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.

Starting things up again

Back from a short break (I almost said blog-cation. You are welcome.) here are some things I wish I didn't miss (outside of Roybot's payday.)

- Apparently Portland wanted to bring Joel Freeland over this season. I'm not sure this could be a huge surpise to anyone who followed our updates over his last season. Freeland was solid in the ACB League in spite of some nagging injuries. This news did catch all those off-guard who had been saying Portland would renounce Freeland's rights to gain a little flexibility. Why so many seemed to think that the franchise should give up on a high-potential (he's still only 22) player for absolutely nothing was what was really crazy.

- Sadly for everyone, Shawn Kemp cancelled his plans to go play an exhibition in China. Going to China was the next logical step for Kemp after playing in the 3BA. By the way, if you like basketball and novelty, and if you read this blog more than twice a week you do, the 3BA is made for you. (Assist HoopsHype.)

Joel Freeland close to signing with stupid Euro club

Blazers draftee Joel Freeland, a player we have followed diligently and openly stalked on myspace, is reportedly close to signing a contract with another European team. Although there will likely be a clause giving Freeland somewhat of an exit strategy to join the Blazers, this news puts doubt to the idea that Freeland will be showing up in Portland any time soon. Oh poopers. Regular posting to resume shortly, by the way.

(Assist to BlazersEdge)

The Off-season is on! More Koponen. More Freeland.

With that pesky dream season finally out of the way we can focus on what really excites us: Players the Blazers have rights to that may or may not join the team at some point. Yes!

Petteri Koponen has been an obvious favorite around here. H.T. has has kept us well informed on his development in Italy. The most notable achievement of Koponen's season has been the role he has created for himself as a willing and able perimeter defender. He has not gotten much time at his natural point-guard position, but his defensive prowess has at least kept him on the court. While his opportunities for development have not been optimal his growing rep for bringing the D is notable when you consider what the scouts from DraftExpress observed last summer:

He knows how to control tempo relatively well for a young guard and possesses above average court vision. The young guard's ability to run the point at his size and age is pretty impressive, but his defense still has a ways to go.

All indications are that Koponen is working hard on improving his game, managing to make noticeable strides despite inconsistent minutes and limited run at the point. Please please please let this guy come to Vegas.

A Blazers' draftee we haven't heard much from in a while is power forward Joel Freeland. As you likely know, Joel impressed a lot of people this season with Gran Canaria. DraftExpress has him ranked seventh on their NBA Rights Held list. The Blazers are sounding like they think he will be able to join the summer team in Vegas, but I'm holding off for more news before getting too excited. Last summer Gran Canaria decided not to let him come over for the rat-ball romp in the desert, and I don't want my heart broken again. In any event Freeland seems to be quite a bit closer to joining the Trailblazers than Koponen.

It is worth reminding that the Blazers have a spectacular FOUR second-round picks in this year's NBA Draft. Will we see Kevin Pritchard use some of these on some more potential-types from abroad? You never know with KP, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him try and use some his team's assets to stock up on picks for the sexier looking 2010 Draft.

Taurean Green vs. Joel Freeland Round 1 was kind of lame

Taurean Green's team playing against Joel Freeland's team could never have really lived up to the hype that I had built up in my own mind. I understand that. Still, I was hoping this battle of the (DeceptivelyQuick) titans would have been a little more...battle-ish.

Green played 13 minutes, had three points (all free-throws, he missed his only field goal attempt) and 1 assist. Freeland played 13 minutes, had 6 points (2/2 FG, 2/2 FT), and 3 rebounds. Here is the box score. I hope we can agree to never speak of this again.

Taurean Green vs. Joel Freeland, will DeceptivelyQuick explode?

Being that Blazers draftee Joel Freeland and former Blazer Taurean Green both play in Spain's ACB League, it was only a matter of time before these DeceptivelyQuick favorites faced each other. That day is nearly upon us.

Thanks to a heads up from international blogger comrade Rodman, I was alerted that on January 22nd Green's CAI Zarazoga will take on Freeland's Kalisa Gran Canaria. Joel Freeland should be back from the injury that caused him to sit out one game and start another. (Seriously.) I mean, Freeland should be ready to play. But when it comes to European basketball, I am wrong more often than not. Send positive thoughts his way, because this match up needs to happen.

Green is currently putting up 11.9 points (52% from two, 40% from three, and 79% free throws) and 2.5 assists in 26 minutes per game in his first ACB season. His numbers have been more consistent lately and he is now wreaking the sort of havoc we all knew he was capable of on a regular basis.

After rarely playing in his first ACB season, Joel Freeland has become an important contributor off the bench. He is currently averaging 10.3 points (63% FG, 68% FT) and 4.2 rebounds in just 17 minutes per game. His contract with Gran Canaria is also up this season, hint hint.

UPDATE: Thanks to Rodman for coming through with yet another happy tip, Joel Freeland will most likely play. Here is some auto-translated roughness:

The pivot of the Gran Canaria Kalisa, Joel Freeland, who was low since last December 18 by an injury in his right foot and then by suffering a sprained his left ankle when he reappeared before the Pamesa Valencia, has been returned to the working sessions of all Salva Maldonado and unless unforeseen last minute, will be before the CAI Zaragoza on Thursday, 22, from 20.00 hours in Hall canaria Príncpe Felipe de Zaragoza.

More importantly, the Gran Canaria Kalis has been unable to have all its troops in the past six disputed commitments in CBA League and Eurocup:

Lietuvos Rytas - Kalise Gran Canaria: No Joel Freeland.

TAU Cerámica - Kalise Gran Canaria: No Joel Freeland.

Kalise Gran Canaria - BC Azovmash: No Joel Freeland and Jim Moran.

Kalise Gran Canaria - CB Murcia: No Joel Freeland and Jim Moran.

Pamesa Valencia - Kalise Gran Canaria: No Joel Freeland and Melvin Sanders.
Freeland had to withdraw in the first minutes of the meeting by a sprained his left ankle.

Kalisa Gran Canaria - Bilbao iurbentia: No Joel Freeland and Melvin Sanders

Get excited.

Joel Freeland Update: DNP, ankle

Joel Freeland and his bum ankle sat out Gran Canaria's last game, or "match" as they probably call it. Not really interesting or surprising, I know. But being that he got his first ACB League start after his initial injury, I figured I'd keep you posted.

Freeland is averaging 10.3 points (63% FG) and 4.5 rebounds in 17 minutes coming off the bench this season.

Joel Freeland gets his first start, Euro basketball still crazy

Joel Freeland was putting together an impressive season off the bench for Gran Canaria, then he got injured. I figured the bum ankle would be a small setback; Freeland would sit out and rehab until healthy and then be eased back into his reserve role. That is how these things work.

Once again, it is clear that I do not understand European basketball. Joel Freeland, the injured Joel Freeland, just got the first start of his ACB Career. He played less than two minutes, I assume because he was, um, injured. He scored two points and nabbed one rebound if you're curious. But yeah, good stuff, I guess.

Joel Freeland injury update

The exact nature of Joel Freeland's injury has finally been revealed. After an MRI and all that fun stuff, the team has determined that Joel severely sprained his left ankle. Freeland could be out for over a week, you never know with those stupid ankle sprains, but the good news is that a full recovery is expected.

It is unfortunate for Freeland, who has been impressing this season. Hopefully his recovery is a speedy and full one, so he can return to the court and we can continue to watch him grow.

(Thanks to Rodman for the tip.)

Joel Freeland injury

It makes sense that we have been following Joel Freeland's every move. The 21 year old Blazers draftee has been impressing in the ACB League, currently averaging 11 points (shooting 63% from the field) and 4.5 rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench (1).

Which is why it was scary to see him collect a recent DNP. Some google searching turned up a brief mention of an injury, but no details on the type or severity.

So I did what anyone would do who discovered such an occurrence on Christmas, I posted up on the computer looking at Spanish websites and e-mailing people that might have some answers. Mark from Basketball 24/7 verified the injury:

Hi Jack

I'm not quite sure of the definition but it's a circulatory injury to his
foot which has caused an inflammation. According to El Mundo Deportivo,
he's
having more tests but is expected to be out at least another week.

Mark

Rodman, who we share a bond with through a mutual appreciation of Taurean Green, also provided some information:

Si ha estado lesionado pero mañana juega contra el Pamesa Valencia.

http://www.cbgrancanaria.com/pag/noticia.asp?id=2004 (Translated)

Feliz Navidad.

Joel incurred a foot injury that kept him out a game. Given that it is possible (but not probable) that Freeland could play in the next game, it doesn't sound too serious. Investigative journalism!

Another Joel Freeland Update

Last time we checked in with Joel he was coming off a monster performance. It was good things.

Here is how Joel has been doing since:

November 30th (W):
20 mins, 13 points (5/7 FG, 3/3 FT), 5 reb

November 23 (L):
17 mins, 9 points (3/8 FG, 3/4 FT), 2 reb

Freeland is currently averaging 11.7 points (65% FG, 68% FT) and 4.8 rebs in 17 minutes per game.

And in case you are wondering, Joel has yet to start.

Taurean Green and Joel Freeland updates

I just got an update from Rodman, and you will be happy to know that both Taurean Green and Joel Freeland are continuing to impress in the ACB League.

Freeland put up a monster performance for the win; 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 26 minutes.

Green's team also won and he contributed mightily with 14 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds in 28 minutes.

Freeland's Gran Canaria team is at the top of the league with a 7-1 record. The fact that Joel, at age 21, is becoming one of the best players on one of the best teams in the second best league in the World should not be ignored. This is looking more and more like a player we can't afford to miss out on.

The CAI Zaragoza team Green plays for is staying even with four wins and four losses. While that may not sound inspiring, keep in mind this season is their return to the top level of ACB play. They seem to not only be avoiding the cellar this time around, but are increasingly dangerous as Green continues to get comfortable.

The Latest on Joel Freeland

For some reason (laziness) this blog hasn't written much on Joel Freeland since I stalked him down on myspace and e-mailed him a bunch of questions over a year ago. When I saw he wasn't on the summer league roster last summer, I feared the worst. It turned out he wasn't there because Gran Canaria wouldn't allow it. Understandable.

Today Portland Trailbloggers links to a recent interview with Joel at Basketball 24/7. The exciting news is that Joel's contract with Gran Canaria is up after this season. Judgement day on his Portland Trailblazer career is rapidly approaching. Joel comes off positive as always, saying he hopes for twelve to fifteen minuters per game this season.

His ACB team is currently 3-4. Joel is getting his 15 minutes a game (a reasonable amount in Europe, shorter games remember) and averaging 10 points and 4.2 boards. He is also shooting a dunkalicious 73% from the field.

Freeland is still just 21 years old. If he continues to impress in the ACB, we could very well see him in the NBA next season. Hopefully he will be another impressive young talent on the Blazers roster.

Definitive outline of Darius Miles ramifications

I have written about Big Pun far more than I ever anticipated. Since being dismissed by the C's, we have heard very little of other franchises expressing interest in his services. This is good, but it is still early. Right now Miles could be attractive to a team as a low risk gamble. Any team that plays him 10 games would get the added bonus of making Portland's fiscal flexibility a little more tricky. Oh the drama.

Over at TrueHoop there is a definitive outline of how Miles playing and not playing will impact the Blazers. Check it out. I'm going to bookmark that sucker. It will come in handy, although I am saddened by a hypothetical scenario of how the Blazers could get $32 million under the cap if Miles doesn't play:

They could get as far as $32 million under if they renounce all free agents, Surrey U.K.'s Joel Freeland, Petteri Koponen, and trade their 2009 #1 draft pick.

Cutting The Finnagler loose would mean this blog would lose the support of Finland forever, which would be a terrible shame. We have ties to the Invisible Finnish Hand for crying out loud. And Joel? We love Mr. Freeland and respect his talent and work ethic. Plus he was the only Blazer related person ever to actually talk to us. For this he is eternally in the DeceptivelyQuick hall of fame, which doesn't exist but would have him in it if it did. Guaranteed. Stupid hypothetical situations, how you anger me.

Koponen! Akeem Scott! More from Finland!

Seriously, what kind of NBA blog posts updates from Finland when the playoffs are in full swing here in the States? One that has a sweetpotato as a mascot.

BlueForest chimed in and reduced my fears of The Finnagler being snared in a Joel Freeland-like horrible situation with a Euro team next year. BlueForest (I assume forests are blue in Finland) assured me Koponen has enough support with enough people to avoid the situation of a horrible buy-out clause and limited minutes/development. Whew.

H.T. also sent along a nice recap of the Espoo championship game that featured a surprise injured-Koponen appearance and chants of "Who the fuck is Akeem Scott?!?" He also sent along some nice video documentation. Watch as Akeem Scott breaks out a celebratory Bird, Koponen drops someone with a crossover, and good times are had by all.

Yep,

it was a storybook ending.

Petteri Koponen broke his thumb in Finnish league semifinals. Honka Playboys
coach Mihailo Pavicevic had no other possibilities but to enter Koponen's
substitute PG, Akeem Scott, into starting line-up for the finals.

Akeem struggled with playmaking but showed incredible confidence, turning
two of four final series games into Honka victories with some last minute
heroics. Akeem scored Honka's last seven points in 70-68 game two victory
and scored a grand total of 36 points in deciding game 4, including a
running jumper with three seconds remaining which gave Honka 72-71 lead and a W.

But even Koponen got his share of shine in the finals. When Akeem Scott got
his fourth foul with eight minutes remaining in game 4, coach Pavicevic
entered injured Koponen. Koponen hadn't been able to practice in two weeks
because of the thumb but his presence was needed: Koponen stabilized Honka's
offence and gave Akeem a couple minute breather before the nitro ending.

Honka had a great opportunity to win the championship in game 3, but Kouvot
took a 67-66 lead with Corey Smith's low post basket with four seconds
remaining and Akeem Scott travelled in Honka's last possession. In game 4,
Akeem truly showed what he was made of and more than made up for his game 3
flaw.

Throughout game 4, Kouvot fans harassed Akeem chanting: "Who the f*** is
Akeem Scott, Akeem Scott, Akeem Scott / Who't the f*** is Akeem Scott, he's
a loser", but as you can see, Kouvot fans should've been more careful with
their words..

"Who the f... is Akeem Scott? He's a winner!"


H.T

Whats next for Koponen?

An email from BlueForest got my mind off the playoffs and back on The Finnagler.

The season in Finland is over, and Petteri Koponen has won another
championship with Honka Playboys. Unfortunately his participation in
the playoffs was marginal after the thumb fracture he suffered 2 weeks
ago. After missing the previous final games, today he entered the game
in the 4th quarter when Honka was in foul trouble and helped them to
hold on for the W and 3-1 victory in the series. Streaky Akeem Scott
caught fire for 36 points and hit the winning basket with 3 seconds to
go.

I hope this was the last we will see of PK in Finland. If he can't
earn a contract in the summer league, he will likely move to some
European big league club. He has improved here every season with coach
Pavicevic, but now is the time to move on. Honestly I'm not sure if he
can fit on the Blazers' squad, but at least he deserves a chance to
run the team in Vegas and not be played off the ball again. If he
makes the League, it will be as a pure point with size.

Congratulations for a wonderful season in Portland, and best wishes
for the future that looks so promising!

BlueForest

I'm definitely looking forward to Vegas this summer, assuming we'll get our yearly check in with both Koponen and Joel Freeland. The odds of either one playing for the big team in the fall seem unlikely at present, but things could change. If they don't make the team, it will be interesting to see what route they take. Koponen seems ready to move on to another Euro league, but sometimes that can lead to frustrating situations for NBA-drafted young players. Ask Joel Freeland how that has been working out. According to this source, he was glued to the bench once again in the ACB League.

2007-08 Regular season officially dunzo

Now that regular things are all finished, its time for the playoffs. It is gonna be crazy. It will also be crazy if I somehow manage to not ignore everything else in my life and avoid having my world crumble around me.

Outside of the playoffs, we can start cranking up the meaningless speculation on one Portland Trailblazers organization. Yahtzee.

On the draft front, Portland has one lottery spot and three (or more?) second round picks.

As far as player development, don't forget the team has The Finnagler and Joel Freeland still developing in Europe. Both are reportedly progressing well, we'll get a chance to see for ourselves during summer league. Odds are we won't see either one in the upcoming regular season, but the much drooled over Rudy Fernandez will probably be here.

Which leads into another interesting topic, roster spots. The NBA maximum is 15. The Blazers were full this season. Add Fernandez on for next season (I think they cleared his spot by waiving Big Pun). After that things get messy and speculative. According to HoopsHype, Blake, Wafer, and McRoberts are not under contract after this season. I'm not sure that Steve Blake contract is correct, as it was reported as a three year deal when he signed. Plan on him being here next season.

All of these factors are being juggled and you can bet KP and crew are discussing a whole mess of possibilities. Trades? Who stays? Who goes? Who arrives? Interesting times ahead.

Catching Up With Joel Freeland

Many of us first heard the name Joel Freeland when Portland drafted the then nineteen year-old with the #30 pick in the 2006 draft. He was one of those surprises you hear shooting up draft projections after impressing teams on the pre-draft workout circuit. More surprisingly, for all this raw talent that had teams drooling, Joel had started working on his game just three years prior to hearing his name called. He was 6'10 and athletic, but hadn't played much at a high level. His wiry frame also didn't seem like something you could see having much fun close to the hoop during an NBA game. The Blazers decided to let him mature in Europe, and Joel signed a contract with Gran Canaria of Spain's ACB League. There, it was believed he would get an opportunity to gain experience competing at a high level while polishing his skills and getting his body ready to compete in the NBA.

The problem was, Gran Canaria rarely played the man they already knew would be leaving them for the NBA, and showed little interest in helping with his development. Rather than dwell on this frustrating situation Joel went to work on his skills the best he could. And he lifted. And lifted. When 2007's summer-league rolled around it was time for Joel to rejoin the Blazers. That wiry young draft pick was nowhere to be seen, in his place was 250 lbs of grown man that definitely looked the part of an NBA player.

Joel saw sporadic time in Vegas, but certainly did enough to leave an impression. His two-handed throwdown off a lob in traffic and his blocking of a Leon Powe dunk come to mind. He proved to the coaching staff that he can play, and is now in a position requiring him to work as hard as ever on improving while patiently waiting for his opportunity. I emailed Joel a few questions and he was kind enough to reply, his words are in grey:

1) How much contact do you have with the Blazers right now? Do you communicate much this time of year or are you mostly left to do your own thing?

I don’t have much contact with the Blazers during the season, which is no problem as I understand they have a lot on their plate during the season. But as I travel to mainland Spain I occasionally meet up the European scout so that’s kinda cool!

2) Have you heard much from the team on an ideal timeframe for you to come over? If you came over now, how much do you think you could contribute to the team?

I haven’t spoken to the team about this, but to be honest I’m not in any rush, it will happen when it happens and I've just got to make sure that I’m fully prepared for the responsibility that it involves, and also make sure that I am ready to compete, so all I’m focused on now is playing, working hard and getting better.

3) It seems like both you and the Blazers organization are frustrated at the limited minutes Gran Canaria has offered. What is your approach to still improving your game in such a situation?

I am frustrated as any basketball player would be but I feel as long as I stay confident and work everyday, whether it be during practice or by myself, I will benefit greatly from it.My opportunity to play will eventually come and I have to be prepared to show everybody that I am physically and mentally ready to compete at this level.

4) You've talked about the level to which you've added muscle to your frame, and a desire to gain more. After summer league, do you feel like your body is now where you'd like it to be?

With the extra weight that I have put on over the past year I feel great. I feel a lot stronger and a lot more stable in the low post, and I don’t feel like I've lost any quickness either, which is great. I’m at around 250lbs at the moment and I feel I could go up to like 255-260lbs and that would be perfect.

5) Anything else?

Thanks a lot for the questions and trying to stay in touch its greatly appreciated. I would just like to say thanks to the fans as well for their unbelievable support and I hope to see you all soon!

Blazers on Myspace. I know I'm a loser.

It was Blazers media day today, and everybody who is anybody was there. I was going to get a press-pass and get all sorts of scoops, but I had to shower and do some stuff.

So I decided to have my own media day. There will be no microphones or cliche questions/answers at this one. To get to really know a person, they have to open up. You have to see them stripped down to their most honest self-expression. Thats right, we're going to Myspace!

I guess its important to keep in mind anyone can pose as anyone on myspace. I mean, if I really wanted to I could create an account claiming the name "Raef LaFrentz," throw up some pics and a Kelly Clarkson song, and BOOM, I'm hooking up with "LaFans" until I get "LaClap."

Full disclosure, here's mine.

Lets assume that at least some of these are real, and we can learn all types of interesting personal trivia. For example, did you know Raef LaFrentz would like to meet "Bill Russel, Magic Johnson, Jesus, " This is just the beginning my friend.

I ran the entire roster through the name search (I added the draft picks who will remain stashed in Europe for a while). Then I took my shirt off, took pictures at extreme angles that hide my flaws, and got my social-network on.

If you don't see your favorite Blazer on the list, there could be a couple of explanations. They could actually NOT have a myspace, it is sort of possible. Or, and this was more frequent, they have a common name and I didn't feel like sifting through 9 million other Steve Blakes of Chris Elisseses (Ellisi?). I guess I could of tinkered with the zip code filter on my searches, but um, I didn't.

LaMarcus Aldridge
Title: "The Official LaMarcus Aldridge Myspace"
Song: Get 'Em by lil Wayne
Friends: 144
Last login: 10/2/07
By reading the quote, you might think his page is more corporate-marketing tool than actual myspace. You're wrong, you'll be assured of this by the Weezy track and high volume of basketball pictures stuffed into the columns.

Channing Frye
Title: "with any new job, you embrace it, accept it, and move on proudly"
Private Page
He looks to be a serial-myspacer, with a few older accounts. If you're curious, I linked to one he had when he played for the Knicks. The move to a new private page with a positive mantra serving as title (his old one is "Go Knicks!!!!!!")? I like it.

Taurean Green
Title: "gators back to back champs"
Song: Low by Flo Rida
Friends: 945
Last login: 9/27/2007
If you have read this blog, you know I love Taurean's game. He's also impressing the pants off of Nate McMillan, which I always imagine as being hard. His teammates are in his picture, but he didn't just make this to show them some love. You know he can score effectively on his own: "Ladies I'm lookin for i girl that will treat me the way that i will treat the and da way i treat them is good." Awwwwe ya.

Jarrett Jack
Title: "Jarrett Jack"
Last login: 4/28/07
Private Page
Break down the walls, Jarrett, let me love you!

Raef LaFrentz
Title: "Trail Blazers on their way up"
Song: Streamline by Newton
Friends: 295
Last login: 1/5/07
This is the one profile I absolutely insist you visit. Really its too funny to be real (Dane Cook and Bishop Don Magic Juan are top friends), and I can't do it justice.

Josh McRoberts
Title: "im a lucky guy."
Last login: 9/7/2007
Private Page
I admit, I wanted to see this one pretty bad. But not as bad as the next one.

Darius Miles
Title: "Dunkin' Darius"
Song: Where it started at by Hi-Tek
Friends: 3987
Last login: 5/24/2007
Whatever people think about D.Miles, they still think about him. When I talk Blazers to those that don't really follow the team, his name comes up often. Further evidence is the multiple fake myspace pages that are dedicated to him. I linked to the one that seemed to have the most effort put into it.

Greg Oden
Title: "The Ohio State"
Song: Get them hands hi by Ten Days Till
Friends: 368
Last login: 10/2/207
Ordinary enough. Stick to his blog.

Travis Outlaw
Technically has one, but its totally blank. No bad joke equating that with his court presence. Not from me.

Brent Petway
Title: "Holla at ya folk!"
Song: None.
Friends: 3
Last login: 7/8/2005
Brent is one of those guys we should all cheer to catch on somewhere and make the league this season, if only so he can be in the dunk contest. Air Georgia's not really into myspace, though.

Joel Pryzbilla
See Travis Outlaw above.

Sergio Rodriguez
This search yielded 1183 hits, so I let it go. I do write about Sergio often, so I hope to satisfy your needs. Did that sound weird?

Martell Webster
Title: "YA ITS ME MARTELL"
Song: KOBE by Kobe Bryant
Friends: 42
Last login: 8/20/2007
Its not Martell, but it is hilarious. If you didn't know, Martell has angered teammates with the love he gives Kobe, especially when its moments after Mamba has snatched yet another W away from Portland. Kobe's rap song is one of the greatest gifts ever given to us, but for some reason it doesn't get the attention it deserves. This page keeps that alive.

Joel Freeland
Title: ""
Song: none
Friends: 15
Last login: 10/2/2007
Joel is in a frustrating situation. The Blazers know he's good enough to play here. Joel knows he's good enough to play here. But he isn't playing here, instead there is another frustrating season with Gran Canaria ahead. They signed him after he got drafted, seemingly in hopes of securing a nice buy-out payday from Portland, and have played him little and worked to develop him even less.
Trying times. But going emo won't help anything, there are no emo-guys in the League. Thats why his picture selection worries me a little:

Deceptively Quick's Blazers starters

A big feature in the Oregonian is detailing how nearly every position on the Blazers is up for grabs. Basically, we know Roy and Aldridge will start and thats about it. Although this topic has been beaten to death by other Blazer sites already, I am a hack, so I offer my starting five:

• PG: Jarret Jack. Sure, bringing in Steve Blake may have freaked out both Jack and myself. And while Sergio has apparently slipped out of the rotation (good for Jack), Taurean Green is stepping up in a big way (bad for Jack), and Nate loves tough pointguards like Green. We already know Blake is a Nate-guy. I still like Jack to earn the spot in training camp, simply because he's the most talented of the four, and won't give up his spot as incumbent starter so easily. Thats right, Jarret Jack.
• SG: Brandon Roy. I wish those of you who didn't watch much Blazers last year could truly understand how good Roy is. He really is the total package. I don't curse a whole lot on here but, (cover your ears!) I fucking love when Roy runs the point (my bad, should have said cover the eyes). That said, at least for this year, he'll probably start at the two, but will play point often during the game. Enjoy it.
• SF: James Jones. The competition for this spot is tight, with Outlaw, Webster, and rumors of a Miles comeback (in Decemberish, ugh). Outlaw's late season explosion while many opponents were simply playing out the schedule didn't impress me, it actually cost me the fantasy league title, so I hated it. Both he and Webster still have to get it together between the ears before they can start. I like what Jones could bring to this spot as a veteran with a shooting touch.
• PF: LaMarcus Aldridge. I can't wait to see LaMarcus this season. In case you didn't know, this guy will be an All-Star at some point in the next few years.
• C: Joel Pryzbilla. Don't think this is because I think he's better than Channing Frye, I think Frye will actually play more minutes and be the one to finish games. But Joel is another Nate-guy, and his defense and the fact that he won't take a lot of shots helps him fit in with the starting unit.

While I'm on it, here's a couple other actions I'm currently supporting:

• Trade Sergio Rodriguez. Ok, the Blazers like all four pointguards and want to keep them all for now, which I understand. Nate has said Sergio is currently out of the rotation. Next year, Portland has to bring over guard Rudy Fernandez. Supposedly, other teams are interested in Sergio. Portland needs to open up a spot in the backcourt. Will Sergio's trade value increase or decrease with him riding the bench all season? That's my case.
• Bring over Joel Freeland. You haven't forgotten about him, have you? Don't, because he's an animal. Oden is out for the season, so another big wouldn't hurt. Joel's current club, Gran Canaria, has a bizarre pattern of neither playing Joel nor helping him improve his skills in workouts. He's aching to get with the team and prove himself. I think Paul Allen can write a check and get him away from that last season with Gran Canaria. Why aren't we talking about this?