Portland Trail Blazers: Mike Barrett's Blog

Pritchard Discusses Magloire Acquisition

posted: 7/31/2006 at 10:44 PM

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First of all, thanks for all of your comments in the past couple of days. It's great to think that we're just entering the month of August and there is such heated debate involving the Trail Blazers. Even if you haven't agreed with all the moves (and it appears most of you have), you have to admit that the front office has been proactive and very agressive in trying to get this team back in the playoff hunt. That's what most of you were asking for following last season's disappointing finish.

On Monday the rumored trade became official, as the Blazers and Bucks completed the deal that send Steve Blake, Brian Skinner, and Ha Seung-Jin to Milwaukee, in exchange for Jamaal Magloire.

Last night the Blazers director of player personnel, Kevin Pritchard, joined us on Courtside Monday Night, presented by L.A. Weight Loss to discuss the trade. Kevin talked about the addition of Magloire, why the Blazers decided to pull the trigger on the deal, and even discussed what the immediate future could hold. He said, "our frontline is now ready to compete with some of the best the Western Conference has to offer."

To hear the entire Pritchard interview, which lasted most of the first half-hour of the program, click here.

As you will hear, Pritchard spent a lot of time discussing how this was not an easy decision to make, especially when it came to parting ways with Steve Blake. As we have talked about, Blake did everything that was asked of him and more, in his time with the Blazers. I talked to Kevin last week, when this trade was being discussed, and he told me how difficult it was going to be trading Steve, who was his first-ever signee as an executive. In the end, Kevin was able to put his emotions aside, and just "had to do what was best for the franchise."

There have also been a lot of questions about Magloire's immediate future in Portland, and whether or not this is just a prelude to a bigger trade. Pritchard tried to put some of those rumors to rest. Anything can happen, of course, but Kevin sounded like he expects Magloire to definitely play for the Blazers this season. He's a valuable asset, especially given the fact that he's in the last year of his contract and will be a unrestricted free agent after the season. The Blazers, however, own his "Bird rights" and those are transferrable to any team that potentially trades for him. That just means the team that possesses him at the end of the season will be able to exceed the salary cap to re-sign him (my earlier post was incorrect on this).

Magloire is a beast inside, and gives the Blazers even more defense and rebounding. And, he's not a bad offensive player in the paint. As he showed in Milwaukee last season, Magloire can also play the power forward position, and is capable of backing up Zach Randolph at the 4. Teams are always after flexibility, and this acquisition gives them that. When you get it in a big guy, all the better.

I was planning on running my interview with Zach from last week when I was in Atlanta, but we got so many calls and e-mails I just ran out of time. I do want to make it available to you here. Click here for my one-on-one with Zach. I also got a chance to spend some time with Jarrett Jack in Atlanta, and for that interview click here.

We were hoping to get Magloire on the radio show, but he wasn't available. We'll try and get him on next week. Also, check back here for an update on the press conference announcing Magloire to Portland. It's not set yet, but will be soon. Next week I also plan on getting Dan Dickau on the program. He joined us in Las Vegas, but I'd like to get him again for next week. Dickau played with Magloire in New Orleans, when both of them had breakout seasons. He'll give us an idea of what we can expect. We'll also get an update on Dan's surgically-repaired Achilles tendon. He told me at a golf tournament recently (he's a 5 handicap, by the way) that he expects to be 100 percent by training camp. Blake's departure will obviously create a bigger opportunity for Dickau.

Thanks for your involvement in the radio show, and in the blog. Keep the comments coming, and I'll respond to as many as I can. I'll also keep you up to date on anything else going on this week, including the Magloire press conference.

18 Comments:

NoLyFe said...: Thank you all Portland and all of the front office workers! I love this trade. Hopefully it will get Zach off of his lazy a** and lose whight and wokr harder, and hopefully it will mean that Mills will be gone, or vis versa, one of them 2 need to get outta town. I can't wait to see, Aldridge working his a** off with Joel and Jamaal. Put Martell and Roy in the line-up and let them do there magic. All I know out of the last 6 years, I am the most excited about this season, and the new players. I also hope that Portland will be able to resign Jamaal this off season, and that he will see that this area loves there basketball, there team, there players!

Tyler - vancouver; 11:39 PM
aitor14vn said...: This transaction is super for Sergio. I'm very happy about that, because it means that Portland is really interested in Sergio. Now he will have to fight with Jack and Dickau to get as minutes as possible, but why he couldn't be the starting point guard????? I'm very excited about the new season!!!! When will be the official Sergio's 11 jersey available??? I'm crazy about getting it!!!; 12:32 AM
Lee D said...: Mike, Bird rights do not give the team the right to match any offer. That would be restricted free agency. Bird rights allow a team to exceed the salary cap to re-sign the player, thus offering more potentially than many other teams can do.; 1:43 AM
mrblazer said...: Mike, i think you may have been mistaken about Mags' contract situation. Won't he be an unrestricted free agent at the season's end? Meaning even if the team who owns his "bird rights" matches another team's offer, Mags can decide to play wherever he wants. Also, his "bird rights" owner can opt to not only match another team's offer but also go as high as the maximum length and salary for his situation as a player. I think that is correct, right?

Anyway, you wrote that the "entire" Pritchard interview is available, but only half of it is available to me. I was a little surprised to hear KP say that most of this trade was orchestrated by Steve Patterson. I guess he is the acting GM.

Can we get an update on the "search" for our next GM. Don't tell me this is the kind of thing that is kept secret like it's a matter of national security, is it? Can we at least be told if the process has started?; 2:13 AM
Sgt_Taylor said...: I am looking forward to this season and I think the Blazers have done an outstanding job during the off season. So good job from Afghanistan.; 4:42 AM
Samuel Hardy said...: It seemed like of Pritchard's acquisitions, Blake bought into the new notion of the Blazers as a 'family' more than anyone.

As alluded to in the Oregonian, it seems that Blake was pretty hurt by the trade, especially given his wifes September due date.

Has anything been said by the Blazers organization to Steve Blake along the lines of 'we want you to sign with us' next year? Or does Dickau's contract (having 2 seasons left) and the drafting of Sergio essentially rule out this classy guy coming back to the team?; 7:36 AM
JSalway said...: As much I am excited about obtaining Magloire, I will miss Steve Blake. I feel really bad for Blake. He and his wife loved it here. They embraced the community, and became very active within it both publicly and privately.

I realize this is a busines, and trades are sometimes a harsh reality. And, all in all, I'd love to have Blakes troubles; Making large amounts of money to play a game I love, married to a beuatifull woman, expecting my first child, and competing for the starting point guard position on a playoff team.

It does suck though. I'll miss you Mr. Blake, and I think the team will too.; 7:59 AM
Mike Barrett said...: Lee D, and Mr.Blazer,

You guys are correct on Magloire's contract situation. I was wrong. Reading it again, it's pretty obvious. I guess it was a late night, and having a one-year old, they have been early mornings too.
Thanks for the correction.

MB; 9:39 AM
BlazerMan31 said...: I'm just not sure what the point of this trade is when compared to the other moves we have made in this offseason. We drafted LaMarcus Aldridge, brought in Raef LaFrentz, re-signed Joel Przybilla and already had Zach Randolph. I just don't see how this group can co-exist with the bringing in of Jamaal Magloire. When you consider that Randolph, Przybilla and Magloire will eat up a huge portion of those minutes, where does that leave the others?

I guess my question is why did we really draft LaMarcus if we were just going to bring in another big anyway? Supposedly we have a problem at SF (two actually, considering that Darius Miles is STILL on the team), so why didn't we instead take a guy like Adam Morrison would could immediately fill a void on this team? Maybe Pritchard & Co. will prove me wrong in the end, and I hope they do. But when players like Steve Blake leave the team and guys like Darius Miles remain on it, it makes you wonder why the priorities aren't in order.; 11:51 AM
Happy Camper said...: Hmmm, gotta say jury out. For me it is a wait and see. No question Magloire is a good grab, but Blake could have been a poster child for what portland is trying to do. Consistant good smart play combined with a quality person. Blake was not only a fan favorite, he had good offence, defence, and game savy. I know we might have lost him to free agency anyways, but i still think we should have kept him. Look what loyalty brought us with Joel, and loyalty is a two way street. No dis on Mags, but I don't like it.

Whats done is done. Now it looks on paper that we have a deep talented frontcourt. The jury will rule with chemistry. Right now, the team has no leader. When the team's leader emerges next year it won't nescesarily be the team captain, the veteran, or the most talented player. The leader will be the one everyone follows. Will Miles still be around acting like he deserves better without earning it? Will one of our two starting centers be happy to come off the bench? Can Zack get back to the hustle, 2nd chance- offensive rebounding, 6th man of the year that earned the contract he has or will he keep trying to be something different? While all this is going on which one of these vererans will the incredibly talented young people we have start to watch and learn from?

My hope is that either the trading isn't done yet, or Mags and Joel become inseperable partners, even with the depth Nate still gets Aldridge enough playtime to maximize his development, (if they stay) Zack and Miles grow up (Zack so far seems to be on the right track), Jack, Outlaw, and Webster have breakout years, and -knock on wood- Roy not only develops into the best player on the team, but his natural leadership tendancies bring the team to follow his lead.; 12:06 PM
Connor said...: K with these doubters ubove. Hmm lets see boys Miles has a very hard to trade contract for one. blake didn't. 2 Joel is an injury prone player. Jammal played 82 games last year. 3. Blake was not the future. Jack, Sergio are. 4. Mcmillian said Aldrige was "very raw" so following Jammal and Joel will be good for him. So yes geniuses the blazers priorities are in the right order. Mike thanks for these blogs.; 1:42 PM
T_dawger89 said...: Ok...i like this trade..but steve... I'll miss you bud. i loved his ethic and aggresiveness. I'm with others...if we decide to keep jamaal, then randolf has GOT to go. We can't pull another juggle. We tried that, and it didn't work, lets see what the blazers will do.; 4:15 PM
TMonte said...: I think this was a good trade. It was good to get rid of Ha he just isnt developing the way they had hoped. I will miss steve but I think we have enough talent at that position. Now if we can just rid ourselves of Zach and Darius we would really be moving in a postive direction!!; 4:55 PM
Blazer Employee said...: The Blazers have the right foot forward and the management team is doing their job as well. I still believe from a marketing standpoint that we need a "STAR" player to sell tickets and get us back to the promsied land. With the tools and depth in place, we need to make a run at AI or baron Davis, someone with marketablilty and a champions poise. Thanks MB; 5:02 PM
Jerid McIntyre said...: Of all the people to get let go, Steve Blake? Man that one hurts. Watching the games when Steve was in them he was the heart and soul of that team. His unselfish play was what kept them in many a game last season with the lackluster effort that most of the team was giving last season.

Steve will be missed.; 10:14 PM
peregrinebrm said...: Two main points here: 1, I worried earlier on this site about the imbalanced roster this trade created and expressed the hope that a follow-up trade will correct the imbalance. But I see criticism and want to say that, overall, I am very impressed by the team's moves in the offseason. Good work. And good blog, Mike.

2, Blazer Employee wrote about greatness, and was right about its importance. Greatness, however, must come from within an organization. For one thing, to build a team around a great player or two takes time (years). Also, that team that you build around the great player requires time to develop chemistry and on-court cohesion. Third, a truly great player WILL NOT be traded, or if so, very rarely and for half a team. The Blazers are approaching greatness the right way. Having committed to a rebuilding process, they have given themselves a luxury: time. So now they have picked up Aldridge and Roy through the draft to complement Webster. For the Blazers to be a great team, it is from here that their great player(s) must emerge. AI or Baron Davis would not take this team to the "promised land" - but maybe Aldridge, Webster, and/or Roy will. In the meantime, management is building a decent team around them. Have patience.; 10:15 PM
JSalway said...: Miles, Randolph, and whatever else it takes for Kevin Garnett. Tickets sell out, and we go from worst record to the playoffs.; 6:21 AM
north ballerz said...: How about this...Randolph,Miles and Magloire for Garnett in the next trade.
Starting Five will be;
Center: Joel Priyzbilla
P-Forward: Kevin Garnett
S-Forward:Martell Webster
S-Guard:Brandon Roy
P-Guard:Jarrett Jack; 11:49 AM

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Magloire Trade Official

posted: at 12:39 PM

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This morning the Trail Blazers made it official and announced they have acquired former Eastern Conference All-Star Jamaal Magloire in a three-for-one deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. Going to Milwaukee from Portland are Steve Blake, Brian Skinner, and Ha Seung-Jin.

The details of the actual trade were hammered out before the weekend, and originally surfaced in the Milwaukee media last Thursday. Shortly after reports of the trade were everywhere in Portland, so the trade wasn't a huge suprise to most by today.

The Bucks had been wanting to move Magloire, and with the addition of Charlie Villanueva, acquire in a trade with Toronto, gives them the abilty to now move Andrew Bogut, the number-one pick in last year's draft, back to his natural center position. The trade with Toronto cost the Bucks their starting point guard, T.J. Ford, and that left them in need of a point guard. They became focused on acquiring Portland's Steve Blake, and he's now expected to battle for the starting job in Milwaukee with Maurice Williams.

Magloire, who only spent one season with the Bucks, started all 82 games last season and led the Bucks to a playoff birth. He was also a member of the 2004 Eastern Conference All-Star team, and led the east with 19 points and 8 rebounds in that game. He'll add to the Blazers already talented front line, and will battle for minutes at both the power forward position and center spot.

This trade gives Portland tremendous flexibility at the center position. Keep in mind, a little over a month ago the Blazers faced the prospect of having only two centers, Ha, and Brian Skinner. Now, they've got Przybilla, who was re-signed, Raef LaFrentz, Magloire, and LaMarcus Aldridge.

It has also helped alleviate a log jam at the point guard position. It wasn't easy for the Blazers to trade away Blake, who was very popular in the community, and had a breakout season last year, but with Jarrett Jack nearing 100 percent on his surgically-repaired ankle, along with Sergio Rodriguez, Dan Dickau, and Brandon Roy showing the world at summer league he can certainly handle playing some point, the move was too good to pass up.

Tonight we'll have much, much more on all of this on Courtside Monday Night, presented by L.A. Weight Loss. The show will air from 6pm to 7 on KXL-AM 750 in the Portland area, and will also be available live on kxl.com. The next four Courtside shows will be just hour-long programs, and then will return to the normal two-hour show after that. Kevin Pritchard will be on with us tonight at 6:05, and we'll get all of his thoughts, and what went on behind the scenes in getting this deal put together. We're also trying to get Magloire on, but his availability at this point is up in the air. We'll know more tonight.

If you miss the interviews live tonight, check back here later tonight and tomorrow, as I'll have links to them all.

21 Comments:

Keegan DeWitt said...: Mike,
You pumped this one up as though the sky was falling, is there more news than this? Is there more to be announced this evening? If not, it seems that this simply moves our logjam from PG to Center. Thoughts?; 1:30 PM
Andrew said...: Terrific Deal!!
It really seems that another move is going to have to be made with such a front court heavy roster. Mike, any insight if there are more deals in the works>; 2:03 PM
Connor said...: I am extremely happy about this. Jammal is a GOOD solid center. Maybe he should start over pryz. Don't know yet. Hes a 9 points 9 rebounds guy. Hustles. Like ruben patterson though he wants minuets and will complain if not given them. This frees up space though and like u said Mike frees up the point guard jam a little. I want to see Jack and spanish chocolate play. Poor Aldrige though. Hes really going to have to fight for minuets. Well I am very proud of the organization right now and they are working their butts off to win. Thats what matters to me.

PS. MIKE YOU RULE; 2:09 PM
Whitlock said...: Wow, did Portland ever FLEECE the Bucks on this one. A genuine starting center for a third-string PG and two STIFFS. Great move for the 'Blazers... dismal move for Milwaukee!!; 2:25 PM
Riley said...: This is great news! This should really help the team. It'll clear up the log jam of PG's, but make a little log jam for the 5 position! Overall this will definately help the Trail Blazers organization!; 2:33 PM
Riley said...: Mike, this is what Im thinking!

Magloire: Big Benefit!
This should really help the Blazers out! The log jam of PG's will be a little cleared up. However, Aldridge wont get as much playing time, but he is young and underweight and could use time anyways. Overall, I do think that this trade will help us win more games.; 2:35 PM
peregrinebrm said...: This makes the roster an imbalanced mess. I can already foresee several unhappy malcontents, Magloire first among them. A solid point-guard tandem, featuring Steve Blake - a good-guy, clutch player who was good in the community and would have happily come off the bench with the continued emergence of Jack - is now broken up. This had BETTER be the precursor to another trade that will correct the problems created by this one. If not, a misguided Whitsitt-style disappointment. If so, it could turn out great.; 2:40 PM
Lance said...: How can anyone complain about this one? We gave up a point guard who had a career year and was a great guy, but big men just don't become available everyday. Blake will never reach All-Star status and Jamaal already has. It is a no-brainer. The only way you can question this move is if you are/were a Bucks fan.

Lance; 2:46 PM
rip city son said...: this deal is definitely one in the blazer's favor, but they obviously have a great deal of confidence in JJ being the man at the 1 spot, and roy backing him up. aldridge was never going to get lots of minutes this year, but now has a great bunch of guys to learn from. i cant see any negatives in this deal, because this really gives the blazers the best front court in the division.

keep up the great work mike!; 3:13 PM
Dickon said...: Portland now has a solid team. I dont think Ha will ever be more than a third string C, if he can make it that far. I dont get people complaining that now there is a logjam at the 5?? The Blazers now have 5 players they can USE at the 5, but Raef will most likely back up at the 4 and Aldridge is also a 4 that may be able to play some 5. Blake was a good guy that I wish could have stayed, but this is a trade that could not be passed up. I am starting to get excited about the blazers for the first time in several years.; 3:50 PM
Dickon said...: Portland now has a solid team. I dont think Ha will ever be more than a third string C, if he can make it that far. I dont get people complaining that now there is a logjam at the 5?? The Blazers now have 5 players they can USE at the 5, but Raef will most likely back up at the 4 and Aldridge is also a 4 that may be able to play some 5. Blake was a good guy that I wish could have stayed, but this is a trade that could not be passed up. I am starting to get excited about the blazers for the first time in several years.; 3:51 PM
L.T.G said...: Mike,
This is good news. We got two solid centers! I even think Mags will win out the starting job over Pryz. He is a much better scorer who can create. He also is a great O and D Rebounder! Now, All we have to do is move Miles and maybe another big. More importantly Move Miles!!..lol. Great job on the Blogs by the way, keep em comin!

--LTG.; 3:54 PM
GroceryBag said...: Ha Seung Jin? Fine. But only because it means more playing time for him. I felt that Skinner had established his role akin to Reuben Patterson in driving to the board and firing up the team. PG log jam? What log jam? Blake is gone … Telfair is gone …
Hey, why don’t you trade Juan away in the midst of your breakdown: let’s make it a Trifecta. I mean, how many layers of the onion have to be peeled? Was I naive in assuming that a multi-year contract for Joel translated into a starting position? Now what? I don’t think the team will ever achieve its former greatness until the “Braille –Mazers” in the front office stop feeling their way around the market, focus on capital (as opposed to liquid) assets, and start valuing Chemistry over Cash. (And I thought Wittsit was bad.) I got a new one: Fire Patterson. Fans, I got news. Just because a player is an All-Star for someone else’s team, doesn’t mean he’ll be one for yours.

P.S. Remember the Maine (and “The Pippen”) !!!; 6:18 PM
Lance said...: Pippen was always a number two guy to MJ and was only as good as he was because of MJ. Pippen came along towards the end of his career and nobody expected him to carry the team, only help guide it. I was on a Bucks blog page and not one person thought this was even close to a good deal for them, and that was on Friday when it was just a rumor. There is absolutely NO downside to this deal. Jamaale doesn't have to be an All-Star for this trade to work. He just has to do the work required of him...rebound and play 'D'. I am amazed how people have ripped the Blazers for all the bad character people over the last few years and now they have made great strides to change that now they complain about something else. Not only have they changed the character, but they added talent which is not an easy thing to do.

Be happy. We are moving in the right direction.; 7:13 PM
PTAide said...: GroceryBag,
You have got to be kidding me? This is a terrific move for the organization. We bring in a talented player as well as a good guy. Mags complained about playing time as his was diminished in the playoffs to give the youth movement (i.e., Bogut) some experience. I'm not too worried about a player who wants to play in the playoffs after starting every game, it's what we like to call a competitor. Plus, now we have a big who can teach the young guys a thing or two about playing in the paint. I'll miss Blake, but not enough to not want Mags on this roster.; 7:46 PM
P-Town All Stars said...: I am excited to see an "all star talent" big man coming to P-Town, however I see a familiar situation developing here that I dont think we as fans can ignore. Aldridge is now the new Jermaine O'Neil. I see the Blazers doing what they always have done, playing the older vet in place of an emerging young talent just to bring the franchise back to the "close but no cigar" days so they can make their money. If this club is serious about being winners again and not just resembling being winners, we need to take this young Aldridge and play him till he becomes what he eventually will be... The starting all star center for the East. Miss you Jermaine.; 7:58 PM
tigerman12 said...: What we have is more flexability now. As said, Ha will never be more than a 3rd stringer. Skinner has played on 7 teams now, and Blake, though good and positive had to be traded to make the deal pan out. Now that Roy proved he can play point and Sergio coming to town, Blakes loss can be more easily absorbed.

Our flexibility really comes at the 4-5. Aldrige will more than likely be brought on slowly unless they can deal Randolph. Raef can play the 4-5, but now seems to lean more to the 4. Magaloire could battle Pryzbilla for the starting spot.

One must wonder if one more trade is in the works. Raef or Jamaal and maybe Miles for somebody? Who knows, but the consensus is that we aren't done yet.

I'm loving this offseason so far, it'll be a brand new team by fall.; 9:18 PM
peregrinebrm said...: Grocerybag . . . are you saying this could be the best Blazer former all-star big man since Dale Davis? A second coming, perhaps? I sure hope not.; 9:55 PM
mrblazer said...: Can anyone spell Aldridge, correctly?; 4:58 AM
BNeu said...: Good Luck with Magloire. Last season he was the worst pickup here in Milwaukee! He's slow, never jumps, and lazy! Oh yeah get used to him missing free throws when you need them, and has stone hands.
Good Luck and Thanks for taking him!!!; 4:06 PM
Mark said...: I am most definitely curious to see what the Blazers starting lineup will look like this year. I'm thinking somewhere alone the lines of Jarret Jack/Brandon Roy at PG. Juan Dixon/Brandon Roy at the two hole. I'm kind of confused what the Blazers will do with the three spot. Maybe Martell? Maybe Z-Bo will play as the Small Forward and the Blazers will go with Jamaal and Przybilla in the last two spots? Maybe Portland will make another move before the season starts to clear up some of these questions?; 2:49 AM

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Big Monday Planned in Blazerville

posted: 7/30/2006 at 10:23 PM

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What an amazing five weeks this has been for the Portland Trail Blazers. It seems like an awfully long time ago that we were hearing about the six draft-day trades made by the Blazers. That day ended with Portland having four first-round picks- LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Sergio Rodriguez, and Joel Freeland. But, so much has happened since, and Monday will be another huge day for the franchise.

After the draft we learned on July 4th, Joel Przybilla would be re-signing with the Trail Blazers. Not many people expected that. We then went to summer league in Las Vegas. Not many expected Brandon Roy to have the kind of week he did. Last week I flew to Atlanta to see Zach Randolph and Jarrett Jack. Not many people expected to see Zach in such great shape, or expected Jarrett to be ahead of schedule on his recovery from ankle surgery like he is. And, not many expected what will be coming out on Monday. Do we dare ask, "what's next?"

It's very difficult to keep things quiet in this day and age, and I'd be insulting your intelligence to act like you don't know what's coming on Monday. I've received so many e-mails in the past few days, and I'm sorry I've been unable to answer them. They've all been asking pretty much the same question. Monday, you'll get the answers. And, then it'll be fun, because on our Courtside Monday Night radio show, we'll reveal everything to you, talk to player personnel director Kevin Pritchard, and will even perhaps have another suprise guest or two on the show.

The radio show starts at 6 pm on KXL-AM 750 in the Portland area, and if you're outside the listening area, as always, you can log on to kxl.com and hear the show live. You'll want to hear this one. I do need to let you know that the radio show is going to be reduced to one hour for the next four shows. This was planned a while back, and usually the month of August is pretty quiet. Even though tomorrow night's show will be technically a July show, it gets included in this, and it's going to be hard to get everything taken care of in just an hour tomorrow night.

The only thing I can officially tell you is, Pritchard will be on at 6:05, right off the top of the show. We'll let him make the special announcement, and then we'll get to everything else.

I talked to Kevin this afternoon at the Trail Blazers 3-on-3 Street Jam, and I can tell you he'll have a lot to say. He's been very busy, as you know, and I always love hearing the story behind the story. We'll get that tomorrow night. We'll have questions, and for the first time since all of this stuff hit the media, we'll have official answers. Congratulations will also be in order. Get your tickets yet?

7 Comments:

goblazers50 said...: Phe Le

Jamaal Magloire to Portland? It's good to hear that the blazers had made some great deals.; 1:08 AM
kansagonian said...: Omigod! tell me we are not going to lose Aldridge just to dump Miles. I just read: http://blogs.foxsports.com/DimeMagazine/2006/07/29/Operation_Get_Yours
they are saying NBA "GMS" are saying any deal wont get done we will not dump Miles unless we add Adridge. They say that is why we got Magliore to cover our butts! Help me out! Pray or something! I know we gotta be left in the dark but I just got up, its 5am central in KC and its still dark outside!! Pritchard wouldnt do this would he? I'll be listening to your streamcast!; 3:32 AM
afs said...: Hi Mike,

Isn't it great that we made the trade for *CENSORED*! *DELETED* will add so much to the Blazers' *EDITED*.

That's a great picture of *WITHHELD*, too.

Mike, I feel kind of bad for you in situations like this, especially when it happens on a weekend. You hear all these details first, but you can't say a word about it until the NBA League Office opens on Monday morning at 9AM to process the paperwork. I know you have to be dying to talk about the *EXPURGATED* deal.

I can't wait to *BLEEP* in a Blazers Uniform!

By the way, considering recent developments, could you ask Kevin Pritchard tonight if we might be seeing LaMarcus Aldridge occasionally getting minutes at SF against bigger line-ups? Thanks.; 6:31 AM
BlazerBelieverForever said...: Mike,
I haven't been writing lately, but of course i have still been reading. First thing at work this morning i about had a heart attack reading your cliff haanger of a blog. I CANNOT wait until tonight. Canzano's article in today's Oregonian put some ideas into my head as well, but lately I have more faith than usual in my Blazers. Finally, i think they realized major changes were needed. and they've made so many already. and now even more. how lucky for those blazer fans, those TRUE blazer fans, like you and i that we are here to witness the wild ride of this off-season. i can't wait for your show tonight. thanks for everything mike!
-Liz-; 8:36 AM
Mike Barrett said...: Kansagonian,

Aldridge isn't going anywhere, don't worry. This deal has nothing to do with that. I wouldn't look for LaMarcus to get a ton of minutes right off the bat, but his upside is tremendous. That's why the team worked so hard to move up to #2 to select him. By the way, is it true that people from Kansas are taking over the world? That's what Pritchard told me yesterday.

Afs,

Nobody censored me. That was just me at 11pm last night with photoshop, trying to be creative. I think I failed. This has not been a very well-kept secret and I was just having some fun with it. Yes, I'm looking forward to talking in detail tonight on the show.

Thanks for all your comments..

MB; 8:46 AM
chrisinhawaii said...: Great job as usual. I think the magloire trade is a great one. It will definitely help balance out the roster. I think Brandon Roy is going to be an outstanding player but i still think trading Telfair will come back to haunt us. Kinda how Jermaine Oneal did. Oh well, now that Telfair's gone keep the trades coming!!!; 9:52 AM
bradley. said...: Hey Mike!

Are you allowed to talk about whether Portland intends to keep Magloire or use him as trade bait?

Will you ask Pritchard how Joel feels about the trade tonight please.

Also, Raef has to be a little skeptical... It seems like he's the obvious candidate to be the odd man out:
Zach - 35 minutes at PF.
Aldridge - 13 minutes at PF.
Magloire - 28 minutes at C.
Joel - 20 minutes at C.

Thoughts?; 1:08 PM

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Another Day of Work for Zach and JJ

posted: 7/25/2006 at 8:06 PM

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It was our second day in Atlanta and we were fortunate enough to be able to attend workouts for two very important Trail Blazers. Both players, as you know, are not only working to get ready for the NBA season, but are also rehabbing. Zach Randolph had knee surgery before last season, and was never close to being 100 percent last year, and Jarrett Jack, who had surgery on his ankle earlier this summer, has made tremendous progress and is well ahead of schedule in his process.

I'll start first with Zach. He is as fit as I have seen him, and his desire and self-awareness, is also extremely healthy. We were shooting video of Zach and interviewed him for a story we're putting together. One thing he kept telling me today is that he feels "brand new," and is very happy to be working pain free. He's also thinner and stronger than I have seen him. I took some photos of his workout session today and his weight session, and you can view those photos by clicking here.

You'll also see some photos in there of Zach's daughter, McKinley, who turns one on Friday. Zach took us back to his hotel after the workout and we got a chance to see him with McKinley. You've never seen a prouder father, and it was fun to see him follow her around, up and down the hallway at the hotel. These are moments I wish all Zach fans could witness. One thing that can't be argued is that Zach has a big heart and is a very good guy. He's the first to admit he hasn't always made the best choices in certain situations, but if you spend time around him you can't help but like him.

Blazers player development/assistant coach Bill Bayno put Zach through a very tough workout today on the campus of Georgia Tech University. They went through shooting drills, post-up moves (with the right hand, Zach's weak hand, almost exclusively), and ran some full court conditioning exercises. Bayno told me it was Zach who suggested he run the brutal end-to-end drills.

He told us several times, during his water breaks, that he couldn't do this kind of a workout last summer while he was recovering from knee surgery. He was basically stuck riding a bike and that was about it. Zach says he wasn't anywhere near full strength when the season began last year, and that the knee gave him trouble from time to time. It just wasn't strong enough. Now, with the help of strength coach Bobby Medina, who's also here in Atlanta, they are getting the knee "better than new." As I mentioned earlier, the rest of Zach's body is in phenominal shape. I'm sure you'll notice that looking at the pictures.

Bayno, who will continue to work with Zach for the rest of the week in Atlanta, told me his goal is to help Zach to a "career year." He says his post moves are so quick and strong at this point, and that his touch around the basket, as we all know, is something you just can't coach. Some complained last season that Zach ended up settling for the outside shot too often, and he agrees with that. Medina explained that today by saying Zach's knee was getting worn down in the post, where it took a beating. Randolph was also double-teammed all the time, and teams tried to attack him physically. Medina's goal is to get Zach strong enough to wage war in the paint this season, and not have to go outside as much.

Both Medina and Bayno told us several times how great it's been working with Zach, and how committed he is to getting himself in the best possible shape. Keep in mind, this is July. "We're not going to have any steps backwards this summer," promises Bayno. Both also said that Zach is carrying himself with the maturity of a veteran star, and truly appears ready to have a breakout season.

As for Jarrett Jack, he is mixing workouts in with his class load at Georgia Tech. He made a promise to his mother, after he declared himself an early-entry candidate for last year's NBA Draft, that he'd continue with his studies and would earn a degree. He told me this evening he's about 7 classes shy of earning a degree in Business. He's got finals coming up next week.

Jarrett's workout tonight was on Cremins Court on the Georgia Tech campus, the home of the Ramblin Wreck. We were the only people in the arena, and I was even instructed earlier in the day by an official how to turn the lights out when we left. I talked with Jarrett about playing on the court where he starred for GT. He said that, yes, he does get a lot of attention on campus, and is truly the BMOC. He said it's not unusual for students to ask for autographs and pictures while he's walking to class. Jarrett lives in a condo on campus, one street away from the basketball arena. He's got a roommate, who's also a student.

In 2004, as a sophomore, Jack led Georgia Tech to the Final Four. His junior season ended on a sour note. In the 2005 ACC Tournament Jack injured his ankle, and then played his first NBA season basically on one leg. Earlier this summer he had surgery on that ankle. Doctors were amazed with what they found during the surgery. Medina told us that doctors said 85 percent of the tissue in Jarrett's ankle was "unhealthy tissue" and they wondered how he was able to play at all. The ankle isn't 100 percent yet, but Jack says it's getting there. Just this week he was cleared to play full-court hoops. He's been doing that in the mornings here in Atlanta with some other NBA and college players.

The one consistent theme we continue to hear, from all these players, is that they're coming to Portland earlier than usual to get ready for the NBA season. By the first of September just about every player will be in Portland, playing, and getting set for training camp. Jarrett said he'll be in Portland on September 3rd. He's got tickets to Georgia Tech's first football game, versus Notre Dame, on September 2nd here in Atlanta.

Thanks to Bill Bayno, Bob Medina, and Darnell Valentine for being so accomodating here in Atlanta. Also, thanks to my travelling partners, TV producer Scott Zachry, and photographer Jeff Curtin. Curtin speaks NASCAR, so he gets along well here in the South. After a near crash in our mini-van, while flying through downtown Atlanta, he uttered "hey, rubbin's racin'!" 'Nuff said.

12 Comments:

Hap said...: Hey MB,

I'm getting really excited about JJ's progress.

Lets hope he kicks butt this year, and remind him how much we hate the Lakers. Ask him what school Georgia Tech students hate the most, and say thats 1/6th the hatred we have for the Lakers.

(ok, thats probably not true, but just tell him we'd love it if he had huge games against the Lakers and lead us to wins against them. Mother of Pete, we hate the Lakers.); 9:44 PM
Michael said...: Was it a mistake for Jack to play last year on his injured ankle? Would it been 85% unhealthy tissue if he didn't play and had the surgery earlier? Will this ankle be a chronic problem for him or should this take care of it?

Btw, I really respect him for playing injured last year and am a big fan of his, so don't get me wrong I'm just wonder if it would have been best for him not to do it.

Zach looks really great! He looks and sounds like he's dedicated to having a great season. I'm a big fan of his as well and look forward to seeing him tear it up this season!

You can delete this part but why do I have to make a blog of my own just to make a simple post? I had a user name but it wouldn't accept my password is this why? There was no other option for choosing a identity but as a blogger. Why? I'm the biggest Blazer fan you could find but man this just is right. I guess you don't want people to be interactive?; 2:23 AM
AtlantaBlazerMan's Pad said...: Mike, as always, thanks so much for keeping us all in the loop! As has been stated on many occasions, yours is the best source for getting the "skinny" on all things Blazers-related. Thanks again.

Oh, I was truly hoping to hook-up with you guys yesterday while you were in town. OK, I'll let it go.....this time. ;) Seriously, though, I know you had far more important things to do, and take care of, than accommodate my Blazer Jones.

Hope to see you sometime this coming season. We're already working on the next Blazer Bash!!

ABM; 6:08 AM
BigBeaverBeliever said...: KEEP WORKIN' ZACH!

October (pre-season) cant come soon enough!

Check out what R.Kamla from NBA.com has to say about Roy and Aldridge:
http://www.nba.com/features/livinglasvegas_060726.html; 9:37 AM
crude lamens said...: Webster is the Man! Look at that guy. Keep Working Martell!; 2:21 PM
BLAZER PROPHET said...: I cringe whenever I hear anything about Zach having a "career year". Zach's main problems are that he's too selfish on offense, refuses to play any semblence of defence and he seems more concerned about stats than winning. I've never doubted he would be OK physically, but he needs a complete mental adjustment about his approach to the team and how he plays.; 7:40 AM
shepp said...: Great to see Zack with his daughter. Much better than hearing stories about him "thugging" about and carrying guns. I think this guy is a champion with fire in his heart. I send him my best. --shepp; 8:54 AM
The Hyper Bully said...: Wow, Mike, nice legs...; 11:50 AM
Phats said...: You've got a great looking Blog MB, I was hoping they'd hook you up like this when you started blogging. Nice to see they've added comments and rss, as well.

Keep up the good work!

It's great to see Zbo and Jack looking fit.; 10:24 AM
crude lamens said...: I hope Travis takes over the SF spot this season. If Outlaw has a break out year we may be in for some good basketball.; 12:38 PM
crude lamens said...: 1. Jack, Dickau, Rodriguez.
2. Roy, Dixon, Lenard.
3. Outlaw, Webster, Miles.
4. Randolph, Aldridge,LaFrentz.
5. Przybila, Magloire.; 12:27 PM
JSalway said...: D. Miles is probably our most talented small forward. Z Bo is a great talent and presence in the post. If both of these players are able to have a team first mentality, on and off the court, I'll be the first to admit I was wrong when calling and hoping for them both to be traded. Prove me wrong guys, I really want to be.

I've always been a fan of Jacks, and am really looking forward to seeing him and Blake have great careers at the point.

Love the blog, thanks again for a great update Mike.; 2:34 PM

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Z-Bo and Jack in the ATL

posted: 7/24/2006 at 7:49 PM

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Greetings from Atlanta.

We arrived in the early afternoon in Atlanta, and, as I explained yesterday, are here to get a first-hand look at Zach Randolph and Jarrett Jack. Trail Blazers player development/assistant coach Bill Bayno is down here, as is strength coach Bobby Medina. We just saw Zach for a few minutes today, and are getting set to attend tomorrow's (Tuesday's) workout sessions with the players.

I did talk to Bayno when I arrived today. He arrived a few hours before we did, on a red-eye flight from Los Angeles. He went right from the airport to Georgia Tech and put Zach through an intense workout. They had a chance to workout for a few days together in Las Vegas, when Randolph arrived for the final days of summer league.

I've known Bill for a couple of years now, and he's not the kind of guy to blow smoke. I had to keep reminding myself of this as I listened to him rave about the progress of Zach. This has been the first time Bayno has worked with Z-Bo and the first thing he did is call Zach an "absolute gem of a person." He said Zach is embracing this opportunity and has a hunger that makes him very easy to coach. This was, obviously, great to hear. Bayno is one of the best player development coaches around and he's a huge addition to this staff. He's willing to go wherever the players are, and work with them as long as they can take it. He's intense, and pushes these players to make themselves better. It's so vital to have a guy like this on the coaching staff.

Bayno talked about his goals, concerning Randolph this summer. He told me this afternoon he "wants to be in Zach's head" and wants to "push him" and says Zach is one of his biggest priorities right now. He talked about how good Zach has looked in the post, and even said he hasn't really bothered to spend much time in there with him, at least with the left hand, because he's already got that down. Bayno said they're not spending any time working on Zach's left, but instead are concentrating almost solely on getting better with his weak hand, his right.

I talked to Zach in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago and asked him what kind of shape he was in. He was honest, and said "so so." I told Bayno that today, and he told me that where they are at now is "night and day" compared to where Zach was in Vegas. Randolph worked in Vegas, and now has had two workouts a day in six of the last eight days. The workouts are long and hard and they're pounding away at full-court, game-situation stuff.

As for Jack, I'm happy to tell you he has been cleared for play. Jarrett has been working out, but now trainer Jay Jensen has cleared him for full-court games. Jack says the surgically-repaired ankle is feeling great, and says he's suprised at how quickly he's recovered. He originally told me he thought he'd be cleared some time in late August, so we're ahead of schedule by almost a month. I know it was killing Jarrett not to be able to play in the summer league games in Vegas, but that would have been pushing it.

Both Zach and Jarrett will play pick-up games with some of the NBA players who spend their summers in Atlanta. The best games in the summer are in Houston and Atlanta, and that's always been the case. They'll compete tomorrow night, and Wednesday, and possibly the rest of the week as well. I'll be here until Wednesday, and will have a much more complete update on their progress following the workouts tomorrow.

As I mentioned yesterday, Blazers TV producer Scott Zachry, and photographer Jeff Curtin are with me in Atlanta, and we'll have video for you on the web site as soon as we get home, so you can see for yourself.

I joined Brian Wheeler and Mike Rice last night on Courtside Monday Night, presented by L.A. Weight Loss, our weekly radio show. Wheels did his usual great job of sitting in the hosts chair.

It was a huge night on the show, as the guys were joined by Raef LaFrentz, who talked about being traded to Portland from Boston on draft night. Raef is currently looking for a home in Portland and says he is totally re-locating to the area. He also ment