Whats with all the news?

Unless your team is playoff bound, the final stretch of the season is usually pretty dull. The most upbeat fans might manage to get excited by watching the guys who didn't play much all season get their time. For the rest of us, the drop in enthusiasm and quality of play gets draining. So we check out until draft time. Understandable.

But there has been an unusual amount of Blazer news lately. These gifts are providing us all a paddle through the doldrums:

• Rudy Fernandez said he's 90% going to be a TrailBlazer next season. Duh. Hopefully the more neurotic of Blazer forum posters will calm down a bit.
• Assistant Bill Bayno (who I fell in love with here) is going to coach Loyola Marymount. Probably a good move for him, but I would've thought an NBA headcoaching job would have presented itself if he hung around for a few more seasons of Blazers success. Who knows, maybe that isn't his goal.
• Brandon Roy, the Roybot, the Everything, may come back this season. I know a winning record would be nice, but I'd rather Roy not attempt to help save the short-term goal. He's had a great year, the team has had a great year. Roy, take the time and get totally healthy. Please. We have a long trail yet to travel: