Bleacher Report - Articles by D REW

Tiger Woods and Society's Misdirected Attention. Or, So What?

D REW — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:49:04 -0500

Let me get this straight...

The United States has an epidemic with obesity, joblessness, two controversial wars in the Middle East, Bank CEO's that run the US Secretary of Treasury Department and commit massive fraud to steal billions of U.S Tax Dollars...

One in six people in the world do not have an adequate water supply...

The war in the Congo over gold has cost five millions lives...

On and on and on, the list of international tragedy takes place every day.

And Tiger Woods, the most popular figure in sports, may have gotten into a fight with his wife?

She maybe got mad cause he might have hooked up with some VIP hostess in the nightclub scene for the stars.

Okay.

So...when did Tiger Woods matter more than the above mentioned catastrophes?

Isn't this another example where if people, via the media, really focused on the worst problems in the world we would have progressive change?

Are we a society that is so desperate to get people in trouble we forget about what's really bad and what's just common human behavior?

Or are people so stupid that they simply listen to what they hear on TV and in the radio.

Or is it just human instinct to act like chickens and peck at a bleeding member of the species?

Because I cannot listen to or watch a sports show, turn on my internet, or even watch the regular news where the Tiger Woods isn't the top story.

The latest articles seem to read that Woods needs to "come clean...turn over evidence...not above the law...talk to cops...."

Do it for his fans—somebody writes.

Well, if you were his fan, wouldn't you have the decency to leave the guy alone?

Sure it's a fun story...but in the end it's just junk.

It's racket.

At worst there was a domestic violence situation.

And as much as I think domestic violence is a serious problem in the United States...I also think it's common human behavior for people to fight.

It doesn't make you a punk to point out that many laws in the United States are far too strict. Far too many people have heavily lobbied their state legislatures to crack down on crime...as opposed to lobbying for improving public education or cutting back on environmental devastation.

Thus: Often an incident which could be handled simply with words turns into an arrest that turns into a sinister paper trail of endless court expenses, headaches, financial woes, and a whole lot of drawn out nonsense.

If in fact Tiger Woods cheated on his wife and they had a nasty spat and she decided to give him a piece of her mind and nails...so what?

People do it all the time.

And as he said in his statement on his website...he's a person.

So let's hope this fiasco blows over quickly.

Or at least let's acknowledge that it's so irrelevant to the real problems this planet faces everyday that maybe the only story worth covering here is that people waste their breath talking about it for more than a few hours.

As the wise old beat cops used to say back in the old movies after a scuffle: "Move along folks, nothing to see here."

The Retirement of Allen Iverson: Glory, Tragedy, Selfishness, and Business

D REW — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:56:10 -0500

I was on my treadmill when the radio announced that Allen Iverson was retiring from the NBA at age 36 after being discontent with his role in Memphis and unable to be signed by the New York Knicks.

I turned off my treadmill and had to take a second to reflect.

As an NBA and Iverson fan:

1. It was just over a month ago I was thrilled to write about Iverson's potential to help the Memphis Grizzlies become playoff contenders.

2. It was just over six months ago I watched the Detroit Pistons organization come to terms with the fact he was not the best choice for their organization.

3. It was three years ago I was convinced he would help the Denver Nuggets go far in the playoffs. (Which led to two first round playoff ousts...)

4. I was seven years ago I was disappointed with the Philadelphia 76ers performance in the NBA playoffs. (An ouster in the first round...)

5. And it was eight years ago that I sat on the edge of my seat and screamed like a maniac during the 2001 NBA post season to watch the buildup of what I consider the performance of the decade: Allen Iverson during Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals.

In 2001, Allen Iverson was my hero.

He was a rebel, a young super-talent unafraid to speak his mind and play his game, leading a rag—tag group of players consisting of guys like Matt Geiger and Tyrone Hill through the NBA playoffs to face off against the Juggernaut that was the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers were undefeated in the 2001 post season, defeating my Blazers, the Kings, and the Spurs by an average of 20 points. They were looking to be the only team in the NBA to ever go undefeated in the post season.

Because the Lakers had knocked my Blazers out during game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals in heartbreaking manner...Iverson was my ticket to revenge.

In Game 1 of the NBA Finals Allen Iverson scored 48 points to lead his team to a five point victory in overtime.

The Lakers dreams of a perfect season were squashed by the rebel with corn-rows, tattoos, and a larger than life determination to win the NBA Finals.

Proof the little guy can win. A fairy tale?

But as usual with true—life David V. Goliath storylines...the Lakers would win four games in a row and take the 2001 NBA title.

Yet even in defeat, the Philadelphia 76ers led by Allen Iverson prevented the Lakers from accomplishing a goal far more significant than their second NBA title in two years.

They prevented them from setting an undefeated postseason record.

For many, myself included, it was a bigger accomplishment for the 76ers than it was for the Lakers to win the title.

That's glory.

But in the years that followed, perhaps it was injury or perhaps it was the fact that coaches never ran the game that Iverson was accustomed to playing...Iverson had struggles that included a loss in the 2004 Summer Olympics and numerous first round postseason exits.

He would win scoring titles and even a second All Star game MVP, but he never led another team to the glory of 2001.

To me, that's a tragedy. I think winning meant more to Iverson in 2001 than all the money or stats in the world. He was in inspiration to the nation. I even bought his sneakers and they made my whack—white—boy game way better.

I was so sure that Iverson would help Memphis, but he was discontent being taken in off the bench.

That's selfishness.

Here was his chance to be Uncle Iverson to the new kids on the block. To reassert himself as a leader.

It seemed that money and stats were more important to him than helping rebuild an organization that could use him.

Perhaps that is why the New York Knicks passed on him.

And now he has retired.

That's business.

Iverson wants to shake the whole league up by letting them know he's:

a. OUT

b. AVAILABLE

He's making a ton of racket, using his influence to gain plenty of media hype over the course of the season (pulling a Brett Favre?) to let teams who maybe aren't paying as close enough attention as they should that he is ready to play when called upon.

But, only if he's inserted into the starting line-up and given control of the ball.

Well, in the end that technically is the game he played during his glory year.

So I doubt the league has heard the last of Mr. Allen Iverson.

At least, I hope not.

But I hope that one day Iverson can realize that the last eight seasons of his career have been marred by tragedy, selfishness, and business.

Come on, Allen.

Go back for the glory.

It's well worth it!

Dear Portland Trail Blazers: What Gives?

D REW — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:49:42 -0500

Okay, okay...I'm not gonna sit here and be a pessimist who pretends he has any idea of what it is like to play in a full season in the NBA.

Nor am I going to complain and say our beloved Portland Trail Blazers are not off to the rock'n'roll start their schedule should allow.

Rather, I am going to try to politely and positively explain why the Blazers (who stand at 9-5) are not standing at 11-2, or even 13-0.

Cause the Trail Blazers have played some pretty easy teams.

None more easy than the Golden State Warriors...who beat Portland last night in Golden State 109-94. Due to injuries...the Golden State Warriors only have about seven guys on their team.

It was... embarrassing.

One might call it: Conduct unbecoming of an NBA playoff caliber team.

So let's look at the bright side (if we can...)!

First off, about last night, prior to tip off Portland had lost eight straight games in the Bay Area, meaning we have not won in Golden State in four years.

Furthermore, Portland's twenty-three turnovers allowed Golden State get hot in front of their home court fans.

In the NBA any team you allow to get hot at home can win. End of story.

Second, Brandon Roy is not driving to the basket as much as he did last year. He is settling for a lot more outside jumpers and that makes his game hit and miss. While he has still averaged about 20 points per game, where did that slashing player from last year go?

Where is the player who moved every joint in his body like Spider-Man to attack the rim and draw fouls?

Clearly, Brandon Roy is being very cautious with his body. He plays as if he is saving his slash/cut attack (arguably his best offensive move) for later in the season or later in his career, when the game means more.

Can you blame him?

For Brandon Roy, what is the point if getting banged up attacking the paint this early on in his season and career?

What is the point of making a big playoff game if he has injuries all over his body?

Let him settle for more jumpers right now. Let him save his body. He has a five year contract and nobody is talking championship this year.

Which brings me to point three, The Trail Blazers are playing for the playoffs and hopefully moving past the first round. They're not gonna get excited or too down about losing a few games to start the season.

Doing so would be counter productive to their goal.

With that in mind, at 9-5 they still have one of the top five records in the Western Conference. That's not bad at all when you're goal is the playoffs.

One might refer to that as being "on schedule."

Fourth, aside from Brandon Roy...the entire team is relying on too many jump shots.

We have Greg Oden, Lamarcus Aldridge, and Joel Pryzbilla...they're not just thick trees in the paint...they're a red wood's forest...and we're not attacking the basket more often?

That does not make sense to me. I still can find no positive spin on that.

Cause when our shot stops falling all any NBA team needs to do is go zone defense and Portland is in a world of hurt.

Fifth, Portland has two key injuries.

Portland misses Nicolas Batum in the starting lineup and Travis Outlaw in the fourth quarter.

Nicolas Batum's long arms and stifling defense on the best players in the NBA early in games makes it difficult for them to get into a rhythm.

Travis Outlaw's heroics in the fourth quarter make it difficult for Portland to find a replacement go-to guy down the stretch.

Fortunately, they have Rudy Fernandez and once they start going to him in the fourth quarter on a regular basis he should be able to provide those dagger baskets we need.

Finally...Portland has yet to have that big game-winning shot which fires them into battle-mode.

Last year when Brandon Roy sent a now-infamous 0.8 second three pointer into a "swishing" win over the Houston Rockets it did not just win the game...it ignited a fuse which remained lit all season.

And last season was magical.

Fortunately sometime in the near future Portland will have big games against teams such as Dallas, Phoenix, Boston, Orlando, Cleveland...and we will make such a shot.

When that happens we'll see our beloved Portland Trail Blazers dance and party off the floor, the Portland fans will go hay-wire, and it's gonna pump the franchise up to win, win, win...

So hang tight Blazer fans.

The team is doing OK.

Soon they'll do a lot better.

And that's what gives.

An Honest Interview Where the New York Yankees Admit They Suck

D REW — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:35:04 -0500

Unthinkable!

After the New York Yankees won the World Series of Baseball for the first time since 2000 I had a chance to sit down with some of the players, namely Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez (herein referred to as A-Rod), and World Series MVP Hideki Matsui!

What followed was an honest interview between three celebrity baseball players dosed with champagne and one serious reporter with a mission to expose the truth.

_________________________________________________________________________

Drew: So guys, how does it feel to be you ?

Jeter: I feel amazing. I really love myself. I really do.

A-Rod: Me too. I love looking at myself and thinking about me. It's so much fun. Sometimes I flex my muscles and smile at myself. It's great.

Matsui: GODZILLA BEAT MOTHRA IN WAR!!!

Drew: Right. So Derek Jeter, what makes New York City so great?

Jeter: Good question, Andrew. Truth is...nothing . The place sucks. The weather is awful and the people think they're the center of the world's attention.

Drew: Really?

Jeter: Andrew, the people there are so stupid they think baseball is exciting and they consider us major celebrities. These people are so dumb that they actually will listen to reruns of our boring games on the radio when we lose. But we milk their stupidity for mad cash. Its stealing candy from a baby, baby.

Drew: A-Rod, that's pretty stiff criticism. Is it true?

A-Rod: Oh yeah. These guys actually pay me over two-hundred million dollars to take a stick and hit a ball and look pretty.

Drew: Matsui?

Matsui: GODZILLA DESTORY MEGA GODZILLA IN NINE INNINGS!!

Drew: Uh...?

A-Rod: What Hideki means is that New York City would be a whole let better off if one of the giant radioactive mutants that assaults Tokyo on a regular basis would show up to trash NYC and put us all out of the world' misery.

Drew: Is that possible?

A-Rod: Nah. Giant mutants only attack Tokyo, so we'll continue to make a lot of money suckering the stupidest meat-head fans in the entire world.

Drew: Shouldn't the government of New York stop you guys?

Jeter: Andrew, our fascist city government officials love us because they can be dishonest and crooked and the citizens don't pay attention because they're too busy watching our games.

Drew: Really? So what makes fans of the New York Yankees so gullible and stupid?

Jeter: Well, basically this jerk owner named George Stienbrenner throws so much money at us that we get to win whenever we want. He'll even pay players on opposing teams to throw games! But hush, don't let that get out.

Drew: How does he get away with throwing all that cash?

Jeter: Here's the secret: Since we have mad cash the idiots in New York think we're important. Win or lose, baby.

Drew: Come on! If you guys lose it hurts those people doesn't it?

A-Rod: Actually Andrew, when we lose our idiot meat-head fans just go on with their lives same as if we won. When we blew a 3-0 series lead to Boston...it was like nothing happened. Funny actually.

Drew: Then, why even party when you win?

Matsui: GODZILLA DESTROY LOBSTER MONSTER!!

Drew: Please, please...be patient.

A-Rod: Ha! Ha! Matsui gets like that. Listen, sure the New Yorkers they have a little party when we win. But New York City has parties all the time, so it really doesn't matter.

Drew: Wow. You guys must actually be the luckiest people in the whole wide world.

Jeter: We're total crooks, Andrew. And we get away with it.

Drew: Matsui, is baseball the greatest sport in the world?

Matsui: FEED FAMILY AND LOVED ONES TO GODZILLA!!! NEW YORK FANS LOOOVE YOU LOOONG TIME!!!

Drew: I see. One last question, why do major league sports let one team win all the time? Like the Yankes or the Lakers?

Jeter: Because its how they control the market.

Drew: Thanks guys.

A-Rod: Thank you, Andrew. I'm off the sleep with a married woman.

Matsui: GODZILLA VERSUS BAMBI GOOD MOVIE!!!!!!

_________________________________________________________________________

And that was that.

Five Tough Decisions That Will Improve the Portland Trail Blazers' Season

D REW — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:45:06 -0500

Yikes!

The Portland Trail Blazers have started off what should have been a promising 2010 season with a 2-3 record, including two home loses at the Rose Garden.

Last season, the team only lost seven home games at the Rose Garden. What gives?

First off, there is no reason to panic yet. The team has made some roster changes that will take some time to get used to. Many teams that win championships end up losing a few embarrassing home games in the season.

Problem is, the Portland Trail Blazers have a rough schedule to end the season and a fairly promising schedule to start. These early season games are wins we need, otherwise they have the potential to come back and haunt us in the future.

Thus, three early loses—including two at home—are a subject worthy of concern and discussion.

Portland's coaching staff is going to have to make some tough decisions.

Here are five I think will help.

1. Start Joel Pryzbilla over Greg Oden

This is tough because I believe Greg Oden's game will improve with more time on the court, but his energy in the second unit last season made us a far more powerful team. Truth is, he is only starting because of his "celebrity status" in the 2007 NBA draft. Somebody in the marketing department wants him in that court, and it is not paying off.

Greg is in foul trouble every game. He is the first player on either team to get a foul. He gets two quick fouls almost instantly and has to sit on the bench.

Major buzz-kill.

Being a natural-born shot-blocker, Oden is programmed to go after the shot. Oden needs to be reprogrammed to give up two points as opposed to drawing fouls.

Are all of these fouls good calls? No.

Greg Oden gets some of the worst calls I have ever seen ... and that certainly leaves me to ponder the validity or the reasoning behind them.

(Does the NBA not want Oden to be successful in Portland? Remember, a lot of people were angry he got drafted to the Pacific Northwest.)

However, that does not account for how many times he loses control of the ball, or how many times his shot gets blocked, or how many times he simply doesn't look like he is ready to start in the NBA.

Even if he came in off the bench, he could still get more minutes than Pryzbilla. But right now, he needs to sit still, observe, and work on his game more before becoming a starter.

Because it's hurting us, and people need to realize that.

2. Give Jerryd Bayless Minutes

The dilemma at point guard with bringing in All-Star Andre Miller when you already have an established working (and highly successful) unit with Steve Blake is clearly a problem.

Sadly, the guys are not working well yet.

Head coach Nate McMillan keeps substituting Miller and Blake in and out when they're not working instead of going to Jerryd Bayless.

Last season, the kid was a fast-running, high-jumping, hardcore-dunking spark plug. This season, Miller and Blake look like a couple of old women who are mad at one another over a game of BINGO.

Give Bayless' young energy and talent a chance.

Why not?

3. Hold Head Coach Nate McMillan Accountable

If the Blazers are losing games, then it falls on our head coach.

His rotations thus far are bogus. His ability to help Brandon Roy and Andre Miller work together have been thus far unsuccessful.

It seems whenever a player gets on a roll he subs them out.

A perfect example of McMillan's coaching errors occurred last night when he chose to go small in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks.

Nate McMillan sat both centers during the pivotal moments of the fourth quarter when Atlanta outrebounded us and slaughtered us with points in the paint.

The simple presence of one of our powerful centers would have prevented that. Was it a game plan that went wrong?

If so, bad game plan. Bad coaching. Period.

4. Make LeMarcus Aldridge Attack The Paint For Points

This one really is not that tough.

No team in the NBA will be successful without someone who can consistently score close to the basket. Right now, the Trail Blazers are relying on jump shots but not getting any easy points in the paint. It's killing us.

I like Aldridge's jump shot, but Portland has plenty of players who can shoot—including Martell Webster, Travis Outlaw, and Rudy Fernandez.

What we need is a guy bulldozing in the pavement like a rampaging dump truck. Lamarcus is the perfect candidate.

5. Blazers Need To Stop Pretending To Be The Big Boys And Act Their Age

Let me explain what I mean.

The young Blazers are exhibiting behavior consistent with young men who want to act like the big boys on the block.

In the NBA, the big boys—teams like San Antonio, Los Angeles, Denver, Boston—know how to blow off loses during the regular season because it's "all about the playoffs, man."

The Blazers aren't putting their heart into these early games, because their whole attitude is, "We're a big-time NBA team now and it's all about the playoffs..."

What they're doing is not showing up 100 percent because they're confident they have enough talent to win enough games to make the playoffs.

That is where their heart lies.

Perhaps they're right.

Problem is, other NBA teams are taking regular season games against Portland seriously. Very seriously.

Winning in the Rose Garden is now a big deal. Silencing our Pacific Northwest sellout crowd is a fun assignment. Defeating the young team that Sports Illustrated ranked third in the Western Conference is an important regular season game.

The Trail Blazers need to realize their role is still the young upstart team that wants to win every game at all costs.We're the guys who sell out our arena when other team's arenas are less than half full.

Our games are not just regular season games, they are sold-out rock concerts. We're the teenagers that can whip the grown men on the playground.

Accept that role and have fun.

For remember the fate of the 2003 Los Angeles Lakers? They were so confident they would win their fourth NBA title, they did not take early regular season games seriously. That led to them barely winning a game to start the season, which in turn led to their downfall in the playoffs.

They simply did not prepare their team psychologically or physically throughout the season to attain the result they were more than capable of achieving.

In conclusion, there are other factors affecting this Blazers team.

Martel Webster's defense cannot replace that of Nicolas Batum.

Brandon Roy did not play much basketball during the summer. It shows.

Also, we did not have an embarrassing end to last season—like Dallas or Orlando—that would spark a flame early on.

We did not make it to the Western Conference Finals, which has clearly lit up the Denver Nuggets.

The good news is this:

Portland needs to realize that no matter what their obstacles are now...the reason they were ranked third in the Western Conference is because their accumulation of talent has the potential to learn to work through any adversity and become highly successful.

And basketball is all about watching the team you root for battle adversity. We could go on a ten-game winning streak (or more) at any moment.

And I think we will.

Go Blazers!

Portland Trail Blazers: Analysis Of Lousy Preseason Play

D REW — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:09:29 -0400

Uh-oh.

Aside from the play of Andre Miller, Greg Oden, and Jerryd Bayliss...The Portland Trail Blazers preseason has been one disappointing performance after another.

They play no defense. None.

They run the offense (heck, the game) with no passion.

Travis Outlaw is taking one lousy shot after another.

Spanish superstar and fan favorite Rudy Fernandez has this "I'm not gonna be on this team long..." look on his face.

Head Coach Nate McMillan is frustrated.

Team leader and two time All Star Brandon Roy is calling out his teammates.

What gives?

Last year the Blazers turned the preseason into a rock concert!

Because they have not done so this year, should the fans be worried?

Should the team?

In all honesty, last season, the Blazers were still a team who just wanted to win some games...any games. They were the league's second youngest team and just winning was a spectacular accomplishment, more or less winning 54 games and gaining home court advantage in the playoffs!

But they were taken out in the first round by the Houston Rockets.

They lost to the big kids on the block.

Now the Blazers want to be the big kids on the block.

So they did what youthful team do to gain such respect...they took in a few big kids (Juwan Howard, Andre Miller, Jerryd Collins, and Ime Udoka) to help them along their way.

Part of being a big kid on the block (or so they imagine) is biting your nails through the preseason. After all...the 2010 year is about making the playoffs and winning.

The Blazers feel confident they can win enough games to make the playoffs...

But they are playing garbage preseason ball and scaring the pants off of their fans.

What should Portland do?

I suggest two things:

First off, cut Ime Udoka and Collins from the team. Each has enough talent to get picked up by other teams in the league and their departure will lessen the distraction to the players that the franchise has developed over the last few years.

Keep a less talented player who will be able to deal with less bench minutes.

(In fact, it was just announced on the radio they will do just that...)

This move will make more playtime for Rudy and Outlaw...who killed it last season coming off the bench and should not have their playtime put at jeopardy.

Second, announce that Andre Miller and Greg Oden will be inserted into the starting lineup. They have led the team in most major statistics during the preseason and have earned a starting role.

This move will let the team know what their roles are and enhance team chemistry.

In conclusion, we will know 10 games into the season what the Blazers 2010 season is going to be like.

The two aforementioned moves will ensure that those opening ten games are a success.

Or so I hope.

Go Blazers!!!

For Portland Blazers It's Simple: Start Andre Miller

D REW — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 03:13:50 -0400

"This team can cause a lot of problems if it stays healthy..."

Andre Miller (10-6-09)

Last season the Portland Trail Blazers began the preseason by routing the Sacramento Kings by over 40 points. That night, there was something in the air that turned a preseason game into a memorable Rose Garden party.

This year the preseason opener was different.

This year the Trail Blazers played a preseason game by going through the motions and they beat the pitiful Sacramento Kings. It was clear they were not trying to prove anything to themselves, their fans, or the league.

This Blazers team knows they are going to win a lot of games this year.

They also know they have the deepest squad in the league and their bench will be packed with players who would be starters on any other team.

The Portland Trail Blazers will have one of the best starting lineups and we will have the best bench in the NBA.

That leaves a lot of questions open about who will get play time and how that will effect the chemistry of the team.

But one thing is for sure...the Portland Trail Blazers need to start Andre Miller at point guard.

He is an All Star point guard. That is all there is too it.

His veteran leadership and basketball I.Q. tonight answered the question: What if Portland acquired a veteran All Star point guard?

Well if the answer is that they can beat a team without even playing...that is a pretty darn good answer.

I left my opinion of signing Andre Miller on hold because I have a ton of faith in Steve Blake. But Blake now needs to join the second line-up. Nothing personal, pal. Just business.

No team can sign a veteran point guard and ask him to come in off the bench. Not when he is in the prime of his good years.

Andre Miller drew some of the few "oohs" and "ahhs" from the crowd tonight without even trying.

Wait until he gets serious.

I don't know if Greg Oden should start over Joel Pryzbilla. I don't know how to cut back the playtime of Rudy Fernandez or Travis Outlaw because of the return of Martel Webster.

Those questions I will leave to the hands of the qualified coaching staff.

But after a boring by the numbers preseason victory it's clear...start Andre Miller.

Andre Miller makes the Blazers iller.

End of story.

NBA Ref Lockout Is an NBA Fan's Knockout

D REW — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:48:39 -0400

Today it was announced that the NBA referees will not start the NBA preseason with the players.

After their contracts expired on September 1, the zebras were not satisfied with the retirement benefits the NBA offered during renegotiations.

So the refs are going on strike...or...wait a minute...who cares?

Guess what NBA refs?

Almost no NBA fan will care that you're gone.

Almost none of us will miss you.

Almost none of us will want you back.

Face it NBA refs, most NBA fans think you suck.

And not in the ceremonial "the refs suck" ideology that all refs deal with regardless of the sport.

NBA refs—most of us hate you. Most of us recognize that you're corrupt. Most of us enjoy watching you suffer.

You've made a living doing NBA commissioner David Stern's bidding and now his league won't even give you the retirement you want, even after all that shoe licking.

How does that taste?

I love the NBA. Following the league is my favorite hobby. And I know that in order to win you have to beat the opposing team and the guys in the stripes. Yup. It's part of the game.

The refs don't call it fair.

The refs won't call it fair.

The NBA favors big market teams.

The NBA favors L.A.

The NBA favors big market players.

The NBA favored Jordan.

Why?

The league makes more money when those teams and players win.

The bigger the market, the more ratings.

The bigger the player, the more their jerseys and other memorabilia sell.

Sure, these teams and players have shed blood, sweat, and tears to earn the respect of the league and get some extra calls.

But so have a great deal other smaller market players and teams who have been treated unfairly by the NBA.

Case in Point—the 2002 Sacramento Kings?

Game Six of the Western Conference Finals: Sacramento leading L.A. three games to two and the refs allow the two-time repeating NBA champion Lakers to shoot 27 free throws in the fourth quarter that accounted for 16 of their last 18 points. L.A. won the game, 106-102.

Nobody will forget that, NBA refs.

It was the murder of a season right in front of our eyes.

And that is simply the tip of the iceberg.

I hope people who read this will post their all-time favorite NBA ref screw-up story.

Current NBA refs—your time has come.

Get lost.

The NBA, its fans, and the world of sports needs to get rid of the entire lot of NBA refs and make room for a new generation.

I am sure this new generation will have similar, if not identical, problems.

But maybe not.

Maybe someone out there can use this as an opportunity to set up an independent company that monitors the NBA refs, instead of allowing the refs to be monitored by the NBA directly?

Maybe more Federal Investigations will ensue that can send these refs to prison where they belong?

Look, all pro sports have dealt with serious corruption since the dawn of time.

Nothing can change that.

But these NBA refs have been breaking the law in front of the cameras almost every night, and it's time to say goodnight.

K.O., NBA refs.

You're out.

Game over.

Iverson With Randolph Make Memphis a Playoff Payoff

D REW — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:36:22 -0400

Today I just found out one of my worst fears as an NBA fan came true.

Allen Iverson has officially signed with the Memphis Grizzlies.

After learning that Memphis had acquired Zach Randolph months ago, I heard there was a strong possibility Iverson would play for Memphis in the 2010 season as well.

Those two on the same team scare me.

If they don't make a dent in the NBA West and make the playoffs, I'll eat my hat.

Allen Iverson's 2001 push in the NBA Finals made him one of my all time favorite players. There are those that say his single victory in the Finals against the mighty Los Angeles Lakers, denying L.A. an unbeaten post-season record, was a far more compelling story than the Lakers championship victory itself.

Since then, Iverson's been a disappointment to me and an apparent pariah to every team he plays for.

Yet in his defense, he has gone to two big market teams (Denver and Detroit) with systems not set up to coach his talent.

Iverson needs the ball.

Memphis is going to give Iverson the ball.

Watch out.

Meanwhile Randolph is player capable of averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. After the Portland Trail Blazers (my squad) decided to give up on him, he played for the Knicks (A god awful organization...they sell out every game because they're in NYC so there is no point to try to win.) and The Clippers. (Who are cursed because they always suck.)

Now Iverson and Randolph share something in common besides the fact they are both high scoring players with a chip on their shoulder; they've got to be desperate to prove something to the world:

We can still be a dangerous threat to the best teams in the NBA.

Don't mess with us. Don't even dare.

What better city than Memphis to make their point?

Is there any doubt that if these two veterans can help the young talents of O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay start winning games—serious games—that city is not going to go off the charts for them?

One truth I know as a Blazer fan—when your fans start going nuts when you win—as a player you go the extra length for the next win.

Nothing is better for an NBA player than a packed arena screaming for them.

You intensify your defense. You start pounding the boards. You practice extra harder to make those game winning, franchise altering, historic YouTube sensation shots.

And when they start to win, Memphis is going to explode. Their arena will be similar to the atmosphere at Atlanta or Portland.

Don't get me wrong, it will be a shaky start for Memphis. But around December they are going to figure it out.

They are going to win games. Big games.

They are going to be a new team of tough NBA players who will thrive off being dangerous, arrogant, and talented.

And they will enter the playoffs a team others dare to face.

As a Portland fan I'm upset, because the West is tough enough.

I don't need the hassle.

The Only Thing Reprehensible About LeGarrette Blount is the Suspension

D REW — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 08:00:24 -0400

I don't care if the picture for this article is not very good. I don't care if I don't watch enough Oregon Duck football games to consider myself a die-hard fan.

My family are Ducks fans. I went to the Rose Bowl in 1995 when Oregon played Penn State. The Ducks are an important part of my family's life.

This article is not just about what happened af the end of the Oregon Duck's 2009 season opener against the Boise State Broncos...It's about the way mainstream media sensationalizes piffle incidents to scare people.

I am sure that LeGarrette Blount has a ton of problems. I am positive he is a very difficult person to work with. I would bet that Oregon had had it with his antics.

But LeGarrette Blount is a tough player that leads the Oregon Ducks in scoring for a season with 17 touchdowns.

He has the potential to have a promising NFL career.

After Oregon got embarassed by Boise State in the season opener...one of Boise State's players (Byron Hout) ran up to Blount. Hout shoved him, and insulted him.

It was bad sportsmanship.

It is the reason Byron Hout got punched in the face shortly thereafter by LeGarrette Blount.

It is the reason LeGarrette Blount lost his cool and shoved his teammates, struggled with security, and ran at fans for Boise State.

RAN at them. Not ATTACKED them.

Tell that fact (which is clearly captured on camera) to ESPN.

The Entertaiment Sports Programming Network puts entertainment before sports. Whatever circus ESPN can find, whatever dirt they can use to smear an athlete...they will go with it.

Gladly.

Blount got insulted while cameras were pointed at him and a punch got thrown, and a scuffle broke out.

This scuffle was not only a piffle incident in the history of violence in sports...it was a piffle incident in the history of violence period.

Some big kids got mad.

That's all. End of story...

Except they got mad when cameras were pointing at them. Cameras controlled by an entertainment network that saw a chance to draw ratings.

This punch has been played over and over. It is a YouTube sensation.

And who gets the blame?

LaGerrette Blount gets the blame for showing emotions of a human nature.

Mere hours after the incident, even Oregon's own sports columnist John Canzano, who has never written anything risky, demanded LeGarrette Blount be taken out for the season. Canzano uses the same petty logic, almost the same writing, as a FOX Sports News or an ESPN analyist.

Now, without even so much as a objective review of the incident, LeGarrette Blount gets tossed from the team for the rest of the season.

The season is over.

His college career is over.

And for what?

A scuffle?

No, a scuffle broadcast by people who care more about entertainment than sports.

An entertainment company that knows that no matter what the image captures...how they report on the image becomes the reality.

For example: In 2004, the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons had a brawl which spilled into the stands. ESPN reported it was the "worst thing they have ever seen" in pro basketball.

Yet the NBA was filled with numerous violent incidents far, far worse throughout its entire existence.

ESPN knew that. But they reported what would be more entertaining, thus more sensational, thus scaring people into reacting a certain way.

ESPN, and the overblown coverage that followed, scared the University of Oregon into throwing away a young life and ruining their season.

A simple examination of the video shows that LeGarrette was provoked.

The player who provoked him (Hoyt..who STARTED it) goes virtually unpunished.

Furthermore: The video shows that Boise State coach Chris Peterson was not only inches away from Hout, but that he had to have HEARD what Hoyt said that caused LeGarrette to throw the punch.

Is there any doubt that whatever Hoyt was said was reprehensible?

Yet Chris Peterson denies he heard what was said.

Impossible! The video discredits that. Peterson was right there. He tried to pull Hoyt out of harm's way. He was directly within earshot of the slanderous statement which provoked the incident.

The physical evidence on the videotape doesn't corroborate his story!

Peterson is lying!

Last but not least: The video shows that LeGarrette clearly pulled his punch.

LeGarrette clipped Hoyt in the jaw.

Then he wrestled around a bit with some big guys.

The reality is that this was what the world refers to as a "nothing burger."

Yet LeGarrette's career...and Oregon's season...is over.

That's not justice. That's not the punishment fitting the crime.

That is rookie Oregon Ducks head coach Chip Kelly making a decision based on the pressure put on the University of Oregon via what was reported about the scuffle on TV.

Far too often in this world, people see the facts staring them right in the face...but without doing a subjective investigation, they just listen to what the TV says.

The Oregon Ducks didn't mess up their season by playing a reprehensible game against Boise State. The messed up their season by making the reprehensible decision to not take a deep breath and think things over before reacting.

That's the same thing LeGarrette did.

What a tragic shame.

I blame ESPN.

Don't you?

Memo to Portland Trail Blazers: B-Roy Needs to B-Patient

D REW — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 23:32:33 -0400

Last week, Portland Trail Blazers All-Star Brandon Roy went on the Seattle Radio to gripe about not getting offered a five-year contract worth about $80 million.

Instead, the team was looking at giving him a four-year deal worth about $60 million.

So $20 million is up for grabs, and Brandon wants to get paid.

I don't blame him. He beyond deserves it.

Brandon has turned the Trail Blazers into the most exciting team in basketball. He has made Blazer games at the Rose Garden the hottest ticket in town.

Brandon is going to get his money...

In one year.

Because if Paul Allen's boys pay him now...

Well what if he breaks his leg?

What if he has a bad season?

What if he gets caught doing something he's not supposed to do?

What if aliens beam him into outer space to play for an intergalactic league in the farthest reaches of the universe?

My point is ... that's a lot of damn money to throw at someone who still has a year left on his contract.

If ANYTHING went wrong—poof goes the money—poof go the Blazers.

Just relax, Brandon.

Everyone knows Allen's boys at Vulcan are thugs without a heart. But they have a point in not signing you too soon.

You still have one year on your contract.

I like you, Brandon. I'm rooting for you.

At my work, I even bought an entire table drinks just so they would move and I could get your wife seated during the 2008 NBA season!!

She's an awesome lady, by the way. Very nice. The whole crew were classy.

And I want you and your family to get your five-year contract.

But for now, please stop from going vocal about money issues. The city, the fans, the franchise, nobody should have to hear it—yet.

Everybody has less money than they want, and most of us are not one year away from getting any better.

Oh, but to the Blazer organization, when Brandon Roy's rookie contract is done, he better damn well get whatever contract he WANTS.

Or the citizens of Portland will burn that franchise to the ground and walk upon the ashes of what could have been divine.

Go Blazers 2010, and Luck F.A.

Dear Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard, Please No Lakers

D REW — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:14:07 -0400

General Manager Kevin Pritchard has never made a mistake since he signed on to help the Portland Trail Blazers become NBA Title contenders.

He made the right moves to bring Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge to Portland. After winning the 2007 NBA lottery, he brought Greg Oden to the Portland Trail Blazers with the number one pick.

In Greg Oden's first season (after missing his rookie year) the Portland Trail Blazers won an astonishing 54 games, had home court advantage in the first round of the 2009 playoffs, and only lost because they encountered their worst case scenario: The Houston Rockets.

Still, Portland played a valliant series against Houston before losing in six games.

Now it was time to bring in a few NBA players with long careers and deep playoff experience to help in the future of this young team.

It was time to find the next Scottie Pippen.

Pritchard's first attempt to sign Hedo Turkoglu was yet another genius move. Hedo would have given us a proven clutch NBA veteran who could not only lead by example in the playoffs but would allow us to trade Travis Outlaw and Martell Webster.

(Steve Nash...)

In a last minute decision, Hedo Turkoglu decided against Portland and opted to sign with the Toronto Raptors. Even though Hedo will never contend for a title in Toronto, he will decide to sign with the Raptors for $60 million over Portland offer of $50 million.

Fine, Hedo. Take care of your wallet. The economy is hard. We understand. Plus, Toronto is a better fit for someone from Turkey. Closer to home, larger immigrant population. No hard feelings. Thanks anyhow. Good luck.

But now Portland has some cash to spend...and I am hearing some disturbing rumors that guys like Los Angeles Lakers Lamar Odom could come to Portland.

I implore Kevin Pritchard to please, please, please...do not bring anyone who has ever played for the Los Angeles Lakers to the city of Portland Oregon.

We do not want a former Laker. Not one.

The only Laker out there who could really help Portland in the playoffs is our worst enemy, Kobe Bryant.

For Portland to take someone who played for the Lakers last season would be the biggest upset move in sports history since the New York Yankees signed Red Sox's Johnny Damon.

Damon was HATED in NYC and then the next day he played there.

The NYC Yankees have not won the title or even had a good playoff run since aquiring Damon.

Furthermore, nobody who has ever played for L.A. will want to come to Portland. Nobody who has ever played for L.A. will come to Portland excited to help us win a championship.

They will come for the paycheck. Period.

Lastly, every season for the last four years there have been fights between Portland and L.A. All of them, ALL of them, were started by the Lakers being the punks that they are.

So PLEASE Kevin, no Lakers.

I know you will do the right thing.

You have never made a mistake thus far.

2009 NBA Finals: Luck the Fakers!

D REW — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 01:02:03 -0400

Luck the Fakers.

That's all I gotta say.

It has been seven years since the Los Angeles Lakers have won a title.

Now those years are over.

Tonight Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers won the 2009 NBA Finals.

I had to sit through the dreadful images of Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson, as well as the ugly Purple and Gold army all smiling, cheering, popping champagne bottles, and soon those very same images shall grace the cover of almost every sports magazine in the world.

And for this Portland Trail Blazers fan...that sucks.

Luck the Fakers.

They took the Utah Jazz out without flexing a muscle. They survived a rock hard Houston Rockets team that lost their centers to postseason injuries. Then they exposed a far more talented Denver Nuggets team as not mature enough to handle the pressure of winning the Western Conference Finals.

It took them five games to defeat the Orlando Magic, a powerful team, and win the 2009 NBA title.

After losing a heartbreaking loss in Game Four, The Orlando Magic were simply out of spells. When they went "Abracadabra!" nothing happened.

There was no rabbit they can pull out of a hat.

Orlando played the 2009 NBA Finals as if all they wanted to do was put up a good fight.

The Lakers played for history.

Kobe Bryant is going to join Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal as a four time champion in the 2000s era of professional basketball.

Phil Jackson is going to win his 10th title as a head coach. He will have a ring for every finger on his body. His record will not be broken for at least two decades...if not more.

That sucks.

I predicted The Fakers would lose. I yawned at the idea of Kobe playing LeBron.

And I rooted for the Orlando Magic.

But in the end, the most exciting NBA playoffs in a few years went out not with a bang...but a whisper.

My least favorite group of people hoisted the trophy I have wanted my city to re-hoist for 32 years.

But...

Let the luckin' Fakers hoist their title for 2009.

The NBA, the sports community, and the world needed Kobe Bryant to win his fourth ring without Shaq.

Let this be the year.

The year it was not handed to them...but rather a year they earned it by playing defense that I refer to as the "python attack."

Once the luckin' Fakers get their defense wrapped around you...they just tighten and tighten their grip until you are crushed.

So good for you, Fakers.

Your team is full of pretty boy bums. Your fans only get loud when the beer kicks in. And your All Stars are going to get their ass whooped sometime in the near future by a team from a rainy valley in the Cascade Mountains...

Luckin' Fakers.

Bring it next season.

Then...

Bring it in the playoffs 2010.

Go Blazers!

Kobe v. LeBron=Big Fat Yawn

D REW — Wed, 13 May 2009 21:46:07 -0400

Am I the only one who thinks the 2009 NBA Playoffs lack real excitement?

Okay, watching the Boston Celtics see how long their box of Lucky Charms will last is fun.

I admit, my Blazers vs. Rockets series has some moments. It was the first playoff game I had gone to since 1992, when I was 12!

The Dallas vs. Denver series has had some nice punches thrown and so has the Houston vs. Los Angeles series. Sure, the Atlanta series was nice, but not thrilling.

At the end of the day, the reality is that the two best teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences are on a collision course, and their roads to the finals have sucked the real excitement out of the 2009 NBA playoffs.

We know where the plot is going. We know who lives and dies. Where is the suspense? We have read the script before, and watched the movie. The two best players in the league are headed for a final showdown to determine the future of the NBA.

Fine.

Last year we relived the Lakers vs. Celtics saga. This year we shall relive Magic vs. Jordan of 1991. History has a way of repeating itself, even in sports.

Perhaps the NBA Finals will be great fun. But the road it takes to get there is supposed to be filled with upsets, excitement, and suspense.

There should be teams favored to win. But not teams predestined to win.

All I have seen thus far are basketball series where two teams play to see who gets the honor of losing to either Cleveland or Los Angeles. This gets me to what really bugs me about this Kobe vs. LeBron stuff: Their teams are good but they rely on great players.

I want to see two great teams play.

The best team out West right now is the Denver Nuggets. They are unreal and on fire. Tonight, I predict, they will smash Dallas and lie in wait to hopefully stun the Lakers.

The best team out East right now is the Boston Celtics. They are struggling with every tooth and nail to gut out one heroic win after another. After they defeat Orlando in either six or seven games, they will give Cleveland their only real challenge in the playoffs thus far.

But Boston and Denver will not face one another in the NBA Finals because close games will be decided in favor of Los Angeles and Cleveland.

At the end of the day, if LeBron James wins the title this year then expect the Cleveland Cavaliers to dominate the NBA for years to come. If Los Angeles wins, then expect LeBron to win next year.

The league seems so convinced that the way to make money is to favor large market teams and players, but wouldn’t it be more economically advantageous to just have great playoff games where nobody could predict the outcome so easily?

Houston Rockets Shoot Portland Trail Blazers Down to Earth

D REW — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 03:41:41 -0400

I was just like any other Portland Trail Blazer fan going into the first game of the NBA playoffs against the Houston Rockets.

"We're gonna kick their..."

After all, we ended the 2009 NBA season on the best run since the champion 1977 Blazers, and were constantly blowing out Western Conference Rivals by over 20 points.

We were doing so well, we threw ourselves a parade.

We had earned home court advantage in the playoffs and were going up against The Houston Rockets.

Rip City Uprise.

Portland Trail Blazers were flying...

Then game one in our best-of-seven series started and by the time the smoke cleared, my Portland Trail Blazers had been shot out of the sky.

Hats off Houston, you kicked our...

Yao Ming played the best game of his career, shooting a lowly 100 percent from the field, and Aaron Brooks lit us up for 27 points. Houston outhustled us, beat us up, got in our heads, and made an entire community drop their heads.

Ron Artest and the Houston defense was stifling, and I am sure people all across the world were cackling at our franchise's misfortune.

Sad, SAD, day to be a Trail Blazer fan.

At work, I could barely believe what I saw: Potentially the worst loss in franchise history. Given the hype around town...I have a hard time writing about it any other way.

Nothing is worse than the excitement generation by a small-town professional sports franchise when their athletes get it handed to them in a big playoff game. Particularly when you get dismantled on your home court by the road team.

Portland's defense against Yao Ming was pitiful.

Our offensive execution was deplorable.

I wish I could blame the refs for making so many one-sided calls...but in the NBA the team playing better basketball earns the officials' respect.

Houston played one of their greatest games as a franchise; Portland played one of its worst.

Can Portland even stop Houston?

Once, I mean?

Portland needs to figure out that getting swept in the Playoffs would be a DISASTER.

That is the direction we are headed.

Very sad day for me.

Go Blazers.

Top 10 Moments of 2009 Portland Trail Blazers

D REW — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:39:07 -0400

Tonight the Portland Trail Blazers will conclude the 2009 regular season against the Denver Nuggets at home. If they win they will own the home court advantage in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

It will be the first time we have aquired home court in the playoffs in nine years, as well as the first time we have made the playoffs in six years.

Yet the 2009 Portland Trail Blazers started the season with the most difficult schedule in the league, lost their No. 1 Draft Pick Greg Oden to an injury in the first game, and it seemed that they would claw for the seventh or eighth place in the Western Conference standings or not be in the playoff race at all.

However Portland came out of the early schedule with a winning record, got their #1 Draft Pick Greg Oden back, and now have the sixth best record in franchise history and are tied with most wins at the end of the regular season since the 1977 NBA Champion Blazers.

As Keanu Reeves says: "Whoa."

For me, this season has been a long magical trip, one that I will one day look back upon and realize just how lucky I was to live in my rainy-dive bar-mini San Francisco-city in 2009.

I am a true Blazer fan and I am there for the team when they win or lose. I never got caught up in hating on the "Jail Blazers" (a term I think is racist and disgusting) and I even purchased a ticket for every single home came from 2006-early 2008 (once the Blazers went on that 13 game winning streak, it was harder to get a ticket for every game).

The Blazers are not just a great team playing great basketball, they are FUN to WATCH.

They have their own unique flavor, like the 2006 Phoenix Suns did under their run and gun offense, the 2002 Sacramento Kings had with their small town pride, or even the 2001 Philadelphia 76ers with their Iverson vs. the World storyline.

Since none of those teams won the title, I would rather compare them to the 2008 Boston Celtics, whose glorious veteran rush gave Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnet their first "It's about time thank you God!" NBA rings.

Allow me to recap the top ten moments of this historic season.

10. Preseason WHOOPING of the Sacramento Kings

Even though it was just the first game of the preseason, on 12-7-08 a sold out Rose Garden gets their first taste of what lies ahead as Rudy Fernandez and Greg Oden's debut turns into the first YouTube highlight sensation of the season in a 110-81 route against the lowly Kings. Thus it began...

9. Defeating San Antonio in First Home Game of Regular Season

The only time I ever saw Tim Duncan slump around and Tony Parker do that "what fowl?" shrug was on TV, until 12-31-08 when the Trail Blazers put on a gritty fight and forced the four time world champs to use such body language.

I was there! In a game that went down to the wire, Spurs forward Michael Finley missed a wide open shot at the buzzer to give Portland a 100-99 victory. How did he miss? Portland got in his head. That's how.

8. A Sunday Afternoon Romp Against The Detriot Pistons

On 12-30-08 the Portland Trail Blazers played an early afternoon game on the road against the Detroit Pistons. They were in control the entire time, and forced Rasheed Wallace to slam the ball down in frustration. Blazers 96-85 win was the sort of game Portland would have lost in seasons past...but not now.

7. Steve Blake's Three Point Shot Kills the Raptors in Toronto

Just one week later, on 1-7-09, another early Sunday game on the road ends as Steve Blake drains a game winning three. Blazers win 98-97, go 4-1 on their five game road trip, and whispers around the league are this team means business...

6. Blazers Defeat the Indiana Pacers in Dramatic Fashion

On Draft Day 2008 Portland traded Jarrett Jack to Indiana. On 3-4-09, Portland rallied from behind against Indiana in the fourth quarter, leading by two with only seconds remaining.

Jarrett Jack had a chance to claim his revenge with a wide open three, but he misses and the Blazers defeat the Pacers at home 105-107 to end their longest losing streak against any team in the NBA. Go Blazers.

5. Brandon Roy's buzzer beater kills the Knicks

Brandon Roy made a lot of great shots this season, the game winner against the New York Knicks turned into a poster child for our season. On 2-8-09 the Blazers were down by one point with four seconds to go.

Brandon Roy drove to the basket and put the ball up. As he let go there was a startling second where it looked as if the ball would not roll in our favor. But it did. Blazers win 109-108 while Brandon Roy and Travis Outlaw embrace in mid-court.

Their celebration is now an epic image of our success.

4. Brandon Roy drops 52 points against the Phoenix Suns

For far too long the Phoenix Suns bullied the Blazers. On 12-18-08 the bullying came to an end. With Greg Oden in foul trouble, the Suns went up by twelve points. Brandon Roy heroically rallied his teammates with a performance that Charles Barkley declared the "best individual performance on NBA on TNT."

Brandon Roy scores a career high 52 points, none more dramatic than his final three point shot, and the Blazer shock the Suns, the League, and the world.

Check the YouTube highlights of THAT game.

3. LaMarcus Aldridge HUGE 3rd Quarter Versus The Spurs in San Antonio

How can I not give props to the astounding play of LaMarcus Aldridge? On 4-10-09 the Blazers were down by over twenty points to the San Antonio Spurs, in San Antonio. But Portland rallied back in one of the best comebacks I have ever seen to draw the game within two at halftime.

The Spurs go up ten in the third and are preparing to blow us out...but LaMarcus Aldridge makes one sweet basket after another to silence their elders in San Antonio with a 95-83 victory that proves why he is one of the most underrated players in the league. Next year, make him an All Star.

2. Rudy Fernandez Scores 5 Points in 1.5 Seconds

Could there have been a more poignant microcosim of where the Blazers are today than on 3-26-09 when Rudy Fernandez did a sweet lay up on a lob from Sergio Rodriguez, then stole the ball on the inbounds pass and swished his trademark three at the buzzer to end the third quarter against the Phoenix Suns?

Portland has scored 100 points at the end of three quarters, and went on to whoop Phoenix 129-109.

Sorry Shaq, for all the grief you've caused this city it was our turn to lay a little damage to you.

1. Brandon Roy hits the three with 0.8 Seconds Left to Defeat Houston

Was there a better shot made in the NBA this season? On 11-6-08, in the greatest game I ever attended, Brandon Roy hit what should have been the game winning shot in overtime. The Rose Garden was on fire with celebration.

But Yao Ming scored and was fouled, putting his team up one point with 0.8 seconds remaining. I know this sounds strange...but I had no doubt in my mind we were going to score. None. Y

et there was this silence in a room full of 20,000 plus people as Brandon Roy caught the inbounds pass...lobbed it in the air...and up it went...a rainbow arch...getting closer...closer...suddenly the buzzer goes off...the red light appears on the backboard...and the ball swishes in.

Simple as that. Nothing but net. Now the celebration is not a fire, rather it is an explosion big enough to create a galaxy.

And is that not what happened with that shot?

Has a new galaxy not been created?

A galaxy known as Rip City Uprise?

The Blazers have finished the NBA Season in glorious fashion.

We have silenced all of our deadliest enemies and ugliest critics.

In a few hours we will know who Portland goes up against in the first round of the 2009 NBA playoffs.

I cannot wait.

Why the Los Angeles Lakers Cannot Win NBA Title

D REW — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 18:02:29 -0400

The Los Angeles Lakers are caught in a dire Catch-22.

Allow me to explain.

Last night my Portland Trail Blazers came out and protected their home court against the top seed in the Western Conference and their rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers.

My Trail Blazers had two days rest, and the Lakers were coming off of a back-to-back and were missing their head coach, Phil Jackson.

The Lakers lost and, in doing so, proved why they cannot win the championship in 2009.

Kobe Bryant still does not trust his teammates. This was made apparent by his poor choice of shot selection down the stretch.

The only player he trusted with the ball late in the game was Derek Fisher. And while Fisher is very talented, without former center Shaquille O'Neal drawing the double team, he is not as dangerous from behind the arch as he used to be.

For that matter, since the departure of O'Neal, can anyone name one Laker besides Bryant who made a big shot in a playoff series? Bryant almost toppled the Phoenix Suns with killer game-winning buzzer beaters in 2006, but Phoenix rallied back.

Bryant's big steal at the end of game five of the 2008 NBA Finals against Boston is what kept them from losing at home, only to get slaughtered in Boston.

I do not know of any big shot made by any Laker in the post season other than Bryant, that made a difference in winning a playoff game.

The team is solely reliant on his heroics in the playoffs.

That will not cut it.

The 2000-02 championship team had noteworthy players like Fisher, Rick Fox (I hate the name), Robert Horry, O'Neal and even Brian Shaw—all contributing with big plays down the stretch of playoff games.

As long as Kobe does not trust his teammates, they cannot win.

Which brings me to the L.A. Catch-22. How could Bryant trust his teammates?

Aside from Olympian and World Champion Pau Gasol and three-time NBA champion Fisher, none of his teammates command any respect.

Jordan Farmar, Luke Walton, and Sasha Vujacic are all L.A. pretty boys who do not strike the fear of God into anyone. Lamar Odom is better known for his flagrant fouls than his late game heroics, and Andrew Bynum is still young and learning.

The Lakers may well be ten games ahead of the No. 2 spot out West, but a lot of teams have just allowed the Lakers to roll over them this season. The only games Los Angeles won this year that strike me as poignant are the sweep of Boston and Cleveland.

But regular season wins will not count if they make it to face either of these teams for the title round.

LeBron James has better role players and the Celtics have more pride than the Los Angeles Lakers.

Going back to the Catch-22, the Lakers cannot win until Bryant trusts his teammates, and his teammates are nobody Bryant can trust. Thus Bryant cannot trust his teammates. Thus the Lakers cannot win.

The Lakers may well make it to the NBA Finals, but they cannot win.

After 2009, the Lakers days in the NBA will be numbered.

Mark my words.

Ding Dong the Witch is Dead: Portland Trail Blazers Make Playoffs!

D REW — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 23:27:16 -0400

I am a Portland Trail Blazer fan.

That means I am prone to extreme highs when the team wins and deep lows when they lose.

The Blazers have not reached the NBA Playoffs in six years...

For six years Portland Trail Blazer franchise has been like the Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz...under the control of the Wicked Witch from the East. Whenever something good is about to happen (for example a big win) the Wicked Witch from the East shows up and lights our proverbial Toto on fire.

For me, it's been a low six years.

But today Dorothy's house fell from a twister and killed the wicked witch.

She is gone where the Goblins go, below, below, below...

And Portland is in the NBA playoffs.

Of course, just what was the proverbial twister which spit out Dorothy's house?

In 2008-2009, the Portland Trail Blazers made some moves which forced extreme enthusiasm from the city of Portland. First, Greg Oden returned from his season ending knee surgery. Second, super star Rudy Fernandez from Spain agreed to play this season.

During the summer of 2008 the Portland Trail Blazer fans knew this season would be a special and unforgettable highlight real.

Personally, I could not stop leaving comments on YouTube to boast that Oden and Rudy were going to help propel Portland into NBA dominance in the 2009 season.

Dominant?

At times, yes.

The Portland Trail Blazers are virtually unbeatable at home.

After four seasons of losing to the San Antonio Spurs, they defeated San Antonio twice at home, one of those victories a blowout.

After six seasons of losing to the Phoenix Suns, they defeated Phoenix twice at home, one of those victories a blowout.

After never beating the Houston Rockets with McGrady and Ming playing at once, Brandon Roy sunk a miracle three pointer with 0.8 seconds left in overtime.

Even the defending world champion Boston Celtics fell to Portland at home.

Heck, The Blazers even forced overtime against the NBA's best team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, on Cleveland's home court, where the Cavs have only lost one game.

That is an impressive season.

People who bash Greg Oden have it all wrong...even with Oden missing 30 percent of the season his pressence helped us make the playoffs.

Yes, today Portland lost to the Houston Rockets on the road. It was a tough loss because we had a chance to get the third spot out West...but it was also a game I know the team would have played differently in had it been a playoff series.

This team will not just give up and start fighting like the 2001-2002 Blazers. They will not lose three games and attempt to win a seven game series like the 2003 Blazers.

Whoever they play is going to have a fight on their hands.

Whoever they play is going to have their chances of winning the title dimmed by the battle they will need to put forth in order to silence the resurrection of Rip City.

The 2009 Blazers have given this entire city something which unites its citizens regardless of their class, religion, sex, or race. No matter what our differences are, people in Portland have been brought together by one beautiful question, "How about them Blazers?"

Answer: "Playoffs."

Portland Blazers Hoping To Avoid L.A. Lakers In Playoff's 1st Round

D REW — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 19:19:19 -0400

Last Monday (3/9/09) The Portland Trail Blazers dominated the No. 1 team in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers, at home, giving Los Angeles their most embarrassing loss of the season. This resulted in the Lakers slamming the ball on the court, committing flagrant fouls, and even had Kobe Bryant leaving the Rose Garden without speaking to reporters.

After the game, there was a lot of talk amongst Blazers broadcasters and fans that it would not be such a bad thing to drop to the eighth, and final, seed in the Western Conference playoff standings, because we play so well against number one Los Angeles at the Rose Garden.

At work, I ask Blazer fans going to the next game which team they would want to face in the first round. An overwhelming majority say they want to face the Lakers.

"We can beat them at home..." says one.

"I want to face Los Angeles so we can kill them..." says another.

"We have Brandon Roy this time round..." proclaims a third.

Sigh.

Blazer fans, the LAST team Portland wants to face in the first round of the playoffs is the Los Angeles Lakers.

True, the Trail Blazers played well last Monday against them. Very well, in fact.

True, the Trail Blazers have mauled their way to wins at the Rose Garden for the last four seasons.

BUT...ever since our team dismantled the so called "Jail Blazers" (A term I think is disgusting, racist, and convenient over true) Lakers head coach Phil Jackson has rarely even played Kobe in the fourth quarter at the Rose Garden.

Phil Jackson silently tells our franchise, "I don't need Kobe to beat you. And if you win...big deal...you are just scrimmage for the rest of my lineup."

It's a big insult and Phil intends it that way. He wants our franchise to know we are barely worth his attention.

My last article pointed out that on the Sunday before the game certain Lakers were seen drinking until the early hours of the morning.

So the Lakers, or at least some of them, showed up on Mar. 9 with at least a hint of a hangover. Which means face it Blazer fans...the Lakers just did not show up at all.

They did NOT think our team was worthy of their undivided attention.

And like anyone who shows up to work with a hangover, they did not do a very good job. The work environment got more stressful than they could handle, and they just had a bad day at work. Happens everyday. End of story.

Yet Blazer fans got hopping wild at how well we played and proclaimed we could face Los Angeles in the first round???

What???

If we face L.A. (our most hated nemesis) they will sweep us. They will embarrass us. They will hurt our feelings. There will be no late night drinking before games. Kobe will not get benched in the fourth quarter. No, the Lakers will make us look like little kids. And they will add to their long list of playoff defeats...the only real games in a season that count.

They will slaughter us in the first two games in Los Angeles, let us put up a fight in game three back at the Rose Garden, yet win in dramatic fashion, dance on our home court, then put us out of our misery.

It will be yet another excuse for Laker fans, everytime we insult them, to simply reply, "Playoffs?"

In 2002 the Blazers played a great come-from-behind victory over Los Angeles. Bonzi Wells went 4-of-4 from beyond the arch, Scottie Pippen's ejection led to Blazer fans throwing dozens of Bill Walton dolls onto the court, Rasheed Wallace hit a big three to tie the game, and we won in overtime.

The overwhemling response across the nation, including ESPN polls, showed that people wanted to see the Blazers face L.A. in the playoffs.

We did face L.A., for the third time in a row, and we got swept with a Robert Horry three that still wields power in NBA playoff lore.

As a Blazer fan, nothing hurts worse that losing to Los Angeles.

Nothing.

So let's face Houston, New Orleans, or Utah. Let's face a team that we do not have an overwhelming hatred of, a team who, if they advance, we can applaud them as well as pat our own backs for our brilliant effort in the 2008-09 season.

Let's not embarrass ourselves and think a first-round battle against L.A. would be fruitful.

We would get whooped.

I hate L.A.

And I hate to say it...

But The Lakers are still light-years out of our league.

Let's not give them a chance to prove it unless it's the second or even third round.

Go Blazers.

LA Lakers Assistant Coach Spotted Being a Loser at Dante's Sinferno Cabaret!

D REW — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:51:35 -0400

I have no game.

None.

I could write on and on listing just how little game I have, but I will simply write that I work in a restaurant, spend the rest of my time dabbling on my computer writing this that and the other thing. When that is done, I usually listen to the same boring conversations over and over, and then watch a little TV or read my book.

Currently, I am reading Moby Dick.

So that's me.

I work, write, listen to boring conversations, and read Moby Dick.

Every Sunday night I decide to be a bit adventurous, and I like to start the evening at Dante's Sinferno Cabaret, at SW 3rd and Burnside in downtown Portland, OR.

I do not like strip clubs, and Dante's is not a strip club. But on Sunday night it is close.

They have go-go dancers on the stage and on platforms held in the air by chains. They have comedians, contortionists, fire dancers, and all sorts of interesting contemporary vaudeville acts.

They even have world famous magician Reed McClintock in the corner doing his act all night.

The crowd is mostly industry people and artists.

It is, for me, a nice little escape. I never stay too long. Just enough time to see a few of the most beautiful woman on the West Coast, give them a nice tip, and then move on to go back to six days of my real life.

Last night while at Dante's, I got the idea I would try to flatter some ladies with my game. You know, show confidence, a sense of humor, and flash how successful I am.

And then who should I see?

Why coming out of the VIP lounge upstairs, it was none other than Lakers Assistant Coach Brian Shaw. When I saw him, a dreaded enemy, coming down the stairs, through he crowd, with his body guard (or whoever that guy was) I realized that while I had no game...Brian Shaw certainly did.

Brian Shaw parked his butt on the bar stool and started flirting with the young ladies with tattoos, tongue studs, and dyed black hair.

I wanted so badly to go over to him and just say, "All three point shots dropped by the 2000 Lakers are a joke, bro!" Or perhaps just a plain, "Lakers suck, Brian."

Yet I did not. I respect his privacy as a human. I treated him as I wish to be treated.

BUT...it did remind me of what a strong word HATE is. To HATE someone, one has to have the ability to otherwise LOVE it.

Brian Shaw, pal, I hate your team, I hate your fans, I hate the fact that last night you strutted your stuff in my favorite joint to remind me that I have no game.

You were being a loser last night, Brian.

Tonight the Portland Trail Blazers play The Los Angeles Lakers.

I hope they mop the floor with them!

Go NBA Playoffs 2009.

Go Blazers.

If we lose, I will be very, very, mad.

Even in Defeat, The Portland Trail Blazers Do Not Dissapoint...

D REW — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 18:47:07 -0500

The Portland Trail Blazers are currently 36-22 in the Western Conference Standings after losing two of three games on a pivotal road trip.

Despite losing two very important games, games that took away our potential home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs...there is a great reason for Blazer fans to be happy right now!

Allow me to explain...

The first loss was handed to us by a Houston Rockets team that has lost their high scorer Tracy McGrady for the season.

However, they have the brilliant Rick Adelman as the head coach, the All-Star might of Ron Artest and Yao Ming, and a very talented roster which can easily fill in the 20-25 points McGrady provided. Houston has been winning a lot of games lately, and even took out the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were fully healthy.

Despite losing to Houston, Portland put up a better fight than Cleveland and made a game out of it. This is no small accomplishment.

The second loss was to the San Antonio Spurs, who were playing without the stunning Manu Ginobli and the ever dominant four time world champion Tim Duncan. Still, the Spurs had wily Tony Parker, a three-time world champion who is married to the beautiful film and television actress Eva Longoria!

Tony Parker can pull magic of of a hat and he played like it. Tony Parker did what NBA superstars do when they face adversity, he stepped up and played one of the best games of his career.

Yet despite Tony Parker's ambush, the Blazers pulled close down the stretch and gave themselves a chance to win. Again, no small accomplishment.

The third game, our only victory, came against the ailing Minnesotta Timberwolves, who are without their leading scorer Al Jefferson for the season. The Blazers beat up on Minnesotta and saved us from going 0-3 on the road trip. For the final time, no small accomplishment.

So let us step back and analyze the situation further.

Portland had no chance to win on the road in Houston or San Antonio. None. No matter what our record, those two teams would have beaten us on the road. That is just the way of the NBA.

Not until we get more powerful veterans, will we ever win in Texas. The fact our young team was able to make games out of those loses, that is something we should take a lot of pride in.

Furthermore, Portland did exactly what it was supposed to do against a team like Minnesota. We just rocked them every way we knew how, and made them have a lousy night. We beat them so bad, we made a boring game out of it.

So in otherwords, the Blazers did everything according to schedule.

The long NBA season will always force teams to have a lot of ups and downs in the playoff standings.

Never fear Blazer fans; Houston, Denver, Utah, New Orleans, Dallas, and Phoenix (our main rivals for playoff contention) will all lose plenty more games. We will go up and down in the standings for the remainder of the season. The odds that anyone of these teams wins enough games to knock us out of the playoffs is slim.

But not impossible.

Which brings me to my final point of why Blazer fans should rejoice...

Isn't it wonderful to watch Portland Trail Blazer basketball where the race for the playoffs is hanging at every tip off, at every shot, at every defense stand, and at every timeout?

How special is it to be able to sit down with Blazer fans and watch a game where it's not just about the beginning of the season, or beating a team that we have struggled with for four years...but being able to compete with the best teams in the world for a chance to make the playoffs??

That excitement is what we have all been hoping for, and that is exactly what we have!!

So thank you, Kevin Pritchard, Nate McMillan, Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Travis Outlaw, Rudy Fernandez, Steve Blake, Nicolas Batum, Joel the Thrilla-Vanilla-Guerilla-Pryzbilla, Sergio Rodriguez, Channing Frye, Jerryd Bayless, Greg Oden, and even you, Shavlik Randolph and Michael Ruffin.

You keep all Blazer fans on the edge of their seats...

Which is something we have not been able to do for YEARS.

Go Blazers!

For the Blazers, the Real NBA Season Is Beginning

D REW — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 20:11:31 -0500

At the end of every NBA game (except for maybe a team's 82nd, or third loss in a Playoff round) there is a nearly-invisible "To Be Continued..." that appears.

You can't see it unless you look deep into the faces of the players and their coach. No matter how a game ended, how bitter the defeat or how ecstatic the victory, professionals always realize that the season is long, and like two immortal warriors, these two teams will meet again.

One will seek vengeance, the other another salvation.

As we resume the regular season after the All-Star Break, those hard-to-see "To Be Continued..." endings will only get more dramatic. Every game will conclude with the participating franchises either closer to achieving their goals or farther from them.

If the Portland Trail Blazers can get closer to the Playoffs, each game will leave the viewer with a "To Be Continued..." that motivates them to stay tuned.

If not, well, look the other way, because a train wreck is about to take place.

Tonight, the Blazers will pick up where last we left them, a tragic trampling in Golden State that injured C Greg Oden and damaged their spot in the standings.

Brandon Roy played well in the All-Star Game, and our beloved Rudy Fernandez got screwed in the Slam Dunk Contest.

Though Portland currently holds the fourth or fifth spot in the Western Conference, in three games they could slip all the way to the ninth spot.

And there are plenty of enemies with great sagas of their own developing.

Let us examine our foes:

Phoenix

After firing head coach Terry Porter, the Phoenix Suns (currently ninth in the conference) made it perfectly clear that they are going to push for the Playoffs with a team that will outscore the opponent.

None of this "defense wins championships" for them. Shaq is going to run the court and they are going to bomb threes. Watch out, NBA.

Fortunately, Portland only has to play them one more time, and it will be a home game.

Dallas

The Mavericks are a bunch of veterans who have, until recently, been lying low. Now, they're making shots and playing like a team that made it to the NBA Finals just three seasons ago.

If Dirk Nowitzki stays hot, the rest of the league is in big trouble.

Dallas always scares me; they just seem to have Portland's number. The Blazers will need to focus on strengthening their young legs to beat them.

Utah

The Jazz are either a royal pain in the neck or just a fly that needs to be swatted.

Unless they are fully healthy, I do not see them making the Playoffs, as too many teams will take advantage of their injuries. But unfortunately for the rest of the West, Utah can play sick hoops if provoked, and they get provoked easily.

When facing Portland, Utah always seems to have the home-court advantage.

Denver

These guys scare the hell out of me. They have veterans, All-Stars, and attitude.

Portland's only option against Denver is for the youngsters to play the game of their lives.

New Orleans

New Orleans proved that they cannot play a game of professional basketball unless they have All-Star point guard Chris Paul. But when they have Chris Paul, they play one venomous game of hoops. And right now, they have Chris Paul.

Fortunately, the Blazers do not have to play them again this season. Still, Portland v. New Orleans would be one heck of a Playoff series.

San Antonio

The Spurs are always one of the best teams in the NBA, and always the team to beat out West, no matter what. Making the NBA Finals means being the team that can beat San Antonio and the great Tim Duncan.

Portland faces San Antonio three more times down the stretch. Yikes!

Houston

Tracy McGrady is desperate to get home-court advantage in the first round in order to advance for the first time in his career. And they have one great 0.8-second reason to rub Portland's face in the dirt

Good news: The Blazers can beat them, even if they're down one with less than a second left.

Los Angeles

And then there's the Los Angeles Lakers, my least favorite group of people.

Kobe Bryant lost his center, and guess what? They are playing even better basketball without him.

The NBA wants a rematch between Los Angeles and Boston, but that would require that the Lakers not only win with their players and top-notch coach, but also with the refs giving them free throws late in the game.

Thankfully, Portland always plays well against L.A. at home, even in past years when they were a sub-.500 team. And besides, if the Blazers do drop to the seventh or eighth seed, a Los Angeles v. Portland first-round series would be the perfect way for Portland to re-enter the playoffs.

So there you have it, Portland Trail Blazers.

Still, the key to making the Playoffs is not just a few important victories against these dangerous enemies, but also defeating teams like the one you face tonight, the lowly Memphis Grizzlies.

So can they do it?

To be continued...

Top Five Reasons Portland Blazers WILL Make Playoffs and Pull an UPSET

D REW — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 18:31:17 -0500

This last three-game road trip for the Portland Trail Blazers went pretty bad. We most likely would have fallen 0-3 had it not been for New Orleans Hornets All Star point guard Chris Paul getting an injury that permanently took him out of the game in the third quarter, allowing the Portland Trail Blazers to mount a 20 point come from behind victory!

But who knows?

Maybe a loss at New Orleans would have propelled us to play better at Dallas, and certainly crush the Oklahoma City Thunder?

Instead, Dallas never broke a sweat and Oklahoma City reminded us that they are still our bitter rival for the results of the 2007 NBA draft.

Today, the Trail Blazers are getting eaten up by the local media, their fans, and even themselves, as not being ready to make the playoffs yet.

I disagree.

I think the Portland Trail Blazers are still in the perfect position to make the playoffs, and force an upset.

Here's why:

1. Home Games v. Road Games

The Blazers will end the season with more games at home than on the road. The closer the playoffs near...the louder the Rose Garden will get, and the better the team will play. Just because Portland has been down on their luck for three road games, when this team wants to play...they come to play. And as time winds down...they will come to play.

2. Only a sliver of games separate the fourth ranked team from the ninth

The Blazers are ten games below the Los Angeles Lakers for the first spot, but we are merely four games below Denver for the second spot and three games below San Antonio for the third! At ninth place, the Phoenix Suns are THREE games below us! The race for the west will come down the last few games of the season, and Portland will have a GREAT advantage with home court advantage.

3. The Return of Steve Blake

Not having our starting point guard is beginning to wear the team down. We may have two great reserves, including rookie Jarred Bayless, but at the end of the day our veteran point guard will return and get the team back in playoff contention.

4. The Return of Foul Calls

Over the last few games, Portland has not been getting very many foul calls. At times, it seems we do not get fouled at all! But, with the effortless, lethargic, style of play, the refs will have a hard time rewarding us with foul calls to make the game close. Blazers play will pick up with the return of Blake, and the home court advantage, and so too will a friendly whistle from an NBA ref.

5. NBA Playoffs are ANYONE'S Game

The team with the best record usually wins in the NBA playoffs, but in the NBA any team can win on any night. When Portland makes the playoffs, we will be a headache for our opponent. I theorize we can play a six or seven game series in which even if we lose we will wear our opponent down and make it difficult for their tired legs to get past the next round. That would be an upset.

So, rest easy Blazer fans! The season is going just fine. Perhaps the best thing for Portland is to lose a few games on the road, remind us that we still have a lot of work ahead, but the team, media, and fans should stay positive because the Portland Trail Blazers are still doing all the right things to make it to the playoffs and pull an upset.

Go Blazers!

The Top Five Reasons To Dislike LeBron James

D REW — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:37:46 -0500

When I first signed onto Bleacher Report, I figured this would be therapy since I like to write about the Portland Trail Blazers, and I do not care if I am one of these senior writers with 58,000 hits! I am fine just to write, publish, and get feedback from bloggers and editors. All I wanted to do was share my thoughts on a game by game basis.

Lately I realized that Bleacher Report is a darn good way to make some serious statements. So instead of going game by game, I decided to pick my articles more carefully.

Thus I contemplated writing a mid-season Blazers report card, or talking about the rookie sensations we have, or even Rudy Fernandez going to the slam dunk contest.

After tonight's home court loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, I found another good topic to discuss: Top five reasons to dislike LeBron James!

5. LeBron James Travels!

LeBron James is the King, alright. The King of TRAVELING! He travels more than Traveling Matt from that old Muppet show Fraggle Rock. He travels more than a frequent flier! LeBron James travels more than Indiana Jones when he goes searching for buried treasure. LeBron James takes three to four steps on so many of his explosive dunks, its really sickening that nobody who has a powerful voice that broadcasts to the nation will say anything about it.

4. LeBron James Whines!

LeBron James whines like a little baby when things do not go his way. Just tonight he pouted, and pouted, and then got that, "Ref you know you did me wrong but it's all good!" look. Jordan never whined like LeBron does, Jordan scared the hell out of anyone who got in his way.

I do not think even Kobe Bryant, in his younger arrogant years, whined as much as LeBron James. And since the league lets him travel so they can spotlight his monster jams, what right does he have to whine about anything?

3. LeBron James Is All About the $$$

LeBron James does not care about his fans, or winning a championship, more than he cares about getting paid! He is actually considering leaving his adoring home state to play for...The Knicks?? The Nets?? Does he have rocks in his head? Or does he just care about whoever pays him the most $$$?

It is SAD LeBron James is helping take Cleveland to the level they are playing at this season, with the knowledge he may well ditch them to go hang with Jay-Z's Nets, or even the Knicks. He would take YEARS to rebuild the Nets and Knicks franchises, even with James! If he leaves Cleveland, I will STRONGLY DISLIKE the guy.

2. LeBron James Does NOT Make His Teammates Better

Long have I argued with NBA enthusiasts that Brandon Roy's best attribute is the fact he makes the players around him so much better. LeBron James does not do that. In the past, he carried them on his back to get them to the playoffs and even the finals.

This season, he has surrounded himself with veterans like Wally Szczerbiak, Mo Williams, and Ben Wallace! The Cleveland Cavaliers franchise put a wily group of hungry vets to surround their traveling, whining, care only about the $$$, superstar. THAT is why they are winning.

1. LeBron James got SWEPT in the NBA Finals

Yes, in 2007 King James went to the NBA Finals, and played a series that could not even produce ONE game to go on the list of NBA's Greatest Games! The San Antonio Spurs whooped them in the most boring NBA Finals of my lifetime.

So there you have it.

Of course, there are other reasons I will omit. Such as the fact I am bitterly jealous that his talent takes him to such heights, while I sit at this computer gaining weight and being upset that my team put up a close but no cigar fight.

I can say that I watched LeBron James and Mo Williams but up career statistics at the Rose Garden, and that Portland missed every important shot. I could even go so far as to say I would have much rather SOLD MY TICKET than have attended this game.

BUT...I will just leave it at that!

LeBron, you travel, whine, are all about the money, do not make your teammates better, and when you made it to the NBA Finals...you got SWEPT.

10 WORST Portland Trail Blazers Losses of ALL TIME

D REW — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:55:23 -0500

Tonight the Portland Trail Blazers received a TUMULTUOUS ASS WHOOPING from the Philadelphia 76ers. Normally I avoid using bad language in my writing, because I cuss enough in real life. But as a writer, it is important to use bad language when you are specifically punctuating a particular emotion or event.

In this case...it is the fact that after listening to all the post game hype on the radio...I turned the game on early in the second quarter and saw The Portland Blazers were down 34-15.

It did not get better.

Tonight, the Philadelphia 76ers spank'd us like a red headed step child. They did not apologize either. Though we came into tonight's game without Rudy Fernandez, we left it with an injured Steve Blake and an UGLY defeat.

Portland had two passionate games against Philadelphia last year, and the franchise beat them in 1977 for the NBA title! So we should have expected the hungry Sixers would look to OWN us like Simon from American Idol owns a bad singer's hopes and dreams of fame and fortune!

This embarassing and otherwise ridiculous ass whooping made me think of the 10 WORST Blazer losses EVER. Of course, these are just my opinion.

10. Game Two 1999 Western Conference Finals Versus San Antonio Spurs

Portland blows a nineteen point lead and lets skilled three point veteran Sean Elliot drop a dagger three to take a one point lead and win the game in an explosive come from behind win that is now dubbed: "The Memorial Day Miracle." The three pointer not only gives San Antonio a two game lead in the series, it completely deflates the young Blazers and leads to a sweep.

9. Game Four 1990 NBA Finals Versus Detriot Pistons

Down 2-1 in the Finals, Portland has allowed the bad boy Detriot Pistons to get in their heads and hearts, and are down three points with seconds to spare. Danny Young throws up a desperate three...which goes in at the buzzer! Memorial Coliseum is electric and The Blazers have saved the series! Right? Wrong. Replay shows that Danny Young's miracle three was still in his fingers when time was off the clock. The buzzer sounded late. Blazers go down 3-1 in the Finals, and all hope appeared lost.

8. 2002 Versus Denver Nuggets

At Denver, shooting for their 13th win in a row, The Portland Blazers blow a 28 point second half lead to a Nuggets team whose best player is in his 50s! Scottie Pippen missed a free throw to go up four, and Tim Hardaway drains the game tying shot at the buzzer. Nuggets go on to give us a pathetic overtime defeat. I had court-side tickets for that game.

7. Game Three 2002 First Round Against Los Angeles Lakers

Facing a sweep, Portland puts up a valiant second half fight to take a five point lead with less than a minute. If Portland can win one game, odds are they can ride the momentum and win the next game to force a decisive game five against their bitter rivals, The Lakers.

Except Pippen misses a pivotal free throw, and Bryant drives to the basket, draws the double team from Pippen, and wisely dishes it out a wide open Robert Horry. Big Shot Bob sinks the three, one of his most famous three pointers, and Portland is swept by their dreaded nemesis.

6. Game Five 1990 NBA Finals Versus Detroit

Down 3-1 in the NBA Finals, Portland loses a seven point lead with a 1:20 left and allows Vinnie Johnson to score seven straight points, including the game winner. Terry Porter tries a three pointer to win...BRICK. The Detroit Pistons dance on the floor of Memorial Coliseum and Blazer fans cry, cry, cry...

5. Game Six 1991 NBA Western Conference Finals Versus Los Angeles Lakers

Ask anyone on that great RIP City team why they never won the championship, and they will honestly tell you that it is because they lost to the Lakers in 1991. Terry Porter missed the game winning shot, and Magic Johnson rolled the rebound down the court. The Lakers go onto a historic NBA Finals against Chicaco, and Portland goes back to the drawing room board.

4. Game Seven 2003 Versus Dallas Mavericks

The last great run of the Sheed-Pippen era, the guys force a decisive game seven against a BRILLIANT Mavericks team that had them down 3-0. No team had ever forced a game seven down 3-0. Not a single Blazer fan could sleep the night before. One of the best games I ever saw turns into Dirk Nowitzki and Nick Van Exel putting on an offensive onslaught to The Blazers away late in the fourth quarter! The final game of Portland great Arvydas Sabonis. (Sigh.)

3. 2004 Last Game of the Season Versus Los Angeles Lakers

Portland knows it will miss the playoffs for the first time in over twenty years, and has one last shot at redemption. Defeating the Los Angeles Lakers, giving the best record in the west to the Sacramento Kings! Portland puts up a fight, only to have Kobe Bryant drop an IMPOSSIBLE three to tie the game, and another impossible three at the buzzer for a one point win!

Once again, in Hollywood style, the Lakers rub salt into the wounds of an badly injured franchise.

2. Game Six 1992 NBA Finals Versus Chicago Bulls

That RIP City Team was one of the best NBA teams ever assembled. It took Detroit, Los Angles, and finally the Chicago Bulls (three legendary teams) to stop us. The fact we were the ultimate test for those three franchises speaks to the quality of that RIP City team. Sadly, our run ended in 1992 as the Bulls overcame a late second half 15 point deficit to win their 2nd NBA Championship. I still hate watching that.

1. Game Seven 2000 NBA Western Conference Finals Versus Los Angeles Lakers

Top five worst days of MY LIFE!! Do I even need to explain? Did anyone think there would ever be worse Blazers loss than this?? Blazers blow a fifteen point FOURTH QUARTER lead over a Lakers team that cannot sink a free throw, and end an otherwise GLORIOUS run at making the 2000 NBA Finals, where we were predicted win.

That day, as we lost, a tree outside of my house COLLAPSED. Literally...it split in TWO at the same time Portland was blowing the lead! I can still feel the pain from that loss, and it took over FIVE YEARS before I allowed myself to watch the rerun on NBA's Greatest Games. To this day, it hurts. Hurts. HURTS. www.beatLA09.com

So there you have it Blazer fans.

This loss was tough, and there will be more tough losses to come.

But there have been far worse losses than the one we felt tonight.

Portland Trail Blazers Bully the Chicago Bulls!

D REW — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:22:05 -0500

The Blazers road game against the Chicago Bulls was on channel 8, the worst sports broadcasters in the world, which meant no late night rerun.

Therefore, I paid close attention.

We started off poorly, but that did not matter. We had the Bulls right where we wanted them. Yes, even down early on we had the Bulls by the...well, you know.

Every single time the Bulls made a run in the second half, the Blazers put them in their place with pristine execution. We hit at least four pivotal three point plays that branded the Bulls behind with the words "2009 Portland Trail Blazer."

Outlaw, Bayless, Blake, and Roy made all four of those plays. It's hard to beat a team that converts a three point play every time your draw near. For Chicago, tonight it was impossible.

Furthermore, we did not have to rely on Brandon Roy. Instead, we used the much improved game of Travis Outlaw and LaMarcus Aldridge to bully the Bulls.

This is pivotal not just for our continued success at making a playoff run, but because in 1992 the Bulls ended Rip City's glorious run at the title, and that means giving their big old windy city a hard time whenever possible is forever necessary.

Because, like many Blazer fans, I spent a great deal of time this summer watching old Blazer playoff games on YouTube, posting comments about how we were going to kill this year with the addition of Rudy and Oden. After games like this, those comments are coming true!

After the game I said to one of our customers, "Wow, is Portland this good?"

To which he replied, "Well, the Bulls are that bad."

Even if that is the case, this was a big win. Our next games are against Milwaukee, New Jersey, and Charlotte.

Those are three games we can WIN!

So cross your fingers Blazer fans, knock on wood.

We could be 26-14 in a few days...

And if that happens...

I will forgive channel eight for being the worst sports broadcasters in the world.

Blazers' Lawsuit Against the NBA Re: Miles (Oh Yeah, Blazers Womp Warriors Too!)

D REW — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:19:34 -0500

Do Blazers management ever do anything right when it comes to Darius Miles?

First, they signed a very talented young player in 2004 when we were struggling to make the playoffs, but they were paying him way too much money. Picking him up seemed little more than a desperate attempt to get rid of Rasheed Wallace. Darius played good that year, and the Blazers made a valiant push for the playoffs.

We were close, but no cigar.

Over the next two seasons, The Blazers got OWNED by the league. They could not win a game if you paid the other team money to lose. Darius gets a bum knee, made friends with Zach Randolph's sorry excuse for a Mafia, and he became known as a pariah whose off court antics were not just frowned upon for their criminal conduct, but the sheer stupidity behind their actions.

Darius Miles turned into an overpaid bum, and the management wanted him out. Problem was, a big part of the reason Darius became the bum that he was is because of the way management handled him in the first place. They got him just to ditch Sheed...and look what happened.

We still had a bunch of ignorant thugs, except this young group had no idea how to win a game, zero leadership skills, and all they wanted was their paycheck for the stats they were supposed to produce.

Bad Basketball.

Finally Portland zapped Miles into the distance with a doctor's note saying his knee was bad and he could never play again. Phew! With Miles retired, Portland can save money to resign and even build talent around Roy, Aldridge, Oden, and Rudy.

Right?

Except...Miles did not retire.

No, Miles played pitifully for Boston during the pre-season, and was cut. Now he signed a 10 day contract with the struggling Memphis Grizzlies...which means The Blazers will have to pay miles millions more dollars...potentially damaging their fiscal future.

So DID the Blazers Management make another pivotal mistake when they emailed the whole league threatening litigation if anyone hired Miles?

Is this a good case?

Depends.

For the Blazers to win that case, they would have to prove beyond a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant willingly, intentionally, and maliciously, signed Miles for the SOLE purpose of damaging the Blazers financially.

The only way to provide such evidence is for the defendant to present discovery (evidence in a civil case, usually a lot of paperwork) via subpoena that proves they only signed Miles to damage Portland.

Does that evidence exist? Is it written somewhere, "Sign Miles...DESTROY the Blazers...Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Ask yourself: Would President Larry Miller have sent out such an email if he did know that evidence existed? I would like to think not. I would think the Blazers management, who have been pretty darn intelligent lately, do INDEED know they can prove this case beyond the preponderance of the evidence in court.

Or were Larry Miller, Paul Allen, and Kevin Pritchard sitting around drinking, heard about Miles being signed, and just went ballistic and started firing off emails?

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

I DO know that ALL OF THIS is because of the Blazers previous managements' hideous mistakes. Our previous management messed the team up so badly, and the media has never held them as accountable as they have the players.

(I.e. which is why I threatened my own litigation in 2007, which I posted in a previous article.)

Now, this was a conflict which could have, and should have, been resolved behind closed doors? Probably.

Should the Blazers management have taken a deep breath before acting? Maybe.

Do I really know how the ruthless world of professional sports works. No. Not at all.

But I do know this...the Blazers went into Saturday nights home game against the Golden State Warriors amid controversy. Brandon Roy returned to the line up, and we made Don Nelson's team (By the way, does anyone agree Don Nelson looks like a mix between Billy Bob Thorton in Bad Santa, and Tony Curtis in The Bad News Bears III?) we just clobbered them.

My older brother got me a ticket, too! Thanks Jason!

Golden State made some good shots, but Portland turned into a human highlight real, and Golden State could do nothing but whimper off the court.

So Blazers win.

But did we also lose?

We have this darned case mulling over our franchise, and that is already disappointing the league. If we hope to make the playoffs, we should not pick a fight unless we know we can win.

Do we?

We better.

Go Blazers.

Travis Outlaw Jacks the Detroit Pistons for Their Cash

D REW — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:41:51 -0500

There are two kinds out outlaws.

1. The outlaw who jacks people for profit.

2. The outlaw who jacks the rich to give to the poor.

Travis Outlaw is the latter.

Was there a single Blazer fan who, with the Blazers down one point with possession, did not scream "Give the ball to Outlaw!"

I sure did. It was not even a close call. The guy beat Memphis and Atlanta at the buzzer last season, plus came up huge in the fourth quarter against Phoenix and Boston this season. Those are just four memorable accomplishments, but the list goes on.

Remember when he was a rookie, drafted out of high school, skinny and lanky and kind of goofy looking, not really good for anything except coming off the bench and getting OWNED by whoever he went up against? Now look at him, he's one of our most dangerous players down the stretch.

Even though the Pistons were short two all stars (Sheed and Hamilton) they still had Iverson and Prince, and Prince put up one heck-of-a-fight against Portland. The Pistons had us in their pocket most of the game.

Luckily, the Blazers got energetic, the Rose Garden got SUPER loud, and the good guys gave themselves a chance to win.

The play McMillan ran was perfect, give the ball to Outlaw and let him shoot. Outlaw jumped, two Piston defenders jumped to block him, but Travis pulled some Jordan 'hang time' and stayed in the air a little bit longer. The giant Piston defenders returned to Earth, and Travis was left in the air with a wide open look at the basket. Swish!

Thus Travis Outlaw came along and JACKED the Pistons for their cash! And who did he give the money too? Why, the Blazer fans, of course.

He stole from the rich and gave to the poor!

There was still time for the Pistons to win and I do not think any Blazer fan was excited about the Pistons having eight seconds left to shoot. But the Blazers played great defense and did not allow Iverson to penetrate, draw a double team, and find an open man. Detriot's best play would have been to have Prince shoot...but Steve Blake played Iverson one on one and forced him to miss. Blazers nab the rebound and win by one point!

HUGE win for a Blazer team who, if they are going to make the playoffs, will have to scratch and claw their way.

On the side note, people who are still bashing Greg Oden should take heed from a player like Outlaw. Sometimes people who are struggling at a task, with enough practice, become one of the best! The emergence of players like Outlaw is a sign that the Blazers are going to get our big man into better shape as the season, and his career, progresses.

And hey, anyone remember Yao Ming's rookie year? What did HE do?

So I have a ticket for Saturday night, and hopefully I will see the Blazers run down the hoodlum Golden State Warriors and jack them for their cash too!

Blazers Head Coach Nate McMillan Needs to Pull Some Yoda Jedi Magic

D REW — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:16:09 -0500

Sadly, two of my 10 reasons on how The Portland Trail Blazers 2009 season could turn into a tale of woe have come true. First we lost Brandon Roy to an injury, secondly we faced the Los Angeles Lakers. That is a bit like losing a leg and then being forced to run a marathon.

Does anyone remember the movie Empire Strikes Back? If you don't, then you probably live in the middle of the Amazon rain forest, yet even then that would surprise me. My point is, remember the scene where Yoda is trying to teach Luke the force by getting him to raise his ship out of the swamp where it is stranded. Except Luke is being a whiney punk going on and on about how it is too hard and he cannot do it.

What does Yoda do?

He gets all mad, lowers his head, and uses the force to lift Luke's ship out of the swamp. The little guy shows Luke that no matter how small you are, the force can do anything.

Nate McMillan is a Yoda figure, and it is time that he teaches this Trail Blazer team how to win without Brandon Roy. Because without Roy, we appear to be little more than a powerful spacecraft stranded in a murky swamp, and if the pupils cannot lift the vessel out, it is up to the master to show them how!

Aldridge is having trouble passing out of the double team, our second lineup is weak, Jarred Bayless is struggling with his shot, and we really do not have time to figure out how to solve it...we need to solve it right now!!

Because the third part of my 10 reasons we could have a season of woe is up next...Rasheed Wallace and the Detroit Pistons.

And I would rather my predictions be a topic of conversation, not a phrophecy of woe...

10 Things That Can Make Trail Blazers 2009 Season a Tale Of Woe...

D REW — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 10:31:58 -0500

I was surprised to read in the paper today that even though we lost last nights home game to the New Orleans Hornets, local sports writers said it was an encouraging sign Blazer back up center Joel Pryzbilla almost came to blows against Hornets starting center Tyson Chandler.

What was so encouraging about it? Chandler has been ejected three times from the Rose Garden, and I was at the first two.

That shoving match was business as usual.

Aldridge standing up to Garnett, great! Anytime the Blazers take on Lamar Odom...pristine! But if Joel and Tyson are going to have words in the Rose Garden...Blazers need to WIN.

Otherwise it's wasted heroics. Or just foolery.

I know we did not have Brandon Roy, but that was no excuse not to accept the fact that a loss like this proves The Trail Blazers are still on the verge of having a season that is a tale of woe. We are just a little bit better in the win percentage this season than we were last season, and last season we got knocked out of the playoffs.

Despite beating the world champs, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Houston...all teams that have whooped us for the last four years...it does not mean we are going to make the playoffs.

I've been to a dozen great games...and they were all early on in the season. Wait until it gets closer to the finish line...then see if we're the tortoise or the hair.

Blazer fans, ask yourselves: Is this team the 1999 Sacramento Kings, the 2001 Dallas Mavericks, or are we another 2004 Portland Trail Blazers, just a few games away from valiantly making the playoffs...only to be eliminated.

The question made me make up a list of 10 things that could happen over the next four months that could turn our season into a tale of woe.

1. Injuries

I know it's cliche, but cliches exist for a reason. They're true! Last season we would have made the playoffs and been a legitimate contender, until three-point veteran specialist James Jones went out with a bum knee. That injury was our season, our three week losing streak, and our playoff hopes all in one.

2. Revenge of the Texas Triangle

Good veteran teams know that when upstarts give them an embarrassing loss, the response is to dominate them the rest of the season. The Rockets and San Antonio Spurs will most likely beat us in their arenas (combo 4 games) and are likely to return to the Rose Garden with a chip on their shoulder. (combo 2 games) Did I mention Dallas made us look silly on Christmas day? (combo 3 games) So that is NINE games where the Texas Triangle can send us crushing defeats.

3. Zach Randolph

Okay, so the Clippers suck...but Zach Randolph still wants to make us suffer. That double over time performance he put on to give us our third straight loss in a row will be there to face us three more times, twice in his home town.

4. That buffoon Shaq O'Neal:

I do not think Shaq takes a personal interest in us, more than he just wants to squash us like bugs. When Phoenix returns to the Rose Garden...can Brandon Roy really turn into a superhero like that again?

We'll need him too, because Phoenix will bring the exact same game they brought last time...only better.

5. Rasheed Wallace

Another disgruntled former employee. Hey, when he slammed that ball down at the end of the Pistons embarrassing home loss to the Trail Blazers, he did not just punctuate his disdain...he reminded us that the Pistons will be in our house soon. When that happens, one better believe they plan to win big time.

6. Buzzer beaters:

When Hedo Turkoglu hit that sloppy back board buzzer beater to give us our first home loss of the season, the Blazers reacted as if they had lost a playoff series. Losing at home, even at the buzzer, is something we need to let go of quicker. Regular season is just practice for the playoffs.

Instead, we allowed the momentum of that game turn into a three game losing streak. A shot like that should make us come out and trounce our next opponent.

Which brings me to my next point...

7. Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson, and the Los Angeles Lakers

If you wear the Blazers uniform, part of your job is to remember the pain those three names have caused this city, and take it personal. I know that the Blazers always play well against L.A., but this L.A. team is a far more dangerous L.A. opponent than any we have faced since 2004.

We cannot possibly defeat them in Los Angeles, as they are far too powerful. And when they get to Portland...Kobe is going to be fully prepared to keep a close game in which he finishes us off at the buzzer. NOTHING could be worse than Kobe sinking our team at home at the buzzer...and he knows it. Phil Jackson knows it. They expect it. They'll play for it...

8. Fatigue on the road:

Just because we played well during a difficult opening schedule on the road, does not mean we will finish well on the road. Already I have listed a total of 18 GAMES where we have an opponent who wants to give us crushing defeats.

Add that 18 up with the OTHER 14 games we have on the road...our legs could start getting tired. The jet lag will kick in. Crushing defeats by old enemies and buzzer beaters could start adding up to a deadly case of fatigue on the road.

9. Lack of veteran discipline:

All year long the Blazers broadcasters, the local journalists, and even the fans have said we should not make any trades because we are playing so well. Those people are well-meaning, but I disagree.

The Pistons were willing to trade Chauncey Billups this season, and THAT is the guy we should have gone after. I would have given up anyone but Rudy, Roy, Aldridge, and Oden for Billups.

Still, there are other valuable veterans, leaders, across this league looking for homes. This young team will need a veteran (or two) if we are to not just to make the playoffs, but go far.

10. Making the playoffs only to get SWEPT!!!

AHH! What if we land the seventh or eight spot...and face up against Los Angles, San Antonio, Denver, Houston, or New Orleans? I'll tell you what...we'll probably get SWEPT. The first game on the road we will lose by 10-15 points. The second and third games we will lose by 2-3. And the fourth we will lost by 10.

Serious. Because as much as I want to make the playoffs...I do not want to make the playoffs and get SWEPT. Especially by L.A.

If we get swept...sorry Blazer fans, our season is but a tale of woe.

So there you have it.

We needed last nights game. We just because a fight nearly broke out, that does not help. In fact, it really just makes things worse.

Go Blazers!