Top Free Agents Available to the Blazers

Earlier today, Empty the Bench listed out the top unrestricted free agents available starting tomorrow and as always, did a fantastic job.  They started with the top 12 and then threw together another quick list of the rest.  Definitely go check it out.

Who should Portland look at?

Charlie Villanueva (F, 24 years old) - He's young, athletic, and definitely skilled.  Would essentially make the perfect backup for LaMarcus Aldridge.  Although he may lack the toughness this team needs, he'd definitely be an upgrade from Channing Frye or Ruffin.

Andre Miller (PG, 33 years old) - While he may be 33 years old, he can still play.  This is a guy that's productivity has never slowed and had one of his best seasons just this past year.  Who knows how much he has left in the tank, but this is the physical guard many have been praying for.

Hedo Turkoglu (SF, 30 years old) - I'm not sold on Hedo as a part of the Blazers, but he has to be considered.  He's a hell of an upgrade over Travis Outlaw but there are questions as to how he'll produce down the stretch with the ball OUT of his hands.  Is he really worth the price?

Mehmet Okur (F/C, 30 years old) - Why hasn't his name been brought up at all?  The guy can rebound and shoot the rock with the best of 'em.  I know he is technically a center, but if you drop him down to a straight PF or use him if Oden and Joel are in foul trouble, the Blazers would be the deepest big man team on the planet.  I'm guessing he'll want to start somewhere, but the competition with Aldridge would likely make both players better.

Brandon Bass (PF, 24 years old) - A true lifetime backup, Bass would also be an upgrade from Channing Frye.  He may not shoot the ball as nicely, but he's a hell of a lot more consistent and physical.  He'd likely come at a bargain price too and by joining the Blazers would also break up the Blazer-killing combo of Bass and JJ Barea.

Chris Andersen (F/C, 30 years old) - Sure we all hate him, but I'm guessing Nuggets fans hated him when he wasn't with them as well.  The guy has more heart than 95% of the league when he's on the court and might bring a little swagger back to this young team.  He seems to have cleaned his act up and also doesn't seem to be a cancer to locker rooms.  Still questions surround his personal life.

Who shouldn't they look at?

Jason Kidd.  He's too damn old and expensive people.

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Ric Bucher Spreading Steve Blake, Andre Miller, and Turkoglu Rumors

In the ever-so-elegant Twitter world, Ric Bucher has put all of us on the edge of our seats with a Tweet rumoring that Steve Blake could be on his way to Philadelphia for Andre Miller plus the free agent addition of Hedo Turkoglu.

RicBucher: @SnaketheJake27 Heard both Hedo and Andre Miller in a sign-and-trade that would send Steve Blake, who played for EJordan in D.C., to Phi

He also mentioned that he doesn't like the thought of Roy/Miller/Hedo all on the court at the same time:

RicBucher: @gregwoo_d I don't like it. Roy/Hedo/Miller all need the ball to be effective. For PDX's team, both Bibby - and Kidd - are better fits

Damn you Ric!  Now I'll be on Google AND Twitter for the rest of the day getting absolutely nothing accomplished.

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Blaze of Glory - 6/29/09

The Blaze of Glory is your almost-daily link list of Blazer blog ridiculousness and other random Blazers info. If you ever want your Blazer blog featured, make sure to drop us a line unless your name is Dwight Jaynes. (Kidding!)

• I wouldn't doubt that Shaq vetoed a trade to Portland.  [Sporting News]
• Patty Mills off to Summer League and then who knows where.  [Herald Sun]
• Casey is documenting his trip to Spain which obviously involves Rudy.  [Center Court]
• In need of some IBL coverage?  [Deceptively Quick]
• I missed this Oden coverage last week.  Sorry!  [Total Pro Sports]
• Oh and Oden likes to shop...  [Coupon Craze]
  

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Portland Trail Blazers 2009 NBA Draft Recap

A quick breakdown of where "your" Portland Trail Blazers ended up after a night full of trades, rumors and foreigners...

22.  Portland (from Dallas)* - Victor Claver - 6'11"  | 217 | SF | Spain
31.  Portland (from Sacramento)** - Jeff Pendergraph - 6'10" | 240 | PF | Arizona St
33.  Portland (from LA Clippers) - Dante Cunningham - 6'8" | 227 | PF | Villanova
55.  Portalnd (from Denver) - Patrick Mills - 6'1" | 175 | PG | St. Mary's

*Portland received the 22nd pick after swapping the 24th, 56th and a pick next year with Dallas.
**Sacramento drafted Pendergraph at #31 but was traded to Portland for Sergio Rodriguez plus the 38th pick.

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2009 NBA Draft Picks, Rumors, and Trades - Recap

As all the action unfolds during the 2009 NBA Draft as well as all the moves surrounding it, we'll do our best to keep a running list for you at Blaze of Love.

The Major Moves:

Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
-Mavs get Rodrigue Beaubois plus future 2nd round pick
-Thunder get B.J. Mullens

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets
-Nuggets get Ty Lawson
-T-Wolves get future first round pick

Memphis Grizzlies vs. New York Knicks
-Grizzlies get Quentin Richardson
-Knicks get Darko Milicic

New Jersey Nets vs. Orlando Magic
-Nets get Rafer Alston, Tony Battie, Courtney Lee
-Magic get Vince Carter

Los Angeles Lakers vs. New York Knicks
-Knicks get 29th pick from LA
-Lakers get $3 million

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Phoenix Suns
-Suns get Sasha Pavlovic, Ben Wallace
-Cavs get Shaquille O'Neal

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Dallas Mavericks
-Blazers get 22nd pick in this year's draft
-Mavs get 24th, 56th, and worst pick in 2010 of Portland

Atlanta Hawks vs. Golden State Warriors
-Warriors get Speedy Claxton, Acie Law
-Hawks get Jamal Crawford

San Antonio Spurs vs. Milwaukee Bucks
-Spurs get Richard Jefferson
-Bucks get Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, Fabricio Oberto

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Detroit Pistons
-Bucks get Amir Johnson
-Pistons get Fabricio Oberto

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Washington Wizards
-T-Wolves get 5th overall pick, Etan Thomas, Darius Songalia, Oleksiy Pecherov
-Wizards get Randy Foye, Mike Miller

Charlotte Bobcats
-Allow Sean May to become unrestricted free agent

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors
-76ers get Jason Kapono
-Raptors get Reggie Evans

The less significant moves:

-The Washington Wizards traded the rights to No. 32 pick Jermaine Taylor to the Houston Rockets for cash considerations.

-The Nuggets traded the rights to Spanish point guard Sergio Llull, their No. 34 pick, to the Rockets for cash considerations.

-The Portland Trail Blazers sent Sergio Rodriguez, Jon Brockman, their 38th pick, and cash to the Sacramento Kings for their 31st pick, Jeff Pendergraph.

-The Miami Heat received the rights to Patrick Beverley, the Los Angeles Lakers' 42nd pick, for a future second-round pick and cash considerations.

-The New Orleans Hornets acquired LSU guard Marcus Thornton, the 43rd pick by the Heat, for two future second-round picks.

-The Detroit Pistons traded the rights to their No. 44 pick, Chase Budinger, to the Rockets for a future second-round pick and cash.

-The Mavericks acquired 45th pick Nick Calathes from the Timberwolves in exchange for the future second-round pick of the Trail Blazers that the Mavericks obtained in a trade on June 24.

-The Thunder received the rights to the Charlotte Bobcats' 54th pick, Robert Vaden, for cash.

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Sergio Rodriguez Traded to Sacramento for #31

Many Blazers fans' prayers have been answered with the apparent trade of Sergio Rodriguez and the #38 pick to the Sacramento Kings for the #31 pick.  That's basically saying that Sergio is worth nothing to this team...

Here is Sergio's agent's confirmation.  (via Draft Express)

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Shaquille O'Neal Traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers

In late breaking news tonight, it appears that the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns have agreed to the first blockbuster deal of the offseason.

Shaquille O'Neal will be sent to the Cavs with Sasha Pavlovic and Ben Wallace heading off to the Suns.  This is a complete salary clearing deal for the Suns who will save upwards of $10 million while the Cavs hope that Shaq will be the difference down the stretch run next season.

My thoughts?  I really think the big man is too old to make a difference at this point.  Although, the Cavs play that slow down style that will benefit an aging beast while the Suns uptempo style was never meant for a 17 year veteran and future hall of famer.

Look out Orlando!

(Obviously this deal is awaiting league approval and should be finalized tomorrow.)

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Blazers Trade 24th Pick and More for 22nd Pick

Another update/rumor/trade for tomorrow's NBA Draft...(via ESPN)

The Portland TrailBlazers acquired the 22nd pick in Thursday's NBA draft from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for the 24th and 56th picks in this year's draft, and worst of their second round picks in 2010, according to a league source.

Kevin Pritchard working some magic again I'd say.

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Kirk Hinrich to Blazers? Telling Friends Just That?

Latest rumor is the one I think many of us are hoping actually comes true.  (via Yahoo Sports)

Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich(notes) is telling friends that he thinks he’ll be dealt to the Portland Trail Blazers, who have interest in pairing him with Brandon Roy(notes) in the backcourt.

Thoughts?  Love it?  Hate it?

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Portland Trail Blazers - 2009 NBA Draft Night Parties

What kind of Blazer bloggers would we be if we didn't hook you all up with the NBA Draft parties taking place around Portland?  (OK, don't answer that...)  We went out, pounded pints, demanded to speak with management, shimmied a little and for the good of fanatics around PDX started this list of bars and their draft festivities.

Macadam's Bar and Grill
5833 SW Macadam Ave, Portland  97239
(503) 246-MACS

Macadam's and 1080 the Fan are throwing down with the Fan Girls from 4 - 6PM.  Show up and enter in on a raffle for an authentic Brandon Roy jersey as well as a ton of Coors Light gear.

Grand Central Bowl
SE 8th and Morrison St, Portland  97214
(503) 236-BOWL

G-Central will have a 3 - 6PM happy hour with plenty of beer and drink specials during the draft.  You can find $4 23oz domestics, $5 23oz micros/imports, $5 martinis and a cheap eats menu ranging from $2.95-$4.95.  Check 'em out!

The Agency - Ultra Sport Lounge
1939 SW Morrison St, Portland  97205
(503) 548-2921

The Agency has confirmed some sort of draft party, but we are still waiting on the particulars.

Big Al's in Vancouver
16615 SE 18th St, Vancouver  98683
(360) 944-6118

No party in particular at Big Al's but they promised they'd definitely have it up on their big screen in the sports bar.

More to come as we get them in!

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2 New "Must Have" Blazers Wallpapers

We're always on the hunt for new Blazers pictures, videos and news and today we stumbled on a couple of fantastic wallpapers.  The first is of Brandon Roy and the second is from the Uprise Rally.  Both are definite keepers...

Brandon Roy Wallpaper (Download)

Blazers Uprise Rally Wallpaper (Download)

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Blaze of Glory - 6/22/09

Every now and then instead of focusing completely on our beloved Blazers, we like to spread some love to our friends around the world covering the greatest game on Earth.

• Allen tells Pritchard to go for it.  [Behind the Beat]
  
• So...what's the plan for Jerryd Bayless?  [Empty the Bench]
• The 7 burning questions facing the Blazers right now.  [Bleacher Report]
• Charles Oakley on his way to Portland?  [SLAM]
• More David-Lee-to-Portland chatter.  [Layup Drill]
• Mothers love Tyler Hansbrough...anyone else not surprised by that?  [Blazer Lady]
  
• P-Allen continues to get hammered by poor financial decisions.  [Portland Biz Journal]

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Laker Girls Invade 2009 Championship Parade - Ultimate Gallery

There is no sugar coating needed here...all we cared about when we heard that the Lakers and the City of Los Angeles were throwing a parade, was where and on what would the Laker Girls be riding?  At first, we thought they had slipped by the masses of cameras, and then as the pictures started to roll in, we created a special post just for your viewing pleasure.  (Here are the rest of the Lakers at the parade if anyone cares.)

Enjoy!

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

 

  

 

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2009 Lakers Championship Parade Photos - Kobe Goes Shocker?

The Lakers managed to scrounge together enough funds to avoid having the city of Los Angeles foot the bill to their parade.  Nice work!  It's exciting to see multi-millionaires using their money to benefit professional sports parades rather than the unemployed, the Darfur's of the world, and education.

A few notes about these photos we found interesting:

• Kobe went "Shocker"!
• He also must not have received the memo on the Championship t-shirt...that the entire rest of the team decided to wear?
• Lamar Odom with a candy or real cigar?  You decide.
  
• I know it's Hollywood, but did they have to remake High School Musical?
• We tried our hardest to find an Adam Morrison candid but were unsuccessful.
• And why the hell didn't anyone cap some Lakers Dancers? (Laker Girls Here!)
  

Anyways, onto the pictures!

(His shocker form needs tightened, but the effort was nice enough.)

 

  

  

  

 

 

Update!  Laker Girls specific post here!

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Blaze of Glory - 6/16/09

Every now and then instead of focusing completely on our beloved Blazers, we like to spread some love to our friends around the world covering the greatest game on Earth.

• What about Victor Claver for Portland at the 24th pick?  [SLAM]
  
• Not buying the Ron Arest-to-the-Blazers chatter. [Oregon Live]
• Pritchard and the  front office messing with the Lakers.  Love it.  [HoopsWorld]
• A quick shout to my girl Marissa and her new show with Tone.  [The Show]
• A ton of workouts going on today for the Blazers.  [Center Court]
• Turkoglu to opt out and become free agent.  [Bust a Bucket]

And a batch of Blazers Ebay goodness...

• Maurice Lucas 1978-79 throwback All-Star game jersey.
• The Briant Grant buddy doll from 1999.
• And don't forget your Blazers BBQ apron...you man you.
  

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Vanessa Bryant - Hot or Not?

It seems like we've been seeing a lot more of Vanessa Bryant these days and we're struggling to decide if that's a good thing or not.  Back in the day we were a fan and then we read the 1,000 stories about her being the hugest b***h on the planet.  Is anything a quicker turn-off than a mid-game lashing of a reporter?

So tell us your thoughts...is Vanessa Bryant hot or not?  (Pictures from Game 5)

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Dwight Howard Must Not Be a "Competitor" Right LeBron?

Remember LeBron James losing in the Eastern Conference Finals and storming off the court, through the locker room and onto the bus?  Oh and then hearing the criticism for not shaking Dwight Howard's hand?  And then coming out 5 days later to the media with some BS story about being a "competitor" and not shaking hands?

Well Dwight Howard must not be a true "competitor" in the Book of James, but at least we respect him.

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