Blazers 09 | DYNASTY MALFUNCTIONED, CLOSED :(

[Chaser7]

Can you edit out the 2 Louis Williams, just DBF one of the out maybe? Haha that's funny though...

Anyways nice previews, good luck in the preseason (if you're doing one one) or the regular season!

[Lamrock]

So when are you going to begin the regular season?

[Skills]

Koponen will come back to summer league im pretty sure he will be on nba next season

Nice to know. I'm guessing you're a fan of Koponen.

Wow! You pulled off many trades bro.. Hopefully it does wonder to your team.. Cant wait to see some games with your new-look Blazers...

Great to see you back man! And thanks.
I can guarantee one thing, I'll be out of the Jail-Blazer era.

Can you edit out the 2 Louis Williams, just DBF one of the out maybe? Haha that's funny though...

Anyways nice previews, good luck in the preseason (if you're doing one one) or the regular season!

Thanks bud. Haha, sadly once again my Live is the victim of another bug.
I tried fixing it, but nothing worked out. I'll try trading for Williams and the waiving him.
Or I can just wait and see if Philly waives him.
As for the preseason, I'm skipping it. IMO, it wastes so much time when doing a dynasty.

So when are you going to begin the regular season?

Hopefully soon. As I said before, I have one more Off The Court before anything else.
But that's only because I'm having trouble fixing this.
Once that's out of the way, I'll be able to start the regular season smoothly.
_____________________________________________________________

Well, I pretty much explained everything there is..
..so just be patient 'cause the hardwood action is almost up!

[Skills]

The Process Of Getting Ready


Joel Pryzbilla practices as free-throws as Coach Nate McMillan and co. look on.

With about two weeks to go before tip-off, the Portland Trail-Blazers squad head back to the gym to get ready for the start of a new season. There, old teammates are reunited and new teammates are introduced. This time though, there were more teammates being introduced than teammates being reunited. Over the off-season, the Blazers introduced 8 new players to a team that only has 6 Blazers returning from last season. The chemistry begins to build...

Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge are the captains of this new Blazers' squad, so they introduce themselves along with the four other old Blazers. They take them through the Rose Garden and eventually get to the locker room where the new locker arrangement is decided.

"OK. To make it so everyone can get to know each other better, I'll put one of the old guys with one of the new guys." Brandon explains.
"It's sort of like a buddy system." LaMarcus points out.
"Wait a minute, there's only six old guys and eight new guys." Donyell Marshall notices.
"Then two new guys will be together."
"We were aware of that." Brandon says.
"So we're putting the new guy newest to the league, which is Shammond with the new guy with the most experience, which is Jalen."
Shammond and Jalen shake hands, put their things in their lockers and start chatting it up.
"Aight. Next, we have Greg and Donnie." Brandon says.
Greg and Donyell settled in and started talking as well.
Brandon starts reading through the rest of the list
"Martell and Speedy, Jarrett and Tayshaun, Joel and Adrian, LaMarcus and Thaddeus and that leaves me and Rodney."
Everyone settles into their new lockers, sits down and starts talking with their buddy.
"Oh I forgot something." Brandon says out loud.
"Before we start any meeting-and-greeting, let's get some business out of the way."
Greg's eyes light up, and tries to leave the room.
"Where you going Greg?" Brandon catches him.
"Umm, I forgot something in my car. I'll be right back.." Greg replies.
"Hold up, Greg." Brandon says.
"You were lucky you didn't have to go through this last season. But now, since you're all better you AND Shammond get the pleasure of.................. picking out your new bag!"

Brandon Roy takes out two colorful backpacks from his locker and puts them in full view.
One backpack is a purple Dora The Explorer backpack similar to the one seen on the show.
The other is a bright pink Barbie backpack with flowers and unicorns surrounding the zippers.

"Now Greg, you get to pick first. Which bag do you want?" Brandon asks while the other teammates are chuckling quietly.
"Aww damn." Greg groans.
"Uhh, I guess I'll take the Dora bag."
"That leaves Shammond with the Barbie bag." Brandon says.
"Uh uh, no way." Shammond says in disagreement.
"I'm a grown man, and I ain't wearing no Barbie knapsack."
A lot of the Blazers are shocked, since Shammond is the first Blazer rookie who refuses to wear the bag.
"Yo bro, It's all a part of rookie initiation. We all went through it." LaMarcus says.
Shammond still refuses to take the bag.
Brandon thinks over this for a moment.
"Tell you what. If you can beat me in a 1-on-1 game to 5, you don't have to wear the bag." Brandon says.
"Dang, Shammond against Brandon?!" Jalen whispers to Donyell.
"What's he thinking? Sure Brandon is a great baller, but Shammond was the best shooter in the NCAA last year!"
Shammond agrees to the challenge and the two head off to the gym.
The other Blazers are right behind them to watch the game.
Brandon and Shammond take off their warmup jackets and LaMarcus hands Brandon a ball.
"Alright rookie, your ball. We're counting by ones." Brandon explains as he hands the ball to Shammond.

Shammond pump fakes, but Brandon is smarter and stays on his feet.
So Shammond tries to drive in for a layup, but Brandon is there quickly for the block.
Brandon gets the rebound and clears the ball out.
He pulls off a pump fake of his own and Shammond goes for it.
Brandon quickly dribbles right and goes for the long range jump shot. 2-0.
Shammond regains possesion and tries crossing over Brandon.
But Brandon gets the steal, clears the ball and pulls up for another long range shot. 4-0.
Once again, Shammond regains possession and dribbles the ball up.
He dribbles left, then right, spins and goes for a fade away shot that hits rim.
Brandon gets the board and clears it. Then he drives in and goes up for a slam.
Shammond jumps and tries to get the block, but he's too late. Brandon slams a one-handed tomahawk jam that ends the game. 5-0.
"You have a lot to learn bud." Brandon says.

A tired Shammond Stevenson thinks for a moment and has Brandon's words of wisdom stuck in his head. He does have a lot to learn.
A loud whistle comes from a distance. It's coach Nate McMillan.
"Alright men, playtime's over. Let's get to work." McMillan says.
The rest of the coaching staff comes in and practice begins..

A few hours later...

Practice has finished and a bunch of tired Blazers head to the showers. After showering they all enter the locker room. LaMarcus is sitting down with a piece of paper.
"Yo LaMarcus, what you up to?" Brandon asks.
"Well, we do have a whole new squad. So I was thinking of giving everyone a nickname." LaMarcus replies.
Donyell laughs. "Man, out of all teams I've been on. I think you guys got the most energy so far.."
Martell laughs. "We could call Donnie over here Big D."
"Haha, Donnie or Big D is fine with me." Donyell says.
"What about you guys? Have any of you already had nicknames made for yourself?"
"LaMarcus is LA, Martell is The Defintion, or 'Def', Brandon is The Blade, Joel is Vanilla Gorilla, or just Gorilla and I'm JJ" Jarrett Jack explains.
"What about me?" Greg asks.
"That's right, we haven't thought of one for Greg yet." Jarrett says.
"How about Granddad?" Joel jokes.
The Blazers howl with laughter.
"Haha, man Joel shut up."
"I got one." Rodney says. "Boomsheeka."
The team howls with laughter once again.
"How about.. Babyface?" Speedy suggests.
Greg cracks up and falls on the floor laughing.
"That's it! That gotta be it!" Greg says.
"Alright, well Babyface it is then." LaMarcus says trying not to laugh.
"Well who here already got themselves nicknames?" Martell asks.
"I'm 'Hot Rod'." said Rodney.
"Just call me 'Edge'." says Adrian
"I'm 'Speedy' obviously." said Speedy.
LaMarcus writes this down.
"I got a few for some guys." Jarrett says.
"Jalen is Reverend, or 'Rev' since he's the most experienced out of all of us. Thaddeus is T-Time, cause he always walking around with a Rolex on. And Shammond can be Dilemma since he was in a fuss about the backpack." Jarrett says.
"Haha, I'm good with that." Jalen and Thaddeus reply.
"By the way, where is that rookie anyway?" Jarrett says.
"I'll go look for him." Brandon says.
Brandon goes into the gym to look for Shammond.
It turns out he was practicing on his own. Something he never did in college.
It looks like Brandon's 1-on-1 game with Shammond opened his eyes wider.
Brandon smiled and went back into the locker room.

[Chaser7]

Not bad actually... I think I can see where this Shammond story is going.. what is NBA Live ratings though? (Just curious)

[Oskar]

Damn, I like this. Especially Shammond now, good job with him. I love it !

[kobe4mvp]

Dang, lots of trades in the offseason, but good ones. Hope Stevensen turns out to become a stud

[Chino]

Great Story! Especially with Shammond and I hope he became a good player.

[homicide1550]

Great story dude!

[Skills]

Not bad actually... I think I can see where this Shammond story is going.. what is NBA Live ratings though? (Just curious)

He's 76 overall. A little shabby for the 8th overall pick, but I settled.

Damn, I like this. Especially Shammond now, good job with him. I love it !

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

Dang, lots of trades in the offseason, but good ones. Hope Stevensen turns out to become a stud

It's Stevenson. But thanks. I hope I won't have to regret any moves I made..

Great Story! Especially with Shammond and I hope he became a good player.

Thanks for checking it out! I hope he'll be better than what I expected too.

Great story dude!

Thanks bro.
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Alright, well that's gonna wrap up the stories for a while. And once again, sorry for the delay.
I have ONE more surprise left before I get to any long awaited games.
It might take up some more time. But trust me, you're going to love it!

[Skills]

Chemistry Prevails
NEW GUYS 58 - OLD GUYS 60


Brandon Roy (left) and Shammond Stevenson (right) both led their teams in scoring respectively.

PORTLAND, OR (AP) -- Portland Trail-Blazers fans alike got a sneak peek of how well assembled their team is in a special charity game. It would be the the old Blazer players from last season squaring off with the new Blazers who haven't played in a Portland uniform yet. (yes that means Greg Oden too)

Here are the teams:

The 'Old Guys'
C - Joel Pryzbilla
PF - LaMarcus Aldridge
SF - Martell Webster
SG - Brandon Roy
PG - Jarrett Jack

The 'New Guys'
C - Greg Oden
PF - Thaddeus Young
SF - Tayshaun Prince
SG - Rodney Stuckey
PG - Shammond Stevenson

Players not involved (Donyell Marshall, Jalen Rose, Speedy Claxton, Adrian Griffin) acted as coaches and assistant coaches to the two squads. Marshall and Griffin for the Old Guys and Rose and Claxton for the new guys. The game consisted of two 10 minute halfs. Greg Oden won the jump ball and Shammond Stevenson quickly alley-ooped it to Thaddeus Young to start an early 14-6 run in the first quarter. The Old Guys however, would come back. Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge combined for 24 of their team's 32 points in the first quarter giving the Old Guys the early 32-29 lead at half-time.

In the second half, Stevenson capped off a 46-37 lead for the New Guys with a pair of threes. But the Old Guys would come back, narrowing it down 52-50. This is when the Old Guys' team chemistry stepped up. The chemistry between the dynamic duo of Roy and Aldridge was too good for the New Guys to match up against. With the score tied at 58, Jarrett Jack drove down the lane, not for a layup but to drop a dime to a wide open Brandon Roy in the corner giving the Old Guys the 60-58 edge over the New Guys. Roy led the team with 24 points to go along with 5 assists. LaMarcus Aldridge chipped in with 16 points and 6 rebounds. On the opposing side, the rookie duo of Shammond Stevenson and Greg Oden dazzled the crowd with amazing statistics of their own. Stevenson finished with 24 points and 6 assists off of 9/15 shooting and 4/5 from the three-point ark. And Oden finished with a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds.

"He's really caught my eye now." Blazers Head Coach Nate McMillan comments on Stevenson's performance. "I don't know what he's been doing in the locker room, but something must've happened to change his work ethic."

According to Stevenson, teammate Brandon Roy helped him become who he was on the ball court.

"it's just something that happened during practice." Stevenson says. "Brandon just opened my eyes wider in a way that really changed me from that drunk-driving, irresponsible basketball player, to a player with better values and a better strive to do well on the court. I feel more prepared for those 82 games now. I just can't wait to make those critics regret what they said."

With the guys like Stevenson and Oden looking sharp heading into this season. The other players like Tayshaun Prince seem to be having some difficulties on the court. Prince only scored 6 points off of 3/11 shooting from the field during the charity game.

"I'd give him some more time." says Blazers General Manager Ray Collins. "He's still trying to get accustomed to playing with different teammates."

The proceeds of the charity event went to the Boys & Girls Club of Portland, Metropolitan Area.
During the charity event, rapper Young Jeezy and singer Nelly Furtado made guest performances.
Also, the new Portland Trail-Blazers' ad campaign was launched.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0CU75a1g48[/youtube]
*Credits to Maree for helping me get the software to make this video possible.

[Chaser7]

Interesting idea w/ the old vs. new, BUT c'mon.... even thought Maree gave you permission for the video, its a little ridiculous, it is an EXACT copy of what he did... You really should work on not blatantly copying other people. Anyways keep up the good work.

[Skills]

Interesting idea w/ the old vs. new, BUT c'mon.... even thought Maree gave you permission for the video, its a little ridiculous, it is an EXACT copy of what he did... You really should work on not blatantly copying other people. Anyways keep up the good work.

Actually, I needed the software for a school project. I never actually wanted to do the video idea to begin with. I managed to finish my project perfectly and I got an A. So I figured, heck why not make a video for this too.

[Oskar]

Imo, it's not that bad. Good job with the game and good job with the video, could be a better though, but it's alright. I couldn't do that. Keep it up.

[Duck²]

Glad to see another update. Nice idea with the Old vs. New concept.
I have been following this dynasty from the start.

[homicide1550]

Nice to see an update.. Love the song on your video, I think that was the song the Raptors used on opening night.. Anyways what was the software you used?

[Skills]

it is an EXACT copy of what he did...

Hold up. An EXACT copy? Man, I think your exaggerating it a wee bit.

Imo, it's not that bad. Good job with the game and good job with the video, could be a better though, but it's alright. I couldn't do that. Keep it up.

Thanks. By the way, I'm no pro at video making. Just to let you know

Glad to see another update. Nice idea with the Old vs. New concept.
I have been following this dynasty from the start.

Nice to hear you have been! I'll try to be more consistent with updates now.

Nice to see an update.. Love the song on your video, I think that was the song the Raptors used on opening night.. Anyways what was the software you used?

Yeah, haha actually it was. And the software I used was Sony Vegas.
________________________________________________________________

Consistency.
Something my dynasty's lacked lately.
Well that should all change in a matter of time!
Just ONE last thing before the season tips off.
I'm serious this time.

[Skills]

10:00AM, Brandon Roy and Nate McMillan arrive first to meet with the press.

Q: Hello Mr. Roy and Mr. McMillan. Since you two are the first ones here, we'll just start now since we only have up until 10:30.
Now Mr. McMillan, with all the moves surrounding this off season, do you think they're good enough to take the Blazers back to th e playoffs?

A: Well, the team has been getting along great and there is a lot of talent on the roster. So I believe we can make it deep in the playoffs.

Q: Mr. Roy, last year you boosted your PPG average by almost 6ppg. Do you think you'll be able to step it up to help the team in the long run?

A: Really, it doesn't matter to me how much I score in the game. I just do the things I can to help our team win.

Q: It's your second year as the leader of the team. How does it feel?

A: Well I can say, it's a lot tougher. *Laughs* But really, it's all about helping the team be one.
_____________________________________________________________

10:05AM, Rookies Shammond Stevenson and Greg Oden arrive.

Q: Well if it isn't the young guns. Now Mr. Stevenson, you've made an amazing transition since you've been drafted. What was your motivation?

A: Like I said before, it's just a locker room thing. Brandon [Roy] opened my eyes wider to help me focus more on my game.

Q: Now, Mr. Oden. Besides that charity game a couple of days ago, you haven't played much basketball. How do you feel going into the season?

A: Well my injury is all better so that's a good sign. *Laughs* But I feel confident going into the season. I have trust in my teammates that they'll have trust in me.
_____________________________________________________________

10:10AM, LaMarcus Aldridge and Martell Webster arrive.

Q: Ahh Mr. Aldridge. You've had sort of a sophmore slump last year. Do you think you can pull out of it this year?

A: It was just pressure. Having Zach [Randolph] leave and giving me the starting role put a little pressure on me. But now, I feel ready for anything this time around.

Q: Mr. Webster. You were drafted right out of high school in 2005. You've really stepped it up last year. Do you feel you still have some momentum left that will step up your game off the bench?

A: Last year was a big year for me. I don't mind being back on the bench. As I showed last year, I'm ready to deliver at any given time.
_____________________________________________________________

10:15AM, Tayshaun Prince and Rodney Stuckey arrive.

Q: Mr. Prince! You've been in the NBA Finals several times. Do you think you can bring that playoff mentality here in Portland?

A: I believe so. It wasn't my best year last year, but don't expect a repeat. Our team is well assembled and I truly believe we can go far.

Q: Mr. Stuckey, this is your second year in the league. What assumptions do you have being with the Blazers?

A: It was a hard transition from Detroit to Portland. I just wasn't getting enough playing time to show what I can do. Here in Portland, that's gonna change. Especially playing under Brandon [Roy].
_____________________________________________________________

10:20AM, Jarrett Jack, Joel Pryzbilla and Thaddeus Young arrive.

Q: Hello Mr. Jack, Mr. Pryzbilla and Mr. Young! You three are going from starters to role players, Are you all alright with that?

A: [Jack] Of course! It's all about the team in the end. And I know Coach McMillan will need me at anytime so I'm ready.
[Pryzbilla] I've played off the bench for a while with the Blazers so it's nothing new but it's nothing bad either.
[Young] It was great being able to start with the 76ers. But they weren't really winning as much as I hoped. Now I'm on a winning-caliber team like Portland so it doesn't matter to me if I come off the bench or not.
_____________________________________________________________

10:25AM, Donyell Marshall, Jalen Rose, Speedy Claxton and Adrian Griffin arrive.

Q: Ahh the veterans of the team. All of you have some good experience of the game. What can you bring to this team?

A: [Marshall] Fundamentals. We've all mastered them and we've all been able to do great things with them. These simple moves will help make this squad powerful.
[Rose] Locker room presence. The younger guys need the veterans to look up to. It'll help build chemistry and that's the key to winning games.
[Claxton] Basketball IQ. A lot of these guys have yet to understand this. The veterans tend to have a better basketball IQ. So we can pass it on the younger guys.
[Griffin] Winning mentality. A lot of us have been on teams that can win. The hunger for wins strives for more wins.
_____________________________________________________________

10:30AM, conference is over.

Q: Thank you everyone for your time. We wish you all the best of luck for the upcoming season. GO BLAZERS!

[Chaser7]

Well interesting press conference, but it definitely is an exact copy of the video. THe ending is the same, the whoel concept of pictures of your team with slogan of where_____ happens is the same. The only thing that is different is its the Blazers not the Grizzlies and that the song is different. Whatever, just try to come up with your own ideas. Anyways this is still solid so keep it up.

[homicide1550]

Nice press con but one thing I didn’t like was the Mr. this, Mr. that... It was just too proper for me.. hehe.. Anyways, im waiting for you to start the season..

[Miniseys]

nice dynasty, I'm still following. I like the story you do.

[Skills]

Well interesting press conference, but it definitely is an exact copy of the video. THe ending is the same, the whoel concept of pictures of your team with slogan of where_____ happens is the same. The only thing that is different is its the Blazers not the Grizzlies and that the song is different. Whatever, just try to come up with your own ideas. Anyways this is still solid so keep it up.

Alright, thanks. What's up next is all from the top of my head.

Nice press con but one thing I didn’t like was the Mr. this, Mr. that... It was just too proper for me.. hehe.. Anyways, im waiting for you to start the season..

Lol, I just tried to make it seem more proper since it is a a press conference.

nice dynasty, I'm still following. I like the story you do.

Thanks, nice to know that!
_____________________________________________________________

*Phew* All done. Now it's time to start the season!

[Skills]

[Tyler]

Nice first win.
Oden had huge game with 19 rebounds!
Stevenson looked good with 7 assists and only missing 2 shots.

[Chaser7]

nice win and template keep it up. It actuallly does look like a newspaper, my only suggestion is to work on the banner above it. I know ur pretty good at photoshop so u can make it loook nicer. But still its great. Keep it up!