Six On The Floor, One For The Ages

Doc Rivers sat in his office in the visitor’s locker room at the Rose Garden staring at the sheet of paper. It was hard to tell if he couldn’t believe the black ink popping off the page or if he was trying to memorize it. Either way, Doc wasn’t happy.
Rivers was quick to credit [...]

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Not Getting Garnett….

If there was ever a time for the Portland Trail Blazers to “sweep the leg”, it is tonight against Boston with the “Cobra” in town. Don’t tell me you don’t know about the “Cobra.”
Ask Jerryd Bayless about the “Cobra.” He’ll tell you. Or maybe he won’t. Ask Toronto’s Jose Calderon about the venom. He tasted [...]

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The Show Must Go On….

I’m not sure when it hit me. Could have been when I was digging around the snow drift to my car. Or maybe as I was chaining up, eager to break the family bout of cabin fever with a trip to Target. Then I got the text message– that’s when I knew.
The show must go [...]

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A Word On Outlaw….

Compared to Brandon Roy’s historical night, Travis Outlaw will be back page news come Friday morning. But he should at least get a sidebar mention in the win over Phoenix on national television.
As Roy stood with the game ball under his arm after finishing with a career-high 52 points, Outlaw slowly slipped into the tunnel [...]

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Inside The Waive

It was a shady situation. After a year selling used cars in my early twenties, my sales numbers slipped. And in the car biz you are only as good as your last deal. So I was “let go”; fired; given my walking papers. But in the NBA it’s different. Guys get “waived” all the time [...]

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Off The Wall

On a night when Terry Porter’s number 30 was raised to the Rose Garden rafters and Brandon Roy nearly continued his 30-plus consecutive scoring streak, Nicolas Batum decided to show-up and join the party.
The 19-year-old from Lisieux, France – who has struggled of late after a brilliant start to the season - finished with 12 points, 8 rebounds, [...]

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Getting The Point

Sergio Rodriguez apparently is a wanted man….again. For the second time in three weeks, Rodriguez has been the topic of conversation with at least one New York Knicks beat writer who believes the Knicks should take a look at the Portland Trail Blazers reserve point guard.
More on that blog blurb here from good friend Alan [...]

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Darius Isn’t Done….

Time to save the date. Zach Randolph left Portland with a win after returning to help beat the Blazers last Friday night. Now after signing with the Memphis Grizzlies over the weekend, Darius Miles has probably already circled Wednesday, February 18th on his calendar.
That’s when Miles comes to town.
Mike Dunleavy – who is wearing two hats [...]

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View From The Alley

It’s becoming a habit….
I have a tendency when covering games to leave the media area early as games begin to drift into the final minutes and seconds. Helps avoid the mass exodus bum rush at the Rose Garden and makes for a closer feel for the action.
I opt for the alleyway down from the [...]

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One Of Those Weeks

If back-to-back games are the killer of an NBA schedule, than the Portland Trail Blazers are deadman walking. It’s bad enough to drop a game in always tough Utah. But now you have to come home against a rested Los Angeles Clippers? Brutal anyway you look at it.
“I think the back-to-back thing is by far the [...]

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