Przybilla grabbed a career-high 25 rebounds and added 14 points, while Aldridge notched his second straight double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Say what??? 25 boards! The Vanilla Gorilla is dubbed Godzilla for the day. Great article here about JPryz.

Or here.

http://www.nba.com/blazers/news/Trail_Blazers_sweep_Clippers_i-264006-1218.html

With the Playoffs on the horizon, and the off season looming in its midst, what is a free agent to do? The Mississippi Bullet is up at the end of this season, and is looking to break someone’s bank. What does it all mean for Monta? No more minimum pay, and finally it is time for some people to show him some respect. We the fans do, and we cheer for him when he does well, that’s all we can give him. But it is time for the league to show him respect, and in the back of his mind he is saying, “It’s PAYDAY and Montay wants his money!” I hope this guy gets whatever he wants, he deserves it more then anyone.

You can some up Monta as a person and a player in so many words, but I choose only one, “Humble”. That word says it all, a lot of young players run their mouth, especially ones that exhume the amount of talent he has, but after wins and after losses he stays humble. All the success he has on the court is trumped by his attitude off the court. He is polite, and attune to his surroundings, he is everything and more that you would want from young gifted talent.

So the riddle to our question above is long and drawn out, but we will try to keep it simple, but as we go along other questions will arise. It’s only the nature of the beast.

But is Monta Ellis ready or capable to be “The Guy”? “The Guy”, is the primary, the go to, the number one on his team. Is he ready to leave his role as Robin to Baron Davis’s Batman? Or is Monta ready to create a new role for himself, a new superhero for a new team?

As I analyze certain teams I look to see where Monta might fit best. Obviously the chemistry of Monta and Baron is phenomenal. Uncanny some might say. Can it get better, or has he hit his peak? In my opinion it only gets better. I think he has only shown us a glimmer of what he can do. Golden State fans are going to hate me for saying this but I think Monta is ready to takeover a team, and Golden State is not that team. Golden State will always be home, and Baron and the Warriors franchise have molded this young man into a star, but for him to overcome it all he needs to be on another team of young gunners.

So let’s break it down, where could he go?

Golden State - GS is where this all started, for a young player it would be hard to leave this atmosphere. The Warriors franchise gave him a lot of respect, with trusting him with playing time, and trusting him to takeover down the stretch. They play the type of ball he likes, and everyone loves him. But it is payday folks and Monta wants to see solid money come in. It is very likely he will stay in GS. But this is a job to these guys; if you are going to get more somewhere else then you are going to go. 

Memphis - Great starting block, but does Monta want to go back to losing again. In 3-4 years I could see Memphis making the Playoffs, but certainly not anytime soon. They have a great foundation in Gay, Conley, and Warrick. Monta would really add to the excitement. They have the money; they have the cap room, so this is a definite secondary.

LA Clippers - Are looking for an exciting two guard, but they need someone with a great shot, and that is the one fault for Monta. His jumper just has not come around quite yet. Still one of the top shooters in the league, but not quite Agent Zero status on the jumper.  So it is a possibility, but I know the Clips are looking to try to pick up Arenas in the off season. I think if they are unable to do so they might make a run at Monta.

Blazers - I am actually surprised with all the rumors that are buzzing that the Blazers name has not came up. With Kevin Pritchard crossing his fingers on the whole Darius Miles retirement clause, they could really have some cap room. Steve Francis will be coming off the books, so that’s $17.1M, and Darius off that would free up another $9M. Steve Blake will be off the books, so will Von Wafer, Josh McRoberts. Granted the Blazers will most likely resign Blake, and McRoberts. The Blazers have the money, and as of late Rudy Fernandez is whining over in Spain about coming to the NBA and being coached by “The General”. So that two spot could easily open up if Rudy stays in Spain. But we never know what Pritch is thinking, we have also heard the Blazers are trying to free up a lot of cash for the 09/10 off season when CP3 becomes available. All gossip, but that’s how it all starts. Pritch is a wizard so getting Monta is not that crazy of an idea. .

Move Roy to the point, which has been talked about quite a bit lately, and Monta at the two. Roy, Monta, Outlaw, LA, Oden…….. The Garden would just fall down. Can you imagine how good Trout and Monta would  get along, BBQ  for days.

Now this is all speculation, Monta is not saying anything. His only comments are “I am just focusing on the Playoffs, and playing good basketball”. That’s how a future free agent should talk. Gilbert Arenas should drink whatever kool-aid Monta is drinking, because it sure is working.  We wish him the best in  anything  he does.

Another video of the precut hawk. Good stuff from GO.

On another note the Blazers are not quite out of it yet. It is funny but it could happen. If the Blazers win the next 14 and the Warriors go .500 the Blazers could get the 8th seed. Granted this equation does not factor in Denver.Go Blazers!

Uh oh, the Man, the Myth, the Legend is back dunking. Just what we like to see him do. Here is the video everyone is talking about. Not a monsterous dunk, but still the dude is packing on an extra 25 on a rehabbed micro fractured knee. We also heard the man is practicing as well. Good looking out GO! Keep it going.

Sorry to be hitting everyone with so much GO news, but right now it is better then reporting about losses, and its always exciting to see new stuff from the man, or dare we say Greg “Babyface” Oden, or Greg “Biodiesel” Oden.

Whats up y’all.

As time has gone on, one thing I have noticed about Greg is that he does not have a nickname. I know some of you are saying that we need to wait till he actually plays a game, but we are not going to. The Official Greg Oden Nickname Contest begins NOW!

So here is what you win if we deem your nickname the winner. For local Oregon residents you will receive a pair of 300 level tickets to the game of your choice, and non residents will receive an Official BoomShakalaka shirt!

All nicknames have to be submitted either on the The Official Greg Oden Nickname Contest post on BoomShakalaka.org, or under the post at the Yardbarker. All entries have to be in by the 20th of March 2008.

Here is some inspiration for you all!

This year has had it highs and its lows. We all expected lows, but these guys proved us wrong. Right now we are in a low point, but that does not mean we cannot go without a fight. Lets not play for the lottery, lets not play for business, lets play for the love of this game, and the only thing that matters in this game is WINNING!

Its always easy for a fan to talk this way. None of us really know what are in players hearts and minds, we speculate, we judge, but we never really actually know. People like myself never really know what these guys are like when the cameras are off. I can personally name many players that put on that smiling face just for the camera, and when I have met them in person when a camera is not around they snub me. But it is understandable. They don’t know who I am , I could be some crazy deranged fan looking to stalk them.

But these young players have shown a city hope. A new life, a new breath, everything we have wanted and more, and trust me more good things are to come. Everyone reading this that has a team that are above .600 and are playoff bound are wondering what the hell I am talking about. Everyone looks at our record of 33-31, and they say “what is all the excitement for ?” Well about this time last year we were at about 21 wins.  We are now at 33 and we have now surpassed last years record for wins. If the Blazers can pull off 40 wins without the “Franchise Beast” then I will consider this season a great success.

The 08-09 Season will be a strange season. I still anticipate losses, mainly because none of these guys have played with “The Dude” yet. I also anticipate a lot of movement in the guard positions in the off season. We might drop some folk, and we might pick some up as well. I think Pritch and company will deal their draft pick out with a trade for maybe a veteran guard. I love Jarrett Jack and Blake but we need consistency at that spot. There has been rumors of Brandon Roy moving over to the point when Rudy Fernandez comes along, but no one has staked a claim that “The Natural” will be a PG full time. It makes sense for BRoy to play the point, but with his addiction to injuries I would not think it would be the best place for him. The round mound would be happy as well, because we would no longer have “Midgets” in the back court.

So the lineup of the future is bright. But the big question that I have is the 3 spot. Martell Webster has got to be one of the most streakiest players I have ever witnessed. This guy is so damn good, I just don’t understand why he is so inconsistent. This year he really showed us a lot, but has he shown the Execs enough to hold on to him. Trout is turning into a full fledged baller. This guys game really reminds of Shawn Marion’s game, just a lot more exciting. But I think Pritch sees him as a huge bargaining chip, and that is something I don’t like. This guy could easily be the highest scorer on this team, and their is not doubt in my mind that he should be a starter. The only people I would like to see the Blazers try to pick up in the off season, is a PG, or another 3 guard. Possibly Andre Iguodala who is up for a qualifying offer from the 76ers at the end of this season, which I don’t think he will take. He will shop free agency and see who bites. But my suggestion to Pritch is deal Jack, and find a vet backup for BRoy at the point, and save the cash for the end of 08-09 season and either deal for Chris Paul or Deron Williams.

On that note here is my starting lineup for  the 08-09 season.

P Guard - Brandon Roy

2 Guard - Rudy Fernandez
3  Guard -  Travis Outlaw
PF - Lamarcus Aldridge
C - Greg Oden
So what are your opinions on next year?

I am really wondering if all this Agent Zero to Agent Hero junk is getting to this guys head. Once again he make an overzealous statement about being a max paid player. Where does he get off making all of these statements? He recently said in the Washington Times saying, “I’m still going to be the number one free agent. I mean on a bad leg I still average 22.” He then goes to tell to the Washington Times that he will be opting out of his contract this summer, because he thinks he is a “Max Player”. His words not mine.

So is anyone else getting sick this? So he averages 22 points a season for the past two years, but the thing is he has only really played one full season, since he missed so many games last year, and pretty much this entire season. To me Arenas is starting to seem more and more like Stephon Marbury. He has not shown us anything more then 22 points and 5.6 rebounds. I can name of 25 players with those stats that are not even close to max money.

So what is your opinion? Do 22 points and 5.6 rebounds a night deserve max money, like 16-20 million a year money? For a guy that is injury prone, brings drama to the team, and likes to shoot way to much, he sure does not seem like a max money man to me.

But I am not going to hate on a guy that is just trying to get more money. The list of positives for this guy are long as well, but lately his negatives have been outshining everything else this guy is about. I miss the underdog stories about the guy that worked hard to get to the top, but now it seems it has all gone to his head.

What’s a Agent Zero fan of the past to do?

So as I was recording the game today and GO was helping out the pregame staff. Caught some pretty damn good footage of GO working it out. This is a must see. You get UP CLOSE and PERSONAL with the big man. Seems like a pretty crazy schedule, from meeting with the First Lady and mean mugging her, then to working it out.

I hope you enjoy this one.

Video: A Day In The Life With Greg Oden