Commence sobbing. Once you've pulled yourself together, fondly reminisce about the bearded one in the comments.
On the flip side: congratulations to Shavlik Randolph, you're the last man on the island. You win: a roster spot. That's right, Shavlik Randolph just went from zero to hero and his name appears on the Blazers' opening night official roster. I guess it's fair to say he had a heck of a preseason, given the (lack of) expectations. Good job.
This might have just ruined my vacation.
TRAIL BLAZERS WAIVE LUKE JACKSON, STEVEN HILL
Portland Sets Roster for Opening Night
PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Trail Blazers waived forward Luke Jackson and rookie center Steven Hill, General Manager Kevin Pritchard announced today. Portland's roster stands at 15 players entering Opening Night at the L.A. Lakers on Tuesday.
"We want to thank Luke and Steven for their contributions during training camp and preseason and wish them all the best for the future," said Pritchard. "They've conducted themselves as real pros on and off the court and we believe both of them have a bright future in basketball."
A former All-American at the University of Oregon, Jackson (6-7, 215) played in three preseason games, averaging 5.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 19.3 minutes. The four-year NBA veteran was 5-for-15 (33.3%) from the field and 1-for-4 (25.0%) from 3-point range.
Hill (7-0, 245) saw action in three preseason games, recording averages of 1.0 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.67 blocks and 9.0 minutes. The rookie from Arkansas was a member of the team's 2008 NBA Summer League squad and signed on August 27, along with Jackson and Jamaal Tatum.
-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)