Trail Blazers News

"The 6-11, 245-pound power forward of the Trail Blazers is on hand for his first boxing lesson/workout with Michael Foster, who has worked as a coach and trainer at what is known as the Knott Street Boxing Club for 15 years. You won%u2019t see Frye in the ring with Wladimir Klitschko %u2013 or any other boxing opponent %u2013 any time soon. He is here on the recommendation of Portland assistant coach Maurice Lucas, plus his own thirst for adventure. %u201CI wanted to try a whole bunch of things this offseason,%u201D says Frye, 25, who has made Portland his year-round home. %u201CI don%u2019t think I%u2019ll ever box a real match. It%u2019s more to get conditioning and strength for my arms ..."

"The Trail Blazers, specifically General Manager Kevin Pritchard, may be in violation of federal regulations in regard to public comments about the medical condition of former player Darius Miles. Miles underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee and has not played since April 15, 2006. After a long rehabilitation period, the team first ruled him unfit to play and then sought an independent physician%u2019s examination of the knee. That physician ruled Miles%u2019 injury was career ending %u2013 which was important to the Blazers on two fronts that have to do with finances. First, the $18 million over two seasons left on Miles contract would not count against the team%u2019s salary ..."

"If Darius Miles plays 10 games with another NBA club next season, and it says here that he will, it will be a blow to the Trail Blazers' salary-cap picture for the future. But not a crippling one. Released by Portland in April after an independent medical examiner ruled his microfracture-repaired knee was "career-ending," the small forward has had a tryout tour in recent weeks with several NBA clubs. Indications are he'll get an opportunity. "Darius' talent is there, and his health is better than we were led to believe," Boston General Manager Danny Ainge said after Miles auditioned for him a couple of weeks ago. A Dallas Mavericks representative told Sports Illustrated's Ian Thomsen, "He ..."

"The Portland Trail Blazers signed rookie forward/guard Nicolas Batum, general manager Kevin Pritchard announced Tuesday. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. The Trail Blazers acquired the rights to Batum, the 25th overall pick in this year’s draft, from Houston in a draft day trade in exchange for the draft rights to Darrell Arthur (27th overall pick) and Joey Dorsey (33rd overall)."

"As expected, the Trail Blazers on Tuesday signed first-round draft pick Nicolas Batum, which brings the team's roster to 14 players, one below the NBA maximum. Batum, 19, was drafted by Houston with the 25th overall selection, then traded to the Blazers for two draft choices. His signing was delayed until he completed the proper paperwork in his native France to work in the United States. Batum, a 6-foot-9 small forward, averaged 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in 27 minutes at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas."

"JR Pinnock, a 6-5 guard/forward from George Washington, scored 30 points as Portland beat New Orleans 78-63 Sunday in NBA Summer League action in Las Vegas. Pinnock hit 11 of 19 shots from the field. The Blazers concluded the league with a 3-2 record. Jerryd Bayless, who averaged 30 points in the four previous games, did not play for the Blazers."

"A quick scan of the box score from the Trail Blazers' 78-63 summer league victory over New Orleans on Sunday revealed everything about rookie Nicolas Batum, a 6-foot-8 small forward from France. He played more minutes than any of his teammates but attempted just six shots and scored the fewest points (seven) of any Blazers starter. While rookie Steven Hill became a crowd favorite with intense defense and four blocked shots, and NBA Development League player J.R. Pinnock scored 30 points on 11 of 19 shooting, Batum all but disappeared, a reflection of his summer league performance."

"Jerryd Bayless left the Trail Blazers' makeshift locker room at Cox Pavilion with scratches and scrapes on his arms, sweat dripping from his face and a gigantic Ace bandage wrapped around his midsection. The rookie had just accumulated 29 points, six rebounds, seven personal fouls and countless battle wounds during his third NBA Summer League game. During more than one drive to the basket, Bayless, as Blazers summer league coach Monty Williams put it, "had his head knocked off." On another play, in an effort to corral a loose ball, Bayless darted into the baseline media section, smashing a few laptops and bending a table."

"Petteri Koponen arrived in Las Vegas hoping to secure the final spot on the Trail Blazers' 15-man roster and become the second player from Finland to reach the NBA. After five NBA Summer League games, a team-high 17 assists and one clutch performance, the 6-foot-4 point guard is back where he started. Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard left Las Vegas "impressed" with Koponen, but said he planned to take "three or four days" to evaluate summer league film and make a decision. "We heard whispers when we drafted him -- you're going against the grain, no Finnish player is ever going to play," Pritchard said. "But . . . he's not afraid. He takes big shots. He's a gamer, there's no ..."

"Trail Blazer guard Jerryd Bayless, the No. 11 draft choice thie year, is the 13th player to be named to the 2008 USA Basketball Select Team. In four summer-league games, Bayless has averaged a league-leading 29.8 points per game on 48.5 percent shooting, along with 4.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals. The USA Select Team is being utilized to help prepare the 2008 USA Men’s Senior National Team for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games."

"Jerryd Bayless scored 36 points, including the go-ahead bucket in the last minute, as the Portland Trail Blazers beat Phoenix 74-73 in NBA Summer League action Saturday in Las Vegas. Bayless made 14 of 26 shots from the field and all six free-throw attempts. Nobody else on the Blazers scored more than six points. Portland had only nine turnovers. The Blazers (2-2) play New Orleans at 5 p.m. Sunday."

"Jerryd Bayless scored 17 fourth-quarter points and hit the game-winning jumper with 18 seconds left to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 74-73 victory over the Phoenix Suns in the Vegas Summer League on Saturday. The Suns jumped out to an 11-2 lead and held the Blazers to just 11 first-quarter points. Portland’s first field goal didn’t come until the 5:06 mark. Leading by as many as 13 points, the Suns led 21-11 at the close of the period. The Suns led by 10 at the end of the first half after a solid second-quarter effort led by Alando Tucker, who tallied seven points in the period, and Vladimir Golubovic, who chipped in six points."

"He won't be an Olympian, but the Trail Blazers' LaMarcus Aldridge will help the U.S. players prepare for the Olympic Games in Beijing. He's been named to the USA Basketball Men's Select Team, which will help the USA Senior National Team get ready for the Games, Aug. 10-24 in Beijing. Theteam will begin training July 20 in Las Vegas and is expected to train and scrimmage alongside the USA Senior National Team from July 21-24."

"Big man Jason Thompson scored on a drive and added a free throw for a three-point play with 12.7 seconds left in overtime as Sacramento beat Portland 75-74 Tuesday in NBA Summer League action at Las Vegas. Jerryd Bayless scored 26 points, giving him 54 in two summer league games. He made an offbalance jumper with 9.7 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, but he missed on a shot in the closing seconds of overtime."

"Chief operating officer Mike Golub is leaving the Portland Trail Blazers to take a post with the team's sister company, Vulcan Sports Enterprises. Golub will be a senior advisor, with one responsibility being to increase prominence of the NFL's Seattle Seahawks in the Rose City. "Mike's leadership has been a driving force in the resurgence of the Trail Blazers and he has been a terrific ambassador in the community," says Tod Leiweke, CEO of Vulcan Sports"

"During the buildup to the NBA Summer League last week, Trail Blazers lottery pick Jerryd Bayless joked that playing off guard, while not exactly the long-term role he prefers, would at least allow him to shoot more. So shoot he did. Displaying an aggressive, attacking game, Bayless made his Trail Blazers debut Monday night at the Cox Pavilion. If nothing else, the 6-foot-3 guard proved he wouldn't hesitate to create scoring opportunities. Bayless finished with a game-high 28 points, including a staggering 18 free throws, during the Blazers' 78-73 victory over Washington."

"Guard Jerryd Bayless scored 28 points in his Vegas Summer League debut as the Trail Blazers beat Washington 78-73 Monday in Las Vegas. Bayless, a draft-day acquisition after being selected 11th in the NBA Draft, hit 5 of 12 shots from the field and 18 of 23 free throws."

"If ever there was proof that the Trail Blazers have turned the corner in their rebuilding, this week's NBA Summer League is it. Greg Oden will not don a Blazers uniform in Las Vegas, where the team will play five games in seven days. Neither will LaMarcus Aldridge or Brandon Roy. Instead, for the first time in years, the Blazers' summer league team will not include a projected franchise centerpiece. Potential rotation players -- including 2008 first-round draft pick Jerryd Bayless -- will be in action, but the coming week doesn't hold as much significance as in recent seasons. That said, this week is important for several members of the team, including three first-round draft ..."

"It hasn't been a good summer for Travis Outlaw back home in Mississippi. He has slumped terribly in his favorite pastime -- fishing -- and he's not happy about it. "I lost my fishing license," Outlaw said. "That's what we call it back there -- if you don't catch anything, you lose your license." There is, however, a reason for his drought. Much to the delight of the Trail Blazers, Outlaw this summer has been spending less time fishing and more time working out to improve his already growing basketball game. Outlaw's commitment was epitomized last week by his flying to Portland for a series of individual workouts with assistant coach Monty Williams."

"As distasteful as it may seem for many local basketball fans, Seattle officials can learn a lot from Clay Bennett as they attempt to lure an NBA team. "If you're going to play this game and win, you must have commitments from three places: the private sector, the public sector and the NBA," said Marc Ganis, president of Sportscorp Ltd., a Chicago-based sports-industry consulting firm. "Oklahoma City had all three." Now that the dust has settled from the surprising July 2 settlement between the city of Seattle and Bennett, which allowed him to pay $45 million and immediately move the team, local officials face the cold realization that securing another franchise is no slam dunk. In ..."

"There was style, substance and intrigue during the opening practices of the Trail Blazers' summer league team on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Style was provided by lottery pick Jerryd Bayless who had Blazers veteran Travis Outlaw and the rest of the gym buzzing after he drove through traffic and dunked high and hard, then followed it up with a delicate teardrop shot in the lane. "Dang! Did you see how high he got?" Outlaw squealed from the sideline after Bayless dunked. Moments later, after the high-arcing shot in the lane, Outlaw remained impressed. "And he's got the touch, too.""

"Seems strange to me that the Trail Blazers would want to extend coach Nate McMillan's contract right now, with two years remaining on it. Now, I realize there is no salary cap on coaches, and Paul Allen is wealthy enough to just pay someone off if he wants to fire that person, but still . . . a lot can happen in the next two years that could change the front office's opinion of who should be running this team."

"If the Trail Blazers want to have Petteri Koponen in their organization sometime in the next four or five years, they'll probably have to sign him to a contract soon. The 6-4, 195-pound point guard from Finland will be auditioning with Portland's entry in the Las Vegas Summer League, with the Blazers opening play on Monday."

"Two players who expect to be in the Trail Blazers? rotation next season ? but will have to earn their spots ? were introduced to the media Wednesday at the Rose Garden. Rookie guard Jerryd Bayless and power forward Ike Diogu ? who come to Portland in a draft-day trade with Indiana that was completed Wednesday ? will fit somewhere into a growing list of rotation hopefuls that includes second-year rookie center Greg Oden and European phenom Rudy Fernandez. There are no guarantees, but it would appear this is the group coach Nate McMillan will take into October training camp."

"When Jerryd Bayless was 3, he awoke on Christmas morning to find that his parents had bought bikes for him and his older brother, Justin. Immediately, Jerryd didn't like what he saw. Justin, who is four years older, had a regular bike. Jerryd's bike had training wheels. "He said, 'No. No training wheels. I want to ride just like Justin,' " his father, Brad, said. "And after crashing and burning for two days, the next thing I see is him riding that bike all over the neighborhood, sliding sideways and everything." Sixteen years later, Jerryd Bayless is again presented with a training-wheels situation, this time with the Trail Blazers. After acquiring the 19-year-old point guard ..."

"James Jones, who played a key role on and off the court with the Trail Blazers last season, signed a five-year, $22 million contract with Miami on Wednesday. In June, Jones elected to become a free agent by not exercising the player-in option in his contract with the Blazers. He would have made $3.1 million had he stayed in Portland. "He got an offer he couldn't refuse," Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard said."

"It wasn't a case of James Jones offering his services at a hometown discount. It was more a matter of returning to his roots — and a team he considered his own dating to his youth in Miami Lakes and tenure at the University of Miami. "For me, it's like coming full circle," the 3-point specialist said Wednesday after signing with the Heat. "I'm from the city. I spent all my time here, and when the Heat hurt, even though I'm away on another team as an opponent, I still feel that pain." After a five-year NBA journey that took him to stops in Indiana, Phoenix and Portland, the pride of American High is home again."

"The Trail Blazers open a five-day mini-camp for their summer league team Wednesday at their Tualatin training facility, but the roster could byeshy on recognizable names. First-round draft pick Jerryd Bayless presumably will be on hand, though the draft-night trade that brought the rights to Bayless from Indiana can't be completed until Wednesday. That would mean Bayless - the former University of Arizona guard - won't join camp until at least Thursday. Late first-round selection Nicolas Batum, a 6-9 forward from France, will take part. So will Petteri Koponen, a 6-4 guard from Finland who was a first-round choice in 2007."

"Joe Prunty will work at the Las Vegas Summer League and serve as the new assistant coach to head coach Nate McMillan. Like Blazer General Manager Kevin Pritchard, Prunty has experience with the San Antonio Spurs. He spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks. Before that, he worked nine seasons with the Spurs as assistant video coordinator, video coordinator, advance scout and most recently, assistant coach. During his time with the Spurs, the team won three NBA championships. ?We couldn?t be more thrilled to add a talented, hard-working and experienced individual like Joe to the organization,? McMillan says."

"Like an anxious kid at Christmas, Nate McMillan on Monday kept peeking through the blinds of his office to see if his latest gift had arrived on the Trail Blazers practice court. Jerryd Bayless, the Blazers' touted first-round draft pick, was due to report to the team at any second, and McMillan couldn't wait. "I'm anxious to measure him up, to see his body and to see what his makeup is," McMillan said. Returning Blazers Martell Webster and Channing Frye, along with newcomer Nicolas Batum -- another first-round pick -- were the reason for the bouncing basketballs and squeaking sneakers. "What a good group we've got," McMillan said. "Look at them out there.""

"Darius Miles, the former Trail Blazers forward who is looking for employment within the NBA, became a little less attractive to teams Wednesday after it was learned that Miles is subject to a 10-game suspension for violating the league's anti-drug program. It is not known for what substance Miles tested positive, but the NBA's collective bargaining agreement states a player can receive a 10-game suspension for testing positive once for performance-enhancing drugs or for his fourth positive test of marijuana. Darius Miles, the former Trail Blazers forward who is looking for employment within the NBA, became a little less attractive to teams Wednesday after it was learned that ..."

"It's special time for the Trail Blazers. And an even more special time for their general manager, Kevin Pritchard. The 2008 NBA draft and its aftermath was one of the incredible local happenings I've seen in three decades of covering sports. The radio coverage locally set the stage for what would follow as pundits (particularly on the Blazers' sports station) tried to anticipate what Pritchard was going to do in the draft so they could praise it ahead of time."

"When he was 10 or 11, Rudy Fernandez had a poster in his bedroom of former Trail Blazer Clyde Drexler. "Drexler, I like," he says. And now, at age 23, Fernandez likes that he is coming from Spain to play for the Blazers. "It's a good product. It's best for me," Fernandez says via a media conference call. "It's a good challenge.""

"He hails from a different continent, some 5,600 miles away, but it appears Rudy Fernandez has always had an affinity for the Portland Trail Blazers. Growing up in Spain, Fernandez looked west to the United States for boyhood basketball idols. And one of the players he identified with was one of Portland's most revered. "I had a poster of (Clyde) Drexler in my room . . . when I was 10 or 11 years old," the 23-year-old Fernandez said. "I like him." Fernandez reached an agreement Tuesday to leave the Spanish ACB League and join Drexler's former team. Fernandez had announced his intentions to become a Blazer during a news conference from Badalona, Spain, in early June, but it did ..."

"It's special time for the Trail Blazers. And an even more special time for their general manager, Kevin Pritchard. The 2008 NBA draft and its aftermath was one of the incredible local happenings I've seen in three decades of covering sports. The radio coverage locally set the stage for what would follow as pundits - particularly on the Blazers' sports station - tried to anticipate what Pritchard was going to do in the draft so they could praise it ahead of time."

"So, Portland should get its man, Jerryd Bayless. And former Arizona center Channing Frye should get a familiar face to see at the Trail Blazers' training camp. Both players seem pleased, even though Bayless must wait until July 9 before Portland's trade to get the former Arizona guard from Indiana is complete. NBA salaries turn over on July 1, and there is a moratorium on trades for the next week after that. "Jerryd is going to be good for us," Frye said Friday, after his inaugural charity golf tournament in Phoenix. "Coach (Nate McMillan) likes good, fast players. (Bayless) is definitely that type of guy. He brings us a lot of different looks and will do a lot for us. I'm ..."

"With Greg Oden's debut and Rudy Fernandez's arrival both imminent, the Trail Blazers? front office took a different approach to this year's draft. They were more concerned with the future than with adding players who could help immediately. General Manager Kevin Pritchard stretched his two first-round and three second-round picks as far as he could, making five deals in five hours."

"When the smoke cleared late Thursday after another active NBA draft, Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard surveyed the scene and liked what he saw. "I like our team. I think we're done . . . for a while," Pritchard said. "I think we'll lay in the weeds right now." Highlights from a conversation with Pritchard about what's next: Jerryd Bayless "Like Jack on steroids": The prize of the Blazers draft was Arizona guard Jerryd Bayless, whom the Blazers thought could go as high as fourth but slipped to Indiana with the No. 11 pick. The Blazers swiped his draft rights after trading Jarrett Jack, Josh McRoberts and their No. 13 selection (Brandon Rush) to the Pacers."

"The Trail Blazers became minus a long-range shooter a few hours before the NBA draft when forward James Jones opted to become a free agent. Jones had a clause in his contract to stay and play in 2008-09 for about $3.1 million. But he has elected to test the free-agent market, which opens July 1. He could re-sign with the Blazers or go with any other team."

"True to form, General Manager Kevin Pritchard kept the Trail Blazer war room hopping Thursday night, putting together five trades that landed a veteran power forward, a potential all-star guard, a player on the European “futures” market and four future second-round draft picks. Whew! When the smoke cleared Thursday, Portland owned the rights to Indiana power forward Ike Diogu, guard Jerryd Bayless from the University of Arizona, French forward Nicolas Batum and the future picks."

"Busy on NBA Draft day for the third consecutive year, the Trail Blazers have acquired No. 11 pick Jerryd Bayless and forward Ike Diogu from the Indiana Pacers for No. 13 pick Brandon Rush, point guard Jarrett Jack and forward Josh McRoberts."

"Darrell Arthur wore a Hornets cap immediately after he was selected during Thursday night's NBA draft, but he eventually had to exchange it. As expected, the Hornets completed a draft-day trade, selecting the former Kansas forward with the 27th pick before trading his draft rights to the Portland Trail Blazers for cash considerations that could total up to $3 million. Hornets General Manager Jeff Bower was unwilling to wait for a low first-round draft pick to develop into a contributor coming off the bench next season. Arthur, 6 feet 9, played two seasons at Kansas and averaged 12.8 points last season."

"Entering with five picks, Pritchard had another active draft as the Blazers orchestrated five trades while acquiring two prospects and one reserve veteran. But through all the moves, Pritchard resisted the urge to shakeup the Blazers' roster, instead adding subtle pieces to an already-loaded lineup -- the most notable piece being Arizona point guard Jerryd Bayless. First, the Blazers bought the draft rights to the No. 27 overall selection from New Orleans and later spun that pick (Kansas' Darrell Arthur), along with No. 33 (Memphis' Joey Dorsey), to Houston for the draft rights to Nicolas Batum, a 19-year-old guard/forward from France."

"On a muggy September day in 2006, Kevin Love became “Kevlar,” Jerryd Bayless got a name (“Pay Up”) to rhyme with his game (shifty layups) and Michael Beasley nearly tore the rims down at Manhattan’s most legendary outdoor court... Those three were among two dozen prospects who played in the inaugural Elite 24 high school game at Rucker Park in Harlem two years ago. In a nice bit of symmetry, their pro careers were launched not far from the court that helped fuel their stardom."

"As the Nuggets watched Thursday's draft unfold, a player they had ranked in the late teens still was available in the second round. And so, Denver couldn't resist. After the Bulls selected Sonny Weems 39th overall, the Nuggets acquired the Arkansas swingman for a 2009 second-round pick in a three-team trade. "We feel very fortunate to get him where we did," Denver's vice president of player personnel Rex Chapman said. In the trade, Denver got Weems from Chicago, and Chicago got the rights to Omer Asik, drafted by Portland at No. 36. And then Portland received second-round picks from Denver in 2009 and New York in 2009 (owned by Chicago), plus Chicago's second-rounder in 2010."

"The Indiana Pacers have a tentative agreement to send forward Ike Diogu and the rights to guard Jerryd Bayless to Portland for point guard Jarrett Jack, forward Josh McRoberts and the rights to shooting guard Brandon Rush. The Pacers drafted Bayless, a 6-3 Arizona freshman, at No. 11, and Portland drafted Rush, a 6-6 junior from Kansas, at No. 13 in tonight's draft."

"It didn't take long for the Rockets to say au revoir to their first-round draft pick, Nicolas Batum, from France. Just a short time after taking the 19-year-old small forward with the No. 25 selection in Thursday's NBA draft, the Rockets put together a pair of deals that sent away Batum and got back two players in return. When the night was over, the Rockets had the player they had targeted — Donté Greene of Syracuse — and also added the physical presence of Memphis' Joey Dorsey to their front line... In the end, it was separate deals that ended up completing a three-way transaction that sent Batum to the Trail Blazers, Darrell Arthur to the Grizzlies and Greene and Dorsey to the Rockets, ..."

"Busy on NBA Draft day for the third consecutive year, the Trail Blazers have acquired No. 11 pick Jerryd Bayless and forward Ike Diogu from the Indiana Pacers for No. 13 pick Brandon Rush, point guard Jarrett Jack and forward Josh McRoberts."

"The trade offer wafts through the office of Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard, tempting him with possibilities, and appealing to his risk-taking nature. "It's on the table," Pritchard says of the deal with an Eastern Conference team. "I could pull the trigger right now." Pritchard, no stranger to making trades, likes this deal. But he doesn't love it. So on this particular afternoon last week, Pritchard tries to arrange a better trade. He flashes his silver Blackberry and boasts that he leads the unofficial office competition for going through the most cell phone batteries."

"The Hornets have agreed to send their first-round draft pick, the 27th overall, to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for cash that could help New Orleans add a key free agent to a rising young squad. The deal awaits league approval and may not become official until Thursday's draft has begun, according to a person who works in the NBA and is familiar with the transaction. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the deal hadn't been formally announced."