- 03:34 AM
- 12/04/24
You have to remember that Joel was injured for about a third of last season (26 games), he shared time at center with Theo Ratliff (Theo averaged 23.7 minutes per game vs. Joel's 24.9 minutes per game and they were almost never on the floor at the same time), and Zach Randolph--despite all of his problems--is actually a kind of decent (7.2 rpg) rebounder. He's no Ben Wallace, but then... he's getting paid half as much. Without having to share time with Theo, and with a full healthy season I can see his numbers creep up a good deal. And at "only" ~$6M/season he's a steal when compared to a couple of other recent "top" free agent centers.
posted by togdon at 05:52 PM on July 06, 2006
lilnemo, three hoops posts in one day? I'll sum up my feelings on all three... The Bulls trade had to happen, 'cause there was no other way for Ben to wear #3 (oh, and it makes sense for both teams). I've always thought that Marquis Daniels could be the poster child for High Times, despite the fact that he's never been caught (just look at him). Fisher is going to be good at one thing... getting Deron Williams (and some of the other youngsters) up to speed. How 'bout the Blazers?
posted by togdon at 02:57 PM on July 06, 2006
One thing I will ask is what will Portland do without the "Kobe Stopper"? Focus all the rape jokes at the other team?
posted by togdon at 12:26 PM on February 24, 2006
The Knicks are oh so much worse. Houston makes $39,843,750 over the next two years, Hardaway $30,375,000, that almost makes the Blazer's moronic spending look reasonable. In general it seems that the marquee players of yesteryear have nice fat contracts to warm the bench with.
posted by togdon at 02:23 PM on May 27, 2005
Miles was just echoing a lot of what's being said in the stands, except with racial epithets thrown in. Mo Cheeks and likely GM John Nash are goners at the end of this season. Coaching/GM'ing by committee serves only to accomodate the vocal minority. No one I know, including serveral season ticket holders, ever cared about the off-court woes as long as the on-court performance wasn't affected. Trading guys like 'Sheed for upstanding characters who can't play for shit has served only to alienate people who go to basketball games to watch basketball. The Miles, Ratliff, and Randolph re-signings/extensions were all dumb moves. The only smart move they appear to have made in the offseason was to pick up Pryzbilla, who they then sat for almost the first half of the season before they realized he could actually play.
posted by togdon at 05:59 PM on January 30, 2005
Stats-wise, both this season and last, you could easily make the argument that Duncan is the third best, with Nowitzki being the #2 guy, and Garnett with a solid lock on #1. LeBron is looking like he might overtake Duncan this year... Fantasy-wise, on Yahoo! Marion is improbably the best player at the moment, with Nowitzki in 2nd, and Garnett in 3rd. I'm guessing this has a lot to do with the fact that KG isn't lofting up a bunch of 3 pointers, so he's missing out a bit on the scoring and their 3pt category. On TSN KG is far and away the best player. Watching them play live or on tv-wise I'd have to say that KG is by far the most exciting of the players so far mentioned. Duncan's game face may be great if you're a Spurs fan, but his lack of emotion is boring otherwise--especially if you're not emotionally invested in either of the teams playing. LeBron is quickly catching up in this category as well, last year you could tell he was going to be something, this year he's starting to demonstrate that more consistently. Barring injuries or a serious slump I see Garnett as a lock for MVP again this year, and competing with LeBron (and possibly Notwitzki) for the spot in a year or two. Duncan seems to be on the decline to me as the "flashy" MVP player. He's got a great team though, and I look forward to watching him play more of a team role in the years to come. For being roughly the same age Duncan appears to be getting older than Garnett at a faster rate. I suppose that if Garnett finally got a ring (or two) he'd probably ease off a bit too...
posted by togdon at 10:28 AM on December 09, 2004
As someone who knows only a bit about the game, I wouldn't mind learning some more about it. chicobangs, check out this earlier thread
posted by togdon at 03:54 PM on June 29, 2004
I guess the Blazers GM is the exception (Rasheed Wallace, Jermaine O'Neal). That's two GMs... Trader Bob, who we all hated, and John Nash, who appears to be kowtowing to the whack job fundies that find their way into the editorial section of the Boregonian.
posted by togdon at 12:32 PM on June 22, 2004
Does anyone have the ability to make a screen cap of Tolbert's suit(s)? I tried explaining them to the NBA haters today at work, and I just can't do them justice... The one last night slapped the one from Tuesday's game silly. I didn't see what he was wearing on Thursday, but I now have a reason to watch at halftime. I love that 'Sheed left Portland and is set to get a title. LOVE.
posted by togdon at 05:42 PM on June 14, 2004
Not to derail too much, but does anyone have similar primers for Rugby/Aussie Rules?
posted by togdon at 06:02 PM on March 31, 2004
Anyone who watches any Western Conference team somewhat consistently will agree that their is an inordinate amount of contact occuring in the paint that is going unchecked. When a guard flies in and gets contact in paint, no matter how soft, the whistle blows. It's the big men who aren't getting the calls. Even as a Shaq hater it's frustrating to see refs let people hack the hell out of him (esp. Steve Javie). Part of me thinks the fewer whistles I hear at a game the better though. I hate the action stopping to watch the increasingly crappy FT% get increasingly crappier. As a Portland resident and a Blazers fan I was pretty crushed by the loss of 'Sheed (not all of us hated him). The media here demonized him like it was going out of style, and the religious wackos who camp out outside the Rose Garden latched onto him for no good reason. The only fans who didn't seem to hate him were the ones with their asses in the seats every game... At least now we've got character... I'd love to see the Pistons make a strong run in the EC, and then at least give the West a solid run in the Finals. A six or seven games series would be huge. It might shut the 'Sheed haters here in town up, and maybe I'd finally be able to watch more than a handful of games a year without having to shell out for cable...
posted by togdon at 06:25 PM on February 19, 2004
Hate to say it jmd82, but 'Sheed is only there through the end of the season. He's said flat out that he only wants to play for the Knicks next season, and given what I've heard about ATL he's going to hate it there. 'Sheed is great when he's great. He's also the most frustrating guy to watch when he's going through the motions, and I predict he'll be doing nothing but going through the motions until the Knicks are 'ctc'.
posted by togdon at 12:51 AM on February 10, 2004
At least the constant rumors will finally end... Most of the goons in the Boregonian forum think it's a good trade for Portland. I'm sort of disappointed that I won't get to see 'Sheed egg Jerry Sloan on one last time tomorrow night, but I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing Reefer lay the smack down on the Nuggs on Thursday (sorry, I couldn't resist). Theo Ratliff he seems like a nice 'free' upgrade over Dale. I still can't believe we traded Jermaine O'Neal for the worthless sack of crap that is Dale Davis. As for what's next... I'm betting that Dale Davis and Ruben Paterson get traded for an SG before the deadline. Any SG. Hopefully one with an expiring contract. I'm guessing that they'll either let Damon's contract expire next year or trade him to a team looking to clear cap space. No one is going to want him this season. I'm also guessing that if he were offered an extension for a hefty pay cut he'd probably mull it a lot longer than 'Sheed mulled his. Atlanta seems to be doing this solely for cap room at the end of the season. I'd expect to see 'Sheed in a Knicks jersey starting next season, dunno where Person will end up, but he seemed like a nice enough guy. With the cap room and a probable good draft pick hopefully Atlanta will be able to drag themselves out of the dumpster.
posted by togdon at 12:14 AM on February 10, 2004
As a Portland resident, and beleaguered Blazers fan, I can tell you that all anyone talks about here is 'Sheed. The latest rumor, and the one I actually think I like the best, is 'Sheed for Nick Van Exel and Erick Dampier. We'd toss Dale Davis to anyone with a crappy pick and some cash at that point... To think that we traded Jermaine O'Neal for the sack of worthlessness that is Dale Davis still pisses me off to no end. I still like 'Sheed and I really don't care that our team is the one that gets caught smoking weed, but the trades and drafts over the last several years sicken me. Talk all the trash you want about the JailBlazers, but almost everything that sucks about our team can be squarely blamed on Trader Bob Whitsitt.
posted by togdon at 06:04 PM on January 30, 2004
Steve Javie deserves 'Sheeds spot in the kings, and I hate the Lakers. 'Sheed still deserves to be on the list, but nowhere near that high. Ticket prices and the TV package should move up a lot higher. These guys seem to be a bit preoccupied with the morality of the players. I could really care less if they're moral as long as their off the court antics don't interfere with their job. (Said like a true Blazers fan...)
posted by togdon at 03:52 PM on January 20, 2004
NPR ran a fascinating story on the Badwater Ultra Marathon a while back. The length isn't the only killer at Badwater. It starts in Death Valley (280 ft. below sea level) and goes to Whitney Portals on Mt. Whitney (8360 ft. above sea level). The killer? They run it in mid July. Lots of the crazy ultramarathoners run all the way up Whitney, and then back. Sometimes repeating the trip more than once. Women and older athletes seem to excel from what I've read. Presumably because they're more in tune with their bodies, and are better prepared for the mental hijinks required to trick their bodies into running that far.
posted by togdon at 12:28 PM on January 14, 2004
If this guy played in P-town they'd list his dealer's address and weekly specials in the scroller on the 5 o'clock news. Of course, he'd also be playing tonight, we'd all laugh about it, and at the end of the game we'd pat him on the back for the double double... He put it in Tin Foil... Tin Foil!
posted by togdon at 05:14 PM on January 13, 2004
In related Knicks news, I will disown the Blazers if they send us Houston or Van Horn. Because 'sheed has been doing so well lately? (I know, I know... the ice sucks, and Dale is stuck on his mansion up on the hill... but gimme a break...)
posted by togdon at 03:48 PM on January 09, 2004
I used to live in the same neighborhood as Rasheed Wallace, and I'd see him at the local super market once every week or so. He was always sweet as could be to each and every one of the checkers, joking with them and giving them autographs. The one time I was in line behind him he was chatting with the 10 items or less clerk like he knew the guy. I always thought that it was bizarre that he actually went the to supermarket on a regular basis (he seemed to shop for stuff every day as I'd usually see him with what would be a normal dinner for the night), and that he seemed to be a genuinely nice guy while the local papers and the national media were always dogging on him for being such a jerk. A few years later I saw Pippen at a local breakfast joint, and instead of acting like a normal person he's strutting around like he's the greatest thing since sliced bread. It's not like this place was high class or anything, I was there for the $4 hangover cure special. It's one thing to go to a nice restaurant and to expect to be treated like a king, but to walk into a dive and to act like it's beneath you to be there... why bother going in in the first place?
posted by togdon at 12:28 PM on November 21, 2003
The home team never fails to make me proud.
One of the local free papers ran an interview with him in which he makes it clear he's not really all that interested in playing for his hometown team unless he gets it his way: "At the end of the day, I just want to know how Damon Stoudamire is going to be used," Stoudamire says. "If I am there in Portland next season, fine. If I'm not, fine. If you're not going to use me the way I should be used, then work out a trade. I want to be in a position where I'm loved by management and my coach, and they ride with my accomplishments." I hope we get a GM that instead of trading talent like Jermaine O'Neal and Brian Grant away gets rid of the people who are too dumb to be wasting precious brain cells smoking pot. I've got nothing against the occasional puff-puff-give as long as there's a give, and you're not already at the mental capacity of a two year old...
posted by togdon at 09:17 PM on July 07, 2003
I was at the game and I can tell you that it was one of those incredibly awkward moments. She'd beat out a bunch of other singers American Idol style over the course of the season, and seemed to have some real talent. Within about a second of Cheeks walking up to her the crowd had started to help, and although it doesn't sound like it on any of the copies of the tape that I've seen we drowned both of them out in the end. Unfortunately, it was about the only good moment of the night. I love Portland, and I love going to Blazers games, but it's sad when the only person who shows any heart is the coach, and it's not for basketball, but for helping a little girl out of a spot no one would want to be in. Rumors of Trader Bob ditching Cheeks at the end of the season are running rampant up here. Most fans I know hope Paul Allen steps in and gets rid of Bob Whitsitt as a start instead... We all know he won't. He'll keep throwing money at players who don't deserve it, while Bob trades the ones that do away.
posted by togdon at 06:33 PM on April 30, 2003
Suns over Spurs (in 7) Kings over Jazz Trailgangstas over Dallas Lakers over Wolves Pistons over Magic Nets over Bucs Pacers over Celtics (in 7) 76ers over Hornets As much as I'd love the hometown Blazers to win it all I'm thinking that it's going to be the Kings, probably over the Nets. Lakers will bow out in the Western Conference finals...
posted by togdon at 03:10 PM on April 17, 2003
Utah Jazz to Deal Fisher to Warriors for Brown, McLeod, and Owens.
Also, if 82games doesn't have a commonly reported salary to generally agreed upon utility ratio tool nestled somewhere deeply in their sweet bosom, they should really work on one. Something like: (Salary/Season) -------------------- = Utility TSNP/g or something. So, roughly, Adonal Foyle is 538922, Erick Dampier is 525263, Joel Przybilla is 283018, and newly minted Ben Wallace is 468750 (smaller is better as we're basically comparing dollars to output). Not that I'd rather have Joel over Ben (Ben has those intangibles, although I do really like Joel). Per buck wise... Joel is a pretty good deal for a non-rookie contract.