Here's a link to audioof Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge on Tuesday's edition ofThe Scott Van Pelt ShowonESPN Radio. A few choice cuts... -------------------------On Brandon Roy's medical retirement / amnesty"I didn't believe it honestly. I thought that it was something that he was thinking about and hadn't made up his mind on. I went to practice the next day and they said it was serious. I called him right after that moment and we talked for awhile. He just felt that it was the best thing to do for his health and his family and I definitely took it kind of hard because we came in together and we both had this goal to change around a team that had won 21 games. Make this back to Rip City. We did that together."Roy comeback?"Honestly I couldn't say that. We didn't really talk about that. He just told me he was really going to retire. That he was't feeling great at that moment. If I tried to answer that question, I'd be lying."Greg Oden's health"I can't say exact but I did talk to him. He's definitely feeling better. Rehab is going really, really well. He's been light joking, a little running a little court work. If things stay the course, we could see him in the mid to end of the season."Where Blazers stack up in the West"I definitely see us finishing top 2. If we can keep growing as a team and keep finding chemistry offensively, because we do have new pieces, if we keep growing and keep working hard we have the chance to finish first. We feel like we can play with any team. We have the pieces and the players to compete with anyone this year. We're definitely not trying to shorthand ourselves and say we can't finish first. A lot of the critics say we're not going to finish first but we feel like if we go out and play together and play hard like we can, then we have a chance to." -------------------------ed: transcript added, bumped to front page

Portland Trail Blazers guard Nolan SmithtellsChris HaynesofCSNNW.comthat the little shimmy he performed following a late three-pointer against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night is called the "Duke Swag Dance," a name coined by Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge. Smith promises more dancing to come this season, pending the scoreboard. "If the game is all said and done, then I can do it. Other than that, I'll be getting back on defense," he said. -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter

Steve Kelleyof theSeattle Times writesthat the Portland Trail Blazers adding Jamal Crawford was a great match that brings a life spent around professional basketball in the Northwest full circle. ----------------------------- "I think being around pro athletes at a young age, made me start thinking, 'OK, if I ever get to this level, I want to act this way,' " he said. "I wanted to be someone the kids could look up to and feel comfortable around. I want to be approachable. I've seen a lot of guys come and go. I mean you're not special just because you made it. I think it's more special the effect you can have on people." ... "I remember my first day, I struggled big time," he said of his first practice at the Furtado Center. "The game was much more physical. I was playing against grown men and I'm in high school. It was totally different. I remember Rashard Lewis came up to me and said, 'I was like that my first days as well.' He told me to continue to play and I would be fine." ----------------------------- Thanks to tipsterBrandon. -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter

Tom ZillerofSBNation.com likes what he has seenearly from the Portland Trail Blazers. ---------------------- There are caveats to the Portland Trail Blazers' 2-0 record. Both wins have come in the comforting confines of the Rose Garden, where the Blazers went 30-11 last season as compared to 18-23 on the road. Neither opponent was elite: the Philadelphia 76ers came in as a low East playoff seed, a team that should crawl a few games over .500 if things go well. Tuesday's opponent, the Sacramento Kings, are young and promising, but primarily young.But the way in which the Blazers have played, mixing the tough defense you know Gerald Wallace and Wesley Matthews will bring with the smooth scoring ability of LaMarcus Aldridge and deft shooting of Matthews and Nicolas Batum, mixed with able playmaking from Raymond Felton and Marcus Camby -- despite the caveats and despite the great misfortune of losing Brandon Roy forever and Greg Oden for a while longer, Portland looks like a real contender in the West. ... As with just about every team in the NBA -- the Heat and Thunder are the exceptions -- one major injury spells doom for this team. But so long as this roster is in place, Portland could be trouble for the rest of the West. ---------------------- -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter

Not Hollywood. Not New York. Not MiamiPortland can't compete with Los Angeles, New York and Miami in many respects, but spend five minutes at the Rose Garden on game night and you'll be infected by the vibe. Having suffered a broken heart with Roy's retirement, Oden's endless trials and the disintegration of what looked like the best collection of young talent in the league, Trail Blazers fans desperately need a vehicle for their boundless affection.

Fernandez getting along fine in Denver

On Monday,Kerry Eggersof thePortland Tribunereportedthat former Portland Trail Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard essentially had no comment about recent statements made by former Blazers owner Paul Allen about Pritchard's firing. Eggersreports Tuesdaythat former Blazers GM Rich Cho, Pritchard's successor, similarly had no comment in response to Allen's statements about Cho's firing. -------------------------- "I enjoyed my time in Portland. I love the city and the fans. I’m proud of the work we did as a group in the front office there. I had a great relationship with (president) Larry Miller, and I liked working with the people in the business office. "I really have no comment about what happened," Cho says. "I’m thankful for the opportunity I had in Portland, but I’m happy where I’m at here in Charlotte." -------------------------- Allentold reporters last weekthat Cho's firing came about because of a failure in communication between the two men and a desire to move on immediately once that failure became obvious. -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter

我回更多华莱士集锦because he is so cool.

Someone in my league waived Tyreke Evans! Who do I drop for him?

Sekou SmithofNBA.com likes the new-look Portland Trail Blazers. --------------------------- In short, the Trail Blazers are what they are. And if you look closely, you might actually like what you see. They are a solid bunch from top to bottom, even without two of the franchise’s biggest draft picks of the past 20 years. ... "That Portland team is good. They’re really good. They’ve got size, they’ve got versatility," Sixers coach Doug Collins told reporters. ""Jamal Crawford is going to be a really terrific player for them. Raymond Felton is going to be big for them." No doubt about it. And come playoff time, this is probably team most everyone else in the Western Conference will want to avoid. ---------------------------ed: bumped to front page