Blazers Get Their Man (Again)
posted: 6/26/2008 at 10:30 PM
After the NBA Draft concluded, Kevin Pritchard told the media the Blazers got the guy they had, on their draft list, as the fourth-best prospect in the draft. Forget everything else. KP and company played another game of poker, and walked away with a stack of chips. And, make no mistake, it was played beautifully.
So, how do you land the 4th-best player on the board when you're holding just the 13th pick in the draft? Smoke and mirrors. Pritchard said this draft will be remembered as the "smoke screen draft." In other words, it was no mistake that you never heard the Trail Blazers and Jerryd Bayless in the same sentence in the weeks leading up to the draft. He never worked out for the Blazers, was never discussed.
In our draft-day meeting with Pritchard, he told us one thing several times, and we didn't really catch on. He said simply that "Indiana will select a point guard." I replied, "why would they do that when they just traded for T.J. Ford?" He repeated, "Indiana will select a point guard." I should have gotten the hint, but didn't.
After that exchange, Pritchard asked us who we'd pick if we were in charge, Westbrook or Augustin? After we'd all given our answers, he said, "what about Jerryd Bayless?" Looking back, as the draft was unfolding, it all began to make perfect sense. KP also said if he would have been asked for his mock draft, Thursday morning, it would have been spot on- at least through the first 15 picks. It would have had to have been, for him to pull off what all indications say he did.
While everyone was hearing the Trail Blazers were going after Augustin, or Westbrook, Pritchard and owner Paul Allen, were quietly positioning themselves to grab Bayless. The one x-factor was Charlotte, picking in the 9th spot. We were disappointed when they selected Augustin. Inside the Blazer war room, everything was unfolding exactly as expected.
After the Blazers picked Brandon Rush at 13, ESPN reported that Rush, Jarrett Jack and Josh McRoberts had been traded to Indiana, for the rights to Bayless and former ASU star Ike Diogu. Though we still await official word of the proposed deal, it looks like KP got his man, and didn't even need to use the 27th pick he had purchased from New Orleans.
Instead, Portland used the 27th pick to select Kansas' Darrell Arthur, who slid way down the list. The Blazers then selected Memphis power-forward Joey Dorsey with the 33rd, but were actually drafting for Houston in that spot. The Blazers then packaged Arthur and Dorsey, and traded them to the Rockets for Nicolas Batum, who was taken 25th. Again, they got exactly the guy they had in mind when they bought the pick from the Hornets. He had a great pre-draft workout in Portland, but was feared lost when Houston snagged him at 25.
The draft started out quietly, and even though everyone was assuming it would be a calm day for the Trail Blazers, things were going on behind the scenes. And, nothing surprised the war room in Tualatin. Outwit, outplay, outlast. Isn't that what they say on Survivor?
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I am SO Excited that the Blazer's secretly chose Bayless to be their man. I did not call it but i have had my personal eye on him since i saw one of his final high school games in Arizona, and got excited when he committed to UofA because they get a lot of national media. And by the way it Jerryd with an E, just pointing it out, you are the professional, I"m just looking out for ya!
I think he will fit perfectly and he seems to have all the brains needed to transition to the NBA. KP is a genius, he just bluffed for the pot with 2 7 offsuit.
Thanks for the great coverage ke. Man did Pritch and gang pull one on everyone. By the way, Here is a video of Petteri Koponen throwing a lob to batum in the nike hoops summit. It just might show the future?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VHBUoVgHKs0&feature=related
Thanks for the great coverage ke. Man did Pritch and gang pull one on everyone. By the way, Here is a video of Petteri Koponen throwing a lob to batum in the nike hoops summit. It just might show the future?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VHBUoVgHKs0&feature=related
Thanks for al of your hard work Mike. Pritch and gang really pulled one on everyone today. I can't wait for summer league, are all our picks planning to play? By the way, here is a video of Petteri Koponen throwing an alley-oop to Nicolas Batum, It just might show the future. http://youtube.com/watch?v=VHBUoVgHKs0&feature=related
So is it pretty much as arranged? Bayless is really going to be a Blazer, man i was excited when he was still available at 11, I thought we had a shot at him... But then he was picked by the Pacers, when i heard speculations of getting him, i got excited. When would this be official? Wow I thought Batum would stay in France, maybe not... Well lets not forget about Oden and Fernandez. This is a DYNASTY we are talking about.
PS. I started to think of conspiracy theories, but then KP is just a Genius hahah.
When they took Brandon Rush, I thought OK, he's the replacement for James Jones and will eventually back up the other Brandon. But then The Magician waved his wand and boom, we had our point guard plus a nice 4-5 guy.
KP locks up 2009 NBA Executive of the Year already!
I'm disappointed we lost McRoberts, but besides that it was a pretty good draft.
Looks to be a exciting season. Heck it looked that way before the draft! :)
Now if Comcast will just make a deal with Directv I'll be very happy! I know, it's not going to happen.
The man is a genius! What a great series of moves. I am completely blown away that he had a perfect mock, he may be the only one outside the Seattle and Sacramento war rooms that could have seen those picks coming! To end up with one of the 5op 4 players in the draft while holding 13 and only giving up pieces that needed to be cleared out of the way, simply amazing! I can't wait to see Bayless develop with the rest of the young guys, our depth chart is scary good!
Leave it to KP and team... I was pretty excited for Rush. Not even one minute after announced on tv, I hear about the trade with Bayless. This is even better, what we need is a strong PG!!! I am so happy, I was not disappointed with the trades at all. I was concerned Outlaw/Webster may be traded. However, KP again did not let his fans down. Welcome to Portland Bayless!!!!
what a great draft! will Batum stay overseas for sure? also we still need to move a point guard if kaponon has a chance to make the team. that would make 4 point guards with him. oh yea how many roster spots do we even have open? THANKS MIKE!!!
First off - I am very excited with what happened, getting our man Bayless and another nice asset overseas in Batum to have later.
When KP talks about the "smoke screen" of the draft, perhaps he directly is referring to himself (not that he was the only one) with what he did in order to GET Bayless, in terms of not working him out, and instead putting more media emphasis on Westbrook and Augustin (to make us think thats who we were going for). It fooled me big time ( like it did to you MB and mostly everyone else I think) into thinking that we were for sure going for one of those two PGs (for me, I thought for sure DJ). I knew we weren't going for any veterans, because I knew that any teams with even plausible players to be traded would want too much (i.e. a Outlaw trade) so I knew we were hanging on to get someone in the Draft. And I'm happy we did that.
But I really thought we were going to do something to move up to 6 with the Knicks or do something else in order to snatch DJ. Then the deal for Bayless is chosen instead, and I must say it was wonderfully executed, as always by KP. He fought fire with fire in order to get hopefully the point guard of the future for Portland, and I am really excited to see what he will bring to the table for the Blazers.
But I wonder if we will ever know what were all of the other potential trade deals, that MIGHT have gotten us a DJ Augustin, or any other veteran players. I'm sure that KP will have more to tell us in the coming days once all of the legal stuff gets taken care of (felt bad for him in his interview on the radio! haha).
Also I have a feeling that this won't be the last thing we do between now and training camp, but only time will tell.
Again - Thanks KP and Paul for an amazing draft this year, and to you MB and all the Blazers broadcasters for keeping us in the know - go Blazers!!!
First off - I am very excited with what happened, getting our man Bayless and another nice asset overseas in Batum to have later.
When KP talks about the "smoke screen" of the draft, perhaps he directly is referring to himself (not that he was the only one) with what he did in order to GET Bayless, in terms of not working him out, and instead putting more media emphasis on Westbrook and Augustin (to make us think thats who we were going for). It fooled me big time ( like it did to you MB and mostly everyone else I think) into thinking that we were for sure going for one of those two PGs (for me, I thought for sure DJ). I knew we weren't going for any veterans, because I knew that any teams with even plausible players to be traded would want too much (i.e. a Outlaw trade) so I knew we were hanging on to get someone in the Draft. And I'm happy we did that.
But I really thought we were going to do something to move up to 6 with the Knicks or do something else in order to snatch DJ. Then the deal for Bayless is chosen instead, and I must say it was wonderfully executed, as always by KP. He fought fire with fire in order to get hopefully the point guard of the future for Portland, and I am really excited to see what he will bring to the table for the Blazers.
But I wonder if we will ever know what were all of the other potential trade deals, that MIGHT have gotten us a DJ Augustin, or any other veteran players. I'm sure that KP will have more to tell us in the coming days once all of the legal stuff gets taken care of (felt bad for him in his interview on the radio! haha).
Also I have a feeling that this won't be the last thing we do between now and training camp, but only time will tell.
Again - Thanks KP and Paul for an amazing draft this year, and to you MB and all the Blazers broadcasters for keeping us in the know - go Blazers!!!
First off - I am very excited with what happened, getting our man Bayless and another nice asset overseas in Batum to have later.
When KP talks about the "smoke screen" of the draft, perhaps he directly is referring to himself (not that he was the only one) with what he did in order to GET Bayless, in terms of not working him out, and instead putting more media emphasis on Westbrook and Augustin (to make us think thats who we were going for). It fooled me big time ( like it did to you MB and mostly everyone else I think) into thinking that we were for sure going for one of those two PGs (for me, I thought for sure DJ). I knew we weren't going for any veterans, because I knew that any teams with even plausible players to be traded would want too much (i.e. a Outlaw trade) so I knew we were hanging on to get someone in the Draft. And I'm happy we did that.
But I really thought we were going to do something to move up to 6 with the Knicks or do something else in order to snatch DJ. Then the deal for Bayless is chosen instead, and I must say it was wonderfully executed, as always by KP. He fought fire with fire in order to get hopefully the point guard of the future for Portland, and I am really excited to see what he will bring to the table for the Blazers.
But I wonder if we will ever know what were all of the other potential trade deals, that MIGHT have gotten us a DJ Augustin, or any other veteran players. I'm sure that KP will have more to tell us in the coming days once all of the legal stuff gets taken care of (felt bad for him in his interview on the radio! haha).
Also I have a feeling that this won't be the last thing we do between now and training camp, but only time will tell.
Again - Thanks KP and Paul for an amazing draft this year, and to you MB and all the Blazers broadcasters for keeping us in the know - go Blazers!!!
Boom baby! KP = genius. So what precautions and assurances are in place so that the Pacers don't back out between now and when the deal is deemed "official?" Are there any?
Mike, thanks for writing and doing a good job on the radio. I will admit, I was high on Westbrook more than anything. Bayless was not even in my mind as a choice, even though he is and will be a good addition. This just reaffirms the statement of 'do not believe everything you read.' And with KP, I believe everyone should take it to heart and think like him and go outside the considered norm.
I did see Batum coming here though, and the use of the 27th pick to get him did make at least one of my predictions to come true. I remember hearing that he wants to come to the NBA ASAP, is there any validation you give to that? Or will we have t wait for July 1st (or whenever signing of picks occurs)?
And lastly how did you fare in the Caddies for the Cure? Remember me as your caddy, Clement? Well, hope to hear more soon and hopefully I'll stop by during the season before you call the home games.
Clement U.
Damn he's good, how does he do it? I was going to comment on the fact that this was basically the 4th pick all along in the mock drafts. Now I see that he was actually on the KP's list as the 4th best prospect as well. I had a feeling it would be someone we weren't predicting him to pick, just didn't think it would be a top player in the draft like Bayless. I love this city and this team.
There's a lot of discussion on the official fan forums of serious character issues with Bayless. Is there anything really to be worried about, or are some of the fans being overly negative?
Mike, what do you think the plans are for Sergio Rodriguesz now that they have acquired another point guard? I just hope he gets more playing time this upcoming season. It would be terribly disappointing to see him sit on the bench again knowing what he could bring - assists and lots of excitement!
Mike;
Thanks for the fill in.
I haven't heard much about Bayless. One of the bloggers on Oregon-live said he wasn't any better than JJ, but I read a few days ago that some of our players had to go because of the Salary cap problem at the end of the year.
If that is so, did we trade JJ for business reasons? Could you give me your opinion on Bayless since the bloggers are bias?
I never get to watch many Collage basketball games because of trade-offs from just having one TV. That is why I am so ignorant of college players. I read the blogs to get an idea of their worth, but there are too many bias bloggers. For instance the scoop on Augustine was he was to short and another Daman, than others said he would be like CP3.
So, in your next blog could you give us a run down on the players we picked and what might be happening with them?
Thanks for the fill in most bloggers are excited about Bayless so he must be good. How did he go so low in the draft if he was the fourth best player in the draft? That is the part I don't understand.
hg
It's kind of ironic because I started wondering about Bayless simply because Pritchard never said anything about him. Guess I was on to something and I am happy Pritchard and i agreed!
Folks,
I'm sorry this blog looks so silly today. The Indiana trade isn't official yet, and being a team website, we're trying to be sensative to that fact. It's a complicated situation, and one of those things we just have to do. So, we can talk about the trade, we just can't talk about the trade. Clear as mud? The good news is, you can talk about anything you want. Thanks.
MB
wtf...i cant believe we traded dorsey and srthur i can learn to like the bayless pick but i would have liked to see us keep rush and maybe have just traded the other two for him i also would have liked us to pick up CDR or patrick ewing jr
I'll be happy to organize a public speaking circuit for KP after he retires.
As a fellow poker afficionado, all I have to say is: KP had THE NUTS all along.
Those in the know will know what I mean.
Bravo, and congratulations.
PS.,
I heard Jarred Bayless on the Morning Sports Page on my way in to work and this doesn't sound like a guy with character flaws whatsoever. And he is TRHILLED to be a Blazer.
Totally faked out Seattle, I hope they like Westbrook. It looked like they took him because the thought Portland wanted him?
I know I thought that, I got faked out too. Nice job KP, very glad your working for the Blazers.
So did that trade that Quick had the big scoop on fizzle out? I'm assuming so, since it didnt happen ;^) And since we now have Diago, I cant see that we would add Lee to the mix too. I'm wondering if we have one more move that will happen before camp opens.
Overall, I'm pretty happy about what happened last night though.
nicolas batum is the man...i love everything KP did yesterday.
Go Blazers!
All I have to say is...
"BA-TUM-CHAKA-LAKA!!"
on a side note I found this on spurs websight regarding Batum. Its BS I'm sure but worth the read, links inside.
http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100018
Nice review of the draft MB. I enjoyed you guys on the radio last night. Quick question before I comment on the draft, I live in Eugene so what other FM or AM radio affilate will pick up the game broadcasts next season? Also, are we any closer with Comcast making a deal with the dish providers? Thanks.
Now for the draft. Overall, I liked what the Blazers walked away with. However, I was pretty high on Brandon Rush - I felt he was the BEST all around player in the draft that Portland could have used right away. He reminds me a lot of Grant Hill before his injuries. His skill set of being athletic, a good shooter, and his defensive prowness makes him a potentially great swingman in this league. Plus, he would have been good insurance if Webster gets traded and/or James Jones doesn't resign. It was unfortunate that we had to sacrifice him for Bayless.
Bayless - I feel he is a nice upgrade for the back court. Haven't seen him enough to have a strong opinion yet. Obviously, KP has and believes in him. He seems like a Devin Harris type player with a better outside shot. If that is proven true, then the Blazers have the right guy. What do you all think?
I like Batum - hope he'll be on-board for this coming season.
Watch for more possible deals next month. I have the feeling that KP is not quite done yet. A veteran may be in the works.
Looking forward to your next post Mike! Go Blazers!
Its nice to be back! I was a diehard fan that left because of the JailBlazer days! So Rip City & lickidy prindle up the middle! Wow did you see that move. Holy Cow!
So even though I was soaked with beer in the Forum in 1977..... it is soooooo sweet to know that we are back & look out lakers for yet another sweeping title! 2 years out! (or sooner)
What a rollercoaster of a draft. Only KP can make the draft this exciting for the fans and media alike. I was disappointed when Augustin was off the board. I was disappointed in getting Brandon Rush. Then I was excited that we got Bayless AND a great player in Diogu for a guy we wanted to trade for an upgrade (Jack) and a guy we didn't need (McRoberts). Then I was really excited to get Arthur. I was unsure about Dorsey and the other 2nd round picks. Then dissapointed in seeing Arthur go for Batum but happy to see Dorsey go because of his questionable work ethic. I was also happy to see the other two 2nd rounders go for more future 2nd rounders. I am not so convinced Batum will be good. Neither his play nor his workouts seemed all that impressive. He is a project while Arthur is good right now.
The Pacers just got PRITCH SLAPPED!
My gut feeling was that they were going to go after Bayless or Augustin.
Good job Kevin.
Whitsitt who?
Mike,
This is Rick the fan that stayed all the way to the end at the draft party.First just wanted to say thanks to all you guys did last night.Well I think everthing tha KP did last night was amazing.Can't wait to watch the summer games on tv.Well take care and by the way how about that scary thing that was walking in front of the table twards Mike Rice.To funny : } Later Rick G
I am happy that the blazers got a good PG in Bayless. I am a little unhappy that they did not keep Authur. I think he has more upside then Batum but we shall see. I really hope the moves keep coming; Rodriguez, Webster, Lafrenz all need to go in order to get some vets here and free up some money PLAYOFFS are next.
please, please, please someone get direct tv the license to broadcast the games next season. this will be a big problem next year if it doesn't get worked out. thanks.
Awesome draft, I think I listened to 95.5 from 9am to about 10pm.
Any news on comcast TV channel get on the dishes? Now that we got this awesome team can they get deal done? What needs happen for Comcast and dishes to make friends in Portland, can't they fight it out in a bigger market somewhere else?
Hope Bayless eventually gets excited about being a Blazer.
KP is clever, clever. My wife said he traded those guys like pokemon cards. I can't help but wonder if more changes/trades are coming...
Welcome new Blazers. I wish minutes for you.
So, the Blazers' pick of Bayless was a little curious, until you consider:
We have a shooting guard who handles the ball almost like a point guard; Bayless is WICKED coming off screens and curls to shoot, drive, distribute; Bayless can improve his ball-handling and become a straight-up, 6'3" point guard in the next couple of years; Bayless ought to be a tough defender for smaller "1's"; Blake and Sergio can function more as true point guards with the second unit when Roy is off the floor, bringing the ball upcourt and being the main ball handler.
I love this move and think that it just makes the Blazers tougher.
I wouldn't expect any really deep playoff push this year- they'll be happy to get there, but won't have any experience- but I see them as a force in the '10-'11 season when Oden, Bayless, Fernandez are in their 3rd seasons and Webster has matured on both ends of the floor(I think Webster's upside is still absolutely HUGE).
This team is going to be very good for a long time ;-).
October can't get here fast enough...
Most likely the Pacers were intending to take Bush with their pick, but KP ask them to pick for us so the Kings wouldn't take Bayless or DJ depending which one made it to the 11th pick and then we'd pick Bush for them and give them JJ and McRoberts for doing it. So while it's questionable why the Pacers wouldn't rather have Bayless, they got the player they were going to get anyway plus got some extra. The player we got from them was just to make the deal work and why McRoberts was added. The Pacers even came out of it will a little, though very little, extra cap space.
So I wouldn't say we Pritch slap the Pacers, if anything KP did it to the Kings. If the Kings GM was smart enough he would have done what KP did to the Timberwolves to get Roy and grabbed Rush to make the Pacers deal with them.
The same can be said for the Batum trade, the Spurs if they knew who the Rockets wanted might have been able to mess up that deal as well.
While it sounds like Bayless is a upgrade over JJ they are very similar in that both are combo guards and both seem to have a score first mentality rather than pass first. I think we need more of a distributor though Bayless might have been ask to score more for his team and of course Roy will be handling the ball a lot.
Even if he's not exactly what we wanted he obviously was a great value for what we paid.
GO BLAZERS!!
Here's my take on the Comcast Sports NW and satellite companies. First check this out:
"Unlike most other cable networks, CSN Philadelphia is only distributed via microwave and fiber optics. The infrastructure Comcast uses for this was left over from the now defunct PRISM Network. Since its programming is not transmitted by satellite, Comcast is able to avoid an FCC regulation that requires most television channels to be offered to direct broadcast satellite companies. Thus, DBS customers in the Philadelphia region do not get access to the network or any of the local team's games. However, cable companies other than Comcast within the designated CSN Philadelphia market do have access to the channel. In December 2006, Comcast even made a deal to place CSN Philadelphia on Verizon's competing FiOS systems.[2] All of the other members of Comcast SportsNet are available to DBS subscribers, with the exception of CSN Northwest (however this is only because DirecTV and Dish Network have not been able to reach an carriage agreement with Comcast)."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSN_Philadelphia
Scroll down to Availability to see that.
Comcast seems to be doing the same thing here. That is why they've only made a deal with Verison, but no Satellite companies. We are stuck in the middle of a battle that Comcast has with Satellite companies. Which sucks for us.
So I wouldn't expect it to change anytime soon. After all Philly was their first sports network and they still haven't had a agreement yet.
The only way I see this changing, and both sides know what it'll take to get the job done after all they've reach agreements on all the other Comcast sports networks, is if the BLazers step in.
From what I gather from a season ticket only meeting with the Blazers if there isn't a deal done by the END of next season they will....talk to Comcast.
Last season every day when I woke up the first thing I did was check to see if a deal had been made and every day I was disappointed. I can't comprehend doing that again through another whole season!
MB, your thoughts?
I have to say that I am very pleased with the draft- KP is genious we should be very lucky to have hime as our GM. Personaly I think the Blazers would have been fine standing pat because remember that Oden and Fernandez are both going to be on the team. So you basically have a #1 pick and another potential lottery pick with Fernandez already set to join the team and now you ad Bayless. On of the sports pages have already been given there projections for next year and picked the Blazers as the 3rd best team in the west. David Thorp of ESPN as already done his break down of the top 20 rookies entering this seaso. Our Blazers have 3 in the top 13 and 4 in the top 20 http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=thorpe_david&page=Rookies-080627
the link is worth checking out. I give KP an A+ for a draft well done- Again
I have to say that I am very pleased with the draft- KP is genious we should be very lucky to have hime as our GM. Personaly I think the Blazers would have been fine standing pat because remember that Oden and Fernandez are both going to be on the team. So you basically have a #1 pick and another potential lottery pick with Fernandez already set to join the team and now you ad Bayless. On of the sports pages have already been given there projections for next year and picked the Blazers as the 3rd best team in the west. David Thorp of ESPN as already done his break down of the top 20 rookies entering this seaso. Our Blazers have 3 in the top 13 and 4 in the top 20 http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=thorpe_david&page=Rookies-080627
the link is worth checking out. I give KP an A+ for a draft well done- Again
I have to say that I am very pleased with the draft- KP is genious we should be very lucky to have hime as our GM. Personaly I think the Blazers would have been fine standing pat because remember that Oden and Fernandez are both going to be on the team. So you basically have a #1 pick and another potential lottery pick with Fernandez already set to join the team and now you ad Bayless. On of the sports pages have already been given there projections for next year and picked the Blazers as the 3rd best team in the west. David Thorp of ESPN as already done his break down of the top 20 rookies entering this seaso. Our Blazers have 3 in the top 13 and 4 in the top 20 http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=thorpe_david&page=Rookies-080627
the link is worth checking out. I give KP an A+ for a draft well done- Again
KP is the smartest GM in basketball. I met him at a corporate event and he spoke to my company about leadership and integrity. It is so refreshing to see our Blazers management continue to move towards a culture that develops good people into awesome basketball.
KP is the smartest GM in basketball. I met him at a corporate event and he spoke to my company about leadership and integrity. It is so refreshing to see our Blazers management continue to move towards a culture that develops good people into awesome basketball.
Im so glad that the trailblazers got Jerryd Bayless. I wanted him or Russell Westbrook. Bayless will offset Roy perfectly. I Think we will have the best one-two guard in the NBA... Actually the best team from 1 to 12, Bayless is the next Chauncey Billups. He can shoot the three, has a good first step and I think he can be unselfish. KP FOR PREZ NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT... We wouldnt be as far without this man... He desearves the key to the city or Portland
Thanks Mike for all the great coverage. KP thank you for not letting us down this year!!! Im a little sad to see Mcbob go because he was never given much of a chance but Im sure Bayless will make up for it!
I'm happy to announce to the world that this former NK Knick fan is a converted PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS FAN!!! I grew up with the Knicks and will always have a soft spot for them, but you can only deal with ineptitude but for so long. I'm pleased with the character and personel of this franchise. I visited Portland a few years back and was impressed with the city as well. This franchise completely turned it around and I admire that...willingness to WIN!!! Thanks for making me love basketball again!
I was very surprised ( and pleased) about the draft. Bayless and Roy will be a great backcourt combination. Although he is does not possess the strongest point guard abilities, but he is an offensive threat from any place on the floor and moves well without the ball. Brandon can handle the ball on the offensive end anyway.
Despite all this I feel that are still some moves to be made. There is still a build up of players who will demand time on the floor. Someone will be moved; certainly before the trading deadline, but I think before the season starts would be better. Let's know what we got before the season starts so they: A.) can gell as team B.) can avoid complaining from those not getting there time on the floor. Besides this team still needs a veteran player off the bench.
Kurt, you sir are not a true fan. True fans stick with their team, even through the toughest of times.
Yeah great draft by Pritchard once again.
MikeB
Why doesnt Mike Rice post anything like you do? I would like to here his opinion as well. Or is he too busy getting into bar fights and getting T'd up?
Hey there everyone, and Mike :) I was hoping you could give me a hand. I created a petition called "Oregonians 4 Blazer Games" I am going to send it to Comcast and others, will you please sign it? I live in Eastern Oregon and cannot get but maybe 10 games a year.
I honestly think it is absurd that we have the SOON to BE World Champions in our own backyard and can't see them play. I have Dish Network, and Comcast and them haven't settled their differences. I am sick and tired getting the same old line everytime I ask one of them how long it will be, until we get the games.
Heck, the Blazers are the only team that you can't get with the NBA League Pass, what's with that? I DO NOT want to go a 4TH year without Blazer Games!!!! I love the team and what we are doing, KP is a God among Gods. I want to actually watch the guys start to gel, instead of watching highlights. Thanks for your time, here is the blog....notice the #22 :)
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/blazer22/petition.html
Will the draft edition of courtside be available on podcast?
yes yes great draft. I think bayless is a good draft pick. he will be better then JJ in the long run. Hard to tell but it also will get sergio some playing time. for those of you who think sergio needs more min. plus rudy coming
so we have to make room for him.
Lets not forget about the man almighty "ODEN". SO lets hope all the puzzle peices fit. they will go blazers
I guess we aren't getting an update about anything until July 1st. Look forward to an update.
I absolutely CANNOT WAIT for this season to start! I already bought half season tickets and I am bummed out I can't upgrade to full season with my seats! Playoffs or bust!
I absolutely CANNOT WAIT for this season to start! I already bought half season tickets and I am bummed out I can't upgrade to full season with my seats! Playoffs or bust!
For all those wondering about the Comcast negotiations and Sattilte TV.
I'm sure the Blazer Mgt. have told all their employee's to head off all comments and not answer any questions regarding the TV Rights.
I have written a number of emails to blazer mgt.,and made several posts to this blog to see if anyone has heard anything and if this posting gets through, it will be the first that any has made the scrutiny.
The Blazer's, i'm sure does not want to comment on it.
The Blazers should do much better
this upcoming season 2008-2009!
Mr. Pritchard has put together
a very good group of players.
GO BLAZERS!
I 100% agree with the fella above about the Comcast monopoly. I've been a loyal Blazer fan for over 30 years and this is pretty offensive. It would be a huge injustice to continue to keep the dedicated fans that don't have Comcast in the dark for next season - it was extremely disappointing that no agreement was made last year. I personally boycotted all Blazer sponsors for the entire year. If I have to do that again, I will. I also have no problem spreading the word for others to do the same.
KP is a great GM. Nuff said. Bayless looks to have a tremendous upside. However, lets get a bit more realistic with our expectations. 1) Bayless is very young and there is significant development ahead of him. How well will he transition to a pure point guard? He is more of an Arenas or, dare I say, Stoudamire type- lots of shots, but yet to prove he can make others around him better. He is going to be a project at point and don't look for him to be a significant contributor right away-I'd love to be wrong on this. I suspect he will contribute more at the 2. Frankly, Brandon Roy is much more prepared to move to the 1 than Bayless. Since that move is unlikely and unwise, look for more of the same at the 1 unless KP makes another move. 2) On a team that suffered from an inability to score in the paint (dead last in the league last year in this statistic, weren't they?), we just traded one of the very few players (Roy and Aldridge) with the heart to go to the rim, night in and night out- J.Jack. I know, coach didn't like his turnover to assist ratio. However, compare it to Bayless' at Arizona- 1.4 to 1. Jack's was significantly better in the NBA. Bayless won't magically improve, and not immediately, in the NBA. Expect this ratio to be worse for awhile. Don't get me wrong, Bayless is a good pick with tons of upside. But my prediction is he is 2 to 3 years away from being an NBA PG. Signing Rudy will greatly help to take the pressure off the need for Bayless to produce immediately, with our other guards. We need to be patient with the team and Bayless!
Joey Dorsey (Portland Trail Blazers) online videos
( joeydorsey.info/ )
I'm a bit worried about Sergio as it seems it is commonly accepted he will never be the starting point guard for this team. I think he is a great player and should be traded if he is not going to have any opportunity, which I think is the case. I like Beyless, even Blake, but Sergio is young and his career should have some continuity.
I think Sergio has this one more year to prove himself to the Blazers. If Bayless lives up to his promise and Sergio doesn't, he will be traded, or go back to Spain.
Blake is the ideal backup point guard. He doesn't make many mistakes, is a good defender, can play both guard positions, and can step in as the starter if needed. Plus he's a team oriented guy and he loves Portland!
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