As forseen in my 2007 predictions post, some turmoil is brewing in Denver. It seems Nuggets coach George Karl is fed up with Carmelo Anthony competing with Allen Iverson and feels Carmelo should just "forget about scoring". Just as I predicted, having two 30+ point players on the same team will cause problems. Something has to give.
By the way, if you do look back at my 2007 predictions post, go ahead and ignore everything except the Iverson/Melo prediction.
Anyway, you can read about the Carmelo situation here at espn.com. Here are some great quotes from George Karl:
--"I've told Melo in the last two weeks, 'I don't think you're listening. I don't think you're listening as well as you need to listen.' For me, the next step is to change the democracy back to a dictatorship."
-- "And, right now, what you're saying is basically, 'When is Melo going to get it? Is it going to be next month?' As a coach, there's no one more frustrated, there's no one more angry than me, because I feel the pain."
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
(Spurs Game) Ginobili
I think I speak for all Blazer fans when I say, I hate Manu Ginobili! Every time we play the Spurs, Ginobili picks us apart in the 4th quarter. He is just a big time player.
I know it's not very pretty, but I really like Martell Webster's recent effort to get to the rim more. Though he's not great at it yet, I still like him driving instead of only looking for three-pointers. Watching this game against the Spurs got me thinking that Martell Webster could model his game after Michael Finley (in his prime). Like Martell, Finley was athletic and could beat his man off the dribble, but when he needed to he could snipe you from the 3-point line.
Thats it for now. We just ended another block of 5 games and were 1-4. This means that while the Blazers still have a chance to make the playoffs, it's literally going to take a miracle. We have to win 16 of our next 21 games.
I know it's not very pretty, but I really like Martell Webster's recent effort to get to the rim more. Though he's not great at it yet, I still like him driving instead of only looking for three-pointers. Watching this game against the Spurs got me thinking that Martell Webster could model his game after Michael Finley (in his prime). Like Martell, Finley was athletic and could beat his man off the dribble, but when he needed to he could snipe you from the 3-point line.
Thats it for now. We just ended another block of 5 games and were 1-4. This means that while the Blazers still have a chance to make the playoffs, it's literally going to take a miracle. We have to win 16 of our next 21 games.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Comments on Steve Patterson's Resignation
I know. It’s been a while since my last post. And there have been some notable events that need commenting on.
Today we’ll focus on Blazer President Steve Patterson’s resignation last Thursday. I have refrained from commenting on this matter as I didn’t think it was that big of an event. I mean, what percentage of Trail Blazer fans even knew this Blazer President’s name? Or even knew that the Blazers had a President? But due to reader demand, here are a few remarks.
As you all know, Steve Patterson resigned because Paul Allen decided not to renew his contract. Steve Patterson obviously saw this coming as he made some last ditch efforts to get a renewal. The obvious one was the Fred Jones for Juan Dixon trade. Steve Patterson knew his contract extension was on the line, so he had to do something. So, when the trading deadline came and none of his other deals went through, he had to pull the trigger on this lackluster lateral move. Seriously, this trade was basically a wash. Both are 4th year undersized shooting-guards. One can shoot but is a liability on defense, and the other is big enough to play D but can’t shoot.
The other last-ditch effort is evident in the timing of the Season Ticket renewal effort. Normal protocol is for the Blazers to begin this effort in April. But this year, for some reason, they began the renewal effort in February, two months early. The Blazers acknowledge this by saying “(the renewal effort is) earlier than previous years, but we wanted to offer as many flexible payment options from which to choose.” But the truth is, the payment plans are the same as they were last year. Obviously, Steve Patterson needed to get some early renewal numbers to bring to the negotiation table.
Both the trade and the early renewal effort show that Steve Patterson was a desperate man, and saw his contract extension slipping away. But it’s not like Steve Patterson didn’t have it coming. Remember his selfish act of firing John Nash only to name himself General Manager? Or when he fired upwards of 40 Blazer employees (including Darnell Valentine) only weeks before Christmas?
Will Steve Patterson be missed? Probably not. History may give him credit for the 2006 draft class of LaMarcus Aldridge, Sergio Rodriguez, and Brandon Roy. And also give him credit for signing of Nate McMillan. But the truth is that for most Blazer fans, Steve Patterson’s resignation is a non-event.
Anyway, tomorrow the Blazers play the Spurs, who are on a 9 game winning streak. This is a big game in that if we lose, we will probably be out of the playoff race. Go Blazers!!!
Today we’ll focus on Blazer President Steve Patterson’s resignation last Thursday. I have refrained from commenting on this matter as I didn’t think it was that big of an event. I mean, what percentage of Trail Blazer fans even knew this Blazer President’s name? Or even knew that the Blazers had a President? But due to reader demand, here are a few remarks.
As you all know, Steve Patterson resigned because Paul Allen decided not to renew his contract. Steve Patterson obviously saw this coming as he made some last ditch efforts to get a renewal. The obvious one was the Fred Jones for Juan Dixon trade. Steve Patterson knew his contract extension was on the line, so he had to do something. So, when the trading deadline came and none of his other deals went through, he had to pull the trigger on this lackluster lateral move. Seriously, this trade was basically a wash. Both are 4th year undersized shooting-guards. One can shoot but is a liability on defense, and the other is big enough to play D but can’t shoot.
The other last-ditch effort is evident in the timing of the Season Ticket renewal effort. Normal protocol is for the Blazers to begin this effort in April. But this year, for some reason, they began the renewal effort in February, two months early. The Blazers acknowledge this by saying “(the renewal effort is) earlier than previous years, but we wanted to offer as many flexible payment options from which to choose.” But the truth is, the payment plans are the same as they were last year. Obviously, Steve Patterson needed to get some early renewal numbers to bring to the negotiation table.
Both the trade and the early renewal effort show that Steve Patterson was a desperate man, and saw his contract extension slipping away. But it’s not like Steve Patterson didn’t have it coming. Remember his selfish act of firing John Nash only to name himself General Manager? Or when he fired upwards of 40 Blazer employees (including Darnell Valentine) only weeks before Christmas?
Will Steve Patterson be missed? Probably not. History may give him credit for the 2006 draft class of LaMarcus Aldridge, Sergio Rodriguez, and Brandon Roy. And also give him credit for signing of Nate McMillan. But the truth is that for most Blazer fans, Steve Patterson’s resignation is a non-event.
Anyway, tomorrow the Blazers play the Spurs, who are on a 9 game winning streak. This is a big game in that if we lose, we will probably be out of the playoff race. Go Blazers!!!
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