Blazersedge: FanPosts

Wanna Blog for the Blazers???

2009-11-26T00:52:13Z

This might be old news to you guys, but Henry Abbott is looking for some portland bloggers. I thought you guys might be interested.

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/11032/wanted-one-extraordinary-blazer-blog

The TrueHoop Network's Portland blog, Beyond Bowie, had one tough job. Not only is Portland an intense online basketball market, but I'm a Blazer fan myself -- so TrueHoop readers skew Portlandish and have high expectations for any Blazer news source.

Meanwhile, Beyond Bowie was fighting with one arm tied behind its back. The two people who took on the task are both tremendous writers and basketball fans, but have, you know, real lives. Max Handelman is a movie producer. Erik Barmack not only has a full-time job but recently finished a novel. Neither one is local.

Hats off to both of them. Everything they've done has been tremendous. But it's clear at this point that the scheduling reality is that they don't have the time to do enough to satiate information-hungry Blazer fans as anchor-tenants in this shopping mall of hoops blogs.

So, we're putting out a call. We're looking for a strong Blazer blog to join the TrueHoop Network. Could be one that's already out there, one that exists in your imagination, or some combination. Could be one run by one person or a whole team.

Want to be the TrueHoop Network's Portland Blazer blogger?
Send whatever you think we need to see (links, writing samples, proposals, references, errata) to portlandtruehoop@gmail.com. We'll review and be in touch.

And many thanks to Erik, Max, Rick, Jeff and everyone who contributed to Beyond Bowie. They did great stuff, and I'm pleased they're ready and willing to contribute when they can to the TrueHoop Network's next Portland blog.

(Poll) Whose More Improved?

2009-11-26T00:48:56Z

Ok, so I wanted to see what Blazer Edgers (? sorry if that's not what to call you guys) think about Roy Hibbert (22 y/o) vs Greg Oden (21 y/o) for MIP.

The reason I ask is because I see these two names come up alot when I read chat questions asking about who such and such thinks should win MIP.

Hibberts Stats 08-09: PPG - 7.1 RPG - 3.4 BPG - 1.1

Hibberts Stats 09-10 PPG - 11.2 RPG - 7.8 BPG - 1.9

Odens Stats 08-09: PPG - 8.9 RPG - 7.0 BPG - 1.0

Odens Stats 09-10 PPG - 11.3 RPG - 8.4 BPG - 2.3

I realize this may not be enough info, or enough games into the season yet, but give me a break...first timer here

Poll

MIP?

TrueHoop Network

2009-11-26T00:43:25Z

Henry is actively seeking a new Portland blog for his TrueHoop Network.

I remember checking in here when the issue was raised the last time, and the excuse was it couldn't be done because BE was already part of SBNation.

Could someone explain why exactly that is? BE is easily the best independent Blazers coverage on the net. My understanding is the TrueHoop thing is nothing more than a nod and a link. It's not like ESPN would gain any kind of ownership or functionality over the workings of Blazersedge. So what's the big deal? It's not like SBNation is going to run ESPN out of business by giving them the cold shoulder. Is ESPN the party against it? Are they really that sensitive?

It's not a huge deal. Henry still ends up linking to BE more than he has ever linked to 'Beyond Bowie', or whatever they had to settle for. It just seems like an opportunity that might generate a few more clicks, and be another feather in the cap for easily the best Blazers blog out there.

Blazersedge social research project #1: Who's your 5th favorite active Blazer?

2009-11-26T00:42:41Z

Hey there, Blazer fans! This is my first attempt at a poll on the Edge. Let's hope I get it working properly.

Well, the purpose of this poll is to find out who your 5th favorite active Blazer is. So, try to rank your top five favorite Blazers, who are on the team now, and then vote for the one who is in the number 5 slot. By "active", I just mean on the roster. For this poll, a player could be starting, in the rotation, not in the rotation, or injured--it doesn't matter. Being on the roster currently is the only criterion.

Now, your favorite players don't have to be the most talented or most vitally important ones on the team. They should be the ones you most enjoy watching, who interest you the most, who you might care about as just plain people.

If you feel like it, go ahead an write a brief comment explaining your vote.

Thanks for participating. See you around!

Blazer Center stats

2009-11-26T00:40:02Z

In taking a look at some of the stats for the Blazer centers it is easy to see why this position is turning into such an advantage every night.

Rebounds per 48 mins. Don't read to much into the numbers but it shows who is grabbing rebounds while they are on the floor. When you think about the pace that the blazers play at this becomes even more impressive. Think of how many rebounds these guys would average for a run and gun team.

NAME	GP	MPG	RP48
J. Przybilla, POR<!--DMMplayerTeam = por-->	16	19.6	18.2
J. Noah, CHI<!--DMMplayerTeam = chi-->	13	33.4	17.1
D. Howard, ORL<!--DMMplayerTeam = orl-->	14	31.2	17
G. Oden, POR<!--DMMplayerTeam = por-->	16	24.4	16.5
E. Okafor, NOR<!--DMMplayerTeam = nor-->	15	29.7	15.7
B. Haywood, WAS<!--DMMplayerTeam = was-->	13	33.2	15.6
J. Boone, NJN<!--DMMplayerTeam = njn-->	14	17.9	15.6
R. Hibbert, IND<!--DMMplayerTeam = ind-->	12	25.3	14.8
C. Andersen, DEN<!--DMMplayerTeam = den-->	13	21.7	14.8

Same thing on the blocks. Look at the rate they block shoots while on the floor. Think this has anything to do with having the top ranked defense in the league? Nic get better soon and think what he will be able to add.

NAME	GP	MPG	BLKP48M
Greg Oden, POR	16	24.4	4.55
Erick Dampier, DAL	9	27	3.95
Kendrick Perkins, BOS	14	26.6	3.73
Joel Przybilla, POR	16	19.6	3.68
Roy Hibbert, IND	12	25.3	3.63
Brook Lopez, NJN	14	35	3.62
Samuel Dalembert, PHI	14	22.9	3.3

This last section shows just how hard that Greg worked on the offensive side of the game this summer. He is still going with mostly the power move but I find myself no long fearing the ball going to Greg but wonder just how he is going to dunk it on his man. Funny how over the last week or so I am not yelling at the TV telling Greg to watch those guard and not bring the ball down. And who doesn't love a guy who gets dunked on and then calls for the ball in the post. Those are the kids of players that can rise to a challenge.

FT %

NAME	FT%
Andrea Bargnani, TOR	89.796
Mehmet Okur, UTH	89.655
Spencer Hawes, SAC	88.462
Brad Miller, CHI	79.545
Greg Oden, POR	79.07
Brook Lopez, NJN	78.788
Andrew Bynum, LAL	76.667
Zaza Pachulia, ATL	75.758

Shooting %

NAME	FG%
G. Oden, POR	64%
M. Gasol, MEM	63%
D. Howard, ORL	63%
N. Hilario, DEN	60%
K. Perkins, BOS	59%
A. Bynum, LAL	58%
A. Horford, ATL	57%
J. O'Neal, MIA	57%
A. Bogut, MIL	57%
J. Noah, CHI	56%

Finally Greg has some nice state from 82games.com

I think the big one to look at here is the opponents products at center when he is on the floor. A nice little 9 to his own 22.8 he is dominating other centers. I was even more surprised to see Websters numbers but that is for another post. Maybe someone can explain to me how poor Joel's numbers are in this area. I don't get the felling he is being dominated like that but could be that he is helping so much on D that his man gets some easy put backs when the other players don't help on his man.

		Production			On Court/Off Court			Simple
Player	Min	Own	Opp	Net	On	Off	Net	Rating
Oden	50%	22.8	9	13.7	8.8	5.3	3.5	9.7
Webster	42%	14.4	3.3	11	10.8	4.4	6.3	9.1
Roy	75%	20.6	13.2	7.4	8.3	3.2	5.1	6.5
Blake	63%	11.5	12.1	-0.6	11.7	-0.7	12.4	4.6
Outlaw	32%	16.4	13.3	3.1	8.1	6.6	1.5	2.5
Miller	58%	14.7	14.7	0	7.4	6.6	0.8	0.3
Aldridge	66%	18.7	19.7	-0.9	6.9	7.4	-0.4	-0.7
Fernandez	49%	17.7	11.5	6.1	1	12.9	-11.9	-1.1
Przybilla	41%	14.6	21.3	-6.8	6.8	7.3	-0.5	-4.2

It will be interesting to see if Greg's numbers continue to translate as he gets more minutes and we start to play some better team.

On this day before Thanksgiving I am thankful that Bill Bano spent some time in Columbus this summer.

Oden Awards Watch 2010

2009-11-26T00:05:36Z

All of this discussion and excitement surrounding Mr. Oden recently has got me to thinking, what recognition can we justifiably expect for the big fella?

There has been prolonged discussion about the merits and shortcoming of Greg as an All-Star candidate and occasional references to his chances of winning MIP. However, there is one accolade I think Greg may quite possibly achieve that has so far escaped mention - making it on to one of the All-Defensive teams at the end of the season.

My reason for thinking this is twofold; You need big numbers to be in the All-Star game and to be MIP you need impressive increases in numbers. So far Greg only has great numbers and improvement in blocks (which is useful) and field-goal % (which seems to be of negligible use in gaining recognition). We all know how much Greg has improved but to date his points and rebounds have only increase by 2.4 and 1.4 respectively. We also know that this has been due to limited minutes but do you think fans or even coaches will view this the same way when they vote for these high profile honours?

By contrast, Greg fills many of the necessary requirement for being an All-Defensive player. Again, Greg's vast improvement and standing as one of the leagues leading shotblockers help his case but this is hardly the only factor in his favour. He is most often referred to as a defensive player by the media and coaches, so now that his defensive prowess is emerging there is a decent chance it could be represented in the All-Defensive team votes. Articles that mention Greg growing into the role of a defensive leader for the Blazers should also be important as this seems to factor into the coaches vote. If Greg maintains his blocking numbers, continues to shut down the paint for the Blazers, particularly in the 4th, and becomes a more vocal and visible leader on D, there is every chance he could make the All-Defensive 2nd team.

Another factor in Greg's favour is that there are also a couple of aging players who have been staples on the All-Defensive team over the past decade but who might not warrant selection this year (based on play to date - extrapolation necessary!). The first is Marcus Camby, who has appeared on 4 All-Defensive teams this decade and won DPOY in 06-07 but has been both traditional stats (blocks, rebounds) and advanced measures (defensive rating, defensive win shares) decline noticeably since their peak a few years ago. He did not gain selection last season and is unlikely to find his way back this year. Second is Tim Duncan, the all time leader in selections to the All-Defensive teams, who has been noticeably slower and less able to defend in the post due to his age and new, lighter physique this year. Duncan's selections have never really been based on spectacular stats but rather on the fact that he was probably the most intelligent and fundamentally sound defender in the league over the past decade. As these awards tend to trail the reality of a players decline by a couple of years, particularly when it comes to superstars, it is likely that Duncan still will gain more votes than Greg this season. If Oden continues his steady rise to the point of becoming a consistently dominant defensive player however, coaches would have little choice but to vote him in regardless of how loyal they may be to Duncan.

In summary, I think it is clear that Greg numbers, when taken at face value, will not get him selection into the All-Star team or see him win MIP - unless games like the 24/12/2 he put up against Chicago become more common. Conversely, His improved defensive stats as well as his growing reputation as a defensive player could see him gain entry into one of the All-Defensive squads at seasons end. While there is no requirement for there to be two centers on the 1st and 2nd teams, historical results (last year excluded) illustrate that this is likely. Dwight and KG will gain 1st team honours on reputation alone while Duncan will probably, but not definitely, get into the 2nd team again for the same reason. After that, I see no better candidate for inclusion into the 2nd team than our own Greg Oden.

So what do YOU think?

DANGER will robinson DANGER

2009-11-25T22:23:53Z

so i just saw a very startling and disheartening statistic on the espn ticker... blazers 35.0 PPG in the paint... LOWEST ppg in the paint average in the NBA.

that's a huge red flag and should concern any blazer fan... i realize we play an inside out game where our first choice is b. roy but there's no reason why greg, l.a., joel, martel, hell even b. roy shouldn't be scoring more in the paint...

they need to get that average up b/c when you start playing denver, phoenix, san antonio, l.a. orlando, boston etc... those points will be sorely missed...

i realize the team is still gelling as it were and nate is still trying to find the starting line-up etc. but that stat is depressing and a bad omen of things to come when we actually see some real competition...

Black and Red Friday

2009-11-25T21:28:28Z

Just got the e-mail . . . from 5am to Noon this Friday after Thanksgiving, trailblazers.com will have a little special going on with half-price tix to the December 15th game against the Sacramento Kings, plus some other savings on lower level tickets and half price suites.

Anyone else thinking of going to the Sacramento game, or want to join me? I'll offer the same dealas the Hawks game, anyone who wants discounted merch or food, just hit me up.

Greg's Averages When He Plays 25+ Minutes

2009-11-25T18:13:44Z

I wrote a while back about a key stat for Greg will be mean time between fouls. At the time, he was averaging a scant 4 mins 9 seconds between fouls, limiting him to a max of ~24 mins per game. Increasing the mean time between fouls by even a single minute would increase his max court time to ~30 mins. In this post, I wanted to see exactly how Greg is performing when he does manage to play more than 25 mins.

Through the first 16 games of the year, Greg has played 25+ minutes seven times, including four of the past eight. In those seven games, Greg has averaged:

12.71 pts 10.29 reb 2.43 blocks 2.57 turnovers 3.86 fouls

I think any Blazer fan would sign up for those numbers. His turnover total is inflated by the seven he committed in the first game. His turnover average in the other six games is only 1.57.

Most importantly, his average minutes per game has increased from ~23 in the first eight games, to ~26 in the last eight. His fouls have gone from an average of 4.375 in the first eight to 3.625 in the last eight.

It's fun to watch his growth happen so clearly and undeniably.

See ya Rudy

2009-11-25T17:26:36Z

You know I love ya Rudy but.....

I love Rudy just like everyone else does but while watching games and his body language, he is going to let it known that he wants out sooner than later.

He makes a three, and there is no three fingers pointing to the crowd. He gets substituted out and looks confused as to why. He is playing behind our non-selfish two gaurd in B-Roy and there is nothing he can do about it. He left a crap load of money over seas to play back up?. He should be a starter for another team, NY or LA. Spainards that are furious about the lack of playing time for their star. He cant play any other position but the 2 spot and be effective.

All in all, he will be packaged for a quality back-up PF or SF by the trade deadline. Write that down

Bill Simmons...He Likes Us?

2009-11-25T17:16:38Z

So I just got through Bill Simmons' mailbag on ESPN, and there is a great piece from a guy from Portland called David G. (shout out to David G.!). Anyway, Bill Simmons, for as much as he leaves us out of his book, The Book of Basketball, and the wonderful misprint on page 609, I still have to respect the guy, despite his 41-41 prediction (what is this, the 2007-2008 season?). Side note, if you went to the book signing last week, he mentions the starting lineup intro music again in this piece (which I'm going to add, is only cool when that lightning storm goes off. Otherwise, the rest of them are dull. Then again, at least we don't need a PA announcer starting a "DEFENSE" chant).

If you haven't read it, here it is:

Q: Did your book tour include a stop at the Rose Garden for Pistons-Blazers last week? I hope you checked out the way the Garden treats Greg Oden. Every time he does something basic, the place explodes like he dunked from halfcourt. They are just willing themselves to think he will be good.
-- David G., Portland

Yes I did. And the best way to describe the crowd's support for Oden: It's like watching 15,000 parents rooting for their kid, only all 15,000 parents fathered the same kid. If he ever exploded for 30 points, 20 rebounds and eight blocks in a game, you'd have to carry each deliriously passed-out Portland fan out of the Rose Garden individually like they were victims of smoke inhalation in a burning house. (The funny thing is, everyone in Portland is nodding right now. And yes, I know he's had a couple of inspired games this season. You don't need to e-mail me the stat lines. No, really. Save us both the time. Let's not put too much pressure on him. Baby steps.) I was also startled by Portland fans arguably (see, there it is!) liking Rudy Fernandez as much as, and maybe even a smidge more than, the great Brandon Roy.

Two other things that shocked me. Two other things shocked me. First, that's the whitest NBA experience you can have that doesn't involve the words "Salt," "Lake" and City." They didn't play hip-hop either before the game or during the game; both teams seemed to have more African-Americans than in the entire crowd; and the pregame video right before introducing Portland's starting lineup was a local grunge band singing "Ballroom Blitz." And second, during a second-quarter timeout, my buddy House and I ran into the concourse to grab beers and noticed that there was NOBODY else in line for anything. We felt like Will Smith in "I Am Legend." There was no signs of human life other than the workers. Everyone else stays in their seats. At halftime, those same people pour into the concourse like it's halftime of a football game. I've never seen anything like it. I don't know if they have the most loyal, passionate, dutiful fans in the NBA, but at the very least, we can say nobody else tops them.

Here's what I took away from my Rose Garden experience: Portland loves the Blazers the same way a single mother would love her only child. The city's revulsion towards the "Jail Blazers" makes a lot more sense to me now. The team and the city are intertwined, and if one side isn't holding up that bargain, it's even more painful than usual. Anyway, I couldn't be happier that I got a taste of it. Great NBA city.

Simmons talks about us like we're parents watching our son (specifically Greg Oden) play. Hey, in England, people yell, "You are my son" about their star soccer player. Heck, Steven Gerrard gets called that once a conversation over there. We've already adopted their language, why can't we adopt their idioms? I say from here on, I plan on yelling "You are my son" every time Greg gets that rock and slams it home. I'll even sing the Blazer Song (which we really need) if the backboard shakes afterwards.

Simmons mentions in the email response that we are the most loyal fans he's seen. Also, we seem to like Rudy more than Roy. I can see the loyalty since we are a 1-pro team city, but Rudy more than Roy? I have to have a favorite Blazer? That's like picking a favorite donut from Voodoo. I refuse to do such a thing!

All in all, despite his rips on us and constant hate of my son (Gregorio, for my Spanish speakers out there...I'm talking to you Rudy), I loved this bit. As he says at the end of it about attending a game at the Rose Garden:

I couldn't be happier that I got a taste of it. Great NBA city.

November 25th, 2009 - A Syracuse Kind of Junk

2009-11-25T07:53:53Z

As some may know, I originally hail from the town of Syracuse where I will be heading back later today to spend Thanksgiving with my mother. So I dedicate this JD to my hometown and to the orange-hot Syracuse basketball team!

The heart of Syracuse is the University.

via snydertoschuck.com

The Onondaga Lake sits right next to the center of the city and is called 'The Most Polluted Lake in America' by some.

via www.onondaganation.org

One of the last times I was in Syracuse, I was visiting my friend who worked at a Syracuse hangout, Augie's Pizza and Wings when I saw this guy (on the left) there with the last Syracuse freshman (on the right!) I got to meet as a recruit! I <3 Onuaku!!

via blog.syracuse.com

Finally.. I would like to say good job Cornell Big Red on your excellent first half performance! I hope you guys can win the Ivy League!

via cdn0.sbnation.com

And, of course, this guy has the best avatar ever!

Poll

Complete this sentence: Greg Oden....

Canzano Politicizes Roy For His Own Agenda

2009-11-25T04:05:01Z

This is just about the angriest I've ever been at Canzano. His latest column is basically calling Brandon Roy a traitor for his private moment in the tunnel during the national anthem. This attitude is ridiculous, you would suppose that Canzano is the same kind of person that feels that you can't be spiritual unless you go to church, because it just doesn't "feel right" to do things your own way. If Brandon Roy says that he loves America, doesn't complain about America, why does Canzano make a point to go out of his way into shaming Brandon into participating in the national anthem?

This the kind of activist journalism that really bothers me. We have professional athletes that are misogynist, homophobic, and involved in all kinds of really detrimental activities... and Canzano goes after a trivial act that has no bearing on anyone else. I guess there isn't enough flag-waving going on in sports now.

Patriotism is not measured by how well you recite the Pledge of Allegiance, how teary-eyed you get when Whitney Houston sings the national anthem, or anything like that. What makes a patriot is something that cares about his country, does what he can to contribute positively, and fights injustice when he can. These other symbolic acts Canzano is confusing the United States being like some sort of team that we're all playing on. Being American does not require uniformity, in fact, American individualism is a blessing of our Constitutional society. Canzano should be embracing the ability of Roy and others to express their selves as they wish because we can do that in America, and the argument that "if all the other players went in the tunnel" is ridiculous, because they won't go into the tunnel. It is a strawman argument meant to create controversy where there isn't controversy.

Find a real issue to write about, and move on from your trivialities, Canzano.

*UPDATE*

Canzano previously wrote about Roy's actions during the anthem and had no problems with it. Hat tip to BEdger jrj.

The post that wouldn't be contained

2009-11-25T04:00:37Z

I have been trying valiantly to hold the line on my Blazer obsession. Attending games, poring over stats, roaming the internet for every morsel of Blazer coverage, and checking BE thrice daily is bad enough without me starting to post too. But certain things just have the feeling of inevitability to them... you can try to contain them but you know it is temporary at best. That idea of an unstoppable development is also a part of the fan experience for me. Being a fan has caused me to sprout rooting interests all over the NBA and much of the fun of the sport for me is following these interests: rooting for and against players, teams, coaches, and even owners (see: Cuban, Mark).

A good example is players you pass over in the draft or trade away. Their is a natural aversion to seeing those players dominate. Fans want to feel good about the moves their team makes and their own players. Let's say for example that your team drafts Andrea Bargnani. Does it feel good to watch Brandon Roy blow up? Not really. So as the season goes on you are rooting for Bargnani to be better and Roy to trip up. You are rationalizing your teams pick and hoping it pans out. But there is this aura of inevitability around Roy that you can't shake. The little voice in your head is telling you that Roy is slowly joining death and taxes on that list of things you can't avoid. You rationalize harder (maybe even inexcusably voting for Bargnani for rookie of the year). Eventually the game is up... Roy ascends to all star status and bargnani sputters to mediocrity. You knew it was coming, you just didn't want to admit it. Which brings us to...

Oden and Durant

When they were drafted I was an Oden guy, but I had no problem with seeing them both blossom into stars. When Greg went down with the knee, a rooting interest was born. The only thing that could make the loss of Greg and the stalling of his career more painful was watching Durant storm the league. So I started rooting against KD. Box score watching, L counting, and hoping for failure. During his rookie season there was much reason to rejoice - Durant was a volume chucker on a terrible team. He couldn't pass or defend. He made bad teammates worse. He was a terrible player, overrated by the gullible for his empty scoring stats. Oden, by any advanced metric, had a better impact on his team by sitting in street clothes doing nothing than Durant did with his putrid play. There was only one teeny tiny problem... I knew it was coming. I couldn't rationalize it away. His ascension was inevitable and I knew it. His second year he still didn't do much winning, passing, defending, or teammate improving. But he did a little more of them than year one. And the chucker tag died completely to the tune of 47% shooting. This year the thunder are improving. The defense is sound, his teammates are better with him on the floor than off and his scoring is still sublime. The point is, I have given up on rooting against KD's imminent rise. What's the point? He will fix whatever needs to be fixed (next up: passing?) and keep getting better. He has it.

So what about Greg?

Greg sat out a year. He came back and got hurt again. He came back tentative, slow, robbed of his explosiveness, and looking like a rookie. He traveled, he got blocked from behind, he got rim checked, he got stripped. He fumbled passes, he fouled, he turned it over, he chipped his kneecap. And all the while even though advanced stats told of value and efficiency and potential, he just didn't look right. Everybody with a rooting interest against him howled about the great bust Greg Oden. The only people that kept the faith were (some) Blazer fans and a few wacky statheads that were easily drowned out by the Stephen A Smith types that know everything.

But something happened along the way. Something perhaps unexpected. Something magical.

Greg got the aura.

His detractors knew it.

It is beyond delicious watching them squirm while it unfolds.

When Greg has a couple of subpar games due to foul trouble or turnovers, his detractors try to keep the hope alive. They rationalize. They blow smoke. They get ratings. But at the same time they must have that terrible inescapable little feeling. This can't last. It's just a matter of time. All his points and rebounds and blocks are just stuck behind a dam. They are coming no matter what... unstoppable and inevitable as a river. When the dam fails then all hell is going to break loose and the talking heads had better have flood insurance.

The Simmons' of the world only have one hope left for them to be right, and that is health. That is why they rail so hard on the injury narrative. They are subconsciously hoping their last hope.

Stay healthy Greg... this is just getting fun

Does Greg Need A Signature Move?

2009-11-25T03:06:17Z

You know, we are lucky to have Greg Oden as a member of our Blazers squad. He is the most dominant big man in the game right now. There is simply no way to argue it anymore. Greg Odens stats for the amount of minutes hes played are off the charts, better than anyones. He is ranked as 3rd best center by Hollingers Per system, but Greg plays 8 minute less than Duncan(#1) and Dwight Howard(#2). Anyways, I digress. As the best center in the league, I feel Greg Oden needs to develope his special signature move after a badass play. Sorta Like the Mutumbo finger wag. Something the crowd can get into.

The Oden chant at the garden last night was great. It sure had to make GO feel good. Jeez, it made me feel good for him and thats what got me thinking...Pretty soon he needs a flashy move after a dunk or a block, like sliding a finger across the throat (cutthroat style like in that movie Bloodsport with Jean Claude Van Damme!!) or a knockout punch combo on the pole at the bottom of the hoop or a Oden/ Ickey shuffle or something!

Not that a jockstrap in the face dunk on your neck isnt enough already, but just think if he had a signature move after a badass play like that dunk, the crowd would go twice as nuts!! Even though I hate the freakin birdman, his antics always make him a fan fave. And it adds some swagger to your style, gets into peoples heads a little bit.

A guy that will dunk on your head or block your shot to the moon, and then to top it off, he throws out a cutthroat slide across the neck. That would have some intimidation factor!

Anyways, what do yall think? Should Greg come up with some move after a dunk or a block, or maybe a move for either? Is it to much? Is it over the top? What move would you think is cool, what would hype you up a little bit? Let me and everyone know what you would think is a cool signature move for GO. And to say no signature move is fine too. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but lets keep them friendly.

Peace,

Cave Junction Blazer

DeJuan Blair, Greg Oden, and the Blazers front line

2009-11-24T23:25:04Z

So, today I heard something about the backup 4 spot for the Trail Blazers. The question was asked "why didn't the Trail Blazers draft DeJuan Blair?" Well I guess the answer is that the Blazers really weren't expecting the players they drafted this season to have any kind of impact on the team this season. Nobody thought, clearly, that Outlaw and Batum would be hurt. Donte Cunningham is a nice player but he's not a post up guy. I think Jeff Pendergraph will be a better backup 4 then Cunningham but we'll see. Cunningham looked good in the minutes he played against Chicago but long term, I think, along with everyone else probably that the Blazers need a backup 4 who can get physical inside for 10 to 15 minutes a game. DeJuan Blair fits that and Pendergraph may fit that when he gets back from his injury.

Now to Greg Oden. I was going crazy when I watched the Chicago game. To me, nothing is better when Greg Oden is just dominating. I love it. I just want Oden to do that for the rest of the season, though I know he won't. But I want him to do that every game because I'm getting sick of the people calling Oden a bust. HE'S ONLY PLAYED ONE YEAR AND HE WASN'T EVEN 100%!!! He's just 21. Dwight Howard wasn't consistently dominant until his 3rd or 4th year. People didn't kill Howard when he wasn't dominating though I know that he did average a double double every season. Also he was the number 1 pick like Oden and the second pick Emeka Okafor won rookie of the year that year. But nobody killed Howard then.

Andrew Bynum wasn't consistent until this season and I have doubts that it will keep up with him. Bynum is way more injury prone then Oden. If you look at Oden's history, the broken wrist while he was at Ohio State and the knee injury after he got drafted are really the only injuries he's had in his career. Though they're significant but that seems to be the focus on Oden that he's injury prone. Give Oden 3 or 4 seasons to determine that.

Also, can someone give me an answer to why is it that when Greg Oden does well he gets no recognition for it by ESPN and the national guys, but when he does bad everyone talks about it? I guess that's how the media is.

One last thing. After watching the Blazers beat Chicago I looked at the box score and I was surprised to see Oden only played 27 minutes. For whatever reason to me it seemed like he played more. So what I want to see is if Oden is going like he was against Chicago last night and he's not in foul trouble Nate should leave him out there. Give him 30 to 35 minutes. Sometimes leave him in there with fouls. He needs to learn how to play with fouls. Shaq, Howard, they both know how to play with fouls. Oden will never know unless he's in there. It's like Nate is scared he's going to foul. As soon as the clock hits 6:00 in that first quarter he puts Joel right in there. He's scared that Oden is going to get into early foul trouble so when it hits 6:00 Nate says "oh thank God" and gets Oden out of there. LET HIM GO!!! LEAVE HIM IN!!! You can't beat the big boys in the NBA if Oden is only playing 27 minutes. I understand you don't want to wear him out early in the season and you don't want him to pick up fouls but damn Nate. LEAVE HIM IN THERE!!!

Man, I hate when the Blazers play like this.

2009-11-24T21:36:42Z

I hate when the Blazers play like this. It just takes all the fun out of being a Blazers fan.

Games like last night are just so boring. I mean, there's no drama, no second-guessing, and hardly any room to gripe and complain about what the team should have done differently. Where's the fun in that?

I mean, first of all, we haven't had any really good soap-opera issues lately. I mean, apart from a little Miller/Roy playing time/starting lineup drama that seems to be petering out, there's just no conflict on this squad. No squabbling to rip the team management for. No ammo to use for how badly Nate is managing the team in the locker room. How am I supposed to rip the coach when he actually manages to get the egos to work together? How can he do this to me? Is that fair?

Secondly, how can I complain about poor rebounding and lack of interior looks when we're shooting everything from inside? Take last night as an example. 57% shooting from the field with tons of high percentage tips and dunks makes it impossible to criticize the poor shot selection (which was already a problem with Travis being out. I mean, even when that guy is hitting everything from everywhere, his shot selection is always horrible, right?).

I can't even complain about our three-point shooting when we shoot 40% on those. I mean, come on guys, give me something to work with here.

How can I criticize Nate for not playing Cunningham when he goes to him first off the bench at the 4? Ditto Bayless at the 2. When you actually play the guys, I can't imagine how much better the team would be if Nate weren't such a horrible coach by leaving them on the pine all the time.

How can I call Brandon a ball hog when he's racking up assists, and ends up only being the third leading scorer in the game? I can't even rip him for lack of scoring when he's got 18 points at the same time! I mean, how can you take both those away from me at the same time? I gotta be able to gripe about one or the other no matter what, right?

I mean, if they keep this up, pretty soon I won't even be able to keep griping about how The Blazers always choke in the playoffs anymore, either.

Oh well. I guess I can always keep ripping on Blake and Webster. Just gotta hope Webster doesn't keep hitting threes and playing solid defense, and that Blake doesn't keep getting rebounds and assists like he did last night.

16. We Have Liftoff! : The View from Chicago

2009-11-24T21:08:21Z

I've recently bid adieu to my friends at the SBN Laker blog Silver Screen & Roll over matters well within the editorial purview. This is a fancy way of saying that after 60-some-odd columns and a few feature articles Josh and Chris got sick of my regularly scheduled 7-hour long dog & pony marathons and wanted me to start keeping things short and Lakersy. Either that, it was intimated, or I should start wheelbarrowing my unfiltered crap-heap to the sidebar. Fair enough, they're still searching for the magic formula that will blow up their blog bigger than Khloe Kardashian and I don't doubt that ditching my gunk is a correct move there...

Unfortunately or fortunately, I don't want to keep things short and Lakersy. There's no fun in that and sports entertainment is all about the fun, is it not? If I have to make compromises about content to be allowed to serve free all-you-can-stomach cilantro pie on the sidebar, I'd rather ix-nay the earing-sway and change the color of my logo.

Hello.

I'll be running up a new installment of "opposition links" on the Bedge sidebar right around noon after every game, win or lose. There will also be plenty of pointless stories, grumbling, mocking of Those Franchises Less Fortunate (hello, Grizzlies!), and other assorted gibberish. There will be something for everybody to be bored with, trust me!

You'll either like my stuff or you won't. No offense taken if you don't.

I'll just keep spewing until Dave drops me a line to tell me to get the heck off of his gol-darned sidebar. He knows where I live...

There are two things that you will be able to find in my "View" columns with regularity. One is a link to the Popcorn Machine Game Flow Chart, which is one of the miracles of the modern world. Much like a Rhorschach Test for Hoopaholics, those graphs and their non-pace-adjusted raw stats (eeeewwww!) pretty much tell you all you need to know about what you think you thought you saw.

They're gooooooooood.

Humor me. Give that link right above there just one little click... Seriously...

Observation 1. The Blazers came out lame, giving up a 10-2 Bulls run near the start of the 1st Quarter. But they didn't freak out like, ummmm, that cop did when I got caught, ummmm, with my pants ummmmm, nevermind... Instead, they answered with a 7-0 run of their own. It was Roy, LMA, and The Dentist doing all the damage for the good guys in the quarter.

Observation 2. Nate used a typically squirrelly substitution pattern in this game. He's got lots of pieces and they fit together in an assortment of different ways and he's always mixing things up a little. He wasn't so much black unit/white unit in this game so much as he was using Andre Miller and Ruuuuuuuuudy as a matching pair. Think of it as a hockey line change. Rudy got muscled aside so that The Rex could get a little burn in the 2nd Quarter, but down the stretch he was riding the Spanish pony until garbage time ensured with 2:40 on the clock.

Observation 3. Big night for Oden, who was productive on the offensive end in each of his 4 shifts.

Observation 4. Things got a little bit sketchy in the 3rd Quarter, with the 10 point Portland halftime lead evaporating to just 2 points. With 3:34 on the clock, Andre Miller came in for Steve Blake and Portland went on a quick 6-0 run, never looking back. Dre finished with a team-high Plus-30 on the +/-. People whine and complain about using such a basic stat to make inferences about anything — but when you are making inferences about what happened during a single game, the plus/minus often will point you in the direction of Truth in Art. And the truth is this: Andre was good against Chicago.

The other thing I promise to do every time I churn out one of these posty things that you will either skim or ignore is to flack shamelessly for you to watch the latest installment of THE GREATEST THING IN THE WORLD. Which you should join me in doing now!

And now, here's some moaning, whining, and wailing from Chicago's bloggers and journalistas...

(1)

Chicago Bulls lose 122-98 to Portland Trail Blazers: Kirk Hinrich knows he has to find a good rhythm

by K.C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune

PORTLAND, Ore. -- It seemed fitting the Bulls wore their alternate black uniforms for the first time this season Monday night given the funereal atmosphere their trips to the Rose Garden create.

Four days past the one-year anniversary of their worst defeat of the 2008-09 season, the Bulls dropped another stinker, meekly succumbing 122-98 to the Trail Blazers.

That's three straight blowout losses on this six-game trip. It's also three straight opponents cruising past the century mark, something the Bulls had allowed just once before this trip began.

And while this defeat didn't rival last season's 42-point loss here, Portland posting an opponents' season-high in points nevertheless continued to expose the gap between the Bulls and the league's elite teams.

"They overpowered us," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "They outrebounded us by a lot. That was the difference, their control of the glass.

"We've played three big, strong teams. They're all very big up front. These are tough games. Even when we get it close in the second half, we're giving up big fourth quarters and the rebounding edge has hurt." * * *

(2)

Three blowouts in Row: Road woes continue as Bulls go down meekly; huge night for Blazers' 'bigs'

by John Jackson, Chicago Sun-Times

The Bulls were manhandled for a third consecutive game as the Portland Trail Blazers rode the broad shoulders of LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden to a 122-98 victory in the Rose Garden.

The 122 points is the most the Bulls have given up this season. Portland had 50 points in the paint, a 19-11 edge in second-chance points and 47-27 rebounding advantage. * * *

Bulls center Joakim Noah was held to seven points and eight rebounds, and backup Brad Miller had two points and one rebound in 15 minutes.
[Wing Luol] Deng, though, defended his big men and said the entire team shared the blame for the loss.
"They're very good," Deng said. "To be fair, I thought our bigs played hard. It's tough for them. Our bigs are playing hard and they keep coming down and dumping it in and we're not doing the same thing at the other end."

Deng also said the Bulls didn't take advantage of their edge when Del Negro went small.

"We didn't do a good job moving the ball," Deng said. "We have to realize that and share the ball better. We have to realize the reason Coach is going small is to take advantage and penetrate and kick, and we have to do that." * * *

(3)

Bulls Rally in Third, But Blazers Roll to Easy Win

by Mike McGraw, Chicago Daily Herald

To the rest of the NBA, former No. 1 draft pick Greg Oden might be a bust. Against the Bulls late Monday night, he was a beast.

Oden matched his career-high with 24 points, added 12 rebounds and thoroughly outplayed his college nemesis Joakim Noah, the league's leading rebounder.

The Blazers dominated inside and handed the Bulls their third straight brutal loss, 122-98 at the Rose Garden.

As good as Oden was, teammate LaMarcus Aldridge was slightly better, with 24 points and 13 boards. Oden and Aldridge outscored Noah and Taj Gibson 48-13. When he played at Florida, Noah's team beat Oden's Ohio State squad twice, including the NCAA title game.

The Blazers (11-5) have been a tough matchup for the Bulls in recent years because they have so much size inside and out. * * *

(4)

Bulls Blown Out in 3rd Straight Game

by Your Friendly BullsBlogger, Blog-a-Bull (SBN)

In Denver, after the second of what is now three-straight blowout losses, Vinny Del Negro went off on the team's apparent lack of effort. I didn't watch much of that game, but it didn't appear this is ever a team that won't try hard, since they simply have to in order to be competitive. That's the way it's going to be all season.

And I suppose after a game (or three) where they're not even competitive you can still blame the effort, but I applaud VDN for not going to that well again after Monday night's game. He said it like it is, they were simply overpowered by the Blazers. * * *

It is a problem that they're not just losing, but getting blown out (point differential matters). However, Brad Miller can't fade into the sunset this quickly, and Kurt will step up his production to where I'm told "well if you take out November..." by the end of the season, and Salmons won't be his career year again (thus why they call it those) but he won't be his worst. And Tyrus Thomas will come back.

Sure, Vinny will be there to stick him back on the bench and see Hustlin' Taj get completely overmatched. But at least he's grown enough as a coach not to blast his, or the team's, effort too much. Effort's all they have (and all our coach can teach, apparently), they're just not very good.

(5)

Circus Trip Game 4: Blazers 122, Bulls 98

by Matt McHale, By the Horns (TrueHoop)

The Bulls moved the ball, just like Vinny Del Negro wanted. They committed only six turnovers, which is crazy low for them. Luol Deng (25 points, 9-for-14) and John Salmons (22 points, 8-for-15) had it going on offense. Jannero Pargo (15 points, 2-for-3 from downtown) provided instant offense off the bench. Why, the team even outshot an opponent from three-point range for the first time in recent memory (6-for-13 versus 6-for-15).

And yet...the Bulls were blown out for the third time in the last three games. They are now 1-4 on their circus road trip.

It isn't as if the players aren't trying. They are. But — at least in the case of the Lakers, Nuggets and Trail Blazers — Chicago has been facing better, more talented, more complete teams. And last night in Portland, the Bulls ran into a familiar and seemingly unsolvable problem.

Pain in the Paint:
Let's get something straight: Chicago does not match up well with Portland. Not even remotely. Especially not up front. * * *

(6)

Portland Sends Bulls to Third Straight Big Loss

by Sam Smith, Bulls.com

The frustration — of a third consecutive loss in which the Bulls trailed by at least 24 points, of playing against a big, physical front line, of just not being able to compete throughout — finally burst out of Joakim Noah with 5:34 remaining in what would be a 122-98 loss to the Portland Trailblazers.

Noah was doing his best all game, banging against Greg Oden and his 50-pound weight advantage, trying to scramble outside to blitz the pick and rolls and then hustle back only to find the opportunistic Trailblazers with the ball sent into Oden with little weak side help. So Rudy Fernandez launched a three and there was Oden grabbing the rebound again and Noah fouling him and it was all just too much as Noah fired the ball into the basket stanchion, his hands falling to his side and his head hanging.

Technical foul!

"He kept putting his body on me...(Joel) Przybilla coming in...... All their big guys played well," Noah sighed. "Yeah. I was frustrated. What do you want me to say? I've just got to find a way. I feel like I've been getting overpowered the last few games, guys putting their bodies on me. It's taken a toll. I've got to find a way to sustain."

Noah, wearing a coat and hat as his teammates dressed around him and left the locker room quietly, continued to sit silently and stare at the box score. He ended with seven points and eight rebounds and no thanks. He didn't speak to anyone and no one said anything to him. He just sat there and studied that box score over and over.

Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 points each with Aldridge with 13 rebounds and Oden with 12. Portland shot 57.5 percent and outrebounded the Bulls 47-27. They had 50 points in the paint and 40 free throws. Portland scored more than 30 points in three of the four quarters.

Could this be? * * *

The Bottom Line:

1. 24 < 42. Woo hoo!

2. Too big, too good. Again...

3. This getting blown out on the road stuff is getting tiresome.

Jerryd Bayless is just as good as Derrick Rose (seriously)

2009-11-24T20:20:58Z

Before you scoff at the (overly provocative) headline, bear with me for a minute. Because he was a #1 draft pick and plays for a big market team, Derrick Rose has been the recipient of a lot of hype. And some of it deserved. He's got a lot of potential as a player. But I've been watching Chicago play a lot this year (and last), and I'm not convinced that if Jerryd Bayless were to take over the starting PG spot for the Bulls, he wouldn't contribute every bit as much to that team as Derrick Rose does. They are highly comparable players. The only real difference between them may be playing time.

Let's start with the obvious. Bayless and Rose are very similar physically. Bayless is 6'3'', 200 pounds; Rose is 6'3'', 190 pounds. They both have similar weakness as PGs. Neither has establish himself as a consistent perimeter shooter. Indeed, Bayless' career 28% from 3-point range is superior to Rose's awful 20%, and there's reason to believe Bayless' percentage will improve with more consistent playing time (Bayless is reportedly a good shooter in practice and was good in college). Neither Rose nor Bayless has demonstrated good court vision or distribution skills. This has been a constant criticism of Bayless (he's a shooting guard trapped in a PG's body, etc.), but Rose isn't much better. To quote Hollinger:

[Rose] doesn't see the floor well, ranking only 42nd among point guards in assist ratio, and when he drives, it's usually to score rather than to pass. He also had a near-comic reluctance to throw alley-oop passes despite the long, athletic finishers in his frontcourt

Despite his limited playing time this year and last, Bayless' assist per 40 minutes numbers are comparable to Rose's and would likely improve if he got sustained minutes atPG, as Rose has. Rose's best skill, by far, is driving aggressively to the rim, something he did a lot of his rookie year. This is also Bayless' best skill. Indeed, there's reason to believe Bayless may actually be better at it than Rose. Bayless is fearless and quite adept at drawing contact and getting to the foul line. Rose, on the other hand, is not particularly good at drawing fouls. As Hollinger notes, Rose's "free-throw rate ...was well below the league average for point guards and shockingly miniscule given how often he drove to the basket."

As for defense, Rose got very poor defensive marks as a rookie, and from what I've seen of him this year, he's not much better. Bayless has a high foul rate, but he seems to be better than Rose at staying in front of his man and may actually grow into a decent defensive PG.

If Rose has anything over Bayless, it's a little more finess around the hoop and a more proven mid-range game. But I see no reason to believe that, with comparable playing time, Bayless can't match Rose in these areas relatively quickly.

My point in drawing these comparisons is not to suggest that Bayless is or will be a star in the NBA or that Derrick Rose isn't or won't be. Rather, I think that differences in playing time and market-size have led to a situation where two players of comparable current skill-level and potential (Rose and Bayless) have wildly divergent perceived values. Rose has been over-hyped and Bayless under-hyped. The jury is still out on both of them, but it would not surprise me at all if, when all is said and done, Bayless turns out to be the better of the two. At the very least, I expect that they will have comparable NBA careers.

Poll

If Jerryd Bayless had spent his rookie season as Chicago's starting PG, would he have posted similar numbers to Derrick Rose?

Was last nights game blacked out on NBAtv for Comcast viewers?

2009-11-24T16:37:28Z

Hi All,

I was excited to watch the game last night as I saw it was on NBAtv. However, just like the Charlotte game, this one was blacked out (I have Directtv). Following the game threads, it appeared quite a few folks were watching on NBAtv. Are any of you folks who were watching on NBAtv comcast subscribers? It would seem fishy if NBAtv was blacked out on Directtv but not comcast.

Thanks in advance.

Blazersedge: FanPosts

Wanna Blog for the Blazers???

(Poll) Whose More Improved?

MIP?

TrueHoop Network

Blazersedge social research project #1: Who's your 5th favorite active Blazer?

Who's your 5th favorite active Blazer?

Blazer Center stats

Oden Awards Watch 2010

Whats it gonna be?

DANGER will robinson DANGER

Black and Red Friday

Greg's Averages When He Plays 25+ Minutes

See ya Rudy

Bill Simmons...He Likes Us?

November 25th, 2009 - A Syracuse Kind of Junk

Complete this sentence: Greg Oden....

Canzano Politicizes Roy For His Own Agenda

The post that wouldn't be contained

Does Greg Need A Signature Move?

DeJuan Blair, Greg Oden, and the Blazers front line

Man, I hate when the Blazers play like this.

16. We Have Liftoff! : The View from Chicago

Jerryd Bayless is just as good as Derrick Rose (seriously)

If Jerryd Bayless had spent his rookie season as Chicago's starting PG, would he have posted similar numbers to Derrick Rose?

Was last nights game blacked out on NBAtv for Comcast viewers?