Oden

[Skandery]

The kid just can't get a break.  A freak collision with someone 1/16th his size (Aaron Brooks) causes a shattered Patella!?  The Ghost of Sam Bowie keeps howling in those Blazer corridors.  Oden really looked to be the most consistent player on the Blazer squad this season, too.   

The questions now are obviously how does Oden come back after he's likely going to miss the rest of this season?  What does this setback do for Portland for this season and beyond?

[Laker Fan]

They're done out west without him, what a shame, Blazers are fun to watch. NBA just announced he is done for the year.

[westkoast]

Unless they address the lack of a big man they will continue to get knocked off by the better, more well rounded squads out west.  It doesn't matter how good Brandon Roy gets (See Kobe's teams post-Shaq, pre-Gasol/Bynum) because they don't have the inside outside game to contend.  They could go after someone else and be fine but at this point, they are hurting badly.  Tough break for the squad and their fans (zigs =/)

He is still too young to give up on.  While he is very injury prone they seem to be freak type accidents that bust him up.  Not too much you can do to prepare for bad luck.  Each injury diminishes his potential and this type of injury could hinder foot work but I think he comes back as a backup.  The franchise are not going to depend on him being a starter if they do in fact want to become contenders.

[jemagee]

Sam Dalembert is available.

At what point is Oden just prone to injury or maybe a little too fragile?  According to what I read today he just landed (they said no knee bump) and screwed up his knee, maybe his body just isn't built to handle the punishment of the NBA?

[ziggy]

What does this setback do for Portland for this season and beyond?

Can't answer that, but this sucks, all the way around.

[WayOutWest]

The kid just can't get a break.  A freak collision with someone 1/16th his size (Aaron Brooks) causes a shattered Patella!?  The Ghost of Sam Bowie keeps howling in those Blazer corridors.  Oden really looked to be the most consistent player on the Blazer squad this season, too.   

The questions now are obviously how does Oden come back after he's likely going to miss the rest of this season?  What does this setback do for Portland for this season and beyond?

Does that mean Durant is the next Jordan?

[ziggy]

Nic Batum is out until mid-March
Travis Outlaw done for the season
Oden done for the season
Rudy Fernandez out 4-6 week with back surgery
Jeff Pendegraph out until Feb with Shoulder surgery
Paddy Mills out until Feb with foot surgery

that leaves 9 players until mid to late January
Back up center is Juwan Howard
Back up F is Dante Cunningham
and two back up PG Bayless and Andre Miller
It is going to be a long season.  If some thing happens to Przybilla then Mills has to be released and we have to go searching for a big guy, if we don't go searching immediately.

[ziggy]

Oh I also forgot Nate McMillian is out as well after surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon in his right foot. Lead assistant, Dean Demopoulos has been coaching on the 4 game eastern swing.  He ruptured it when he practiced with the team, as there were only 9 healthy players to practice.

[Wolverine]

So when does Darius Miles' carcass show up, contribute enough to get a look, sign a ten-day contract, and promptly start dealing weed to every member of the team?

Over/Under's at a week and a half.

[ziggy]

So when does Darius Miles' carcass show up, contribute enough to get a look, sign a ten-day contract, and promptly start dealing weed to every member of the team?

Over/Under's at a week and a half.

Funny how that all worked out with Darius last year.  In the games where Darius played the Grizz were 6-28.  He played in 34 games, 20 of which were less than 10 minutes, and of the games where he played 10 minutes + only one was a win.  He hasn't even sniffed the league this year, when signing him would have no impact of the Blazers ability to sign free agents.  Pretty obvious Memphis did what they did for only one reason, and that was to torpedo the Blazers cap space last season.  They did not see Darius as having a future in the league, and adding Darius did not make them better.  Two independent Drs. said Darius was not physically able to play in the league, and that further playing could result in permanent damage to his knee, and yet the Grizz, knowing all of this, signed him anyway.

Memphis traded a top 10 NBA player for 4 carrots and a box of Grape Nuts (to a team that has finished finals champs and finals runner up since the trade), and then went out of their way to torpedo your cap space for no other reason than spite.  Now assume you are an NBA GM how would you approach that franchise in the future?

[Skandery]

Memphis traded a top 10 NBA player for 4 carrots and a box of Grape Nuts (to a team that has finished finals champs and finals runner up since the trade), and then went out of their way to torpedo your cap space for no other reason than spite.  Now assume you are an NBA GM how would you approach that franchise in the future?

I'd approach it the way I approach any joke franchise, FARM team.  Look for any way to rob them of their few valuables.  How long you think a guy like Rudy Gay can stand to play for some punchline without any prospects.  Do you think he'll take the QO next year?  Do you think a loser like Heisley can stomach to match a long-term committment?  If I'm Portland, I've already got 4 agents, 2 strippers, and a Cadillac Escalade following Rudy Gay around Memphis telling him how nice life is in the good ole' Northwest.  Some team is going to steal Rudy Gay, I'd want it to be me.  That's of course if you don't think you can talk them into trading him for 4 carrots and a box of Grape Nuts (y'know Travis Outlaw and Andre Miller).

[westkoast]

Marc Gasol and NBA analysts around the league don't agree he's a carot lol

How would I approach Memphis?  I'd ignore them.  They are great at beating themselves.

[WayOutWest]

Funny how that all worked out with Darius last year.  In the games where Darius played the Grizz were 6-28.  He played in 34 games, 20 of which were less than 10 minutes, and of the games where he played 10 minutes + only one was a win.  He hasn't even sniffed the league this year, when signing him would have no impact of the Blazers ability to sign free agents.  Pretty obvious Memphis did what they did for only one reason, and that was to torpedo the Blazers cap space last season.  They did not see Darius as having a future in the league, and adding Darius did not make them better.  Two independent Drs. said Darius was not physically able to play in the league, and that further playing could result in permanent damage to his knee, and yet the Grizz, knowing all of this, signed him anyway.

Memphis traded a top 10 NBA player for 4 carrots and a box of Grape Nuts (to a team that has finished finals champs and finals runner up since the trade), and then went out of their way to torpedo your cap space for no other reason than spite.  Now assume you are an NBA GM how would you approach that franchise in the future?

What problem/history do the franchises have with each other?  Why would the Griz want to mess with Portalnd?

[westkoast]

Funny how that all worked out with Darius last year.  In the games where Darius played the Grizz were 6-28.  He played in 34 games, 20 of which were less than 10 minutes, and of the games where he played 10 minutes + only one was a win.  He hasn't even sniffed the league this year, when signing him would have no impact of the Blazers ability to sign free agents.  Pretty obvious Memphis did what they did for only one reason, and that was to torpedo the Blazers cap space last season.  They did not see Darius as having a future in the league, and adding Darius did not make them better.  Two independent Drs. said Darius was not physically able to play in the league, and that further playing could result in permanent damage to his knee, and yet the Grizz, knowing all of this, signed him anyway.

Memphis traded a top 10 NBA player for 4 carrots and a box of Grape Nuts (to a team that has finished finals champs and finals runner up since the trade), and then went out of their way to torpedo your cap space for no other reason than spite.  Now assume you are an NBA GM how would you approach that franchise in the future?

What problem/history do the franchises have with each other?  Why would the Griz want to mess with Portalnd?

I was wondering the same thing.  I know the Blazers GM has rubbed a number of people in the league the wrong way but would they go out of their way to do this out of spite for him?

[ziggy]

Funny how that all worked out with Darius last year.  In the games where Darius played the Grizz were 6-28.  He played in 34 games, 20 of which were less than 10 minutes, and of the games where he played 10 minutes + only one was a win.  He hasn't even sniffed the league this year, when signing him would have no impact of the Blazers ability to sign free agents.  Pretty obvious Memphis did what they did for only one reason, and that was to torpedo the Blazers cap space last season.  They did not see Darius as having a future in the league, and adding Darius did not make them better.  Two independent Drs. said Darius was not physically able to play in the league, and that further playing could result in permanent damage to his knee, and yet the Grizz, knowing all of this, signed him anyway.

Memphis traded a top 10 NBA player for 4 carrots and a box of Grape Nuts (to a team that has finished finals champs and finals runner up since the trade), and then went out of their way to torpedo your cap space for no other reason than spite.  Now assume you are an NBA GM how would you approach that franchise in the future?

What problem/history do the franchises have with each other?  Why would the Griz want to mess with Portland?

I have no idea.  Perhaps the Blazers were behind the scene's complaining about the Pau trade.  Maybe they were asserting something untoward with West and the Lakers, even though by then West was gone from Memphis.  I doubt that, because I think something would have leaked, but you never know.  I actually think it is probably payback for the fact that the Grizz tanked an entire season to get Oden, and then Portland and Seattle won the lottery.  I think it is just sour grapes (or soggy grape nuts) for that.