Archive for May, 2011

Anybody that watches the NBA knows the season is a grind. We sit through four quarters of who could care less basketball in the middle of February just to have to chance to watch something special come June. Most times, it’s worth the wait. I know when the Finals start today, Portland won’t be involved, but I think there will be plenty for Blazer fans to watch, and plenty more for plain old basketball fans to sink their teeth in to. Lets start with the Western Conference representatives. The Dallas Mavericks’ road to the NBA Championship came through Portland, and [...]

Let me take you back a bit, to the not so distant past. April 23rd. The Blazers have just completed a Playoff comeback of epic proportions, the Rose Garden crowd has screamed itself hoarse two or three times over, and amid the falling streamers and the embrace of his teammates, Brandon Roy is being shuttled to the sidelines to perform his heroic duties as the Blazers’ postgame, sideline interview subject. TNT’s diligent sideline reporter, Marty Snider, covering the Round One Dallas/Portland series, lobs Brandon the customary softball: “This one feels a lot more emotional tonight Brandon, why?” He is referencing, [...]

With the 24-hour news cycle being what it is, and with the NBA getting close to winnowing itself down to the best of the best, we might have one or two more days with the firing of Rich Cho dominating the headlines. Writers both national and local have weighed in on the situation, mostly agreeing that dismissing Cho is not only a bad idea, but is also an indication that this franchise is closer than some might think to having the wheels fall off completely. In fact, it seems that the only voices not bemoaning the most recent premature exit [...]

I don’t get it. Since the Blazers announced earlier today that they were parting ways with general manager Rich Cho, I’ve wracked my brain trying to come up with something–anything–that Cho has done in his ten-month tenure as GM that would warrant this. I’ve got nothing. He only made one major move in his time in Portland, and that move–acquiring Gerald Wallace from Charlotte for a handful of expiring contracts and picks–is the best non-draft-day trade this organization has made probably since acquiring Scottie Pippen in 1999. Since being hired, Cho has generally come off as the kind of guy [...]

  I had planned to write a legitimate preview of the Western Conference Finals, but alas it was not to be. So I’ve decided to do the next best thing, review game one and preview the rest of the series. Due to the fact that the series has already begun, I won’t make a specific prediction, but I will do my best to preview what remains of the final series in the Western Conference. As we all know, the Mavericks reached the Conference Finals by dismantling the defending champions in a clean four-game, back-alley beat down. Oklahoma City, on the [...]

An axiom that has been getting some serious play over the last month and change is that a Playoff series is not a Playoff series until the road team wins. Let me give you another one, and see what you think. The Playoffs aren’t the Playoffs until we get a game seven. So to that end, the 2011 Playoffs will officially begin this afternoon in Oklahoma City, when the eighth seeded Memphis Grizzlies take on the number four seed OKC Thunder. If the previous six games in this series have taught us anything, it’s that both of these teams are [...]

I know that the Rip City Project is a Blazer blog, and I also know that the Blazers’ season is over. But since last Sunday was a historic day for basketball, I felt like I had to add my two cents to the story that is the Dallas Mavericks’ sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers. And to be honest, Portland was the last team to beat the Dallas Mavericks in these Playoffs, and every Blazer fan’s second favorite team is who ever is playing LA, so the Mavericks/Lakers story is at least somehow Blazer related.  

The Blazers’ season ended last week, but that doesn’t mean there’s any less to talk about going forward. If you’re still looking for a team to cheer for in the rest of the playoffs, Mike’s got you covered. We’ll have plenty of season-in-review stuff in the coming weeks, but right now, I’d like to take a look at Portland’s roster going forward. Talking about free agency or potential trades seems premature right now, given that nobody has any idea what the new CBA will look like and how that will affect teams’ salary-cap situations. There are, however, a handful of [...]

  The 2010-11 season is over for the Trail Blazers, and because of this, Portlanders are in somewhat of an unfortunate position. There’s basketball left to play, and the Blazers won’t be playing it. I’m a fan of the Blazers first, but a fan of the NBA a very close second, and quitting pro basketball cold turkey is not in the cards for me. I’ve come to terms with the fact that Portland’s season is over early for yet another year, and in the next day or two I’ll definitely have a season recap post. In the meantime, there’s still [...]