Trail Blazer Fan Fest 2009 Recap

Tonight was the kickoff of the 2009-2010 season for Blazer fans with the annual Trail Blazer Fan Fest.

It's a great opportunity for fans, that aren't rolling in cash, to attend a little scrimmage and hang out session for the team. I think it's an important event put on by the organization.

We got to fan fest around 3:30 p.m. and it was already buzzing with people. Thanks to Schonely's place, we were able to have a drink and then get quick access to the Rose Garden.

CDub, myself, and a few others ended up at half court, three rows up on the press side. You'll be able to tell when you see the pictures and video, but needless to say, they were prime seats.

There was a long warm-up and Q and A session with the players prior to the scrimmage. Rudy always has good answers, and overall the guys looked a little uncomfortable.

The real fun always starts when either Travis or a rookie (Dante Cunningham) decide to challenge Bayless to a dunk contest during shoot-around. See the video for the results. Bayless and Cunningham can fly.

As for the game itself, a few things stood out to me.

Andre Miller was going about 35 percent while the rest of the team was going 75 percent. Andre really doesn't want to be there, but I'm down with that. I'd rather he got ready for the regular season.

Martell Webster looked bouncy and poised to return to full strength. Let's hope he can find his three-point jumper this season because I know he is chomping at the bit to come back. See the pictures in the photo album for proof that Martell is healthy.

For all the hype surrounding Greg Oden's summer and training camp, I'd say he had his good and bad moments during the scrimmage. Early on, the jump hook and another close shot looked bad. But later he finished a few jams and even had a left-handed lay-in on Przybilla that was pretty smooth.

Travis Outlaw's shot looked great, but he still seems to shoot it every time he touches the ball and I didn't see much driving to the hoop, even in a scrimmage.

The final score is obviously pretty irrelevant, but it's worth noting that Steve Blake was the MVP of the scrimmage. Here's the home made box score for your viewing pleasure.

Here's a photo gallery on Flickr from Fan Fest as well.