Geoff Petrie conversation has a bit more meat to to it (and some other stuff)

Apparently, on Monday when I criticized The Bee for pandering to the masses, I thought this was a small interview. Clearly it was not.

What is funny that after listening to the audio and reading the extended interviews, I still think that’s exactly what this was.

But, don’t let me decide for you. That’s what you have your brain for! Here is the piece on Petrie in the paper this morning, along with the blog entry that includes audio you might have a chuckle listening to.

Only one thing I have a problem with in this overall statement:

Q: The Blazers are a decent example…where they had this bubble around their young guys, and they said, ‘Unless it’s a hell of a player, we’re not touching this core we have going…’

A: They took the longer term view, and was five or six years out of the playoffs for them to do that. Again, you’re speculating about potential future events that are unknown to you now…Of our players that we’ve drafted here, Tyreke (Evans) is the first player in the top five – first time I’ve drafted that high in Sacramento. Ever, actually. We never drafted that high in Portland. Anyway, it’s going to be a combination of those three things to get us there.

The Blazers missed the playoffs from 2004-2008. (That’s 5 years.) In 2003, the Blazers drafted Travis Outlaw in the 1st round. In 2004 (and their first lottery pick ever), the Blazers drafted Sebastian Telfair at 13th overall. The next year, the Blazers drafted Martell Webster. In 2006, everything changed when they had the opportunity to acquire LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy in draft day trades.

Even then, the Blazers went from 41 wins, to 27 wins, to 21 wins, to 32 wins, and to 41 2 seasons ago(2007-08–Greg Oden’s “first” season and Brandon Roy’s second season). Last season the Blazers won 54 games.

The Blazers also switched coaches during this period, and GM’s as well. Kevin Pritchard, who engineered the draft day trades in 2006 for the Blazers didn’t become the GM of the Blazers until nearly a year later. Up until that point, John Nash was the GM who had come into the fray under a bit different circumstances.

Portland had a long fall because their circumstances changed, and the perspective from management and ownership (Paul Allen) changed too.

Again, I don’t expect casual fans to understand this, and while I know Sam Amick and Geoff Petrie understand this, I know that they won’t want to explain this in 500 words or less.

I’m a fan of Sam Amick, and I always enjoy hearing (and reading to a lesser extent) what Geoff Petrie says in public, simply because I think they’re both at the high end of quality in their respective fashions. But, like what I said 2 days ago here, this kinda stuff is not stuff papers do well. Fans can see games with their own eyes, have plenty of stats at their own fingertips, the entire internet is a resource for them, and essentially the media has become a plug the gap resource. Sad, and irritating, but reality. On one hand, I also think it’s great that the fans have more access too. So, that is what it is.

Other shit:

Jason Jones has a piece up today about wanting a “Fresh Start”, whatever that means. (Read it folks, I promise you the paper won’t bite because Jones is a Laker fan. Not his fault he grew up in the Magic Johnson era either…..IE I would have been a Laker fan then, and because I stay loyal a Laker fan now.)

If Arena stuff is your deal, and you want to put money down for a new arena, here’s your chance. Just make sure you got that 40000 to 200000 that you’re willing to spend for it.

Ailene Voisin claims Spencer Hawes has a new role.

This is a great line that I do think is the crux of the issue for Spencer:

“I want him to be the best Spencer Hawes that he can be,” Westphal said. “I think he has so many things, he tells himself so many things, that he paralyzes himself from doing what he does best.”

Exhibit G at Sactown Royalty has a nice preview of the game up (and by nice I mean a simple preview that is not complicated nor difficult to understand).

By the way, if you’re ever looking for a complicated game preview here at EC Inc, go somewhere else. That doesn’t happen here. I don’t have foresight. Only hindsight.

Last but not least, and this is old, but yesterday Amick had a great audio linked to off a Bee Blog post he made. He chatted with Mike Truddell, of Lakers.com, for about 17 mins or so about various issue’s. Worth listening if you have not.

That’s it for now. The whole wide world of 40 degrees beckons me. (And updates will come if I have time later.)