Around The World: June 4

06/04/12

Written by: DHawes22

June 4

Trail Blazers: Mock Draft Database

Trailblazers.tv: Video: Elliot Williams 2011-12 Season Highlights

Trail Blazers: Neil Olshey Named Trail Blazers General Manager
“I am very grateful for the opportunity to become a part of this successful franchise,” said Olshey. “Portland is a great basketball city with a rich tradition, an incredible fan base and committed leadership. I’m joining an organization that has a strong foundation and a bright future. I couldn’t be more excited and I’m ready to hit the ground running.”

Trail Blazers: Original Trail Blazer LeRoy Ellis Passes Away
"LeRoy Ellis was a very important member of the first Trail Blazers team and was a very high-class individual," said Trail Blazers Founder and President Emeritus Harry Glickman. "We extend our deepest sympathy to his family."

Trail Blazers: Oregon Historical Society to Celebrate 35th Anniversary of Trail Blazers' NBA Championship
"If there is one voice that is recognized and brings a smile to Oregonians in every corner of our state it is the voice of Bill Schonely," says OHS Executive Director Kerry Tymchuk. "Bill is certainly the most beloved broadcaster in Oregon history, and we are honored that for one night the Oregon Historical Society will be the home of 'Rip City.'"

Trail Blazers: Fan Blog: Remembering Our First Big Man
"We use the term often: Once a Blazer, always a Blazer. The Blazers from that first year -- 22 years before I was born -- are lore in Rip City, and Ellis certainly belongs among Blazers lore for that first season alone. One can kind of wonder what our team might be like now if we had a guy in the middle giving us 16 points and 12 rebounds a game every night."

Trail Blazers: LaMarcus Aldridge: Good News In A Scary Week
"But, this past week was a very scary one for me. On Saturday I came down with a blood virus. I quickly became sick and had to be rushed to the hospital. I thought it was a case of bad food or a bad cold, but I was wrong. It turned out to be a very serious virus that if not treated quickly could actually be deadly! One thing I know for sure is that I’ve never felt worse in my life and there were times I wasn’t really sure where I was going. Thankfully I had a lot of family support and great medical care that helped me fight through it and now I’ve turned the corner and I’m feeling much better."

Oregon Live: 2012 NBA draft: Should the Trail Blazers draft Harrison Barnes? (poll)
"Barnes already has a big game and incredible upside that will make him a tremendous pro when he’s ready to join the league. He has team star potential and should be able to challenge for a spot on the all-star roster with regularity. Has game reminiscent of Indiana Pacer’s G/F Danny Granger with his ability to take over games in isolations and shoot the ball from distance. Still recovering his confidence as a shooter and learning how to be more assertive with the ball as a creator, but while he has a developing NBA skill set, it’s one that can make an impact from day one for an NBA team."

Oregon Live: Paul Allen's mother, Faye Allen, dies at 90
"Faye Allen was a former Seattle schoolteacher who championed public libraries and public education through the family's charitable foundation. According to a statement from Paul Allen's company, Vulcan Inc., she died of complications from Alzheimer's disease."

Oregon Live: NBA High-5: A bug in the system leads to confusion about LaMarcus Aldridge's health status
"Some reports have suggested I have a disease and that's not accurate. I was bit by a insect that caused me to get a infection. I'm fine now."

CSNNW: Deal between Olshey and Clippers not done?
"CSNNW.com is hearing that a deal is not yet completed that will keep general manager, Neil Olshey, around as a Los Angeles Clipper executive for a third season."

CSNNW: Sources: Blazers concerned with GM finalists; Chad Buchanan back in play
"The thinking is, if the Trail Blazers aren't going to be competing for a championship anytime soon and if they're going to hold on to their two lottery picks, Canales, 34, is being viewed as “the perfect guy” to take over the young Trail Blazer roster."

Columbian: Calkins: Blazers' lottery payoffs not great
"It may not have had the long-term impact of say, the Lakers trading Vlade Divac for Kobe Bryant, who was selected 13th by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996. But besides Rajon Rondo, who went 21st, Aldridge and Roy have been the only selections from this class to make an All-Star team. If a previous sentence in this column was sponsored by Kevin Bacon, this draft was brought to you by David Blaine."

NBA: Educated guesses about the 2012 Draft's first round
"The Blazers are never shy about being active on Draft Day, and they could well package picks six and 11 to try and move up -- though who they'd be moving up for wouldn't seem to fit the positions at which they have need. Incumbent small forward Nicolas Batum is a restricted free agent, but Paul Allen's never going to lose a player because of money. And there isn't a center worth moving up to get. So if Portland stays here, it's hard to see the Blazers going for anything other than a point guard, either Lillard or Marshall, or a big man to start the post-Greg Oden era. Drummond has incredible potential, but the Blazers have been more reluctant in recent years to take talented but inconsistent players. Zeller would be a bit of a surprise this high, but he's a no-drama big man."

ESPN: Latest on the chase for Steve Nash
"Sources briefed on the matter told ESPN.com that the three teams with salary-cap space best positioned to make a credible run at the 38-year-old, at this early juncture, are Portland, Toronto and Brooklyn (should the Nets lose D-Will). New York and Miami are also frequently mentioned as potential Nash destinations, but neither the Knicks nor the Heat have the requisite cap room to make a serious bid. The Blazers, by contrast, have coveted Nash for years in trades and will finally have the financial flexibility to chase him, offering the closest proximity to Nash’s Vancouver roots than anywhere else on the NBA map among other perks. Sources say that the Raptors, meanwhile, will be determined suitors in the Nash Sweepstakes, with a serious offer forthcoming to try to bring the newly installed general manager of Canada’s national team back to home soil after 16 seasons south of the border with the Suns and Mavericks."

The Morning Journal: NBA INSIDER: Cavs need to sit tight in draft
"One rumor flying around has the Cavs offering their Nos. 4 and 24 picks to Charlotte for the Bobcats’ No. 2. Another one is 4 and 24 for Portland’s 6 and 11."

Ball Don't Lie: Chris Bosh may return for Game 5, which would be good for Miami, whose centers are getting killed
"Now, after two straight losses have evened the Eastern Conference finals, Miami finds itself looking at Bosh as the cavalry, the lone untapped option on its roster who may be able to combat a hellacious version of Kevin Garnett, who's dominating the interior en route to 20.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and just under two blocks per game through four contests. If Bosh is healthy enough after three weeks on the shelf to be able to even approximate, if not fully equal, his pre-injury effectiveness — a really, really big question, because muscle strains are notoriously difficult to evaluate, gauge and play through — he could be a huge boost for a Miami team that has struggled mightily to find reliable center play since he went down."

Ball Don't Lie: Maine TV anchor reports Celtics-Heat Game 4 ended in a tie, which it very much did not (VIDEO)
"Whoop, there you go," Torjussen continued. "There's the score, 89-89. Uh, went down to the wire, 21 seconds left, ended in a tie. ... All right, let's move on to professional baseball." Yes, I'd imagine moving on to professional baseball — or literally anything else — would be a pretty appealing option for Ms. Torjussen at that point. Because the longer you linger, the more likely folks are to remember that, um, NBA games can't end in a tie. They have to keep going until one team has more points than another when time's up."

The Basketball Jones: 2012 NBA Mock Draft: Initial guesses
"Lillard is an excellent scoring point guard that can get to the paint almost at will. He showed the ability to run a team and is too big of talent at the lead guard position to skip over at this spot for the Blazers. He’ll bring some excitement to PDX with his ability to hit from anywhere on the court while still being able to find a streaking Nicolas Batum or LaMarcus Aldridge in the post."

The Basketball Jones: Two jokes regarding Jimmer Fredette’s recent nuptials
"Sounds like a big weekend for JimmerJamz. Good thing the Kings didn’t make the playoffs because fitting in losing your virginity, starting a UFO hoax and playing basketball would be impossible. Sometimes playing on a bad team has its advantages, if you know what I mean.''

The Basketball Jones: Video: Where are the Celtics spitting their mouthguards?
"We’ve been tracking this mouthguard in the jersey thing here at the Jones for a while now, wondering if we’re actually seeing what we’re seeing — that some of the Celtics just spit their mouthguards in to their jerseys when they want to let their teeth breathe. Finally, last week we caught Rajon Rondo grabbing his out of his shirt, putting an end to the speculation that, yes, they are storing their mouthguards in their jerseys."

SLAM: Post Up: Celts Outlast Heat
"The series now heads back to Miami tied up 2-2. Game 5 is tomorrow night, and you can bet the Heat will come out pissed off and determined to restore order. Boston will have to play sound, mistake-free basketball, as they leave their raucous home crowd behind them. To get a win in South Beach—which is a prerequisite to winning the series—the Celtics will need to muster up a near-perfect effort. They almost had one in Game 2, but as we saw, even Rondo’s 44, 10 and 8 was no consolation."

SLAM: Video: Rajon Rondo Criticizes Miami Heat for ‘Crying’ to Refs

ESPN: Who wins Game 5?
"San Antonio. Not that I say it with a lot of conviction, though. The Spurs haven't lost three games in a row all season & and OKC still has to show us it can flow on the road when it really matters. Those are pretty much the best arguments I've got to back a Spurs pick Monday night."

Sports Illustrated: Report: Los Angeles Lakers pick up Andrew Bynum’s option
"I feel way more confident than I ever was at Baylor," said Jones, who will head for Chicago predraft camp next week like most of the top-level prospects. "Working out three times a day, I feel great. I see the potential I have. I'm actually using the potential I have."

Sports Illustrated: Roundtable: West finals analysis
"I believe in it in the sense that the Thunder must be feeling much better about themselves at 2-2 than they'd have felt down 3-1, and that they have a real chance to win the series instead of the no-shot-in-hell status of trailing 3-1. The Spurs are too good for self-doubt, though some of the individual role players might be feeling some. And the Thunder have clearly found some things that have worked on both ends of the floor. But San Antonio finished Game 4 strongly on the offensive end, and a hot start to Game 5 would change the momentum immediately."