beav

Because Telfair is the only PG on the roster. Stoudamire and NVE are gone. After the big 3, let's face it Jack is the next best guy. Plus with such a youth movement why not select a younger guy to grow with the team...

Labor deal propels Blazers into summer Preparations for draft speed along, even as coach search dallies By KERRY EGGERS Issue date: Fri, Jun 24, 2005 The Tribune It’s full speed ahead for the Trail Blazers as they prepare for the draft, summer league and 2005-06 NBA season. The search for a head coach? That’s another matter. News of the league’s labor agreement couldn’t have been more fortuitous for the Blazers, who would have suffered more than most teams from a lockout wiping away summer activity. If there’s an early favorite to win the Las Vegas Summer League July 6-July 15, it’s Portland, which was perhaps the youngest team in the NBA at the end of last season. The Blazers expect to have eight players with their summer league team who will be on their ’05-06 roster, including starting point guard Sebastian Telfair, forwards Viktor Khryapa and Travis Outlaw, and center Ha Seung Jin. Others are Sergei Monya, the Russian forward taken in last year’s draft; Nedzak Sinanovic, a 7-2 Bosnian who was a second-round choice in 2003; and the two players Portland are positioned to take in Tuesday’s draft. The labor deal “will really help us this summer with the development of our kids,” General Manager John Nash says. “The youth movement we focused on late last season would have been minimized had we lost the summer, because these kids would have come back without playing basketball for a number of months.” It’s looking more likely that Kevin Pritchard, who finished the season as Portland’s interim coach after the firing of Maurice Cheeks, will coach the summer league team. “We haven’t decided that for sure,” Nash says, “but it’s going to be hard to have a coaching staff in place by July 1. Our draft research is too demanding to spend much time on the coaching situation. “I would have thought six weeks ago we would have had a coach by now. That’s still our goal, but I can see us going through summer league without a coach and getting it done in mid- to late July.” Nash has acknowledged that NBA assistants Marc Iavaroni and Lionel Hollins are candidates, and he hasn’t denied the Blazers will seek out Seattle head coach Nate McMillan once his contract expires July 1. Terry Porter’s dismissal as Milwaukee’s coach on Wednesday fueled rumors he’s being considered by Portland, but Nash says the Blazers “probably won’t even address that possibility until after the draft.” Portland continues to speak with other teams about trading the No. 3 pick in Tuesday’s draft. “We called several teams picking behind us, saying we would trade the pick if they would do X-Y-Z,” Nash says. “I’m not certain they will respond. What people have come to realize is, picks 3 through 7 are all pretty good. It’s a matter of where you think the individual will fit with what you’re trying to do. “Several teams are in desperate need of point guard help. We are in desperate need of ‘2’ guard help. We’re all jockeying to determine if we move up or back.” There are some reports that a team might trade with Atlanta for the No. 2 pick — Charlotte, which owns No. 5, is a possibility — to acquire Wake Forest point guard Chris Paul. If that happens, Portland would probably keep the pick and take North Carolina forward Marvin Williams, though Nash wouldn’t say that. “That’s one thing that concerns us about trading the pick,” Nash concedes, “but we haven’t gotten to know Marvin well enough to be committed to him. We’re trying to get him here for an individual workout. My sense is it will still be (Utah center) Andrew Bogut and Marvin going 1-2, and then we’ll have our selection.” If Bogut and Williams go 1-2 and Portland retains the third pick, Blazer management has boiled it down to four candidates — Paul, Seattle high school shooting guard Martell Webster, Houston high school swing man Gerald Green and Illinois point guard Deron Williams. Though Paul’s presence would conflict with the growth of Telfair, a 19-year-old rookie last season, the Blazers recognize him as a special talent. “Isiah Thomas,” says one member of Portland’s front office as a way of comparison. The Blazers like the 6-7, 200-pound Green. “I’m leaning more toward the idea he could play either shooting guard or small forward,” Nash said after watching Green’s perimeter shot during a Tuesday workout. But the 6-7, 235-pound Webster might be the Blazers’ guy, especially if they could deal down to get him somewhere between the seventh and 12th pick. Webster has worked out for Charlotte (fifth and 13th), Golden State (ninth), the Lakers (10th) and the Clippers (12th). “Martell is extremely long, and his body doesn’t look like a high school kid,” says Portland assistant John Loyer, who took part in Webster’s workout last week. “He shot it very well, has good range and is very confident in his shot.” Notes Rich Austin, Portland’s sports communications manager, has resigned to accept the GM job with the CBA Yakima Sun Kings. … Training camp for summer league will start July 1 or July 2 at the Blazers’ Tualatin training facility. … Khryapa was expected to miss summer league for national-team duties, but word now is he probably will be available. … Sinanovic, 22, played professionally in Belgium last season. … Loyer will work with the summer league team. Nash says he is unsure if assistant coach Tim Grgurich will be available. Portland is awaiting word from the NBA on a request to broadcast its summer league games on KXL (750 AM). “We haven’t been able to get permission in the past because of collective-bargaining agreement conditions,” says d*ck Vardanega, the Blazers’ vice president for broadcasting and production. “We’re giving it another shot. It seems like a win-win situation, with the publicity and exposure for the league.” Games would be broadcast on a delayed basis, beginning at 7 or 8 p.m Nash on taking a high school player for the third draft in a row: “We’d prefer not to take a high school player, but if he’s the best player available when we select, we won’t rule out the possibility.” Portland owns the No. 35 pick overall, the fifth choice in the second round. Nate Robinson, the 5-8 point guard from Washington, impressed everyone at a workout in Portland last week but may not last that long. The Blazers like him enough that they might acquire a pick late in the first round to get him. “The kid is seasoned, has a hell of a body, and he can get his shot off against the taller guys, take them to the hole and finish at the rim,” says ex-Blazer center Steve Johnson, who watched Robinson’s workout session against Webster and North Carolina’s Rashad McCants. … Owner Paul Allen, on whether he would ask Sacramento for permission to speak with Rick Adelman about the Blazer coaching job: “I can’t imagine Sacramento would grant permission.” Adelman has a year left on his contract with the Kings. … Allen, on what he will expect from next year’s team: “It depends on what we do with the third pick. If we get a veteran player (in a trade), we could be much better right away. If we take a younger player, it may not happen as quickly. People are going to have to be patient. We’ll be an exciting, competitive team whichever way we go. I’m excited about the development of Travis, Sebastian and Viktor, and Joel Pryzbilla has been more than a pleasant surprise. Mix that with Zach (Randolph), Darius (Miles) and some others, and we’re going to be a fun team to watch.” Andrew Bynum works out for Portland again Possibly the toughest player in this draft may have just had his hand revealed just a little bit yesterday in Portland. According to NBA sources, Andrew Bynum worked out for the Portland Trailblazers once again yesterday, his second workout with the organization in the past week. Bynum had supposedly shut down his workouts and even cancelled a workout with the Nets on Wednesday. The workout was supposed to be top secret, but word quickly leaked out to us from two separate and independent sources. With the NBA finals in the books and teams being free to make trades once again, the stage could be set for the Blazers to pull off a much anticipated trade with the Lakers that would send the #3 pick to Los Angeles. The Lakers would use the #3 to take either the logical pick, Chris Paul ,or Kupchack’s favorite, Gerald Green. Portland would take Andrew Bynum, maybe pick up Caron Butler on the way, and dump a bad contract like Ruben Patterson in the process in return for Chucky Atkins’ ending contract. Atlanta

Good articles on Deron, Webster and Paul... http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/oregonia...2801.xml&coll=7 http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/oregonia...4840.xml&coll=7 http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/oregonia...9160.xml&coll=7

OK. Interesting statements about Miles... Here is my take seeing him the last 1.5 years. Miles is an unbelievable talent. The 5 foot jump shot range is laughably erroneous. He has improved upon his jump shot incredibly. His talent is better than Harrington and Wallace. His defense is better than both. His ballhandling for a small forward is not bad and he runs the floor much better than both. His attitude? Not so great. But in all fairness, these players *all* gave up last year: NVE Derek Anderson Theo Ratliff So singling Miles out for last year is unfair. The unforgivable tirade against Cheeks was out of control and showed his immaturity however and I'm leery of him. Now all of that being said, I would not have made the trade of the number 2 for Miles and the 3. Simply because Miles cannot go back to a shi$ty team trying to make strides to improve which let's face it the Hawks are. He needs to go to a team with a veteran coach like Jackson, Brown or Carlisle that have had a history of dealing with players lke that. If he does... potential superstar.

The Blazers like Webster a lot... a given. They'd love to get a kid from the Northwest, also a given. Webster could easily and will almost assuredly be available at the 6th pick if not later. Why in the world would they not at least trade with Utah? That prediction falls somewhere on the scale between highly doubtful and moronic.

This reeks of the non-lubed job that the classless Pistons pulled on Rick Carlisle. Milwaukee made a big deal out of firing Jerome Kersey and Mike Shuler as assistants many weeks ago and keeping Porter around. It seems obvious that they have an under the table deal with someone else. I'm wondering if Porter becomes a candidate in Portland now while their 3-ring circus coaching search goes on. Even if not, I've gotta guess that the long-rumored sign and trade for Michael Redd (for NVE's voidable contract and the number 3 pick)is a lot more likely now.

"That makes no sense. If they are desparate to get out of Theo's contract why would they agree tot take back Boozer's, isn't his just as big and just as long?" Actually I am pretty sure that Boozer's contract is longer. The operative word here is Theo. Theo basically gave up last year and the team benched him. (and even at his best let's face it shotblocking is his only outstanding skill) Pryzbilla outplayed him big time, and the blazers hope to resign him longer term. Boozer is almost ten years younger than ratliff and is an 18-10 guy. I'm not saying that he is exactly what the blazers need, but they want him a hell of a lot more than ratliff.

"The deals I have read about was Boozer/#6/#27 to PTL for #3/Theo. This would change a lot of stuff about this draft." I first heard about that one this weekend. A likely scenario IMO. The Blazers are desperate to get rid of Ratliff's contract. They can take Webster with the 6th pick (or Green as the case may be). There have also been a few other Utah PTL deals rumored floating around as well. I still contend that the Lakers rumor is hogwash.

As someone that has ragged on him incessantly, I think that signing damon stoudamire would be a great move for the hawks. He played very well the last year (he finally got into shape), and even beyond his obvious height liability has improved on defense. (he's tough fighting thru picks because he's very strong) If the Hawks could sign him they won't have to worry about Diaw-like problems with shooting and scoring. Plus, I think that stoudamire might have some atlanta ties? I also selected salim stoudamire because he'd be a steal that late. Haslem is a no-brainer, but there should be a line for him. The question is how much should the Hawks pay for him? If they've willing to go big on the bucks they should be able to get him.

but I did keep reading the rest of the post anyway...

"03. Portland Trailblazers - Gerald Green, SG, High School This could be a pick for the Lakers. The media feels that the Lakers are hot for Green and may work out a deal with Portland, who is eager to move out of this pick, to get him." I don't think that the Blazers would ever trade with the Lakers. All those years of getting beat up on in the playoffs (and othe bad blood years before) makes them really the only team that the entire city/team hates. In fact the rumor with a lot of legs was that the only reason they took qyntel woods a few years ago was because the lakers loved him so much and were picking a few slots beneath them. And in a barely related note, Seattle hates the Blazers organization and would probably never trade with them. (the last incident was when the blazers signed ruben patterson out of spite after seattle virtually had him signed and traded to cleveland a few years ago)Which means Portland probably won't end up with Ray Allen.

"When Steve Smith, playing now for the Blazers," Sorry. I couldn't resist.

" Is Portland just setting a smokescreen hoping someone at #4 or #5 throws a good deal at them for Paul? If what they say is legit, should we be considering Paul more in our discussions?" A good point. PTL has definitely been shopping the pick, and that could be a nice carrot for CHA. My guess is CHA might eventually throw up their hands and offer the 5th and 13th picks in the draft.

Iavaroni enjoys visit with Blazers The Phoenix assistant coach openly discusses his interview, while Seattle's Dwane Casey keeps quiet Saturday, June 11, 2005 JASON QUICK CHICAGO -- Marc Iavaroni has never been an NBA head coach, but the Trail Blazers spent two hours Thursday night trying to figure out if the Phoenix assistant can be their next leader. In turn, Iavaroni said the "informal" and "comfortable" interview with Blazers President Steve Patterson and general manager John Nash helped him learn about the Blazers and what they are seeking. "I think it shed some light on how far they want to go and how committed they are," Iavaroni said Friday. "Without getting into too many specifics, I think they do have a plan: They want to build a team of youth that has promise, surround it with the right type of veterans, then build on that. "I think everybody was very comfortable, and I felt we had a lot of good basketball topics." Initially, it appeared the Blazers were looking for an experienced NBA head coach. But after a falling-out with an unknown candidate this week, the team has turned in the direction of Iavaroni and Seattle SuperSonics assistant Dwane Casey, both 48. Casey, who was interviewed in Chicago on Wednesday, declined to comment Friday about his interview, saying he would rather let the process unfold by itself. Whereas Patterson and Nash have expressed a "preference" for NBA coaching experience, several Blazers veterans have pleaded for a proven commodity. Iavaroni said he can't be worried about his resume, which includes being an assistant in Phoenix for the past three years, an assistant in Miami (1999-2002) and an assistant in Cleveland (1997-1999). "I understand that if you have someone with head coaching experience it is less of a gamble," Iavaroni said. "But I think if you are basing it on experience alone, you have to ask what kind of experience the person has had. "I mean, I think I have worked very hard under Mike Fratello, Pat Riley and Mike D'Antoni to develop skills to become a good coach, not only with (big men), but with guards. Not only with defense, but with offense. I think you have to have the whole package. "The thing is, I don't try to compare myself (to experienced NBA coaches). . . . I just make sure I know what I'm about and what I bring to the table, and then I let them make the decision." Iavaroni played seven seasons in the NBA as mostly a backup center. As a rookie, he played on the Philadelphia 76ers team that won the 1983 NBA championship with Nash in the front office and former Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks as the starting point guard. Cheeks on Thursday said good things about Iavaroni, saying he was qualified and that the people of Portland would like him. Other coaching note: Memphis Grizzlies assistant Lionel Hollins said he hasn't heard back from the Blazers since he interviewed for the coaching position in May. "I'm just waiting to hear from them," Hollins said. Praising Paul: When the Blazers and the Utah Jazz had an exclusive workout with Wake Forest point guard Chris Paul on Thursday, it wasn't the first time Nash had watched the 6-foot, 180-pound early draft entrant. Nash came upon Paul working out with Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas last Saturday in Washington, D.C., where Paul has been living since May 8. Nash's impressions were as strong as those of Patterson, who called Paul "impressive." "He is a terrific prospect," Nash said. "Very impressive. He's a terrific shot maker. He's got ball-handling skills, a strong body. He elevates very, very well, and he is a good defensive player." Nash said Paul was 6-foot-1 in shoes and weighed about 180 pounds. Sebastian Telfair, the Blazers' supposed future, is listed at 6-0, 160 pounds. Paul's assets go beyond his athletic ability. Paul was by far the most impressive and engaging prospect Friday at an NBA news conference featuring the top eight players expected to be drafted. He is well-spoken, polite, thoughtful and confident. Could he be the Blazers' pick at No. 3? "I think it would be a weird situation if (Portland) took me," Paul said Friday. "They just took Sebastian. I think it would be a conflict of interest to the point where if they drafted me, something else would have to take place." Bogut not coming: Utah center Andrew Bogut, the expected top pick, said he will not work out for Portland because he expects to be taken by either Milwaukee at No. 1 or by Atlanta at No. 2. Upcoming: Illinois point guard Deron Williams said he is coming to Portland on Wednesday and Thursday for interviews and workouts. Marvin Williams, a forward from North Carolina, said his advisory team hasn't decided if he will work out with the Blazers. Marvin Williams is projected as the first or second pick. Nash said that Thursday appears to be the big day for the Blazers in terms of working out prospects. Although plans are not solidified, he said there could be a morning and evening workout on Thursday featuring four prospects, probably including Deron Williams and Houston high schooler Gerald Green. Jason Quick: 503-221-4372; jasonquick@news.oregonian.com

Yes this trade has been rumored for almost 2 months. Supposedly it was close a month ago, but Ainge insisted on Travis Outlaw being thrown in and the Blazers said no way. And again diesel Outlaw is almost certainly not going to be traded and he certainly is not going to be trade with Pryz to move up one spot! LOL! (Hell I doubt they'd trade {Pryzbilla the Vanilla Gorilla as he is known here to move up one spot) The other rumor bandied about has been a SNT with Milwaukee for Redd with NVE and the 3 pick going to Milwaukee and them picking Williams. Ainge if he had the third pick would definitely go williams or paul. Probably Paul would be my guess.

NVE has an expiring contract that can be voided evidently in a few months so it is very valuable as an asset. They can trade the cap space and the lucky recipient can clear it off same year unless I have not understood it correctly. I've heard different things about Randolph...some of the players were grumbling a bit that he has to touch the ball too much but frankly he's a solid 22/11 guy and there aren't a million of them running around. I just think (and yes this is more my opinion) that it would be foolish to let go of him now given that he is 24 and should get even better. I mean the guy was the most improved player two years ago. The guy they really have buyers remorse on is Ratliff. This year they clear Stoudamire (around 13 mil I think) Shareef (around 12.5 I think) and Nick the Quick (around 12 I think). But they were so far over the cap I don't even know if that clears things enough to go after a big FA...in fact I think they were about 35 mil over last year. At forward PTL already has randolph and miles, with outlaw and the 2 russians waiting in the wings. They don't have enough minutes at the position as it is.

Kinda have to agree... nice gesture by shaq but lets face it... these guys make about 15 mil per year. Not to mention the millions that many of them collect for Adidas, 24 hour fitness Mcdonalds commercials. It would be very nice to see these multimillionaires get together for a few charity games to raise money for these old players. Usually every team has 1-2 players that give a ton back, but it would be nice to see a majority of players get together for causes like these.

If Portland makes a trade to dump anderson's contract it will not be for a forward. They have Travis Outlaw on the bench now who the entire organization loves. No way no how would this happen. There would be a better chance of them trading Randolph than this but that is also fairly unlikely. If Portland trades the pick my guess is that they'll trade the pick and NVE's expiring contract for a signed Redd as has been discussed. Also, most say that PTL will probably have a few teams on the hook during the draft(UTAH, CHA at least) to see how the first two picks fall. " GM John Nash has been quietly calling teams such as the Bobcats, Hornets and Jazz to offer a deal. The team is drafting third, and most likely will have its choice of either Paul or Green. The Blazers would pass on Paul because they've already committed to Sebastian Telfair. They like Green a lot, but some in the organization feel they might be able to trade down, still get Green and pick up another asset in the process. The Bobcats are the primary target, though it's unlikely that they'd give the Blazers both the No. 5 and the No. 13 to move up two spots. The Raptors are another possibility if they include the No. 7, No. 16 and Morris Peterson to get a deal done. That's a pretty high price to pay, but the Raptors are hungry to move up." Of course that is Chad Ford so take it with a salt lick.

As a number of others have stated... let the buyer beware when you are saddling up with Larry Brown. He brought Detroit a ring and there were probably only 2-3 coaches out there that would have done that last year. (of course they fired one of them)

about pigs flying?

but I seem to remember Lenny not thinking that Nique was his type of guy. I wouldn't be so sure that Babcock was the main driver behind the Dominique trade. "From a basketball perspective, it was a good move. Manning was a 24ppg scorer, just as nique was, only he was much younger. Nique was well into the downside of his career. Nobody could have expected Manning to not want to resign with a playoff contender that just rescued him from the clippers. Where that trade looked bad was in the player relations department. Which was another shortcoming of Babcock."

but I remember when portland traded him... (where was that again?) LOL it seemed like no one ever really said many bad things about him while he was here, but everyone seemed to be happy/relieved when he was gone... he might just be kind of a d$ck that no one in the locker room likes... slow-eating cancer type...

" Not sure what you're saying. Are you saying re-trading Lue immediately? Because I don't think that's allowed" I could be wrong but I think that you have about 10 days after a trade is made to trade players involved. Otherwise ATL would not have been able to hand Detroit championship rings last year.

"For the blazers, Darius 'Pharoah' Miles impressed me a lot. (he looks like a pharoah with that beard). He spent a lot of time above the rim, especially when Smoove wasn't on the floor. " It's interesting that you say that, because I have become a big Miles fan since last year. A lot of people have an impression of him as a one-dimensional type player and that is completely untrue.

I'm just glad that portland wasn't involved in anyway. It's been a few months since anyone has been able to drone on about the "jail blazers" in the press.