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FamousRoy
Posts: 144

Posted 09/04/2010 9:26 PM
The first time I saw Dante Cunningham come in off the bench, I said to myself, "Oh, great. Another rookie." But then I saw him play.
Dante Cunningham impressed me from the start. His ability to knock down mid-range jumpers and play lock-down defense amazed me. It got me thinking about Travis. At the time, Travis wasn't injured yet, and Nate was playing him fairly heavy minutes. Travis, of course, was being his usual self, chucking up 20-foot fadeaway jumpers and playing sub-par defense. I was itching for him to be traded. When I saw Dante, I saw a well-balanced, under control small forward who, in my mind, could potentially replace Travis. As the season progressed and the plague of injuries was at its worst, Dante began getting more minutes. It was then that he really started impressing me. He knew how to use his tall, buff frame to guard, jump, dunk, rebound, and drive better than most NBA rookies, and not to mention most NBA bench players. I realized that this rookie could do anything Travis ever did. As Travis remained on the bench with his foot injury and Dante continued improving, Nate finally began to understand that the Blazers no longer needed Outlaw, resulting in the glorious Marcus Camby trade.
The Blazers now have Nicolas Batum starting at small forward, which no one in the WORLD could possibly complain about, and Dante Cunningham to back him up. The departure of Travis Outlaw is in no way a disappointment; it is an improvement. And with Dante Cunningham reinforcing an already strong second unit, the Blazers are a mighty force in the league, with high hopes of a championship.

Are you all pleased with Dante and glad that Travis is gone?

I am a fan of Defending the Rose Garden against the Lakers!

Crim
Posts: 398

Posted 09/05/2010 10:01 AM
I'm glad Travis finally found a place where he doesn't have to look over his shoulder (at least not right away) and knows he can get in the rhythym to play. He, like Rudy, are not NBA prime talent because they aren't instant effect once injected into the game, both are the type who need to have a rhythym, they have to know they will get their minutes and build confidence for himself every game (Martel same thing), so while I'm glad we don't have to hear about how Travis being afraid of being an X-factor on this team, i'm glad he found a home. Dante on the other hand has the intelligence to make something special out of even just a few minutes on the floor. Even if its just setting a couple screens and chasing down a couple loose balls, he makes himself known. Whereas if you didn't run a play for travis (or rudy or martell...who all probably learned it from James Jones) then he would just sit in the corner and be a stationary target.

I am a fan of Not Feeding the Trolls.

FamousRoy
Posts: 144

Posted 09/05/2010 2:43 PM
Couldn't agree more with you Travis/Rudy/Martell statements. I'm glad you see what I see. I also liked your comment about Dante always making a difference on the court, even if he's only in for two minutes. I wish all players were like that (on the Blazers, I mean).

I am a fan of Defending the Rose Garden against the Lakers!

TayC
Posts: 1804

Posted 09/05/2010 8:05 PM
WOW you guys are straight BOGUS!!!!!
I bet if they were to let someone like Pryzbilla go you all would say the same thing.
Honestly letting go of outlaw and Webster are two of the biggest mistakes the Blazers could of made in my opinion.
You literally have NO ONE!!!!!! who can get down on the 3 ball as good as Webster and Rudy could, and Outlaw was one of the most Reliable bench players ive ever seen.

You know what i liked about the Blazers, was the youth and talent on the team, Aldridge, Oden and Roy, three shining stars in front of a lifeless team/community. But now i am seeing that perhaps its not the talent that is really important to this organization, but more so the youth. And as i see this team repeating the same mistake over and over, i cant help but laugh, its almost like everyone from the 2007 roster will have been traded or retired before Portland gets a Championship.
come on
Cunningham for Outlaw

Thats like............
Dwight Howard for Glenn Davis.

But the interesting thing is
The names mentioned in this topic, Webster, Rudy, James Jones, are all known for their 3's, even outlaw on a good day

I am a fan of The Blazers ♂, the £-Train, and of course, The ¤ King. ™

ottomatic19
Posts: 11

Posted 09/05/2010 8:43 PM
yayc we didnt need outlaw or webster anymore they took away minutes from batum and dante will be a good back up

Hopman27
Posts: 86

Posted 09/05/2010 10:53 PM
I'm glad to have Dante, but not glad T.O. left. Dante doesn't seem to be all that fancy shmancy with offense kinda like T.O., but he seems MUCH more consistent. Honestly, I DON'T remember him missing a mid-range.
So you questioned me a week ago why I support T.O. I sent you a mail on this site, but I also forgot to mention(unless I did mention it) that he gave the team fun energy off-court. That part seems to be "replaced" by Pendergraph. But I don't know if he shows fun energy off-court. All that "fun" stuff may not help in games, but it could at least build better chemistry. Travis was also the reason(IMO) why the Blazers a few years ago had their 13 games win streak. Outlaw is just one of those players you wouldn't mind having on your team because of his fun energy.
Don't know how to say it. I'm sad T.O. left, but I don't really mind it. At least Dante was a good replacement.

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freddead
Posts: 321

Posted 09/05/2010 11:01 PM
outlaw was not a good defender or rebounder and yes he could that three from the corner but he just didnt fit

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BDawg
Posts: 1455

Posted 09/06/2010 3:32 AM
I have to agree with most of you on this one. While Dante doesn't neccessarily provide the "peaks" that Trav occassionally brought to the table here, he most certainly doesn't play in the "valley" where Outlaw makes his home. Travis was good for Sportscenter, bad for the Blazers. The only consistent thing about Trav's play, was his absenteeism at the defensive end. Dante is his polar opposite. Cunningham is a steady, heady player who does all of the little things that don't neccessarily show up in the box score the next day. Every successful team has a player(s) like Dante Cunningham. His intelligent play and both willingness AND ability to do all of the little things on the court undoubtedly pay big dividends in practice with the rest of his teammates. Dante was the only healthy player last season I can remember who actually set a pick or screened for someone where he wasn't guaranteed the ball back for a scoring opportunity...as in the case of a pick and roll. A leader by example in this regard, something that is very much needed on this team, as most readers on this site would agree...were a stagnant, predictable bunch offensively last season.

However, to make comparisons between Outlaw and Webster is foolish IMO. Outlaw will always be inconsistent, no matter how consistent his role or how plentiful the minutes. Web on the other hand IS a rythym player, a guy who needs that consistent role to flourish. Due to the injuries and the unpredictable availability Nate had to deal with last season on a game to game basis, this role was not possible. I am looking forward to watching Martell develop and realize his incredible potential, and believe that his being moved was what was best for both parties. Hopefully we don't see another "The Quarter" from Marty in the RG!

I am a fan of players that play with PASSION and PRIDE

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