Nuggets Blazers Recap

Remember when I said that I would never do another game recap? No? Oh, good. I just put one up over at Bust a Bucket. Click here to read my rambles.

Vote Bust a Bucket Or Die

(Damn you Sean Combs. Exactly how have you managed to make me still be aware of your existence?)



Bust a Bucket is up for some Bloguin Network Awards:

• Best (non-David) banner
• Best basketball blog
• Blog of the Year

Go HERE and vote early and often. I would love to bask in the glory of something I had nothing to do with. (I am a sports fan after all. Its what we do.) Also, a vote for Bust a Bucket is a vote for Finland. Unless you hate Finland (anti-Finlandism is an ugly sore on the body of humanity), in that case a vote for Bust a Bucket is a vote for whatever it is you that you like.

Portland Trailblazers: Worst font in basketball?

Click here and see the court design of every NBA team. Below is your Portland Trailblazers:



I've never complained about this before, but seeing all the court designs side by side really seems to show the lameness of the Blazers' font. Portland has an awesome team, a solid abstract artsy logo, and that stupid red-outlined sort of italicized gray corny font spelling out the team name. It reeks of trying too hard.

This is supposed to be a season full of nods to the old school, right? Why not go back to something like this, and leave it.

(Assist TrueHoop.)

Ron Artest's latest: Afghan Women

The jokes are easy. I'm sure we'll see plenty. But this latest video from Artest is a little more than that. The man is trying to make a positive difference in the World, albeit in his unique way. Honestly, its hard for me to clown a guy thats more active in that department than I am.

On and off the court Artest has often seemed like that puzzle piece that doesn't quite fit like it should. Not necessarily in a sad way. Its more like if that jigsaw piece realized it didn't fit, said fuck it, and kept it moving. (Can puzzle pieces keep it moving? I'm bad at metaphors.) Following that idea I can't help but find Artest empowering.

I'm sure I'll still laugh at some of Artest's actions. (Update: Yep.) Thats expected. But this video, more than anything else curiously enough, has me feeling like I understand him a little better. I'm done writing him off as nothing more than crazy sideshow entertainment.

I heard that JJ Redick is a dope rapper

And Twitter continues to take over my life. I saw the above by following Marcel Mutoni. I haven't heard any of the album, but I think we can all agree that it will be the greatest of all time.

Also, follow me on Twitter. I'm riveting.

(Sorry about the 8 Mile reference.)

Batum Out. This season sucks already.

Get ready for a whole bunch more Travis Outlaw jump shots. As you know by know, Nicolas Batum will be out for a while due to an uncooperative shoulder.

Batum was rapidly becoming my favorite non-Roy Blazer. He was coming off a run with the French National Team that had taken his confidence to a new level. Batum's rapid development was going to be one of the most interesting things to watch this season.

Don't act like this doesn't suck. Outlaw and Webster are substitutes? Please. If they were that capable Portland wouldn't have bothered getting Batum in the first place.

JR Rider Watch: North Texas Fresh edition

I'm not sure how I managed to miss this for so long, but a team has signed JR Rider back into action.

The team is the North Texas Fresh and the league is the ABA. Their mascot appears to be a monkey gangster from the 1950's. Team merchandise is not currently available. (Way ahead of you on that one.) Yes, they happen to play their home games in a gymnasium that is owned, operated, and otherwise used by a high school.

The important thing is that Rider will indeed be doing something resembling professional basketball. That means the JR Rider Watch is still on. We will strive to cover the comeback of all comebacks as well as possible.

I must add: Should have been you, Yamhill HighFlyers.

UPDATE: Its been brought to my attention that the monkey gangster from the 1950's mascot strikes some as a sort of racist mascot, which is a lot less fun.

(Photo Assist: BIOHH EVENTS.)

Joel Freeland Update: Watch This Man! Edition

Check out my Joel Freeland update over at Bust a Bucket. The guy seems to be turning into one of the better players in the ACB League. Very good news.

Great Brandon Roy Picture

Jim Taylor (follow his Twitter here) put up an excellent photo of Roy from Aldridge's "I Get Money" press conference. (By the way Blazers management, you held off this long just to give LaMarcus a deal that is about 90% of a max contract? I really hope there was no high-fiving on your end.) Here is the photo link. Here is the photo tweet. I really feel like this should be the wallpaper on my laptop. It is a gift to have a franchise player that is so engaged in supporting his teammates. Forgive me for gushing. Brandon Roy for President of the Universe.

The C Word

Yeah. I'm not writing much these days. Don't worry my loyal readership, I will return with force in a couple weeks. All seven of you will be very pleased. For now just tickle the trickle. I put something new up over at Bust a Bucket.

Petteri Koponen Watch: Bum ankle edition

Hippo (formerly H.T.) makes use of the Finnagler nickname for the first time ever, I think. Huge step forward.

Latest Petteri Koponen Watch at Bust a Bucket.

Ron Artest is looking for a Georgetown Girl

My decision to jump on the Twitter is still paying off big time. (Follow me!)

The latest gold comes from friend of the blog (I wish) Ron Artest. He has a new music video out. It contains enough comedy to make it worth watching. I would have thought that auto-tune would be too afraid of Ron Ron to be so bold and modify his voice. I was wrong. Please, savor the flavor:

Brandon Roy a top 10 player

According to SLAM, at least.

We all know these types of lists require some silly assumptions and an above average tolerance for bullshit. I didn't link to the article because it has any objective value. The article itself is a mildly confusing read, and the responses are strange even by internet commenting standards.

But the article unintentionally raises an uncomfortable question. Is it possible for Brandon Roy to occupy a space where he is simultaneously not-famous (in the mainstream sense) and overrated? Is that even possible? How many NBA stars have had entered this territory?

Chris Dudley for Governor?

Enormous breaking news over at Bust a Bucket.

Petteri Koponen Watch: Block Party! Edition

New one up over at Bust a Bucket. These things excite me.

Kenny Anderson! KENNY ANDERSON!

Kenny Anderson is a former Blazer that I rarely hear fans speak of. In the micro bubble of Rip City celebrity even Robert Pack gets more buzz. Granted, we didn't really get to know Kenny. He was here less than two seasons. But he was here. And we are allegedly a group of rabid fans. There should be no player left behind.

In his one full season with the team he produced at high rate with 17.5 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds per game. He had a lasting impact on the franchise in that he was traded for Damon Stoudamire. (At which point he bravely stood up for America by refusing to play for that communist Canadian team. U-S-A! U-S-A!)

Like me, Kenny Anderson is on Twitter. This is the main reason I forced out this post. Go visit him now. Yes, that really is a picture of him sitting with co-tragically under-mentioned Blazer Rod Strickland. (Who can forget when Rod showed up and the team's chemistry was destroyed, never to recover? So Whitsitt.) Yes, that really is a basketball in between them that might have the F-word written on it. It gets better, here is his most recent post as of this blog entry:

ABOUT TO GO TO SLEEP I'LL HOLLA U COCK SUCKERS! LOLabout 2 hours ago from web

I love Twitter.

UPDATE: It appears our man has deleted his instant-classic Twitter post. We honor it's memory.

Happy Antoine Walker Appreciation Day!

Don't question it. Just take a little time out of your day and appreciate Antoine Walker. Before the weight become such an issue, before he resorted to doing nothing more than standing at the 3 point line and launching everything he could get his hands on, before we knew about the gambling and got kind of worried about Employee Number 8, he was doing things few power forwards had ever done before.

To Antoine Walker: Thank you.

To Everyone else: Happy Antoine Walker appreciation day.

Potluck style!

- FreeDarko said it before, much better than I ever could.

- Walker's stats. Of note:

• His second year in the League (97-98): 82 games, 39.9 minutes per, 22.4 points, 10.2 boards (3.3 offensive), 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals.
• 2001-02: Eight (8!) three point attempts per game.

- Contributions from dying media:

• 1996 article from Kentucky (remember, he left KU after just two seasons. Before that sort of thing was easily accepted) talking about how immature Walker is.
• 2003 article, Walker pissed at Danny Ainge. Remember how much Ainge sucked as a GM before he unified Earth, Wind, and Fire?
• 2002 article, Rick Pitino mentions spending years attempting to get Walker to model his game after Magic Johnson.
• 2001, SI article about Walker and his buddy Paul Pierce taking the C's back to the top.

And of course, we end with a youtube highlight package. Thanks for joining in, see you next year.

Brandon Roy's star power growing

Portland fans have known how special Roy is for a while. The rest of the League, sans-Bucher, warmed up to him last season.

Respect from home fans and basketball people is one thing, mainstream commercial appeal is another. I've been waiting to see if and when the masses will become aware of Brandon Roy the celebrity. This is indication that he is on his way.

Sun Yue waived by Knicks

That was quick. I'm still holding out hope that Sun Yue finds a roster somewhere in the NBA this season. In my fantasy the Spurs see his true potential, sign him, and in a few seasons Sun is a problem for the opposition. I may need help.

Petteri Koponen Watch: Supercup Edition

Hey there, new Koponen Watch up over at Bust a Bucket. I think H.T. has changed his moniker. Is the Finnish Mafia on to him?

I am perfecting the art of posting new entries at times that will minimize page views. Worst. Blogger. Ever.

Zach Randolph Watch: 18 pounds and HALF THE FAT! Edition

Sometime in the near future I will be eagerly typing up another snarky Zach Randolph entry then suddenly be interrupted by a sad realization. My bitterness towards Z-Bo has become so ingrained in my identity that I just can't let it go. The Blazers have a beautiful team now, loaded with potential and poised to return Portland to an elite level. And here I am writing about Zach Randolph. That will be a truly sad day.

But until then, enjoy another Zach is finally in shape! article. Ha!

While I didn’t see Zach Randolph play but a couple of times last year, he too looked trimmer than I remembered. Pranica notes that Zach has dropped 18 pounds and about half his former bodyfat. Grizz trainers say that both Randolph and Gasol look as if they won’t be as strong, but that’s misleading. Both added muscle mass while dropping bodyfat.

Eighteen pounds? Half his former bodyfat? Even by Zach Randolph standards this is getting a bit out of control. We patiently await the Zach has finally matured! article. (So far we only have a Zach might have matured! article.) Don't let us down Memphis.