Blazer's Edge, a Portland Trail Blazers community

Signing NBA Journey Man Gerald Green might have been a lateral move in regard to the Blazer's vision going forward, but still I can't help but think that this could have been an affordable stop gap for our potential SF woes.

Recently we've discussed Greg Oden and Portland. He has reportedly said that Portland just wasn't the right place for him. With Royce White's anxiety problems I'd argue that Portland is the PERFECT place for him, with its friendly atmosphere and little big city mentality. If we end up trading back in the draft and picking up a lowry or millsap or any other asset I would be in favor of picking up White. Could be a steal, anxiety issues seem overblown. Thoughts?

There has been ample discussion on how to go about acquiring names like Deron Williams, Dwight Howard, James Harden, and so forth. This old insidehoops thread got me contemplating the reality of the FA Market. (the content of the thread is not worth reading it was just fodder for thought) Aside from $$$, what are some other reasons for a player to uproot from a big market and relocate to the NW long term? What business, endorsement, real estate, lifestyle, etc opportunities are available for them? It made sense for B-Roy and Jamal Crawford as they call this area home. Joel Przybilla also came out of retirement to play for the Blazers after turning down the Heat because he thought Portland was a great place to raise his family. I see a pattern here, but this obviously is not going to attract top stock. Our fans are the best. Why else should FAs come here?

"The Nuggets, New Jersey Nets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers were among the teams that reached out to Nene’s representatives Wednesday, the first day teams were allowed to contact agents to discuss potential deals." Seriously doubt the Blazers can compete with teams with cap space.

Veteran LOS ANGELES sports talker DAVE SMITH is joining ALPHA BROADCASTING Sports KXTG-A (750 THE GAME)/PORTLAND for noon-3p (PT), replacing JOHN LUND, who ALPHA says is leaving the station "for a SAN FRANCISCO sports radio position" which ALL ACCESS hears is likely to be ENTERCOM Sports KBWF (SPORTSRADIO 95.7FM). SMITH starts at THE GAME JULY 11th; most recently afternoon host at LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM Sports KLAA-A (AM 830)/ORANGE-LOS ANGELES, SMITH has been heard on several LOS ANGELES stations, including KMPC-A, KLAC-A and KMAX, and worked at SPORTING NEWS RADIO.

" What if Portland had taken Kevin Durant over Greg Oden? Here's what we knew about Oden heading into the 2007 Draft: owned Ewing-like potential as a rebounder and shotblocker … struggled with a broken wrist during his freshman year at Ohio State … only played one "Wow!" game (the '07 NCAA Championship: 25 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks in defeat against Florida's Joakim Noah and Al Horford) … his right leg was one inch longer than his left leg (a red flag for potential knee/feet/back issues) … openly admitted that he didn't love basketball and once wanted to become a dentist … frightened everyone in Portland with a jittery pre-draft workout … looked and walked like a thirty-six-year-old man. Meanwhile, Durant lived and breathed basketball, became a national phenomenon during his only Texas season, crushed his Portland workout and had no conceivable offensive ceiling. Throw in Portland's tortured history with fragile centers and, as the years pass, it's becoming harder to fathom that the Blazers willingly decided, "Screw the sure thing, let's take the big guy with uneven legs who played one great college game." But that's what they did. Because we love revising history over time, owner Paul Allen and then-general manager Kevin Pritchard have been protected by the "Come on, anyone would have taken Oden, you always take a franchise center, it's not their fault he keeps getting injured" defense. That presumes Oden was considered a sure thing -- like Kareem, Ewing or Hakeem -- and ignores those six months everyone spent wondering about him before the 2007 Draft. Like me, Boston GM Danny Ainge liked Durant as the top pick for one reason: Durant was the sure thing, not Oden. If you followed Durant in college (and Ainge fell head over heels for him, as did I), you knew about his work ethic, leadership, character and scoring DNA. I thought Durant was a genetic freak: like Tracy McGrady crossed with Plastic Man, someone God created to make baskets and get to the line. Oden left you hoping he stayed healthy, hoping basketball would become more important to him, hoping his spotty college year wasn't an aberration, hoping he developed a low-post game and a killer instinct … for a sure thing, you sure were doing a lot of hoping. How was that any different than the Bowie/Jordan dilemma 23 years earlier? When Durant became the youngest scoring champ ever and placed second in the 2010 MVP balloting -- as Oden recovered from his second season-ending knee injury, no less -- Portland's decision barreled into the "What If" chapter six years earlier than expected. So what if the Blazers picked Durant instead of Oden? They become the fledgling Western Conference juggernaut of the 2010s (not Oklahoma City); Portland becomes a legitimate 2010 destination for LeBron; any successfully unconventional decision would be called "a Pritchard"; and everyone in Portland would be so perpetually happy that it would never rain there again. Instead, we have to start bracing for the 2029 or 2030 Draft, when Portland wins another lottery and finds itself stressing between Sure Thing Potential Superstar Scorer X over Possibly Fragile Franchise Center X as everyone else wonders, "Wait a second, we're doing this again?" One of these generations, the Blazers will get it right. "

ESPN asks: Will Oden play a significant role for Blazers at some point this season? I guess it's a good question.

For those of you (like me) who want to post the schedule on their fridge for easy reference, I created this printable schedule for your convenience.