Event Draft Day Q&A

[caseyholdahl]

Greetings forumites (or whatever messageboard users are calling themselves these days). Casey Holdahl here. Between trading Nicolas Batum, tonight's draft and free agency, there's no shortage of things to talk about, so that's what I'm here to do. One caveat: The NBA is already looking to come down hard on team employees for discussing pretty much anything with regard to free agency, so I'll unfortunately have to punt on that amble storyline, but anything is pretty much fair game.

 

[Boise Blazer]

Any talk of Crabbe being ready to step up to a larger role or even start?

 

[KeepOnRollin]

Any reason that Olshey hasn't commented on much or scheduled a presser to introduce our two new guys? Too busy? Possibility that they aren't on the team long-term so why bother? Something else? I would imagine all of those could be a small percentage of it so maybe I answered my own question.

 

[illmatic99]

Who all will be in the draft war room tonight?

 

[blue9]

Do you expect there to be another big move made by Portland today?

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Kristaps Porzingis, do they have what it takes to trade into the top-6?

 

[Denny Crane]

Thanks Casey!

 

[BlazerWookee]

Casey, how have you been? Any response from Nic yet regarding the trade?

 

[TBpup]

Did you see signs at the end of the season (as some others have mentioned) that LaMarcus wanted to move on. This is about behavior, not FA or where he will go.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Wojo or Stein? Besides you, who should Blazer fans pay attention to on twitter today? Who in your opinion has the most accurate information?

 

[Natebishop3]

I find it odd that journalists who are employed by the team are forbidden to speak about free agency. They don't work in the front office. It seems like a strange blanket rule.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

Love your blog! Keep up the good work!
http://forwardcenter.net/

 

[riverman]

Hey Casey! So we can only ask about Dame, CJ, Meyers, Vonleh and Henderson?

 

[caseyholdahl]

Any talk of Crabbe being ready to step up to a larger role or even start?

I guess the first indication will come if/when the team picks up his option for next season. Depending on what happens in free agency, I could certainly see Crabbe starting next season. How good that team would be? That, I'm not sure sure about.

 

[caseyholdahl]

I find it odd that journalists who are employed by the team are forbidden to speak about free agency. They don't work in the front office. It seems like a strange blanket rule.

I couldn't agree more. The real kick in the grapes is that the folks at NBA.com can talk about anything they want since their digital rights are owned and managed by Turner. I've often proposed that we sell the digital rights to TrailBlazers.com to a third party so we'd then be allowed to discuss free agency.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

Any word on who will be on the Summer League roster? Tim Frazier? Will CJ play?

 

[Reep]

Is Vonleh someone they were specifically targeting, or was he just the best value they could get for Batum?

 

[caseyholdahl]

Who all will be in the draft war room tonight?

My guess is Paul Allen, Bert Kolde, Neil Olshey, Bill Branch, Steve Rosenberry, Joe Cronin, Lojze Milosavljevic, team legal council (his name is Ben) and maybe a few others. I know we'll have a camera in there for part of it ....

 

[caseyholdahl]

Wojo or Stein? Besides you, who should Blazer fans pay attention to on twitter today? Who in your opinion has the most accurate information?

Woj for sure. ESPN gets worse and worse every year, imo.

 

[ant]

Who do you like for #23 if we stand pat?

 

[caseyholdahl]

Did you see signs at the end of the season (as some others have mentioned) that LaMarcus wanted to move on. This is about behavior, not FA or where he will go.

I'll say this: flying back home during the playoffs before the rest of the team isn't a real good look.

 

[riverman]

I thought Crabbe and Kaman needed their situation to be addressed before draft day?

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Woj for sure. ESPN gets worse and worse every year, imo.

Thanks! That is a very interesting answer it makes me feel better about a recent ESPN article.

 

[caseyholdahl]

Any word on who will be on the Summer League roster? Tim Frazier? Will CJ play?

Frazier, as far as I know, is the only guy who is 100 percent playing. Freeman thinks Allen Crabbe will as well, but I'm not as sure. CJ and Meyers are going to practice with the team, but not play on the team. And I would expect that Noah Vonleh will now be on the team, which I'm pretty stoked for. No offense to Tim Frazier, but it was shaping up to be a bit of a boring roster, even by summer league standards.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I'll say this: flying back home during the playoffs before the rest of the team isn't a real good look.

But hasn't LMA done that previously?

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Dorrell Wright, CJ and Damian seemed genuinely shocked that Batum was traded. Was there any hint that he was unhappy or that anybody else on the team was unhappy with him?

 

[magnifier661]

What was the reason for Olshy trading Batum?

 

[caseyholdahl]

Who do you like for #23 if we stand pat?

I'd take either Rondae Hollis-Jefferson or Justin Anderson is on the board. Not sure either will be, going to be close.

 

[B-Roy]

What is your initial reaction to Gerald Henderson and his fit on the team?

 

[Denny Crane]

Can you tell us anything about the reaction of the players to the trade?