draw fouls against them. I was wrong. Way wrong.

I gave GO the extreme benefit of the doubt when analyzing these numbers, comparing them to the ROOKIE years of other centers of the past 25 years. If you looked at GO's true rookie year, these numbers would look even worse since he only averaged 21.5 mins last year. Also, if you looked at sophmore seasons of the following centers, it would look worse for GO, since most of them increased as they got more experience. But again, let's look at how GO's second season numbers compare with these centers' rookie seasons:

Duncan (97-98) - 39.1 minutes
Mutombo (91-92) - 38.3 minutes
Shaq (92-93) - 37.9 minutes
Robinson (89-90) - 36.6 minutes
Hakeem (84-85) - 35.5 minutes
Ewing (85-86) - 35.4 minutes
Mourning (92-93) - 33.9 minutes
Daugherty (86-87) - 33.7 minutes
Bosh (03-04) - 33.5 minutes
Howard (04-05) - 32.6 minutes
Yao (02-03) - 29.0 minutes
Ilgauskas (97-98) - 29.0 minutes
G.O. (09-10) - 24.2 minutes

Finding players with numbers comparable to GO's minutes requires you to look well below consistent All-Star performer territory.

So what gives? At what point do we look at the coaching staff, either coddling him and not allowing him to get into a rhythm, or not teaching him to be less foul prone? Is a conditioning issue? Whatever it is, it certainly looks aberrant when comparing GO to those that we believe he should be compared to...

Prayers are with you P. A.

2009-11-19T23:15:41Z

I was very sadden to hear of Paul Allen's relapse with Cancer. He will again beat this dreadful illness. To the man that's accomplished so much in his life, this is just a bump in the road. Hopefully we will see you soon, Court side! Your energy and enthusiasm will be missed at the games. See a Natropath for a protein shake that will keep your energy up while undergoing treatment. It helped my father keep his strength up as well as white cell count.
Your body has the power to heal it's self ~

A Game for Jerryd

2009-11-19T17:23:34Z

I have been very optimistic about the prospects of Jerryd Bayless as a combo guard who could serve as our PG of the future.

I have been very cautious about playing Jerryd a lot right now, because he hasn't really looked at ease in the PG role.

I'm ready to put all of those aside for the moment and suggest that this next game, against the Warriors, is a great game for Bayless, just as he is, to play some significant minutes. Why, you ask? Follow my logic and tell me if it makes sense to you.

THE OPPONENT

The Warriors are desperately short-handed. Raja Bell, who just came to them from Charlotte, was their eighth "healthy" player who dressed at Boston. Today, he had surgery (likely season ending) on his wrist. Azubuike is out for the season. Brandan Wright is out until February (and besides, he doesn't even know how to spell hs first name). Turiaf and Devean George are out until at least late this month. CJ Watson has swine flu. Biedrins is out until next week. They only have seven healthy players.
Despite that, they play at a high pace and score a lot.
They just played a back to back in Cleveland and Boston, and have one day off to travel back across the country before playing us. They should be tired.

OUR NEED

Travis is out, and we need offense off the bench.
Everyone is tired after a lot of travel, and we play a back to back in Portland the next night (admittedly against Minnesota, but you still don't want to be exhausted).
The Warriors' up and down style will be wearing if our key players have a lot of minutes.

WHY JERRYD IS A GOOD ANSWER

He is young, and hasn't been playing a lot, so fatigue shouldn't be an issue.
Whatever else one might think of him, he knows how to take it to the hole, score, and draw fouls. That offense will matter against Golden State, you simply can't completely shut them down.
Jerryd draws fouls. Let me just reiterate that. Jerryd draws fouls. If there is a team that cannot afford foul trouble, it is the team that is already short-handed. Well, that's not exactly right. If there is a team that can't afford foul trouble, it is the team that is already short-handed AND tired. Check.
We probably don't need him the next night like we do other players.
Jerryd draws fouls.
Biedrins is out, and there is no real shotblocker who could shut him down at the hoop. They are starting Mikki Moore at center. Hopefully Greg doesn't break him in two, because they have enough injuries. Mikki is 34 years old. Jerryd can be at the hoop before Mikki makes it over half court on many possessions. Is Monta going to defend Jerryd to keep that from happening?
Jerryd draws fouls.
Monta Ellis wants out, and faced with Jerryd's intense (and perhaps annoying) defense, he may just get mentally focused on other things besides the game.
It has occurred to me that Jerryd draws fouls, and it might be a good idea to always have guys out there who can and will drive the lane and draw fouls.
There's a decent chance that Greg draws some fouls and gets their big men in a little foul trouble to start with, and if that happens, they won't want to defend Jerryd taking the ball to the hoop like a madman.
If Jerryd gets fouled, he makes his free throws.

This game is made for Jerryd Bayless to get some real PT in the late first or early second quarter, run out on the break, take it to the hoop, and have some fun.

Oh, and yes, one other thing. Draw some fouls.

Poll

Should Jerryd get some significant first half PT?

November schedule - with Poll

2009-11-19T16:52:53Z

Has anyone else looked at the upcoming schedule lately? Looks to me like a real cake walk.

Of our next six opponents, only one has a winning record, and barely winning at that (Chicago - 6-4).

4 of the next six opponents have at least twice as many losses than wins:

Golden State (3-8)
Minnesota (1-11)
New Jersey (0-12)
Memphis (3-8)

Needless to say, they're bad. Two road games bookend 4 at the Garden.

For my fellow stat nerds out there, Portland is allowing 87.5 PPG which is the lowest in the league. Some other numbers to look at...

Portland is outscoring their opponents by 7.2 PPG which is 3rd in the league
6th in the league in blocks
4th in opponent 3PT%
2nd in the league in REB allowed, including 1st in defensive rebounds allowed.

None of our opponents rank higher than the Blazers in any of the above categories. This just shows how dominant our big men are, and how important they are to the team.

I really like our odds to finish November strong and go 14-2 in the month. The next 6 games are coming against teams that are either desperate, or fighting to stay afloat in their divisions. Losing Outlaw sucks, but look at November as a extra practice for whoever gets his minutes. It will be a real testament to the depth, and ability of this team if they finish November 6-0. I think its possible. Do you?

Poll

What will be the outcome of the Blazers' next 6 games?

Kelly Dwyer Gets It, Why Doesn't Nate?

2009-11-19T15:51:46Z

"Steve Blake hit a three-pointer to seal this game, and he scored an efficient 17 points overall (with two assists to three turnovers), but I just can't help but revert back to 2007 and tell you that this guy should be a bit player. 15 minutes a game or so, mainly because Blake just can't guard anyone.

Point guard defense is possibly the most important aspect of today's game, with no hand checking and cleared lanes, and Blake sometimes single-handedly lets Trail Blazer opponents back into the game. Andre Miller isn't that much better, I admit, but Blake is absolutely terrible on that end these days. And don't look at the stats of the opposing point guard to back me up or take me down - it's all about penetration, and the dominos that fall after that."

Hello? Nate?

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Behind-the-Box-Score-where-the-Nets-still-haven?urn=nba,203672&post_comment=1&success=1

Is Miller's lack of ability to shoot a liability in crunch time?

2009-11-19T15:51:38Z

I'm sorry, Miller can't be in at crunch time with that shot. Now I think we see why Miller has never lead a good to great team. When teams take the ball out of Roy's hands the second guy in the rotation on the perimeter appears to be Miller and he can't shoot any better than Shaq! That's not going to work.

The other thing is Oden is getting better but there is no way he can be in down the stretch of a close game right now. He is so unsure of what to do and if he gets too close, he will be fouled and, while his free throw shooting in general is very good for a big man, he puckers up pretty good in crunch time and begins building a brick house.

One thing is evident, this team is going to miss Travis Outlaw big time down the stretch of games. For me, I'd probably say the best crunch time lineup is Roy at point, Rudy at 2, Travis at 3, LMA at 4 and Pryz or even Howard at 5. No Travis now so maybe to hold leads you add Bayless in to the mix temporarily so you have guys that can shoot, create and make free throws.

One thing I'll say is, right now, every team will do what Detroit did last night which is what Houston did in the playoffs last year. Kobe and Wade would just dribble through the triple teams and shoot anyway but Brandon won't do that so Nate is going to have to have shooters on the floor down the stretch with Brandon.

Your thoughts?

Bench Blake - POLL

2009-11-19T15:06:52Z

Okay, let's get to it. Should McMillan bench Steve Blake and put him in the second lineup? Personally I think Yes!..He should put in Rudy Fernandez or perhaps Martell Webster and allow more minutes for our developing guy Jerryd Bayless... Please vote and let us know what people's thoughts are... Blake getting starter minutes...makes me frustrated..he's not playing that well? He is a great guy, a great worker, a good shooter and fits in with the guys...don't get me wrong..I just don't think him as starter will make our team into what we want it to be. VOTE!

Poll

Do you want McMillan to bench Steve Blake?

How to Attract Attention to Your JD by Engineer Scotty (11/19 JD)

2009-11-19T08:24:38Z

Exciting game last night, eh? I like it when the team that I root for scores more than the team that they are playing against.

Today's Junk Drawer "topic", although JDs really don't need topics, is about ironic book titles/seminars/classes.

FOR INSTANCE:

Shot Blocking 101 -- Taught by LaMarcus Aldridge

Free Throws: An Art Form by Chuck Hayes

Dribbling 221 -- Martell Webster

Beating the Odds: How Michael Jordan Helped Me Kick My Gambling Addiction by Charles Barkley

Jumping 201 -- SB Nation Formatters

How to Not Get Dunked On by Shawn Bradley.

Don't Worry, Nobody Can Tell That You Are Balding by Deron Williams

The Fans and You by Ron Artest (with commentary from Stephen Jackson

There are literally thousands of examples like these... What are the best you can come up with?

channing frye

2009-11-18T22:30:25Z

we hardly knew ya...

dude is lighting it up down in az... i know this is old news but this is my first post of the season... i don't know that i ever saw what he's showing us when he was here but he's a top notch guy and i wish him the best of luck this season... maybe it's the desert air?

still reeling w/ the loss of my boy travis... he's way underappreciated and underrated... it's sad that you on the fence fans won't realize this until december when his loss will be palpable..

How Outlaw and Batum's injuries might be good for the Blazers in the long run

2009-11-18T21:59:14Z

As a disclaimer: We never want to see any Blazer get hurt. If he's under contract and wearing a uniform, we want them healthy, happy, and productive. This is my attempt to look at the silver lining of a less-than-deal situation, although I think many of these scenarios will end up playing-out pretty accurately.

Other than Greg Oden's development, the biggest issue/story of the pre-season and early season has been minute,s and how they are distributed amongst all of our young, talented players. It's the one curse of having a roster loaded with young talent: keeping everyone happy with their role and playing time. In regards to playing time, the biggest question was at the 3, how Nate would divide the playing time to keep Batum, Webster, and Outlaw happy. On the heels of that discussion came many suggestions that we should trade Outlaw for help at the 1 or the 4 (pre Andre Miller signing). I was surprised by those ovations considering the versatility and scoring punch Outlaw brings to the table for us. Nonetheless, there was some logic behind the argument.

Fast forward to today: minutes problem - solved. With both Nicolas Batum and Outlaw out for 3-5 months (putting them back with the squad sometime in the late spring) the issue of competition at the 3 is irrelevant (for now). And what Blazer fan isn't thoroughly appreciative that we didn't make some of the suggested trades with our wing players, which has kept the outlook during this injury-riddled portion of the season more positive than it would have been otherwise? Our depth and talent that were once considered an "issue" are now our saving grace.

It definitely hurts to lose 2 players that were major contributors to the team; Batum as a starter and Travis as the main man off the bench, not to mention the versatility and depth they give us. But I think in the long-run this could end up being a good thing for the Blazers, for the following reasons:

1) The Blazers will be fine

Unless we have some major unforeseen collapse, the Blazers will still make the playoffs, and Batum and Outlaw will be back when we do. We still have Miller/Blake, Roy, Aldridge, and Oden to get us there. Those players alone should ensure we make the playoffs at a decent seed, let alone the presence of Rudy and Martell. We're one of the few teams that could endure losses like this and not have much of a letdown. Both guys will be back for the playoffs, so we will be at full strength when it really counts

2) It will help the players that were buried on the bench

The loss of these 2 guys should help develop some of our players that weren't seeing many minutes to start the season. Rudy and Martell, and even Bayless (and maybe Cunningham?) will see more minutes with them out. For Rudy we will see if he can shoulder more of an offensive load and be a go-to guy for us, which will help us determine his future and value with the organization. Martell won't have to look over his shoulder as much and can focus on playing, and the Blazers can evaluate where he stands in the small forward rotation once everyone is back and healthy. It should also give Martell experience, especially on the defensive end, to prepare him for when we need him to step up in the playoffs and guard some of the league's elite scorers. And if Cunningham gets any run, it was more than he was going to get, so that can't be bad. Most importantly, it lets Rudy and Martell establish value. Rudy was a reserve and was good in spots last year, and Martell is coming off a year-long injury. Regardless of whether they remain Blazers or not, the extended playing time will increase their value (hopefully), either in experience, or for trade value should we want to move them for other assets at some point

3) We might be able to keep Travis, and keep him cheaper

It's a contract year for Travis, and as much as I'd like to see him get paid "Like outta this world" - I don't think that would happen with the Blazers. This injury might be a blessing in disguise for us, as with a depressed league economy and a ridiculous free agent class, teams might be less willing to shell out money for a guy coming off a long-time injury, and the Blazers might be able to retain him for less than we would have otherwise. This could also become a null point if Travis comes back and kills in the playoffs and actually raises his value - but as a fan that's a terrific turnout as well

All said and done - I think this time will be a great test for the Blazers, and dealing with the adversity of losing two main contributors for a majority of the season will make us stronger in the end-game. At the same time, it will help us really identify the value of these players, something that would have been harder to do with everyone healthy and playing.

How do you think it will turn out?

Steve Miller: Are we Joking, Smoking or just Midnight Toking

2009-11-18T20:48:42Z

Just A quick look at our Steve Miller band. Are they flying like eagles? Eating wild mountain honey? Are they the gangsters of love? No "they" are our ever controversial Point Guard duo. Weve all beat this dead horse a million times already, I know. But I decided to exhume the corpse and beat it and woop it some more! What can I say?-I hate horses!? No just kidding, horses are cool. But I digress, this post is just a look at the numbers for both players so far, to see where they were at. We all know that eventually, Nate is going to go back to a single point guard rotation, which means one player starts and and one comes off the bench(sounds a little Mad Maxey Thunderdomish:"2 men enter, 1 man leave!!"). Who will be the starter this time? Its tough to say Blake will start after looking at the numbers. But then again, we all know that Nate seems to have a soft spot towards Blakey, so who knows. Anyways, check out some stats below and then take a poll please. Thanks.

NAME             GP   GS   MIN PTS OFF DEF   TOT AST STL BLK   TO A/TO   PF TECH
Steve Blake     12   12   354    91     0     29      29    46    8        0     18    2.56   18      0
Andre Miller     12   7    348   129 13     28      41    58    9        1     25    2.32   25      0

NAME              FGM   FGA FG% 3PM 3PA   3P% FTM FTA    FT%  2PM 2PA   2P% PPS* AFG%^
Steve Blake       31     89    .348    20     57    .351    9     10     .900   11    32     .344   1.02   .461
Andre Miller       44    112   .393   2       15    .133   39    45    .867    42    97      .433 1.15   .402

Steve Blake: 7.6 PTS 3.8AST 2.4REBS
Andre Miller: 10.8PTS 4.8APG 3.4REBS

In 6 less minutes of play, Andre has Scored 38 more points than Blake, grabbed 12 more rebounds than Steve, dished out 12 more assists than Blake, had 1 more steal and 1 more block. Miller has attempted 45 freethrows compared to just 10 for Blake! Miller is actually shooting 2pointers better than Blake as well which really surprised me. I was under the impression Blake was shooting way better than Miller, but thats not exactly true. Andre is shooting 39% and Blake is shooting 34%. But when you average all shots taken--afg(actual feild goal %) is 46% for Blake and 40% for Miller. To give Blake some props, he has less turnovers than Miller, a better A/TO than Miller, more 3pointers made than Miller, and a higher AFG than Miller. Since Miller was put in the starting lineup, his numbers have all went up. Back when we were 2-3 and we were all freaking out, Millers numbers were 8.2PTS 2.4REBS 5AST. His numbers have went up, and now he averages higher numbers than Blake.

As I have always said, Miller is the better overall player and he will begin to show that as he gels with the team. Blake is a great PG and hes is a perfect fit with this team, and I personally have no problem with either of them starting or playing at the same time. Blake already is familiar with all the players and therefore is expected to be more cohesive, whether with the starters or the 2nd unit. And thats why I think when it comes down to our next lineup alteration, basically when we go back to 1 pg in the game to start, I think it will be "Miller Time"!!!! He has proven with his numbers gradual increase, that he is the better pg.

Poll

When Nate goes back to a starting one point guard, who will it be?

Comcast Situation

2009-11-18T19:51:39Z

I figured this might be a good Fanpost instead of a fanshot. I was listening to Canzano on my drive home yesterday and he has a segment called "the Skinny". In it he had information concerning the deal the Blazers have with Comcast and how Comcast is handling the negotiations with DirecTV and CSN.

The little bit of the news is that the blazers have formally told Comcast that if there is not a deal in place but the end of the calendar year then there will be penalties for Comcast.

The penalties could be that the blazers stream games on their site to allow those fans who do not have Comcast to see the game. Comcast says this would hurt their leverage and therefore their business.

Is this something the Blazers should be worrying about, especially since they just launched a video streaming service? Also from what I have researched Comcast has usually taken 2 to three years after they establish a channel to get it onto competitors broadcasts.

Thoughts?

About the 34 minute mark of the podcast linked below is where Canzano talks about the Blazers and Comcast.

http://vault.desjalogic.com/rcrweb/podcasts/sports/BFT_Tuesday_11-17-09_Hour_2.mp3

The Official Travis Outlaw Get Well Soon Card

2009-11-18T17:09:39Z

Travis Outlaw is having surgery on his foot today. Thought I'd start a thread so we could all wish him a safe surgery and a speedy recovery. Pictures of balloons and flowers would be greatly appreciated. Get well soon, Travis, we'll need you for the championship run!

Feel free to add your own your comments and pictures to the thread that's available below. (No haters, please! The guy's going under the knife.)

Just Another Junk In The Wall: 11-18-09

2009-11-18T08:17:22Z

The original intent

This post was an idea I had many moons ago to give a shout out to the JD crowd.

I didn’t mean to leave any junkers out, but this avatar collage is from about 2 or 3 recent JD posts, and I’ve seen several additional avatars since I put this together.

The Current Mood

Since that time, multiple fanposting has been a recent topic.

Some have suggested that a JD pushing good posts to the bottom is the same as someone putting up 3 posts in a 24 hour period, and pushing good posts to the bottom.

This is a thought that should be considered, since it would definitely be a double standard for a hardcore JD’er to criticize (albeit even if constructive criticism) others about multiple posts.

I have posted in another thread a couple comments why I don’t feel the JD is on par with multiple fanposts. Rather than reposting those arguments, I will just make one more solid argument in defense of the JD at this time.
PPLLFFFFFTTHHPPPPHHHLLLLPPP (Think “All In The Family”. Archie, with just oh so little tongue sticking out making the infamous fart noise. The end all of every debate, because no one yet has been able to refute it)

Seriously though, I have thought about it – here’s my final answer.

I think the JD in general represents far more than what is pictured here, but let me say this, when the above 75 people put up 3 posts in a 24 hour period (JD or otherwise), then I’ll buy into the argument that a JD is on par with multi-posting. YES THAT’S RIGHT, 225 JD POSTS IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD.

Waxing philosophical

I thought the Junk Drawer was a silly idea when I first came to BE. But now I realize it’s more like my house. SO firing up the BBQ in the backyard, tih pooping the dog in the frontyard, Roybot thumbing through the photo album, prez won’t come out of the bathroom, etc. etc. and all the while many things are discussed, basketball and other, but the next game is on in an hour and that’s what we’re waiting for.

How many times has cablinasian (and many others) waltzed into the JD and said, "I want to talk basketball." I really wish cablinasian would do the Tango once in awhile....uh, not sure why I said that. To go OT (even though it be basketball) is frowned upon in someone else’s basketball post. Not to mention the breaking non-Blazer related basketball news that is often posted in the JD, where should most of that be posted if not in the JD. So one could very well argue that the JD prevents rabid fanpost delirium by virtue of the fact that many OT topics would find their way to the sidebar, as many already do.

To say "Did you even watch the game" could be close to a ban offense outside the JD, it’s friendly banter in here. Yes, I must say, I love the casual, nonchalant, carefree attitude that usually runs through the JD thread. Getting to know Blazer fans in the JD environment has been one of the most satisfying aspects of joining BE to me. And quite frankly, I thought I’d never say that. And one more thing, PPLLFFFFFTTHHPPPPHHHLLLLPPP

Poll

What better place to put up a JD verses Multiple Post poll, but in the unbiased JD itself.

Blazers Edge Community Podcast Episode 008

2009-11-18T07:42:07Z

A Bedgecast Boo-Ya to Ya

Boom. Southern Oregon, Magnum, and yours truly, along with fashionably late arrivee Philthyanimal hit threes--Rudy style--as we go around the Edge, talking about last night's game, the season thus far, other team's attendance (or lackthereof) we've seen, and a bold prediction from Magnum (oh yes, Bill Simmons ins't the only one unafraid and unashamed of trolling for click counts).

Let Southern Oregon soothe you. Let Magnum persuade you with his smooth, suave stats. Let Phil...uhh...well he's our token Asian. 'Nuff said.
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Direct Stream

Direct stream of the show can be found by clicking here. 53 Megabytes || 58:38 minutes

Subscribe via Podcast (iTunes, etc.)

As always, you can head over to iTunes and subscribe to our podcast by searching for "Blazer Laser" or "Blazers Edge." If you use some other podcast catcher, use our direct RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/becommunity

Discuss

So, what up Bedge? Is Magnum off his rocker when he says maybe Blake isn't so bad in the starting lineup? Do we keep rolling with what's working (Southern's take) or do we mix it up now because Blake and Miller ain't gonna' work come playoff time (my take)? Feel free to sound off on whatever.

Poll