Trail Blazers Still Haven't Learned

The Trail Blazers have offered former No. 1 draft pick Greg Oden an $8.8 million qualifying offer to stay in Portland. The offer means the often-injured 7-foot center becomes a restricted free agent. The Blazers can match any other offer made for him. For the Blazers sake I hope they don't match any offer, because Oden is never going to play a full season in the NBA. If you got him cheap, that's one thing, but the NBA has such a hard-on for big men that I bet some over spends. He is only 23 years old, but with microfracture surgery on both needs already you have to think his time on the court is going to be short. He has showed some promise when he has played averaging 9.4 points and 7.3 rebounds, but he looks like he is 50 years old and I just don't trust him at all.

Brandon Roy Back This Week?

I really didn't think we would see Brandon Roy back on the court this year, but now it sounds like he could be back as early as this week...

Brandon Roy is set to return to the Blazers active roster this week. Roy had double knee surgery three weeks and there was some talk that he would be shut down for the season, but on Friday he was cleared for full-contact practices by the medical staff. Roy plans to participate in at least two practices and then he'll be ready to go.

Roy will play either Friday at Toronto or Sunday at Detroit and at his request, he'll come off the bench when he returns.

"For sure against Detroit, and maybe for Toronto," Roy told The Oregonian. "I'm excited. I feel pretty good (ESPN)."

Sorry, but I just don't see him lasting very long. He is still saying he has pain in his left knee, but he thinks he can play through it as long as his right knee feels good. That doesn't sound all that promising to me. Roy is a hell of a talent, but it seems like he is going down the T-Mac road, where he could be good in stretches, but his body will never let him play a full season.

I'll put the over/under at 2 1/2 weeks he lasts before he is shut down again.

88 Celtics, 78 Blazers

Boy was this a physical game, huh? Right from the opening tip off the Blazers were fouling the Celtics hard. It did force the Celtics and committing stupid turnovers, and offensive rebounds. Part of the reason the Blazers hung around for so long is because of all those extra possessions.

KG was a great tonight. He owned the post either backing downlow, r taking over the high post. He also had nine assists to boot. He finished with 10 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists. Perk also had 10 points too. He also played stout defense on Lemarcus Adridge who had only 17 points(a lot of those points coming on tip ins and put backs.

Low scoring game, but another quality win.

Celtics vs Blazers Preview

Depth Chart

	Boston (PPG)	Portland (PPG)
PG	R. Rondo 10.5	A. Miller 12.9
SG	R. Allen 17.3	W. Matthews 16.2
SF	P. Pierce 19.1	N. Batum 12.0
PF	K. Garnett 15.1	L. Aldridge 21.1
C	K. Perkins 7.0	J. Przybilla 1.8

There are only 2 ways the Celtics don't win this game, 1st is if Aldridge has 100 points, and the 2nd is that if the Celtics look passed this game and play down to their competition.

The Celtics got surprised Monday when Kendrick Perkins came back and played pretty decently. He won't have much of a factor on the offensive end, but will surely have a presence on the defensive end. He could definitly help out on Lamarcus Aldridge. Anyways, Rondo should be able to blow by Andre Miller all game and sag off him on the defensive end. Rondo should come up with around 5 steals tonight by getting in passing lanes.

The Celtics win easily.

Celtics 109- 89
Tommy Award: Kendrick Perkins

More Great News For The Blazers

The Blazers already are dealing with Greg Oden, Brandon Roy, Elliot Williams and Jeff Pendergraph all of which have had knee surgery this season. Now they are dealing with another one...

"Camby had an MRI on Tuesday and it revealed he has a partial tear of the meniscus in the left knee (ESPN)."

The Blazers just can't catch a break. Camby is going to need surgery, and should have it at some point this week. There is no timetable for his return, but while he is out it looks like Joel Przybilla will be starting.

I have always liked Camby, and he is still a very good defensive player, so this could really hurt the Blazers who currently in 8th place in the West only 2 1/2 games above Phoenix and Memphis.

Brandon Roy To Have Surgery On Both Knees

Man the Blazers have had some bad luck with injuries...

"Portland Trail Blazers star Brandon Roy will have arthroscopic surgery on both of his knees next week. The team says there is no timetable for the All-Star guard's return. Roy has missed 16 games this season because of soreness in his knees, which he has said is caused by a lack of cartilage (ESPN)."

Roy is going to miss most (if not all) of this season. After already having to deal with Oden's career looking like it could be over, this obviously wasn't good news. Roy is just 26 years old, but his knees are bone on bone, and I just don't see him ever being healthy. As much as I feel bad for the Blazers this is really their own fault. They knew Roy had knee problems and they gave him an extension anyways, so this couldn't have been completely unexpected.

Brandon Roy Season Over?

Blazers GM Rich Cho indicated Roy is out indefinitely due to soreness in both his knees, according to Jason Quick of the Oregonian.

"I can tell you it will most likely be for an extended period," Cho said, according to the paper. "We've talked about (ending his season) and it's a possibility, but we want to explore a couple of other things first (ESPN)."

There have been whispers over the past couple days that they are going to shut him down for the season, and this seems to be another signal that they eventually will. I feel bad for the Blazers, which are just like the Rockets, they now have lose Oden and maybe Roy for the season. The only reason I don't feel that bad though is because they knew that he had knee trouble before they signed him to that extension, so really it's kind of their own fault.

But I do hope he comes back, because I am a fan of his game.

99 Celtics-95 Portland

My prediction 99-91 with Paul Pierce winning the Tommy, if this was NBA Jam I would be on fire right now.

As hot as Pierce was last night 9-11 shooting, 4-5 from 3 and finished with a season high 28 points, it was Ray Allen who shot an abysmal 3-12 who was able to steal the show with one clutch shot.

After the Celtics pissed away (seriously pissed away) a 16 point lead, with 10 seconds left Ray Allen hit a 3 in the corner to seal the win over the Blazers. With 5:09 left in the game the Celtics were up 96-80 and didn't score again until the Ray Ray 3. Yea, it was ugly.

The Blazers obviously played excellent D in the final 5 minutes, but I don't get why they switched to a 1-2-2 zone as time was running out. As soon as they made the switch Pierce made the correct pass to Ray Allen who was wide open.

Glen Davis had a solid night with 16 and 7. He caught fire for a little at the end of the 3rd, and early 4th, but for some reason the Celtics went away from him. Not sure why.

Like I always say a win, is a win, is a win.

It was good to see the Lakers lost 4 in a row now, and tonight could be the death of LeBron.

Celtics/ Blazers Preview

Like I said earlier Portland has been absolutely awful this year, I don't know how, well I guess injuries, but I expected a lot more from them this year.

The Celtics go for their 5th straight win, which would tie a season high, but Portland shouldn't be taken lightly.

The rosters are:

Depth Chart

	Portland (PPG)	Boston (PPG)
PG	A. Miller 13.2	R. Rondo 11.5
SG	B. Roy 18.4	R. Allen 16.4
SF	N. Batum 12.0	P. Pierce 19.2
PF	L. Aldridge 18.4	K. Garnett 15.4
C	M. Camby 6.5	S. O'Neal 11.8
View full depth chart: Portland | Boston

All of these kids in Portland have potential to be stars, but just not living up to the hype. Maybe it's Nate McMillen or it could just be too much pressure on a young team, but either way they need to figure it out quick or they will be out of the playoffs in the West.

The Celtics should exploit Nicolas Batum and whatever SF the Blazers throw out there and leave Paul Pierce or Ray Allen open.

Celtics: 98-91
Tommy Award: Pierce

I Feel So Bad For Greg Oden

Trail Blazers center Greg Oden, the former No. 1 draft pick whose short career has been marred by injuries, will have microfracture surgery on his left knee and will not play this season. ESPN

I love Greg Oden, I wanted the Celtics to draft him, I thought he was going to be the second coming of Bill Russell however he's only played in 82 games in the past 2 seasons. The Blazers aren't going to hurt to much figuring they hardly play with Oden anyways, but they should really stay away from drafting 7 footers and go with the scorer. Remember they picked Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan, and then of course they picked Oden over Durant.

Oden will be a free agent after this season and you know what I'd be willing to take a risk on him, although his future doesn't look to promising now.

Celtics @ Blazers Preview (UPDATED)

The Celtics were able to hold on last night to beat the Kobeless Lakers. Things don't get any easier tonight, as they head to Portland to play the Trail Blazers. The good news is that it is unlikely that Roy will play tonight, but that is about the end of the good news.

The Celtics will most likely be playing without Robinson and Tony Allen, which makes them have only 10 players on their roster. That is not good for an old team that is playing on back to back days. To make matters worse the Blazers have Camby joining their team tonight, and lets face it he is a lot better then Juwan Howard.

I really don't see the Celtics winning tonight with a short bench, and the way their 2nd unit has been playing (12 point last night). Guys like Sheed, Big baby, and Daniels really need to start showing up if Boston wants any chance of staying in this game.

Blazers 90 Celtics 84

Tommy Award: Rajon Rondo

Game starts at 10:30pm


***UPDATE***

There are reports that Roy will actually play tonight....great.

Camby To Blazers Getting Close (UPDATED)

The Clippers are close to trading Marcus Camby to Portland for Travis Outlaw and Steve Blake. What a great deal for the Blazers. They have been missing that inside presence since Oden went down, and this could certainly fill that whole. Camby isn't much of an offensive player, but he can rebound and play great defense, which is really all the Blazers need. What's even better for the Blazers is the fact that everyone that is included in this deal have expiring contracts, so both teams will be looking good going into the offseason.

Let's be honest the Blazers are going to be a lot better off with Camby at center then Juwan Howard, and once Roy is healthy again this could be a very dangerous team.

***UPDATED**

It's official Camby is a Blazer.

Hey Greg Oden Put That Dick Away

Well apparently Greg Oden went all Chris Cooley on us and now there are pictures of Oden naked floating around the internet. So, today he had to come out and apologize to the Portland organization, the NBA, and fans. When asked why he took a picture of his dick, he said "well that's the only part of me that isn't broken".

Listen professional athletes, you are celebrities (even if you never play) and you can't go around sending dick pics from your cell phone. They will get out, and you'll feel silly.

If you would like to see these pics ask DP, because he is the only one I know who would want (and has) seen these...

98 Celtics, 95 Trailblazers

Last night shouldn't have gone to overtime, especially with Brandon Roy out and then Jerryd Bayless getting injured in the first, however, basketball is a funny sport. Who would have thought that Ray Allen (who is one of the NBA's top free throw shooter) would brick two technical shots, and on top of that Ray and Paul Pierce would air ball open 3 point attempts.

If the Celtics didn't win this it would have been a huge catastrophe, they played down to their competition, they blew a lead, Paul Pierce fouled out, everyone was in foul trouble, their were sloppy turnovers in crucial situations, Andre Miller was unstoppable, and Ray Allen was nonexistent. Until, he hit "the shot" in overtime. With the Celtics down by two with 42 seconds left and a night where Ray was shooting 2 for 13, Ray pulled up from the three point line and drilled it to put the Celtics up 96-95 and changed the whole momentum of the game. After that, off of a turnover Ray threw it ahead to Tony Allen to make it a 3 point game and that's all she wrote. Rudy Fernandez missed two threes and the fat lady sung.

A win is a win, and we will see how the chemistry will shake up in the following weeks.

Celtics vs Blazers

Finally! The day has come and Kevin Garnett is back. The Celtics have struggled mightily without the Big Ticket. It really goes to show that Pierce, Rondo, Ray, Rasheed and Perk are good players, but the fire that the Celtics need is Kevin Garnett. It's been hard to not freak out with this recent Celtics skid, and I'll reserve my freaking out if the problem consists with KG. Now to the game, the lineups are:
PG A. Miller 12.9 R. Rondo 14.0
SG B. Roy 23.1 R. Allen 16.1
SF M. Webster 10.4 P. Pierce 18.7
PF L. Aldridge 16.2 R. Wallace 10.4
C J. Howard 5.6 K. Perkins 12.3
It's a great game for KG to come back because the biggest weakness the Blazers have is with big men. Yes, the have Lamarcus Aldridge, but Juwan Howard (even though he was a member of the fab 5) won't cut it. Perk and KG should be able to play a very successful high low game.

Celtics: 91-82
Tommy Award: Perk

Oden To Play This Year?

We (and the rest of the Internet) reported way back that Oden was done for the year, but now there is a slight chance that Oden could actually make it back before the playoffs. Here is what the Trail Blazer's GM had to say...

"It's possible, but you know, we'll play this by ear, and we'll be very cautious," GM Kevin Pritchard told the paper. "We're not going to push. We'll let it happen naturally and follow what the doctor orders (ESPN)."

If Oden was to some how make it back, he would be a very nice option off the bench going into the playoffs. I say that because there is no way he could play a bunch of minutes after missing so much time. Saying that, I am worried about Oden. I don't think his body can hold his own weight, and much like Yao Ming, we will only get to see a little of that potential.

Blazers Give Aldridge 5 Year Extension

"The Portland Trail Blazers have verbally agreed in principle to a contract extension with forward LaMarcus Aldridge, a source close to the process told ESPN.com on Wednesday. The extension is for five years and $65 million and will go into effect next season, the source said. If Aldridge achieves certain hard-to-reach incentives, his contract could ultimately be worth as much as $70 million (ESPN)."

Blazer fans had a nerve racking offseason with Aldridge and Roy free agents after this season, but now both are signed and should be the cornerstones of this team for years to come. The Blazers have so much talent, but it is just a question of when they can put it all together. The key is Oden. If he becomes a top center then this could be a championship team within the next 3 years, but if he doesn't I am not sure how far they can go.

Teams have until Oct. 31 to reach extension with players taken in the 2006 draft. To date, only Bargnani, Aldridge and Roy have reached extensions. Several other key players from that draft, including Rajon Rondo, Rudy Gay and Tyrus Thomas, are still negotiating with their teams. If no extension is signed by Oct. 31, the players will become restricted free agents in the summer of 2010.

Wouldn't mind seeing Rudy Gay on the Celtics is Ray Allen walks...

Blazers Sign Roy To An Extension

"Brandon Roy has become the face of the franchise, and the Portland Trail Blazers want to keep it that way. Going into the final year of his rookie contract, Roy and the team are on the verge of agreeing to a long-term extension, The Oregonian reported on Tuesday. "We've had very productive discussions recently and are optimistic we will reach a deal soon," Roy's agent, Bob Myers said, according to the newspaper. According to the report, Roy has been seeking a four-year deal with a player option for the fifth year at a maximum $82 million (ESPN)."

Roy is one of the most underrated players in the NBA, but if he signs this deal and it is what he was asking for then then he won't be anymore. Roy is nasty. He averaged 22.6 PPG with 5.1 assists and 1.1 steals. He is the key to the Blazers future, and if the the Blazers want to be relevant again he is going to be the one leading the charge.

Jazz Keep Millsap

The Utah Jazz will match the four-year, $32 million offer the Portland Trail Blazers tendered their restricted free agent Paul Millsap, the team posted on its Web site and a league source confirmed to ESPN.com Thursday evening.

This was a great move by the Utah Jazz who are on the verge of trading Carlos Boozer any day now. Last year as Boozer's replacement he averaged 13.5 points, 9 boards and a block. Not to shabby. However, the possibility of the Blazers taking the money they lost on Millsap and putting it toward Odom makes me giddy for a couple reasons. 1. Because Odom would be a good fit on the Blazers, and 2. It would hurt the Lakers who are in the same conference. And I would gladly have the Lakers lose both Ariza and Odom and gain Ron Artest.

Boozer To Chicago?

Another major multi-team trade might be looming in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls having discussed a deal that would be headlined by Carlos Boozer and Kirk Hinrich, according to NBA front-office sources.

Sources stressed to ESPN.com that no deal was imminent Thursday and that both Portland and Utah are still evaluating additional trade scenarios. But two sources with knowledge of the three-team proposal confirmed that there have been substantive talks aimed at landing Boozer in Chicago, Hinrich in Portland and Tyrus Thomas in Utah.

This is a really good deal for Chicago if Boozer can stay healthy. Because Derrick Rose is obviously the real deal and was able to almost take the Celtics without a legit big man. However, Boozer has had a hard time staying healthy. Hinrich to Portland is a good fit, because they don't have a real PG, and Thomas to Utah is whatever. Tyrus Thomas sucks, and has been a complete bust.