Bleacher Report - Articles by George D

Press Release Found for Supersonics Relocation

George D — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 06:56:58 -0400

I can't say how I came across this. But this shows everyone who and what Seattle has had to deal with under Clay Bennett's regime.

This is the text of a draft press release that was supposed to be confidential. Take from it what you will.

The Seattle Supersonics Basketball Club
1 Baseline Drive

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73101
(405) 275-4558

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma USA (April 18, 2008) Seattle Supersonics Owner and Chairman Clay Bennett announced today that he is ceasing the basketball operations in Seattle as part of his process to move the Supersonics of the National Basketball Association, the Storm of the Women’s National Basketball Association and the Space Needle to Oklahoma City.

All three entities will be ready for action for the 2008-2009 season.

“I made a good faith effort to negotiate in good faith with the city of Seattle, King County and the State of Washington. When it became apparent that no acceptable solution was going to be reached I began petitioning the NBA for permission to relocate. After looking into many different localities including Las Vegas, San Diego and San Jose we decided to move the team to beautiful Oklahoma City,” stated Chairman and Oklahoman businessman Clay Bennett.

The Supersonics will be renamed to the Dust Devils and the Storm will be renamed the Twisters as part of the relocation. The Space Needle will be renamed to the Big Okie Collective Middle Finger to Texas, or BOCMFT, for short.

Oklahoma City Mayor Jimbo Beltbuckel said, “This will finally put Oklahoma City on par with other major U.S. cities.”

The Seattle Supersonics began operation in 1967 and have won one NBA Championship and two Western Conference Championships over their 40 years of existence.

The Seattle Storm began play in 1999 and won the WNBA Championship in 2004.

The Space Needle was built for the World’s Fair in 1962. It has been a Northwest icon and tourist attraction for people all over the globe.

Contact:

L. Bubba Tumbelwied

Oklahoma City Dust Devils Basketball Club

(405) 275-7448 ext 1234

Lakers-Blazers: Lamar Odom Unimpressive in Loss to Portland

George D — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:03:49 -0400

Lamar Odom better get his licks on now.

Once again, the enigma wrapped in a mystery costumed in Lakers uniform known as Lamar Odom had a typical Lamar Odom game. The chronic underachiever dropped a whopping 11 points on a depleted Trail Blazer squad Tuesday night while adding five rebounds and three assists.

And in typical Lamar Odom fashion he turned to punk and thug towards the end of the third quarter.

In a Bill Laimbeer like move (if you can’t beat them then make them bleed) Odom took the initiative to cheap shot Brandon Roy. What ensued next has to be extremely encouraging to Blazer fans everywhere.

With Brandon Roy still on the ground, and through the cascade of gasps for Roy's condition and boos or the flagrant non-attempt on the ball, Travis Outlaw and LaMarcus Aldridge decided enough was enough with Odom. Words were exchanged between the three and shoves were traded, resulting in a double technical for Odom and Outlaw. But what came out of that was much more important.

The Blazers finally showed some fire and fight when it came to protecting their own. The toughness of assistant coach Maurice Lucas, the determination of Nate McMillian and the grittiness of injured center Joel Przybilla was finally manifested in the way that Outlaw and Aldridge went to ‘discuss’ the situation with Odom.

That is a good sign if you are a Blazer fan. Last year, and even earlier this year, the team would not have responded like this. It is proof that McMillian is getting to them. His philosophies are starting to show through. And this team is beginning to become a reflection of their head coach.

As far as Odom goes; God save him if he tries that next year with Przybilla and Oden in the game.

We Hate the Los Angeles Lakers: What's Wrong with That?

George D — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:36:25 -0400

Maybe I am a hater. Maybe it is that simple.

I could point to game seven of the 2000 Western Conference Finals as the reason why I hate the Lakers.

Or maybe it is the umpteen other times they bounced Portland teams from the playoffs.

Or maybe it is because of Lamar Odom, that chronic underachiever that takes pride in walking through other team’s huddles. It’s a shame he goes through everyone else’s and yet seems so lost in his own.

Kobe Bryant. 55 points. Need I say more?

I could blame Phillip Jackson. Every time a Blazers fan’s heart is ripped out, there is a trail of blood leading right back to him. He is personally responsible for the chalk outlines of so many failed Blazer seasons that it almost does not feel right when our end is not at his hands.

So it would be really nice to finally pay back some of the pain in the form of a victory Tuesday night.

Not only would it stop a late season slide that has all but eliminated the goal of a winning season for the first time since 2002 for the Blazers.

More importantly, it could drive a stake into the seed that the Lakers have a chance to get in the upcoming playoff tournament. In a season where playoff seeding is everything, a Blazer dagger into the hopes for home court throughout would only be fitting.

See, that would make it easier to wake up the next day. To know that the Blazers could send some of the metaphoric rain that has haunted this city for so long down to Los Angeles would bring a smile to many of Blazer fan’s faces.

A Laker loss is always as good as a Blazer win.

Finally, the chalk outline of the Lakers’ hopes and dreams would lie on the doorsteps of the Rose Garden.

Portland Trail Blazers: Hand Broken and Season Shattered for Joel Przybilla

George D — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 19:03:31 -0400

Hands down, this has to be the worst loss of the season for the “Baby Blazers.”

Not the 72-65 slog witnessed by the 19,980 fans that were in attendance at the Blazers-Spurs game on Sunday.

No, it is the loss of Joel Przybilla for the remainder of the season.

The Portland Trailblazers were only five games away from seeing an NBA trainer get down and kiss one of his player's rear end at center court.

Screw t-shirt cannons. Nuts to the blimp that only drops prizes to sections that contain attractive women.

That would have been something that got the fan base roaring.

Joel Przybilla had made a wager with NBA trainer Jay Jensen. If Przybilla could play the entire season Jay Jensen would have had to get down on his knees, after the last game, and kiss Pryzbilla’s butt at center court.

Now, because of a freak play, one of the last things that Blazers fans had to look forward to is now gone.

Przybilla had been a rock this year, especially as of late. He has had 11 double-digit rebounding games since the March 1st, culminated by a dominating 26-rebound night against the Clippers.

He was averaging a career high in rebounds per game, almost three rebounds higher than his career average. His free throw percentage was up 31 percentage points from a measly 37 percent during the 2006-2007 campaign.

He had been stepped on, elbowed and mugged and he was the only Blazer that kept coming back from this abuse.

The one constant through a season that saw the injury bug spread the equivalent of West Nile plague through the Blazer team was Przybilla, until this point.

Now, he follows in the paths of players Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden, and Martell Webster, who lost time this year due to injury.

He deserved better. He not only deserved that kiss on the butt but a pat on the back from Blazer fans as well.

He hustled. He sweat. He bled. Now, he’ll sit.

And I know it is not the way he wanted it, but it is a well-deserved rest for the big man.