Von Wafer Watch: First words from Greece edition

I just noticed that a short Von Wafer interview popped up over at HoopsHype a couple days ago. This makes me happy because it means that 1) His plane landed safely and we will are on to follow him with the Olympiakos this season and 2) Somebody besides me must care about Von Wafer.

I'd never read an interview with Wafer before. Here we see him being more open and honest than the usual pro-athlete. Maybe they caught him in the right mood. Maybe he hasn't been burned by the media before. I'm hoping it arises from some stable personality traits, which would make Wafer even more compelling. Full interview here, excerpts below:

You are now among the best paid American players in Europe. What does that mean to you?

VW: That means a lot. I worked real hard in the NBA, just felt good to be recognized as a good player that plays hard. And I will play hard this season, as I always do.

As far as money, was any of the offers in the NBA close to what Olympiakos was offering?

VW: No, no. Not even close.

Before you decided to go to Europe, did you feel disappointed that it didn't work out with any NBA team?

VW: It is what it is. I guess they felt I wasn't good enough or maybe the economic situation... But I'm happy to be in Greece.

In which we strive to continue our appreciation of Von Wafer

I started rooting for Von Wafer when he had a cup of coffee with the Blazers. I haven't stopped. I hoped Wafer would find a situation to shine, but I never thought he would reach a level where he was actually disliked by some fans.

I jumped at my first opportunity to defend his existence. Then the playoffs happened and Blazer fans around me formed a chorus of anti-Wafer sentiment. Promoting Wafer seemed in bad taste when he was making Rip City feel so unsettled.

I thought it was mostly sour-grapes but apparently other fans have their own Wafer issues to deal with. What, too much swagger? Do the way his talent and flaws combine to make his impact on the game exceed that which his minutes (and stats) imply make him too compelling of a concept for you?

You probably know he has signed a contract with Greek juggernaught Olympiakos for two years and $10 million. (There is a clause allowing him to come back to the NBA after one season if he chooses.) What you didn't know is that I will be ressurecting the Waferd Watch. With the noticeable anti-Wafer sentiment this action will restore some balance to the Universe.

If there are any Olympiakos fans out there that want to file some reports let me know. I can post game recaps and highlights, but having someone who can actually watch the games would be infinitely more awesome. I would ask H.T. but he is currently holding out for a salary increase. (This is not the first time.)

Getting Waferd never hurt so little

That's not a mohawk it's a Shark Fin! Never did I think it would so painful to remember the old Waferd Watch.

Portland did themselves no homecourt-advantage-getting favors dropping that game in Houston. Don't let that get you down though, because April 5th 2009 was the day that your Trailblazers secured their first trip to the postseason since way back in the 2003 season. (Thanks for being such a mess Phoenix!) It was a different era I tell ya; a year that featured a crappy sequel to The Fast & Furious and annoying but catchy hits from Coldplay and Black Eyed Peas. How did people live like that?

Von Wafer Watch: Does it all have to end here edition

I have been dragging you all through my Von Wafer-thing quite a bit lately. It makes no sense really, the guy was a Trailblazer for a total of 64 minutes of his NBA game career. The justification I gave for writing so much about him was that on his NBA.com player page he still wore a Blazers jersey. After all, if an illiterate (who has memorized NBA jerseys) came across that page, this individual would assume Wafer was still a member of the Portland Trailblazers. Don't think about it too much and it makes perfect sense.

The Von Wafer Watch was born, as was the Waferd List. By the way, he had another good night Saturday; although cold from three he still finished with 17 points and contributed 6 rebounds. But when checking up on my latest obsession, I came across an unfortunate discovery:



Wafer has been on such a tear that NBA.com has done the unthinkable and updated his player photo. I'm happy to see Wafer getting a little respect, but regret that this means that the Wafer Watch must be dissolved. Expect an anamnesis.

Von Wafer Watch: Mamba gets Waferd!

You may have caught that Wafer had another great line in a losing effort against the Lakers: 23 points (10-14 FG, 3-4 from 3), 1 assists, and 2 steals. More importantly, we may have the highest profile Waferd to date:



No one is safe.

Von Wafer Watch! Yeah, this is happening.

Lots of people have been getting Waferd lately: Mo Evans, The Celtics, the Roundball Mining Mining Company. Joining that list soon could be the most impressive Waferd to date, the month of January.

Roundball Mining Company declares war on DeceptivelyQuick

You know how I feel about Von Wafer; I want this blog to be your premier source for all Von Wafer related news and gossip. (And as always, I remind you that this is relevant because I consider him a Blazer until NBA.com updates his player page.)

When you find yourself wondering, "Who got Waferd?" I want you to direct your interweb machine to this very site. Its called the Wafer niche, and you can look it up in a blogging book if you don't know. Wafer!

But it isn't all good times. It has become clear to me that an anti-Wafer movement is slowly gathering strength. Official link buddy Roundball Mining Company has pointed out our man's recent dunk mishap:

Von Wafer not cleared for takeoff

You may have seen this clip by now, but in case you missed it here is former Von Wafer’s attempt to throw down on the Celtics.



The worst part of the whole thing, other than the embarrassment, is the fact the Celtics hit a three in transition on the other end.

We respect our colleague's work greatly, but the Roundball Mining Company is clearly underestimating Wafer's power in this instance. We do not dispute the missed dunk, but point to evidence that it was all in Wafer's master plan. You see, by missing that dunk, the Celtics perceived him to suck. Players that suck are no threat. With this seed planted in their minds, the Celtics figured there was no need to guard Wafer in the waning seconds of the close game. Then this happened:



Wafer's missed dunk-game winning three is the basketball equivalent of Ali's rope-a-dope. So great is his mastery that even a steady sports blog fell for it. Boston Celtics and Roundball Mining Company, you have been Waferd!

On Von Wafer's recent blowuptuation

It isn't a secret that this blog jumps off the Blazer tracks and screeches into topical obscurity from time to time. And why not? A big advantage of a no cost/no profit blog is that you have nothing to lose by indulging your flights of fancy. But DeceptivelyQuick was never intended to be esoteric. It sort of is supposed to feel like a Blazers blog. But where is the line? I don't know exactly, but I am starting to sense its nearness. All brought on by Mr. Von Wafer. Of course.

On January 2nd he blew up in his twelve mostly garbage minutes. That performance and Houston's roster depletion due to injury have resulted in Von Wafer starting. As a bit of a Waferphile, I was ecstatic. And although I consider the man a Blazer until NBA.com updates his player page, I decided nobody but me and the Wafer family really cared.

Apparently I was wrong; over the course of Wafer's last three games I have received Wafer related text messages from three people that know me and three e-mails from people who don't. This is what blogger books call the "Wafer niche," and while it is small, I assure you that it is very real. Don't be surprised to see a new Von Wafer Watch feature. It is on my friend, welcome to your new premier source for Von Wafer news and gossip.

Just what has our man done in his last three games to get all seven of us so pumped? He's averaged over 16 a game while only taking 11 shots in just 26 minutes per. Yes, you can say that his team has lost all of those games. But nobody likes you and your cynicism, so don't. Get Waferd!

Another Von Wafer siting! GA!

Wafer has been getting minutes again lately for the Rockets, with some solid results. Why do I care? As far as I'm concerned Wafer remains a Blazer until NBA.com updates his player photo.

(Assist SLAM.)

Portland vs Phoenix, Pre-pregame; Von Wafer edition

Its always inconsiderate of the Universe to allow basketball things to happen while I'm away from a computer. No worries, Monday will be here soon enough. I'm off to find a cozy place to enjoy Portland vs. Phoenix, get ready for action with a Bust a Bucket game preview and some Rip City Project thoroughness.

***

Notice how Von Wafer has been getting minutes since the injury bug hit in Houston? Pretty awesome. Eventually, NBA.com may even update his player photo. Go Blazers!

Speaking of a lack of Blazers talk...

Considering this is a blog about the Blazers, I'm noticing there has been a startling lack of Blazer related stuff getting thrown around here recently. My bad. I'm not certain why this happened, but I'm sure it has something to do with the Blazers being hard to watch when missing both their MVP and their NMVP.

I suppose I could've written about how bad thing will suck under these conditions. Or I could've rehashed the optimism of "playing without Roy and James gives the other guys a great opportunity" thing. Eh. Maybe I've hit a blogger-rookie wall of sorts.

As I'm refocusing, I'll just go ahead and spew up some random things circling my mind at the moment. Maybe some will grow into full individual posts at some point:

• Have the Blazers given up on Sergio? Hear me out on this. The guy has been getting inconsistent play all season, and averaging just 9.3 minutes per game. But over the last 5 games, he's averaged just 6 minutes per. Factor in the strong perimeter need the Blazers have had recently with injuries to James Jones and Brandon Roy, and it seems even more strange. Its only 5 games, and Sergio never has gotten many minutes, but its something to keep an eye on. After a disappointing summer league/training camp, has Nate finally convinced KP this guy won't work?
• I like Von Wafer. Yes, I was sad to see Taurean Green go. But Wafer has some things going for him. Before the Clippers game I heard Jason Quick say he was brought in as a practice player. Because, you see, Roy previously had to spend scrimmages being guarded by Sergio or Green and this just wasn't very representative of actual games. My take is that it seemed to be working just fine. But thats me. Then Wafer came out and impressed in that ugly win against the Clippers after only one practice with the team (while Sergio collected another DNP). I hope we get to see more Wafer down the stretch.
• The Draft. Knowing KP is KP it is extremely hard not to be excited for the draft and beyond. What will they do with those picks, anyways? I'll be trying to keep tabs on things.
• LaMarcus. Remember this? Aldridge's first real full-season has had some expected ups and downs. Lately though, he's seemed a little different. I'm not sure if he's trying to step up in Roy's absence, or if things clicked for him, but the man has shown a new kind of consistent aggressiveness. It would be a great sign to see him keep this up when Roy comes back, and for the rest of his career.