*** Official Portland Trailblazer's Team Thread ***

[Jadaki 0]

Violet Palmer has to be the worst referee in the league.

Based on name alone I agree.

[Cappy37 0]

Violet Palmer has to be the worst referee in the league.

I'd hesitate to call her the worst.. it'd be like calling Bundy or Dahmer the worst serial killer. It's debatable and you could argue several cases with merit.i listened to the whole second half on my hr. drive home from work, and i must say, the highlights I later saw wasn't exactly matching Wheel's on the fly radio description to a tee.. heheEither way, the Blazers blew the absolute doors off of them. Although it was cringe-worthy to see the only Jazz player who showed up to play (Boozer) get T'd out. Odenwakandi had some flashes of brilliance.. But Aldridge and Batum (for like 3rd game in a row) stole the show.I'll be honest, with the strides that Batum has made this season, Portland may need to re-think their offseason strat and just go after a point guard.. Batum/Outlaw/Fernandez have done an admirable job holding down the swing positions.

[CindyLou 11]

I'd hesitate to call her the worst.. it'd be like calling Bundy or Dahmer the worst serial killer. It's debatable and you could argue several cases with merit.i listened to the whole second half on my hr. drive home from work, and i must say, the highlights I later saw wasn't exactly matching Wheel's on the fly radio description to a tee.. hehe

My assessment was based on the anecdotal evidence that whenever I notice the officiating is particularly bad on a given night, it's almost always her crew and she stands out amongst them as the worst offender.But I do agree that NBA officiating as a whole is atrocious.Out of curiosity, you spend so much time banging on Oden, I'd like to know what you think of Roy. He's quickly becoming one of my favorite players to watch. How short is your list of players that you would trade him for? Lebron, Wade, Paul, Kobe? Do you trade him for Kobe given the age differences? If Kobe and Roy were swapped at the beginning of the season, would the Lakers and Blazers positions right now be swapped too? (i.e. the Blazers would be the runaway #1 while the Lakers would be scrapping for position in the 4-8 cluster)

[Cappy37 0]

My assessment was based on the anecdotal evidence that whenever I notice the officiating is particularly bad on a given night, it's almost always her crew and she stands out amongst them as the worst offender.But I do agree that NBA officiating as a whole is atrocious.Out of curiosity, you spend so much time banging on Oden, I'd like to know what you think of Roy. He's quickly becoming one of my favorite players to watch. How short is your list of players that you would trade him for? Lebron, Wade, Paul, Kobe? Do you trade him for Kobe given the age differences? If Kobe and Roy were swapped at the beginning of the season, would the Lakers and Blazers positions right now be swapped too? (i.e. the Blazers would be the runaway #1 while the Lakers would be scrapping for position in the 4-8 cluster)

That's so unfair lol. I would say Roy is much more akin to what kobe was providing in his 3rd year in the league. It's not so much how great Roy is now, it's what he has the potential to become down the road. Plus his line from last night is more indicative of what he brings: 20+ Points, 10+ assists, 5+ rebounds. I'm not sure who to liken him to, but it certainly isn't Kobe. He's a lot more like D-Wade or Pippen, the kind of player who does *everything* very well and is an ultimate team guy. Brandon makes everyone around him better. That's his strength. He can certainly be your #1 guy, but if he was paired with, say, a Shaq or Duncan prototype, he'd be the best 2nd banana in nba history. Aldridge may be that guy someday soon. Oden probably never will be.I talk little about Brandon for the same reason Laker fans don't concern themselves too much with Kobe: it's their given. They *know* he'll bring it and perform and be whatever he needs to be to get the job done. There isn't 20+ pages in the Laker thread of how good Kobe is, because they already *know* . That Youtube vid Poppy posted right above this sums up Kobe. You just can't put that into words.Aldridge is the key to Portland's future. He has a lot of All-NBA big man type qualities, and his D is getting rapidly better. His confidence is growing. He's great in transition, fast break, half court, pick n roll, backdoor cuts, etc... He's really grown by leaps and bounds from the player I was making fun of for playing 24 minutes and going into witness protection past halftime. It's completely night and day.Odenwakandi just had the misfortune of having the target on his back. He wasn't the best player in college ball (Duraaant) the year he played, and you could make arguments that, while he *was* hurt, he didnt even crack the top 5. He got to be the #1 pick, which is the ultimate negative freeroll. He's had bad luck, bad injuries, and no sign of mojo/resiliance.. I think that what most outsider don't truly understand about Oden is: He doesn't need to be the #1 pick-worthy to be a success in Portland. Portland reached their heights with Kevin Duckworth and an aging Aryvdas Sabonis. We just need a *good* center. We need interior presence, rebounding, weakside help, lane clogging, spot blocks, etc... F*ck it, we just need someone 7'0 270 to wander around for 25 minutes without racking up 6 fouls. If he does this, gets some garbage buckets, and finds the inner warrior somewhere down the line, he'll be a success in Portland. And when his contract is up, he'll resign here, because we stuck by him, and the last thing he'd ever want to do is deal with Philly/NY-type media markets. Hell, he's been a colossal bust and almost entirely steered clear of the media spotlight in the midst of it. He's where he needs to be. If he improves to the point we need him to be, it's fine. Portland doesn't need Shaq circa 2000 to have postseason successes.. We just need a servicable center who brings enough on both ends to be an asset. The weight will be on B-Roy and Aldridge.In fact, I can make the argument that it all lies in the hands of Batum, Bayless, Rudy, and Outlaw. Because lets face it, these guys *will* dictate what Pritchard does in the offseason. He believed in them enough (with good reason) to pass up on the RJ/VC/type available swingmen at the deadline. Batum has been lights out the last couple weeks. Outlaw has been able to step up in times that Roy was doubled/hounded... Outlaw, for as much $#!t as I flick him, has the absolute largest cahones in the free world for someone so marginally talented. He reminds me of a Michael Thompson/early Ben Wallace prototype: a guy who is worlds better than he should be on paper. And Rudy, of course, is still pretty much a kid and has grown by leaps and bounds this season. Since all 3 play 2-3 positions from SG-PF, they really make the team versitale and allows Nate the luxary of really mixing and matching to suit situations and make other teams react to *his* lineups. It will be interesting to see what Pritchard does. We could certainly use another scorer. But acquiring a SF is going to force us to move one of the young guys (and Martell Webster, who's sat all year on IR)... Acquiring a PG would make Blazer Brass choose between Bayless/Blake (Sergio is gone, his contract is expired and Ican't imagine him sticking around in portland for 10 minutes a game w/ his potential for PT + salary bump).Bleh.. to go back to your question: We drafted Martell Webster instead of Chris Paul.. Thx for reminding me... Roy and Dwade are pretty interchangable.. Wade obv. more proven. Kobe is the best player in the game period. Lebron is a complete freak of nature. The only person Cleveland would trade Lebron for is Tiger Woods. No one else is on that level. But Kobe is better than Lebron. Heads up.. Mano a Mano.. When it matters. But Lebron could gray our memories of Jordan one day. Honestly, maybe Roy is more like Isaiah Thomas than anyone. He's simply not a guy that's gonna go for 50 often. He'll get you the buckets when you need them, but he's just not a "scorer" in the traditional sense. It's his penchant for assists and boards and steals and stops that define him.As for swapping, if you put Kobe on the Blazers, Greg Oden would be a shell of a human being ala Kwame Brown. Guys like Rudy and Blake would be seeing even more open looks, but I think Outlaw, too, would suffer without Roy's reinforcement.I think the Lakers would have more wins with Roy than the *Blazers* do now, but I think Kobe's sheer will adds another 5-6 wins to the lakers record that wouldn't be there with *anyone* else in Kobe's spot. Kobe has that penchant to get that "eff eww I am not losing this game" look in his eyes and putting teams out of their misery. Roy has ice water in his veins for late shots and free throws, but he's nowhere near the level of end-of-game-bada$$ that Kobe is.It would be really fun to swap 'em and find out in some alternate universe. But I'm pretty sure for the time being the Blazers are happy with their clean-cut young gun, and the Laker's are happy with Kobe.

[CindyLou 11]

For what it's worth, I wasn't trying to imply anything with the question, I just wanted to give you a springboard. I love your long NBA posts; you should be writing a column somewhere.I laughed out loud at this:"As for swapping, if you put Kobe on the Blazers, Greg Oden would be a shell of a human being ala Kwame Brown."because it's probably true. I don't think I disagree with anything you said.

[Cappy37 0]

Thanks, someone has to tell it how it is.. It certainly isn't J.A. effing Adande..excepts about portland from his chat today on ESPN:Steiny (NYC): Portland's strength and conditioning coach Bobby Medina recently said that Nicolas Batum a young Scottie Pippen. Your thoughts? J.A. Adande: (3:14 PM ET ) I keep going back to the wisdom of Donnie Walsh, who years ago said "there's no 'another'" There's never been another Charles Barkley, won't be another Kareem, Magic, Bird, etc. Batum is long and lanky and can hit threes, so yeah I see the similarity. But can he initiate the offense like Pippen? Can he be a lockdown defender like Pippen against a variety of positions like Pippen? Let's not get carried away. --------------------------------Shams (Portland): MJ Called Batum a young Pippen! J.A. Adande: (4:14 PM ET ) Yeah, well MJ once called the Washington Bullets the team of the future, then that group never made it back to the playoffs. When they call MJ the G.O.A.T., they're not referring to his talent evaluations. --------------------------------derrrick colorado [via mobile]: do you think that the nuggets will get to the semifinals? J.A. Adande: (3:20 PM ET ) yes. (I'm assuming you mean conference semifinals). Hosting Utah in the first round would bode well for them, based on last night's game. They'd take out Portland or Dallas, too. And then they'd get some more attention. ---------------------------------frank, Portland [via mobile]: A lot of people are tagging the blazers as the Team no one wants to see in the first round. How far do you think they can realistically go? Oden has improved a lot recently, will his play determine how far they go? Thanks J.A. Adande: (3:27 PM ET ) Actually, Portland would be the No. 2 team (after Dallas) I'd want to face in the first round. Having a bunch of key players making their playoff debuts..that should be worth a game right there. I wouldn't want to see Portland NEXT year, when these guys will know what they're doing. Yeah... umm... wow. Words fail me.

[Jadaki 0]

Yeah... umm... wow. Words fail me.

Thanks for the humor.

[Cappy37 0]

Yay. Awwwwwwwwwwesome day for Portland.. Aldridge hits career highs for points and boards.. Totally dominates on both ends.. Blazers win by 20 or more for the *4th* straight game.Perhaps, even more importantly, *every* other game on the schedule went Portlands way.. They vaulted into 4th in the conference, with the rest of the top 8 losing at the most opporunistic time.We're only a game behind the Spurs, and 1.5 behind the Nuggets for the division lead.No question with Portland's home record this year getting a 4th seed would be huge in the first round. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I'm super excited at the chance to go up against the Lakers in the second round if we end up 4th or 5th.. I don't see us winning the title this year (Ha!), but considering this is a terribly young team that needs to grow and mature, the chance to play 7 meaningful games against the Lakers would be the best thing to promote growth within the team to get ready to be a real threat to go deep next year.But, in the meantime, we have a hell of a roadswing that started off last night.. @Houston, @ Memphis, and @ San Antonio... Which will essentially define the season... If we lost to OKC, we were dead in the water.. With that win, and a likely win in Memphis, suddenly we have the realistic ability to go 2-2 in our sleep, and are freerolling against one team we have inexplicably have trouble with (Houston) and one team we always play well (San Antonio). I'm not saying we are gonna sweep (We are 17-20 on the road, after all), but 3-1 is very, very attainable and I don't hate betting on us in any of the 4 games. By the way, random Trivia of the Day: Only the lakers have a bigger margin of victory than Portland in the west this year, and we are the only team besides LA w/ a +4.0 PPG Margin of Victory against the league.. Rawr.

[fleung22 1]

Bleh.. to go back to your question: We drafted Martell Webster instead of Chris Paul.. Thx for reminding me... Roy and Dwade are pretty interchangable.. Wade obv. more proven. Kobe is the best player in the game period. Lebron is a complete freak of nature. The only person Cleveland would trade Lebron for is Tiger Woods. No one else is on that level. But Kobe is better than Lebron. Heads up.. Mano a Mano.. When it matters. But Lebron could gray our memories of Jordan one day. Honestly, maybe Roy is more like Isaiah Thomas than anyone. He's simply not a guy that's gonna go for 50 often. He'll get you the buckets when you need them, but he's just not a "scorer" in the traditional sense. It's his penchant for assists and boards and steals and stops that define him.

see boldaren't these completely different views? how can you say Roy and Wade are interchangeable but then say Roy isn't go off for 50 often. Isn't Wade a guy who can go off for 50 as regular as they come in the NBA?I love Roy and hope the best for him (on my fantasy team) but there's a loooong way to go for him to be Wade or Kobe.

[Jadaki 0]

aren't these completely different views?

I agree with you.Roy is elevating his game toward beign the top of the second rung of superstars in the league behind Kobe/Wade/Lebron/Howard.

[Cappy37 0]

see boldaren't these completely different views? how can you say Roy and Wade are interchangeable but then say Roy isn't go off for 50 often. Isn't Wade a guy who can go off for 50 as regular as they come in the NBA?I love Roy and hope the best for him (on my fantasy team) but there's a loooong way to go for him to be Wade or Kobe.

I agree with you.Roy is elevating his game toward beign the top of the second rung of superstars in the league behind Kobe/Wade/Lebron/Howard.

I'm talkiing more about style of play and his place in the current NBA landscape.. I think if you're opinion is I overrate my team's players, then you obviusly havent read the other half dozen pages at all.. That's the furthest thing from my scope of this thread. I compare Roy to Thomas moreso because he more often than not initiates the offense, makes his teammates better, and can hit the big shot/take over when he needs to.. I compare him to Wade for the same reason... I'm honestly semi-pissed that this is all the discussion that's been generated from my recent efforts.

[Cappy37 0]

Well, now I remember why Houston always gives us problems.. I haven't seen that much clutching and grabbing and essentially dirty pool since the old Heat-Knick titlefights in the 90s.. Was impressed by Yao's play and his presence allowed for all the studio and sideline guys to draw Yao/Oden comparions (oh f*cking joy). When it all comes down to it, Yao struggled even worse than Oden with foul trouble and his strength/conditioning his first couple seasons. And Yao had all that internation experience under his belt for his young age at the time. So it was kinda nice to Houston media's amazingly relaxed/supportive views on Oden compared to most of the league.I did see something I really like out of Odenwakandi last night. While he picked up his 2 fouls in 3 minutes to start the game, he came back pretty solid in the second half.. I saw something I hadn't seen in quite some time out of his : Anger and Rage in his eyes.. He was legitimately t'd off at the world and wanted blood. There was a back to back occasions in the 3rd quarter where he took the ball straight at Yao/Hayes and tried to shove it down with a jam. Naturally he didn't succeed... But isn't the first step in dominating *trying* to dominate? Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age, I dunno..Rudy still looks hurt and not himself.. I think he got hurt worse in the Trevor Ariza *cough* hustle play than the team is letting on.. Maybe we'll need Webster when he finally laces up around playoff team.Portland really needs to show up against San Antonio to make a statement.. And of course, the Laker game will be a bloodbath as always. Can't wait.

[CindyLou 11]

Well, now I remember why Houston always gives us problems.. Portland really needs to show up against San Antonio to make a statement.. And of course, the Laker game will be a bloodbath as always. Can't wait.

I want a Lakers-Blazers Western Conference finals. What's the most plausible way for that to happen?Portland over San Antonio in the 3/6 spot. Utah upsetting Denver in the 7/2. Portland over Utah with the home court advantage as 6/7. ???Or does the NBA re-seed after each round? In which case... Portland over San Antonio in the 4/5 spot. Utah upsetting Denver in the 7/2. Portland over Denver without home court. ???Also, please give me Lebron vs Wade in round 2 in the East (with Lebron winning and then beating Orlando in the Eastern Conference finals).

[Poppy_Hillis 11]

Travis Outlaw again. Didn't he hit a game winner in Memphis earlier this year, or was it last year?With Ginobili out now, I think I like Portland to get to the Conf Finals, if they get out of the 4/5 spot of course. I shudder to think about Durant on that team.

[bigkg 0]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtf5F8j4zYEOuch

[Poppy_Hillis 11]

Just looked at the schedule, and it looks like if everything goes as planned the Blazers will be hosting Denver Wednesday night for the 2 spot.

[Cappy37 0]

I want a Lakers-Blazers Western Conference finals. What's the most plausible way for that to happen?Portland over San Antonio in the 3/6 spot. Utah upsetting Denver in the 7/2. Portland over Utah with the home court advantage as 6/7. ???Or does the NBA re-seed after each round? In which case... Portland over San Antonio in the 4/5 spot. Utah upsetting Denver in the 7/2. Portland over Denver without home court. ???Also, please give me Lebron vs Wade in round 2 in the East (with Lebron winning and then beating Orlando in the Eastern Conference finals).

No "reseeding" but after round one the team with the best record *always* has home court advantage.. The confusion in round one is the 3 division winners HAVE to be seeded 1,2,3 I believe.Portland and LA will meet in round two... There's virtually 0 way for Portland to end up in the #2 or #3 seed.. They lose tiebreakers to the Nuggets and the Rockets.. So Portland would need to win their next two, have Denver lose their cupcake game, AND lose to Portland in the final game..Denver has the Kings IN Denver.. Sactown has to beat the Nuggets or the Nuggets clinch the Division title. Period. Not gonna happen. Even if the Blazers run the table and the Kings beat the Nuggets, Portland still would need to win the game against Denver with it all on the line.. There is a plus to all of this, I'll get to it in a min...Houston (52-28) squeaked by the Warriors last night.. Their remaining sched is: home against Hornets and @Mavericks.. So the Rockets got a rougher schedule by far. Portland loses the tie breaker, so they once again need to win out to realistically overcome the Rockets.Spurs (52-28) play @ Sacremento, @Golden State, and home against the Hornets to end their season.. Not an easy schedule, but certainly not impossible.. Sadly for SA, the Blazers actually hold the tie breaker againts SA, so San Antonio is pretty screwed..BECAUSEThe Blazer/Nugget game will mean 0 to the Nuggets.. The Rockets won't be able to catch the Nuggets, the Spurs won't be able to catch the Nuggets, so Portlands season ends up with:@Clippers, home against OKC, and home against a Nugget team who will empty the bench and have nothing to play for.Since Denver wins the division, I believe the best the blazers can do is the 4th seed, but since SA and Houston are in the relative same boat with rougher remaining schedule, I think Portland's a shoe in for 4th... Even in a disaster scenario, Portland draws no worse than 5th.So....Portland/SA round one, likely starting in the Rose Garden.. So it's looking more and more like the Blazers/Lakers are destined to do battle..I find it hard to believe the Lakers would rather see Portland than SA/Houston/NO...We match up like a Bizzaro version *of* LA... Dynamic Center: Bynum vs. Oden/Pryzbilla2guard: Kove vs. RoyRandomly Talented and Differently-Abled 3s: Ariza/Walton/Odom vs. Outlaw/Batum/Fernandez PF who's better than advertised and who the team secretly lives/dies behind: Gasol v. Aldridge.F*cking Worthless Point guards: (no reason to name names..)I mean, Portland *IS* a younger. helter-skelter version of LA in a lot of ways. lol.I hope that makes sense.

[Poppy_Hillis 11]

Just looked at the schedule, and it looks like if everything goes as planned the Blazers will be hosting Denver Wednesday night for the 2 spot.

Wrong. I was looking at the wrong tiebreaker for Portland and Denver.

No "reseeding" but after round one the team with the best record *always* has home court advantage.. The confusion in round one is the 3 division winners HAVE to be seeded 1,2,3 I believe.Portland and LA will meet in round two... There's virtually 0 way for Portland to end up in the #2 or #3 seed.. They lose tiebreakers to the Nuggets and the Rockets.. So Portland would need to win their next two, have Denver lose their cupcake game, AND lose to Portland in the final game..

The 3 division winners don't have to be 1,2,3. They just have to be in the top 4. I think we've been over this. If Houston loses and the Blazers win out they're the 3-seed, assuming Denver doesn't blow it.

[Poppy_Hillis 11]

F*cking Worthless Point guards: (no reason to name names..)

You'll regret that when Kobe finds Fisher for the deciding 3 in Game 4.

[Cappy37 0]

You'll regret that when Kobe finds Fisher for the deciding 3 in Game 4.

To guarantee the series gets back to LA.... :PBlake/Sergio and Fisher/Farmar are a wash, and I may be the one giving up too much credit in saying that. The one real problem is Portland's depth, because we can run Roy/Rudy/Travis out at the 1-2-3 and cause LA nightmares defensively..

Wrong. I was looking at the wrong tiebreaker for Portland and Denver.The 3 division winners don't have to be 1,2,3. They just have to be in the top 4. I think we've been over this. If Houston loses and the Blazers win out they're the 3-seed, assuming Denver doesn't blow it.

Ahhh... confusing as sin, it is.Like I outlined above, I just don't see Portland blowing past *both* teams... Houston's chance to blow it was last night in Golden State, and they snuck by. Which i'm ok with... The only team of the 8 Portland just flat out can't beat for some unknown reason is Houston... who probably can't beat anyone else... So that's ok with me. I just know this: for the next 3 or 4 years, the Blazers and Lakers are going to be annoying the hell out of each other in the post season. And it's gonna be fun to watch.

[Poppy_Hillis 11]

I just know this: for the next 3 or 4 years, the Blazers and Lakers are going to be annoying the hell out of each other in the post season. And it's gonna be fun to watch.

Yea, you'll annoy us, but we'll end up killing you like always.I'm not even the slightest bit worried about Portland this year. Neither is this guy.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsxX1VMsiWw

[Cappy37 0]

Yea, you'll annoy us, but we'll end up killing you like always.I'm not even the slightest bit worried about Portland this year. Neither is this guy.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsxX1VMsiWw

Kobe will play anyone at any time, that does not surprise me in the least. It's the 11 chaps who share the plane with him... They are the ones secretly buying Spurs gear and shipping vitamins and viagra to San Antonio.Can't wait. I'm struggling to think of another team that could give the Lakers a better 7 game series... I guess you could make arguments for the Hornets and Nuggets... But that's reaching. both got great point play, but neither has anyone to even slow Kobe down remotely on his merry way to 50+ each night.Btw - we finally put down that team who gives us trouble at Staples tonight.How sad is it that I *effing knew* Portland would make the damn Clipper game interesting for the first 3 quarters.. It's inexcusable.Sure this is a team that came back and won back to back road games down by 15+.... But it's the same team that managed to fall 15+ points behind the Grizzles and Spurs in the first place. Sigh.

[CindyLou 11]

I’m just going to go ahead and wait until the season is over and then see who is where. I have scenario overload.

[Cappy37 0]

I’m just going to go ahead and wait until the season is over and then see who is where. I have scenario overload.

Outside of further acts of god and officiating, San Antonio is stuck in the 5th spot (they lose tiebreakers to both Houston and Portland) and are a mere week and a half away from getting their golf swing groove on.Portland loses tie-breakers to both Denver and Houston, so Portland needs to win tonight/have Nuggets lose to Kings and then beat Denver in Portland on the final day of the season... To pass DenverHouston won the season series against Denver, so Houston wins the Tiebreak with Denver should they tie. Thats your 2-5 scenario in a nutshell (it's much easier now that there is only 2 game left).Houston has to play against New Orleans at home and Dallas in Dallas (or vice versa, too lazy to look) so Houston has the roughest schedule by far.That final day game Denver v. Portland may be about as important a regular season game as there has been in Portland history.. Thank god it's in the garden.. It loses 95% of it's significance is the Nuggets beat the Kings though, sadly..

[CindyLou 11]

Thats your 2-5 scenario in a nutshell (it's much easier now that there is only 2 game left).

Much easier except that anything can still happen. Portland could still end up at 5 with Houston at 4. This would be: worst case scenario.