After the Brawl suspensions, Freddie Jones was st8 doin it for the Pacers. He can be a productive bench player if given the opportunity in the right system.
yeah, I shouldn't really write him off. But his game needs to grow if he wants to get regular minutes. For the Blazers he did come with a lot of energy every time he got off the bench, which was nice to see.
After the Brawl suspensions, Freddie Jones was st8 doin it for the Pacers. He can be a productive bench player if given the opportunity in the right system.
yeah, I shouldn't really write him off. But his game needs to grow if he wants to get regular minutes. For the Blazers he did come with a lot of energy every time he got off the bench, which was nice to see.
Unless he develpos a more consistant jump shot I dont see him evolving anymore. Dude is a leaper/defender/slasher 8th man
If he became a legitimate threat from three point range things might open up for him a lot, he could be the next Steve Smith!
Hells to tha NO.
Steve Smith could run the Point.Coming out of college he was touted as the next Magic. 6'8" kid was nice. And he didnt become a real 3 point threat until his latter years when he slowed down and couldnt defend anymore.
Steve Smith could run the Point.Coming out of college he was touted as the next Magic. 6'8" kid was nice. And he didnt become a real 3 point threat until his latter years when he slowed down and couldnt defend anymore.
SS was my dude. Can play 3 positions.
haha, I wasn't very serious about that. I almost wrote that he could be the Steve Smith of the Greek pro league. When Smith played for Portland his game was simple but effective: he lurked around the three point line and if he was guarded close he slid straight towards the basket and had a layup or an easy dish. By the time he got to Portland he was already pretty long in the tooth.
If he became a legitimate threat from three point range things might open up for him a lot, he could be the next Steve Smith!
Hells to tha NO.
Steve Smith could run the Point.Coming out of college he was touted as the next Magic. 6'8" kid was nice. And he didnt become a real 3 point threat until his latter years when he slowed down and couldnt defend anymore.
SS was my dude. Can play 3 positions.
He had that fake-spin move shit. Borderline carry. Remember that?
O K. Greg Oden is the man. Ohio State teammate and friend Michael Conley Jr. is the man beside the man. And rookie sports agent and over-involved father Michael Conley Sr. is the man behind the man beside the man.
Got all that?
Great.
Clip out that first paragraph and keep it for reference for the next month because you're going to need to remember those three things whenever you hear a rumbling or rumor involving the Trail Blazers, Oden and either of the Conleys.
Depending on whom you believe, the Trail Blazers are either obsessed, or mildly interested, in acquiring a second NBA draft lottery pick they allegedly plan to use to acquire Conley Jr., who has played alongside Oden since junior high.
The Blazers suspect most of the misinformation flying around about their phantom pursuit of Conley Jr. is coming from Camp Conley, which is run by Conley Sr. There is no pursuit, the Blazers said. They like Conley Jr., but they like their young nucleus even more. While it's true, a team source said, that the Blazers had a conversation with the Atlanta Hawks about their No. 3 pick, it was a single conversation that went nowhere fast.
The Hawks apparently wanted two young Blazers (LaMarcus Aldridge and Jarrett Jack) along with Portland's first pick in 2008 as part of the trade. And I'm thinking the Blazers nodded and moved on because a source close to that phone call said, "I'm sure Greg Oden will become good friends with Brandon Roy."
I have never met Conley Sr. But I've heard he's an intelligent, caring, pleasant man. I know he ran track at Arkansas and that he was the Olympic gold medalist in 1992 in the triple jump. And that he spent the last seven years working with USA Track and Field.
Then, he recently decided to head into the sports agent business with Oden as his prized client. He started a management group (MAC Management Group) and recently partnered with an established agency (BDA Sports Management). I suspect Conley Sr. cares immensely for his son, and for Oden. He coached them both since they were in the sixth grade. And he's repeatedly said that he believes he's doing what is best for them.
But what Conley Sr. is missing is what's best for the Blazers. I suspect it does not include his son.
With all the trade rumors swirling around the Trail Blazers, most of them involving Zach Randolph and Jarrett Jack, Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard felt the need this week to reach out to his players and fill them in on what was going on.
He called Randolph, and his agent Raymond Brothers, and told them he hasn't been shopping Randolph.
And Pritchard called Jack and told him that he has confidence in him, even though there is speculation that the Blazers are pursuing Ohio State point guard Mike Conley, Jr. in order to reunite him with his college teammate, Greg Oden.
I will have a full story on Randolph's situation in Wednesday's editions of The Oregonian, which outlines how Randolph is aware of the rumors and how he finds himself wondering where he fits in with the Blazers future. Randolph insists he wants to remain with the Blazers, and Pritchard said he hasn't even started to ponder whether he will trade Zach, saying he "hasn't made one phone call" to another team regarding Randolph. One quote from Pritchard that didn't get into the story:
"We all know the player Zach is, and we know what he can do,'' Pritchard said. "But until we get all the pieces together and see them together, it's a tough to make a decision. He is going to have to change some things, we all know that, but I think we are getting our locker room as good as we possibly can get it, and you know, you wonder if he can come over. If he can, he can help us win a lot of games. So no decision has been made.''
Jack, who most recently was rumored to be trade bait to Atlanta as part of a deal that would land the Blazers the No. 3 overall pick, said the phone call he received from Pritchard was appreciated.
"It really told me a lot about Kevin, about what a standup person and professional he is,'' Jack said Tuesday night from Atlanta, where he is taking two classes at Georgia Tech in an effort to complete his degree. "I was caught off guard a bit after the lottery when all the media hype came out about what a perfect situation it would be for Greg (Oden) and Mike (Conley, Jr.) to play together, but he called and said that he has confidence in me being able to handle the ball club. It was reassuring hearing it from him.''
That being said, Jack said he understands there is still a possibility of a trade going down that would bring in Conley, Jr. or perhaps another point guard.
"There have been a lot of rumors about (the Blazers) getting depth at the point guard position, which is fine,'' Jack said. "If we battle it out and it shakes out that I'm still the starting point guard, I'm fine with that. And if somebody comes in and outplays me, that's fine too. As long as I'm given the chance, and I give it my all, that's all I can ask. But I know this is part of the business. If you look around the league, everybody has been moved, from superstars to role players. I know it's part of the process. But I think if you are a player who has never been traded, it can be a tough pill to swallow.''
Pritchard said he made the call to Jack because "there has been a lot (of rumors) on Jarrett.''
"I wanted to make sure I'm communicating with these players,'' Pritchard said. "And Jarrett is okay. Jarrett doesn't mind competition. My job is to make sure the pieces fit. But I don't know if they fit until I see them. I think people can make mistakes of 'if we draft this guy, lets get rid of everybody else', and that's not the way I'm going to do this. I'm going to make sure when we bring in this draft pick, that the guy fits in and he fits in with the team, and maybe that means our culture changes a bit.''
Jack said Pritchard did not flat-out tell him they were not going to acquire Conley, Jr. or another point guard.
"He didn't say that, but I know anything is possible,'' Jack said. "He said something more along the lines of they weren't looking to go after him, but I know how things can have a strange way of happening. If it does happen, I'll be ready for it.''
Pritchard said he asked both players who they thought the Blazers should draft with the top pick - Oden, or Texas small forward Kevin Durant.
Randolph said he told Pritchard to go with the big man, Oden. Jack said he told Pritchard he couldn't go wrong with either player.
"Both players fit well to what we have going on,'' Jack said. "Nobody knows what's going to happen with Darius (Miles), and Travis (Outlaw) is a free agent, so we have a void at small forward. But with Greg, you can never go wrong with another big. Interior defense is hard to come by in the NBA - not a lot of teams have shot blockers - so once you get it, you hold onto it like gold.''
On a side note, Jack is busy fulfilling a promise he made to his mother when he left Georgia Tech early for the NBA. He promised he would return and earn his business degree. He is taking two classes this summer - computer science and operations - and will finish next summer by taking three more classes.
Comments
Unless he develpos a more consistant jump shot I dont see him evolving anymore. Dude is a leaper/defender/slasher 8th man
Hells to tha NO.
Steve Smith could run the Point.Coming out of college he was touted as the next Magic. 6'8" kid was nice.
And he didnt become a real 3 point threat until his latter years when he slowed down and couldnt defend anymore.
SS was my dude. Can play 3 positions.
Freeddie's MySpace
haha, I wasn't very serious about that. I almost wrote that he could be the Steve Smith of the Greek pro league. When Smith played for Portland his game was simple but effective: he lurked around the three point line and if he was guarded close he slid straight towards the basket and had a layup or an easy dish. By the time he got to Portland he was already pretty long in the tooth.
He had that fake-spin move shit. Borderline carry. Remember that?
Oden-Conley not a package
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
O K. Greg Oden is the man. Ohio State teammate and friend Michael Conley Jr. is the man beside the man. And rookie sports agent and over-involved father Michael Conley Sr. is the man behind the man beside the man.
Got all that?
Great.
Clip out that first paragraph and keep it for reference for the next month because you're going to need to remember those three things whenever you hear a rumbling or rumor involving the Trail Blazers, Oden and either of the Conleys.
Depending on whom you believe, the Trail Blazers are either obsessed, or mildly interested, in acquiring a second NBA draft lottery pick they allegedly plan to use to acquire Conley Jr., who has played alongside Oden since junior high.
The Blazers suspect most of the misinformation flying around about their phantom pursuit of Conley Jr. is coming from Camp Conley, which is run by Conley Sr. There is no pursuit, the Blazers said. They like Conley Jr., but they like their young nucleus even more. While it's true, a team source said, that the Blazers had a conversation with the Atlanta Hawks about their No. 3 pick, it was a single conversation that went nowhere fast.
The Hawks apparently wanted two young Blazers (LaMarcus Aldridge and Jarrett Jack) along with Portland's first pick in 2008 as part of the trade. And I'm thinking the Blazers nodded and moved on because a source close to that phone call said, "I'm sure Greg Oden will become good friends with Brandon Roy."
I have never met Conley Sr. But I've heard he's an intelligent, caring, pleasant man. I know he ran track at Arkansas and that he was the Olympic gold medalist in 1992 in the triple jump. And that he spent the last seven years working with USA Track and Field.
Then, he recently decided to head into the sports agent business with Oden as his prized client. He started a management group (MAC Management Group) and recently partnered with an established agency (BDA Sports Management). I suspect Conley Sr. cares immensely for his son, and for Oden. He coached them both since they were in the sixth grade. And he's repeatedly said that he believes he's doing what is best for them.
But what Conley Sr. is missing is what's best for the Blazers. I suspect it does not include his son.
With all the trade rumors swirling around the Trail Blazers, most of them involving Zach Randolph and Jarrett Jack, Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard felt the need this week to reach out to his players and fill them in on what was going on.
He called Randolph, and his agent Raymond Brothers, and told them he hasn't been shopping Randolph.
And Pritchard called Jack and told him that he has confidence in him, even though there is speculation that the Blazers are pursuing Ohio State point guard Mike Conley, Jr. in order to reunite him with his college teammate, Greg Oden.
I will have a full story on Randolph's situation in Wednesday's editions of The Oregonian, which outlines how Randolph is aware of the rumors and how he finds himself wondering where he fits in with the Blazers future. Randolph insists he wants to remain with the Blazers, and Pritchard said he hasn't even started to ponder whether he will trade Zach, saying he "hasn't made one phone call" to another team regarding Randolph. One quote from Pritchard that didn't get into the story:
"We all know the player Zach is, and we know what he can do,'' Pritchard said. "But until we get all the pieces together and see them together, it's a tough to make a decision. He is going to have to change some things, we all know that, but I think we are getting our locker room as good as we possibly can get it, and you know, you wonder if he can come over. If he can, he can help us win a lot of games. So no decision has been made.''
Jack, who most recently was rumored to be trade bait to Atlanta as part of a deal that would land the Blazers the No. 3 overall pick, said the phone call he received from Pritchard was appreciated.
"It really told me a lot about Kevin, about what a standup person and professional he is,'' Jack said Tuesday night from Atlanta, where he is taking two classes at Georgia Tech in an effort to complete his degree. "I was caught off guard a bit after the lottery when all the media hype came out about what a perfect situation it would be for Greg (Oden) and Mike (Conley, Jr.) to play together, but he called and said that he has confidence in me being able to handle the ball club. It was reassuring hearing it from him.''
That being said, Jack said he understands there is still a possibility of a trade going down that would bring in Conley, Jr. or perhaps another point guard.
"There have been a lot of rumors about (the Blazers) getting depth at the point guard position, which is fine,'' Jack said. "If we battle it out and it shakes out that I'm still the starting point guard, I'm fine with that. And if somebody comes in and outplays me, that's fine too. As long as I'm given the chance, and I give it my all, that's all I can ask. But I know this is part of the business. If you look around the league, everybody has been moved, from superstars to role players. I know it's part of the process. But I think if you are a player who has never been traded, it can be a tough pill to swallow.''
Pritchard said he made the call to Jack because "there has been a lot (of rumors) on Jarrett.''
"I wanted to make sure I'm communicating with these players,'' Pritchard said. "And Jarrett is okay. Jarrett doesn't mind competition. My job is to make sure the pieces fit. But I don't know if they fit until I see them. I think people can make mistakes of 'if we draft this guy, lets get rid of everybody else', and that's not the way I'm going to do this. I'm going to make sure when we bring in this draft pick, that the guy fits in and he fits in with the team, and maybe that means our culture changes a bit.''
Jack said Pritchard did not flat-out tell him they were not going to acquire Conley, Jr. or another point guard.
"He didn't say that, but I know anything is possible,'' Jack said. "He said something more along the lines of they weren't looking to go after him, but I know how things can have a strange way of happening. If it does happen, I'll be ready for it.''
Pritchard said he asked both players who they thought the Blazers should draft with the top pick - Oden, or Texas small forward Kevin Durant.
Randolph said he told Pritchard to go with the big man, Oden. Jack said he told Pritchard he couldn't go wrong with either player.
"Both players fit well to what we have going on,'' Jack said. "Nobody knows what's going to happen with Darius (Miles), and Travis (Outlaw) is a free agent, so we have a void at small forward. But with Greg, you can never go wrong with another big. Interior defense is hard to come by in the NBA - not a lot of teams have shot blockers - so once you get it, you hold onto it like gold.''
On a side note, Jack is busy fulfilling a promise he made to his mother when he left Georgia Tech early for the NBA. He promised he would return and earn his business degree. He is taking two classes this summer - computer science and operations - and will finish next summer by taking three more classes.