Mmmmmm... Crow...

Wow, was I wrong. I owe Ian Furness an apology. Mr. Furness, you were right, I was wrong. I was very, very wrong.

That being said, I'm not a big fan of this trade. Blake was our most consistent player last year, and Skinner provided exactly the type of veteran presence I think this young team needed. Both of them did what they were asked to do without complaint, always played hard, and were always shining examples of professionalism on and off the court. If anybody earned a place on this team, I thought these two had. Magloire has a reputation for complaining about playing time and touches. I hope I'm wrong on this one too, but I think he may cause some chemistry problems. It's a good thing I have a lot of faith in Nate McMillan and Kevin Pritchard.

If Magloire is merely a trading chip intended to entice someone to take Miles off our hands, I would certainly hope that a very good player or players will be coming back to Portland, not just expiring contracts. Losing Blake and Skinner is far to high a price to pay just to move Miles, in my opinion.

Could acquiring Magloire be a harbinger of a Zach trade? It's possible, but I kind of doubt it. We'll see how it plays out.

John Canzano is recommending a trade for Allen Iverson. Allen freaking Iverson. Is he insane? Yes, Iverson is a warrior. Yes, he had a HUGE heart. Yes, he's tough as nails. But he's a drug dealer, a gang banger, and a thug. If he plays even one minute in one preseason game, the Trail Blazers will not see another dime of my money. Character matters.

Blow, Blow, Blow Your Cred, Now That You Can Stream...

It's about time 1080 The Fan started streaming their local content. It's the only way more people will find out just how out of touch these guys really are. Skinner, Blake, and Ha for Magloire? That might have made some sense had Joel not re-signed, but why make that trade now? It wouldn't surprise me a bit if they were reporting month-old news. Throw in Aldridge to move Miles? They quote a hyperbolic hypothetical statement by an unnamed source entirely unrelated to the Blazers, and suddenly they're ripping into Patterson and Pritchard for considering it?

Furness is actually a more than competent on-air talent, he just doesn't seem to have a clue when it comes to the Blazers. Suke has a skill set, but it does not include basketball expertise. Remember their ridiculous whining that the Blazers didn't care about their fans because 1080 couldn't get anyone to give an on-air interview until well after the draft? Talk about delusions of relevance...

Welcome To Oregon, Please Enjoy Your Visit.

Am I the only one who fondly remembers that sign that used to be on I-5 just north of the California Border? Anyway, wherever that sign is today, it should be dug out, dusted off, wrapped neatly in brown kraft paper, and Fed-Exed to Dan Dickau. Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against Dan, in fact, I was sorry to see him go last time he was here. I just don't want him to have any illusions about his future here. I am more convinced than ever that a handshake agreement to move Darius Miles exists, and the only reason the trade has not happened yet is the fact that Dickau cannot be traded until August 28th. The biggest contribution Dan Dickau can make to the Trail Blazers is to facilitate a trade of Darius Miles. I could be wrong, though. Lord knows I've been wrong plenty in the past, and I'm fairly confident when I say that I'll be wrong again in the future. For the time being, however, repeat after me: "Deeesssmmmooonnnddd MMMaaasssooonnn... Deeesssmmmooonnnddd MMMaaasssooonnn... Deeesssmmmooonnnddd MMMaaasssooonnn... Deeesssmmmooonnnddd MMMaaasssooonnn..."

Speaking of signs, I also remember the sign on the northbound side of the I-5 bridge that said, "Men Below Please Don't Throw" at the bottom of which someone spray painted the word, "Up." Ah, memories.

By the way, Dave stole my thunder. I'm not very upset about it, though, because he said it around a hundred times better than I could have hoped to. I would only suggest adding the Chicago Black Sox as a prime example of a negative tag evolving to refer to a bygone era instead of a current organization. Kudos to Blazers management for their newly rediscovered eye for character. The team they are building looks to be ideally suited for shedding the Jail Blazer image once and for all.

Where'd the rest of him go?

I can't get over how much thinner Zach looks! All signs are pointing towards a monster year, let's hope that his decision-making abilities are improving along with his physical condition.

It's hard to comprehend, but Jarrett could be even stronger and quicker than he was last year. That kid sounds like one tough cookie, and a pretty good egg to boot. I was sorry to see Sebastian go, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that Jarrett is a better fit for this team. He's got a bright future here.

I wonder what's up with Voshon? I haven't seen his name mentioned in quite some time. I don't think he'll return to the Blazers, but I wish him the best of luck.

Sergei was waived by the Kings today, it wouldn't break my heart to see the Blazers give him another shot. With Miles headed under the first bus out of town, and questions about Outlaw's ability to fit into Nate's system, could there be a place for him here? Remember, Nate started him early last year, that has to mean something...

Could LaMarcus Aldridge really be Rasheed Wallace sans sociopathy? Wow...

I thought I heard something about Kobe having surgery this summer, will that affect Martell's workout schedule? What is Martell's workout schedule? I'll have to start posing that question to those in the know...

According to Eric Marentette's blog on Oregon Live, there is some speculation that Portland was involved in trade talks with Philadelphia for Allen Iverson. If this is true, I find it troubling to say the least. I'm hoping that if Portland was involved, Iverson would have ended up somewhere else.

Raef is going to have his jersey ceremoniously handed to him soon. Can anything be read into the fact that no announcement has been made regarding a similar ceremony for Dan Dickau? I'm still partially convinced that Dan will be used as filler in a trade involving Darius Miles. I'd cross my fingers, but that makes publishing blog entries much more difficult.

Good news about Zach

Mike Barrett had some great news about Zach and Jarrett in his blog:

I just hope that off the court, Jarrett rubs off on Zach instead of the other way around. It sounds like Bayno is doing and saying all the right things, and I am relieved and somewhat surprised to say that I am becoming less skeptical and more hopeful that Zach can be salvaged. With Jarrett and Martell maturing, Brian, Joel, Steve, and Raef each providing a mature and professional veteran presence, Brandon and LaMarcus bringing their great work ethics and positive attitudes, it wouldn't surprise me a bit if Zach goes off and has a monster year. The only thing that stands in Zach's way now is Zach. Here's hoping that he gets out of his own way!

By the way, it cracked me up that Mike used "red-eye" and "Zach" in the same blog entry, lol...

Mundane Monday

Sounds like the Blazers may not use their MLE this year. I can't decide if I like that or not. On the one hand, I want them to be as good a team as possible this season, and a Mid-Level Exception could bring in a decent enough vet to give us a chance at being a better team. On the other hand, cap space is golden under the new CBA, and any financial commitments beyond this season directly impact our cap position. Quality free agents in the MLE range are slim pickings this off season, so maybe we're better off waiting until next year and going after someone like Desmond Mason. Assuming, of course, that somehow, some way, by some miracle, we can't pull off a Darius-for-Desmond trade. Let's keep our fingers crossed, shall we?

tap... tap... tap... Is this thing on?

Good (insert appropriate time of day here), Blazer fans. My second crack at blogging, and I have no idea what to expect. Where am I going? I don't know. When will I get there? I ain't certain. All that I know is I am on my way.