Sure would be nice to have him, especially now that Branch, Engram, and Burleson are all banged up.  With the exception of New England, (now that Brady is out for the year,) why the heck do we seem to be cursed with the injury bug so much? 

For the bright spots Ruskell seems to have, I'm sick of the arrogance...Arrogance to think not franchising Hutch was the right thing to do...arrogance to let every other area of the team be set, but then just flat out neglect our receiving core at the start of the year, thinking Courtney Taylor will lead us to the promise land. 

Wanna hear a good joke?

If Mo Morris' injury is serious, we should offer to resign Shaun Alexander back onto the roster. LOL 

Tweener recently posted about a friend of his who apparently is seeing the light (or hopping onto the Blazer Bandwagon) and suggested that we come up with something to make his friend say or do in order to affirm his new love for the Blazers.  Many suggested what could be done with the baby blue Kobaby Jersey, but not many mentioned anything about words, phrases or slogans.  I personally think that needs to be revisited, especially since "Junk Drawer" has pushed his post off the page.

I will start it off by this heartfelt rendering of "Blazer's Grace" which is really my cheap knock off of the hymn Amazing Grace.  Tweener, my friend, I think you should have this convert of yours sing "Blazer's Grace" to the tune of Amazing Grace, and you should record it so that we may see his face shine as he undergoes the miracle of being a "Born Again Blazer"  

Blazer's Grace

Oh what a waste the years have been

Rooting for Laker’s Gold.

What Oden Roy LaMarcus bring

Has changed my wretched soul.

...............................................

Pritchard taught all GM’s to fear

His drafts our fears relieved

How precious did his slap appear

The hour I first believed

..............................................

Through many trades, buy-outs, draft picks

Our roster’s looking fine.

To break the Lakers hearts and necks

It’s just about our time

...............................................

(KEY CHANGE UP)

When we’ve been champs, 10,000 years

With trophies we have won

I wish that I had been a fan

Cause Laker fans are dumb.

Listening to Blazer's Courtside tonight, Barrett and Rice mentioned what I thought would be a really beneficial trade for both of the teams involved to do.  I don't know if this was just an idea, a rumor, or what.  Here is what it was:

Blazers send New Jersey:

Jarrett Jack, Channing Frye, Travis Outlaw, Raef Lafrentz, 13th Pick

New Jersey sends Portland:

Richard Jefferson, 10th Pick

The rationale here is that Jefferson would fill our needs at Small Forward, and then we could use the #10 pick to obtain D.J. Augustin, improving our Point Guard position..

Our starting lineup will then be Jefferson, Aldridge, Oden, Roy, & Augustin.  Our backups would be Webster, some PF (Maybe McBob will be much improved this year), Przybilla, Rudy, & Blake.

If Augustine isn't available at 10, perhaps we can get Alexander, keep Blake in the starting lineup, and sign Petteri Koppenen to fill Jarrett Jack's roster spot.

I personally would rather include Webster than Outlaw.  James Jones is an adequate reserve SF. Otherwise, we could draft someone who could be a back-up forward or guard with a second round pick, or package our second round picks for a late first round pick to get one.  I should mention that Jefferson does have 3 more years on his current deal, for quite a chunk of money.  However, LaFrentz's contract is a big help to us in this situation, and we have Paul Allen as an owner. 

What are your thoughts? I say, get it done KP.

I absolutely love the term "Pritch-slapped"  It is a pure combination of finesse and power.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who shares this sentiment.  However, there is someone else who I think is getting the short end of the stick in all of this reverence.  He may not be of the Pritch-slap status, but has been known to cause some draft day havoc himself.  That man, my friends, is Assistant GM Tom Penn.  He was Robin to Kevin Pritchard's Batman when it came to dumping off players to New York, and receiving trade exceptions, players, and picks from Phoenix.  I'm sure he has even nastier tricks up his sleeve for this year's draft.  You see my fellow Blazer fans, some of you have been right in assessing that the GM's of other teams may hessitate to deal with us out of fear (and justifiably so) of being Pritch-slapped.  So we must unleash a new weapon...a weapon they will never see coming.  That's right people.  After the 2008 NBA draft, people won't just have the Pritch-slap to fear.  They will also be fearing the "Penn-stab"  Too risque for you?  I suppose we could morph it into being "Penn-poked" Could you imagine the embarassament of Jon Paxon if he were to be both Pritch-slapped and Penn-poked during his tenure with the Bulls?

Next on the agenda...Why in the heck does it seem like so many people are content with the idea of trading Travis Outlaw away? He is our best bench player.  He has improved every year.  He finally had a break-through year last season.  He is on pace to possibly crack our starting line-up at the Small Forward position.  He has verbally said he wants to be an all-star.  On his own, he has decided to take the initiative to work on his game over the summer and come into camp in tip-toe shape.  He is one of the best athletes in the league.  He has accomplished the success he has without any moves to the basket or ball-handling ability.  He can get his shot off against anyone in this league.  With practice, he still has a ton of upside to meet.  When he gets it all together (not if, but when) he will be a huge huge asset for our team.  So my question to the people who seem determined to out this guy is, "Who's your supplier?" I must join forces with Annthefan and #25 you to infinity.  25...25...25...25...25...25...25...25...25...25...25...25...25...25...25...25...25...25...25...

Finally, in the spirit of the first paragraph, what would be some cool "methods" used by players on our roster or Blazer staff we could think up that would be used to describe the way they'd enforce their will on people?  We have Pritch-slapped and now we have Penn-poked, but what else can you think of?  Come on people, it's the summer and it's slow posting around here.  Let's have some fun.  For example, if Brian Wheeler were our GM, we could say that people got "Wheeled-over".  If Oden dunked on someone, we could say they've been "Odenized" If Von Wafer his way, I suppose you could say that they got Wafered, or perhaps "Crisped."  Come up with your best stuff.  We need to start some new trends.

It was interesting to see the Blazer's website today.  It had Martell Webster, Travis Outlaw, Greg Oden, Lamarcus Aldridge, and Brandon Roy on the front home page.  It is my hope to see all of those same faces on this team 8+ years from now.  They are all good young players that have shown glimpses of all-star potential, and I think it would be a big mistake to move any of them unless it significantly improves our team's chances to win a championship(s).  That is this man's opinion. 

Those 5 players are the exact starting lineup that I want to see for the Trailblazers.  A lot has been made about our point guard situation.  Nobody on planet Earth (or any other planet for that matter), can convince me that Brandon Roy would not be one of the top 10-12 point guards in this league if given the chance.  For fun, I'd encourage you to read prezofdeath's popular post on bright point guards in this league.  http://www.blazersedge.com/2008/5/21/523860/ranking-the-league-s-brigh 
Ask yourself where you think Brandon Roy would rank on that list.

I really doubt we will get the kind of point guard people are drooling over on this roster w/o giving up more than we honestly want to.  People have wanted Calderon from Toronto?  Why?  I really don't understand what Brandon fails to bring that Calderon, or some of the other players mentioned on this site as pg solutions supposedly can do better. 

I think this upcoming season should be used to officially try the Brandon Roy experiment.  If it doesn't look like it is going to work early on, we can go back to having Blake be the starter.  (Kind of like when the Jarrett Jack experiment failed.) I don't want to wait too long to get an improvement in there at our point guard position, but I think the biggest mistake we can make is just making a big roster move for the sake of making a big roster move.  If the Roy experiment fails, then it fails.  I do think it would be negligent to not try it though.  If it succeeds, we won't have to move our young and talented players prematurely and end up creating more Jermaine O'Neal scenarios.   If it fails, at least we've had the opportunity to see if Roy can be our 1, Webster can play the 2, and Outlaw can play the 3.  That alone will answer a lot of questions, and will help us sort out who will stay on our roster long term.  If Roy is not our point of the future, then someone between Frye, Outlaw, Webster, and James Jones is going to have to be moved to avoid playing time logjams at our forward positions, and eliminating the potential for discord on our team.  If Roy is our man at point, we can keep them all and not have log-jams at our Forward positions. 

If we are really bent on bringing a vetern point guard in, it doesn't have to be the day of the draft.  Quite frankly, it could be at any point of the season prior to the middle of February.  In fact,  Raef's contract will be a more valuable trade asset at that time, as we'll have a good idea of what teams are probably going to blow-up their roster to start over, and would like his expiring deal.

I tend to look at the whole point-guard debate like this:

Jose Calderon-vs-Roy                  Who would win that game?    Roy
Steve Blake-vs- Roy                       Who would win that game?    Roy
Devin Harris-vs-Roy                       That would be fun to watch....It might be a draw.
Kirk Heinrich+$12 Mil -vs-Roy      Who would win that game?    Roy
Russell Westbrook-vs-Roy          Two great athletes, but can Westbrook run a team?
D.J. Augustin-vs-Roy                     Roy would use him as a stool to hang pictures.

Many diaries on this site have said  we need a point guard who is a lock-down defender, who is quick, can penetrate, finish at the rim, can run the pick-n-roll, can knock down the open jump shot, etc...Good grief.....sorry I have to break the news to many of you, but those guys aren't exactly a dime a dozen.  It has been made to sound by several people on this site that you can find one of those guys at Walgreen's.  However, you are pretty much describing an all-star.  They aren't exactly easy to come by, and we'd have to give up some players on our roster to get one.  We aren't going to get one with our bench players and picks unless 1) They are a headcase, or 2) They have a horrible contract, or 3) They are a headcase with a horrible contract.  Even then, we could only pull it off salary-wise with Raef's contract.

If I were a 6'2" 190lb point guard in this league, I would not want to have to defend against a point guard who is 6'6" 229lbs with a 40" vertical leap and above average quickness.   I could name about 15 starting point guards in this league who Brandon Roy would turn into his next girlfriend if he really wanted to.  Of the remaining starting point guards, half of the remaining starting point guards could probably play ok against Roy, but he'd play ok against them too.  The rest of the starting point guards would probably have an advantage....Those would be players like Chris Paul, Tony Parker, and Steve Nash, THOSE PLAYERS HAVE THEIR WAY WITH EVERYONE ELSE ANYWAY! 

I think Roy is the way to go at the point.  6'6" Ron Harper did a pretty good job, and Roy is a superior athelete to what he ever was.  6'9" Magic Johnson wasn't getting torched on D every night, and he wasn't exactly the epitomy of blazing fast.  So we know it can be done.  Roy wouldn't be pushed around, and he could post many of those smaller point guards up and punish them.  Perhaps even getting them into foul trouble.   (Even though these guys were shooting guards, remember J.R. Rider abusing Jeff Hornacek in the playoffs?)  That's what I want to see!

I believe that Both Martell and Travis will be much improved for next season.  Martell and Travis have both said in the Media that they seriously want to be All-Stars in this league, and they are finally backing it up by both CURRENTLY being in Summer workout programs designed to improve the areas they are weak in.  They are doing this and the NBA season hasn't even ended yet.  Heck, summer is techinically a month away!  We could get rid of one of these guys, but I'd want nothing less than Danny Granger in return.

Here is what I want to see Mr. Kevin Pritchard

Starters
C- Oden
PF-Aldridge
SF-Outlaw     (I'm trusting he'll have more moves and will be in shape by fall camp)
SG-Webster  (I believe he will have an added dimension of driving to the basket)
PG-Roy          (I'm trusting he will continue to work on his game, and 3 pt. shot)

2nd String
C-Przybilla
PF-Frye
SF-Jones
SG-Fernandez
PG-Blake

Extras
C/PF Raef if he is still here
PF McRoberts if he is still here
PG Jack if he is still here
PG Rodriguez if he is still here
SG Wafer if he is still here
Perhaps a draft pick(s).

I would like to see Jarrett Jack and Raef LaFrentz gone.  I'd like to see Sergio stick around and improve his game, because he has better court vision and could POTENTIALLY run an offense as well (if not better) than anyone on our roster.  He definitely isn't there yet.  At this point, he isn't a good defender, and his shot competes with the old Clyde Drexler clothes hanger shot.  ( That would be a reference to flat) 

I'm impartial about what to do with our draft picks.  I'm not opposed to trading them for future considerations if we aren't able to draft a player that would at least project to break into our second unit.  

I am really excited about the upcoming season because I think baseball sucks and I don't really care who I offend when I say that.  (No offense)

I don't like the fact that we let DJ Hackett get away.  With Branch recovering from a major knee operation, I think we are too thin at wide receiver.  We are one more injured receiver away from a disaster that could derail our season.   But....who really knows if Hackett could "hack-it" and stay healthy for an entire season. 

Many were upset and frustrated when Ruskell traded D Jax to the San Francisco From Behinders, but now he looks pretty smart for doing so.  Hopefully he'll look smart again, though I wish D.J. the best.

On to my point.  I think this year has the potential to be the most exciting year on offensive that we will ever see during the Holmgren era in Seattle.  The reasons are simple.  We will see the most complete version of the West Coast Offense since Holmgren arrived here.

Reason #1.

Our offensive line has improved drastically in both guard positions by only adding 1 player in Mike Wahle.  He is a big upgrade at LG, while Simms replacing Gray is addition by subtraction.  I like Chris Gray and appreciate what he's done for this team, but he just isn't quick enough and doesn't have a good burst anymore. 

Reason #2.

We have a player at the running back position who is a legitimate receiving threat out of the backfield.  This is why Julius Jones was really signed, in my opinion.  I don't think people realize how many more offensive plays and options we now have because we have a guy with reliable hands in the backfield.  Teams didn't have to scheme against that when Shaun Alexander was in the game, the way teams would have to if they were playing against someone like a Michael Westbrook of the Eagles.  Julius Jones probably won't run great between the tackles, but if we can throw the ball to him in the open field in a one-on-one situation, I like the odds of him making his defender miss and turning it into a big play.  I imagine he can probably block better than Shaun Alexander....shoot, I'm pretty sure he can block better than Shaun Alexander.  We will also be able to run more screen plays.  T.J. Duckett can run between the tackles when needed.

Reason #3.

Our tight-end position is hopefully taken care of for the next 10 years now.  I believe John Carlson will be the real deal.  I truly trust the coaching staff and the front office with this pick.  If he is as good as the coaches think he'll be, teams better look out.  Why? BECAUSE IF TEAMS ARE FORCED TO DEFEND THE FLAT AGAINST JULIUS JONES, WE WILL BEGIN TO SEE THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD OPEN UP....completed passes to the tight-end for 18 yards.....I love the thought of that.

Reason #4

Though I have my doubts, I hope Holmgren will take more chances since this is his last hurrah.  He has nothing to lose.  I have to give Mike credit though, as he has gambled on a lot more 4th and short type plays than he used to....and I have to say I pretty much agree with almost every gamble he made.  It's just too bad our rushing attack for the last 3 years has been such a joke.  Our crappy line play and just as crappy rushing desire made Holmgren's decisions look bad.  (See playoff loss to the Bears because we can't convert 1 yard plays.)  My beef with Holmgren has always been that he can be too predictable and conservative with his play calling.  Now that he has some more viable options, perhaps that will change.

I would still feel better if the Seahawks could pick up a solid veteran Wide Receiver before the season starts.  That would remove practically any doubts I have about the success of our offense this year.    

The sky is the limit Seahawk fans.  What do you think?

One of the many things that stunk about Greg Oden being hurt is that we did not get a chance to see what both he and Lamarcus Aldridge could do together.  Would they be able to run high-low offensive sets?  Would they block shots like crazy?  Maybe grab every rebound?  Had we been able to see that, I think it might have drastically effected the kinds of topics and conversations we would be having about the Blazers and what pieces may or may not be missing from this team.  I love the idea of Oden and LMA on our starting front-line, but I have some other thoughts too that will hopefully stir up some conversation.

I believe several fans on this site would like to see improvement from our point guard position.  I know I would.  I also think it is pretty safe to say that most of us believe LMA has a bright future in this league.  Assuming he stays injury free.......he has all-star potential.

That being said, I want to present you with this question and scenario.  Salary cap issues aside, if you had had to choose between having an all-star power forward on the current Blazer roster, or an all-star point guard on the current  Blazer's roster, which one would you pick and why? 

Would you rather have Lamarcus Aldridge and an average point guard like a Steve Blake in your starting 5, or would you rather have a Derron Williams type with an average power forward like Channing Frye in the starting 5, (with Outlaw coming in off the bench) ?

Consider the 2 possibilities:

PG - Blake    SG - Roy    C -  Oden    PF - ALL-STAR   SF - Webster

Or..................

PG - ALL-STAR    SG - Roy    C -    Oden    PF -  Frye    SF -  Webster

With the first line-up, the potential is there to have the best front-line in the NBA

With the second line-up, the potential is there to have the best backcourt duo in the NBA.

The possibility exists that Brandon Roy may be our point guard of the future.  If that is the case, the whole point of this diary is worthless.  Because of the success and improvement of Lamarcus,  it's practically impossible right now for me to envision KP ever moving LMA.  I mean, the guy made everybody who was crying about losing Zach Randolph's 20pts & 10reb (4 of which were from his own misses) shut up. 

However,  if we aren't making the kind of progress we think we ought to be in 2-3 years with the Oden/Aldridge duo, I would not be surprised if KP were to move LMA and pursue a BIG-Time point guard.  Channing Frye is no LMA, but he is adequate enough.  He still has quite a bit of upside too.  Outlaw has shown he is in the league to stay too.

What are your thoughts?  WWKPD? (What Would Kevin Pritchard Do?)

After reading the You Be the GM article on Oregonlive concerning Travis Outlaw a little while ago, it got me thinking about what appears to be yet another roster logjam we will be faced with.  Bits and pieces of this discussion have been mentioned in previous diaries, but I want to consolidate that stuff into this entry, and get some of your opinions along the way.

It seems to me that someone on this current Blazer roster has got to be the odd man out.  Unless there is an odd man out, I forsee lots of debate and banter on Blazers Edge next season concerning this issue.  For the current discussion, I want to figure out who that person probably ought to be.

Greg Oden is returning (Yay!!!) and so we can probably assume that Channing Frye will no longer be the 2nd unit Center, as Joel Przybilla will move to that spot.  The only viable option left for Channing is to play Power Forward as a back up. 

The person who has been playing the backup Power Forward spot is Travis Outlaw.  If Channing Frye takes over the Power Forward duties, then Travis Outlaw's only viable option on this team is to play minutes at the Small Forward position, and maybe some Power Forward if the matchups are right (or if people get into foul trouble)

So if Travis gets bumped to the Small Forward spot, he now has to compete with incumbant starter Martell Webster, and veteran 3-point specialist James Jones. 

Another point, although not as valid, is the potential addition of Rudy Fernandez.  Most project him as a Shooting Guard, and he is probably way too undersized to play any Small Forward, unless we purposely went to a small lineup.  I mention this, because if he does come over, that probably eliminates any likelyhood that Martell Webster gets any minutes at Shooting Guard, which would free up some logjam at the Small Forward Spot.  (I AM WRITING THIS WITH THE ASSUMPTION THAT JARRETT JACK ISN'T GOING TO BE BACK WITH THIS TEAM)

So let's talk some Trout shall we?  Some questions to ponder....

Is Channing Frye a better option at Power Forward than Travis Outlaw? What have you seen in Channing that should push Travis out of that spot, or what have you seen in Travis that should keep Channing out of it, thus making Channing expendable?

What is the best role for Martell Webster on this team?  Does he best suit this team as its starting Small Forward, backup Small Forward, or backup Shooting Guard?

What of James Jones? Can we justify him starting over Martell Webster at the 3? Should he be the back up at the 3 as he was this year? Is James Jones a better basketball player than Travis Outlaw?

I suppose another scenario we can debate is whether or not Joel Pryzbilla remains on this roster.  Two possible questions begin to arise.  They are, "Who would be a better backup Center: Joel Pryzbilla or Channing Frye"? If you chose Channing Frye, then you must ask "Is Joel Pryzbilla expendable?" 

I hate to break it too you fans, but if we want to bring in the type of Point Guard and/or Small Forward we want, it will take giving up some pieces of value, not our left-overs, 2nd round picks, and players stashed in Europe.  Joel has a salary that is more likely to be included in a trade, because many of the type of players we are aiming for are going to be making around 7-9 million a year.  Joel and his 6 Million + Jack and his 2 Million + 13th pick is a very likely scenario to get something we want.  The only other option is to work out some extensions with Martell, Channing, etc... to help their salaries match potential incoming players.  As it is, their salaries are comparitively small and combining them in a trade becomes logistically tougher (you'd have to work a trade with a team that has several open roster spots to take on 3 of our smaller salaried guys in return for just one higher salaried guy)  Then there becomes the issue of extending guys we don't intend to keep, and then other teams potentially backing out of deals.....would that hurt our cap space or do I not understand how this works?

If Joel goes, that will basically leave our forward situation alone, as Channing will be our back up Center, Outlaw backup PF, Webster starting SF, and Jones backing up Martell at SF. 

So NBA, watchya gonna do, when Pritchard and his Blazermaniacs run wild on you?

Give me your thoughts people.  First of all, discuss pros and cons of our forwards.  Compare them to each other.  Who is a keeper and who isn't?  Why or why not?

I personally think James Jones should be the odd man out.  I love having him on the team, I love his three point shooting, and I love advertisements where he points at me and says that I need to be entertained.  However, he really doesn't have any offensive game inside of 18 ft, and his foot speed isn't all that good. Combine that with my beliefs that either Travis or Martell can offer everything James Jones can and more, and I think he should be the one to go.  Travis shot 40% from 3-pt range this year, and Martell was starting to come into his own until his irregular heartbeat stuff started up.  Otherwise, if we keep James Jones, it should probably be as a situational player.  In my mind, I can't justify him taking major minutes away from Outlaw or Webster.

The poll question discusses which of our front line players you would personally move off of our roster to alleiviate the potential logjams that lay ahead in the future.

Guarenteed Contracts in the NBA are a cancer in my opinion, and I would assume several would agree with me.  I would love to see the end of them.

The reality of significant change is a longshot, but that doesn't change my feelings about it.

It seems to me that the NBA would put out a better product if players were held accountable in the sense that they could lose their millions of potential salary if they didn't perform well, were constantly out of shape, etc.  I believe it would spur on better competition, it would create more trade scenarios, and in general would be better for the game. More people would watch.  

Owners were either short-sighted and greedy, or they were fleeced into allowing the provision for guarenteed contracts in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.  

A few final thoughts and then a poll question...

I've suggested some benefits to getting rid of or abolishing guarenteed contracts.  The other side of the coin is that it could turn into an abuse by the owners though as well.

A player theoretically could be lured and signed to a 5-year 50 Million dollar contract by a team that has no intention of keeping that player longer than a year.  So a player might play one season, make 10 Million, and then be cut.  That is kind of deceptive in the sense that the player may have turned down other deals that might have actually provided them with some security (like a 5-year 40 Million deal) where the other team intended to keep them around.

If it were up to me, I think the ideal system would be where teams could cut players at anytime, but players are guarenteed somewhere around 30-40% of the origninal contract, and that 30-40% would count against the salary cap like it does right now. (Example; Cut Darius Miles and his contract still counts against our cap.)  

The current system is unfair to the owners, and more importantly the fans.  Players like Shawn Kemp, Jerome James, Darius Miles, Derek Anderson, Raef LaFrentz, Steve Francis, and Theo Ratliff got paid/are getting paid way over their value and we shouldn't have to get punished because of it. (Notice how many of those names are connected with the Blazers)

The NFL has a decent model for contracts, although I think the signing bonuses and manuevering to spread those bonuses out through the length of the contract is silly.

On to the Poll

Unfortunatly, I must go back to the ugly beginnings of Part I of my rant that I posted in an earlier diary and speak of combo guards and tweeners.  

The question(s) I offer to you is, "Who are the combo guards on this team, who are the tweeners on this team, what is their best position, and should they be kept on the team?

Brandon Roy is a TRUE combo guard in that he plays both guard positions adequately and practically interchangably. However, if you listened to Mike Barrett, Mike Rice, and even several prominant members on this site, the spoken words "combo guard" is usually a reference to none other than Jarrett "Combo" Jack.  

Jarrett Jack is not a true shooting guard.  The ONLY advantage we have on offense when Jack plays shooting guard, is that he is slightly quicker than some opposing 2-guards.  That is why he can penetrate on them.  Other than that, there is no advantage to Jarret playing the 2-guard, other than to say we might have another ball handler out there.  That raises a whole other discussion.  Do you really want Jarrett Jack handling the ball? :)

For being an NBA point guard in his 3rd professional year, Jarrett has horrible habits.  There is not a game I can remember recently where Jarret has not left his feet to make a pass and that is a big no no.  It is also very unnecessary.  I challenge you to watch him closely to see him do this.  If it isn't that, it is stepping on the baseline an ungodly amount of times this season. Isn't twice too many?  No doubt about it, Jarret has done that no less than 10-12 times this season.  His newest thing is to telegraph his entry pass lobs, and having that soft garbage poked away or stolen.  Don't even get me started on his fast break abilities.  

On defense, all I need to say is that when matched up with other point guards Jarrett doesn't have a speed advantage.  Quite frankly, all three of our point guards lack defensive speed, and get blown by often.  

In an attempt to paint a pretty picture, the major homers have given Jarrett the GLORIOUS title of combo guard.  I'm telling you, we've been taught to believe combo guard = Wonderful. I'm tired of the combo guard smoke blowing.  We've been tricked! Open your eyes people.  Jarrett Jack is not a combo guard.  SHOOT, HE CAN'T EVEN PLAY HIS NATURAL POSTION ALL THAT WELL, NOT ALONE ANOTHER ONE ALL TOGETHER.  Give me a break. How about if I put Travis Outlaw in at point guard and start calling him a Point Forward.  Scottie Pippen could pull that off.  We ain't talking about Potty Skippen though.

We have a guy who is capable of being a decent backup 2-guard this year in Martell Webster, but Nate has him stuck at the 3.  Von Wafer has shown himself as someone who can play the position just fine.  The guy can shoot and looks quicker than anyone else on our team.  Nate hasn't let him play meaningful minutes since he helped Portland beat the Clippers (in a game Jack did well in I might add). Why Von hasn't played more is beyond me.  I've heard people sugguest Nate has a man-crush on Jarrett.  You can come to your own conclusions based on the evidence of what you have seen this season.

Then we come to Channing "Tweener" Frye.  Channing has the size of a power forward.  Channing has a few post up moves.  Mostly though, he is a spot up shooter.  That is a good thing, but it is a live by the sword die by the sword quality.  It is good that he can shoot and draw defenders away from the hoop.  There is a flip side to that though.  Post player taking perimeter shot = less rebounders inside.  I don't know Frye's percentages, but I'd guess he is around 40-43%  So if you are only converting that percentage, and your rebounding players are away from the basket, that means the defense will have stopped you almost 60% of the time.  That is why I'm so glad that Aldridge is posting up more now.  His scoring is up and opposing defenders are picking up fouls.  We struggled when he fell in love with the perimeter and wasn't hitting his shots.  

Channing has a hard time defending physical players....and most players who are POWER forwards and Centers are physical players.  Channing is a true tweener through and through.  He is a small forward stuck in a power forward's body.  

Last point:

You wan't to know why we have struggled so much in the 2nd quarter the past several games?  It is a matter of personel and substitution patterns.  It is a bunch of combo guards and tweeners making up our 2nd unit.  

Hopefully my memory doesn't fail...
We were up by 7 in the second quarter of the Cav's game when Channing Frye entered the game.  I yelled "NOOOO!" when I saw this. My wife in the other room asked what was wrong.  I told her we dominated the first half, were up by 7, and that we were about to lose all of our momentum going into the half.  

Steve Blake immediately hit a 3 to put us up by 10.  Perhaps I rushed to judgement too quickly? Heck no.  

I think our lineup at this crucial juncture was Blake, Outlaw, Webster, Frye, and Aldridge.  It was a crucial time, because those three minutes could demoralize Cleveland, or give them hope.  If I am the Cleveland coach, I have one game plan at this point, and that is to double team LMA.  Blake has been ok but is a pass first guy.  Outlaw has been in a shooting slump.  Webster is like a box of chocolates. Frye is cold off of the bench.  Who in that line-up is going to punish the Cav's????????????????????????????

Frye immediately blew his assignment leading to a dunk.  He then misses a jump shot.  Then he fumbles a pass a substituted Roy gives him at point blank (that would have been a lay-up) out of bounds, ala Cliff Robinson in the Western Conference Finals against the L*kers.  Had Lebron made that 3 at the Buzzer, it would have been a 1 point game at half.  As it was, we had a  four point lead, but now Cleveland had life.  Our starters built the lead back up in the 3rd quarter, but then Nate made a magical substitution at about....you guessed it..the 3 minute mark of the 3rd quarter.  The lead that had been built back up evaporated, and then Cleveland moved ahead of us. I won't mention who it was that Nate put into the game.  

The fourth quarter was ugly, and for whatever reason, Steve Blake was once again no where to be found until it was too late.  Thanks Nate.  I trust you are doing well with that $4 Million you are making this season.  

In this man's opinion, we need to get rid of this combo/tweener non-sense on our team.  We need a true back-up 2, a true back-up 4, and we need to completely re-evaluate the point guard position.

Brandon can play either guard position and we lose nothing.  Martell can play the 3, but I think he is really a 2. Travis can play the 4, but I think he is really a 3.  

Adding Oden and Rudy will help things a lot.  As it is though, this combo guard, combo forward/guard, combo w/ cheese stuff is rediculous.  

Jack and Frye are nice individuals, but I think they need to go.  I hope our lineup for next year looks something like this.  

Starters are:
C  Oden
PF Aldridge
SF Jones
SG Webster
PG Roy

2nd Unit:
C  Przybilla
PF LaFrentz or Player we acquire
SF Outlaw
SG Fernandez
PG Blake

Leftovers:
Wafer (I think we should re-sign him)
Rodriguez
Miles
McRoberts (If he's cut, it will be for Freeland)
Draft Pick(s)

LaFrentz/McRoberts is the question mark.  LaFrentz and his contract could be traded away, but I'd just assume see his $$$ come off of the books.  Jack and Frye should be traded away.  They could be traded for draft picks, they could be in a "combo" trade for another player, or could somehow be packaged with our lottery pick so we can move up and get a difference maker in the draft.  Maybe we could trade them for a future first rounder?   I think there are lots of options, and I look EXTREMELY forward to seeing how this offseason unfolds.

Thank you Blazer nation.