beav

"But somehow, All I see is people saying that I'm in love with Dickau. NO. I'm not in love with Dickau. Glad we have him but I realize that he's more than just a BU. Babcock is saying to JT, OK, we can replace you if you don't do what we need you to do. AND I won't put it past Babcock to trade: JT/Hendu/Nazr to NY for Spreewell/Harrington. " I agree that dickau is indeed insurance and possible leverage for negotiations with JT (provided that he plays at a reasonable level)... no way do the hawks pay JT the max and you can probably bet that is where his agent will start (if he hasn't already)... but I sincerely hope that he would never make that trade for sprewell... I'd just become a full-time blazers fan at that point...

I would put reef ahead of webber and nowitzki, until nowitzki learns to play some defense and webber realizes that he actually is not the most talented player and league and doesn't play half of his games on cruise control... I would have had rasheed higher before last year (certainly ahead of jermaine and antoine), but last year he just became too enamored with his jump shot and the blazers offensive rebounding seriously suffered for it... he is more than capable and he needs to step up more to work within a team concept...

If DD becomes the point you can pull for the blazers! you love jeff mcinnis and he should compensate for some of our sissy-ballers!

Q - "I know we have a point guard already, and a great one in Jason Terry. But, I continue to read things that say "Terry is just more comfortable at the shooting guard position," and "the Hawks are looking for a point guard." Can you tell me definitively, that we are not in search of a point guard (obviously, I am taking into consideration that nobody on our team is untouchable, given the right trade). I just want to continue to write and report as I have been that JT is the Hawks point guard, barring a trade that would send him away." -- Jason Walker A - As you know things are not quite that simple.....JT is our point guard for the future, UNLESS we acquire a better point guard. The three guards in the East we have to compete with are Kidd, Davis, Miller....and a few bigger points like Alvin Williams...we do need more size and defense if we can get it...but only at a very high level. JT has a natural scorer's mentality which is good...and he is not a true point in the Stockton sense or definition, but not many are. here is a Q and A with Petey boy right before the draft... did he have dickau in mind? I agree with you that he *probably* did not but we won't know that until at least halfway into the season if not much later... one other thing to keep in mind is that the hawks were also trying to move up to take juan dixon but were very surprised that the wizards to him so early... so their board was: 1) dixon 2) dickau in that order... the problem with dixon (according to the pundits, I'm not informed enough on his game) is that he is as much of a tweener as JT... also in regards to the warriors, you've probably not seen enough warriors games in your life to know how they think (more than a dozen would clue you in that they are probably the most clueless franchise in the nba)... they were actually looking to *larry hughes* to be their starting PG last year, with that ancient golf-playin' practice-skippin' mookster as the backup... dickau's grandmother would be an upgrade over that...BTW guess who was starting for them at PG by the end of last year? 2nd round rookie pick gilbert arenas...

"they wouldn't go digging under a log for some guy who probably wouldn't have even gone top 35" in all fairness, I read that golden state was crushed when dickau was selected by the hawks right in front of them... they ended up selecting a 5-10 point guard from cincinnati instead...

didn't take over a bad team...

I love his game! I liked him in college! I was completely pumped when the hawks got him in as a throw-in to that trade a few years and roundly pissed when lenny (and yes it was lenny) wanted him shipped out because he didn't think that he could play (lenny later admitted in an interview that he made a huge mistake with him).... pollard's downfall is that he doesn't have enough offensive game to say that he has offensive limitations... zip zilch nada nothing on offense...

I voted for larry brown... he takes horrible teams and makes them playoff teams... anyone remember how bad the 76ers were the year before he arrived? also iverson was a good player but jumped two notches under his tutelage... now after 3 years his magic tends to wear off the players get tired of him.... but if I were a crap team and wanted to be in the playoffs no doubt he is the first that I would hire...

Ouch... you guys may want to put your earplugs in for this one... There is a reason that no one in the NBA wants stoudamire and his ridiculous contract... it is because he is not a good player... it is easy (and seems reasonable) to say that he is wasting in portland but he has been handed the starters job! it is not like he is a forward or SG that has had to fight for his minutes... he is 5-10... now unless you are an other-worldly extraordinary talent 5-10 is a defensive liability in anyone's book... he is also lazy as hell on defense(he has never fought thru a screen in his life)... this last year was the first year that he showed up in shape(wow for 12.5 mil is it too much to expect someone to be in shape?)... His assist/turnovers ratio went up this year but he shot 40% (awful)... Greg Anthony got some of his minutes because he outplayed him terribly! anthony was a great defender and a clutch 3 point shooter (hard to believe now), he was making a tiny fraction of the money damon was making and worked his a** off the help the team... damon sulked, pissed and moaned because anthony played the 4th quarter (guess what time to play defense in the 4th quarter!)... On top of this he makes terrible decisions with the ball and has never displayed the type of court savvy that winning teams have to have from their point guard... when did I first know that we were in trouble? the year the spurs won the title and portland and SA were jockeying for position for home court advantage for the playoffs.. stoudamire comes out of nowhere and is quoted that any team with avery johnson starting will never win a title... great! antagonize a team with a better record than you and pick on one of the league's overachieving good guys... the funniest thing about that incident was actually steve kerr's reaction... "anyone in the nba knows that the blazers backcourt is the dumbest in the league" it was true! JR Rider and damon stoudamire are pea-brains... the day that damon is given a one-way ticket out of town will be my happiest day as a blazer fan... rant over... *phew*

but I used to really like it... once I stopped watching it (kind of like quitting smoking), I just realized that compared to bball and football it is just too boring... plus it is difficult to convince me that baseball players are 1/3 of the athletes in fball and bball... Even Hitler couldn't stop the world series from happening... only the players

good! the sooner that sport goes under the better as far as I am concerned... I refused to ever watch another baseball game if the players strike in the early 90's cost fans the world series and I have happily stuck to that... on the rare occasions that I am in a setting with a baseball game on and have to sit thru an inning or so, I wonder how I ever watched that boring game... you're still off about portland and free agents though... brian grant wanted to come here (and yes he was a big FA signing at the time...sacramento hated losing him), and since they are a hundred billion dollars over the cap they can't sign maxed out players directly(in fact throwing the cheapass clippers out the only other team that consistently year in and out that can sign players to the max has been chicago... you see orlando or houston, san antonio jockeying here and there for cap space but they are shut out more often than not)... derek anderson wanted to come here badly and while he isn't considered a top flight free agent he isn't exactly cal bowdler either...jeff mcinnnis was a nice one to pick up too that didn't make the major headlines but minnesota was mighty pissed that they missed out on him... seattle is also a nice city with a cheap dumbass owner that ran most of his good players out of town like larry miller does for utah... rashard lewis has wanted to stay there (his issue is money not the city) and gary payton does want to retire there... can portland compete with new york or LA? hell no and very few other teams can either, but other than dallas, and more recently NJ and Washington, portland is one of the more popular destinations in the league... Believe me, Sacramento is a pit, but they have good players now and owners willing to spend a little cash... even though chris webber bitched about the lack of soul food there he still signed on the dotted line when he realized that was where the bucks were...

"Utah has been very supportive toward their team however in terms of being a major television market and big business ccenter SLC isn't nearly as big as most cities, save Sacremento. Small cities like SLC, SAC do a very good job, better than us, supporting their teams but that doesn't make them the most desireable market." then how does this equate to them not *deserving* a team? SLC is a bit bigger than portland and is a bigger business center with a huge airport... does that mean that we have to give up the Blazers? Fine, they are not the most desirable market but neither is cleveland, do they have to give up their team?... HotlantaDude: I haven't heard about hangings in Utah in recent years but I will say this. Utah because of its small African American population Less than 2% and its unfriendly image, percieved or real( I'm not arguing this point), has a hardtime recruiting black players. Very few players with families would chose Utah as a home. not going to dispute much of that argument, but a huge if not the major reason is actually the owner's legendary skinflint and cheeseball tactics... he makes jerry krause look like a london dandy... oregon's population has similar demographics and their big bucks do just fine with attracting african american players... and some even decide to continue living here after their playing days like cliff robinson... speaking of which I don't remember a ton of free agents clamoring to dallas until mark cuban starting throwing bucks around either... Greenbay is great they support their team very well but it barely has 100,000 people. Marrietta and Macon are bigger than that, if it wasn't for the fact that everyone in the state was supporting the team they would have left a long time ago. right. they support their team and are one of if not the only franchises owned completely by the fans... I certainly know a ton of green bay fans around that have never even been to wisconsin so the size of the tv market didn't mean squat... the point is the size of the market is only one of many, many determinants... London Paris and Toyko are bigger markets than New York they would bring in great revenues to the league and become an Americn Export. once again they are certainly larget markets but the travel issues would eliminate tokyo immediately and make it difficult for longon and paris.... would I like to see it? hell yes, but mexico city might be a more viable option (although dangerous as legend has it)...

Gee, you don't think that would create any problems with teams travelling back and forth do you? Utah sells out most every game, why don't they deserve a team?

but your hero Isiah Thomas had no real coaching experience, and took a head coaches job... of course that might be a bad example he took a finals team and quickly made them a bubble lottery team in the east... point well taken!

I woulld imagine whoever is playing better at the time... Adelman is an experienced coach and experienced at dealing with a deep team... this is the west and depth is important when you play teams like the blazers and mavericks and have to jockey for the best record again to have a prayer with the blazers... plus if they are talking about signing clark for the type of dollars (low) that has been rumored then if there are real problems down the line you trade him... Plus both Pollard and Clark back up PF as well as C and with the major injury problems that they had last year at forward I don't blame them for bringing in quality depth...

Pollard is a great player off the bench for spark, rebounding and defense but his absolutely only offensive game is garbage point putbacks... he also can rack up a lot of quick fouls... Clark isn't a scoring machine or anything but he is ten times better offensively than pollard... after divac and pollard fouled out in the 6th game against the lakers they had to go with lawrence funderburke at center... ouch...

It looks like they are denying it here, but there have been rumors of stoudamire going to minnesota all summer... please God let it be true! I'm so much happier with Mcinnis and Daniels it isn't even funny... It's a crowd: Blazers add McInnis 08/13/02 JASON QUICK The Trail Blazers signed free agent Jeff McInnis on Monday, setting the stage for a three-player competition at point guard between incumbent Damon Stoudamire, McInnis and newly acquired Antonio Daniels. Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks said Stoudamire remains his starter, as of now. And Blazers president Bob Whitsitt said the signing of McInnis does not mean Stoudamire is on the trading block. "It doesn't say anything," Whitsitt said. "All it says is that Erick Barkley and Ricky Brunson are gone, and Jeff McInnis and Antonio Daniels are in. We have increased our depth, created competition and we've increased our size back there, which is something we wanted. In terms of our depth, point guard was one of our weakest areas last season. Now we think it is one of our stronger areas." McInnis, who averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 assists last season with the Los Angeles Clippers, signed a three-year deal. Whitsitt said he used part of the team's $4.53 million mid-level exception on McInnis, meaning he can use the remaining portion on another free agent. McInnis, who is 6-foot-4, played the past three seasons with the Clippers, starting 80 games last season when he was among the league leaders in minutes played and seventh in the league in assists-to-turnover ratio (3.4). The previous season, he led the NBA in assists-to-turnover ratio. "He's a big guard who can run a basketball team," coach Maurice Cheeks said. "He's just an asset because of his ability and the fact that he is a big guard, which we can always use." The Blazers have been in the running all summer for McInnis, 27, apparently beating out the Minnesota Timberwolves for his services. Whitsitt said he was close to signing him last week, but he wanted to wait until he executed the trade for Daniels, which happened last Monday. "I wanted Jeff to know what our roster looked like before we brought something together," Whitsitt said. Now, that roster appears clogged at point guard. Stoudamire started 71 games at point guard last season, averaging 37.3 minutes. Daniels was a part-time starter for the San Antonio Spurs last season. McInnis, a friend of Blazers forward Rasheed Wallace from the University of North Carolina, has been the Clippers' starter for the past two seasons. McInnis also played for three years at Quad City of the Continental Basketball Association with coach Dan Panaggio, now one of Cheeks' assistants. "Obviously, these three guys can play," Cheeks said. "But you just let the best man win. Basketball is about competition, you see who is best. Obviously, someone is not going to start, but you work it out. We are here to try and win games, and it is my job to figure out who plays and who is best for the team and who is best on the bench." Still, Cheeks on Monday endorsed Stoudamire as his man. "Damon is our starter," Cheeks said. "He's been here, he started last year, and we have a nice nucleus. But you have to give Damon and the other guys a chance to start right off the bat, and you want them all coming to camp saying 'I'm going to be ready.' " Stoudamire did not return phone messages Monday, but his father, Willie, said Damon expected the Blazers to sign McInnis. He said he sensed Damon would take the signing as a challenge. "I don't see anything changing from the standpoint of his productivity," Willie Stoudamire said. "But as a parent, I've always said that he should have never come to Portland. I didn't think he would get a fair shake, and he hasn't. But he's a ballplayer, and his posture will be to just come in and play and do what he is supposed to do. And if he is traded, he's traded." It is uncertain whether Stoudamire will be traded. He will make $37.25 million over the next three seasons, a figure that could deter teams. But the Timberwolves, who pursued Daniels and McInnis, are in desperate need of a point guard and are known to like Stoudamire's skills. However, Whitsitt said he hasn't heard from Minnesota this summer. "I can't assure that anybody will be here next season," Whitsitt said. "But right now, Damon is the incumbent and there is going to be some competition there.

they used their exception....

we are talking about the blazers here... also I read somewhere that he and rasheed were best friends at UNC...

I forgot about harold green.... boy they really went for the stars there eh? I figured that might be a typo with haynes but given that the number was wrong too I just figured that they made it up...

I love JT! as far as I am concerned he is the atlanta hawks from the standpoint of personality and longevity (I believe that he has been here longer than anyone other than hendu is that right?).... I just want dickau to be a great backup! (for at least the first year or so...) I certainly would think that the hawks feel the same way... maybe a year or two down the road they can figure out ways to have them on the court at the same time and just get dickau 25 MPG I'd be immensely happy with that...

From the portland paper this week... Blazers seeking deal with McInnis 08/03/02 The Trail Blazers have made contact with free agent Jeff McInnis and could be close to signing the former Los Angeles Clippers point guard. Agent Bill Strickland said the Blazers' talks with McInnis are "progressing" and that his "fate may be known to all" as early as next week. McInnis, who averaged a career-high 14.6 points and 6.2 assists last season with the Clippers, is familiar to the Blazers' coaching staff. He played three years in the Continental Basketball Association with Quad City, which was coached by Blazers assistant Dan Panaggio. In 1998, Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks was an assistant under Panaggio and tutored McInnis. McInnis, who turns 28 in October, made $590,580 last season with the Clippers. Under the collective bargaining agreement, the Blazers could offer McInnis all or part of their $4.7 million mid-level exception. Blazers president Bob Whitsitt declined to comment. Meanwhile, Strickland said talks with the Blazers and free agent Bonzi Wells also are moving forward. "Things are progressing and we continue our discussions with both players," Strickland said. Wells is a restricted free agent, meaning the Blazers would have 15 days to match an offer made by another team. However, it appears both sides want Wells to remain a Blazer. -- Jason Quick

once again the point was that they played many games outside of their conference... didn't play any SEC teams but they certainly defeated Virginia of the mighty ACC in the tournament... middle of the pack in the SEC is not bad at all! So basically that is putting gonzaga behind kentucky, florida, georgia, alabama...it is a tough as hell basketball conference certainly in the top 3 (arguably they were the best conference last year)... I believe that their highest seed was #12 as well... once again he was voted first team all american as well and I didn't see any asterisks beside his name... I've never seen Dan Dickau's name attached to a byline of any articles either... he doesn't write them, why hate the playa?

I bought a couple of those nesting doll sets (blazers and falcons) when I was in prague last year... the falcons set has chandler, mathis, hanspard, a #28 identified as green? and a #18 identified as hayes... I think that they just add a few fake ones to teams that they are less familiar with...

the hawks actually usually stick it to the blazers too...