Links: Portland’s Trail
Plus my top 5 movies of the year…
As a fan of a famously struggling franchise, I feel compelled to offer my congratulations to the Portland Trailblazers, who have won 8 consecutive games. They’ve beaten a lot of good teams along the way, including Utah (twice), Golden State and Denver. They’ve played so well now that they’re one game over .500, and they’re half a game out of the Playoff race. henry Abbott is so excited that he’s doing 1,500-word posts about one game from Brandon Roy. (Just wait until the Hawks reel off 8 straight — I’ll changes all the colors of SLAMonline to red and blue.)
While this Blazers renaissance is fun and all, my question is, what are they doing? Not how are they doing this, but why are they doing this? Shouldn’t they be trying to lose as many games as possible so they can draft Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley or Eric Gordon?
I brought this up in the office and Khalid and Ben immediately dismissed my line of thought, which makes me think I’m onto something. Khalid and Ben agreed that the young Blazers need to learn how to win, that these games are great preparation for the future.
Let’s say the Blazers keep this up and make the Playoffs this season. Great! Then they get knocked out in Round One by the Spurs or Suns. Then next year they try to integrate their franchise player, Greg Oden. Oden’s hanging around the team this year and soaking all this in, but he’s still going to be a square zero when it comes to playing in NBA games, and unless they want to move Oden for a vet and pick up where this season left off, they’re going to have to teach Oden how to win and figure out how to use him within their offense. Which means figuring things out all over again.
If you’re going to have to go through this again next season, why not do it with Oden and Rose instead of Oden and the 20th pick?
The logical argument against this is that the Blazers are already playing all their young guys heavy minutes, so it’s not like they’re bencing the future to sacrifice for a few wins in the short term. But they are playing gadget defenses — a zone! — that aren’t going to win you an NBA title and don’t really do anything to prepare your players for the future. And isn’t now the time to give big playing time to Raef LaFrentz and Darius Miles, who are both under contract next season for a total of $21 million, to figure out if they’re worth keeping around?
Or maybe I’m just sensitive. Remember when the Hawks were dead in the water a few years ago and instead of playing for the future, they played their vets and won a bunch of meaningless games so Terry Stotts could pad his career coaching record? And we won so many games that we couldn’t draft Dwight Howard?
Yeah, that worked out well.
And remember the 96-97 Spurs? With david Robinson injured and down for the count, the Spurs handed the team over to a 37-year-old Dominique Wilkins, who averaged 18.2 ppg and guided the team to a stellar 20-62 record. That summer the Spurs won the lottery and picked some guy named Tim Duncan.
I’m just saying…
• Jamie Lynn Spears. Wow.
• Quote of the year from a TV show goes to “30 Rock” two weeks ago, when Alec Baldwin’s character said: “I love when women have ambition; it’s like a dog wearing clothes.”
• I wrote a new column for Hawks.com today over here.
By the way, does anyone still think the Hawks got ripped off in that Joe Johnson/Boris Diaw trade?
• Some of you might know longtime SLAM contributor DeMarco Williams, who besides hoops also writes about movies. he contributes to a blog about movies here, and today he posted his list of his top five movies of the year and asked for my top five. Who’s in my five? I haven’t seen some of DeMarco’s top movies, but here’s my list…
5. In The Shadow Of The Moon
4. The Darjeeling Limited
3. American Gangster
2. No Country For Old Men
1. Superbad
I went with Superbad at number one because even though a lot of people will say it was juvenile and lame, I laughed more in that movie than I’ve laughed at any movie in a long time.
Give me your five in the comments section…
87 Responses to “Links: Portland’s Trail”
Dec.19 at 4:44 pm
Myles Brown says:
Hi Lang. Darjeeling disappointed me, and am I the only one who thinks that Bron could end up in Portland just as easily as Brooklyn? Oh yeah,
5. No Country & Zodiac (tie?)
4. Sicko
3. Transformers
2. Superbad
1. American Gangster.
Dec.19 at 4:47 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I didn’t see five movies this year. I may not have seen two movies this year. That said, Superbad was really good.
Dec.19 at 4:47 pm
what says:
knocked up was better than superbad
Dec.19 at 4:47 pm
dpoet says:
Lang, I disagree with your theory that Portland should tank games. That’s against the spirit of the NBA and dilutes the product that people in Portland are paying to see. We play to win the GAME!!!!! and that’s how it should be all the time regardless of any extenuating circumstances….
Dec.19 at 4:47 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
P.S. Stop hating, that’s my job.
Dec.19 at 4:49 pm
Myles Brown says:
Damn. Scratch that. I forgot about Grindhouse. And 300. 4 & 5 respectively.
Dec.19 at 4:49 pm
white hot eboy says:
For the purposes of entertainment only, no particular order: 1. Transformers (Megan Fox can pull my dipstick anytime) 2. Sweeney Todd (Saw a preview viewing and Depp is off the chain, again) 3. 30 Days of Night (Not as good as the source material, but made vampires a bit*h to deal with) 4. I Am Legend (Really good work by Robert Horry. Plus, seeing NY in this type of setting makes me think of the current state of the Knicks, which is almost too real) 5. 300 (Incredible effects, dude’s beating the sh*t out of each other, kids thrown to the wolves literally, can’t beat it)
Dec.19 at 4:50 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
P.P.S. I’m happy for Portland. They have one of the L’s best fanbases, and they deserve a good team. Who cares if they make the playoffs only to lose in the first round? When you start thinking that nothing matters unless you win a championship, then you turn into the Yankees. And no one wants that.
Dec.19 at 4:53 pm
mutoni says:
does p0rn count?
Dec.19 at 4:53 pm
HI! says:
i didn’t get darjeeling limited at all. i walked out of the movie theater wondering if i’ve seen a movie at all
Dec.19 at 5:06 pm
Donn says:
If that’s the case Lang, then what are your hawks doing winning games…shouldn’t they tank also…i mean, they still need a point guard…so screw the playoffs getting rose or gordon is more important than making the playoffs…
Dec.19 at 5:10 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
The Hawks don’t have one of the top picks in the Draft next summer — it goes to Phoenix.
Dec.19 at 5:21 pm
TADOne says:
And that pick going to Phoenix is why the Suns still win in that trade. Then again, for enough money you can just buy it back from them.
Dec.19 at 5:21 pm
H to the izzo says:
I think the only movie I seen this year was the Simpsons Movie and I only went out of nostalgia and because I was made go.
Dec.19 at 5:22 pm
TADOne says:
And 300 was dope. I haven’t seen those other movies, but I really want to see Superbad now.
Dec.19 at 5:26 pm
white hot eboy says:
Izzo, you need to get out more. Or pirated movies sent to you on the regular.
Dec.19 at 5:26 pm
Remy says:
i think they need to learn how to win or at least get a whiff of what the playoffs are like and what it takes to get to them (or at least be in the chase) and didnt they already do all that losing to get Greg Oden last year?? why go through that again?? besides it may not work… like last year for the Grizz
Dec.19 at 5:34 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
Well, this is such a deep Draft that any pick in the top 5 should be a really good pick. And unlike the Grizz, the Blazers might draft someone at a position where they actually need help.
Dec.19 at 5:35 pm
Cameron says:
5.2 Fast 2 Furious
4.Blade
3.Pirates of the Caribbean 2
2.Talledega nights
1.Anchorman
Dec.19 at 5:37 pm
H to the izzo says:
Cameron has poor taste,mostly.
Dec.19 at 5:38 pm
stru says:
michael clayton is a great legal thriller the documentary King Of Kong: Fistful of Quarters is great and is showing up on a lot of top 10 lists. It’s about two guys going for the world record in Donkey Kong. It is hilarious. no country for old men
american gangster
Dec.19 at 5:39 pm
H to the izzo says:
I’m very excited about watching Mike Beasley on a very poor NBA team next.The Knicks?Do the Knicks have draft picks or did Isiah trade em’ for a quarter pounder?
Dec.19 at 5:40 pm
Remy says:
well hopefully next year the Grizz draft a tiny PG or a leaping 4 to get them over the hump… Next year though i think Portland will be fine. Its hard to imagine that adding someone like Oden will hurt the team next year. Unless he goes on a Danny Fortson like fouling rampage
Dec.19 at 5:41 pm
TADOne says:
Let’s see, the Blazers have Oden, Aldridge, Roy, Outlaw, and Webster. They are all young, but definitely are talented. They don’t need anymore young guys.
Dec.19 at 5:41 pm
Bryan says:
Superbad is hilarious. I liked Knocked Up if only for the part about “hollowed out a penis and put it on”. Which might be the funniest thing I have ever heard. Transformers got twice as good when I watched it in HD and I was kinda disapointed in American Gangster. Looking forward to I Am Legend though.
Dec.19 at 5:42 pm
white hot eboy says:
Cameron must have come out of a time machine. Blade? While great, wasn’t that late 90’s?
Dec.19 at 5:45 pm
H to the izzo says:
2Fast2Furious?He’s probably 13
Dec.19 at 5:45 pm
TADOne says:
I think Cameron missed the part of Lang saying the 5 best movies he has seen THIS year.
Dec.19 at 5:45 pm
DeMarco says:
Nobody’s seen THE MIST? That ending was ill as hell!
Dec.19 at 5:46 pm
Cheryl says:
oh no you didn’t think that was the “quote of the year”. what, you tryna get me started??
Dec.19 at 5:46 pm
white hot eboy says:
The Mist was good.
Dec.19 at 5:48 pm
Zig says:
Lang, your constant Suns hating will never cease to amaze me…
Dec.19 at 5:48 pm
H to the izzo says:
Cheryl,you can’t always take things seriously,can you?
Dec.19 at 5:50 pm
Bryan says:
I’m looking forward to 2008 though, Iron Man , Incredible Hulk ( I wonder if Ed Norton is gonna turn from skinny fight club guy to badass nazi when he hulks out) Drillbit Taylor and Forgetting Sarah Marshall(hey Kristen Bell). Oh and pineapple express cause Seth Rogen is amazing.There are more too but I don’t wanna keep going.
Dec.19 at 5:51 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
Transformers was one of the worst movies I’ve seen in a long time (and I loved/love the original show). The only way it is watchable is in fast forward.
1. No Country
2. Superbad
3. Bourne Ultimatum
4. Eastern Promises
5. Breakfast with Scot (but I know the actress who plays the beard so I might be biased)
Dec.19 at 5:52 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
The Mist!?!? WHE - you’re either very sarcastic or have the taste of a teenage boy
Dec.19 at 5:52 pm
TADOne says:
Forgot about Bourne Ultimatum. I think that was the best of the 3.
Dec.19 at 5:55 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
The Mist is proof that King’s reputation has surpassed his talent (happened a long time ago)
Dec.19 at 5:58 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
Is that Breakfast With Scot movie about Scot Pollard?
Dec.19 at 6:03 pm
Tenorca says:
People are way too fixated on “championship or nothing.” How about the fact the Blazers are actually, you know, fun to watch? Only one team wins the whole thing and if ain’t gonna be yours, you hope for a team like Portland’s or Golden State’s.
Dec.19 at 6:09 pm
Bryan says:
Bourne was supergood too.
Dec.19 at 6:13 pm
ic3 says:
american gangster was superbad. superbad not meaning supergood.
Dec.19 at 6:14 pm
Schragz says:
Lang–Call me a tool if you must…I thought “Alpha Dog” was pretty good.
Dec.19 at 6:16 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
Haven’t seen Borne or Alpha Dog. There’s a bunch of movies I never saw. I did see some of the movies considered really good but I didn’t like them, like Knocked Up, 2 Days in Paris and Juno.
Dec.19 at 6:24 pm
David says:
I don’t think I’ve seen anyone give Nate McMillan any credit today. “Way to go, Nate.” Haven’t seen everything yet, but my 5 would probably be:
* American Gangster
* Bourne Ultimatum
* Knocked Up
* Zodiac
* Grindhouse But I’m keenly awaiting my chance to watch No Country, There Will be Blood, and that Jesse James movie.
Dec.19 at 6:28 pm
Bryan says:
I know it’s dumb but I didn’t like Russel Crowe in American gangster , the movie was good but like I just got really irritated with him. He didn’t have a njpd authenticity to him.
Dec.19 at 6:32 pm
Schragz says:
Alpha Dog is currently on HBO a hundred times a day–like “Just One of the Guys” or “Sliver”–and worth checking out. Expected nothing from it–but found myself DEEPLY disturbed and screwy in the head. Kind of like how I feel after watching the Hawks on league pass.
Dec.19 at 6:41 pm
jbn74sb says:
Not in any particular order:
300
Into the Wild
American Gangster
Bourne
Weapons of *ss Destruction 9
Dec.19 at 7:28 pm
Whistler says:
You americans have some great movies, but not sure if you caught them:
If you’ve liked American Gangster Lang, you should LOVE “We Own the Night” by James Gray with Joaquin Phoenix and Eva Mendes (+ Robert Duvall and Mark Wahlberg). I know, it was financed by Mark Cuban, but still, best movie I’ve seen this year!
And another one for you: “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” with Phil Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke. Great movie, great acting!
Check them out (we in Europe have a hard time)
Dec.19 at 7:28 pm
Cheryl says:
Izzo, you gotta learn when I’m joking. I’ll usually offer some treatise on ish when I’m truly riled up. Otherwise, I’m just saying stuff to poke fun.
Dec.19 at 7:29 pm
Derms says:
That is a sick Alec Baldwin quote. I almost wet myself when I first watched the episode. his oneliners are amazing on that show.
Dec.19 at 7:33 pm
Cheryl says:
And my 5ive (in no particular order:
1) Bourne Ultimatum
2) Lions for Lambs
3) I am Legend
4) In the Valley of Elah
5) Transformers (cheesy, but I had a ball with the kids)
Dec.19 at 8:15 pm
Waltonia says:
Blazas should not be trying to lose game-learning how to win games is incredibly important. A lot of players that could have been great in the L got screwed up by spending their developing years playing to lose and picking up bad habits. Blazers have all the young guys they need, and the fans are coming back-the 2000 blazer team that nearly went to the NBA finals wasn’t 1/10 as fun to watch as this team.
Dec.19 at 8:29 pm
Jake Appleman says:
5) Knocked Up 4)Alpha Dog 3)American Gangster 1)Teeth 1) Superbad
Dec.19 at 8:34 pm
Cheryl says:
DAM, A WARRIOR DOWN. MAYBE THE TEAM WILL COME TOGETHER NOW.
Dec.19 at 8:59 pm
Gerard Himself says:
My 6 favorites of the year (random order), couldn’t let anything out. Rescue Dawn
Sunshine
American Gangster
300
Bourne Ultimatum
The Fountain I don’t get why so may people named Transformers. It looked okay, but it was a horrible movie, and I regret that I went to see it. Superbad was really funny for the first 30 minutes were hilarious, but the next 80 are repetitive and became more and more boring as the movie went on. A good comedy shouldn’t last more than 90 minutes anyway. But again, it’s all about taste, I understand. Too bad No Country for Old Men hasn’t been released in The Neherlands yet.
Dec.19 at 9:08 pm
Holly MacKenzie says:
awwwwww Zo.. anyone else watching?
Dec.19 at 9:23 pm
John E. Sanford says:
I saw Zo’s injury, I hope it isn’t serious.
Dec.19 at 9:27 pm
Holly MacKenzie says:
same…he is a warrior, Cheryl. that made my stomach drop.
Dec.19 at 9:51 pm
Paniscus says:
As a diehard Blazers fan, I’m super excited. It’s great to have a likable team, and the winning is butter. A PG will fall into place. Also, we didn’t tank to get Oden, and I don’t want to start tanking now. Movies:
5. Transformers (Bourne, Superbad and Knocked up were all better, but I’m a dude in the demographic, and I got goosebumps the first time they made the transforming sound)
4. Eastern Promises
3. Michael Clayton
2. Grindhouse
1. No Country for Old Men
Dec.19 at 9:53 pm
white hot eboy says:
Zo’s done for the year, torn miniscus. Damn. 4-6 month heal time.
Dec.19 at 9:54 pm
Paniscus says:
Oh yeah, if Zo’s down for long I think it’s safe to put the fork in the season. But, no offense to Heat fans, this is the kind of thing that happens when you leverage your future for a championship. I’m with the prior commentators who say that there’s more to the league than winning it all. I’d rather have ‘consistently entertaining’ than ‘great once and horrible for the the foreseeable.’
Dec.19 at 11:02 pm
bootlace says:
Wow, is Superbad superoverrated or what. For some reason highschool movies about geeks ala Napoleon Dynamite become instant classics..
Dec.19 at 11:56 pm
Cheryl says:
I don’t know what to say. It’s a sad day in Heatland.
Dec.20 at 12:10 am
dma says:
the blazers dont need another 19 year old on their squad to make them even younger. they need kevin willis to skew the numbers.
Dec.20 at 12:55 am
Russ Bengtson says:
Or Bill Walton.
Dec.20 at 12:55 am
oggeenice says:
No Country For Old Men? What, we have to wait for the dvd to get the ending of this movie? Worst Ending EVER!
Dec.20 at 1:40 am
Dan says:
5. Dr. No
4. Lock, Stock, And Two Smokin’ Barrels
3. Strike
2. Anchorman
1. A Clockwork Orange
Dec.20 at 1:43 am
Don says:
It has been heavily speculated that the Blazers already have a firm course set. They dont’ necessarily need a high pick in the draft to use on another point guard. They want one of two things. First, they really like Brandon as a point-scoring guard. He handles himself well and they like him running the offense. They have Rudy Fernandez locked up for next year (from Spain). He’s an unbelieveable scorer. They would put him at the 2. But the other option that they are looking at (and the one I hope they take) is that they keep Brandon at the 2, trade their draft selection plus a player or two for a proven free agent point guard. Perhaps more than any othe position, this is the one that demands experience and poise. They will be moving some heavy contracts and will have pretty good cap space. Pritchard will get it done. The guys a BB genius. Go Blazers!
Dec.20 at 4:21 am
Tariq says:
I don’t live in the States, so I’m kinda on a different schedule movie-wise; like I just got Superbad on DVD, but haven’t seen it. That being said: 5- Talk to Me
4- Little Miss Sunshine
3- American Gangster
2- Zodiac
1- Pan’s Labyrinth
Dec.20 at 5:15 am
RudX says:
And the best motion picture of the year goes to… … The Departed
Dec.20 at 9:04 am
SLAM ONLINE | » The big game and the cautionary tale says:
[…] Finally in Lang’s post yesterday, there was the question of top 5 movies of the year. Here is the correct answer: if the video game BioShock were a movie, it would be movie of the year no questions asked and you wouldn’t even remember the other four on your list. And I don’t mean if the game was made into a movie a la Resident Evil, I mean if the game itself were somehow a movie. I’ve been playing… I’ve been having nightmares… I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night screaming… var staf_confirmtext = ‘Mail sent’ #stafBlock { position: absolute !important; z-index: 100000; display: none; width: 200px; } #stafForm { background-color:#f60; border: 2px solid #000; padding: 5px; margin:0; } #stafForm h2 { margin:0 0 4px;color:#fff;font-size:12px !important;} #stafForm input,label, h2 {font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; color: #222222; } #stafForm .input_text { width: 90px;margin-bottom: 5px;padding:2px; } #stafForm label { float: left; display: block; width: 75px; line-height: 16px; } #stafForm .input_submit {color:#fff;padding:0 5px;} #stafClose { float: right; margin-right: 5px; } x […]
Dec.20 at 10:52 am
jbn74sb says:
Alpha Dog: Based on a true story about some kids who grew up in the San Fernando Valley, and eventually took the kid they kidnapped up to Santa Barbara, where he was ultimately shot. While in law school, I worked on the case. The true story, had they stuck to it, would have made the movie much much much better. The little ring leader was caught about 5 years later on the run in Brazil. The Santa Barbara DA’s office worked with the produces of the movie, prior to Jesse James Hollywood (real name, and the ringleader) being caught. The case is now before the CA Supreme Court to determine if the SB DA Office can handle the case. If so, a friend of mine is prosecuting the case. It’s a fascinating story, and the movie did not do it justice.
Dec.20 at 10:53 am
Chris says:
Are you retarded?
Dec.20 at 10:56 am
Chris says:
Lang, no seriously, are you retarded?
Dec.20 at 11:05 am
Jared says:
Man, whistler those are two movies I wanted to see so bad that I never got around to, Before the Devil Knows your dead and we own the night, i also really wanted to see the kingdom and No country for old men, I’m droppin the ball…but I gotta go with 1. Superbad, 2. Knocked Up 3. American Gangster (which was highly overrated) 4. Die Hard 5.Planet Terror …there’s a bunch of movies I wanna see or wanted to see that I’m sure would be on this list instead tho
Dec.20 at 11:05 am
Dre Bladwin says:
are you serious in what you say about the blazers?? this seems to stem from your being a hawks fan: the perpetual treadmill of lets-lose-this-year-to-draft-player x. this thought process is saying, “wait till next year,that’s our best opportunity.” the best opportunity is the opportunity AT HAND,lang! you should know this.
Dec.20 at 11:05 am
Jared says:
What was so bad about Juno? I didn’t see it but I’ve wanted to, and I’ll give Lang the benfit of the doubt most likely…but why was it so bad?
Dec.20 at 11:10 am
Chris says:
I really hope this isn’t the type of writing that is the norm at Slam Online, because saying that a team should attempt to lose games by giving major minutes a 31 year old stiff with the worst contract in pro sports history and a guy who’s coming off major knee surgery who isn’t even active yet…well, let’s just say I hope Slam has something better to offer somewhere.
Dec.20 at 11:32 am
Jared says:
Are you kidding? Raef has the worst contract in pro sports history? That’s a bit much. Adonal Foyle, Adrian Beltre…he has a bad contract but its not the worst.
Dec.20 at 12:25 pm
Darth Weasel says:
As a huge Blazer fan, one who blogs every game and, when time permits, even throws up a preview or two, I have been excited about this team from day one. Prior to the season I went out on a limb and said that, if everything broke right, they could win about 45 games and sneak into the playoffs. Had they not blown that 17 point 4th quarter (and 25 point overall) lead against Philadelphia, I still think they would have won the rest of that road trip and be on a HUGE run right now if they had not lost that. With that said…if they bring Darius Miles back I will give away the rest of my season tickets and stop watching them, reading about them and writing about them. He may be a talented player…but he is also everything that drove away so many of the fans. He is an attitude problem and a thug on a team that has really changed its image and gone back to the days when good guys like Terry Porter, Kevin Duckworth, Mychal Thomson, et. al were the face of the franchise.Trade him, release him, do whatever they want to do….except put him on the floor. I don’t want him anywhere near this team that, at the moment, is so fun to watch.
Dec.20 at 1:05 pm
Bishop1405 says:
Superbad was wack! Tried way too hard for me.. Top 5 seen this year 1. 300
2. Bourne Ultimatum
3. Pan’s Labryinth (on DVD)
4. Wild hogs
5. Transformers (was a little disappointed with the flow of the film but the effects were sick!) Shame on you Lang for that POV about the Blazers..a man, a competitor, a warrior, a trail blazer should never think that way!
Dec.20 at 1:36 pm
bobby stew says:
I Am Legend- best movie of the year
Dec.20 at 1:46 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
@Don: One thing about Rudy Fernandez — I’ve seen him play in person more than once over in Spain last year, and to call him an “unbelievable scorer” is like calling me an unbelievable scorer. The hype machine has been working hard on Rudy for a while now.
Dec.20 at 1:55 pm
JackBrown says:
Lang, as a long time reader, I’m a little disappointed in your take on the Trailblazers. I really thought the media outside this town was starting to come around, but I see there’s still lots of learning needed.
Dec.20 at 4:48 pm
Vinsanity says:
no love for Shooter, im surprised mark waldman is the man
Dec.21 at 5:37 am
anotha dude from europe says:
Where the SIMPSONS Movie at???