It's been a while since we've done a Live Chat.  If anybody is around on a Saturday night, have at it!  I'll be around for a while to talk Blazers, blogging, or anything else about life in general.  Join the chat in the comment section if you wish.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

INFO ON BLAZERSEDGE NIGHT.  Click through to see how you can help send 500 needy kids to the April 1st game versus the Thunder!

With yesterday's news about Jerry Sloan's abrupt departure from the Jazz fresh in our minds, we should chat for a little bit.  Does this minor Western earthquake affect the Blazers at all?  If so, how?

Utah is currently second in the Northwest Division with a record of 31-23.  The Blazers sit fourth at 28-24.  Denver is nestled right behind the Jazz at 30-23.  The Jazz have lost their coach.  The Nuggets may lose their star player.  How wide open is the door for Portland to move up?

I have a couple thoughts.  I believe that in the long run, which may include April and May, Sloan's absence will hurt the Jazz.  They've run so long on discipline that has been Sloan's alone.  Tyrone Corbin may be a great coach but the transition alone will be a major shift.  That can't be good as you're setting sights on the playoffs.  On the other hand, any change can only be considered incremental when Oklahoma City is out ahead of the rest of the division and shows no signs of falling apart.  There's a fairly bright line between the top four teams in the West and everybody else.  Utah was already on Portland's side of the line.  Still, there's some hope in drawing the relatively inexperienced Thunder.  As has been true the last couple of years you'll barely be able to slip a business card between the bulk of the seeds in the West.  Anything that tips the balance even slightly could be important.

What say you?  Should Blazer fans greet this news with joy or is it a shrug-worthy event from the selfish Portland perspective?  Weigh in below.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Here's your Blazer Chatter thread for all Blazer topics not covered elsewhere on the site.  While the specifics of last night's victory over San Antonio are discussed below, I have a more general question to start the conversation today.  Was that win the biggest (good) moment of this season?  If so, do you anticipate a bigger one coming?  If so, what will that be?  If this wasn't the biggest moment of 2010-11 so far, what was?

Discuss this or any other Blazers-related topic below.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

For all of the minutiae discussed about the Portland Trail Blazers on a daily basis here and around the blogosphere, there's one topic that most are dancing around.  You can find plenty of suggestions about pre-deadline trades, Greg Oden's re-signing potential, and Brandon Roy's knees or lack thereof.  Sometimes I think we delve into detail specifically to avoid addressing the bigger question in all of this:  What will it amount to?  There's no doubt the apple cart got upset this winter.  Maybe it will never be fixed.  Maybe it'll be repaired but the apples will be wormy or delivered too late.  Or maybe everything will be just fine.  

Personally I can't think of a single move or likely development that's going to set this team back on track because I don't even know what the track looks like anymore.  Another way of saying it is, "Back on track to what???"  That makes discussing specifics difficult.

So let's devote a chat thread just to this topic.  What does (and/or should) the Blazers' future look like.  I'm not talking this month or even this year, but two, three, four years down the road.  Where is the team headed and on what are you basing those assertions?

Weigh in below.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com) 

Here's your mostly-daily Blazer Chatter thread in which to talk about all things Blazers that aren't covered elsewhere on the site.  In the one-stop-shopping post we always have a daily special topic for you to chew on.  Today:  Other than LaMarcus Aldridge, what's one guy on the currently active roster (basically anyone not wearing a suit on game day, including Batum and even Camby at this point) that the Blazers MUST keep, in your opinion?  No trades, no cutting, no dangling on short contracts...who's the guy who should be a Blazer long-term, period?

Talk about this or any other Blazers topics below.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

This is your chat thread for all things Blazers-related not covered elsewhere on the site.  Though any on-topic subject goes, we always start with a seed for conversation.  Today's topic:  Since we just passed the halfway point of the season, let us know who you think the team's most inspirational player has been and why.

Fire away below!

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com) 

This is your daily-ish Blazer Chatter thread for all Blazer-related topics not covered elsewhere on the site.  You can talk about anything you want but we always start you with a seed topic.  Today I'd like to take up something that's been a near-constant source of controversy over the years but that has actually died down with the injuries:  Do you think Nate McMillan remains Portland's coach after this season?  It's odd because up to this point it's been assumed that the Blazers will be the ones making that decision.  But don't forget Nate left Seattle of his own volition.  Is it possible, after years of not having a full roster and more apparently on the horizon, he'll do the same to Portland?  How do you suppose this will turn out?

Talk about that or any other Blazer topics you wish below.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Here's your weekend-long thread for all Blazer conversations not covered in another post.  You can discuss any Blazer-related subjects you wish here but we always start with a seed question.  Today's:   Does Joel Przybilla have any future with the Blazers beyond this season?  If so, what do you foresee?  If not, would you be willing to trade him before the deadline though that leaves the team centerless save for Sean Marks?  

Weigh in on this or other Blazer topics below.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)