The morning after
Call me crazy, but I've got a feeling that free tickets to Blazer games aren't going to be as easy to come by as they have been in the recent past. With the addition of man child Greg Oden and the casting off of sleazy Zach Randolph, the Rose City hoopsters are poised to surge in popularity. If prima donna Knick point guard Steve Francis is really going to play here, that could mean big trouble from a chemistry point of view, but it wouldn't hurt to have somebody on the dang team over the age of 30. And if the Blazers are going to ship him out somehow and get the killer outside shooter that they so desperately need in his place, even better. Portland also gets Channing Frye, a big young forward who could contribute substantially but is more likely to wind up floating around at the Ime Udoka level -- respectable, but not a star.
Duck fans are crying that Dan Dickau and Fred Jones are apparently headed to New York (where they'll be chewed up and spit out), but let's face it, neither is a major talent. Now Darius Miles needs to bow out of Portlandia gracefully. If he doesn't, when he inevitably shows up out of shape and acting like a bum, it would be a great morale move to waive him, plain and simple.
It surely appears that the Portland team's management is contemplating another serious move or two in the short term. But nothing's certain until it's finalized. For now, Oden is definitely coming and Randolph is most likely leaving. Jail Blazer Ho Nights at the Vintage Plaza are over. I'll toast to that.
Meanwhile, did you know that college players who declare themselves eligible to be selected in the pro draft and don't get picked can't go back and play in college if they've hired an agent (which they'd have been crazy not to do)? That's just plain awful.
| Posted at 2:16 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (17)
Francis might not be so bad if he's on a winning team, which the Blazers obviously will be.
He could be the outside shooter if they can't move him. I see nothing but upside with what the Blazers have done. Although taking Durant would have been spectacular.
Posted by kd | June 29, 2007 6:35 AM
What's so awful about going back to college if they don't get drafted?
Posted by Hula | June 29, 2007 6:50 AM
Aren't they going to have the same skills whether or not they get drafted?
Posted by Hula | June 29, 2007 6:51 AM
What's so awful about going back to college if they don't get drafted?
They can't go back and play in college. That's the point.
Posted by Jon | June 29, 2007 7:45 AM
Duck fans will miss Freddy Jones, but Dan Dickau went to Gonzaga. Good kid, but he's not Duck.
Posted by pdxuoduck | June 29, 2007 8:03 AM
Oden will certainly be bringing championships within a few years. And he'll be the most enjoyable Blazer interview...maybe ever. I cannot wait.
The Zach deal is curious. After months of hearing nothing but "we need equal value" to only bring back Channing Frye and Steve Francis' contract is disappointing. Didn't Portland have a similar deal a couple of years back involving Darius for Penny Hardaway's contract?
Whatever. It's a great day to be a Blazer fan.
Posted by Richard Thruster | June 29, 2007 8:26 AM
Portland loves a champion.... but fans will have to wait 2 to 3 years before this even younger team will get beyond the first round of the playoffs. Oden and Roy can't carry a team alone. Remember, it takes five on the floor and a bench that's ready and productive to be winners.
To shorten the wait, Paul Allen will have to trade for a player who has LEADERSHIP skills (like LeBron and Duncan, and once Pippen -- Steve Francis is not a leader), not just a go-to man like Oden.
Kobe had Shaq to teach and encourage him --together they won a championiship. Tony Parker had Duncan... a championship.
Veteran leadership is what the Blazers lack more than any other team in the league. No question they have talent.
Posted by Shadow | June 29, 2007 8:30 AM
Before everyone gets all het-up about this draft pick, just remember one name: Sam Bowie.
Posted by Chris McMullen | June 29, 2007 9:23 AM
My bad. I misread it.
Posted by Hula | June 29, 2007 10:19 AM
I imagine that with Zach leaving PDX, a national day of mourning will be declared at the Exotica gentlemens club.
Posted by haha | June 29, 2007 10:30 AM
Plus Rudy Fernandez and Taurean Green! Pritchard was very, very busy yesterday, all to the good. As you say, Jack, once Miles slinks away we are looking at a very exciting young team.
Posted by Matt | June 29, 2007 11:44 AM
Dan Dickau went to Gonzaga.
You're right. But he looks like a duck, quacks like a duck... And he's from Portland.
Posted by Jack Bog | June 29, 2007 12:53 PM
You're right. But he looks like a duck, quacks like a duck... And he's from Portland.
Actually, he's from Vancouver.
Posted by pdxuoduck | June 29, 2007 1:07 PM
If I wanted to argue with strangers about cr*p like this, I'd be sitting in a sports bar.
This says he was born in Portland. That's good enough for me.
Posted by Jack Bog | June 29, 2007 1:21 PM
"Stranger"? Isn't everyone who visits your blog welcomed?
"Argue"? This is hardly an argument. Just respecting the good folks at Prairie High School in Vancouver. Look at the trouble Randy Leonard got in for dissing our neighbors.
Posted by pdxuoduck | June 29, 2007 2:01 PM
After reading about all of Zach's friends that enjoy his country living, will he be taking the whole family with him when he departs PDEX?
Posted by pdxjim | June 29, 2007 6:01 PM
Oh, yeah. They're all going to the Big Apple. Somebody in the entourage will no doubt be shot within a year. The only question is whether it will be by the cops or by somebody that they were too dumb to steer clear of.
Posted by Jack Bog | June 29, 2007 10:58 PM