Portland Trail Blazers

CJ isn’t a great athlete. Comparing anyone to Rose and Westbrook’s athleticism will give you the same answer. They were saying in general CJ is lacking. Its the truth. Lillard is a massive 200lb PG with Derrick Rose combine stats. CJ is missing a few inches, 15-20lbs and the athleticism to make up for it all the while sitting in one of the most athletic NBA positions with many of the Elite players staring him down. I was having a "discussion" with someone in April about McCollum's athleticism and measurements and his potential as a combo guard--someone who could play both the 1 & 2. My argument was that McCollum was plenty athletic--virtually a clone of Dame not only in measurements but in background, scoring mentality/production, and BBIQ. In my opinion, he would be a great bench guy who could play 25-30 minutes a night backing up the 1 & 2 and dropping 18/night. I had argued that we should wait for measurables before we can make a definitive assessment on his athleticism and before we could decide he was "weaker" than Dame. We now have the measurables: via lh6.googleusercontent.com CJ is bigger (height and weight) and tests (slightly) faster in sprints and agility, though he gives up a little in leaping measurements and hand size. I believe my assessment stands. This guy is a virtual clone of Damian in every way imaginable. If we keep this pick and don't move up, if CJ is there, you have to take him. He's a needle-mover in the same way that Dame is. Use him off the bench playing against the other team's bench guys, and you have solved much of your bench issues. But, in the end, I don't think we are keeping this pick, using it as trade bait for a C. CJ is going to be a player in this league, though, and I think all of the data supports this interpretation. CJ isn’t a great athlete. Comparing anyone to Rose and Westbrook’s athleticism will give you the same answer. They were saying in general CJ is lacking. Its the truth. Lillard is a massive 200lb PG with Derrick Rose combine stats. CJ is missing a few inches, 15-20lbs and the athleticism to make up for it all the while sitting in one of the most athletic NBA positions with many of the Elite players staring him down. I was having a "discussion" with someone in April about McCollum's athleticism and measurements and his potential as a combo guard--someone who could play both the 1 & 2. My argument was that McCollum was plenty athletic--virtually a clone of Dame not only in measurements but in background, scoring mentality/production, and BBIQ. In my opinion, he would be a great bench guy who could play 25-30 minutes a night backing up the 1 & 2 and dropping 18/night. I had argued that we should wait for measurables before we can make a definitive assessment on his athleticism and before we could decide he was "weaker" than Dame. We now have the measurables: via lh6.googleusercontent.com CJ is bigger (height and weight) and tests (slightly) faster in sprints and agility, though he gives up a little in leaping measurements and hand size. I believe my assessment stands. This guy is a virtual clone of Damian in every way imaginable. If we keep this pick and don't move up, if CJ is there, you have to take him. He's a needle-mover in the same way that Dame is. Use him off the bench playing against the other team's bench guys, and you have solved much of your bench issues. But, in the end, I don't think we are keeping this pick, using it as trade bait for a C. CJ is going to be a player in this league, though, and I think all of the data supports this interpretation.

Interesting article below regarding Dwight Howard's options for this summer. The article does not paint a pretty picture for Dwight returning to LA, and identifies Houston as potentially the most logical landing spot. http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-pm-top-five-destinations-for-dwight-howard Got me thinking about the Omer Asik conversations from a couple of weeks ago. Is it really that unreasonable to think the Blazers could land Asik? Seems to me that there is a logical path that could end up with Asik in Portland. Step 1. Howard leaves LA. The Lakers are a mess. With Kobe's injury, Gasol's contract, Nash's age, the Team's cap situation, and following a horrible first year experience, why would Howard choose to stay? As the article above states, the money advantage that the Lakers have is really not that much of an advantage. At the end of the day, if Howard chooses to leave, the Lakers should fall in line and do a sign-and-trade to try and recoop some of the assets they threw away to get Howard and Nash. Step 2. Howard chooses Houston. Also made clear in the article, Houston probably has the best money situation, combined with an existing, budding superstar in Harden, complimentary players, and assets to offer in a sign and trade. Brooklyn has signigicant money issues, Dallas offers only an aging Dirk, Atlanta does not have an existing superstar. Chicago, New Yourk, Golden State? It seems like other suitors have obstacles, while Houston is sitting there nearly perfectly situated to offer Howard the money and championship contending team that he desires. Step 3. Understanding Asik's contract. After failing to land Howard last summer, the Rockets filled their center position by offering a 3 year, $25 million contract to Omer Asik. The offer was back end loaded - $5 million in year 1, $5.2 million in year 2, and $14.9 million in year 3, in order to discourage Chicago from matching the offer. It worked. For the Rockets' salary cap purposes, Asik's contract is averaged so that the salary cap each year is $8.375 million. However, if the Rockets were to trade Asik, the salary cap exposure to the new team would be his actual salary - $5.2 million next season, and a whopping $14.9 million in 2014. It appears that Houston would need to clear about $4 or $5 million in salary to be able to offer Howard a max contract and Asik would be the logical choice to trade in order to clear the space. They are not going to want $8 million in cap space rapped up in a backup center playing 10 minutes a game, and they certainly wouldn't mind getting away from the $15 million dollar price tag and potential luxury tax hit that would occur in 2014. Similarly, why would the Lakers want Asik in a sign-and-trade? Would they want to play Asik next to Gasol? Does it make sense for the Lakers to add that salary/luxury tax hit in 2014? Without Howard, it seems that the Lakers might be due for a blowup and a repositioning to attract their next superstar .... Lebron? Step 4. Houston is aggressive. Steps 1,2 and 3 represents a timing problem for the Rockets. Free agency and Howard's decision will occur after the draft, but the draft is the best opportunity for the Rockets to find trading partners to shed the needed salary to attract Howard, while at the same time picking up the assets they might desire to better position themselves for a sign-and-trade, or to simply make their team better. Is Houston aggressive enough to make this move prior to Howard's decision? History says they are. Last year, the Rockets made or proposed several trades in an effort to assemble as many draft picks as possible to dangle in front of Orlando. It was an all out effort and demonstrated their willingness and desire to land Howard. They could play it safer this year, but trading partners are not easy to find - especially with Asik's contract. Can they afford to wait and potentially lose trading partners as those tea

This is a brief announcement that SBNation, including Blazer's Edge, will be down for repairs on Friday night, May 17th, around 11:00 p.m. If you're reading this before that time, get your comments posted before the clock strikes 11. If you're reading it afterwards, we're back and hopefully the intermittent glitches of the last few days have been banished! Either way, we now return you to your regularly scheduled programming. --Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

Jan. 6, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Wesley Matthews during game against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Trail Blazers 102-77. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports As all 30 teams prepare for the 2013 NBA Draft, each will have tough decisions ahead of them. For Portland, one of these decisions revolves around starting shooting guard, Wesley Matthews. The Blazers currently hold what will likely be the 10th first round pick, but sources indicate that they may be looking to move up so they can draft Indiana’s Victor Oladipo. Oladipo is considered a top 5 prospect, and a very talented defensive guard. This potential move would more than likely leave Wesley Matthews with a one-way ticket out of Portland. There is little sense in drafting a guard of Oladipo’s caliber just to bring him off of a crowded bench; and even less sense in benching Matthews to avoid such an option. Wesley is certainly valuable enough to receive some attention in the trade market, so who might be looking to make a deal? The Phoenix Suns are projected to get the 4th pick in the draft lottery, right around where Oladipo will likely be selected. With the 3rd worst 3PT% in the NBA and a roster that seems compiled in the dark, Matthews would bring much needed efficiency to their squad. Who knows? Maybe the Blazers could finagle a deal for Phoenix center, Marcin Gortat, if they put a little more on the table. Wesley is under contract with the Blazers for two more seasons and is owed a combined $14 million for them. While not a mammoth amount by NBA standards, that is still a chunk of change worth talking about. Phoenix has the need, the resources, and the space to acquire Matthews from Portland on draft night. Although I would personally hate to see him go, it could be just what the Blazers needs. Let me explain where I’m coming from. Although Wesley is arguably worth more to Portland than yet another rookie, the difference between a veteran and a rookie contract should be taken into account. If the Blazers can unload Matthews’ $7M contract, they will have more money to spend on free agents. A Matthews/Oladipo swap would pay dividends if the price difference allowed Portland to bring in the pieces they need. Let’s not discount Victor either; he’d pay his own in due time. So the Blazers stand at a crossroad. They can spin the wheel of fate in the name change, or they can pass and hone their existing skills. The draft can be your best friend or your worst enemy. For Wesley Matthews, it’s dangerously disguised. Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. @davidmackaypdx | @ripcityproject | davidmackaypdx@gmail.com

So I bought a new laptop a week ago (wooooohoooooo!) but it's nothing special (ahhhh). I realized while shopping for it that I have a very serious addiction to BE. I started looking at the endless options that are available...Apple, Acer, Asus, HP, Dell, Toshiba, Intel, AMD, RAM, HDD, DDR, GB, RPM, Duel Core, Core Duo, Quad-Core, i3 ,i5, i7 iDONTCAREIJUSTWANTAFREAKINGLAPTOP!!! After endless amounts of reading I came to the conclusion that the only reason I was buying this was for BE and GDTs and JDs. Seriously. So with that in mind I settled on this Asus. It was cheap ($370), and can handle any and everything I would use it for. I'm happy with it. So my question (cuz every JD should have one) is what internet browser do you use? Random JD Music So I bought a new laptop a week ago (wooooohoooooo!) but it's nothing special (ahhhh). I realized while shopping for it that I have a very serious addiction to BE. I started looking at the endless options that are available...Apple, Acer, Asus, HP, Dell, Toshiba, Intel, AMD, RAM, HDD, DDR, GB, RPM, Duel Core, Core Duo, Quad-Core, i3 ,i5, i7 iDONTCAREIJUSTWANTAFREAKINGLAPTOP!!! After endless amounts of reading I came to the conclusion that the only reason I was buying this was for BE and GDTs and JDs. Seriously. So with that in mind I settled on this Asus. It was cheap ($370), and can handle any and everything I would use it for. I'm happy with it. So my question (cuz every JD should have one) is what internet browser do you use? Random JD Music Poll Browser of choice: Internet Explorer Chrome FireFox Other 3 votes | Results

Georgia's Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Syracuse's Michael Carter-Williams and UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad are among 18 players the Blazers interview in 30-minute sessions.

At the end of last week the Blazers announced Damian Lillard, the unanimous Rookie of the Year, would be representing the Blazers at the 2013 NBA Draft Lottery. That led me to remark: Last time our ROY rep-ed Portland at the lottery we won it.Needless to say, I'm excited. Obviously this is kind of thinking is post hoc ergo propter hoc, but it's whimsical. I had so much fun with the idea I created a Fanpost based on the premise that it is predetermined the Blazers will win the lottery, and wanted to know who you would pick number one overall. More than one person responded that the Blazers should trade down in the event they got the first overall pick. This surprised me for a few reasons, and those responses prompted me to continue my 2013 NBA Draft Primer series. I want to start with talking about "weak" drafts versus "strong" drafts.The 2012 and 2013 drafts have been described as "weak" drafts, while at other pundits have noted they are "deep" drafts. Why the two, seemingly, opposite viewpoints? The answer lies in the quality vs. quantity evaluation. Every draft produces quality NBA players, whether they are drafted number one overall or 57 overall. Where the "weak" and "strong" designations come into play is in the quality of talent they produce. For instance, the 2003 draft is one of the strongest in years, having produced LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Kris Kaman, Kirk Heinrich, Nick Collison, T.J. Ford, Luke Ridnour, David West, Boris Diaw, Kendrick Perkins, Steve Blake, Zaza Pachulia, Matt Bonner, Mo Williams, and Kyle Korver. The reason it is considered one of the strongest drafts in recent memory is because of the four names at the top of the list. Sure, if you took the other 11 names and put them on a team you could probably make the playoffs (definitely in the Eastern Conference). Those 11 guys make it a "deep" draft, but the four headliners make it a "strong" draft. Back to 2012 and 2013. The 2012 draft was deep with a lot of quality players, but none the caliber of, say, LeBron James. Anthony Davis was the best prospect and people said he could be the next Tim Duncan, but he wasn't a sure-fire franchise changer like LeBron. A lot of the players in the top 10 have the potential to make multiple All-Star teams, but only a few have a realistic shot. Your best bets, in order, are Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Andre Drummond, Bradley Beal and Harrison Barnes. Everyone else would take a lot of work, and would need to be lucky enough to be in a stable environment with the right system (cut to Thomas Robinson sadly nodding his head from the end of the Rockets' bench). As for the 2013 draft, the same applies. However, there is no one of Anthony Davis' quality at the top. Of everyone in the draft, Ben McLemore from Kansas has the best chance to make multiple All-Star teams, followed by Nerlens Noel, Otto Porter, Alex Len, and Anthony Bennett. That's not to say that no one else will ever be an All-Star, their odds are just a little longer. The rest of the draft is filled out with good-but-not-great players with ceilings that range from "quality starter" to "good role player" to "out of the league in four years". Even though there is a lot of potential at the top of the draft, there are no sure-fire multiple time All-Stars. When I did my just-for-fun poll of who would you take with the number one overall pick, I gave seven options. Think about that, seven. When was the last time we had no idea who was going first overall in April? Usually we know by January or March at the latest. The 2008 draft was the Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley draft. 2009 was Blake Griffin, 2010 was John Wall, 2011 was Kyrie Irving and last year it was Anthony Davis. All consensus first-overall picks. This year, seven players have a legitimate argument to go number one overall and no one can agree on who should go first. Obviously some have a better shot than others** but the point is that in this draft the player

Some great behind-the-scenes footage from Damian Lillard's Rookie of the Year press conference in this short "NBA Rooks" clip from the NBA. I love Damian's mom saying she expected him to win Rookie of the Year because that's what he told her he would do when he was 12. Moms don't forget.

It's Day Two at the NBA Combine in Chicago, and we learn from The Oregonian's Jason Quick that the Trail Blazers, after conducting interviews yesterday with UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad, Indiana's Cody Zeller, Syracuse's Michael Carter-Williams and San Diego State's Jamaal Franklin, will interview Georgia shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Adidas is set to release a special edition set of sneakers to honor Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard's 2013 Rookie of the Year award. Here are some details. The Damian Lillard Rookie of the Year edition Real Deal basketball shoe adidas was created to commemorate Damian's award and historic debut season.The shoe's sockliners feature Damian's Twitter handle, an Oakland satellite print and "9800s" to represent his neighborhood blocks. The colors of the shoe pay homage to his career; red for high school, purple for college and black for the Portland Trail Blazers. The animal print on the upper and sockliner represent the Wildcat mascot he had in both high school and college. The shoe features "Townbiz" on the upper as another nod to Oakland and clasped hands to represent the "Fly Guyz" - Damian's name for his close circle of friends. Only 510 pairs of this limited edition will available on May 23 for $120 at Compound (Portland, Ore), Shoe Palace (Oakland, Calif.) and adidas.com. Damian fans can pre-order a pair today at adidas.com or join Damian at Compound on May 23 between 6:00pm and 7:00pm for the official launch and a chance to meet the Rookie of the Year and get an autograph. Here are some photos of the shoes courtesy of Adidas. Click to enlarge them. Lillard was recently named "Sneaker Rookie of the Year" by a shoe website. He appeared in his first Adidas ad earlier this year and starred alongside Washington Wizards guard John Wall and Philadelphia 76ers guard Jrue Holiday in a nationally-televised ad that has run during the playoffs. Lillard recently offered a behind-the-scenes look at that video shoot. Adidas also unveiled this shirt honoring Lillard at his Rookie of the Year press conference. -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter