Le Basketbawl

Trail Blazers Fan must be totally Frickin confused when it comes to how New York Vinnie feels about your team! You must say to yourself this guy dogs our center calling him “MR.RICKETS” yet he still says a lot of positive stuff about the Blazers. So what is up with this Frickin guy?

New York Vinnie has told you from the start that I intend to carry on the tradition of the Late Great Howard Cosell to “Tell It Like It Is!” New York Vinnie writes from the heart; everything you read on these pages are how I truly feel. New York Vinnie is not going to play all Nicey-Nice just to Frickin make you feel good. And subsequently New York Vinnie is not going to write something just to get a Frickin reaction. Love me or Hate me this guy you see on this page is New York Vinnie!

So here is the Bottom Line Portland Fan: New York Vinnie does think that your man in the middle Greg Oden is an injury waiting to happen. That is not being written because New York Vinnie is a Hater; it is being written because for the last three years straight Oden has suffered injuries that made him miss big amounts of time. So Frickin probability tells us it most likely will happen again this season.

However New York Vinnie is impressed with your team and I think that the Blazers along with San Antonio and Dallas have the best shot of making the NBA Finals from the Western Conference. Your General Manager Kevin Pritchard has locked up your stud Brandon Roy long term which is always a good thing. His next move should be to lock up LaMarcus Aldridge long term because that guy is the Frickin Real Deal.

New York Vinnie was very impressed with what he saw out of the two European rookies last season Rudy Fernandez and Nicolas Batum and they both show big upsides. Guard Jerryd Bayless also showed signs he can play in the NBA in his rookie season. Travis Outlaw has shown some nice progress over the last couple of seasons and can be a nice complimentary player.

The big addition for the Trail Blazers this summer was the signing of Free Agent veteran point guard Andre Miller. Miller received a three year deal from Portland reported to be worth $22 million. “The Columbian“ got to spend some time with the former Philadelphia point guard and Miller had no problem telling the paper where he fits in with his new team. 

The veteran said “I’m going in there as the starting point guard; there’s nothing else to it. I look at it as a challenge. Nothing is handed to you. So I have to go in there with the right attitude, knowing that, this is a point guard spot that is going to have to be battled for.”

Miller has nothing but praise for last year’s starter Steve Blake who had his best season in the NBA averaging  11.0 points, 5.0 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. Blake is a scrappy hard nosed player who leaves everything out on the floor each time he plays but he is no Andre Miller.  Last season the veteran averaged 16.3 points, 6.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game and his career averages over his 10 seasons in the NBA 14.6 points, 7.4 assists and 4.2 rebounds make this man the starter on the Blazers.

Kevin Pritchard did not bring in the veteran as a backup on this team. Miller could be the kind of veteran play-maker on the Blazers that will take them to the next level. And if  “MR.RICKETS” can stay healthy and clog up the middle Portland could be on their way to an NBA Championship.