A ridiculous comparison

I just read this quote in Mike Barrett's blog. This is the sort of thing that I really love about Brandon Roy.

This weekend the players will start arriving back into town. Greg Oden is expected to get here Sunday, Brandon Roy is already back, and I believe LaMarcus Aldridge is as well. It was Roy who made the request that the team get back into town over a month early, so they could start preparing. It's not likely the entire team will show as early as next week, but it'll be interesting to see who is able to make it. Steve Blake, James Jones, and several others have been here for several weeks.

Reading stuff like that keeps the stupid image in my head of Roy as a player more like Jordan than a lot of others I could name. He worked the entire off season to improve the weakest part of his game, which also improved throughout his injury riddled rookie season. He might have been the guy to push for Zach's trade, not because he didn't like Zach, but because he knew that the team would develop into a better team without him. He took over games during crunch time, which didn't always just mean shooting: he drove, made big shots, and found open teammates for game winners. If his defense continues to improve, and if his outside shooting improves functionally with how much time he's put into it, then my stupid brain will continue to make the connections between him and Jordan. I know he's not the same type of scorer, but so many of the other things about them are similar. And I'm not saying he's "the next" Jordan, just that his intensity and leadership and desire remind me of MJ more than most.

NFL Season Preview, via Arrested Development (Part 1)

It's been a long time since I wrote about a sports topic that wasn't related in some way to the Blazers. So I'm ripping off a gimmick that the Sports Guy uses and doing an NFL season preview. Instead of just writing a normal preview, though, I'll be using characters, episodes, and quotes from Season one of Arrested Development to set up my lame jokes and comments. To do that will take three parts, which means this first part is the only one that'll happen.

Quotes:

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Gob: So what? Lindsay's been staying at the Four Seasons for like a month, and she's probably charging it to the company!
Michael: Lindsay's been in town for a month?
Gob: ...I don't think so.

This goes to the Oakland raiders and Jamarcus Russel. I mean, the draft was in April. He was the first overall pick. I'm trying to imagine how the conversations have been between Russell and his agent, and between the agent and the Raiders.

Agent: When Brady Quinn signed last week he got more money than we thought he would, so we've...
JR: Brady Quinn signed last week?
Agent: ...I don't think so.

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Raiders Exec: Well, he should sign soon. I mean, even though he's a veteran, it took Daunte Cullpepper a little while to figure out our offense when he showed up a few months ago...
Agent: You signed Daunte Cullpepper a few months ago?
RE: ...I don't think so.

Gob: You know, I sort of thought my contribution could be a magic show.
Michael: Oh, that's perfect, Gob.
Gob: Thank you.
Michael: Or, wait a minute. I just remembered something — Dad's retiring, not turning six.

This goes to Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers. Who didn't like Favre in the '90s? I mean, besides fans of all the other teams in the NFC north? But now it's just sad. Like a grown man having a magic show at his retirement. Speaking of, maybe Gob could convince Favre that his it would be wroth retiring just to see the illusions performed at his retirement party.

George Sr.: I don't have time for your magic tricks.
Gob: Illusions, Dad! You don't have time for my illusions!

This goes to Matt Millen and the Lions. How does he still have a job in Detroit? It's the illusion. Or maybe he's turning tricks. Doing tricks, I meant doing magic tricks.

Michael: Okay, guys, um... they are going to keep Dad in prison at least until this gets all sorted out. Also, the attorney said that they’re going to have to put a halt on the company’s expense account.
[All gasping.]
Michael: Interesting. I would’ve expected that after “They’re keeping Dad in jail.”

This goes to the Falcons. I really wouldn't have expected Vick's teammates to be so quick to embrace Joey Harrington as The Man in Atlanta. Wow, they haven't exactly thrown Vick under the bus, but there hasn't really been much support for him.

Lindsay: You’ve had $80,000 worth of cartography lessons. Get us a channel to the ocean.
Buster: Okay, okay, okay.
(Pauses)
Buster: Obviously this blue part here is the land

This goes to Eli Manning. Let's see:

1. Great bloodline? Check.


2. Successful college career? Check.


3. Cocky attitude that kept him from staying in San Diego? Check.


4. Numerous weapons on offense? Check.

Maybe it's too much to ask him not to buckle under pressure. Or maybe he should be able to tell that the blue part is water, not land.

Lucille: I'd rather be dead in California than alive in Arizona.

I don't think I even need to explain why this one goes to Matt Leinart.

Michael: Hey mom, I was wondering if you knew anything about these....
Lucille: [interrupting] I don't know where they are.
Michael: ...flight records. You know, it's really more believable if you let me finish first.

The first one I'm awarding to Michael Vick.

George Sr.: ...this is my vacation, Michael.
Michael: You're doing time, dad.
George Sr.: I'm doing the time... of my life!

This goes to Pacman Jones. It's too bad the NFL won't let him wrestle. They probably won't let him follow the example set by Joey Galloway in 1999 of playing flag football. We could see Pacman competing in all sorts of reality show events. It really could be the time of his life.

Narrator: Tobias had gotten the directing job by meeting with the school principal.
Tobias: ... and you tell me you've got some P.E. teacher directing? That just makes me want to puke all over your head, sir! [gets on one knee] Give me a chance to tell the bard's tale and I give you my word on humble knee whence you shall not say it wasn't e'r to be.
Principal: ... Jerry, you cool with this?
Jerry/P.E. Teacher: Sure, let the little fruit do it.
Tobias: Huzzah!

This one goes to any team that's just trying to fill holes.

Buster: It's like she gets off by being withholding.
Gob: Look who's got something to say.
Buster: I'm Mom and I want to shoot down everything you say so I can feel good about myself. 'Cause I'm an uptight -- [Incredibly extended BLEEP] -- Buster! -- [Extended BLEEP] -- You old horny slut!
Michael: [pause] Well, no one's gonna top that.

This one goes to the New York Giants and whichever of their players goes crazy this season about how controlling Tom Coughlin is and how much everyone hates him. I'm guessing around week five, depending on if Strahan comes back.

Michael: Listen, after we get that lot cleared, we're going to have enough money for you to neuter thousands of animals. You can make dogs and cats a complete thing of the past. No more dogs and cats.

This one goes to Vick too.

Kitty: Your wife's on line one.
Narrator: Michael's wife had been dead for two years.
Michael: My what?
Narrator: Kitty realized her mistake.
Kitty: I said, "your wife is on line one."
Narrator: But not immediately.

This goes to the Cheifs. Three weeks into the season, after signing Larry Johnson to a huge deal ending his holdout, the Cheifs are going to really wish Priest Holmes' comeback had worked out better when Johnson's knees explode. Running backs can only handle so many carries per year, and I think LJ has fit 8 seasons worth of carries into two and a half seasons.

Gob: Take off your glasses. Oh ... wait, wait. Let down your hair. No, glasses on, hair back up. Let's just get that hair right back up.
Kitty: Let me turn the lights off.
Gob: Yes, yes, please.
Kitty: How's that? Is that better?
Gob: It just seems like there's still light coming in from under the door.

This goes to the Oakland Raiders offense. No matter what you do or how you look at it, this offense is really ugly.

Lindsay: It's all I've ever wanted from you, Daddy - for you to spend money on me.

This goes to Tom Brady. The Patriots finally spent money this off season to help him out, and I think he's going to show his gratitude by playing even better this season than he has so far in his career.

Lucille: It's an idiot on a scooter at night. It's got to be Gob.

To LaVar Arrington. I thought that after Kellen Winslow and Ben Roethlesberger crashed their motorcycles NFL players would be more careful. I thought wrong.

Lindsay: Oh you'll never be able to do it. You're too good. You're the noble one.
Michael: Thank you.
Lindsay: The one who never wins.
Michael: I don't know about that.
Lindsay: The loser. The fool.

I'm going to go ahead and give this to the Bears. They've been pretty good the last few years. They're supposed to be good again this year. And yet, I just don't think they'll be able to even match last year's success.

Michael: Your Uncle Gob seems to think that he saw you down at the docks today. Was that you?
George Michael: No. Maybe it was the other George Michael. You know, the singer-songwriter.
Michael: Yeah, that makes sense.

This one goes to Adrian Peterson, the rookie for Minnesota. When Cedric Benson gets hurt a week and a half into the season, the other Adrian Peterson will take over the running back chores in Chicago, and he'll end up having more touchdowns than his Viking-rookie counterpart.

Reporter: Where's Earl Milford?
Gob: I-I don't know. I put him in a box. I didn't kill him, alright? And don't edit this for your broadcast so it looks like I'm screaming, "I killed Earl Milford!"
[Cut to Fox6 News]
John Beard: Startling confession tonight at 11:00.

This goes to the Cincinnati Bengals. At this point, even when players don't do anything wrong they get a bad rap. Then again, they did bring it upon themselves.

Lindsay: I'll tell you what. I'll take you down to see Nana if you split the money with me 60-40.
Maeby: 55-55.
Lindsay: Deal.
Michael: Sounds like you guys are getting more than you think.
Lindsay: We should go now before your Dad gets back. No need going halfsies with him, too.

This goes to the Houston Texans. I don't know how much they think Matt Schaub is worth, but my guess is that he's not worth as much as they think. Honorable mention on this goes to the Raiders for every QB they have, the Dolphins for Trent Green, and the Buccaneers for Garcia and the still-retired Jake Plummer.

Gob: And now you love the ten commandments. And yet you're the one who so conveniently forgot "Thou shalt protect thy father and honor no one above him unless it be-ith me, thy sweet Lord."
Michael: I'm not sure that one made it down the mountain, Gob.

This goes to everyone who's making up things about how good some bad team will be this year. I guess it's mainly for anyone suggesting that the Cardinals will be good. You're just faking it if you say that.

Tobias: Well, I've always wanted to remake Annie Hall. Except, I wouldn't want to get in bed with a green producer like a Sofia Coppola, though. Oh, but give me an old pro like a Robert Redford. Oh, I'd jump into bed with him in a second. And I wouldn't just lie there, Michael Bluth, if that's what you're thinking.
Michael: Actually, that time, that was what I was thinking.

This goes to the New England Patriots, who just signed "an old pro" to go with Tom Brady. Why would any team need Vinny Testaverde at this point?

Michael: Lindsay, new outfit?
Lindsay: This? No, I've had this for years. I think it's a hand-me-down from Mom.
Michael: You got a price tag. Right there.
Lindsay: Is there? I guess she wanted me to have something new. Sweet old thing.
Michael: Only two of those words describe Mom, so I know you're lying to me.

This goes to the Cleveland Browns, who acquired Jamal Lewis during the off season. I mean, how is that old thing going to help they're running game when he couldn't even run behind a better than average line in Baltimore?

That's everything I have for now. I hope to do the other parts, but we'll see.

Here's another one

Alright, this was on there too. Number six is my favorite, but the one in which he posterizes Rasheed Wallace is pretty unbelievable too. And number one is definitely incredible.

Try this if the video doesn't load.

Not what I expected

I was looking on Peekvid for something to do while I'm not doing anything in my hotel room, and I came across what appeared to be Michael Jordan's "ten greatest plays." It appeared to be that because it was titled as such. It turned out, instead, to be ten great plays against the Blazers. Yeah, fantastic. But it's still pretty amazing, and this goes out to my friend Ek. If the video doesn't load on the page then click on the link below or in the title.Try this if that didn't work.

Old-school Bill Walton at home

I saw this video just a few seconds ago. It's fun to see a young Walton, and I think the similarities between Oden's soft-spoken-ness and Walton's are great. Then again, I'm a little scared to hear about Walton's foot problems, since Roy and Aldridge have both already had their own foot problems. Just coincidence, but still a little scary.

Nice timing

I just cashed my reimbursement check from Compton for the U-Haul. I feel kind of bad about that, since my parents actually paid for the truck and auto transport, but my dad told me that was what I should do. And since I have less than $20 in my bank account right now, the $1000+ reimbursement came when I needed it really badly. Now I just get to look forward to kicking part of my paycheck to my parents for the first couple months of employment. Knowing that I have a little bit of money now allowed me to escape to the beach again. I'm sitting in a little coffee shop called Java Man in Hermosa Beach, and I'm going to walk down to the ocean pretty soon. I just updated my facebook profile for the first time in a while, and all the quotes I chose are from a packet my friend Luke put together for his high school students called A Few Things to Keep You Entertained.... Most of the quotes are not only good, but also timely for me as I'm getting ready to head into the classroom soon.

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Since this is already pretty newsy, I might as well just include a general update on what's going on for me right now. I found a townhouse in Long Beach that I really like, and that I think Stephen and Eric will both like too. I got a letter today from Compton as proof of the salary I'll be making so I can apply to rent this place. I need to find my social security card too, but I'm fairly certain I know where it is, even if that means going to my storage unit tomorrow morning. I've looked at some other places too, and need to try to go by to see them or call tomorrow. But after looking at what else is out there, this place seems like the tops to me. It doesn't have appliances, so I'd have to go in for that, but there are cheap ones all over craigslist. That leaves me with getting a California driver's license and registering my car here as two of the most pressing things I have left, and I don't plan on doing either of those before I have an actual address. I still need to get in touch with a few of the doctors who have bills I need to pay, but I did set something up with the ambulance company yesterday. I've also worked on a parent letter/syllabus and self-introductory flyer for my students. To top it all off, I actually went for a bit of a run today. So that's it. This post has been pretty lame, but I wanted to make myself feel better about what I've accomplished down here, and that did it.

Mike Bacsik

He threw the pitch. The at-bat was actually pretty good for the pitcher, going up 2-2, throwing a ball after that, Bonds hitting one foul to keep the count full, and then going after him as Barry lifted it to the deepest part of AT&T Park. I just happened to be watching when Barry Bonds broke the record. It was pretty incredible. I think I actually heard the city of of San Francisco cheering through my window, not over the TV. It was way cooler to watch than I would have expected.

Once again it just goes to show: I'm an idiot

One would think that being in a licensure program would insure my ability to do everything needed to get my teaching license in a timely manner. But one might be forgetting that I'm a moron. It turns out that I didn't submit some paperwork--and money--that I was supposed to send in order for my license to be processed. Yup, nice job on that one. I'm on my way to do that now, and it should end up alright. The turnaround time is two weeks. But still, I am ridiculously unorganized.

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Some happier things are right here: Kevin Garnett likes to wear Blazers stuff. The money quote, from Mark Madsen's blog:

Kevin told us how he had gotten up that morning and tried on the Portland shoes and that they had looked good. So he asked his wife “What do you think? Can I wear these in to practice?”

“Well Kevin, I don’t think so. I mean, the Trailblazers are in your conference and you play against them, right?....” she said.

Kevin decided to wear the shoes in anyway...

I really enjoyed reading that post, and it's a nice tribute from one of KG's teammates.

People might have seen this on TrueHoop, but I had to link to it anyway. The guy who started ProTrade and was part of a group of MIT students who won a lot of money in Vegas, Jeffrey Ma, is a consultant for the Blazers and had this to say about how the Spurs built a champion (three times over) and apparently how the Blazers are trying to do the same thing.

I remember sitting with Kevin Pritchard before he was KP, the GM of the Trail Blazers, and he explained the Spurs' mantra to me: Get three superstars and then fill the roster with guys willing to go through a wall to win.

This is actually just one more reason I wish we could retain Ime Udoka. I think he's one of the guys that will go through a wall to win.

My first experience in a music video

This clip is from the video shoot that I made Jacob, Collin, and Danny go to with me. Jacob is the second face you see walk in, and Collin is after the couple that come in next. I don't know if Danny or I make it in the full version at some point, but it's pretty cool to see my friends there.

Check out this video: Excerpt from Bright and Dirty Lights



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Back from the abyss

I'm blogging from Bend again, since I stopped here to see my friend Mindy on my way to Roseburg. I just got off the phone with U-Haul trying to figure out my move down to California. Compton is covering the cost for my truck with a purchase order, which is good for me since I don't have enough money to do it myself. But that means I have to make sure things will work out with the timing of getting the paperwork through and picking the truck up and beginning the long trek southbound on I-5. All of the stress I'm going through right now as I figure this stuff out is a relief after being in Arlington with my family for a month. I was so happy to leave this morning, and although I'll miss my brother, my excitement level is really high. That level could be related to my imminent move south, but I think it has a lot to do with getting a break from my family too. So that's what is going on right now.

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What else is going on right now is the Kevin Garnett to Boston trade. If it really happens then things are going crazy. As much as I think Minnesota will be even worse next year without Garnett, it would be a great move to continue the rebuilding process they started with Foye last year and continued in earnest with Corey Brewer in the draft this year. Foye, Brewer, and Jefferson will be three young guys who can grow together in the next few years. Sure, the Wolves would still have some work to do, but this is a step in the right direction, and with two first round picks coming over in the deal they can continue the process in the next two drafts. This would make the third incredibly young--but potentially talented--team in the Northwest division. What an interesting group of teams to watch with Portland, Seattle, Minnesota, and then Utah and Denver. I mean, this is supposed to be the weak division in the west. (I know it still is, but in a couple of years I don't think it will be.)

Also, I'm still holding out slight hope that Ime Udoka won't get a big enough offer from any other teams so that he and his agent come back to Portland and admit their mistake and ask if they can re-sign. At that point, we'd be getting him for the rest of the Mid-Level exception, or we'd be using the full Bi-Annual exception. We would then have 16 guaranteed contracts, which would most likely mean we'd cut Taurean Green and he'd get paid by us to play for someone else this year. Bringing Udoka back would definitely address one of the biggest issues being discussed right now: the lack of depth at shooting guard. It would also do a lot for the attitude of the team, I think. Just one more tough-minded hard-working player who does a great job on defense. I know it's just wishful thinking, but I've been thinking it none the less.

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I know that I haven't actually mentioned Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on here yet. If you haven't read the book, this could be some kind of spoiler, so don't read any more.

Seriously, if you care at all about little things, then don't read the next part. I'll make it a block within the text so you can just look past it.

I really enjoyed the finale in the Harry Potter series. I thought the way things tied together with Snape was fantastic. He was one of my favorite characters throughout the story. When I say "story" I mean the whole story encompassed by all seven books. I wasn't smart enough to see the Lily Potter love interest coming, but it made a ton of sense because of how much animosity he had for James Potter and his friends. It was also comforting to know that Dumbledore really did know what he was doing. The other things I learned about Dumbledore in this book actually made me appreciate his character more, too, because it was good to see the depth to his character and the complexity that was behind everything we read in the first six books. I wouldn't say that either of these developments were huge surprises, but thy were a bit unexpected. That can't be said about my other favorite development, which was Neville really growing into the hero I hoped he would be. After the sixth book I thought Neville might end up saving the day in the end. It wasn't quite that dramatic, but he was a huge player in the final battle, and I really appreciated that.

My friend Jacob summed up the one problem I had with the book when he said this. Since I can't remember it verbatim I'll paraphrase: it would have been good to put the book down before the epilogue and after the final chapter to just enjoy how the story ended.

I agree with that. The epilogue was pretty schmaltzy. It felt like Rowling was trying to make people happy by having Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny end up as a big group of adults sending their kids off to Hogwarts. Ugh. The names of the kids were pretty ridiculous as well, although I got goosebumps when I read the full name of Harry's second son. I won't write it here, just in case anyone who cares did read this far, but it ties to other parts of the book that I thought were fantastic.

This is the second book I've bought and read this summer, the first being The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon. I'll try to write a little about that one later this week.

Another car-post

The post right under this makes me proud for several reasons:

1. I wrote that entire post while riding in the car on the way to Portland yesterday afternoon. (Actually, you might notice a few things missing, since I didn’t have access to the internet when I wrote it to check a few names and facts about which I was a little unsure. I’ll fix those when I have real access again.)


2. I wrote it in pages, and then I posted it while sitting at a gas station filling up our car on the way to a family reunion. Yeah, I found a wireless connection, got online, and posted in about five minutes.


3. Because I wrote it in pages and then transferred it over, all the html codes I used--not that there were too many, but still--were correct and worked well. This is most evident in my use of lists. Yeah, I’m pretty proud of myself.

Since I wrote that post I read an article in the Oregonian by Jason Quick confirming that Blake has in fact signed with Portland. The deal is for three years, with a team option to terminate the contract after the second year. It is reportedly for about $12 million over the course of the contract. If this is true, and if it gets higher as the deal goes on, that means we have a little over $2 million of the mid-level exception still to re-sign Ime Udoka if he wants to be back. I’m still holding out hope, but we’ll see.

Since reading that article this morning I’ve been thinking more about what Blake can do for this team and what types of things he’ll get to do on this team. In doing so, I couldn’t help but compare him to another point guard who has thrived playing in an up-tempo offense with a bunch of great athletes. I know that comparing Blake to Steve Nash is a stretch, but it’s what my delusional fan mind does. Blake is a better defender than Nash is now, and he is probably a worse free throw shooter than Nash has ever been. Other than that, though, when we look at what Nash did in his first four years and what Blake has done, I think the comparison might be okay. I still don’t think that Nash is one of the greatest point guards ever. I think he is a great floor general who was put in a perfect situation. When he came into the league most scouts thought that he wasn’t fast enough or athletic enough to be a solid NBA player, and that his shot wasn’t good enough. Blake is a better shooter than Nash was at this point in his career, and has already shown himself to do the other things well (as I mentioned in the earlier post). As much as I think Sergio Rodriguez could be a great PG in the future, Steve Blake is actually pretty young still and could turn out to be better than Rodriguez. I don’t expect that Steve Blake will be a two-time MVP. Then again, I don’t think Nash should have won it either of those two years. But I do think that he could end up leading a team the way Nash has led the Suns. Of course, I think that in the end Portland will show themselves to have a more balanced team with a better core of players. Also, San Antonio should eventually lose some of their dominance and Portland should be more like them in their ability to play several different styles instead of just the run-you-to-death Suns style.

I really do expect the Blazers to make another move in the next few days or weeks to move one of their point guards. The move I’d most like to see? Jarrett Jack to shooting guard. He showed last year that he’s a pretty good combo guard, and right now Portland is lacking a little depth at the two. I don’t think he would be really excited about this, but I wonder if he would rather stay part of this team and it’s huge promise by being a back-up for a year before becoming a free agent next summer. Otherwise he should be traded somewhere so he can be an important part of their point guard rotation. If they are unable to sign either of their free agent point guards I see Milwaukee as a good landing point for Jack. I think Atlanta would still be a decent spot for him. Otherwise I’m not too sure. I don’t know what I’d want Portland to get in either of those deals. I think they could do a non-simultaneous trade with Milwaukee that creates another trade exception, or they might be able to trade him to Atlanta for someone like Josh Childress Salim Stoudamire. I don’t remember what Stoudamire’s contract looks like, and can’t check since once again I’m writing this from a car. I don’t think Atlanta has the cap space to create the trade exception like we could with Milwaukee, but I could be wrong. If that’s true, that might make more sense because then it would clear the roster spot to re-sign both Outlaw and Udoka.

Alright, time to put my computer away and just enjoy the rest of my car ride. Writing posts for my blog is one of the best ways I’ve found to make rides go by faster, and that’s pretty fantastic.

Steve Blake is back

Well, Kevin Pritchard made a move I expected but didn’t want: he signed Steve Blake to a new deal. It isn’t official yet, and Pritchard wouldn’t comment on it, but I think it’s basically done. It sounds like the deal will be for two years with a team option on the third. That is the perfect length considering the personnel, roster, and financial considerations we should be taking into account. Everything I’ve read--which hasn’t been too much yet--makes it sound like this deal was for less than the full mid-level exception, which is about the right price, too. I like what Blake brings back to Portland for several reasons.

1. Even though Blake has only been in the league four years (he was drafted out of Maryland by Washington in 2003), his time in college and the pros have shown him to be a serviceable starting point guard who provides leadership and consistency. This is a step up from even the best option the Blazers already had at the point, Jarrett Jack.


2. One of the biggest needs for the Blazers next year will be consistent outside shooting, which is another skill Blake has shown he has. With Roy committing his offseason to improving his own outside shooting--a part of his game many said was weak coming into last season which he improved as the games went on--and the addition of a solid three-point shooting point guard, the Aldridge-Oden focused offense should be even better.


3. It sounds like Ime Udoka will not be back with Portland next year because he might sign somewhere else. It also sounds like Joel Przybilla could be traded in a deal for Hedo Terkoglu (something I might talk about soon). If both of these guys are gone, Portland will really need one more guy at least to bring some intensity and grit to the team. I think Blake does that.


4. There is also talk amongst some Blazer experts (i.e. Jason Quick, Henry Abbot, Dave Deckard, and Casey Holdahl) that Pritchard has been hoping to make Portland into more of a running team than it has been. He and McMillan have “butted heads” about this a little bit, which just means that Nate is unwilling to play a style that he doesn’t think his players can play well. He has said he would love to run, but that he won’t do it until the pieces fit. All the other guys that Portland brought in fit that style. As much as I like Jarrett Jack, which is a lot, he doesn’t run the break very well. Steve Blake does run the break very well. He’s also proven, for a short period of time, that he can play well on a team when he isn’t expected to get his own shot much. On this Blazers team he’ll only be getting his own shot on a few pick and rolls or pick and pops or when it gets kicked out to him from one of the big two down low.


5. This might give Sergio a little more confidence in his place on this team, since it signals that we really do view him as the PG of the future for this team, with Blake being the stop-gap who will help Oden and Aldridge develop while working with Rodriguez in practice to help him develop his NBA chops.

As I’ve said before, I really do trust what Kevin Pritchard does with this team. I still would like to re-sign Udoka, would love to keep Jarrett Jack, and want to continue with the core that was in place before we made our great draft-day additions. But the moves he has made and has been rumored to be making still fit the timeline and address our needs as we try to build a dominant force in this league. Even with this deal we will be about 20 million under the cap for 2009 free agency. I took a look at who might be available then, and there are quite a few big name possibilities. There are plenty of small forwards in that group--right now, I know that they could be taken care of before then--who could be that “closer” Pritchard has talked about. At the same time, by then we should be really confident about how good these players are and are going to be, including the first three guys who we already think are going to be great pros:

1. Greg Oden


2. LaMarcus Aldridge


3. Brandon Roy


4. Channing Frye


5. Travis Outlaw


6. Martell Webseter


7. Sergio Rodriguez


8. James Jones


9. Taurean Green

In addition to them, we should have a good idea--maybe even closer to the confidence about those first guys with a few of them--about how good these players are and are going to be:

1. Rudy Fernández


2. Josh McRoberts


3. Joel Freeland

That only leaves a few guys from the team right now: Joel Przybilla (if he stays), Jarrett Jack (if he stays), Raef LaFrentz, Darius Miles, Petteri Koponen, Steve Blake (if he really is a Blazer again), and Hedo Terkoglu (if the rumors turn out to be true). Of those guys, we basically know what we’re getting from Przybilla, LaFrentz, Blake, and Terkoglu. Each of those guys brings a veteran presence and a defined set of skills that help him fill a role. Petteri Koponen is probably in the second group of players I listed above, but we might not be that sure even then of what his capabilities are. I think we’ll have a good idea, but not as good an idea as we will about those other three guys. Darius Miles is too much of an enigma to categorize. He could be retired by then, he could make a miraculous comeback and be the “closer” Pritchard was talking about, or he could just stay in this weird purgatory in which he’s lived since he first had his blow-out with Mo Cheeks. I would love to see the miraculous comeback, but I think that’s highly unlikely. I can only think of three of those guys who will be locked up for sure past that free agent period in 2009, and those guys are at the top of my first list.

All this is just to put one more reminder out there about how well the Blazers are building a contender. There is certainly a possibility that it won’t work out, but all signs point the other way. Even though I’ll be said if we trade Jack, I like Blake and trust Pritchard to continue making the right moves toward the long-term goal.

Some loose ends

Last night I was going to watch the Blazers summer league opener on NBA.com, but the friends with whom I was staying took us out to miniature golf instead. I did catch Oden's monster dunk in the second quarter, and I saw enough of him and Aldridge together to get pretty excited. I know that Oden didn't play that well, but I'm not terribly worried about it. It's disappointing to lose, since our team seems like it should be so superior to all of the other teams from a talent perspective, but oh well. Most teams have all their first and second year players on the roster, and we left off our best guy. I have very little doubt that with Brandon Roy out there we would have been steadier and taken care of business against the Celtics much better. Hopefully Martell Webster and Sergio Rodriguez start performing a lot better, but we'll see.

I also read that Ime Udoka was there, since he'll be talking to other teams as a free agent. I think he's actually pretty important for the Blazers to keep, and because of the intangibles he brings to the team is worth over-paying a little. Granted, over-paying for him wouldn't be that high, but the toughness, the work ethic, and the poise he brings to a young team is vital to our development.

In case anyone is having trouble watching the webcasts of summer league games--if you want to, that is--let me know and I'll help you out.

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I don't write about the Oregon Ducks very much, but this story was on ESPN.com today. It's about the Ducks' starting quarterback, Dennis Dixon, and his decision to play for the Braves lowest affiliate this summer instead of working out with the team in Eugene. As a Braves fan I have a little anticipation of the sort of things he could bring to the team eventually, since he's a really great athlete. He's fast, has a huge arm, and shows a knack for making spectacularly athletic plays. But as a Duck fan I'm a little concerned, since he was my choice to be the starting QB again this year. Even though I like him to start, he had a lot of things he needed to work on after last year. Hopefully that works out for both of my teams. We'll see.

---

I am in Bend right now, having stayed with some friends last night. I came over yesterday to hang out with Gregg Guerin, a really great guy--to quote David Yates, I'm sure--and friend of mine from Wheaton. He was in town visiting his girlfriend, which is a little weird. I had a really late breakfast with them around one o'clock at a great restaurant in Bend, and then we hung out for a few more hours. It was really fun to see Gregg, and quite enjoyable to tell his girlfriend stories from our time at Wheaton before the two of them met. It was also fantastic to get a chance to talk just a little bit about the Knicks and Blazers and the Mets and Braves, since Gregg is from Long Island. I told him my great idea--which is being put out here for the first time--to do some round table NBA discussions with a few representative fans of some of the up-and-coming teams in the league. I know the Knicks aren't really in that group, but Gregg would be a good addition anyway. He would represent the Knicks, my friend Ek would represent the pre-2007 draft sexiest team in the league Bulls, my friend J-Lew would represent the starting-five-forwards Atlanta hawks, and I would represent the post-2007 draft sexiest team in the league Blazers. I would love to find a way to use iChat or something like that to do a sort of around-the-horn video blog, using Final Cut to edit and put our conversation into one video, but I'm not sure if it's possible from each individual's computer capabilities, let alone my software abilities. It's something I want to look into, and since J-Lew and Ek are two of my few readers, I'm sure this will at least bring about a response as to what they think.

---

The last thing to mention is that my mom called me last night from Arlington, where they just moved, to tell me that there was a big fire. They were preparing, but hadn't had to go yet. As of this morning it sounded like things were more under control, but it made me think about just staying in Bend for another day so I wouldn't have to deal with a big fire.

The Randolph trade finally happened

After all the back and forth, it finally happened. I really liked Zach Randolph. I thought he was a good player, I thought he did a lot to be a good teammate and player, and I’ll miss him when he’s putting good numbers up in New York. It’s somewhat funny, because I still remember when I found out we drafted him. I was really upset. I thought he was both fat and undersized, which is an amazing dichotomy for a basketball player. I knew that he had only played one season at Michigan State, and that because Izzo doesn’t play freshmen Randolph didn’t even see the court as much as he might have at other schools.

But it only took that first playoff series against Dallas to show me that he was a good value toward the end of the first round. Randolph is an amazing low-post scorer. As convinced as I am that LaMarcus and Greg will be an absolute force, on offense and on defense, I think we’ll miss Zach’s presence down there for a while on the offensive end. I was pretty sure I wanted to see how half a season with Zach and Greg and LaMarcus went, and then ship him at the deadline if it didn’t look good. But I’m really confident in the plans that Kevin Pritchard has for the team, and I expect that this New York deal will turn into something even better within the next ten days. I can’t imagine what that might be, but I believe our GM knows what he’s doing.

Here are the things I’ll miss about Zach:

1. His desire to make the team a contender.


2. His ability to score inside against anyone.


3. His hard work in practice (Scottie Pippen once talked about, and which was evidenced very clearly when he came back from the microfracture surgery).


4. His growth as a person. (I really believe that.)


5. His genial personality and smile.

Here are the thing I won’t miss about Zach:

1. His tendency to hang onto the ball too long on offense.


2. His tendency to be slow in coming back down on defense.


3. His tendency to make poor decisions off the court.


4. His contract.

As far as the other guys involved in that trade, here’s my breakdown.
I loved Freddie Jones when he was an Oregon Duck, and I was glad to watch him for a while as a Portland Trail Blazer. Having said that, we didn’t really need him. He is an undersized shooting guard who, if things go the way they should, wouldn’t get much playing time on this Blazers team anyway. I hope he gets to play if he stays in New York, and I hope that if they buy him out he’s able to catch on with a team that will appreciate what he brings to the table.

I like danger Dan Dickau too, but I have no problem getting rid of him. He had a decent time in Portland this second run, but he also wouldn’t have been getting any playing time on this Blazers team in the future. With Jarrett Jack, Sergio Rodriguez, and the drafting of Taurean Green and Petteri Koponen there was absolutely no room for Dickau.

What about the guys we got in that deal?

I really believe that Pritchard plans on sending Steve Francis to another team as soon as possible. I wish I had a clue what that might look like. I think Channing Frye could be a good fit with the rest of the club, and he could develop with Greg and LaMarcus up front. We’ll see what happens, and I know I’m repeating myself a little bit.

The more I've read this afternoon makes me think that James Jones is the guy that the Blazers aren't supposed to talk about, but I'm still hopeful that there's some sort of Franchise deal in the works or coming down the pipe.

2007 NBA draft running diary

Alright, I’m sitting on the couch out at Mikkalo and Mikkalo farms. Right now I’m wearing my neck brace, but it’ll come off at various points during the night. ESPN is switching over to the pre-draft coverage right now, since it just struck 4:00 pm pacific time. The word already came that Portland gave Greg Oden and his camp notice that he’ll become a Blazer soon, and that’s exciting. I’m really hoping that they do things perfectly during this draft. The other thing I want to is for the Hawks to be really smart about the way they draft. The running diary of the 2007 NBA draft starts now.

4:04 pm With the value of hindsight, Stephen A. Smith has now told us that the 2003 draft was better than this one. This was right after Jay Bilas said that this draft was the best since 2003. Way to stretch things, guys.

4:07 pm Andy Katz is talking about the possible deal that the Celtics and Sonics might do, which would be terrible for Boston. They would give up Delonte West, the number five, and Wally for an ancient Ray Allen. Yikes. Mark Jackson agrees with me. See? I must be right. Oh, and Stephen A. Smith disagrees with me. Yup, I must be right.

4:10 pm Apparently Greg Oden is a dominant low-post center. Thanks, Jay Bilas. I love watching all of the Oden clips, and just seeing what he did makes me really excited. Uh-oh, here’s Dicky V to compare Oden to someone. He sees: a little Patrick Ewing blocking shots, offensive skills like Olajuwon, competitive drive of Mourning, and the sense of team that Duncan brought. Dicky V just told screamin’ Stephen A, saying basically what I already mentioned in this diary.

4:15 pm I just love looking at the order up there, with Portland at number one. That’s beautiful. Almost as good as looking at highlights of Oden.

4:18 pm As Mike Tirico just told us, Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. were in Indiana last year. I was in class last year when the Blazers selected and made deals, so I’m pretty excited to watch one of those two guys get picked by my team in half an hour. Ooh, and now we find out that Durant hated working out like he did as a kid. That is a little different from the way he’s been characterized leading up to today. Also, they mentioned that Texas will be the first team to have players chosen in the top two for two years in a row in a while--if not ever, I didn’t catch the whole thing--when Durant goes to Seattle this year. The other one? My man LaMarcus Alrdidge.

4:25 pm Billy King is trying to move the 76ers up higher in the draft, and they’re looking for a power forward. If they mean that, maybe the Blazers really could trade Randolph for something good. This just in: my brother crapped his pants when Jim Gray said that Golden State is in the Kevin Garnett sweepstakes.

4:32 pm Here we go...I’m really not as excited as I was for the lottery, but that’s because I know what’s going to happen, and I’ve been dealing with this in my mind for a month. The booing for the New York Liberty is classic, along with the New York fans being generally pissed about everything. Ah, New York. The Blazers are now on the clock.

4:35 pm Mark Jackson likes the young nucleus of the Blazers. Stephen A. Smith is so ridiculous. And here it is: with the first pick in the 2007 NBA draft, the Porltand Trail Blazers select Greg Oden from Ohio State University.

That was fantastic. I got chills, and I don’t think it was because of my screwed up neck.
It looks like Oden will wear number 52, which was Buck Williams’ number during the early ‘90s. Highlight after highlight just adds to the excitement I have about what this kid brings to the team.

4:39 pm Best part of the draft so far? My cousin vacuuming in the room while my brother and I watch the draft. Thanks. That’s awesome.

4:41 pm With the second pick, the Sonics select Kevin Durant. Wow, nothing crazy yet. What a great day for the pacific northwest. I would have loved to get Durant, but I am even happier to have Oden. Too bad there was no way to get both of them. Kevin’s mom is proud of him. I had to share that with everyone. My brother thinks the Blazers could get the third pick from Atlanta, but I don’t see how it could happen. I also don’t want Portland to do it, which probably impacts my perception of it’s possibility.

4:46 pm Kevin Pritchard is now on video conference. Pritchard says the thing that they started with was determining who would take the team to the championship level. Pritchard didn’t sound as good there as he has in every other interview I’ve heard him do, but I’ll let that slide.

4:48 pm With the third pick, the Atlanta Hawks select Al Horford. He was the right pick, I just wished they would have traded down a little to get Mike Conley Jr. Oh well, hopefully he can be part of the deal that gets them Amare Stoudamire, or maybe he can learn from Amare is he plays center next to Stoudamire’s preferred power forward.

I just saw the new Hawks logo for the first time on Horford’s hat.

Everyone is second-guessing this pick, of course, but too bad.

4:52 pm With the fourth pick, the Memphis Grizzlies select Mike Conley, Jr. That means the Celtics are going to pick...Yi? It was great to hear the Hawks get hammered for picking the guy they did again, especially since he was the best guy there. Bilas just said that Conley has the same sort of ability as Deron Williams and Chris Paul.

Wow, they just showed the clip of Mike Conley, Sr. winning a celebrity dunk contest. That dude could fly.

4:56 pm Wow. Wow. Wow. The Celtics really pulled the trigger on that trade. That is terrible. The Sonics are now drafting Jeff Green. With the fifth pick, the Celtics take Green, but he’s going to be traded to Seattle. Wow. This means that the Sonics have no intention of re-signing Rashard Lewis, and since they’re drafting these two small forwards, maybe they plan n playing Durant at the 2 or at the 4. Sam Presti, another genius GM, pulled off a pretty good move in my opinion.

5:00 pm I think that Jeff Green is pretty excited to be playing with Kevin Durant. Wow, the pacific northwest is getting better as the draft goes on. I just remembered that Milwaukee was planning on drafting Yi Jianlian if he fell to them, which is what we’ll find out soon.

5:04 pm With the sixth pick in the draft, Milwaukee selects Yi Jianlian, just as they said they would. This is going to be something. Yi is hip-hop, he’s 50 cent. That seems like a stretch. Here is Andy Katz, to tell us what is going on with the Bucks and Yi. The Bucks are excited about Yi, and it sounds like they’ll do whatever they can to keep him. Bucher is now saying that this will probably lead to a trade, because Yi’s camp really doesn’t want him to stay there. I will say this, his English, while not great, is much better than that of some other foreign players.

5:09 pm My brother just asked a good question: who does Minnesota pick now? My guess is that Minnesota takes Hawes or Brewer. They have to take Brewer, but part of me thinks they’ll take Hawes anyway.

My ears are bleeding because of Stephen A. Smith. Geez, I can’t stand that guy.

5:11 pm With the seventh pick, the T-Wolves pick Brewer. That is what they had to do. Corey Brewer is so good. If Minnesota doesn’t trade Garnett, I think Brewer would be a good piece to go with him. Dicky V just commented on the one trade so far, saying that Seattle outfoxed Boston. I agree, and it reminded me of the Sports Guy’s suggestion of worst-case scenario for the Celtics. This is worse.

I take it back. It still seems bad, but the more I think about it, the more I believe that this might be a decent move for them. They’ll be trusting PG to Rondo, pairing Ray Allen with Allen Ray, counting on Paul the truth Pierce to be healthy and dominant as a small forward, and Al Jefferson dominating down low. They still have Theo Ratliff’s terrible contract, and of course they still have Kendrick Perkins. Maybe the Celtics could be a playoff team in the east next year.

5:17 pm The Bobcats have been wanting to trade their pick for a veteran, and even though I don’t really want to trade Randolph, maybe this is the trade we make.

5:18 pm With the eighth pick, the Bobcats drafted Brandan Wright. That means the Blazers will not be trading for his rights. Bilas thinks that Wright was the fourth-best player in this draft, and that they might have to wait on him a bit--exactly what Jordan said he didn’t want to do--and that this is a great pick. The Bulls will now pick Spencer Hawes, unless they’re trading the rights to the Blazers for Randolph.

5:22 pm Great signs from Bulls fans in New York, one just says “thank you Isiah.” Stephen A. Smith just mentioned Zach Randolph for the Bulls, but he doesn’t know what direction they should take. My brother just made a good point, that the Bulls have basically gone the direction of the recent Pistons, with a bunch of good players that work well together.

5:25 pm With the ninth pick the Bulls select Joakim Noah. I think that means they’re keeping Noah. This really does make sense for the Bulls. He doesn’t add much offense for them, but he hustles, he fits the culture of the team, and I think he does a lot of good things to help Chicago play well.

5:30 pm My brother wants me to imagine Garnett as a Blazer. I just can’t imagine it. He keeps pushing it, but I really just can’t imagine it.

5:31 pm With the tenth pick in the draft, the Kings select Spencer Hawes. I didn’t quite laugh-out-loud at that, but that’s funny. Maybe he’s the right pick, but I just don’t think he’s that good. My brother suggests that Hawes will become Brad Miller, and can just step into that role for the Kings. Hmm, Bilas thinks he’ll be good, but has just mentioned that Hawes isn’t a good rebounder or shot blocker. Yeah, that sounds good. Hawes says that getting older will make him a better rebounder. Huh.

5:35 pm Here’s John Paxson. He says that the Bulls plan on keeping Noah. Stephen A. Smith really doesn’t like the pick that the Bulls made. Smith is about to scream that the Bulls should have picked someone without energy, because they already have energy. SCREAM SCREAM SCREAM.

5:38 pm With the eleventh pick in the draft, the Hawks select Acie Law IV. That means they’re keeping the pick. I think that was probably a pretty smart move. I hope he does well there, for the sake of J-Lew, and I hope that Horford plays as well as I think he should. Ugh. The new Hawks jersey looks terrible. Tirico just held that jersey up to show the “new look” of the Hawks, just like the “new look” these two picks are bringing the Hawks. I don’t know what that means for sure, but we’ll see how the Hawks go.

5:42 pm Rumors in Philly? Sal Paolantonio says that the 76ers have been trying to move up in the draft really hard, but it’s too late. It sounds like the Sixers are going to draft Thornton, but who knows, they’re pretty stupid, and they think they need size up front. Billy King is going to screw this up, just watch. I’m guessing that they reach on some power forward, but I can’t think of who it would be. In the Blazer’s Edge mock draft, the Blazers traded for this pick.

5:46 pm With the twelfth pick in the draft, Philadelphia selects Thaddeus Young. Well, that was really dumb. I can’t believe they just did that, I don’t think Young is big enough for what they want. Wow, I can’t believe that they chose Thaddeus Young. Oh, but he does have a lot of great upside according to Jay Bilas.

5:48 pm My brother just suggested that the Clippers need a PG, and I agree. Maybe they draft Javaris Crittenton, or maybe they draft someone like Al Thornton so they can trade Maggette. Or maybe they draft him so they can trade his rights to Portland for Jarrett Jack.

5:51 pm Billy Knight looks like he just walked out of a bar. Wow. But he makes a good point that the guys they drafted will be ready to play right away. But Knight must be drunk, since he says that Law reminds him of Mark Jackson. There’s no question that these draft picks will be Hawks for a long time.

5:52 pm With the thirteenth pick, the Hornets select Julian Wright. He fell a little ways, but I think that’s a good choice. If he reaches his potential, that could be crazy. Dick Vitale is on drugs, and just suggested that ten players will average in double figures this season.

5:56 pm I really enjoy Julian Wright. He sounded really nervous. But I like that kid a lot. He was the pick I wanted the Blazers to make before we got the first pick.

5:59 pm With the fourteenth pick of the draft, the Clippers select Al Thornton. Maybe they trade his rights? Or maybe they just picked the best player available. That doesn’t sound like the type of pick that the Clippers would make. Stephen A. Smith says that Thornton is exactly what the Clippers need. And my brother makes a good point, Smith just said that they had to draft a guard.

6:05 pm With the fifteenth pick of the draft, the Pistons select Rodney Stuckey. I expected that one. My friend Julie is going to be a freshman basketball player at Eastern Washington, and I know that this has nothing to do with her, but that’s fantastic anyway. Bilas just called Stuckey a poor man’s Dwyane Wade. I still think this is a good pick for Detroit.

6:10 pm Stephen A. just ignored Mike Tirico’s question and said a bunch of crap. That was great. The Wizards are on the clock.

With the sixteenth pick in the draft, Washington selects Nick Young. Yup, he was the best guy left. That’s the right decision, I think. Although I can’t help but think about Bryce Taylor from Oregon when I see Nick Young, since it was against Young that Taylor shot 100% in the Pac-10 tournament. Taylor also held Young to three points in that game, I think.

6:13 pm Stuart Scott just said that the NBA drafted Nick Young. And the Knicks just traded with the BLAZERS. WHAT?!?!?!?!?.

I have no idea what I should think about this. Stephen A. Smith loves this move for the Knicks, which makes me think I probably like this for Portland.

6:16 pm With the seventeenth pick in the draft, the Nets just selected Sean Williams.
Okay, the Blazers got rid of danger Dan Dickau, which was necessary, Fred Jones (a player I like but who isn’t really necessary), and Zach Randolph to open up the front court for Greg and LaMarcus.

My brother thinks that Portland has to trade JJ now to allow Steve Francis to start, but I don’t really want to get rid of Jack. I am at a loss still as to what I should think about this.
I think the Blazers must have something else in the works. My brother suggests that Steve Francis might fit into a multi-team deal with the Lakers. I trust Pritchard, and I think Isiah is a terrible GM, so I’m looking forward to seeing how we use this.

6:22 pm With the eighteenth pick, the Warriors selected a foreign player. That makes sense. Marco Belinelli is the pick.

6:28 pm Stephen A. is screaming about the Lakers. I can’t stand him. I wonder if the Lakers are picking for Portland right now.

With the nineteenth pick of the draft, Los Angeles selects Javaris Crittenton, Huh. I don’t know much about him, but I’ve heard comparisons to another strong Georgia Tech PG, Jarrett Jack.

6:31 pm I’m eating right now, so hopefully I can deal with the upcoming Blazers trade news better.

6:35 pm With the twentieth pick, the Heat select Jason Smith. That seems like a good pick here, considering Miami’s needs and Smith’s talent.

6:42 pm With the twenty-first pick, the 76ers select Daequan Cook from Ohio State. It sounds like Philly and Miami traded the last two picks, which seems like a good choice by the Sixers.

6:45 pm The more I think about the Blazers trade, the more I think it’s all about the future. Channing Frye is someone I was thinking about before we got the first pick to play up front with Aldridge. I think he could develop into a great third man in that rotation. I have to believe that Franchise is going to be traded either today or before the end of next week.

6:48 pm With the twenty-second pick, the Bobcats select Jared Dudley. He looked like a good player in the game footage I watched today on ESPN.

6:53 pm With the twenty-third pick, the Knicks select Wilson Chandler from DePaul. I know nothing about this guy. I can’t even think about anything right now while I’m trying to figure this thing out.

6:57 pm Man, the Blazers are busy this year again, just as I thought. They bought this next pick from Phoenix, and it sounds like they’re going to draft Fernandez for Portland. That’s who I wanted with a late first round pick. And that just happened. I did a little research about him last week, and I was really happy with him. But he fits Portland, he isn’t that old, and I think he’s pretty good. Man, I don’t know what to think about anything, but I sure believe that Pritchard knows what he’s doing.

7:05 pm With the twenty-fifth pick, the Jazz select Morris Almond. At this point I’m not contributing much as far as analysis goes.

7:11 pm With the twenty-sixth pick, the Rockets selected Aaron Brooks from Oregon. Dang, good choice by Houston. I love Brooks, and I had a ton of confidence in him during this whole season.

7:13 pm Andy Katz is back to talk about trades. Milwaukee doesn’t know yet if Yi will actually go to Milwaukee.

7:19 pm With the twenty-seventh pick, the Pistons select Arron Afflalo. He was picked after Brooks and should have been second to Brooks in Pac-10 player of the year voting.

7:25 pm The Spurs just picked Tiago Splitter. I think that's a smart pick.

7:47 pm It was just announced that Charlotte traded Brandan Wright for Jason Richardson. All the analysts think this was a bad move, but it makes sense to me. I missed a few of the last couple picks, so here they are: pick 28 was Splitter, 29 was Alando Tucker to the Spurs, 30 was Petteri Koponen to the 76ers, 31 was Carl Landry to the Sonics, 32 was Gabe Pruitt to the Celtics.

7:52 pm The Spurs just selected Marcus Williams from Arizona. I keep waiting to see if the Blazers are going to end up moving Franchise again. The Mavericks just drafted Nick Fazekas, which I think is a good pick for them.

7:55 pm The Celtics just got Glen Davis, which could be good with Al Jefferson up front. Wow, Jay Bilas just made an "Oprah-is-fat" joke.

8:00 pm The Blazers are up again. So much has gone on in the last year. It turns out that Portland bought Petteri Koponen. I just sighed and smiled. And now Portland has another pick. They just drafted one of Oden's favorite guys, Josh McRoberts. Apparently he's a great passer and good defender. Holy crap, the Blazers are just doing crazy things again.

8:15 pm The Blazers are up again. They had all the ESPN guys gushing about how well the draft was going.

8:18 pm Okay, it's time for Portland's pick, but it seems likly that this pick is going to Philly. The Bobcats trade for Jason Richardson was just confirmed. The Blazers just picked Derrick Byars. Okay, Byars was picked for the 76ers in the Koponen trade.

8:26 pm I'm really looking forward to seeing what Portland does in the next week. Will they do a buy-out with Franchise? Will they ship him somewhere? What are they going to do with all those picks? Will they re-sign Outlaw and Udoka? Will they try to convince one of the small forwards on the market to take the mid-level exception to come play with Oden? Kevin Pritchard is a genius.

8:34 pm The Sonics/Celtics trade was just finally announced, and now the Lakers have drafted Pual Gasol's little brother.

I'm a little disappointed that the only Blazers jersey I've ever drafted is now out of date. Maybe Oden will change his mind on number 52 and decide to wear 50 in Portland. Then maybe I can just change this jersey a little bit.

9:06 pm The draft is over. Check ESPN if you want to know who was picked. I've been trying to edit this picture for the last few minutes. Here's my first attempt on Photoshop in a while.

9:20 pm Sportscenter is covering the draft now, and they all agree that Portland did amazing things for a second straight year. I agree. Jay Bilas thought may Blazers had the best draft day, and he thought that J-Lew's Hawks had the worst day. I disagree, and I hope that Horford and Law turn into great players for Atlanta. That's all from eastern Oregon.

If I broke my neck (this is how I did it)

Sunday afternoon I finally left Roseburg, When I pulled out of the Walker's driveway, leaving the house on the hill, my car was pretty full of junk. I stopped by MyCoffee to get one last drink at my favorite spot. Three of my favorite workers were all there, and they gave me one last drink on the house. Then I picked up an ice chest full of cherries for my parents. With that, knowing that everything I needed to do in Roseburg was done, I pulled out of town and headed north on interstate five. On the way up I stopped in Eugene. I decided to use my student discount one last time at the University of Oregon bookstore. I ended up getting iWork '06 with Pages and Keynote, Final Cut Express HD, and Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0. I thought about getting some Duck clothing as well, but decided against spending any more after dropping a decent amount on computer programs. I made my way up the rest of the state to Portland to stay with my grandma, the whole way listening to various podcasts from this month that I might have missed. Most of these podcasts were The Big Show with Dan Patrick and Keith Olberman, but I also caught up on Sports Business Radio with Brian Berger.
When I got to my grandma's place she was in the dining room eating dinner, so I joined her right then. After we finished we hurried upstairs to watch the end of the Oregon State baseball game. I was excited to watch the Beavers finish their second straight college world series championship.

Monday morning I had breakfast with my grandma and then took off for the Lloyd Center in Portland. I decided to park my car there and take MAX downtown, not only because it would save me money--since my departure and arrival locations are part of fare-less square--but also because I wanted to feel the buzz in Portland over the draft that would be happening later during the week on Thursday. To my disappointment, there was no palpable excitement over the draft, and there wasn't even any excitement over the Beavers' win from the night before. The disappointment wasn't too much, since I was going to Powell's City of Books. Once I got there I found the book I was hoping to find. Red hot and Rollin' by Matt Love is a collection of essays and articles about the 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers NBA championship team. It also includes a DVD of the documentary Fast Break. I picked up my book, went back to my car, and drove the rest of the way to Arlington Oregon to join my family.

I was able to help work on the new house a little on Monday before my brother and I headed out to our aunt and uncle's ranch. Once there we watched that DVD. It was fantastic, and helped us get even more excited for the draft. Of course, so did all the NBA coverage we were watching on ESPN.

Tuesday we got up and went back into town to do more work on the sewer plumbing. After getting some of it done and taking lunch, my dad decided that we'd done enough and it was too hot to work any more. So Stephen and I drove down to the park to play frisbee and go swimming. We played frisbee for a while in the sun before deciding to cool off in the pseudo swimming hole. Arlington is right on the Columbia River, and back in the 1950Õs the original version of downtown was destroyed when they built several dams further down the river. The dams flooded the area that had been downtown and created a permanent inlet. Stephen and I swam there all the time when we lived in Arlington as little kids and when we would come to visit our cousins. To show my seriousness about cooling off I tore down the beach and got ready to dive in. Knowing that the water stayed shallow for a long time, I made sure to do a shallow dive. But it had been so long since I had swam there that I forgot just how shallow for how long the water stayed. As I did my shallow dive with my hands out in front of me, I somehow managed to catch the sand with my head.

As I entered the water my I continued too fast to the bottom, hitting the top of my head. The immediate feeling like electricity that went through my body was fairly cliche, as was the flash of light in my head. What wasn't cliche was the lack of feeling in my extremities as soon as that happened. When I hit and started floating up I could no longer feel my toes, fingers, feet, hands, legs, or arms. My brain was still sending orders to my limbs, and they were following orders, but they weren't sending confirmation back to my brain. I flipped myself over so that I was facing up, but as hard as I tried I couldn't tell if I was going to surface. As I was underwater I thought that I would need to kick to get Stephen's attention, in case I didn't surface. I wasn't too scared at that point, just realistic in my awareness that I wouldn't be able to hold my breath for too long. I did make it to the top of the water before Stephen got there, and I was able to yell at him.

I can't move anything. Come pull me into shore. I'm serious, I can't move anything.

He did pulled me in to the edge of the water, where I told him to stop. I'm not sure why I told him to stop, except that I must have thought we were further up the beach. As it was he had to hold my head up out of the edge of the water. While I lied there I continued to try to move my extremities. After 30 seconds or so I could feel tingling in my feet and toes. Then I could move them and feel things normally. Then the same thing happened in my hands and fingers. After a few more seconds all the body parts that had been numb were back with full feeling. Once I was sure that I could feel everything again, I decided to stand up. Stephen helped me get up and walk around a bit. By this time the lifeguard had come over to see what she could do, been told that she couldn't do anything, and stayed right by us as I tried to regain feeling. Another lady was already calling 911. When I got up the lifeguard asked if I wanted her to tell the lady to call off the ambulance, since I appeared to be okay. I told her that seemed like a good idea.

I went up to our bench for a little while, rested on the grass, and then went back into the water a bit to rinse some of the sand out of my hair. After rinsing a bit--and doing a terrible job--I went back up by the bench. At this point the ambulance pulled in and the paramedics came down to us. I told them that they were looking for me. They wanted to take me to the hospital in the ambulance after strapping me to a backboard, just to be sure. I appreciated their concern, and decided to call mom and dad to see what they thought. The biggest reason I wasn't sure is that I am currently without health insurance, so I knew my cost would be really high. They made me paranoid enough that I consented, thus embarking on one of the most annoying trips of my life. Being strapped to a backboard is a terrible experience. Riding in an ambulance isn't much better. Not being able to move at all for five hours is the worst of all. the nearest hospital is in The Dalles, which is 50 miles away from Arlington. In the emergency room they sent me in for a CT scan. Eventually the doctor came in and told me that the CT scan was negative. He finally let me move, and I was freed from all the stabilizing apparatuses. He wanted to see my range of motion a little, and then I walked down to the bathroom, something I'd needed since I got in the ambulance. When I got back the doctor was sheepish and had me lay back down. He thought the two radiologists said that the head and neck were both negative on the CT scan, but they actually hadn't finished reading the neck yet. At that point he put a new neck brace on me, one of the stiff, ridiculous braces. Eventually they did read the neck, deciding that I was probably fine. They thought I had an old injury on one of my vertebrae, what looked to them like a chip fracture. The doctor said that this injury, even if it had happened during my accident, would not be too bad, but that an MRI would be necessary to determine for sure what was going on with my neck. He was especially concerned about ligament damage at that point.

My family and I came back to Arlington, then my mom took me back to the hospital on Wednesday. After the MRI they decided that the only thing wrong with me was bruising and swelling in my neck. I still have really limited range of motion, and the pain can get bad enough that I appreciate the Vicodin prescription. But there's basically nothing wrong with me. I'm glad all the tests were done so that we could be sure, but that's a high price to pay to be told I'm going to be fine. I now have a soft neck brace, and the only things the doctor told me I should do to speed my healing is wear that brace and ice my neck. I can't wait to see what the bill is for all this stuff.

Then again, I'm really glad that the hospital took care of me without insurance, and that they had the capabilities to check all the possibilities and make sure I'd be okay. My brother joked that I was trying to get out of helping them work on the house, and my parents suggested I was making sure that I'd get to watch the entire draft on Thursday. I'm glad we can joke about it now, because it was the sort of thing that wouldn't have been very funny for a two minute chunk on Tuesday.

Oden all the time

Greg Oden is in Portland right now, which is pretty great. OregonLive.com has tons of stuff about his visit. In fact, I was going to post some of it but have decided against it because of how through they've been over there. If you want to read all sorts of things about the visit to Portland, then you should check that link.

I did want to include one quote from him, though. When asked how he would respond if not picked first in the draft, this is what Oden said:

I’ll cry. I don’t know. It has to happen for me to know. I would be a little disappointed because it’s starting to grow on me – the trees, I love it out here.

Hopefully the trees aren't the only thing that's been growing on him, but it's still nice to hear him say something like that. (Thanks to Jason at Hoopsworld for that.)

Oden vs. Durant and the left coast vs. the world

This morning while I was showering and shaving I was thinking again about the Oden/Durant debate. It came up in my mind because of this article I read this morning. The first part describes the über-cool plan to send Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge to the airport to meet Greg Oden when he arrives in Portland on Tuesday, and then again to meet Kevin Durant when he shows up on Thursday. The only problem I have with this is the State of the Union corollary. The part that brought the debate back into my mind is included here in full because of how much is said in the post:

Even though many have conceded the Blazers drafting Oden with the No. 1 pick, Pritchard shot down the notion on Friday. He was adamant that anybody who feels Oden is the sure-fire pick should watch Durant's March 3 game during which he scored 25 first-half points against Kansas. One week later, in the Big 12 championship game, Durant had 37 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks against Kansas.

In the article, Pritchard labels himself as "a risk taker" who is "not afraid to go against the current."

My sense is that Pritchard is sending smoke screens. But I have always said this: during the winter, when Pritchard and I would talk in passing before Blazers games, he would always rave about Durant. And shortly after the Blazers won the draft lottery, Pritchard admitted that his scouting staff would probably concur that he was leaning toward Durant.

This much is known: McMillan likes both players, but is clearly leaning toward Oden.

Also, Pritchard loves Durant, but is also enamored with the potential of an Aldridge-Oden frontline that would evoke memories of the Spurs title tandem of David Robinson and Tim Duncan.

Another nugget: Pritchard says that Roy and Aldridge are leaning toward favoring different players. Which ones? Who knows.

I am still very much in the Oden camp, but reading all that made me start thinking about the possibility of swapping picks with Seattle and getting some more value out of it. That started me thinking about how good both teams could get with these picks this year, which pushed me into thinking about the impact it could have on the league.

The Sports Guy keeps insisting that the draft shouldn't reward teams who are always bad and who consistently make bad decisions in the front office. It's here in a question he asks David Stern, and I think he's mentioned it in other columns, though I can't find it. He thinks it's better for the league if teams who are doing things the right way end up with the best picks. You know what? I agree with him. And I think that's why the result of this year's lottery is so good. Of course I love the results because I'm a Blazer fan, and because I think the west coast--and pacific northwest in particular--gets crapped on by the media. But I also think these things need to be considered when measuring the value of the lottery:
The Blazers are clearly doing things the right way. Last year they drafted better than maybe any team has in a while, making all those draft day deals to bring in three players who are really great players and really great people. The team played well together this year, and they have a great coach and a great front office. The Sonics, despite all the turmoil with the ownership and the city, have done a good job with that too. Sure, they've been drafting centers every year. But they've also made good moves to bring in Ray Allen and Chris Wilcox, they just hired another Spurs alum in Sam Presti, and they should make a move to re-sign Rashard Lewis. These teams are both moving toward contention. They both have good basketball traditions that have recently been floundering. Even if the Sonics leave Seattle, they'll be moving to a place that will respond well to a great team. In addition to those things, the two teams have a decent rivalry that will only improve as they both get better. The last thing that is really good about the results of the lottery is that it will force people to care at least a little bit about what's happening in the pacific northwest. I don't care if people will have to stay up later to watch the games. ESPN will have more highlights from both teams, which will generate more interest in both teams, which will result in more people biting the bullet and staying up to see both teams play on TV. Oh yeah, it will also result in more of those games actually being on TV.

So there you go. A while ago my friend J-Lew asked me to write what I thought about all the claims being made that this lottery result was bad for the NBA. I've finally done it.

Spurs

In my explanation of the name the Sports Bigamist, point number three was that I'd cheered for the spurs whenever they weren't playing the Blazers as long as I could remember. I loved David Robinson, and I started cheering for Tim Duncan when he was a senior at Wake Forest. So while some people may be upset that the Spurs just swept the Cavs, I'm actually pretty excited. I enjoyed watching the Spurs play well and show me a vision of what I think the Blazers could be in a few years. That was fun.

Greg Oden chat

I didn't end up listening to the live chat Jason Quick did with Greg Oden today, so I downloaded it and am listening to it now. Also, Oden's blog has a great story today about getting to sit down with Bill Russell, Bill Walton, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, and Bob Lanier. That's some pretty good company, and it's a nice little post about learning from them. I get more and more excited about this kid being a Blazer each day we get closer to the draft.

Some of the questions that people have submitted are pretty lame, but I think Oden has responded gracefully and answered them all well. He just responded to one about his lack of offensive initiative by referencing his injured wrist and then taking a veiled shot at Matta's coaching ability. He also just said that he originally suggested to Matta that he should red shirt when he first injured his wrist.

He's pretty happy that a lot of his friends are talking about how much bigger he looks. He considers that a compliment.

The thing he'll miss most about Ohio State is interacting with the student body.

SHOCK! Losing the national championship left a bad feeling in Oden's mouth. Wow, I would never have guessed that. Sheesh Quick, lame question. But at least Oden's anxious to get back on the court to get the bad feelings from the championship out of his head.

He plans to participate in summer league and Team USA.

The possible summer league lineup for Portland should absolutely demolish everyone else in Vegas. Oden sounds genuinely excited about the potential of playing with Aldridge, Roy, Rodriguez, and Webster.

Oden just scoffed at the notion that he doesn't care enough about excelling. His answer to those people? "Look at my record." Man, I have a huge crush on this guy.

Now Oden is talking about that event I already mentioned. Oden says that being in the room with those legends made him feel "like a little peon."

Oden wanted to talk to David Robinson more than any of the others, but he says that Bill Russell spoke the most. Robinson stressed that Oden needs to have realistic expectations and know that it will take time to become as good as he can be.

Oden says he's been working on his jumper and people will be surprised by it. He says that his range is out to about 17 feet.

He's been doing a twenty minute two ball dribbling drill for warm-ups, and he credits that for helping him develop his ball handling skills.

I think Quick's about to ask Oden on a date...nope, just asking him if he'll get involved with the community in Portland. It sounds like Oden could interact with the city a bit like Walton did.

Oden's summer movie review: Knocked Up was hilarious. He saw it twice, one of those times in Orlando with Josh McRoberts and JJ Redick. Oden thinks this movie was funnier than Wedding Crashers. Oden didn't like the second Hostel movie. Nice work there, Greg.

Oden likes being able to share his thoughts on the blog, and says that people have to edit it so he doesn't share too much on his blog. That's fantastic. The type of stuff they're cutting out of the blog? Detail stuff, but he's not supposed to talk about it. Geez.

Oden says that no one should pay $50 just to watch him, but they should pay it to come watch their team represent the city, play good basketball, have fun, and compete. Although Oden says he did pay to see LeBron.

Oden says that when Verejao got the ball on Tuesday, everyone in the crowd was saying "NO" together.

Good question: Quick just asked Oden if he's been studying the Blazers and the team's history. Russell even told him that he knew everything about all the guys on the team before he joined the Celtics. Oden says he's going to do some research about the Blazers, and that Walton already told him some things. In addition to that, Oden has already met Freddie Jones. They've been friends since Jones played in Indiana. That's nice.

Oden sees benefits to playing on a young team and on a veteran team, and doesn't have a preference.

Oden would love to lean on Bill Russell for advice in the future and was really glad for the chance to listen to him. Oden gave Russell his phone number, and he plans on emailing Russell soon.

Ooh, here are some questions about Oden and Mike Conley, Jr. Oden repeats what he's said before, that Conley wants to get out from Oden's shadow and prove himself, even though Conley would never say that.

Another good question, this one about Oden's knowledge of Maurice Lucas and his reputation as an enforcer. Walton told Oden that Lucas was the best Blazer player ever, and Oden met Lucas in Orlando, but not much else. Still, to have Walton say that about Lucas, that's pretty good. Wow.

Oden says that the main reason he has the beard is that he's too lazy to cut it off.

Apparently Oden only has a few nicknames: GO and Big G. Those are both lame. Hopefully Dave at Blazer's Edge will come up with some good new ones. (Here's what he did for Sergio Rodriguez and Gilbert Arenas.)

Another great questions, wondering what number Oden would want in Portland. 20 has already been retired (it was Maurice Lucas's number).

Which Florida guy was tougher to guard? The jumper of Horford was harder to deal with, but Noah's height and moves were tough to deal with.

The workout schedule has been impacted by some of the media things that Oden has been doing, but not too much.

This is what Oden has to say to Blazers fans:

I'm going to be in Portland on the 19th, I'm probably going to go out and get something to eat, don't be afraid to say hi, 'cause I'm going to be going in there I'm going to be able to meet people and see how the people are in Portland so don't be afraid to say hi. Just, if I'm eating, you might not want to come over there, 'cause that's when I get in my dog mode. If you come over there you might come back missing a limb.

That finished the interview. I really enjoyed listening, and hope that Oden does join the Blazers on June 28. If you want to listen for yourself, here it is.

Finished

Yesterday I drove up to Eugene and turned in my packet of paperwork. That means I am finished with my licensure program at the University of Oregon. I'm still pretty giddy about it, so much so that students were getting pretty frustrated with me this morning as they walked in to take their math final. I still have some things to get done, mainly relating to my new job in Compton, the move from here, and getting rid of my old car. It is so nice to be finished with my program. I also will have to finish my M.Ed soon, but that's not as frustrating to me because it involves more classes and research and writing, the stuff I like.

Blazer's Edge is doing a really cool mock draft right now, and the Blazers have pulled off three trades during it. I'm not sure I would be very happy if Portland did that in reality, but it's still a really cool idea that is being executed well. Portland's lineup for next year, considering the mock draft and the trades, looks like this:

PG Andre Miller/Sergio Rodriguez/Dan Dickau
SG Brandon Roy/Martell Webster/Freddie Jones
SF Kyle Korver/Julian Wright/Ime Udoka
PF LaMarcus Aldridge/Travis Outlaw/Raef LaFrentz
C Greg Oden/Steven Hunter/(Raef LaFrentz)

Of course this assumes the re-signing of Outlaw and Udoka, and doesn't include the next pick in the mock draft, which the Blazers just acquired. With the draft pick added in the Blazers would have 16 men on their roster (including Darius Miles). That is one more than they can carry, so either Miles would have to retire, the team would have to cut someone, or they would have to make a two-for-one deal. Regardless, I hope they use this mock draft pick to select Rudy Fernández. Draftexpress says this about him:

Rudy Fernández is a talented and skilled shooting guard who shows almost every characteristic that a player at his position should display. He's very intense and plays the game with passion. Gifted with very nice athleticism, his main strength is his versatility in the offensive end. The kid can flat out shoot the ball, including three-pointers, with polished mechanics and a good quick release. A clear clue of his ability is his remarkable free throw percentage. Also, his shot selection is very efficient.

This one is from the new Rookiepedia:

A very good athlete, who is able to use his quickness to get to the hoop, and jumping ability to finish strong. Good ball handler and passer, who could run the offense at least part time. Solid shooter with legit 3 point range. Good basketball IQ. Always plays under control, and has an excellent first step, which he understands how to use.

Each of these sites compares Fernández to Kevin Martin, with Rookiepedia also comparing him favorably to Cuttino Mobley and Manu Ginobili, and DraftExpress saying that Martin is the best case comparison while Sasha Vujacic is the worst case comparison. I like this guy, and if the Blazers really do go crazy with trades again to get three picks, I like him as the third after Oden and Wright.

Quick and Oden

For anyone who wants to hear Greg Oden talk to people from Portland, there's a live chat tomorrow afternoon. I'm pretty excited. Here's a link to the page, in case you're interested.