Portland Trail Blazers COOSarah Mensahhas opened a Twitter account and she's off to a feisty start,noting on Saturdaythat she is not involved in the team's search for a new GM. --------------------------- Oh, one thing I’d like to do is clarify an item John Canzano recently reported inaccurately; I have nothing to do with our GM search. --------------------------- The report she's referring to, byJohn CanzanoofThe Oregonian, can be readhere. Mensah heads up the team's business operations, reporting to president Larry Miller, and has worked for the Blazers since 1993.Update: Canzano hasrespondedon Twitter. --------------------------- And yet you declined an opportunity to make same statement pre-report? Funny but Sarah Mensah knew exactly what I was reporting... Why suddenly worried now? The distancing at One Center Court begins... just do smart things, make a solid hire already and stop worrying about job security. --------------------------- Canzano also addressed her directly: "Probably worth getting more involved with Larry on this. He's on the right track if only the Paul Allen circle would stand down." -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter

Sorry for the wait Blazer fans but here is my latest video: Elliot Williams "Sorry 4 The Wait" Mix. Please leave comments and tell me what you think. Thanks!

Blazers Elliot Williams in the Bluff City Classic Championship. i Finally found the video...

First official game of the Pro A in France. Nic drops 17-5-6 with 3 stls, and some nice plays.box scorehighlights

Multiple reports came out Friday afternoon that the National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association will not meet in advance of Monday's deadline for cancelling the first two weeks of the 2011-2012 regular season.Ken BergerofCBSSports.comhas thisreport. ----------------------- According to the union source, the league would agree to a meeting Monday -- the deadline set by commissioner David Stern for canceling the first two weeks of regular season games -- only if the players agreed beforehand to accept the NBA's offer of a 50-50 revenue split. The union declined, the source said. -----------------------Adrian WojnarowskiofYahoo! Sportswriteson Twitter... ----------------------- Union source says: "This just confirms what we suspected all along: The NBA was never serious about negotiating until guys missed checks." When Stern plans to cancel the first two weeks of regular season Monday, Billy Hunter will be in LA at NBPA meeting for West Coast players. As another union source just told Y!, "If the league wants to meet with us Monday, they'll have to get their asses out to LA." -----------------------Chris BroussardofESPN.com也报道that the two sides decided not to meet after a disagreement over the pre-condition.Howard BeckofThe New York Timesreportsthat NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver said the NBA would have agreed to negotiate other system issues but refused to negotiate past a 50/50 BRI split.Earlier this week, NBPA executive director Blly Hunter said the next meetings could be "a month or two months" away, however there had been hope that the two sides would convene prior to Monday's deadline. -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter

Adrian WojnarowskiofYahoo! Sports reportsthat Philadelphia 76ers executive Ed Stefanski is in line to become the next GM of the Toronto Raptors. Stefanski's name hasrecently come upwith regard to the open Portland Trail Blazers GM job as well. ------------------------ Philadelphia 76ers executive Ed Stefanski is engaged in advanced talks with the Toronto Raptors to take over as general manager, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Stefanski would move into the franchise’s No. 2 basketball executive job under president Bryan Colangelo. ... He turned down the [Blazers] job several years ago as a New Jersey Nets executive, and sources said Stefanski hasn’t been interested in the Blazers job this time around unless he can report directly to owner Paul Allen. ------------------------ -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter

任何人伯纳德ofHeraldSun.com reportsthat Portland Trail Blazers guard Patty Mills had a nice debut for the Melbourne Tigers of Australia's NBL. ----------------------- So you take a heaped tablespoon of Patty Mills and liberal sprinkling of Ayinde Ubaka and it's not a perfect recipe, but a decent start for Melbourne Tigers. Between them, Mills and Ubaka shared 50 points and drove an amazing come-from-behind win for the Tigers, wiping out a 14-point third-quarter deficit to top the Sydney Kings 82-76 in a thrilling NBL season opener at The Cage. Indeed, the Tigers only held the lead for 1min 20sec of the entire game, but it was the last 62 seconds that proved decisive as Ubaka (22 points, 7-11 FG) gave Melbourne its first lead since early in the second period, nailing a big three for 77-74 and Mills (28 points, 6-11 3pt FG) iced it with two trips to the free-throw line. ----------------------- Despite recoving from a virus Patty Mills came out and dropped 28 points. A sell out crowd packed in to see Mills make his debut in the NBL.ed: bumped to front page

Fidel Mangonon III writesonInteraksyon.comthat former Portland Trail Blazers guard Billy Ray Bates has been elected to the Philippines Basketball Association's Hall of Fame in Manila last week. Here's an excerpt from his induction speech. ----------------------- You know I like talking, but being in front of 20,000 people without a basketball in my hand is harder than stopping me from scoring 46 points in a game back when I was playing here in 1983. But even harder was leaving the PBA and the Philippines because of what the PBA and the Filipino people have meant to me. ... I take this award as a symbol of the love of the Filipino fans have for me. My career would not be what it was without cheers and well-wishes and welcoming attitude toward me. You accepted me for who I was and showed me love. There is no award big enough to represent my gratitude for my fans. I love you. ----------------------- Mangonon writes that Bates now hopes to catch on in a coaching position in the PBA as well. -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter

Our point guard of the future

Come Monday night, National Basketball Players' Association leaders Billy Hunter and Derek Fisher need to take the best offer put forth by the owners and put it to their people. Anything less is a disservice to their constituents and the fans who deserve better. Let's get real representation of the players views, not just a few.