Last week was a huge week for the Portland Trail Blazers. As you probably know, most of the coaches and decision makers were in Orlando for the big pre-draft camp, and were getting and up-close look at most of the top prospects. This week, the pre-draft workouts will continue at the Blazers practice facility in Tualatin. There have been some good, and informative, workouts so far, but this is the biggest week yet.

It's no secret now, because the players are talking about it, but Thursday will be maybe the biggest and most important workout day for the Blazers. They'll get a look at a few of the players who will likely go in the top five of the June 28th draft. Brandon Roy and Adam Morrison will be among those working out on Thursday, and unlike some of the workouts, in this one the players will go head to head.

During this process the Internet is full of speculation and mock drafts, and one of the best sights out there for you to check out is Draftexpress.com. If you aren't a regular visitor to the site, become one in the next few weeks. They've had people in Orlando interviewing some of the top players, and some of the one-on-one interviews are very informative. Click here to be taken to one of the good interviews with a couple of the players Portland is said to be heavily considering. Roy, and Tyrus Thomas are two of the players interviewed in this article, and after reading Roy's interview you can see why the Blazers are impressed with him. His answers are very insightful and he mentions the big Thursday workout coming up in Portland.

Tonight we'll have our radio show, Courtside Monday Night Presented by L.A. Weight Loss, from 6pm to 8pm PT, on KXL-AM 750 in the Portland area. If you're outside the area, you can listen to the interview by clicking on kxl.com and hitting the listen live link. Our guests will include head coach Nate McMillan, Joel Przybilla, and draft expert Chris Monter, who's a frequent guest at this time of the year.

I've spoken to Przybilla several times in the past week, and spoke to him again last night. Being an unrestricted free agent, this is obviously a huge next 30 days for him. He has earned himself a big contract and will be rewarded with that, wherever he signs, after July 15th. He has said in the past he feels he owes a lot to the Trail Blazers organization and would love to remain a Blazer. Of course, he owes it to himself, and his family, to listen to any and all offers. I know Joel well, and really don't think he's leaning one way or the other at this point.

Przybilla is relying heavyily on his agent, Bill Duffy, to represent him and get him the best deal he can. Some have speculated that there's no way he'll be in Portland next season. In talking to Joel several times in the past week, I don't get that from him at all. We don't get into that stuff in depth, of course, because that's not my place, but I know he and his wife, Noelle, have loved their time in Portland, and love the organization. I've just simply wished him luck and told him I'll be happy for him whatever he and his agent decide. Joel and Noelle are spending the summer in Milwaukee, and will be making a trip to Portland later this month. We'll be talking to Joel on the radio show tonight, at 7:05. If you miss the interview, check back here Tuesday morning and we'll have it for you.

I should also mention that tonight the show will be on the road. I'll be hosting the show, with Mike Rice, of course, under the scoreboard at PGE Park, during the Portland Beavers game. Last week, as I talked about in the last blog, Mike Rice, Jr., is now an assistant coach at Pitt, after leaving St. Joseph's. There have been some great articles on the move, and one in particular talks about the significance of this move, as far as Mike, Sr. is concerned. Click here for more on my partner and his history in that city.

Enjoy the radio show tonight, and if you can make down to PGE Park tonight, stop by and say hi.

 

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home