Portland Trail Blazers

Of all the draft prospects, Archie Goodwin scares me the most. Of course, he's not even in the consideration at #10 but would we use our 2nd Round picks to jump up to grab him? Teams are always looking to get out of the 1st Round. With all of the conversation about trading up, I think it's worth asking the question of trading up in the 2nd. Goodwin has ridiculous upside and is physically a monster for an SG/PG but for my money (or my vote for what to do with PA's money) I would rather give Barton another year and grab some Stash-A-Euros than invest in this kid. Can't shoot the 3. Seems like a headcase. Doesn't add much to the mix. Or am I wrong? Of all the draft prospects, Archie Goodwin scares me the most. Of course, he's not even in the consideration at #10 but would we use our 2nd Round picks to jump up to grab him? Teams are always looking to get out of the 1st Round. With all of the conversation about trading up, I think it's worth asking the question of trading up in the 2nd. Goodwin has ridiculous upside and is physically a monster for an SG/PG but for my money (or my vote for what to do with PA's money) I would rather give Barton another year and grab some Stash-A-Euros than invest in this kid. Can't shoot the 3. Seems like a headcase. Doesn't add much to the mix. Or am I wrong? Poll Where Do Blazer Fans Value Archie Griffin? If he falls, I'll trade some 2nds and kibble for him, hell yeah. If he falls into the 2nd and in my lap, hell yeah. Give me some stash-a-Euro talent, ie... reasons to stay up late and look at grainy footage. 4 votes | Results

I don't get much of my music news from the Portland Business Journal, but they come through today with news that team owner Paul Allen and his band, The Underthinkers, have a record entitled "Everywhere At Once" dropping in August.

Portland Trail Blazers All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge was not named to one of the three 2012-13 All-NBA Teams but he was listed in the "other players receiving votes" category. The All-NBA teams are voted on by a media panel. Aldridge was an All-NBA Third Team selection in 2010-11. Here's how the full voting results broke down. Other players receiving votes, with point totals: Brook Lopez, Brooklyn, 132 (7 First Team votes); Stephen Curry, Golden State, 72; LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland, 62; Chris Bosh, Miami, 59 (4); Joakim Noah, Chicago, 56 (3); Zach Randolph, Memphis, 45; Al Horford, Atlanta, 31 (2); Paul Pierce, Boston, 24; Al Jefferson, Utah, 20 (1); Tyson Chandler, New York, 19 (1); Roy Hibbert, Indiana, 9; Luol Deng, Chicago, 8; Kevin Garnett, Boston, 8; Ty Lawson, Denver, 8; Josh Smith, Atlanta, 7; Deron Williams, Brooklyn, 6; Pau Gasol, LA Lakers, 4; Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City, 4; Omer Asik, Houston, 3; Kenneth Faried, Denver, 3; Raymond Felton, New York, 3; Kyrie Irving, Cleveland, 3; Carlos Boozer, Chicago, 2; Mike Conley, Memphis, 2; David West, Indiana, 2; Rudy Gay, Toronto, 1; J.J. Hickson, Portland, 1; Andre Iguodala, Denver, 1; Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas, 1; Nikola Pekovic, Minnesota, 1; Rajon Rondo, Boston, 1; Nikola Vucevic, Orlando, 1. -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter

Hi everyone. I'm a Blazer fan from Italy and sorry for my poor english. I read a lot of things in these last weeks to move up with a trade or to trade 10th for 20th or similar position, for someone it's easier to pick a "Steal of The Draft" or a very good pick from 15th to 25th but Portland picked Nolan Smith with 21st in 2011 :( Here's a list of the last ten 10th pick : 2003 Jarvis Hayes 2004 Luke Jackson 2005 Andrew Bynum 2006 Mouhamed Sene 2007 Spencer Hawes 2008 Brook Lopez 2009 Brandon Jennings 2010 Paul George 2011 Jimmer Fredette 2012 Austin Rivers What do we have here? An All-Star, maybe 2 (Paul George, Bynum), and two very good picks (Brook Lopez and Brandon Jennings) and even three busts ( Hayes, Jackson, Sene...who's Sene?!?). Paul George has been a better choice than all the other picks from 2th to 9th. So I think it's not impossible to have a good pick with number 10. From several videos I watched in these past days there are better options than various Caldwell Pope, Plumlee, Carter-Williams and less risky than Gobert or Saric. If Olshey chooses a C, in my opinion the BPA at 10th is Gorgui Dieng. He's complete, great defender (good blocker) and offensively has a good range of shots. If Olshey chooses Dieng it sounds like "something went wrong with Meyers...". so I think this wouldn't be what GM will do. In my opinion there are, at least, other two player who are predicted from 20th to 25th who could be a good "risk" at 10th. 2. Tony Mitchell ( He had a great Freshman Season but in the last year his stats got worse ). Superb athlete, very good rebounder, after his freshman season was predicted as top 5 in the 2013 Draft. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0JAQW5QVBo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtES52NfTSg 3. Glen Rice J, too high for a 10th pick but better than others predicted before him. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DZnKFLSbHE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC-Y4I8Jdfs For the three second rounders my favourite choices are (5 names for 3 places) : 1 - CJ Leslie, 2 - Livio Jean Charles, 3 - Reggie Bullock, 4- Jackie Carmichael, 5 - Erick Green as Lillard's backup or Andre Roberson as Batum/Aldridge backup What do you think about Mitchell/Dieng? And what are your favourite 2nd rounders? Hi everyone. I'm a Blazer fan from Italy and sorry for my poor english. I read a lot of things in these last weeks to move up with a trade or to trade 10th for 20th or similar position, for someone it's easier to pick a "Steal of The Draft" or a very good pick from 15th to 25th but Portland picked Nolan Smith with 21st in 2011 :( Here's a list of the last ten 10th pick : 2003 Jarvis Hayes 2004 Luke Jackson 2005 Andrew Bynum 2006 Mouhamed Sene 2007 Spencer Hawes 2008 Brook Lopez 2009 Brandon Jennings 2010 Paul George 2011 Jimmer Fredette 2012 Austin Rivers What do we have here? An All-Star, maybe 2 (Paul George, Bynum), and two very good picks (Brook Lopez and Brandon Jennings) and even three busts ( Hayes, Jackson, Sene...who's Sene?!?). Paul George has been a better choice than all the other picks from 2th to 9th. So I think it's not impossible to have a good pick with number 10. From several videos I watched in these past days there are better options than various Caldwell Pope, Plumlee, Carter-Williams and less risky than Gobert or Saric. If Olshey chooses a C, in my opinion the BPA at 10th is Gorgui Dieng. He's complete, great defender (good blocker) and offensively has a good range of shots. If Olshey chooses Dieng it sounds like "something went wrong with Meyers...". so I think this wouldn't be what GM will do. In my opinion there are, at least, other two player who are predicted from 20th to 25th who could be a good "risk" at 10th. 2. Tony Mitchell ( He had a great Freshman Season but in the last year his stats got worse ). Superb athlete, very good rebounder, after his freshman season was predicted as top 5 in the 2013 Draft. http://www.youtu

Now that the Portland Trail Blazers have secured the #10 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft we can begin looking at their possibilities. Today we'll tackle one that seems popular, moving up in the draft order. We're going to stay relatively value-neutral on whether the Blazers should look to move up in the draft and for whom they'd be moving. Feel free to discuss those things in the comment section. We'll tackle those questions another day ourselves. But for purposes of this post we're going to assume the Blazers do want to move up for somebody. What might that move look like? Could they actually pull it off? What the Trail Blazers Have to Offer The most obvious asset the Blazers can offer in trade right now is their #10 pick. Since most folks in the know project this draft to be stocked with a dozen or so good, but not great, players Portland's low-lottery selection actually carries more value to teams looking to trade down than it would in a more exciting year. Things to know: 1. This does not apply to teams looking to trade into the draft. To them that #10 selection looks like a marginal player because they're comparing the draftee to their current guys. But teams above Portland in the order are forced into drafting a marginal player anyway. If they think they can get equal value a few spots lower the smart move is to parlay their pick into a player and an extra asset by trading down. 2. Let's not go crazy here. Holding the #4 selection is still significantly better than holding #10. It might be easier to talk those higher teams into a swap than it would be in most other years but you still have to make a good offer. They're not going to trade picks just to be nice or just because the draft has been termed "weak". The striking thing about Portland's position right now is how few assets they can throw into a deal besides the draft pick. LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard If either one of these players is traded it'll be part of a larger scheme than just moving up a few spaces in a weak draft. Discussing them in this context is like buying a backhoe to plant a petunia. Any Number of Bench Players NBA rules prevent the Blazers from trading players whose contracts expire this summer so you can forget your J.J. Hickson and Luke Babbitt deals. However Portland still has the potential to trade Will Barton, Sasha Pavlovic, Victor Claver, Meyers Leonard, or Joel Freeland. Collectively those players aren't worth much. Leonard is the only guy who might draw interest but trading away last year's lottery pick is a rare move in the NBA. This is doubly so if the player in question is a center and the team trading him away really needs a center. Unless you talk very fast the other team is going to interpret that offer as you giving up on him. That's going to make them as why they would want him. Crazy things happen sometimes, but if the Blazers held a high lottery pick would you be happy if your GM traded it for a lower pick and one of these players? Probably not. Second Round Picks Copy and paste the paragraphs above. You could use a second-rounder as a throw-in but there's no way the 10th and 39th picks will move you up very far in the order. Future First Round Picks Complications from owing Charlotte a future first-rounder push such an offer far enough into the future to make it unlikely. With all of these options essentially off the table, at least as far as primary inducements, the Blazers are left with three cards to play. Wesley Matthews Matthews is a young but experienced shooting guard making $6.9 million next season with one additional year at $7.2 million. His ceiling isn't impressive but he's solid and fills the shooter-defender role popular among NBA shooting guards these days. Unfortunately for the Blazers 3 of the top 10 projected draftees at this point read shooting guard. Potential trading partners would have to value Matthews' reliability more than the promise of a lottery pick rook

I know that all of Bedgedom is in "win now" mode and I'm sure there will be no shortage of posts on how to get that done. So just to be different I thought I'd put on my Kevin Pritchard hat for the day and take the contrarian approach. After all it is that magical time of year when all we have to do is dream of the future. I'm pretty sure that it was ole KP that said, "in order to maximize draft assets, the way to go is move UP in weak drafts and DOWN in strong ones", or something like that. So let's see what happens if we go into full on Pritchslap mode and try to recreate the B-roy LMA draft scenario. The plan is to completely hit the reset button and see how many good assets we can pile up with just this weak draft to work with. Step 1) Buy Dallas's #13. They want room to go after Dwight. We might have to take on a small contract to sweaten the deal, but by the time I get through gutting this roster the payroll is going to be just fine. Step 2) Trade Batuum for #4,5,6ish. Step 3) Trade LMA to Cleveland for #1 and another asset. Probably #18 this year, a future 1st, or Tristan Thompson. Step 4) Trade 2-3 second rounders to get a late first rounder. I'm hoping for something in the 20-25 range, and like New Jersey at #22 as a good partner at this point. So now we have #1,(let's say)#5, #10, #13 #18(or TT),and #22ish. That's too many picks even for me. Let's see if we can do some consolidating and move up a couple more spots. At this point I'm a little torn. There's just so many options. I think my preference would be to package #13 and #22 (plus a little sweetener if neccessary) to get another top 10 pick. The more I look at that #18/TT option, the more it is turning into Tristan Thompson and I'm just keeping him to build with. So now you've basically got #1, #5ish, #8ish, and your original #10 in a weak draft. You have no Batuum or LMA but you do have one additional asset from Cleveland that I'm calling Tristan Thompson right now. It could be a future first rounder or this years #18 if you prefer. Who do you draft and how good of a team can you make a couple years from now? I was going to start with Nerlens and hope for another lottery pick in next years supposedly strong draft. But then I saw this..."The other real concern is that Noel tore the same ACL that he had torn as a sophomore in high school. After coming back faster than doctors had recommended, some wonder if this recent injury was inevitable and whether there could be structural damage making further injuries to the same knee more likely."...I'm out. So with that in mind. #1 Otto Porter: I take him first so I don't accidently get stuck with 2 shooting guards. #5 Oladipo: I'd rather have Mclemore, but Porter probably wouldn't be here at this point and I gotta have him since I traded Nicola. #8 Cody Zeller: Everything you don't like about him isn't really a problem at my newly opened 4 spot. #10 Alex Len/Steve Adams I'm not sure which I like best yet, but a center to compliment/push Meyers Leonard goes here one way or the other. So now you're long or athletic at every position. You also have tons of cap space and assets so that you can snap up any odd superstars that come on the market, similar to what the Houston Rockets did with James Harden. Of course the short version is to keep all your assets, just get the #13 from Dallas, package it with #10(or Wes)to make a run at Oladipo and call it a day.

June 28, 2012; Newark, NJ, USA; Meyers Leonard (Illinois) heads up to the stage after being introduced as the number eleven overall pick to the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2012 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports The Blazers are slated at the 10th pick in this year’s draft, and it’s time for them to think long and hard about how they want to use the selection. Many have speculated that Portland should take a center in order to fill the hole J.J. Hickson will leave when/if he departs in free agency. I am going to tell you, flat-out, that this is a bad idea. First of all, Meyers Leonard is already a capable 5, despite his defensive shortcomings. The Blazers spent last year’s 11th pick to draft him, which is not a resource to be taken lightly. Putting Leonard’s development on the backburner in favor of a fresh start would be a terrible mistake; especially since he is a strong shooter for a big man. I am of the camp that believes Meyers could be a starter next season if he focuses on defense and bulking up this summer. If Portland were to choose another man for the job in the draft, they would be back to square one; a brand new project in need of big minutes to develop. Besides, the Blazers need a veteran presence in the post. I would like to avoid a scenario in which two youngsters assume responsibility for Portland’s paint game, to the tune of Benny Hill. If they are going to acquire a new big man, it should be in free agency or via trade. Someone who can support and teach Leonard, while contributing in-game, that doesn’t need big minutes to become effective. Even if the Blazers elect to pursue a new starting center, like Pekovic, Gortat, or Varejao, it would be better for Leonard (and the team) than blowing the 10th pick on a big man. Another year of coming off the bench would be alright for him, as long as it is to back up a polished veteran that he can study under. Adding a rookie 5 to the starting lineup would stymie Leonard’s development, but adding one to the bench would be just as problematic. Leonard is not yet rounded enough to show a rookie the ropes he needs to be familiar with. The two would cut into each other’s developmental minutes and leave Portland without the big man they desperately need. This is why the Blazers need to go all-in on Meyers Leonard’s future. The best options for Portland are to: a) start Leonard and bring in a veteran backup, or b) sit Meyers behind a veteran leader. Either way, they cannot toss out all the time they spent improving him last season. Since the lottery, some mock drafts have been adjusted to match up the Portland Trail Blazers with French Center, Rudy Gobert. Although a genetic jackpot, the 7’2” prospect would take away from what the Blazers already have. Instead, Portland should focus on other areas of improvement. What Portland should do with the 10th pick Option a) Trade up for Victor Oladipo Oladipo is a top tier defensive guard out of Indiana. With a quick first step, he is athletically explosive and a strong finisher at the rim. The Blazers would have to trade up to the 3rd pick to guarantee his availability however, and it is unlikely that Washington is willing to trade away their auspicious position. Option b) Draft a scoring wing The Blazer bench was hands down the worst in the league last year. They desperately need a sixth man who can provide energy and, more importantly, points off the bench. UCLA’s Shabazz Muhammad could be available at 10th, as could LeHigh’s C.J. McCollum or San Diego State’s Jamaal Franklin, among others. This option creates the most opportunities for Portland. Option c) Trade for depth As mentioned, the lack of talent on the Blazers’ bench is appalling. The 10th pick could be bundled up and sent away in a deal to bring role players to Portland’s struggling secondary. Option d) Trade for a center Quality veterans don’t just fall out of the sky. In order to bring one to the Rose City, the Bl

Here is another ridiculous trade proposal that I feel gives us the chance of becoming a contender in a few years. Step 1- Lamarcus to Cleveland for #1, #19 picks and Tristan Thompson, I have heard all the knocks on this draft and realize the slim chance of getting a player of LA's caliber but it is one of the few things that give us a chance of contending. Step 2- Draft Day, You have to select Nerlens Noel first overall, The guy is an elite defender and he will put on weight and his injury should be fully healed by December. Then I would package Wes, Leonard, and #10 for Gortat and #5. Then I would Select Victor Oladipo who gives Lillard his SG for years to come. At 19 we grab Dennis Schroeder who has tons of potential and is the perfect backup point guard. Then we package all our 2nd round picks and move up and grab Jeff Withey who is another elite shot blocker. Step 3- In Free Agency I would make two moves; Sign OJ Mayo for 4-28 million and Paul Millsap for 3-24 Million. After Year One We Look Like This Lillard/ Schroeder / E-Will Oldalipo/ Mayo/ Barton Batum/ Claver / Greek Millsap/ Thompson / Freeland Gortat/ Noel / Withey This allows Noel to fully rehab and learn while playing 16 minutes a game and after a year Gortat can leave and Noel/ Withey combine to give us our Centers for the next decade. Year 2 I would Make one move which is to trade for Kevin Love. He will grow unhappy in Minnesota after another losing season and we swoop in a grab him for. Millsap, Thompson, Schroeder, and future picks. Then we fill out the roster with vets and we have a good shooting backcourt with a scoring/shot blocking frount court. Here is another ridiculous trade proposal that I feel gives us the chance of becoming a contender in a few years. Step 1- Lamarcus to Cleveland for #1, #19 picks and Tristan Thompson, I have heard all the knocks on this draft and realize the slim chance of getting a player of LA's caliber but it is one of the few things that give us a chance of contending. Step 2- Draft Day, You have to select Nerlens Noel first overall, The guy is an elite defender and he will put on weight and his injury should be fully healed by December. Then I would package Wes, Leonard, and #10 for Gortat and #5. Then I would Select Victor Oladipo who gives Lillard his SG for years to come. At 19 we grab Dennis Schroeder who has tons of potential and is the perfect backup point guard. Then we package all our 2nd round picks and move up and grab Jeff Withey who is another elite shot blocker. Step 3- In Free Agency I would make two moves; Sign OJ Mayo for 4-28 million and Paul Millsap for 3-24 Million. After Year One We Look Like This Lillard/ Schroeder / E-Will Oldalipo/ Mayo/ Barton Batum/ Claver / Greek Millsap/ Thompson / Freeland Gortat/ Noel / Withey This allows Noel to fully rehab and learn while playing 16 minutes a game and after a year Gortat can leave and Noel/ Withey combine to give us our Centers for the next decade. Year 2 I would Make one move which is to trade for Kevin Love. He will grow unhappy in Minnesota after another losing season and we swoop in a grab him for. Millsap, Thompson, Schroeder, and future picks. Then we fill out the roster with vets and we have a good shooting backcourt with a scoring/shot blocking frount court. Poll How Far Could That Team Go in The Playoffs? No Playoffs First Round Second Round Conference Finals NBA Finals 7 votes | Results

Hello friends and neighbors! I've never made a Junk Drawer, but I gather it's got to have a subject; since I'm in the market for a used diesel car or truck, there it is. Also, there is a sub-topic... Any advice on makes, models, and years is welcome and appreciated. Any tips for navigating the Craigslist/Ebay jungle would be super valuable too. Also feel free to chime in with horror stories of When Diesels Attack! And hey, you got a diesel car or truck for sale? I'm leaning toward a post 2000's Volkswagen TDI, but I'm very open to other ideas. I haven't been behind the wheel of a car since summer of 2007, so I'm pretty excited to get back on the road. The vehicle will be taking it's inaugural road trip with me this summer when I participate in Burning Man for the first time, which brings us to the sub-topic: Burning Man. Any Burners out there? Y'all got some thoughts, feelings, or stories about the event? I want to hear them. My parents have been the last four years, and they bought me a ticket for my birthday, so I'll be in their camp. I know, it's bizarre--most people's parents have nightmares about their kids going to Burning Man, but mine are obviously cut from a different cloth than "most people's parents". I'm listening, Blazers Edge... Hello friends and neighbors! I've never made a Junk Drawer, but I gather it's got to have a subject; since I'm in the market for a used diesel car or truck, there it is. Also, there is a sub-topic... Any advice on makes, models, and years is welcome and appreciated. Any tips for navigating the Craigslist/Ebay jungle would be super valuable too. Also feel free to chime in with horror stories of When Diesels Attack! And hey, you got a diesel car or truck for sale? I'm leaning toward a post 2000's Volkswagen TDI, but I'm very open to other ideas. I haven't been behind the wheel of a car since summer of 2007, so I'm pretty excited to get back on the road. The vehicle will be taking it's inaugural road trip with me this summer when I participate in Burning Man for the first time, which brings us to the sub-topic: Burning Man. Any Burners out there? Y'all got some thoughts, feelings, or stories about the event? I want to hear them. My parents have been the last four years, and they bought me a ticket for my birthday, so I'll be in their camp. I know, it's bizarre--most people's parents have nightmares about their kids going to Burning Man, but mine are obviously cut from a different cloth than "most people's parents". I'm listening, Blazers Edge...

The Blazers could use some depth at every position. Is Shabazz the right pick for the Blazers to take? Coming out of highschool as a top-3 recruit, Shabazz chose to play at UCLA this season. Originally thought of as a potential number-1 pick, a full season at UCLA did not help his stock as Shabazz has been projected to go as low as the 14th pick in the most recent mock drafts. So what went wrong? At UCLA Shabazz was the leading scorer averaging nearly 18 points a game, but he often became too one-dimensional of a player. He would often ignore teammates when driving to the basket and his shot off the dribble was marginally worse that shooting off the catch. While he played SF for UCLA, he may translate better to a big SG as his driving ability and lack of length would fit better at that Position. Shabazz style of play may not work with the style the Blazers have. Shabazz did not pass the ball at all (averaged less than 1 assist a game) and often stopped all ball movement when the ball touched his hands. The Blazers offense this season was built on movement and spacing with and without the ball. Shabazz has no problem cutting without the ball, but once he gets the ball he is almost always going to try to score, or he holds on to the ball way to long. This is counter-productive to the open style of basketball the Blazers have. However Shabazz has a lot of value on the bench as a backup scorer behind Batum and Matthews. The Blazers would find more success with him as the primary scorer off the bench where he is more likely to beat his individual match-up and would not take the ball away from other, more efficient starters. His ability to finish in transition and bully others down low in the post would also be very beneficial to have on the bench. Also Shabazz is hardly known as an amazing 3-point shooter, and as such would not space the floor as efficiently as Matthews does currently. In conclusion Shabazz would be a great value to have on the bench, but his inability to space the floor effectively or pass the ball around is not conducive to the style of play the Blazers currently have with their starters. That being said, if he can improve on those things he could find himself playing with the starters more in the future. Sound off below. Do you think Shabazz is a good fit with the Blazers? The Blazers could use some depth at every position. Is Shabazz the right pick for the Blazers to take? Coming out of highschool as a top-3 recruit, Shabazz chose to play at UCLA this season. Originally thought of as a potential number-1 pick, a full season at UCLA did not help his stock as Shabazz has been projected to go as low as the 14th pick in the most recent mock drafts. So what went wrong? At UCLA Shabazz was the leading scorer averaging nearly 18 points a game, but he often became too one-dimensional of a player. He would often ignore teammates when driving to the basket and his shot off the dribble was marginally worse that shooting off the catch. While he played SF for UCLA, he may translate better to a big SG as his driving ability and lack of length would fit better at that Position. Shabazz style of play may not work with the style the Blazers have. Shabazz did not pass the ball at all (averaged less than 1 assist a game) and often stopped all ball movement when the ball touched his hands. The Blazers offense this season was built on movement and spacing with and without the ball. Shabazz has no problem cutting without the ball, but once he gets the ball he is almost always going to try to score, or he holds on to the ball way to long. This is counter-productive to the open style of basketball the Blazers have. However Shabazz has a lot of value on the bench as a backup scorer behind Batum and Matthews. The Blazers would find more success with him as the primary scorer off the bench where he is more likely to beat his individual match-up and would not take the ball away from other, more efficient starters. His abi