That's the Rockets only if? The if's I'm talking about is what will make the difference between Portland being one of the top couple teams in the league and being in the middle of the playoff pack. The if you're talking about is what might make the difference between the Rockets being an 8 seed and being in the lottery again...
We have to hand it to him? What? Ohhh, I'm scared of Zach Randolph now....the Rockets better make him a priority on defense next season becuase he "KILLED" the Rockets in a summer league game. Summer league? Uh, Whatever. Last time I checked, Cat, Steve and the other main players were not in Salt Lake, or LA, or wherever the summer Portland game was held. JBIIROCKETS
Minutes. Spree played SF in NY, who plays it here?Rice And we are more of a offensive-minded team, open-court players creating more baskets. Randolph doesn't have any work ethic, is not in shape, and probably won't be. Okay, Pippen wasn't a great player last season, and probably wont be next season.
Um, I'm simply pointing out that our draft addition was a much better player than yours. And the Portland Trailblazers are by no means a lock for the playoffs. Considering the way they collapsed the last two years, why wouldn't they collapse again this year? And with the Western Conference like it is a collapse like that might leave the Blazers on the outside looking in come playoff time. Of course, considering the way they didn't show up last year, it won't be the first time.
Here's a little stat Blazer's Gal: Rockets-97.2 ppg Knicks-88.7 ppg And why do you want to compare the Blazers and Rockets? The Rockets are a team two seasons out title-contention, still somewhat in a rebuilding mode. The Blazers haven't won in forever, and they probably wont for another forever. IMO, the Blazers broke even this offseason, maybe a slight gain because Anderson gives them some athletic legs. The Rockets improved at SF and PF. We lost Olajuwon, but gained Griffin and Morris, who will almost make up for the loss.
Everyone, Don't waste your time. Utilize ignore. If someone won't admit that swapping Olajuwon, Anderson, and Bullard for Eddie Griffin, Glen Rice, and Morris is a good offseason, you know they won't listen to logic. Trolls crave attention. Don't give it to them. If you don't like them cluttering this board, that is what ignore is for.
Chemistry is the key! The Blazers may have as much or more talent but they lack one key ingrediant -- heart. The Rockets beat the Trail Blazers only once last year but it was near the end of the season, when the Rockets were hot. I assure you, if the Rockets and Blazers meet in the playoffs next year the Rockets will win by pure determination.
Griffin looks pretty solid. I'm not saying that Randolph will neccesarily be better, but he impressed me more in the games they showed in SLC. I don't know if Griffin played in Pete Newell's big man camp, but the 2 guys they mentioned as being the most impressive were Randolph and White. One guy went on to say that Randolph was going to have a lot of teams kicking themselves for passing him up because he's the real deal. This was all from an ESPN Insider article from earlier today. I suppose Randolph could have put up huge numbers like Grffin did at a lesser school like Seton Hall, but instead he went to Michigan State where he sat and learned in favor of more experienced players. Maybe that was a good decision, maybe bad, I don't know. But I was under the impression that Randolph was the more heralded player coming out of high school. Who's to say that Griffin wouldn't have sat a lot at Michigan State as well...
It's a shame that you would resort to such ignorance. Anyone who has seen him lately knows that he's in great shape - in the 250-255 range and definitely nowhere near the 270 that was originally reported. I've heard he's been working out really to slim down because he sees himself playing small forward in the future. And he's got such a poor work ethic that he attended the non-manditory Pete Newell camp to work on his offensive skills.
Oh great, a sunshine ass statement riding shotgun on a troll beating. BTW, if someone won't admit that it's disingenuous to phrase the Rockets offseason as 'swapping Olajuwon, Anderson, and Bullard for Eddie Griffin, Glen Rice, and Morris', you know they won't listen to logic.
This is a funny thread. There are 2 teams' fans I laugh at when they talk smack. These are the 2 teams known for futility in the playoffs : the Blazers and the Jazz. The Blazers have bank and sign aging players that are overweight in the hopes of buying themselves a dynasty. Their fans have been puffing their chests for a few years now saying they have the best lineup the NBA has to offer, yet they're nowhere to be found come Finals time. I don't expect this year to be any different... it's become tradition. They've gone from being champions in the very distant past to the JailBlazers to the FailBlazers. A true mockery of what a championship team should be. Proof that money alone can't buy you championships. I suspect this year will be no different. We'll see BlazerGal come in here with her bonehead post in which she gleefully screams "we will kiss [sic] your ass!". Who knows. They actually may beat us. But the point is, just as every Jazz fan, they must painfully endure their winning season knowing they won't win the championship.... it's tradition. Go Blazers. *chuckle*
*scratches head* man forget about reading the rest of her introduction thread. i couldn't get pass this 'point' she made. Who's paying Kemp, Pippen and Stoudamire all that dough again?
BlazerGal ranks up there in BBS troll lore with the likes of Roy D. Elton for boldly trumpeting that the Blazers were "still gonna kiss [our] ass". Here's a few other of BlazerGal's hits: <strong>"Blazers WILL win the title this year!"</strong> This statement is better reserved for Blazers fans to put on a T-shirt that can be recycled every November rather than a post on a message forum that has a set time stamp on it referring to one unique season. <strong>"the Trail Blazers are capable of winnig anytime, anywhere, and against anyone!"</strong> I guess you meant to footnote that with so long as it's not May, in the playoffs or against a contender. <strong>"we WILL win this Championship, just watch us Rocket fans!"</strong> My cat's breath smells like cat food. <strong>"Davis, who was outstanding in last year's Finals gurding Shaq will team up with Wallace and Kemp to stop O'neil this year. that's what they were acquired for this year in the first place."</strong> (6-7 minutes of pure laughter) The only thing Kemp was stopping last season at playoff time was payment to Jenny Craig. <strong>"Oh well.... What should i say....YOU LOST, Rocket Fans. AGAIN! i was close tro my prediction. Stoudamire OWNED Francis who couldn't do a thing to slow him down. even though Francis had a good game himself until he got fouled out. .... Way to go Rockets, better luck next time! TRAIL BLAZERS RULE!"</strong> I noticed you didn't return after the last time the two teams faced each other, when <a href="http://www.clutchcity.net/game.cfm?gameID=162">Franchise kicked Stoudamire's ass all over the Blazers' home floor</a>. Huh. Funny. Conveniently skipped over that in favor of a summer league win. Nice. Lay off the sauce -- you're giving your team a bad name. In my opinion, the Blazers made some very good moves this season, particularly dumping Smith for Derek Anderson and picking up Ruben "Come here little girl" Patterson. I did like the draft selection of Randolph. If Kemp is really the Kemp of old, they could be in business. They're definitely loaded, but they still have to make all this talent happy, and do it with a new coach. It's a big task. Anyhow, if a Blazer fan wants to compare the two teams with a minimal level of respect and lack of total bias, then this is interesting... but sorry, I refuse to listen to a complete idiot who in one breath calls Eddie Griffin an "unproven player" who "WON'T contribute right away" and in the next calls Zach Randolph a "HUGE pickup". Puh-lease.
Zach Randolph at 250lbs would stink. His entire post game is predicated on using his bulk to establish low-post position and maul his opponent with his superior size. If he drops down to 250 he will lose a great deal of his offensive game, and considering his non-existent defense, makes him a lesser player. BTW - Randolph hasn't seen the short side of 300lbs since high school. Two-seventy my ass.
Clutch, You missed one. This one from Blazer Gal last December in a description of the upcoming Blazers vs. Rockets game. 5- Steve Smith will be the answer for Mobley, Cuttino's been playing like an all-star but wont this time. Do I even need to comment on this?
I can't help but get in on this, as well. Most of the things that I'm going to point out have already been said by others. Bob Whitsitt is the Blazers problem. As long as he's the GM, then that franchise is always going to have talent but no chemistry. Championships are not won on paper, they're won on the court or the field. The Blazers best chance came 2 years ago before they did a major choke job against the Fakers in the Western Finals. God, I feel sorry for Mo Cheeks. It's bad enough that he has never been a head coach on the NBA level, but to coach this bunch--good luck!! He may have the most thankless job in the world. There is no way that Bonzi Wells and Derek Anderson are going to be happy by splitting the SG spot. Sabonis is old and may not even be back. Stoudamire is constantly abused by every other PG in the league. Blazers lost 2 solid bench guys in Anthony and Augmon and they both said it was a joke playing for them. They have Patterson who I thought at one time could be in jail for the whole season. Even if he is not, he can't shoot from the outside. Then you got the human time bomb, Rasheed Wallace, who will probably break his record from last year for technical fouls which he had broken from the previous year. I hear that Cheeks will let him run free and do whatever the hell he wants. That sounds like a winning attitude to me!! I can spend days and days on Quitten and why he will always be a first class loser to me. I can go on and on, but it is late and it is pointless. This is a franchise that made a fan leave their building because she had a sign that said "Fire Whitsitt". Then they made a lame attempt at apologizing to her. The Blazers have too much talent not to make the playoffs, but once they get there they will implode like they always do. I'm glad that Blazers Gal and High are not Fakers, Spurs, Kings, or Mavericks fans.
BlazerGal-Are you capable of THINKING before posting? Dishing out stats is something that any troll can do, but actually ANALYZING what the stats mean is another... First... While the combo of Francis and Mobley do shoot the ball as much as Spree and Houston... You fail to realize that the Knicks' style of play is NOT conducive to many shots being taken in a game... Therefore, 15 shots per game for the Knicks could be considered equal to 20 shots per game on the Rockets... Second... Rice's role for NY was ALREADY filled by Allan Houston... With the Rockets, he does not have an Allan Houston who is playing his role, and taking his minutes... Because of this, it should be MUCH more easier for Rice to do what he wants (shoot open 3's)... Also, if you remember (probably not), Rice was experimented at POWER FORWARD... It does not take a Rocket scientist (no pun intended), to see that Rice is not capable of playing the PF role, especially on offense... If you factor those things in, it virtually dubs your stats as meaningless...
It would seem by this comment that you've never even seen him play - This is simply not true. Sure, he's got good size for a power forward, but what makes him a good scorer is his soft hands and agility around the basket, not brute strength. Ummm, yeah. They said at the Rocky Mountain Revue that since the college season had ended he had dropped about 15 pounds and was right at 255. I have no idea where you're getting your information....
Let it be known that Zach Randolph WILL be a solid NBA player... To assume he's a fat ass with no skill, is ignorant... He was just as highly thought of as Griffin was in high school... Randolph is still very raw, just like our own Griffin... He has very soft hands, which will help him in the paint, and he's a rebounding monster... One thing for certain, is that he would be our best rebounder PERIOD if he were on the Rockets... Yes, better than Griffin...
It is funny that Blazers and Jazz fans try to talk about smack. They should study a little history. The Jazz have never done anything and these Blazer's folks probably don't even know the Big Redhead was their only player to lead them to anything good that franchise has ever done. These Blazer "bad"wagoners surely weren't even born when he played for them. Boy the Blazer's current collection of overpriced and overhyped talent and collection of playoff collapses sure is a lot for a fan to be proud of In a more analytical note, again the Blazers are a good team bound to rebound a little. They couldn't possible achieve less with what they have than what they did last year, and probably will have a better REGULAR season than the Rockets. But as long as Shaq, Kobe, Duncan, Webber, Payton and Garnett are in the West while Portland has no player with skills or leadership in these players class, whey will never succeed. Overpaying for a roster full of ex-all-stars with current all-NBA egos is no way to build a winner. And finally, no one in the right mind would take any 3 of the Blazers over Stevie, Cuttino, or Griffin to build a team around. Francis is the best player for either team and is the one guy most likely to join the list above. Who cares if the Blazer's have better depth due to acquring a bunch of decent but has-been players-- that only really makes a difference in the regular season. The Rockets are NOT trying to buy their way to the league runner up award Blazer's are seeking now, we have bigger plans down the line.
