Trade Deadline Hysteria

Yeah, its that time when the rumor mill of NBA Trades heats up. With all the fine young winning talent on the Blazers, it shouldn't be a surprise to hear the team involved. For the second rumor in a row, Jarret Jack's name is coming up. Today, word comes in that Portland is engaging in supposedly serious talks with Dallas and New Jersey:

In the proposed trade, Dallas and Portland would send the Nets a package that includes the Mavs' Devean George and Jerry Stackhouse and Blazers forwards Travis Outlaw and Channing Frye and guard Jarrett Jack. Mavericks point guard Devin Harris would be sent to Portland. Along with Kidd, the Nets would send reserve forward Malik Allen and center Jamaal Magloire to Dallas.

I'm not really sure what to think at this point. Just remind yourself that the Bob Whitsitt days are over, and Portland pulling the trigger on monster trades isn't as certain as it used to be. Thank God. Most rumors that come up this time of year are no more than that.

Theoretically, Devin Harris could address a major need of Portland. Young and experienced legit pointguard, good at defense, still improving. Definitely worth Frye and Jack, but Outlaw too? My knee-jerk inclination is to think yes. The trade also makes sense for Portland in that they are basically getting two much needed roster spots out of the deal, which will come in handy next season with the additions of Oden and Rudy Fernandez.

This is one sexy rumor.

Thanks to Brrrrrrrr! for the tipoff.

To Random Portlander: Stop Being a Douche. Seriously.

I found this refreshingly douche-free Canzano article via TrueHoop today. In it, Canzano describes why the Blazers are taking down that big "Rise With Us" sign that currently resides on the side of a local grain silo. Basically, its going because somebody complained that it is technically in violation of some city code. The official refers to the tipster as a "sign vigilante."

So, Mr/s. Sign Vigilante, I cordially invite you to stop being such a gigantic douche bag. You are such a douche that Canzano wrote an entire article free of his own douche because yours was so overpowering. You maxed out his douche quota all by yourself, and that is saying something. So stoppit.

About This Business of Sending Jack Off (HaHa!)

There has been a little stir lately since Mr. Windhorst wrote that "different league sources" have indicated Cleveland might be interested in Jarrett Jack. Not too long ago Henry Abbott listed teams that, according to his different league sources, were most likely to make a deal before the deadline. Portland was included. Kevin Pritchard keeps giving us the "we like our guys, we're still evaluating our guys, did I mention we like our guys?" line. Meanwhile, mathematics say that Portland will simply have to free up some roster spots either before the deadline or come summer time.

Mr. Abbott (aka H.Abb the AbBot, HoodyHoo!) makes the point that the trade value of many Blazers could be peaking with all this winning going on. Sounds reasonable. If Pritchard and his crafty crew can get a deal they're convinced is better than anything that will come along this summer, they'll surely take it.

It is no secret that a lot of Blazer fans are frustrated with Jack. Not only is he inconsistent and not a pointguard, he takes minutes from fan uber-favorite Sergio Rodriguez. People don't like that. I'll concede that Jack is not a crucial piece for the future of this franchise, but he is still valuable. First of all, his teammates love him. Secondly, he is the only player not named RoyBot that consistently takes the ball to the hoop. These are two very important things.

Those turnovers and bad decisions we see are strong evidence that this guy is no pointguard. Let's call him a "pure combo guard," his incompetence in this role remains exaggerated. A team like Cleveland is hurting for a good pointguard, and I would think they would know that Jack isn't going to help that.

True, he's sorta young and inexpensive. That said, KP might only want to do midseason meddling if it presents an opportunity to offload a burden. Think LaFrentz or even Miles (come on Isiah!). Remember, the organization loves all the guys who get minutes. They don't want to trade any of them, but at some point will probably have to. LaMiles is the only overpaid entity they really want to get rid of. Finding a boat big enough to ship them and their contracts out of town is probably high on the list.

Also consider that Portland is doing very well with a group of young players that are still developing, so why not see how the rest of the season develops before making any deals. Eh?

We all know its hard to be a content fan, but why not take this opportunity to attempt it?









Just kidding! That would be lame! Go Crazy!

Portland vs. Atlanta: This is not a Recap!

Portland 94, Atlanta 93 (boxscore)

Because I don't do recaps anymore. That said, I was at the game against Atlanta. The feeling in the arena was that Portland was getting blown out the entire game, because that is pretty much what was happening. Deflating. As always, I directed all my frustrations during this time towards Blaze the Trailcat, who is available for parties. Then, somehow, a few electric minutes by the usual suspects was enough for a win.

The blow out turned thrilling Blazer victory naturally featured RoyBot in full kill mode (both on offense and defense) during the clutch, hopefully securing a few more All-Star votes in doing so. This is good.

After playing flat, uninspired ball for 95% of the game it was exciting to see an unexpected victory. We've seen this before. While experts keep telling me that "winning ugly" is the mark of a "real-deal" team, it seems like it could send a bad message. You can come out as lethargic as you want, and get bailed out in the end.

I've heard some defeats are moral victories, so can victories be moral defeats?

Obligatory Roy for All-Star Post

Now that the starters have been announced, we can finally take a concrete measure Roy's competition for a reserve spot on the All-Star team. Let's start with the argument for his inclusion. Don't throw up his stats, because honestly there's guys with better stats that probably won't make it. To me, the strength in his case is how surprisingly well the Blazers have played and what he means to the team, which is Everything. The Blazers marketing did their part with the clever iRoy promotion, which got people talking. You can bet the league wants to promote this blossoming star over some veterans that they've already got the public dropping cash on. He's got The Man on his side.

It will still be tough. The voters all may be too old to know how to use their iRoy, and will probably end up getting frustrated trying to get that confounded machine to work. Plus they seem to give the edge to veterans more often, whether those players want it or not.

This NBA.com article does a good job outlining the competition, and the guy actually picks Roy (as does Charles Barkley, although he still thinks the team won't make the playoffs). The homer in me would do the same, and I hope it works out like that. But the boner the voters have for Ginobili and Parker is not to be underestimated. Additionally, with the Hornets shockingly having the best record in the West, I'd think they deserve two All-Stars. I like the chronically unrecognized David West. Baron Davis? Josh Howard? Shawn Marion? Deron Williams? Marcus Camby? This doesn't get easier.

Then again, Roy does the improbable pretty easily sometimes. For now, savor the debate. It's one more unlikely gift this season has provided us.

What We Learned: Blazers 7 Game Road Trip

Some were saying the seven-game road trip would be the real test to see if this young successful team was "for real." I don't really know what that means, but I know it sounds good, so figured it must be in the best interests of the team to get this authenticity. After playing seven teams in seven cities in ten days, what's the verdict? Three wins (New Jersey, Miami, Atlanta) and four losses (Toronto, Boston, Orlando, New Orleans), but is Portland still a bunch of knockoffs?

Whatever line the experts want to give, the team returns home a half-game out of the division lead. There was no implosion on this trip. There wasn't a win streak, either. They looked impressive and horrible, savvy and inexperienced. What we really learned was what we already knew, this is a very good young team working towards becoming elite. Definitely remaining far ahead of schedule, but without a doubt having lots of growing left to do.

So with a decent, disasterous-free road trip under the belt, the team returns to the cozy confines of the Rose Garden for a six game homestand. The opponents over this span have a combined 60% winning percentage of their last ten, including the 8-2 Rockets and the 9-1 Cavaliers. Stiff competition, even when you factor in the Blazers impressive 17-3 home record.

Sure hope this team is for real.

God Shammgod stays in Portland, YES!

One Saturday last spring, it was suggested to me that I take in an IBL game. Upon arriving at the high school gym I noticed that there was a special guest in the house. It was God Shammgod. They God Shammgod, although now he was listed under "Shammgod Wells." God's Squad turned it into a blowout, and we got to see all the Shammgod flair we remember. He still couldn't hit a jumper on the regular, or keep his team in a smooth running offense, but that was beside the point. He was by far the most talented guy on the floor, and I definitely got my five dollars worth.

I sent word of my experience and some of it ended up over at The Wizznutzz, where it was included in a tidy Shammgod rundown that the unenlightened should check out (OK, I can't get the link to work, here's his less interesting wikipedia.) That was the end of the story, the season was over, and I was a little sad I didn't realize God was in my backyard all along. So many missed opportunities. Wrong. I found out recently there's going to be many more chances to be a witness. He's agreed to play a full season with the Portland Chinooks. Delicious.

That article also does a pretty good job giving a tiny insight into how unusual the IBL is. The thing is so amazingly random it simply must be experienced. A regular IBL column? God Watch? Don't count it out.