A Suggestion for Blazer Fans

If you feel the way I do as a Blazer fan, you are far from giving up on Greg Oden. Maybe it was the hoopla surrounding winning the lottery or maybe it is seeing Kevin Durant flourish in OKC. Whatever it is, I am not ready to give up just yet. Greg has shown that he has the potential to be a great big man when he is healthy and I am not willing to write that off any time soon.

My suggestion for Blazer fans regarding Greg Oden is simple and may have been programmed into my head by subliminal messages from the Blazers marketing department. If you haven't seen the new On The Go with G.O. video (see bottom for link) the NBA has up on it's website featuring Greg, do yourself a favor and watch it. Greg's personality was one of the cherries on top of the sundae for Blazer fans when the team drafted him but because of injuries and pressure, no one really got to see it. This video shows Greg's personality is back in full swing and Blazer fans should love it.

The suggestion I have for Blazer fans comes from the first episode of Greg's mini show. In the episode, Greg meets with former Portland mayor Bud Clark. Greg inquires about the "whoop whoop" that the mayor became famous for during his campaign and time as mayor. Several times during the episode Greg lets out his own "whoop whoop", which I found hilarious coming from the big fella. So my suggestion is that next year (or maybe in the playoffs this year) when Greg strikes for one of his signature rim-rattling dunks, Portland fans make a change. Instead of serenading Greg with some of loudest cheers Rip City has to offer, Blazer fans should give Greg a nice, crisp, "whoop whoop!"

Let it be a rally cry for Blazer fans. In a city customarily devestated by big men who don't pan out, let it be the fans way of letting Greg know that we aren't ready to give up on him yet. For Greg, let it be a signal to all of the doubters that he isn't about to give up. All of the fans, media and his peers who have already dubbed him a bust should all grow to hate the sound. Just like I hate to hear that stupid chainsaw at Oregon State football games (yes, proud Duck fan here) I want Los Angeles, Denver, OKC and Utah fans to talk about how dumb "that stupid noise" we make is.

Obviously this idea needs to get the OK from Greg himself in order to take shape. Just like whomever dubbed Joel Pryzbilla, "The Vanilla Gorilla" I don't want to start a trend that makes Greg cringe everytime he hears it. After watching the episode, I think Greg would be open to the idea and as Blazer fans I think it is the easiest way to let Greg know that we still have his back.

Whoop Whoop

http://www.nba.com/blazers/go_project.html

Brandon Jones

My Favorite Blazer

November 29, 2007. That was the date I first heard of my favorite current blazer. I was discussing the upcoming draft with a friend of mine. These were his exact words: "Right now I'm hoping that the Blazers draft Nicolas Batum from France." I was shocked. I had never heard of this french kid. I wanted the Blazers to take a college player ready to play in the league, not another overseas prospect who might not come over to play for years. One of the greatest Blazer what ifs is, of course, the Sabonis question. What if Sabonis had come over when he was still in his prime when he was drafted by the Blazers in 1986? Instead he stayed in the Soviet Union until finally coming to the NBA in 1995. Would the Blazers have won those championships with Sabonis starting or backing up Duckworth? Imagine Sabas throwing lobs to Clyde and Jerome. This question has made longtime Blazer fans like me spend way to much time thinking about what could have been.

In the 2008 draft the Blazers ended up getting Jerryd "hard off the back rim" Bayless after a trade with the Pacers. Like most fans, I overlooked the deal they made with Houston to get Batum, who was taken 25th. We now know that the Blazer front office loved Batum and would have basically done anything to get him in the draft. The fans assumed that he would lounge on the bench and take notes on a clipboard during his first season. This couldn't have been less true. He turned into a starter and could have been the MVP of the team. We saw how the season started this year with Batum hurt. Mike Rice kept saying that the most significant injury this season was Batum not starting the year. And you know what, he might actually be right.

The thing I love most about Batum is that he understands how to play. That sounds simple doesn't it? These guys play basketball for a living, shouldn't they know how to play? We have all played a pickup game where there are always different types of players in the game. To name a few: the guy who doesn't pass, the guy who thinks he is way better than he actually is, the guy who complains about fouls every play, the sweaty guy, and the guy that "gets it". The guy who "gets it" is usually the best player on the floor. He knows all the fundamentals and totally understand how to play. Even though he could score whenever he wants, he understands that he should set up his teammates and play a team game. These players will do whatever it takes to win. They will guard the other team's best player because they love the challenge of shutting him down, they will crash the boards with force every miss, they will continue to run the pick and roll even though the roller has bricks for hands. This player reminds me of Batum. He might be the best all-around player on the team. He is shooting a ridiculous percentage this year from the field. He is the one guarding Kobe and Lebron all game. He understands when the team needs him to expend most of his energy on defense and sacrifice his offense for a game. And the best part about all of this? Batum is only 21. Think about how much better he is going to get. This is something positive to think about Blazer fans. Block out the injury woes and think about the future of Batum.

When talking about the Blazers with other serious fans, Batum always comes up. Casual fans love Roy and nobody else. To them, Roy could play an entire team by himself and still dominate. But the real Blazer fans understand the mystique and potential of Batum. They wonder why Martell is getting some of Batum's minutes. They admire how well he plays the game. These fans understand the game of basketball and they understand what Batum brings to the table. Batum is my favorite Blazer and he is slowly becoming as popular in Portland as Brandon Roy. Lets all hope that he is here for the long run.

Owen Reutlinger

Blazer Grab Bag

Here are a few brief thoughts and ideas about the recent news surrounding the team in the last week or so:

- Will someone please make a spoof NBA commercial of Portland? You know, "Where injuries happen."

- While we are on the subject of injuries... wait, we have been on that subject all season... Anyway, Marcus Camby missed the Denver game with an ankle injury. If Marcus played for the Clippers still, he would probably be back to normal in a few days rest. However, when you put on that Blazers jersey something magical happens and your injuries tend to linger a little longer than they should. Hopefully, for one time this season, that is not the case. As Wheels would say, "It's a great day to be a Blazer!" Right?

- Players injured? Check. Coaches injured? Check. Injured players injured? Check. Poor Joel Pryzbilla, who apparently slipped in the shower and re-ruptured his patella tendon that was recently surgically repaired. Joel underwent successfull surgery to re-repair the tendon but one has to wonder how much stress that knee will be able to handle. For both Joel and the Blazers sake I wish him a speedy, full recovery this time around.

- Travis Diener has arrived in Portland and his presence has already been felt...maybe. In what seems to be a habit for the Blazers, the team signed Diener just before playing his former team, the Indiana Pacers. Although he has yet to make his Trail Blazers debut, Diener promptly lit a fire under the butt of Jerryd Bayless who has put together a couple of nice games since the Blazers added the PG. Maybe those games had nothing to do with the signing of Diener but had Bayless laid a couple of eggs, you can bet fans would be calling for Diener to see the floor.

- Greg Oden's rehab seems to progressing along well as he has resumed some light basketball activity. Nothing crazy, just stationary, no jump shots. Apparently Greg is still holding out hope that he can come back in time for the playoffs this year. You have to love the optimism but after a season like this, don't you think he might just be better off taking his time coming back? I do, but I also find myself thinking about Greg checking in late in the first quarter of a playoff series and throwing down monster dunks on backup centers...

- Maybe I am in the minority on this one but does this years upcoming draft class seem incredibly weak beyond John Wall? Sure there are a few other nice players who I am sure will translate into good players in the league but this years draft might be incredibly boring. I for one would never miss watching the draft but this year I might just have to turn the volume up a little bit, take a nap and wait for the sound us Blazer fans have become so accustomed to hearing... PRITCHSLAP!

Brandon Jones

Hello Diener, Bye Bye Bayless?

With the Blazers on the cusp of adding Travis Diener to the roster for the rest of the season, it is hard to see this move having any real impact on the team barring another injury (which we all know is very possible). However, with Jerryd Bayless seeing significantly less playing time and his retractable leash being shortened as we speak, the signing of Diener could result in much more than first glance would indicate.

Now lets be realistic about this. Jerryd Bayless is the backup point guard and probably will continue to be the backup point guard. Travis Diener was signed as an insurance policy should (knock on wood) Andre Miller or Bayless go down with an injury. We all know Nate McMillan prefers veterans and the thought of Patty Mills playing significant minutes in a playoff push would give him nightmares. Let's just say for one minute though, that Jerryd Bayless continues to be reeled in by Coach McMillan. At what point does he look down the bench and see Diener, a 5-year veteran who takes decent care of the basketball and has been a pretty good 3-pt shooter, all things that Coach McMillan loves? That moment would mean the end for Jerryd Bayless as a Portland Trail Blazer.

If you feel the way I do about this season, whatever the Blazers give us from here on out is a free roll. It would be undoubtedly dissappointing for the team to miss the playoffs but fairly predictable should they be unable to get out of the first round. In a way, management may have needed a season like this to evaluate the pieces on this team and figure out who they want to be a part of it for the long haul. Nicolas Batum has played his way in. Dante Cunningham and Jeff Pendegraph have made strong cases to stay while Martell Webster and Rudy Fernandez are slowly building cases to leave. Now it is Jerryd Bayless' turn. It was too easy for Coach McMillan to bench Jerryd Bayless when he had a proven PG in Steve Blake taking his spot. Now that Blake is gone, if Coach McMillan begins to bench Bayless in favor of a journeyman PG in Diener, it would be hard not to see the writing on the wall. That would be a shame considering the flashes of brilliance the 21 year old Bayless has shown and it would be hard not to think of someone like Jermaine O'Neal who was shipped out of town all too soon. Welcome to Portland Travis Diener, I hope you never play.

Brandon Jones