Sports Talk with MC

by MC

In the news- Portland Trailbalzers’ leading scorer Zach Randolph was recently granted bereavement leave by the league recently. Details of the power forward’s situation were not disclosed to the media.

With a 26-40 record, it’s highly unlikely that Portland will qualify for the postseason, hence, Randolph’s absence might be immaterial. The keyword in my previous statement is “might”.

Big Z’s absence will allow for more playing time for youngsters like LaMarcus Aldridge and Travis Outlaw. At the same time, his absence will be felt most prominently on the offensive end, where he is averaging 23.5 ppg, and is a beast on the boards, netting 10.1 rebounds per contest.

Could Zachary be in trouble with the law? Could Zachary be in the mood for imitating Ron Artest? I doubt, as the media would have probably made more of a brouhaha over the entire incident had Randolph been nabbed for a DUI, or assaulted an innocent fan.

Although the Traiblazers don’t look too fancy on paper, look for this team to strike it big in the years to come. They have rookie who has veteran basketball acumen in Brandon Roy, and other intruiging young studs in Sergio Rodriguez, Martell Webster, and Jarrett Jack. Most significant of all, I think, is the fact that they have Nate McMillan as their head coach. The former Seattle Supersonic has reconnected the fans with the city, and has helped eradicate the Blazers’ “jail bird” image from years past (purported “bad seeds” like Ruben Patterson, Qyntel Woods, and Rasheed Wallace have all since gone). On the whole, it does seem that the Blazers have a lot of upside looking in their direction for the time to be.

For a franchise associated with respected ballers like Maurice Lucas and the oft outspoken Bill Walton, respect is something that is befitting of those in the black and crimson.

Here’s to hoping that the city of Portland can remain patient enough to understand the time it takes for a young Trailblazers squad to grow.

Growing pains, solid gains. =)