As Marc spears reports per yahoo sports..Looks like Kevin Love wants better help or else....He wants a super trio like everybody else has on the Olympic team...I do not think Nic Batum is the superstar he's looking for...

Apologies for letting this one slip through the cracks earlier this week, butKerry Eggersof thePortland Tribunehasa nice lookat Portland Trail Blazers second round pick Will Barton. ------------------------------------ "I definitely have a chip on my shoulder," says the 6-6, 175-pound swing man from Memphis, taken by the Trail Blazers with the 40th pick of last Thursday's draft. "I'm a first-round talent. Now I just have to go in there this summer and prove I should be on the team." ... "Will's body type hasn't changed a whole lot since high school; maybe that scared some teams," says Chad Buchanan, Portland's director of college scouting. "It didn't scare us at all. (Strength and conditioning coaches) Bobby Medina and Todd Forcier will get with him in the weight room and add some muscle. They'll get him to be wiry strong." ------------------------------------Connor Letourneauhada look at Barton,special to OregonLive.com, as well. ------------------------------------ Still, he has plenty of doubters. At 6-foot-6 and a rail-thin 175 pounds, scouts question his ability to finish at the rim in the NBA. They figure he'll struggle to take contact, that his body type won't allow him to add weight comfortably. And without a consistent jump shot to help ease some of those concerns, a number of pundits feel Barton simply isn't an NBA-quality player. "He's a nice player, but he's just not the perfect mold," said Aran Smith, founder and president of NBADraft.net. "I mean, he's not a great shooter and he's just so skinny." ------------------------------------ -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter

Ken BergerofCBSSports.com reports on Twitter金州勇士队,不受限制的自由球员forward Brandon Rush could be a possible back-up plan for either the Portland Trail Blazers or the Minnesota Timberwolves, depending on how the restricted free agency of Blazers forward Nicolas Batum plays out. ------------------------------- Brandon Rush could be an option for Portland or Minnesota, whichever team loses out on Nicolas Batum, source said. ------------------------------- The Blazers selected Rush in the 2008 NBA Draft Lottery but traded him to the Indiana Pacers for the rights to Jerryd Bayless. Rush, 27, averaged 9.8 points and 3.9 rebounds off of Golden State's bench last season. Batum's agent, Bouna Ndiaye said本周多次that Batum prefers to play for the Timberwolves.On Thursday, a report indicated that the Blazers told Batum and Ndiaye that they would match any offer sheet extended to him and that they would not participate in any sign-and-trades. Batumdenied a reportearlier this week that he was unhappy with the Blazers and preferred to sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves. On Tuesday, Ireportedthe 4-year deal being discussed between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Batum sat in the $45-50 million range, including bonuses that are said to be both achievable and potentially extremely difficult to achieve. Suitors can offer Batum a 4-year contract while Portland can add a fifth year. Offer sheets cannot be signed until July 11, after the NBA's free agency moratorium is completed. At that point, the Blazers would have three days to match. Batum said back in April that he was"99 percent" surethat the Blazers would match any offer made to him and the team's ownership and management has consistently referred to him as one of the roster's core pieces. The Blazersextended a qualifying offerto Batum last week. Batum, 23, averaged 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.0 steals in 30.4 minutes for the Blazers last season. -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter

Bob Kravitzof theIndianapolis Star writesthat the Indiana Pacers need to match on restricted free agent center Roy Hibbert, who agreed to a 4-year, $58 million offer sheet with the Portland Trail Blazers last week. ----------------------------------- Hibbert's re-signing is especially important for a team that cannot draw the big-time stars from other teams. Haven't heard Magic center Dwight Howard's name connected with Indiana, and you won't. Point guard Steve Nash is already with the Los Angeles Lakers. Some of the other lesser lights -- shooting guards Brandon Roy, Jamal Crawford -- have agreed to deals elsewhere. It's hard to imagine that the new brain trust will fail to match Hibbert's offer and do something so universally unpopular right out of the gate. (I'm still putting the Miles Plumlee draft in former team President Larry Bird's lap.) Maybe new President Donnie Walsh got burned too many times overpaying players in his final years of his first run with the Pacers. Who knows? We're guessing here. When I spoke to Walsh recently, he was painfully non-committal on Hibbert, unlike the Hornets, who have gone on record saying they're going to match any offer for shooting guard Eric Gordon. ----------------------------------- Portland's offer sheet cannot be officially extended until July 11. At that point, the Pacers have three days to decide whether or not to match. Pacers president Donnie Walshsaid this weekthat retaining Hibbert was the team's "first priority." While Pacers coach Frank Vogelsaid before free agency openedthat Hibbert "wasn't going anywhere" there aresome who don't viewthe Pacers matching as a slam dunk. It was reportedearlier this weekthat the Pacers would begin to investigate other potential options at center in case they didn't match on Hibbert. Blazers GM Neil Olshey and president Larry Miller made Hibbert theirfirst stopof the 2012 Free Agency period. Hibbert was reportedly "blown away" by Olshey and company. Hibbert, 25, just completed his fourth season with the Indiana Pacers, posting career-high averages of 12.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. He played in 65 of Indiana's 66 games last season. Hibbert, listed at 7-foot-2 and 278 pounds, is generally regarded as a top-5 free agent in this year's class and the best available center. -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter

Josh Robbinsof theOrlando Sentinel reports on Twitterthat former Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan is not an option to fill the Orlando Magic's open head coaching position. ------------------------------------- Nate McMillan is not involved in the ‪Orlando‬ ‪Magic‬ coaching search, the Orlando Sentinel has learned. ------------------------------------- It wasreported recentlythat McMillan was the Magic's "top choice" and he has been linked to the position since Orlando fired former coach Stan Van Gundyback in May. He alsointerviewed with the Charlotte Bobcats'job, which eventually went to Mike Dunlap. McMillan was fired by the Blazersback in March. -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter

WHAT!?!?!?

The Columbianposted the followingTalking Points mini-editorialon the resignation of former Portland Trail Blazers president Larry Miller, whoannouncedhe was leaving the team to return to Nike's Jordan Brand on Saturday. -------------------------------- On behalf of all those DirecTV subscribers who used to be Blazers fans, we'd like to say: Thanks for nothing, Larry. Well, maybe not all DirecTV subscribers who used to be Blazers fans would say that. Some might be grateful. Because the Blazers cannot stand DirecTV subscribers, many of those viewers found other teams to watch in recent years. Just about all of those teams on national television most nights were a lot more fun to watch than the Blazers. So for them, thanks Larry. You weren't loyal to them, so they weren't loyal to you. Go Heat. Go Thunder. And even, Go Clippers. -------------------------------- -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter

OK Nic, here's your new contract....sign here.

Chris HaynesofCSNNW.com reportsthat Bouna Ndiaye, agent for Portland Trail Blazers restricted free agent forward Nicolas Batum, has continued his efforts to get his client out of Portland to the Minnesota Timberwolves. ------------------------------- "His mind is not there in Portland. Out of that meeting with the Blazers (on Thursday), we hoped they would allow him to live his dream. The best case scenario is a sign-and-trade and we understand that. Hopefully, Paul Allen would never stand in the way of his dream to play for the Timberwolves," is what Nicolas Batum's agent, Bouna Ndiaye, told CSNNW.com Saturday evening. ... "After Andre (Miller) left, it was really tough for him in year three. He wasn't able to get up and down and his role was staying in corner. He wasn't allowed to play his game. Being a Bruce Bowen in-the-corner player frustrated him. He wants to be him. He wants to play his game. "He's a player that likes to move around and that's what he likes about Minnesota. Requesting a sign-and-trade was part of it, but not all of it. He went there to tell them there's no hard feelings, I don't hate you, but my heart isn't there. That's what he told them." ------------------------------- Ndiaye first made similar commentson Thursday.Also on Thursday, a report indicated that the Blazers told Batum and his agent that they would match any offer sheet and would not participate in any sign-and-trades. Batumdenied a reportearlier this week that he was unhappy with the Blazers and preferred to sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves. On Tuesday, Ireportedthe 4-year deal being discussed between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Batum sat in the $45-50 million range, including bonuses that are said to be both achievable and potentially extremely difficult to achieve. No sign-and-trade discussions had taken place yet between Portland and Minnesota regarding Batum as of Tuesday night. Batum left a weekend visit with the Timberwolveswithout an agreement on an offer. His other suitors are said to include the New Orleans Hornets, Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers. Suitors can offer Batum a 4-year contract while Portland can add a fifth year. Offer sheets cannot be signed until July 11, after the NBA's free agency moratorium is completed. At that point, the Blazers would have three days to match. Batum said back in April that he was"99 percent" surethat the Blazers would match any offer made to him and the team's ownership and management has consistently referred to him as one of the roster's core pieces. The Blazersextended a qualifying offerto Batum last week. Batum, 23, averaged 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.0 steals in 30.4 minutes for the Blazers last season.ed: text edited, bumped to front page