Trailblazin' to the title

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

I'm guessing there will be nobody left of the original Blazers by the trade deadline... which would be good for Portland if it happened IRL...

What are you rgoals for this season, Jake? Realistic goals, I mean...

[JakeTheBlazer]

Realistically i'd like to grab an 8th or 7th seed in the playoffs, and yeah, by the time the trade deadline has passed i hope to have moved viktor khryapa, ruben patterson, and possibly danny fortson, and i've never had a problem trading a draft pick for a sure thing.

[JakeTheBlazer]

Blazers decide to make changes in the starting line up



Concerned with the lack of production from theo ratliff, the blazers have opted to start Danny fortson tonight against the Milwaukee bucks. Also, with nick van exel irratic performances over the past 2.5 weeks, the Blazers are going to experiment with Telfair starting at point guard.

Danny Fortson has been doing a great job on the defensive and offensive glass in the three games he's played with the Blazers. Ratliff's production has dropped significantly from last season, he's currently averaging 6 points and 9 boards and only 1 block per game.

Telfair has been leading the team in assists the past 3 of 4 games, and has earned a chance to start. The move will probably not be long term if the Blazers can work out a deal with another team for a veteran point guard.

[John WB]

You did a nice trade getting Allen and Fortson. Very good.

[kibaxx7]

You did a nice trade getting Allen and Fortson. Very good.

Yeah I really like it. Nice work.

[JakeTheBlazer]

thanks for the encouragement everyone! expect bigger and better things from the portland trailblazer's in the near future!

[JakeTheBlazer]

TELFAIR PLAYS SOLID GAME IN FIRST START



"and with the 13th pick in the 2004 nba draft, the Portland TrailBlazers select Sebastian Telfair..."

Many critics felt Portland took Telfair too high in the draft, and Telfair hadn't accomplished anything up to that point that would justify his being picked that high in the draft. "He's too small" "There's never been a point guard selected out of highschool before, it'll be too much responsibility for him running an NBA team" "He's going to be a bust"

Well in his first NBA start of his young career, Telfair proved the haters wrong and showed that he did indeed have the talent to be on an nba court. In 24 minutes of play, Telfair scored 6 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, dished 8 assists, and mostly importantly, turned the ball over 0 times. The Blazers who are now 5-3 have won 4 of 5 games when Telfair leads the team in assists.

Future Dynamic Duo???

One reason for Telfair's improved play is the chemisty that he and Darius Miles have developed. In last nights game against the bucks, Half of Telfair's assists were to Darius Miles.



Darius Miles finished the game with 15 points 4 boards and 2 assists. Increased minutes and the development of Telfair have really given d-miles stats a boost.

[JakeTheBlazer]

Ray Allen Drops 40 on a struggling Houston Rockets Team



With his team struggling to score buckets, Ray Allen lifted them up put them on his shoulders. Allen kept his team in the game and scored 20 poins in the first half, then in the second half he shut down Tracy McGrady AND scored another 20 points to lead the Blazers to a 6 point victory over Yao and T-mac.

Pryzbilla To Start Against the Heat


Joel Pryzbilla will likely start against the Heat on march 23rd. Theo Ratliff has been playing much better off the bench, and Danny Fortson hasn't played well with his increased minutes at the 5, he's much more effective at power forward.

Blazers Sign Former Grizzly



In an effort to solve their point guard problems, the blazers have signed former Grizzly point guard, Troy Bell. Bell will be available for tuesday nights game against the heat. To make room for Bell on the active roster, the blazers have placed Viktor Khryapa on in the injured list.

[JakeTheBlazer]

A Look At The Blazers Depth Chart

C -
Pryzbilla seems like he may have a break out season, and has earned a spot in the starting line up in just 10 games this season. His rebounding and shot blocking has been much more consistent than Ratliff, recording 3 blocks and 12 boards against Shaq in the Blazer's last game against the heat.

PF -
Shareef Abdur-Rahim is playing like an all-star averaging 23 points and 10 boards a game. Fortson has been a monster on the offensive glass for the Blazers.

SF -
Darius Miles has been great defensively, and is leading the team in blocks and steals. Derek Anderson has been playing great off the bench, averaging double digits in points, and is currently third on the team in scoring. Travis Outlaw has been getting a few minutes every game and is showing us that he may have a Darius Miles-type game.

SG -
Ray Allen has been continuing his stellar play and has won a couple games for the Blazers already. Van Exel has been struggling to find some consistency off the bench for the Blazers, scoring 4 points one night and 20 the next.

PG -
Telfair and Van Exel haven't been very steady at the point so far this season, and Telfair may loose his starting spot to Troy bell who scored 6 points and handed out 2 assists in limited minutes against the heat.

[JakeTheBlazer]

Blazers extend winning streak
Since trading for Ray Allen the Blazers have gone on an 8 game winning streak, beating the Orlando Magic by 37 points tonight. Darius Miles' play continues to improve since being inserted into the starting line up scoring 18 points, blocking 2 shots, grabbing 2 steals, dishing out 3 assists, and pulling down 5 boards.

Player of the Game


Points - 26
Rebounds - 8
Assists - 5
Steals - 3

[JakeTheBlazer]

Blazers Continue Winning Ways
Last Night the Blazers faced their first real test of the season, against the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs led by 5 at the end of the first, but that was the least lead they would ever have, the blazers outscored the mavs by 14 points in the second, tied them for points in the third, and outscored them by 5 in the fourth, pulling out a 14 point win, extending their winning streak to 9 games. Joel Pryzbilla managed a double double scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 boards, and blocking 2 shots.

Player Of The Game

Points - 30
Rebounds - 3
Assists - 6
Steals - 1

[JakeTheBlazer]

Blazers Suffer Humilating Defeat, End 9 Game Winning Streak
Jason Kidd had his way with Sebastian Telfair tonight, scoring, 38 points, grabbing 6 boards, and handing out 11 assists, leading his team to a 28 point victory over the Blazers in the Rose Garden. Vince Carter was also the victor in his match up with Ray Allen who had been like an MVP up to this point. Vince finished the game with 27 points, 7 boards, 6 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. Reef led the way for the blazers with 24 points and 10 boards. Ray Allen finished wih 21 points and 7 boards for the Blazers.

Player of the Game

Points - 38
Rebounds - 6
Assists - 11
Steals - 2

[JakeTheBlazer]

Stoudamire gets the last laugh
Last night against the Sonics, Stoudamire went off on his old team scoring 29 points and 7 assists. The Blazers seem to struggle against teams with above average point guards, loosing to the nets, warriors, and now the sonics. The Blazers have lost two games in a row.

[JakeTheBlazer]

NOVEMBER REVIEW
West Rookie of the Month



PPG- 4.6
RPG- 1.8
APG- 4.5
STL- .77

East Rookie of the Month



PPG- 15.4
RPG- 8.3
APG- 2.3
BPG- 1.46
SPG- 1.00

West Player of the Month



PPG- 23.6
RPG- 10.9
APG- 2.3
BPG- 2.44
SPG- 1.50

East Player of the Month



PPG- 22.6
RPG- 14.6
APG- 2.5
BPG- 2.25
SPG- 1.19

MPV Candidates


LEAUGE LEADERS
PPG - Michael Redd (28.5 PPG)
RPG - Shaquille O'neal (14.3 RPG)
BPG - Ben Wallace (2.57 BPG)
SPG - Kobe Bryant (2.60 SPG)
APG - Jason Williams (8.1 APG)

Blazer Leaders
Points - Ray Allen (26.9 PPG 2nd in the league)
Rebounds - Shareef Abdur-Rahim (10.1 RPG)
Assists - Sebastian Telfair (4.5 APG)
Steals - Ray Allen (1.21 SPG)
Blocks - Darius Miles (1.21 BPG)

[JakeTheBlazer]

SEASON STANDINGS AS OF DEC. 1 2004
Western Conference
1. San Antonio 12-4
2. Denver 10-4
3. Sacramento 9-6
4. Minnesota 10-4
5. Portland 9-5
6. Dallas 9-7
7. Phoenix 8-7
8. Houston 8-8 & LA Clippers 8-8

Eastern Conference
1. Detroit 11-3
2. New Jersey 9-6
3. Atlanta 8-6
4. Indiana 9-6
5. Boston 8-6
6. Philadelphia 8-6
7. Miami 8-8
8. New York 7-7

[JakeTheBlazer]

TRADE RUMORS
and

The Knicks may have finally found a taker for Kurt Thomas. Word is that Marbury and Thomas haven't been playing nicely together, so Marbury has been pressuring management to get rid of him. Even without pressure from marbury, the knicks may have moved Thomas anyways to make room for their younger player, Mike Sweetney. The Knicks already have a log jam at Power forward and trading Thomas for a small forward like Ruben patterson would help to bolster their 3 spot, which right now is only being manned by Tim Thomas and Trevor Ariza, and at this point in the season, neither is playing that well. In exchange for Thomas, portland may have to send a 2nd round draft pick with patterson, and/or Jelani McCoy or Richie Frahm. The Blazers may not want to trade for Thomas if the knicks demand Jelani McCoy be part of the deal, since the Blazers are in talks with the pistons about acquiring Carlos Arroyo for Viktor Khryapa and Jelani McCoy.

and
Another rumor has Ruben Patterson, Danny Fortson, and Richie Frahm going to the pacers for Austin Croshere, Anthony Johnson, and Michael Curry. The Blazers have been interested in aquiring a big man who can come in off the bench and hit a few jump shots and grab a few rebounds, if they can't work a trade out with the knicks for Kurt thomas, they may try to aquire Croshere from the pacers. Anthony Johnson would also provide a steady point guard with play off experience for the Blazers.

[JakeTheBlazer]

Blazers Avenge Loss to Seattle

Seattle, Dec 4. - After loosing to visting seattle 5 days ago, the Blazers were in town to play the Sonics. There would be no heroics from Damon Stoudamire on this day. Shareef Abdur-Rahim played hero this time, scoring 38 points against former teammate, Zach Randolph. Abdur-Rahim didnt do it all on his own, he received a large contribution from Darius Miles who chipped in 16 points, 6 assists, and 9 boards. Ray Allen added 23 points. With this win the Blazers are now 10-5.

Player of the Game



Points - 38
Rebounds - 5
Assists - 2
Blocks - 1
Steals - 1

Second Win in Two Nights for Blazers

Portland, Dec 5 - The Blazers picked up their second win in as many nights against the phoenix suns. The combination of Pryzbilla and Ratliff managed to hold Amare Stoudamire to only 11 points. Abdur-Rahim did his thing again, collecting 22 points and grabbing 8 boards, with Ray Allen (13 points on 5-13 shooting) struggling the past two games, Reef has had to step up and carry the team. Darius Miles had another great game scoring 17 points, and grabbing 6 boards.

Player of the Game



Points - 22
Rebounds - 8
Assists - 3
Blocks - 2
Steals - 1

Blazers Loose Close Game at Home To Boston

Portland, Dec 9 - The Blazers had gone into half time with the lead, but ended up loosing it in the third and were never able to get it back. Raef LaFrentz had a great game for boston, scoring 22 points and grabbing 6 boards, and paul pierce was his usual self scoring 24 points and doing everything else. It was a dissappointing loss for the blazers, who feel they should be able to win close games like this when they're in their own building. Reef and Ray Allen both finished with 27 points.

Player of the Game



Points - 24
Rebounds - 6
Assists - 4
Blocks - 1

Ray Allen ends Shooting Slump, Blazers Victorious in Utah
Salt Lake, Dec 10 - Ray Allen broke out of his shooting slump in a big way tonight against the Jazz. Allen scored 39 points against a struggling jazz team, breaking a shooting slump that's plagued him the past 4 games. Reef did a great job on the boards tonight, grabbing 16 rebounds. Darius Miles also had a nice game scoring 17 points and grabbing 9 boards and blocking 2 shots. Miles held MVP candidate Kirilenko to 19 points on 7 for 17 shooting.

Player of the Game



Points - 39
Rebounds - 4
Assists - 5
Steals - 2

[JakeTheBlazer]

Harpring Suprises Blazers Off Bench

Portland, Dec 12 - One night after defeating the Jazz in Utah, the Jazz came to Portland to return the favor. Harpring came off the bench to lead the jazz with 20 points and also grabbed 9 boards. Ray Allen lead the Blazers with 22 points. The blazers are now have a 12-7 record and are about go on a 6 game road trip that includes games agaisnt the T-wolves and the defending champion pistons.

Player of the Game
Matt Harpring - 20 points & 9 Boards

[JakeTheBlazer]

Blazers fall to Wolves decpite Stellar Play by Miles

Minnesota, Dec 14 - Kevin Garnett completely shut down Abdur-Rahim, and Michael Olowakandi blocked anything that came into the lane. The game seemed like it was going to be a blow out, but then Darius Miles took it upon himself to lead a charge against the powerful t-wolves. Darius miles had one of his strongest nights, scoring 27 points in a valiant attempt to keep his team in the game. With Reef and Allen missing everything they put up, Miles drove the lane again and again scoring in spectacular fashion. In the final 10 seconds the wolves were down by 4 when Ray Allen hit a 3 to bring the Blazers within one, the blazers fouled and the wolves hit two free throws, and with 3 seconds left ray allen put up a three that could have tied the game, but he missed and the Blazers loose the first game of their 6 game road trip.

Player of the Game
Latrell Spreewell - 30 points, 2 assists, 2 boards

[Its_asdf]

Interesting perspective, building around Rahim instead of Randolf.... I'm guessing you don't like him too much . I like what I'm seeing so far, it's very informative and neat, too bad its on console....

[JakeTheBlazer]

Interesting perspective, building around Rahim instead of Randolf.... I'm guessing you don't like him too much . I like what I'm seeing so far, it's very informative and neat, too bad its on console....

Haha, i didn't want to build around someone who could spend more time in jail than on an NBA court, plus i'm a huge fan of the '97 draft class.

and it DOES suck that it's on console, i'm jealous of everyone's cool presentations.

oh yeah, your missy avatar is dope as hell too!

[JakeTheBlazer]

YET ANOTHER TRADE RUMOR

PHOENIX and PORTLAND
With the Kurt Thomas and Austin Croshere talks stalled, the Blazers have begun to speak with the Suns about acquiring Walter McCarty for Jelani McCoy and Richy Frahm.

Walter McCarty would give the Blazers a versatile player that can play all front cour positions, and can knock down the three. After the Blazers last loss against the Wolves, where they faced a zone often, the Blazers realized that they need more outside shooting.

[JakeTheBlazer]

Blazers Take Risk On Tinsley



The Pacers and Blazers have come to an agreement on a trade that will have the pacers sending Jamal Tinsley and Scott Pollard to the Blazers in exchange for Ruben Patterson and Jelani McCoy.

Pacer's Side of the Trade
Tinsley has been injured most of the season and Anthony Johnson and Eddie Gill have been doing a superb job running the point for the depleted pacers. Tinsley is in the last year of his contract and the pacers felt that Tinsley, who has been hampered by injury and weight problems was going to ask for more than he was worth when the season was over and felt like they should get something in return instead of just watching him walk away. In return for Tinsley the pacers get ruben patterson who should be able to come in and start at Small forward since Ron Artest had been waived following the Detroit incident. Although not nearly as talented as Artest, Patterson should bring the same toughness and drive to play defense that Artest did.

Blazer's Side of the Trade
The Blazers have been having troubles at the point all season, and are banking on Tinsley's health to improve over the course of the season. The Blazers pretty much gave up nothing in the trade since Patterson was only getting spot minutes here and there. On the downside the Blazers did have to absorb Pollard's somewhat large contract which has 2 years left on it.

[JakeTheBlazer]

Dec 15 - Blazers pick up win against the Cavs. Blazers Record is 13-8

[JakeTheBlazer]

New Blazers Make Good First Impression



Jamal Tinsley and Scott Pollard who were both recently traded to the Blazers, met their new team in Atlanta for a game against the hawks. Tinsley came off the bench to score 11 points, dished out 5 assists, and had 2 steals. Pollard who was considered a throw in just to make the salaries work in the trade came in and scored 8 points and grabbed 3 boards. Pollard had only been averaging 2.7 points and 1.7 boards, Pollard may have played himself into the rotation, but the team will see how well he plays over the next few games. For now Tinsley and Pollard will both be coming off the bench.

Blazers Plan to experiment with Rookie



The Blazers have been struggling to get points from the 4 position whenever Reef is out of the game and the may try to play Viktor Khryapa at power forward. Viktor Khryapa has a decent jump shot and has shown signs of being a tough defender. If the experiment fails the Blazers may try to move him and a draft pick to the nuggets in exchange for Nene Hilario who has been wanting out of Denver so he can play more minutes.