Blazer's Edge: FanPosts

Do I get it? Do I NOT get it?

2009-07-04T10:23:21Z

I'd like to pose a few questions, and offer a few opinions. In light of Hedo Tukoglu's sudden "snubbing" of Portland for Toronto. One of the first specters to arise is the phrase " Portland can't attract top notch Free Agents". I've never believed that, and even with this unfolding with Hedo, I still don't. Here's why....

In the glory days of Bob Whittsit, Paul Allen threw money at The Blazers like a sugar crazed 10 year old throws marshmallows at a campfire. I think a lot of teams have caught up with The Blazers in terms of available amenities, but I also remember that The Blazers were one of the first teams to have their own private, specially modified team plane, courtesy of Paul Allen. Now that has become more common, but it wasn't so much 15-20 years ago. I also remember reading articles with quotes from players of the period that The Blazers franchise had the reputation of treating it's players right. In terms of quality of facilities, catering, air-travel and perks. Portland WAS a location that free agents wanted to come to. Through free agency or trades we attracted and/or obtained players that were very coveted by other teams. Scottie Pippen, Rod Strickland, Mario Elle, Danny Ainge and Detlef Shrempf...they all decided to wear the Red and Black...of course it didn't hurt that the team was a perennial playoff contender and had been seen in the finals more than once. Yes, some were trades, but we know players that are 1/2 way decent in the N.B.A. can Nix a trade by simply complaining publicly that they don't want to go to that team. Usually that ends it right there. Pippen, Strickland (first time around) and Ainge and Shrempf (first time) were all players that would of had that trump card, and they did NOT play it. They wanted to come to Portland. In a time of recession, I've got to believe playing for a owner such as Paul Allen should be a huge draw for players. Even right now, when many owners are instructing management to cut costs, Allens only public decree has been his desire to upgrade the roster. That's a HUGE benefit to being a Blazer. Paul Allen has got to be one of the best owners in which to play for, thus making The Blazers a desirable destination.

By the way, semi-related. Do you think it hurts The Blazers when rumors leak that we tried to obtain Shaq but he say's he Nixed the trade because he didn't want to come to Portland? The Blazers can deny it, but it becomes We Said, He Said and I've got to think a lot of players read statements like that and have to think....Hmm..why doesn't Shaq want to play for Portland...( I think it does hurt).

In the wake of Hedo this one hurts, and bother me the most. The Idea that Portland, as a city and location is undesirable. We might never know in the Hedo situation what real percentage of reality this might of had in his decision but the rumor that his wife wanted Toronto because she felt it was more "European Friendly" and/or Cosmopolitan is out in the public psyche. What bothers me is that Blazer fans themselves have a tendency to take this image to heart themselves...we can be an insecure fan base, and it doesn't take much for us to start beating our chests and crying woe our NW. Hicksville ways, we can't compete with LA, NY as destinations...woe is us... I call BS on those fans.

What a person might like in a city is individual and subjective. I think a higher degree than the norm of Blazer players have decided they like Portland and The NW so much after being here that they have decided to stay after their tenure as Blazers is finished. Channing Fryeevidently LOVES Portland. Not to sound like a travel brochure, but I've been to NY and I've been to London, and yes I'm prejudice because I live here but as much as I liked NY and liked London, I wouldn't trade the NW or Portland for either. In Oregon, you have the rivers, the mountains, the desert, the forests and a diversity of environments all within less than a days drive from almost any location. Find that anywhere else. Plus don't let it out, but it doesn't rain as much as people outside of Oregon like to think. In any case, of course it all depends on what a person personally wants from a environment, city and state but to think Portland and Oregon isn't desirable IMO is ridiculous. No we aren't the Hollywood Mecca, we aren't The Big Apple, but why should we assume that NOT being those things is a bad thing?

Along the same argument, I say with these players and players families even if Portland doesn't seem to fit the mold or environment you want, why should it matter much? Hedo and almost any free agent that we might desire that would make a difference, would make millions of dollars. These players are wealthy men. Just as an example, use Hedo. My feeling is during the playing season, these players are traveling and working and practicing a lot. A gym is a gym is a gym. Whether in NY, LA or Tualatin. Sure, during home stands and breaks it's desirable to have family around, but again these guys are very wealthy. Multiple residences are something they can easily afford. How hard would it be for Mrs. Turkoglu to live WHEREVER she wished, and then fly in to Portland from time to time to be with Mr. Turkoglu in a Portland residence? 1/2 the time of a season or more, these players are on the road, which means their environment is planes, buses and hotel rooms in cities ranging from Portland, Utah and Toronto to NY and LA. In the off season, they can live wherever they want. So I don't get it? Portland not "Cosmopolitan" enough for you? No Hollywood Agents lurking? Not enough Paparazzi? Go ahead, in the off-season go where ever you want to be. If during the season you are lamenting the absence of these things I'd suggest you aren't focusing on your job enough.

So that's it. I don't buy or accept the idea that Portland isn't a desirable location. I don't label The Blazers or myself as living in some "second class" environment that doesn't appeal to basketball players. I'm sure in the next few days, in light of Hedo I'll be forced to hear the moaning lament of how Portland can NEVER attract the big name free agent...I don't buy it, I don't believe it, and I do not get "fans" that want to put themselves down by attaching that label to themselves. Uber Wealthy and Generous Owner willing to spend for success, Beautiful City and State, a fan base that if it has a weakness, might be that it is OVER devoted. Good luck finding those elements in Toronto, or NY, LA or Cleveland (for Mr. Shaq O' Neal) .

HAVE WE LOST OUR MINDS

2009-07-04T10:13:42Z

HAVE SOME PERSPECTIVE!!!! WE ARE OK AND WERE GOING TO BE MORE THAN OK!!!!

When things don't go my way I try to take a step back and look at the big picture and I usually realize in retrospect that I am thankful things didn't happen the way I had hoped(a.k.a. Adam Morrison). I always liked Hedo going back to his days in Sacramento, but I wasn't crazy about signing a 30 yr old guy to a 5 yr contract and using up all our available cap space.

I loved this season. Watching them grow onto what they have become is special and amazing. Let me make a few points about this team where they are at so far.

1. The last month of the season when they were blowing out a lot of teams by 25-30 points who were trying to secure playoff positioning was simply amazing. Not just blowing them out but how they were playing the whole game, they were finally starting to figure themselves out. They were evolving right before our eyes.

2. There were 2 factors I believe hurt us in the playoffs. Nobody has addressed this but I believe having the rally downtown and really making such a big deal about the Blazers making the playoffs actually hurt them especially for the first game. Remember the first game of the season and how bad they played against the L*kers in LA. They had a deer in the headlights look. They were tentative every which way. They played horribly. Well that is exactly what I saw the first playoff game. So we may not really need another player but a better, tougher psyche. I think experience will really help more so than anything else, or maybe PA can pay someone to slap Travis upside the head before every game and piss him off. The other factor was we needed another scorer to help LMA and Roy with scoring. So I would have started Rudy instead of Batum. As much as I Love Batum we needed more scoring against Houston.

3. We still have Martell and Batum and both have incredible upsides. If Martell can comeback healthy he could be that scoring option. Batum, man I love this guys game. Mark my word he is going to be one of the best payers we have. All he needs is confidence offensively and a few more offensive moves and he will be our SF for the next 10yrs. Think Scotty Pippen and Tayshun Prince had a kid it would be Batum. I would have started him against the Lakers if we had met them in the playoffs.

4. We won 54 games.If we had won just one more ( Orlando(now Hedo has screwed us twice), Clippers, Phili etc.) we wouldn't be having this conversation. If we had met L*kers in the WCF we had a very good chance at the upset. We already match up with them very well. And dare I say Orlando as we should have beaten them twice.

5. Do we really NEED another point guard. Blake takes care of the ball, can hit open 3's is a good passer. You don't have to have a penetrator at the PG position. Just look at Derek Fisher. Does ever penetrate.

6. We don't have any glaring needs. We have young guys who are going to get better. When we lost James Jones last year I thought our 3 point shooting was going to suffer but it actually improved. Even LMA started making 3's.(please don't become Rasheed LMA, you are so much better than that).

7. Greg Oden. He is going to come back so much better. I know he is working hard and I think about half way through next season he is going to really bloom. I takes a good year and a half to two years to really recover from micro fracture surgery. Just look at Amare Stoudameire and how long it took him to fully recover. He was just horrible when he first came back from his surgery. I used to watch a lot of Suns games and their progressions are very similar.

Well I have more points that I could make, but the big thing is:DON'T FIX IT IF IT AIN'T BROKE. I think the biggest need this team has is getting a banger at the 4 to back up LMA. Be patient we may already have that one piece to put us over the top.

Well this is my first post so let me know what you guys think.

NBA 2K9(PS3) BlazerMania Simulator

2009-07-04T08:00:26Z

via www.operationsports.com

Like many of you, I own the greatest NBA simulation game ever to be concieved(Live is too arcady)- NBA 2K9.

And like many of you, I have been racking my brain going through different combinations for the upcoming season.

Luckily with the powers of the interweb, many other players have uploaded up to the minute rosters that I can test out without much fuss.

But I digress...this thread is going to be updated continuously as I go along in my season with the new/probable Blazer changes. These are REALISTIC roster expectations so don't expect to see Lebron and Wade in Black and Red like NBA Jam....

Hold the applause please!

--------------------------------

This one was a big downer because of Turkyglue snubbing, but I did manage to play two 48min games before work today, and I am actually glad he left to Raptor Land...read on...

Roster:

Harris(traded Blake+Outlaw+Bayless to NJ)/ Mills

Roy/Rudy/Webster

Hedo/Batum/Cunningham

LMA/Pendergraph

Oden/Pryz

Game 1: 122-107 LOSS to Orlando.

Ouch.

I run a bunch of ISO/pick and roll with ROY and Harris for the first 2 quarters. Harris is a quick mofo, very adept at scoring layups around the trees inside.

Now Turkey was the 3rd/4th option on this first half experiment, trying to create a few shots, spotting up for 3 etc. He was guarded by Vince Carter most of the time I had trouble getting around him with dribble drive, and Turk has a fairly slow and low 3pt/long range shot(sans fadeways) so I had more trouble there.

Only in the 3rd/4th QT did I start to experiment with Turk and the Pick and Roll. Fun stuff folks. LMA/ODEN were crashing to the hoop with pinpoint passes from Turk after he would often get doubled after he threw down a few shots off the pick. But we couldn't quite eek out a win, Dwight was just too much inside with his insane alley oops from Nelson.

Game 2: 133-124 LOSS to Mavericks

Only gonna say one thing: Kidd is still a baller-in NBA 2K9 at least. Dropped 30 points, 15 dimes, and 4 steals on me. Would he really do this against the super quick Harris and company in real life? Doubtfull.

------------

Overall though like I said, with this roster there were just too many shooters and not enough shots to go around. Turk/Harris/LMA were all around 13-15 with Roy being top man at 20ppg. Turk was unathletic and just redundant. Much better options for Roy/Harris and if Batum can be more like Pippen, he will be nice ballhandler/distributor someday, making Turk pointless and a waste of money.

HAVE FUN IN CANADA!

-----------------------

Sent Turk to Toronto.

Kept Harris.

We shall see what happens for the future...but I will swap players in out and to model the most realistic roster combinations coming down the pipe....

*Note I did have an earlier franchise going where I had Gerald Wallace and he is indeed SICK with the Blazers.

JD: Happy 4th, Welcome home Iraqi Vets!

2009-07-04T07:54:49Z

The 4th kicked off early this year for me. Five of my closest friends are returning from Iraq. While my friends are healthy, and whole, there are many more who are coming back from the front who have suffered tremendous injury.

Whatever your political disposition, Most of us are a citizen of the United States, We are all citizens of the world, and the men and women of armed forces are worth honor and respect at least, whatever else they may deserve.

Even L*ker fans.

Happy (and SAFE) 4th everyone!!!!

Now set off those fireworks you got from the REAL americans.

Sorry about the double.

Hedo Turkgolu: 7 Stages of grief (now 14)

2009-07-04T07:39:45Z

When I logged on the morning of July 1st, after NBA teams could officially open dialogues with free agents, I was greeted wth the headline of "Portland first team to call Hedo's Agent"

1. SHOCK & DENIAL-

I had seen Hedo in the playoffs. He was a defensive liability, with a limited shooting percentage. Wen you looked up "effecient" in the dictionary, his name was not there.

This wasn't really happening. THis was just a rumor circulated by Turk's agent to inflate his value. Cruel, but... no harm, no foul.

He's Brandon Roy dipped in Molasses, covered in carmel, running through mud, but 4 inches taller.

2. PAIN & GUILT-

Who was going to be out now? Outlaw? His name has "out" in it... that seems reasonable. Sergio's gone. So are Frye, Ruff, and Shav. But there aren't enough minutes to go around.

I forgot about Batum! Oh! I am so sorry Nic! And you , Rudy.

This sucks.

3. ANGER & BARGAINING-

How DARE KP do this???? He's Prtch-slapping himSELF!!!!! Rudy is angry!!!!

There's got to be a secondary move to this.

Maybe we'll sign him and trade him....

I HATE THIS!!!!!!

4. "DEPRESSION", REFLECTION, LONELINESS-

Oh Travis... we only knew ye for six semi excruciating years.

What would have been if we'd stayed together?

Is the dream dead?

5. THE UPWARD TURN-

This can't be as bad as it looks.

Didn't Dwight Howard praise how much Hedo helped his offensive game?

Wow! What a youtube clip of highlights!!!

6. RECONSTRUCTION & WORKING THROUGH-

OK. I just checked realgm, bustabucket, O.Live, truehop, bedge, etc. etc. etc. There's lots of people who like this!

Hedo plays "point forward" isn't that pretty much what we were getting at when we on the BEdge wanted a point guard and a backup PF?

Wow! I just saw more clips of him working the pick and roll with Dwight! It would be great for someone to actually pass BACK TO THE PICK SETTER once in a while.

(Nate, KP. Anyone reads this.... Please. Do this. the Pick and Pop must stop.)

7. ACCEPTANCE & HOPE-

Ok. Ok. I think I can see this.

He doesn't shoot a high percentage, but he IS a playmaker. He can take a LOT of pressure off Brandon. Wow.

With him on board, Oden should SKYROCKET!!!

With as many open 3s as Nic and Outlaw got this year, Hedo's % is bound to be good!

Update

Back to square one.

A Blessing In Disguise

2009-07-04T07:02:58Z

Thank goodness that Toronto overpaid Hedo. While I trust that McMillan and KP could integrate Turkoglu accordingly, and he would have been a good fit running that side pick and roll with GOden and LA, Portland should not shell out a 5 years for him. I think Portland would (and should) sign he him to a 3yr/$30 million contract, but Heydude wants that extra coin guaranteed (although Shawn Marion might be available, and he might take 3yr/$24), Now we are "forced" into letting Boom Boom and Martell develop at the 3, and giving some extra minutes to Rudy.

However, we now need to either sign or trade (or both) for a point guard. Option 1a should be to package Blake and Troutlaw to see if we can pry away Kirk Hinrich from the Bulls. It is just bad luck that Chicago decided not to overpay for Ben Gordon's services, a taste of Kirkland Hinrick would have been great for Portland.

Option 1b would be to sign Andre Miller. I hope that the Blazers would ignore Mike Bibby, as he is a liability on defense, and I don't think he is a good fit. If Miller would accept a 3 yr/20-24 mill deal, It might be the necessary piece. Think about it, his weak 3 pt shooting should be negated by his extra pass to Martell or Rudy or Batum or Brandon, even to Jerryd. We are stacked with efficient marksmen. I think that his d could be underrated, but who knows (It is still better than Bibby D).

Although the older folks don't like to be reminded that 2010 is oh-so-close, we should always look to the future. Specifically, Lebron James. Call me crazy, or more accurately wistful , but maybe, just maybe, we can woo Lebron into our small market and he can accept our lack of Europeanness. I think a bouquet of roses would do seal the deal.

All in all, In KP (and our PA) we trust.

Wasted Summer

2009-07-04T06:59:23Z

The fact of the matter is, the summer has been wasted. Hedo might not have been perfect, but he was the best option out there. Andre Miller in a trade? Please. Our competitors are stepping up their game and we've been left in the dust. A stupid trade for Andre Miller or Ramon Sessions isn't going to cut it for me. Unless we end up with a trade for Battier I officially declare this the "Wasted Summer", or one chance to sign a big free agent.

Also, what a blow to the our ego. Everyone always says no one wants to come here because it's too "Small Market", well, case and point I suppose. We offered more money, have lower taxes, and a bigger chance of actually winning, but Hedo chooses Canada???????? WTF???? ?????

I am PISSED OFF, this sucks. I didn't want to overpay for Turkey Glue (AKA, P Whipped), but COME ON. That would have been a strong starting 5.

Next free agent target: None of the Above

2009-07-04T06:57:48Z

With Hedo and Kidd off the market, put me down for not wanting any of the remaining free agents. To me, none of them fit our needs for shooting/playmaking, and none of them are clearly going to improve our team. Rather than overpay just for the sake of making a signing, I'd rather keep our cap space (for now). So what's the plan you ask?

1) work the unbalanced trade routes all summer long. you never know when someone's priorities may all of a sudden change. Look for a big splash move that's going to net you a veteran starter who can create off the dribble and set up his teammates. shooting and defense would be nice too (Sorry, Kirk fans, he isn't a big enough upgrade for me to blow my 2 expiring assets on)

if nothing happens before the season, then roll with what we have and work on improvement from within. But come January/February, it's on to:

2) trade deadline deals. Maybe someone is going to blow up their team. Maybe someone is looking to cut salary in a hurry to get in on the 2010 sweepstakes. Find a deal, and use the cap space and expiring contracts to eat salary and get a topnotch upgrade. Failing that, we have one last ditch effort to improve:

3) Draft 2010. We are still on 09-10 salaries, which means we still have almost 10 million in space. Put it to work, take advantage of teams trying to make that last ditch effort to clear more space for summer 2010 by getting rid of talented big contracts. Who knows, maybe Hedo will be on the block. ;-)

Shawn Marion

2009-07-04T06:48:26Z

Thank the Gods we didn't sign Hedo Turkoglu. I only see negative from this guy. All about the money. No allegiance. And had ONE good post season. Consistency over time, not some break out, potential short run.

Maybe this happened, because the genius in Kevin Pritchard, set this all in motion, to get who he really wanted: Shawn Marion. Teams do like to up the ante, when they know another team is heavily interested. Toronto was known to be very interested in Turkoglu. Portland surely knew that they would have to renounce Marion and others, to sign Turk. And what happened? Just that. And who is available and fit our system much better, much cheaper, and a seasoned veteran who will help us in the short and long run? Marion. KP may really be a Wizard, waving his wand.

Poll

Is Shawn Marion really who we want?

Surprisingly mixed feelings

2009-07-04T06:36:26Z

Its funny, i have never been sold on Turkeyglue but i have mixed feelings about our situation. It seems like since the opening jump of the current FA period we went HARD after Hedo. My thought(limited as it is) was that at 30yo around 10mil per season, a 5 yr contract was "no bueno." 34+ year old players with 10+ million dollar contracts are allmost always cap killers.

But hey, i have said it before and ill say it again......"In K.P. i trust." So i check this site and that site, looking for stats tendancies and overall PER type stuff. What do i find? Allthough he has a relatively low(compared to elite players) PER his overall skill set is somewhat unique. So i start to buy into it......a 6' 10" SF/PF who can shoot, pass, and create for others and himself. I start to think "hey, we may be over paying but his skill set plus our need for a true vet, ok not a bad idea."

We "come to a verbal agreement" with him and im like "ok lets roll with this, we will trade a few role players for Hinrich,etc." My thought was

PG: Hinrich(or name your dream PG)- Bayless

SG: Roy - Rudy

SF: Hedo - Batum

PF: LMA - Hedo/ signed FA

C: Oden - Pryz

Anyone not mentioned is fodder for trades. I was truely starting to buy into this idea. However...."She-do"(not my nickname for the record, but hilarious just the same)opted to go canadian. My hope now is this. Irish3 posted http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/6/28/928181/marvin-williams-por-favor.......this post made several VERY good points about why Marvin Williams would be a good fit. Humor me for a moment......Say we sign Williams for around 6 million/yr which is(i think) well above the MLE that he is being offered (correct me of i am wrong please) then get a back up PF at around 2-3 million/yr. Trade for a more than average starting PG and roll into camp still a very young/ deep and athletic team. Again i have some seriously mixed feelings, once i bought into Hedo mania it seems tough to not have some kind of "mania" going on.

Lets hear your thoughts Bedgers.....are you on the fence?....anti Turkeyglue?.....or totally stoked? I would include a poll but im lazy and dont want to. Personally i still cant make up my mind how i feel.

Thanks Ben and other Bedge Contributors

2009-07-04T06:04:08Z

I would like to make this post to seriously thank all of the people who have contributed over the last week. Especially throughout the entire Hedo Turkoglu and Rudy Fernandez saga, and throughout the Hedo courtship process. Many of us don't have time to scour the Internet in search of detailed reports from Yahoo, Hoopsworld, Twitter, ESPN, etc. For those of us who don't, we have a great group of readers and moderators who consolidate all the information to make it easy for us to know what's going on at One Center Court and across the league.

So this Fanpost is for you guys. Thanks for your tireless efforts. Thanks for getting links up 5 minutes after articles are posted. Thanks Ben for being a one stop news feed on Twitter. Thanks Dave for calming us all from the edge when it seems like all is lost. Also, thanks to all of the standard contributors who honestly should almost get paid for their work.

To all of you, I tip my hat, feel free to post on your feelings and thanks to this wonderful blogging staff that we are all blessed to have. The Portland Trail Blazers are a great part of each of our lives, and following our wonderful franchise is made easier by all of you.

Shawn Marion??

2009-07-04T05:52:42Z

Now that Hedo has committed to Toronto for $60M over 5 years, Shawn Marion is now available. Toronto was forced to renounce him to get the cap room to sign Hedo.

Nate would love the Matrix's versatility as he can guard 1-4 effectively, can slash to the hoop and run the floor. He is also the best rebounding SF in the league. He is not the Allstar that he was in Phoenix, but he is a SERIOUS upgrade from Batum/Outlaw and would give the team a great perimeter defender.

Matrix can be had for $32M/4 years, leaving some flexibility for a sign and trade for Hinrich/Sessions/Miller.

I have heard rumors of some problems with Miami and Phoenix, but would KP take a chance??

Roy is the answer at point guard

2009-07-04T05:51:22Z

Move broy to point and rudy to the 2; then keep nic at the 3 with la and oden as the starters. Then priz, bless, web, bass and outlaw. We trade blake and next year #1 to get this done. We drafted mills, pent, cun all with potencial so stick them on the roster and see if one of them grows. In other words we have the pieces in place (almost) and now we continue to watch them grow. I was for Hedo but everything happens for a reason so for all those anti-hedo people; you got your wish and we'll be beter for it!

What Hedo TRULY desires

2009-07-04T04:35:12Z

When Robert Horry shot a killer three against Sacramento… Hedo basically did nothing.

When Derek Fisher hit 0.4 against San Antonio… Hedo was much more vocal and much more active in his role as a player.
When Derek Fisher his those huge threes against Orlando… Hedo was the Most Improved player or Orlando’s fourth quarter stud.
(If you youtube those videos) he was there ON the court every single time)
However, every single time.. his role and importance to the team has increased.

Staying at Orlando behind Dwight, Jameer and Vince? With Rashard being clutch as well? He’s just one of five.
Going to Portland… he’ll be behind Brandon Roy, Lamarcus and possibly Greg Oden.
However… at Toronto? He will be number two behind Chris Bosh… and during the fourth quarter… probably the man.

Considering the fact that this is not the first time he has backed out of a deal… it is obvious that Hedo knows how to be in the best position to better his stats and better his skills by putting himself in situations where his skills can develop and where he can get the attention he has desired.

Okay, the argument can be also said that behind every great man is a great woman. So… Hedo’s wife (who followed him around the world and around the league probably used the argument of I deserve to go where I want… because I have given all what you want. Plus Toronto is much more beautiful than Portland and much more appealing to a European like Banu than the rainy city of Portland.

Portland, I am very sorry that you did not gain the "mismatch" you so desired.

"She-Do" Turkoglu

2009-07-04T04:32:29Z

His wife must be really hot to have her husband on a leash like that. Im sure he wants to play there when after next year they'll be no Chris Bosh (can you say 15 win team?) . It is a dissapointment to not be getting Turkoglu but it also may be a good thing. His contract was way too much for a player of his calibur. This just spices up this off season even more. I'm just waiting for Kevin Pritchard to get one of Artest,Ariza, or Odom just to piss off the kobe show and better our chances of contending for a title next season. Maybe we have a trade in the works with a team like New Jersey or Detroit but whatever happens I have to say that I am in love with this roller coaster off season

Poll

My feelings about Turkoglu not signing are...

Next target...Shane Battier? (with poll)

2009-07-04T04:10:27Z

Following the "Turkish defection" at least we have some more insight re: what the Blazers are interested in, because of their "1st" choice (Hedo)

They want a veteran with high BBIQ who can make the players around him better. And we know KP/Nate value good outside shooting. Shane isn't the penetrator and creator that Turk is (few big men are) but he is an excellent perimeter defender (and "another coach on the floor" by all accounts)

Houston also just signed Ariza, so there is some "duplication" of talent between Trevor and Shane, although there's no reason the two of them couldn't start at the SG/SF positions. (Indeed, that's probably Adelman's current plan, now that Artest is gone)

The good news is KP has his cap-space "back" (though it never really left) and he can do an unbalanced trade. Now for the bad news: it's going to cost KP some actual talent to pry Battier away, and there's really no "bad" contacts on the Rocket's ledger (besides TMEC, or course) to use as "leverage"

Would Houston accept Outlaw+Bayless for Battier? Shane has 2 years remaining on his deal [6,864,200; 7,354,500] and the salaries would match, not that it really matters, now. Would Portland consider trading Rudy+capspace for Shane? How about Batum? What about Joel?

As much as I like the "idea" of Battier I'm not sure I could "sign off" on those last 3 options

What about you? Can anyone think of a deal that wouldn't "hurt" too much from a Blazer's perspective that would also "make sense" from Houston's point of view? Or, do you think that Shane is the "wrong" target?

Poll

Should the Blazers try to acquire Shane Battier?

Pritchslap Kobe - Steal Artest

2009-07-04T04:02:57Z

Artest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He will leave the Lakers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Folks, Artest has just agreed in principle to a 3 year, 18 million dollar deal with the Lakers, BUT WE ALL KNOW HOW THAT CAN WORK OUT...

They've also alienated Trevor Ariza, who was "insulted" by their offer, and has agreed in principle to a contract with the Rockets, for I believe 33 million...

WHY DON'T WE SWOOP IN, OFFER ARTEST 30 MILLION, AND STEAL HIM FROM THE LAKERS!!!

1st: What's the worse that can happen? a.) Lakers are down an awesome SF this year, with no discernable, solid replacement they can get in FA still, they are weakened all of next year b.) Artest goes absolutely crazy for us, we waste 30 million (we were gonna waste 1/2 of that on the last years of Hedo's contract anyway), and get to watch Batum go into BEAST MODE early!! Then we just give him the Jamal Tinsley treatment and pay Artest to stay away!!

2nd: You know Artest will back out for 12 million more, his agent will be an advocate for that bc it'll mean more money in his pocket, Artest will still be able to win a ring, and MONEY TALKS, OFFER THIS TOMORROW, AND BY WEDNESDAY RON RON WILL BE TELLING THE LAKERS TO PONY UP, OR HE'S OUT!!!

3rd: UPSIDE IS HUGE!!!! SF, and especially team defense were weak points last year, Artest solves them in spades, and we're improving 2 out of the 3 weakest areas (other being PG) on a 54 win team...UPSIDE IS A TITLE THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4th: I don't want to here one "Artest is too old, he's lost a step, when I just heard every Hedo supporter in the world tell me Hedo's at a great age...." Seriously folks, get away from your irrational fear of "crazy potheads," you've been burned lately, but nearly every great team has them, Babe Ruth wasn't exactly a choir boy, Michael Irvin once cut a teamates throat and nearly killed him with a pair of scissors, and Dennis Rodman is certifiable...LET'S DO THIS!! TALK ABOUT A PLAN B!!!! And it'll even be more fun watching the ROSE GARDEN GO CRAZY WHILE ARTEST GOES PITBULL ON HEDO NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!

You know you'll love that last part! Upside is much greater than the downside, period.

What now?

2009-07-04T03:28:36Z

I am ELATED this deal didn't go through. Initially, I was totally against it. Then after some time, I warmed up to it. I listened to all the malarkey about Hedo being the man to take the pressure off of Roy. And I started to accept it, and even like the idea. I think I realized my true feelings about this deal when I read it was off. I had a smile from ear to ear.

So what do we do now that Mrs. Turkoglu has turned us down? Do we go for another player who can create offense, and take pressure off of Roy? Do we address the obvious needs at point guard? Or do we sit pat? Could this all have been some sort of elaborate evil genius plan from KP?

A tribute to MaxaMillion and other VideoHeads

2009-07-04T02:40:01Z

During the season we at BE benefitted from the video/editing skills of several community members. Max did some great ones; the young guy has a great future in this area and I wish him the best of luck. And as the summer wanes on, I go back and watch them again and again to re-live the fun, get ready for summer league (I'll be there in all my sweaty glory in the 100+ degree weather), and get pumped up for the upcoming season. I know a lot of folks watched these because they always got high Rec counts. So, in order to pass some time away this weekend, I'm including some links below to some of his excellent Blazer highlight vids and then a poll to see which one you all like best. I'll be honest, there are three of them that I have a hard time choosing a favorite between. It's a dead heat tie for me. That's actually a good problem. :-)

Enjoy the play back memories. I plan to do another post/poll of DMKPDX's videos in a day or two; you know you watched them also! I certainly did.

Poll

Which Max video highlight do you like most?

Best next move is Hinrich!

2009-07-04T00:22:16Z

The next deal has to be Hinrich. Adding perimeter defense to what we already have will make us a contender. Outlaw and Blake for Hinrich. I like Blake but we get a large upgrade on defense. Any chance we can retain the MLE after Hedo and this trade or do we have to use it to sign Hedo? Could we be so lucky to add Brandon Bass also!

hin/bay

broy/rudy

hedo/bat

la/bass

oden/priz