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

[king_tanner 84]

Wow what an end to the game against the Rockets.... Roy is the man3 shots made in the last 3 seconds... that was crazy!

[slt1der 0]

What a game. That was such a sick ending. The season's starting to get better. I mean, after all those scoring explosions yesterday night and then this nail biter game the night after. Jeeze, what's going to happen tomorrow.

[Cappy37 0]

For those scoring at home, i've seen the blazers on national tv more this year than in the last 2 years combined.

[Cappy37 0]

Wow.. big win tonight.. First road win of the season, too.. Against a quality club in Orlando.Things we learned tonight about the Blazers:1. ) Not only do we need someone to score at the 3, we need someone to defend at the 3. Turk torched us for 35 tonight. James Jones, we do miss you so.. I will tip my cap to Outlaw, who did manage to put up a box score that looked 10x better than he actually played.2. ) Oden's presence is def. needed. Dwight Howard almost single-handedly fouled out everyone on our roster over 6'9.3. ) Rudy Fernandez, aided by Manu's injury, is going to make a serious run at the 6th man award *on top* of the ROY award. It's almost criminal that he comes out with our second unit. Conversely, we also need to take into account that a lot of Fernandez's numbers will be against 2nd unit competition. If you want an example of how playing primarily against a second unit can inflate/distort one's stats.. See Outlaw, Travis.4. ) Steve Blake is not going to go quietly into the night and let Sergio or Bayless usurp his crown at the PG spot. Blake didn't dazzle anyone with moves or talent tonight, but he willed the Blazers to win through grit and veteran savvy. He had as much to do with Jameer Nelson fouling out as BRoy did.5. ) As always, if NBA games ended at halftime, Aldridge would be a perennial first-team all-star. It's like he plays till halftime and either Bo Outlaw jumps him in the locker room and steals his jersey, or Lamarcus's 5-hour energy wears off during the half-time festivities. It's starting to get surreal. Kid's got talent, but he's not finishing.. and he's certainly not wowing anybody on the defensive side of the ball.6. ) Nicholas Batum is still young and incosistent, no matter the drive and fire his beating heart possesses.7. ) Channing Frye is no-longer-young and incosistent, but he makes Aldridge look like KG on the defensive end.8. ) Nate's really starting to get a feel for what his rotation is and how and when to make his subs and matchup switches.9. ) We've started really strong considering the Oden injury, the new pieces in play, and our limited time to gel as a team. This bodes well for us.10. ) Sergio can bark to the media all he wants. He's going to need to earn time off the pine, and speaking out about discontent only makes him harder to trade. If he can't crack our rotation, he'll do himself a greater service by lobbying foir a trade *behind* the scenes. I know you need ego to play in this league, but it shocks me how unsavvy some of these guys are in terms of putting themselves in the best possible situation, both from a team AND business perspective.P.S. -- Rudy Fernandez is pretty f*cking good.Go Blazers!

[Poppy_Hillis 11]

That was good. Every time I watch the Blazers I think about how much you hate Travis Outlaw. Well that and how much I would enjoy cuddling with Rudy Fernandez.As much as I dislike Blake and love both Sergio and Bayless, I think Blake is their best fit at that spot.

[Cappy37 0]

That was good. Every time I watch the Blazers I think about how much you hate Travis Outlaw. Well that and how much I would enjoy cuddling with Rudy Fernandez.

hahaha.. Play the Travis Outlaw drinking game. Get a bottle of Jack, and every time he jacks up a shot from 14feet out or more with a hand in his face, take a shot.. If there is wide open Blazer in his line of vision, it's a double shot. Make sure you designate a post-game driver.Remember in high school how there was that one kid on the team who's dad convinced him he'd be a star if he managed to get 15 shots in the air per game? Well, that kid's all grown up.All kidding aside.. He *does* have heart and he does *care*.. I always respected Sheed for flat-out caring more than anyone else on the court (even if the Ts were a byproduct of that). And he does attack the basket, for better or worse. Lord knows the Blazers need more toward-the-basket aggression. If I was Nate I'd try and work on some low-post moves with him, cuz we need scoring in the block more than anything, and if he's plaing the 3 at his size, he can post up most SFs if he just had some polish..We're down 4 in the last 2 minutes... Broy.. Rudy.. Aldridge.. Blake... Outlaw... Shouldn't it almost be in that order? This is the kinda thing that keeps me up at nights.

As much as I dislike Blake and love both Sergio and Bayless, I think Blake is their best fit at that spot.

Bayless's ability to suicide dive into the lane and dish out is gonna be our bread-and-butter someday. Not yet.. But someday.. Sergio couldn't keep a visiting cheerleader under 20 points over 36 minutes. That'll prolly never change.

[Cappy37 0]

It's almost to the point that i need to make a Rudy Fernandez mancrush thread, ala Tskillz/Manu.Outlaw managed to jack up 13 shots again. damn him. We won anyways. 2-0 on the roadtrip, and against quality opponents! Life is currently good in Blazerland. 3 more to go on the roadtrip. Time will tell.

[Poppy Hillis 0]

It's almost to the point that i need to make a Rudy Fernandez mancrush thread, ala Tskillz/Manu.

Sign me up.

[Cappy37 0]

Brag: Blazers now 3-1 on the road trip, and rally to win a game where no one besides Roy and Oden showed up to play.Beat: Rudy Fernandez finally had a subpar game and disappeared on the court for long stretches.Variance: Travis Outlaw hoisted up 5 three pointers.. Someone seriously needs to play Michal Corleone and take "Fredo" Outlaw on a fishing trip.. This needs to happen *now*.

[babylondonks 5]

Brag: Blazers now 3-1 on the road trip, and rally to win a game where no one besides Roy and Oden showed up to play.Beat: Rudy Fernandez finally had a subpar game and disappeared on the court for long stretches.Variance: Travis Outlaw hoisted up 5 three pointers.. Someone seriously needs to play Michal Corleone and take "Fredo" Outlaw on a fishing trip.. This needs to happen *now*.

Didn't he basically promise not to hoist as many threes, shoot better and to play within the system to start the season? Or has he basically decided that he has a pass because Webster is out?

[Cappy37 0]

Didn't he basically promise not to hoist as many threes, shoot better and to play within the system to start the season? Or has he basically decided that he has a pass because Webster is out?

Lord only knows.. His value was sky high (well, for him) at the conclusion of last season.. Blazers could have gotten some great value for him in an offseason move and sat on their hands instead. Sigh.. He's still a soldier and a great guy off the bench. But he'll never be a true answer in any role besides 6th or 7th man.But enough Outlaw hate.. let's keep the vibes positive for Senor Oden. He's looking very solid in his first stint back from injury. My optimism is cautious and guarded, as always.P.S. - This team winning games on the road is a *very* good sign.

[Cappy37 0]

Man oh man Oden is starting to win me over slowly. Prove me wrong, please, big man.On a side note: That rook from Golden State, Morrow, is positively filthy. Things look a lot better for Golden State than they did in the preseason. When Ellis gets back, they could even be a contenduh.

[Poppy_Hillis 11]

The Blazers have some tubby dancers.

[Cappy37 0]

The Blazers have some tubby dancers.

lol. Haven't been to a home game yet, so I couldnt tell ya. Oden looked good again tonight (so did Pryzbilla, for that matter).Game was a laugher through and through. *IF* Oden stays healthy and starts getting comfortable out there, this team could be really, really good.

[Jadaki 0]

So last night i was checking my fantasy team scores, and at the halftime point of the game Rose was giving me negative points. Damn you Blazers.

[bigkg 0]

So last night i was checking my fantasy team scores, and at the halftime point of the game Rose was giving me negative points. Damn you Blazers.

Well when Vinny Del Negro feels the need to start Aaron Gray and Larry Hughes, it doesn't really help D-Rose that much. Also, when you run out Rose/Gordon/Sefolosha/Thomas/Noah it quickly becomes apparent that the only real threat is Rose and therefore all the attention is diverted towards him. You can't fault him for doing bad when he's playing 1 on 5.

[king_tanner 84]

Since they are starting to show the Blazers on TV all the time, I'm really starting to enjoy watching this team.Although Steve Blake isn't an All-Star, who knew he would have such an impact. I remember watching him play at Maryland, and he was kind of 2nd fiddle to Juan Dixon. I had no idea he'd be so good in the NBA.And obviously Rudy Fernandez.Now hopefully they will stop showing the Bulls every week, I can't stand them.

[babylondonks 5]

Okay I just saw the Boston/Portland game, and a few things I noticed.Outlaw is even worse than I thought he was after reading all of Cappy's rants, which is saying something :)Bayless looked good in his limited minutes, and by that I mean he was one of the few players not to back down to the Celtics and showed some heart.Brandon Roy is the real deal, and I'm glad that I'm constantly voting him into the all-star team.Przybilla is one of those players that you just love to have on your team. The offense looked terrible at times (especially late 2nd, early 3rd, nothing was happening)Finally, I think they need to improve on their mental toughness to really contend this year. When the celtics starters were going on their rampage it really looked like the Portland kids just "gave up" mentally for a little stretch.And somehow Rondo managed 16/8/7 which is more points and assists than any Blazer got, and the equal most boards (with Przybilla)

[mhoward29 0]

Wow what an end to the game against the Rockets.... Roy is the man3 shots made in the last 3 seconds... that was crazy!

I was at the game, club level seats at the half court line. Wanna talk about a loud arena when Roy's almost half court shot went down? WOW. It was almost as loud when Yao got fouled and made the shot. Louded BOOOOs I have ever heard. I didnt know there was a Blazer thread.Cappy, I really hate your posts about the Blazers on the first page, fyi

[mhoward29 0]

Okay I just saw the Boston/Portland game, and a few things I noticed.Finally, I think they need to improve on their mental toughness to really contend this year. When the celtics starters were going on their rampage it really looked like the Portland kids just "gave up" mentally for a little stretch.

FYI they arent contending for a title this year and they realize that. Just think how good this team will be two seasons from now.Do you people realize they are the 2nd youngest team in the NBA and they dont have any real veterian leadership?

[babylondonks 5]

FYI they arent contending for a title this year and they realize that. Just think how good this team will be two seasons from now.Do you people realize they are the 2nd youngest team in the NBA and they dont have any real veterian leadership?

They're also #2 in the West right now. I mean I'm sure that will change as the season keeps going on. But they've also played more road games than any other team. So I'm very impressed with them and they're obviously going to be amazing in a few years (which I hope, because I like them).The whole veteran leadership is what they needed yesterday, but I think Roy is going to grow more and more into that role. He is uh-mazing.

[Cappy37 0]

Sorry guys, an unintended side effect of me moving to Clackamas was me losing my net for a couple weeks..Wow.. What a run we've been on.. 8-7 on the road this year is a simply amazing start, considering the long road trips and the amount of road games so far.. Season is only 2 months old and we've played 15 road games, won more than we lost, and were competitive in nearly all of them. I can only think of the Laker and Celtic game offhand where we let games get away from us early.Fernandez is up against the rookie wall, to be expected.. Still love this guy.Oden is going to have a solid Buck Williams-type career, and forever be viewed as a failure because he was a #1 draft pick. Get used to it.Roy is the real deal. This surprises no one.Webster coming back is going to create quite a log jam.. No matter how well Batum started, he's been resoundedly average since. I'm pretty sure we are going to see Webster on the floor gobbling up a good portion of Batum's minutes.Travis Outlaw is hoisting 3 three-pointers a game. He's shooting .493 from three.. The former stat I expected, the latter is mind boggling. Btw, he's shooting 40% even from *inside* the 3 point line. I'll never figure Travis out, I give up.Joel is quietly having a very monster season. Even with all the praise the print and radio media has for Thrilla, he's still amazingly under the radar, especially outside of the state of Oregon. Probably the best thing of the Oden debacle so far is it's motivated Joel to have his best season by far. If Roy and Fernandez are the chocolate icing, Pryzbilla and Steve Blake have been the yellow cake, silently contributing heaps to the finished product.Jerrad Bayless is the best third-string point guard in NBA history. hehe. Poor guy. For sanity's sake, Pritchard needs to grab either Sergio or Bayless and package them with one or two of our swing army (Outlaw/Webster/Batum/Frye) to bring a solid 3 into the mix and make it easier for Nate to make a rotation with less frowns on the sidelines.Thoughts?

[Cappy37 0]

The Sports Radio guys on 95.5 were doing the old fashioned "Where in the West will the Blazers finish" segment the other day. Kinda made me giggle, with a zillion ppl calling in and arguing over whether the blazers will be 4th or 7th or 8th or 3rd or whatever. Kinda a pointless topic. Just like in the last half decade, the West is gonna have a half dozen teams sandwiched between 45-57 wins (if not closer) and it's all gonna come down to the final week for seeding, so it's a pretty pointless argument. I see the Blazers as being poised to finish anywhere from 3rd to 8th in the conference going into the last couple weeks. Bold prediction, I know, but nothing else really makes sense.Wow @ the suns for nabbing J-Rich from the Bobcats. That was a major coup, esp with Diaw struggling. They will miss Bells 3-point shot, but it looks like the run-n-gun section of the Suns history is rapidly coming to a close.

[babylondonks 5]

Joel is quietly having a very monster season. Even with all the praise the print and radio media has for Thrilla, he's still amazingly under the radar, especially outside of the state of Oregon. Probably the best thing of the Oden debacle so far is it's motivated Joel to have his best season by far. If Roy and Fernandez are the chocolate icing, Pryzbilla and Steve Blake have been the yellow cake, silently contributing heaps to theng finished product.Jerrad Bayless is the best third-string point guard in NBA history. hehe. Poor guy. For sanity's sake, Pritchard needs to grab either Sergio or Bayless and package them with one or two of our swing army (Outlaw/Webster/Batum/Frye) to bring a solid 3 into the mix and make it easier for Nate to make a rotation with less frowns on the sidelines.Thoughts?

Yes, on everything, but especially these two points. Joel is having an absolutely ridiculous season right now and the Oden thing has probably been the best thing for his career. My weird moment of the week was a friend telling me he'd take Zaza Pachulia over Joel right now, which blew my mind.And the second point, yes. How would a James Posey-like player do? I don't think NOH would give him up for much at this stage, but I was just trying to think of the kind of 3 you'd want in the starting lineup. I don't know enough of Portland to make a really educated decision, but I'd figure you'd want a really good 3-point shooter who is strong defensively and does all the intangibles? In which case I think Big Game James would be perfect, and would bring some much needed veteran leadership into the organisation. Of course I could be completely off base and you guys need a more Gerald Wallace type slasher. But I'd venture to say that a trade like this is probably swingable.

The Sports Radio guys on 95.5 were doing the old fashioned "Where in the West will the Blazers finish" segment the other day. Kinda made me giggle, with a zillion ppl calling in and arguing over whether the blazers will be 4th or 7th or 8th or 3rd or whatever. Kinda a pointless topic. Just like in the last half decade, the West is gonna have a half dozen teams sandwiched between 45-57 wins (if not closer) and it's all gonna come down to the final week for seeding, so it's a pretty pointless argument. I see the Blazers as being poised to finish anywhere from 3rd to 8th in the conference going into the last couple weeks. Bold prediction, I know, but nothing else really makes sense.Wow @ the suns for nabbing J-Rich from the Bobcats. That was a major coup, esp with Diaw struggling. They will miss Bells 3-point shot, but it looks like the run-n-gun section of the Suns history is rapidly coming to a close.

People are saying it's bad for the Suns but I don't see it. They get another big time scorer who is apparently a great locker room guy. He can be paired with Amare for some time to come, and they get rid of an overpaid hybrid who had one good season without Stoudemire and an old "defensive specialist" who has lost too many steps to actually play good D anymore. Though his 3's were huge, though they have no shortage of players who can nail the 3 ball with Nash, Barnes, Barbosa and even Grant Hill (who looked amazing against the Lakers the other day).

[Poppy_Hillis 11]

Joel

This is going to sound nuts and make me look like a fool, but with Przybilla playing so well, what if you mortgage your future with him as your center. Then you have a ridiculous package of Oden, Bayless/Sergio, Webster/Outlaw/Batum/Frye to get somebody nuts. You bring in somebody crazy with the guys they have now and they'll as good as anybody. Keep in mind I haven't thought about this any further than what I just typed, so I don't know what kind of players would be available, if any.Dirk just popped into my head.