Just Stay Home Miller

Ladies and gentlemen, yes, Reggie Miller is now contemplating a comeback in the NBA. The newly revamped Boston Celtics are in contact with Miller to see if he would be interested in a reserve role with the team. Miller is supposedly going to his family and friends to seek their position on the recent Celtic push to force him out of retirement.

Miller has good reason to think hard about making a comeback because he went 18 seasons with the Indiana Pacers without getting a ring. The furthest the Pacers have pushed in the playoffs came in 2000 when Reggie helped carry the team to its first appearance in the NBA finals. Unfortunately it was only to meet Shaq and Kobe to square off for the title. The Lakers won the series in 6 games, bringing an end to Reggie's last solid chance at a championship push.

Miller's last game was on May 19, 2005 when the Pacers lost 88-79 to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, ending the series four games to two. The whole Indianapolis crowd stood up and showered Reggie with their final praise, when he was taken out of his final game with 15.7 seconds left to play.

Miller needs to stay in retirement because he is currently 41 years old and he will be 42 by the time the season starts. Aside from the age debate, he needs to leave his career in the memory of Indiana's fans who were there to embrace him throughout his entire career. I understand that he may still be hungry for a ring but is that a good enough reason to come out of retirement? Is Boston really the team to carry him that far? Yes, the Celtics will be a contender in the East, but they are unproven and we have not seen the newly acquired "big three" play together yet. Even if the Celtics make a push and win a championship, Reggie would have hardly made an impact on that outcome.

If I was Reggie, I would have a hard time sleeping at night knowing that I could win a championship without making much of an impact, and also doing it as a sell out. Stay home Reggie, its the best for the game and it is best for your legacy.

Who's the Blazers True Point Guard?

The idea that Blake was brought back to Portland because he is a better performer than our current point guards is ludicrous. In my opinion, he was brought back on to the squad because he was the best available role player for our young team. The young players need a seasoned player to help provide direction during the growing pains that the Blazers will more than likely be faced with. Also, Nate trusts Blake to run the offense the way he wants it run.

Blake is not a better one on one player than Jack; Blake has no skill demonstrably better than Jack. Career 3-point averages are meaningless - recent performance and trends are far better indicators of immediate future performance and trends. Even if Blake gets better at some skills, with his one potentially valuable skill being 3-point shooting, Jack is likely to improve faster and be better.

So why Blake again?

Because the Blazers do not trust Jack to run the team like it should be run - which would threaten the development of the rest of the youngsters. If Jack doesn't start, it won't be because he isn't the better basketball player, it will be because Blake will be a more stable, error-free guard. Blake will play the game McMillan wants him to play, while Jack - in my opinion - is more prone to play for the moment.

From a pure performance perspective - Blake is a backup point guard, but he doesn't think he is a backup. Many fans don't believe he is a backup. But lets face it, Steve Blake is a solid backup. What is being over looked is Sergio Rodriguez will be the point guard of the future, and Blake will help Sergio hone the skills necessary to run the team.

Third Time Could be a Charm for Harrington

Since the grand jury's recent indictment of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick for an alleged dogfighting operation on property owned by Vick in Virginia, questions have been circulating if he will in fact be participating in the 2007-2008 season. If Vick is in fact convicted of the crimes that he has been accused of, he will with out a doubt be facing some time behind bars. And the way it is looking Vick is in a serious predicament because for the grand jury to indite an individual they must have a strong case against him. Not to mention, they grand jury hardly looses on cases like this.

The situation that Vick is faced with could potentially end his lack luster NFL career. The question that remains to be addressed is who will be the quarterback that fills Vick's shoes while he is stuck in his troubles? Well, luckily the Oregon native quarterback Joey Harrington was recently signed to be a backup to Michael Vick following the trade of Matt Schaub. Many sports analysts have considered him one of the biggest draft busts in recent NFL history after being picked with the third pick in the 2002 NFL draft. But he now has a chance of a lifetime to restore his career if he can act on the oportunities that have been presented to him.

Not only is everyone in this nation hoping the Vick gets time inn the slammer, but Harrington must be jumping up and down after hearing about the recent indictment of Vick. Finally, Harrington has a chance to play with a team that has talent that can back him up during the up and coming season. Vick isn't the only story that will be interesting to see how it pans out, it will also be fun to see if Harrington can jump start his career from the misfortune of the alleged dog fighter.

7/18 Facilitation – Kids in Pro Sports?

My topic for the debate on Wednesday will be focused on whether or not teens should be able to make the jump to the professional level before a year of college? Should there be a minimum age requirement enforced for all professional sports?

Background on age requirements:

Recently 16-year-old Tadd Fujikawa announced that he is forfeiting his amateur golf status to pursue a professional career in the PGA. Fujikawa did something few thought possible in January, upstaging Michelle Wie and becoming the second-youngest in PGA Tour history to make a cut. But should he be able to make the big leap in to the PGA without proving himself in college for a year or two?

The LPGA, NHL and PGA have a waiver option for athletes who are younger than 18, which enables athletes an opportunity to turn pro before the age of 18 if they fulfill certain requirements.

The NFL age requirement prohibits young football players from turning pro right after high school. The NFL and NCAA claim that the NFL age requirement protects young athletes by shielding them from physical injury and requiring them to mature emotionally and receive an education before entering the world of professional sports.

In 2005 the NBA moved the age requirement to 19, forcing kids to experience one year in college. The NBA has experienced two drafts after implementing the age requirement and it has helped better the talent of its NBA prospects.

Major League Baseball requires athletes to be 16 years of age to tryout for farm teams. And tennis has been more lenient about teen players, although they limit the number of events they can enter.

Reasons for it being unfair:

• The biggest area of concern for the college athlete is the potential for a career-ending injury occurring before they are able to cash in on the monetary value of their talents. The possibility of being hurt while playing in minor leagues or college is of great concern.

• It is a free country, and if a teen is good enough to compete at the professional level then we should let them.

Reasons for it being fair:

• College expands education and enhances both social and public relations skills, even if the athlete is in college for only a year or two. The time spent in college allows athletes to develop into a more complete player.

• Enforcing minimum age requirements for all sports will force teens to better themselves at the colligate level, therefore making them a more polished player when they turn pro.

Oden's tonsils foul him out of summer league

Greg Oden is now not going to participate in any more of the Blazers summer league games. Unfortunately, He is suffering from tonsillitis that are said to be the size of golf balls, as well as a severe sinus infection. It is certainly a rough start to his NBA career. Oden also experienced a set back to his college career at Ohio State when he broke his wrist and played most of the season with it not completely healed. So, when it comes to luck when looking at his past two jumps into the next levels of his basketball career, there has been a lack there of.

There has been debate over weather Oden should take the court in a couple of weeks to participate in the U.S. national team mini camp in Las Vegas, but I think he should just take a break and get ready for the 82+ games for next season. There is no reason he should get involved with the U.S. national team because of his ccurrent heath condition. Yeah, it would be good to see Greg being coached along side Nate McMillan, but is it worth wearing the kid out before the season even starts?

Also, many people are looking at his statistics over the first two summer league games and are not impressed. This is what I have to say to all of those ignorant individuals: The big man is sick and can hardly breathe when he runs down the court. Give the guy a break! Yes, statistics and abundance of fouls that were recorded over the two games were nothing to boast about, but he seemed to blow away Pritchard. In the Oregonian he went on to say "my gosh, today especially in the scrimmages, he was as dominant as we have seen him. Good lord, how much more does he need to show us? I mean, he's not feeling well, and yet he is playing through it." That is exactly the kind of dedication that this whole team can build off of.

So sit at home big guy and enjoy some ice cream because in a few weeks you will be back on the court polishing your game for this season.

Draft Day Shake Up In Blazers Roster

Not only did the Blazers pick Greg Oden, one of the most prized centers to come out of the NBA draft in a decade, but a blockbuster trade involving Zach Randolph was made. After the dust settled from making the official announcement that Oden would in fact be a Trail Blazer, Kevin Pritchard and family stirred it all up again by trading their leading scorer of the past 4 years. The Blazers sent Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau, and Freddie Jones to the New York Knicks for Steve Francis and Channing Frye.

Some may criticize this trade because we didn't get much in return for Randolph’s skills, who was the only player in franchise history to lead the team in scoring and rebounding for four consecutive seasons. But Randolph just didn't fit in with the up-tempo team that the Blazers have been assembling. It was also evident that the fans and the organization were tired of his off the court incidents. In his six seasons with the Blazers, he was suspended by the team three times and was involved in several other off-court incidents ranging from sexual assault allegations to a DUI.

This trade will go down as one of the best trades the Blazers have ever made. Not only will they be saving their new and improved reputation, but they will also save 28 million dollars in two years, by unloading Randolph's inflated contract. Critics will point out that we also took on the large contract of Steve Francis, but his contract expires two years before Zach's does. Mr. Stevie Franchise may play in Portland or the Blazers could work out a buy out of his contract. If the Blazers did buy out Francis's contract, it would enable them to go after a much needed Small Forward like Rashard Lewis in the free agent market.

More changes are sure to come this off season, but it is clear that Rip City made its way back in Portland.