Another Athlete's House Burglarized

Yesterday, Liverpool traveled to France and beat Marseille in the final game of group play to advance to the knockout stages of the Champions League tournament. In an all too familiar manner, Liverpool's captain, Steven Gerrard, suffered a burglary at his home while away. According to the story, Gerrard is the sixth Liverpool player to suffer this indignity during an away match recently.

All of this must be disconcerting to Liverpool players, but there is an added element that has to this incident that has to be especially disconcerting to fellow Liverpool players, English soccer players, and athletes in general. Gerrard's wife and a friend were present when the burglar's arrived. Given what recentl tragedy with the late Sean Taylor of the Washington Redskins this is extremely worrisome that thieves would be this brazen. Although, I suppose the strict English regulations of firearms makes them a bit more confident of not facing an armed homeowner.

Brutal Tackle

I just saw the Soccernet story about Augustin Binya's sickening tackle on Celtic's Scott Brown yesterday in Champions League Group play. An absolutely terrifying tackle. It looks like Binya attempted to break Brown's leg. Luckily, Brown didn't suffer any serious damage. The video is below, but don't watch if you don't like those sort of things.

Binya Horror Tackle
Uploaded by FACup

Update: Augustin Binya has been suspended for six European matches for the above tackle. He does have the right to appeal.

Dirty Horse Names

I came across this interesting article about the names of racehorses on Slate.com. Whenever I watch horseraces, which isn't very often, I always see these unusual names. Apparently, there are rules about the how many characters (18) that a name can have and bunch of regulations, including no offensive, obscene, or vulgar names nor names in poor taste. Problem is, these standards have changed over time. What used to be fine is no longer ok. See: Tar Baby, Uncle Remus, Darkie, Uncle Tom, Jungle Bunny.

Then there are the obscene names that have slipped past the screeners. See: Cunning Stunt, Golden Shower, Cherry Pop, Cum Rocket, Wrecked Em, and Bodacious Tatas.

I found Fubar, Twig 'n Berries, and a bunch of Redskin references (but that is still allowed in the NFL). I also found the classic Amanda Hug 'n Kiss. Try it out for yourself...it's fun to see what you can find.

John Arne Riise's Paystub

A few days ago I received in my inbox a couple of photos of John Arne Riise's paystub, a professional soccer player for Liverpool FC in the English Premier Leauge. Mr. Riise is a Norway international and has been with LFC since 2001. He is a general fixture in Liverpool lineups at either outside back or midfield. While a very talented player, he certainly isn't a superstar.

It was unusual to see that a millionaire gets a regular paycheck just like every other schmoe. Currently, there is a probe being conducted in England as to how somebody got their grubby little hands onto the stubs. Judging by the dirty fingernails, I would wager to say this person probably did not get the paper through savory means. I have edited out any personal identification other than the name of the player in the photos below. I find it incredibly interesting and difficult to grasp what these depict.

The photos, below, show that Mr. Riise took home a base salary for the pay period ending in early September 2006 (I'm not sure if it is a monthly or weekly paystub) of £120,000. That's roughly $250,000.00 U.S. Some serious cheddar. Mr. Riise also received bonuses for appearances, points, appearances and the Champions League raising his gross pay to roughly £140,000 ($290,000). Out of his gross pay, £55,000 ($114,000) has been deducted for taxes and the such for a take home of £82,000 ($170,000). If Riise's paystub is for a month's pay that puts him at a yearly salary of £1.2 million ($2.5 million) or £6.2 million ($12.8 million) if it is a weekly salary. When I do the math it seems obvious that the paycheck is for one month.

These numbers are astounding to me. I've always known that professional athletes at the highest levels make gobs of money, but generally the terms of those salaries are given in yearly numbers. Not broken down into monthly or weekly salaries. When I see a paycheck like this, I think this is unbelievable. He has a six figure salary (US$) taken out of his check every month. Mr. Riise, maybe you can donate one month of taxes to my personal bank account. You won't miss it and I can certainly use it.

Although, I did some digging and it appears maybe Mr. Riise can't afford it. He has been declared bankrupt in England due to some controversy with his agent.

Think about Alex Rodriguez who is angling for a $30 million yearly salary right now. That would give him a weekly salary of $575,000.00 US. Amazing! Then, you have to think, sports fans are the people paying these salaries ultimately. I don't begrudge anybody making this money, but when you see it these terms it is almost unfathomable how much they make. After I get past this point, I just like to daydream about what I would do with that money. Cars, houses, vacations, toys, gadgets, and whatever else I could probably ever desire. It's not Bill Gates money, but it certainly isn't chump change.

Le Anne Schreiber Taking Easterbrook to the Woodshed

Le Anne Schreiber is perhaps the single greatest addition to ESPN in a long time. She replaced the first ombudsman, George Solomon, and has proved to be a true watchdog of ESPN. Her latest smackdown is on the neverending piles of opinion pieces the .com puts out. She posits that there is frequently much ado about nothing and if there is something there, the reporters need to do more research and investigation before spewing another opinion piece.

I will be the first to admit that bloggers can frequently be guilty of just adding fuel to the rumor fires, since bloggers don't do much reporting themselves. Generally, we are just reactionary to news that is put out there, spew our own asinine opinions, or make stupid, crude and lewd jokes. But, I generally assume that rely on the reporting of the professionals for most of our material. There are exceptions but I think that is the general rule. However, there are lessons that bloggers can learn from Ms. Schreiber's column.

This, however, is not the point of this post...the point is that tWWL allowed Ms. Schreiber to take some serious shots at some ESPN's writers, in particular Gregg Easterbrook. Here are some choice excerpts of Schreiber on Easterbrook's little opinion piece on the Patriot's SpyGate imbroglio:

The amount of opinion was so vast, its range so wide and contradictory, that it was beyond hard for readers and viewers to get their bearings within it.

and, [Note: As pointed out by a reader, MC Bias, the above quote only refers to ESPN's work in general and not to Easterbrook's column specifically. I regret the error.]

And feel free to custom design the opinion of your choice out of rumor, speculation and twisted logic, as Tuesday Morning Quarterback Easterbrook did, not once, but twice, in manufacturing extended false analogies between Richard Nixon's Watergate and Bill Belichick's tapegate, as if stonewalling to the press is the same as stonewalling to congressional investigators, as if violating a league rule is the same as violating federal law, as if he didn't promptly hand over to the commissioner all the material that was asked of him and accept his punishment.

She really shouldn't hold back like that it will keep her blocked up.

The prior incarnation of the ombudsman, Mr. Solomon, offered some criticism and helpful suggestions but I cannot recall him ever being so blunt and critical of ESPN's work. That is the job of an ombudsman but I always thought the position had been a bit neutered under Solomon's tenure. Not so under Schreiber, she has repeatedly excoriated ESPN flaws and pointed out many of the conflicts of interest that seem to really affect the quality of their product.

However, I cannot recall either of the ombudspersons ever really calling out individual writers in such a straightforward manner. Hell, Jason Whitlock was fired for bagging on a fellow writer. Bill Simmons has commented before that his editors won't let him, although some don't believe that is true.

All I have to say is, keep it coming Ombudswoman, keep it coming. This is great stuff.

The Hypocrisy of The Sports Kitty

Hating on ESPN.com columnist Bill Simmons, aka The Sports Guy, is the required merit badge of sports blogs and I've earned my merit badge in the past. I don't try to do it very often, but sometimes his opinions deserve the treatment (just don't get me started on his righteous soothsayer, "I was right" act on Greg Oden). Today, I came across one such opinion.

Simmons, an abashed Boston homer, has been feeling the pain recently due to the Patriots' little kerfluffle regarding the filming of the NY Jets' defensive signals. Backed into a corner by the ceaseless taunting, friends/enemies cracking wise and his beloved Patriots' considerable legacy at least somewhat tarnished, The Sports Kitty came out hissing and swatting with claws out at the detractors of New England.

There is no shame in defending your team. I don't blame him for that, but I don't condone his hypocrisy in argument.

In defending his team, The Sports Kitty brings up the argument that it was cheating, but that it doesn't really matter because it is just sports. Specifically, he says:

See, that's the thing. It's sports. People cheat. People do bad things. People make mistakes. It's just like real life, only it doesn't matter nearly as much.

I can get behind this sentiment. Sports is entertainment and escape from reality. Yes, it may reflect our society at times and become inescapably intertwined with issues (see: Jackie Robinson), but for the most part sports is separate from life. So, for the most part, sports issues (I'm talking about truly sports issues like this and not issues like Michael Vick's dog-fighting) are largely immaterial to the rest of society and don't deserve sports fans getting up in arms about them.

The next paragraph Kitty-cat details many of the more important travails currently in the world: the war in Iraq; global warming; pervasiveness of internet porn; the use of internet to aid pedophiles; and...wait for it...steroids in baseball affecting the homerun records.

We live in a world in which every home run record from the past 10 years has to be taken not just with a grain of salt, but an entire salt shaker.

Wait. What? The questionability of MLB's homerun records is a more important issue than the Patriots' cheating? I thought sports was like real life, only it doesn't matter as much. What happened? Did he take a catnap and forget his statement only one paragraph above?

The audacity of such a position is incredible. Lets see all the adjectives/phrases I can use to describe it: hypocritical; having your cake and eating it too; having it both ways; disingenuous; stupid; hairbrained...the rest will just be more catty so I'll stop.

One is cheating in sports and the other is...cheating in sports. Big difference there right? In fact, the New England cheating was banned by the NFL rules and save for the last few years, steroids were not banned by MLB rules. You can make the argument that steroids were still illegal and New England's cheating was not, but either way it amounts to cheating in sports. And, the steroids uproar definitely seems to be about its affect on baseball and not the illegality of it.

The point is, The Sports Kitty cannot argue that the New England cheating isn't a big deal because it is just sports and then turn around and say steroids is a big deal. Both are forms of cheating and if you condemn one then you must condemn the other. Or, you can take the opposite position of indifference because it is just entertainment in the form of sports and the issues really aren't that big a deal.

Materazzi Likes Whores

One year later, Marco Materazzi has finally revealed what he said to Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup Final that caused the French midfielder to headbutt the Italian.

I prefer the whore that is your sister.

I have to admit that was a nice little dig. Not as bad as your sister is a terrorist or whatever it was alleged he said. Well played.

The EPL is here, The EPL is here!

Errr....I guess it is now the Barclay's Premier League or something like that. Either way, I am incredibly excited. This season promises to full of fun and hopefully Liverpool can get the monkey off its back and win the title for the first time since 89-90, before the inception of the "Premiership."

Last year I attempted to follow a club in each of the main European leagues (EPL--Liverpool, La Liga--Valencia, Serie A--AS Roma and Bundesliga--Hertha Berlin). It wasn't very successful after the first two or three months. It took an enormous amount of effort to follow those teams and then I had a new job which really ate into my time. Liverpool finished 3rd in its league and runner-up in the Champions League to AC Milan. Valencia ended up fourth in La Liga and crashed out of CL play in the quarters to Chelsea. Roma ended up second in the table and fell to ManU in the CL quarterfinals as well. Hertha faired the worse of those clubs. 10th in the league after starting the season in the top 4. Oh well.

This year my focus will be on Liverpool. I will still follow those other teams but not very closely. It is much easier to follow the league that's based in an English speaking country.

I am very hopeful for Liverpool this year. The new owners have opened up the wallet for Rafa Benitez. Rafa signed Fernando Torres for $40M to give the squad some much needed scoring ability. Let's just hope he's worth the outlay. LFC also locked up many of its players (Gerrard, Reina) to long term contracts. LFC also pulled in a young winger from Feyenoord, Ryan Babel, who hopefully can provide some pace and accurate crosses.

Standing in the way of the Scousers are Chelsea and ManU, last year's title winners. ManU has spend significant sums to beef up its already impressive offense with signings of Carlos Tevez, Nani, Anderson and Owen Hargreaves. They will be a tough team to knock off, but the defense is thin. Injuries could really hurt them in the back.

Speaking of injuries, Chelsea had a lot of them last year and looks to be starting off that way again. Terry, Drogba, Ballack, Sheva, Kalou and Johnson are all suspect to miss the first week. An inauspicious start to the season, especially considering injuries derailed last year's campaign.

After those 3, Arsenal is the most likely to grab the fourth spot since Thierry Henry has left the building. But, I like their chances to even compete for the third spot. The Gunners have a lot of young talent and with Henry out of the way, they can all step into the sunlight. Plus, Van Persie has looked good in the pre-season.

Arsenal will have to look out for Tottenham who has loaded up on the already potent offense. There is bound to be a couple other teams battling for the final CL spot and the two UEFA slots. Likely it will be Everton and maybe Newcastle. Enough of my prognostication. I just want the Scousers to win. After that it doesn't really matter.

Now begins 9 months of weekly joy.

The Battle for MLS Legitimacy: It Will Take More Than Beckham

David Beckham has arrived in LA-LA land, his wife already had a show on TV and Becks is scheduled to make his LA Galaxy and MLS debut this Saturday in an exhibition match against English Premier League giant Chelsea. This is a big deal, no matter what anybody says. People are talking about it, sportswriters are writing about it (good or bad) and it has increased, at least momentarily, interest in the MLS. This was the intended result of Beckham’s signing. Another reason, and in my mind perhaps the most important one, for his signing was to legitimize the league in the eyes and minds of Americans, Europeans and players around the world. I have always been skeptical about the attainability of this goal and believe David Beckham and league are in a no-win situation regardless of Beckham and the Galaxy’s performance.

At the time of the signing, most people saw it as the typical former superstar player going out to pasture in America, which is indicative of attitudes towards the American soccer league. Beckham had been relegated to the Real Madrid’s bench, which was having a poor season like Becks. On top of it all, Beckham lost his position as England’s captain was dropped from the squad. No big European clubs were interested in signing him and it looked like the pundits were right. Insert LA Galaxy.

This is when LA and MLS got very lucky. Beckham and Real Madrid both had resurgence in form. Beckham started playing well for Real Madrid, scoring goals and making a difference in games; he was recalled to the national team; and, Madrid ended up winning its first La Liga title since his arrival four seasons ago. Everything was turning up roses and Real Madrid even wanted to keep Beckham after saying good riddance only a few months earlier. Beckham, however, was determined to honor his contract and attempt to do something no other soccer player had done—popularize the sport in the U.S. beyond the youth level.

So this is good news right? Well, it doesn’t really matter in the terms of legitimizing the league. Beckham and the MLS can’t win this battle alone. If Beckham and the Galaxy do well, the skeptics, which I think most people are, will say it’s because the competition was inferior. If they do poorly, the skeptics will say Beckham’s resurgence was just a brief irregularity on the downhill side of his career. The MLS can’t win here. The people that have already made up their minds about the MLS won’t be convinced by bringing in Beckham. It will take much more than Beckham.

New Addition To The Blogroll

I've just added a new blog to the blogroll over yonder on the right. His name....The Blowtorch. Go check him out and the caricatures he's drawing of the first round NBA draft picks. Excellent work. My favorite is Spoonie Love...I mean Al Horford.

Awesome Oden Video!

Here's a great video interview of Greg Oden by Miss Gossip of AOLFanhouse. Oden talks about the infamous picture of Oden and a young lady bumpin' and grindin' at a house party on what some people affectionately call the hoochie dais. There is also talk about Oden's nickname. He doesn't really have one yet, but I'm lobbying for "The Super" or "Super," as in, "I called the Super to fix my leaky faucet." Chris Paul even makes a guest appearance.

Also, Miss Gossip is awesome.

It's unbelievable how cool and down to earth Oden seems.

Hat tip to The Big Lead for the video.

Lebron James, Straight Ballin' ... With High Schoolers

A neat little story in the local paper about a Portland high school basketball player at Lebron James' basketball camp. Brad Tinsley was a late invitee to the Lebron James Skills Academy but ended up with a great story and a recruiting boost.

Tinsley's team was sleepwalking through its final game of the day at the LeBron James Skills Academy in Akron, Ohio, last weekend. Sluggish and uninspired, the team trailed 20-8 when the coach called a timeout. The team desperately needed a spark.

Enter LeBron James. That's right, LeBron James.

"LeBron was on the sidelines lacing up his shoes, and he ran across the gym, took off his shirt and threw on a practice jersey, and said, 'Hey, I'm in,' " Tinsley said.

Not surprisingly, Lebron's team ended up winning the game and James threw down some wicked dunks and NBA level passing.

Tinsley increased his profile on the recruiting scene with a solid performance at the camp as well. Not a bad week, if you ask me.

Who Was Offered For The Blazers #1 Pick?

In Sunday's Oregonian, Blazer beat writer had an interesting story about Portland's #1 draft pick and how Greg Oden wasn't the slam dunk number one option. It's not surprising there was some debate between Oden and Kevin Durant. Quick, however, does throw some intriguing rumors out there about what other teams offered Portland for the pick and a little tidbit about the Zach Randolph trade. Unfortunately for me, I had a busy day and wasn't able to write this post until tonight, so the story has been thoroughly picked over, but not all in one place.

Rumor #1

As [Pritchard] drove to Eugene to watch a play with his daughter on May 23, less than 24 hours after winning the lottery, Pritchard took a call from an Eastern Conference general manager, with whom he had past dealings.

The executive made an offer that was moderate in shock value: A five-time All-Star and this year's lottery pick in exchange for the No. 1 pick and the Blazers' 2008 first-round pick.

After some quick research, it is obvious, if the rumor is to be believed, that this offer had to be Paul Pierce plus the number 5 pick in the lottery. Boston is the only Eastern Conference lottery team with a 5-time all-star. Moreover, Pritchard traded with Boston last season to acquire future Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy. I think Kevin Pritchard had to laugh when Danny Ainge proposed that one. What was Ainge thinking, since we didn't get one of the top two picks we'll see if Portland is stupid enough to give it away for very little. The deal roughly turns into Paul Pierce for Greg Oden, since Portland would have given up next year's pick and gotten Boston's pick this year. Preposterous if you ask me. The commenters on The Big Lead were all over this one.

Rumor #2

A team within the Blazers division proposed a trade involving a future Hall of Famer and a standout rookie for the Blazers' No. 1 pick.

Later in the article it says that this future HOFer was a first-ballot one. The only surefire first ballot HOFers in the Northwest division are Allen Iverson and Kevin Garnett, in my opinion. I don't think Ray Allen has earned that honor (and he should be considered since he was in the division at the time of the offer). The Nuggets didn't have any standout rookies. The T-wolves had Randy Foye (First Team All-Rookie) and Craig Smith.

An intriguing offer, but I'm not sure Garnett would have wanted to come to Portland. He wants to win now. Plus, would you rather have the potential of a Greg Oden for 10-15 years or what would probably amount to 4 years of Garnett on the downside of his career. Sure KG is still playing well now, but in 4 years he'll have been in the league for 15 or so years. That's a lot of wear and tear.

Rumor #3

Sitting high in the stands at the Milk House arena where the marginal prospects scrimmaged -- far from the courtside seats Pritchard so preferred -- Pritchard that morning was approached by a general manager of a Western Conference power.

With bright lights illuminating the court below, Pritchard sat in a darkened corner with the general manager. The general manager wanted the Blazers' No. 1 pick. And he was willing to offer a player that will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

This one is easy to narrow down. First-ballot HOFers in the West? Let's see: KG, Duncan, Kobe and AI for sure. Other possibilities, although I'm not positive they're really first-ballot inductees: Nash, McGrady, Carmelo, Nowitzki. Of those 8 possibilities only Duncan, Nowitzki, Nash and Kobe are on Western powerhouse teams (Lakers in a traditional powerhouse sense, thanks TrueHoop commenters for that view). Henry Abbott over at TrueHoop was all over this and I generally agree with his reasoning.

I don't think its Kobe because LA isn't a power right now. Although, LA may have made teh swap to get Durant, who might sell tickets like Kobe. Nash would never get traded because as Nash goes so go the Suns. I discount Nowitzki because I'm not sure he's first ballot. That leaves Duncan, which is a bit stunning, but I don't think beyond the realm of possibility with R.C. Buford.

Oden is in the mold of Duncan and Robinson...the stoic leader type. Solid defensively. And, San Antonio has had incredible success with big men. Duncan only has a few years of top-notch play left, while Oden would have a lot of time left, and Tony Parker still has 5-8 years of solid play left in him. That would make for quite the pair and I can see San Antonio trying to make this play if they thought Oden was the next coming of Duncan or Robinson.

The big thing to figure out is if these were ever really offered or if Pritchard just put it out there to push up the price on the pick. These NBA GMs are tricky like that. I have to imagine there is some grain of truth to the rumors.

Randolph Tidbit

Pritchard had known he eventually would trade Randolph since a prominent player on the team requested at the end of the season that the high-scoring but troubled forward be dealt.

Again, not a tough one. The Blazers don't have many prominent players outside of Randolph. I can only think of one and another potential one...Roy and Lamarcus Aldridge. The latter being not that prominent.

As one commenter on The Big Lead noted, I wonder how Roy feels about being sold out by Pritchard. I guess with the Hoop Family out of Portland, Roy wouldn't have to worry about any repercussions from Randolph's cronies.

Post-Draft Thoughts on the Trail Blazers

Now that the 2007 NBA Draft has finished, it's time to take stock of the draft. Portland couldn't really have a bad draft with the first pick and being able to pick up a talent like Greg Oden. Who looks like he will be wearing number 52, the number of former Blazer great Buck Williams. But, that wasn't the only move of the night for Portland.

The other big news of the night was that Portland traded oft-troubled Zach Randolph plus Fred Jones and Dan Dickau to the Knicks. In return, Portland gets Channing Frye and malcontent Steve Francis. The rumors suggest Portland may try to buy Francis out to get cap room and go after a free-agent small forward (Rashard Lewis?), and will keep Frye. I'm not sure why the team would want this trade unless it was all to get rid of Randolph. Frye seems to play the same position as Aldridge and has a similar game. Francis is a lockerroom cancer and hasn't produced like Randolph has in the past few years. If Randolph can stay out of trouble in NY (a big IF), Isiah Thomas and the Knicks really got the better of this deal.

I'll reserve judgment but I am leaning towards maybe this not being the best deal for Portland. I think a better move would have been to hold on to Randolph and then try to get more for him at the February trade deadline.

Seattle, who had the number two pick, drafted a tall, skinny forward from Texas, Kevin Durant. Then Seattle traded Ray Allen to Boston for the 5th pick (Jeff Green), Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak. It looks like Seattle may have fleeced Boston. The second year in a row a Northwest team has done that to Boston.

I really liked what Seattle did in the draft, and it looks awfully similar to Portland's 2006 draft. Portland got a tall, skinny forward from Texas (Aldridge) and a well regarded and well rounded upper-classman (Brandon Roy). The Pacific Northwest appears poised to have some really successful teams for the next decade. That is, if Seattle doesn't relocate.

Portland also managed to buy Phoenix's first round pick (no. 24) again this year. Last year Portland drafted Spanish point guard Sergio Rodriguez and this year the team selected a Spanish shooting guard, Rudy Fernandez. I don't know anything about the pick so I can't judge.

The Blazers also picked up Petteri Koponen (30) and Josh McRoberts (37). Koponen is a Finnish guy that I also know nothing about but did give Portland 3 first round picks. But, McRoberts has the potential to be a quality role player passing from the high pivot. He won't be a star but Portland doesn't need that.

At the end of the 2nd round, Portland also picked up shooting guard Demetris Nichols from Syracuse and Taurean Green, the point guard from two-time NCAA champs Florida. If Nichols makes the squad he could provide the outside shooting necessary to creat space down low. And, Green is a wonderful defender a the PG spot. However, the puts quite the logjam at the position. Jack, Rodriguez, Green and Steve Blake if he signs with Portland as many expect him to do all will be vying for time. Not too mention Steve Francis plays some point, as does Roy. However, the also means Portland may be trying to move Jack as has been rumored.

Overall, a good draft for Portland on the basis of Oden alone. Portland did get rid of Randolph but that may not be the best move, in my opinion. The other five picks? The potential is there with McRoberts, Green, and Nichols but playing time let alone a roster spot will be tough to come by. My money would be on McRoberts and Green. The other two, who knows? They will likely stay overseas for at least one season. But, this draft was all about Oden for Portland. Hopefully, it plays out well. I also smell more trades coming out of Portland.

Other news:

Looks like Golden State is trading Jason Richardson to Charlotte for Brandan Wright (the 8th pick).

Atlanta looks like it got quite the haul with Al Horford at number 3 and Acie Law IV at 11. Atlanta filled its point guard need and Horford is a beast that will give Atlanta some much needed bulk up front. I really think Law is going to end up being a very good PG in the league. Maybe not the level of Chris Paul or Deron Williams but very good.

Update: It looks like Demetris Nichols was part of the Randolph trade and will be going to the Knicks. That link also has some foreshadowing of other trades coming down the pike.

2007 NBA Pre-Draft Thoughts

The 2007 NBA Draft is today and the Portland Trailblazers have the first pick. Portland will pick either Greg Oden or Kevin Durant. Prognosticators and blowhards think Portland will take Greg Oden out of Ohio State. I agree and think Oden should be the first pick, but that doesn't matter.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to look back at the 2006 NBA Draft. It is this draft that will mark the real turning point for the Trailblazer organization. It resulted in the 2006-07 Rookie of the Year, first team all-rookie LaMarcus Aldridge and spanish point guard Sergio Rodriguez. All had good first seasons and have helped the Blazers turn the corner to what looks like a promising future especially with the first pick in the 2007 Draft.

I'd also like to point out to Stephen A. Smith that he was absolutely incorrect about the 2006 Blazer Draft. Smith, during the ESPN broadcast, absolutely tore into Portland for all its moves and thought the Blazers had no idea what they were doing. Well, Stephen A., what do you think now? I know he said this stuff, in part, because being bombastic and making strong statements is what helps the ratings. (I would have to disagree, since I generally choose to not listen to Stephen A.) But, he was about as wrong as person could be and I hope this year he makes an apology. I know he won't, but it would be nice.