I'm kidding, but boy did you get mad! The recent trade talk is the worst kind of fairweather fandom. Think about it: you are self-proclaimed Blazers fans, and what do you want more than anything, for them to succeed. Constantly calling for trading a player will only hurt the confidence of our players (if KP reads this, then I imagine that other people in the organization do as well), and why would we want to undermine our beloved team.

The roster for a good basketball team should look like a tool kit. You don't want a team that is made up of all hammers and flathead screwdrivers, like the knicks. What happens if you need a socket wrench or an allen wrench. The best teams have interchangeable tools that fill specific roles, like the Spurs or even Detroit.

KP and company have been doing an excellent job assembling our tool kit, we have a lot of different tools, and we have pairs of some for added depth. But you know what makes our toolkit better than anyone elses? No, of course you don't (as evidenced by recent fanposts). The answer of course is Travis.

His role has changed on team, and he is adjusting to it. And we know that it will take him a little while to do this, but depending on who we play he can enter the game at the 3 or 4, and maybe even the 2. He has endless athleticism and desire to improve. These are solid traits in a basketball player, and add a solid midrange jumper (albeit streaky) and you have a versatile weapon that can change the pace of a game. Travis Outlaw is like the Leatherman of our team. (Side Note: Leatherman is a Portland based knife company that specializes in multi-tools for those of you who don't know).

Want to go HUGE (in a month or two): Roy, Martell, Outlaw, Aldridge, Oden (that might be the biggest lineup in the NBA)

Want to go small: Sergio, Rudy, Roy, Outlaw, Channing/Aldridge

People are always saying "Let's trade Outlaw for Tayshaun or Battier." You know who you are. First of, i don't think either of those GM's would make a trade like because then we would all say they got "Pritch-slapped," but I'm not sure I would want that trade. We haven't seen our whole team play together, our defense is bound to be improved with the addition of Odin, and I'm not sure we need a player like that. You might disagree with me, but I think you should at least let the season begin and see how are team does.

我认为这是最伟大的开拓者”阵容我甲肝病毒e ever seen from top to bottom. Last year I would get frustrated with Jarret all the time, but he's gone now, and the pieces that replaced him are good (Bayless needs to develop, and should receive minimal minutes this season, but he has the chance to be another potent player for this young squad. Ike will probably ride the pine, especially since Frye is ahead of schedule on his recovery, but he is a hustle player and I think he, like Travis, has been trying too hard in preseason). But Jarret wasn't that bad, and he contributed to the team as a leader (a young leader, like roy, because you don't always need a veteran leader on your team) and through his aggressive play.

I guess the point of this whole post is that we, as Blazer fans, need to remain calm and patient and see how are toolkit does to start out this season.