I was fiddling through my RSS feeder tonight and saw "Clyde Drexler: how to cram it on Manute Bol" from Blazers Live, and hit it up, expecting something new, funny or maybe both. Instead it was an older YouTube of the Glide's top 10 dunks. Um, and it is freaking filthy, man.

I think a lot of us young hipsters might forget just how ridiculously high Drexler got up, so I'm posting this. Oh yeah, and he posterizes a bunch of people (Manute, #8, 0:39; #'s 5, 4, 3 and 2). Really, you need to watch the whole two minutes.



Sure, he's another guy that Jordan stopped from winning a title (on his own) and sure NC State took he and the Dream down (woot!), but man could he throw down.

You would think an NBA "superstar" (I think they all actually qualify by default) wouldn't have a problem planning his birthday party. In fact, if you look at the ridiculousness of everyone on the Wizards, it would seem that other celebrities would plan it for him. Not so for Channing Frye.

In fact, the Portland forward is turning to the people, and the weird city in the Northwest, for help in planning his 25th birthday party.

Me being 24 has been some of the best months of my life: I met my girlfriend; I finally found a nice place to live; I've met some friends I'm gonna have for the rest of my life; and last but not least, I've grown up a lot mentally, physically, and spiritually.

So I need to have a really tight place or some fine things to do on my b-day. [...]

So really guys, please send me your ideas. I want to know what I should do and I will be in Portland. It has to be something that we can do that's not too expensive. I'm a penny pincher, by the way. So send your info my way.

There you have it. Come up with a decent idea for where Channing should throw down in Portland and you could -- for free, no less! -- become the unofficial party planner for an NBA player. Personally, if I was insanely rich, I'd have someone build an adult version of Celebration Station for me, just to throw down in one day. Or maybe I would buy a house and fill it with sand and palm trees and have an indoor beach party.

Oh, and young Frye, feel free to holler at me -- I'm full of good ideas. (Caddyshack themed parties, to name another.) Your ideas for Channing's B-day party in the comments.

Darius Miles' career is likely over. It is most certainly over in any capacity as a Portland Trail Blazer. The Blazers announced today that they asking for waivers on D-Miles, which fits under some standard protocol about a player getting hurt badly enough to end his career. In other words, "Adios. Amigo."

An independent medical examiner jointly appointed by the NBA and the NBA Players Association examined Miles and determined that the damage to Miles' right knee is severe enough to qualify as a career-ending injury.

Miles has missed all of the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons, last appearing in a game for the Trail Blazers on April 15, 2006.

'Given the serious nature of his knee injury, we agree with the doctor's conclusion that Darius has sustained a career-ending injury,' Pritchard said. 'This allows Darius and the Trail Blazers to move forward and achieve closure to this matter. To his credit, Darius worked hard to come back, but his body just didn't allow it to happen.'

Ahhh. The pleasant nature of media posturing. I'm not saying that Kevin Pritchard isn't saying what he really feels ... but I am saying that Portland in no shape or way wants Darius Miles near it's burgeoning young dynasty (that seems to be the relatively hip way to refer to them these days). And who can blame them?

Miles had freakish athletic talent when he came out of high school to the pros, but aside from the two years he spent coming off the pine for the Clippers, he never played more than 63 games in one season. He maxed out at 14.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game with the Blazers in the 05-06 season but man-o-man could he freaking fly. More than anything though, Miles is a pretty good reminder that the NBA extending the age at which players can leave school early to turn pro is probably a good thing.

That's a hard foul by Lamar Odom, without a doubt, but I'm not entirely convinced it was a flagrant (though it may have been retaliation for this). The reason it looks bad is the angle at which Brandon Roy hits the ground -- if he didn't land square on his hip and was able to bounce back up, I'm not sure there would have been as much post-play posturing.

(That said, if the Blazers did think it was a dirty hit, I'm not all that impressed with their lack of action. Maybe it's just because I overdosed on Bad Boys highlights Tuesday night, but all Odom had to deal with was a little verbal jawing from LaMarcus Aldridge and Travis Outlaw before being separated by the refs and other players. Actions speak louder than words, fellas, especially when your team leader is still writhing on the floor in pain.)

To be perfectly honest, if I had to imagine what kind of song Greg Oden would have dedicated to him, my first choice would not be "old-timey piano infused, cheesy honk and tonk". Although, the guy is so bizarre (and old looking too!) that maybe it works for "The Ballad of Greg Oden" is written by a cowboy hat wearing dude that published the song on Myspace (via the Oregonian).

Ladies and gentlemen, The Ballad of Greg Oden.

Will Greg Oden live up the hype? Only time will tell. One thing is for certain; his presence has already raised expectations from where they've been for far too long... "Just south of zero..." that is.

Unrelated: Bob Dylan won a Pulitzer today.

I'm not sure how this didn't land on Channing Frye's "Keeping Portland Weird", but it should have. It's actually a really infectious song, if you're into foot tapping and head bobbing. And don't mind acting the fool, if you will, while at work. And it should be pointed out though, that Christopher Morrisette (no relation to her, I don't believe) kind of looks like Sam Eliott, which definitely earns him bonus points. Although I'll be kind of interested to see how using Greg Oden's name to sell songs at 99 cents a pop is going to work out for him.

The Big Lead posted an interview with The Oregonian's John Canzano yesterday that includes no less than five interesting tidbits that all NBA fans will enjoy. There's some humorous Jail Blazer anecdotes in there, but if you're still a fan of the team, you'll likely appreciate most Canzano's appraisal of Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden and the rest of the current core:

I think they could win a championship in three years, and if they do, they won't stop winning for a decade. Roy is the real deal, maybe the best star player I've ever been around. He's got a little Jerry Rice in him when it comes to his professionalism, pride, and work ethic. But some in the organization still think Aldridge still has a chance to be the best player in that draft. Oden, nobody really knows how good he'll be yet, but he's in a position now where this whole thing isn't resting on him. I think the plan is that those three are going to play a long time together.

Canzano is obviously biased in favor of the team he covers most, but if you read about his near confrontations with some of the previous generation of Blazers you'll understand he's not a complete homer. Instead, what I'm taking from this interview is reinforcement that, yes, this club is for real.

Let's face it, Portland isn't exactly a major market, and the fact that the Blazers faded from their hot start and fell out of the playoff race will may make you forget just how impressive their year really was; even after trading their leading scorer in the offseason and losing their top lottery pick, there's still a very good chance they'll finish the year with a winning record. Once all the pieces have a chance to come together (and oh, by they way, they'll be adding another lottery pick this summer), this team should be awfully dangerous come 2008-09.

Channing Frye wanted his blog to be all about the community and non-basketball stuff (etc.), and with his "Keep Portland Weird" contest, he seems to have accomplished that. Bear in mind that "KPW" has no prize that is offered for its winner, just the happy knowledge that said contributors have happened to help let everyone know what a weird freaking place it is. Since I can't possibly explain it without just posting a picture of Greg Oden, I'll let Channing handle it.

It means Keep Portland Weird and the true Oregonians, the ones who wear Birkenstocks, ride in a Subaru, wear earthtones 90% of the time, these are the people that have this bumper sticker on their car.

When I first moved to Portland, I truly didn't understand or realize the greatness of that meaning until I saw some of the ... how do I put this ... very INTERESTING people that walk the beautiful streets of our fair city.

Now, this has been reported on before, so it's not very exciting. However, Channing is releasing all the photos that people submitted to him via email and they're all up on his new blog post. I would highly recommend checking them out; not only do you get a feel for the absurdity of the northwest and Portland itself, but you get a pretty good idea for how Zach Randolph ended up like he did.

Who said Greg Oden wouldn't play in any games this season? It appears G.O.D.E. spent Wednesday night at Portland gym, likely getting picked first. One of the guys Oden played with (luckysonofaNutterButter) posted about the experience at BasketballForum.com; Jason Quick of The Oregonian caught wind and checked with the team, who confirmed. Coach Nate McMillan did not seem pleased.

"Young guys," McMillan said, shaking his head. "Right now, these young guys don't know their value. That's part of growing up and maturing. In a couple of years he will understand how stupid that was. I understand it, because I've done it. You are a pro, you want to walk into a building like that and feel good about yourself, you know, play with some guys. You don't move hard, you know, just shoot some jump shots ... yeah, I've done it. But we just have to remind him, especially in his situation, where he is coming off an injury. That ... that, you just can't do that."

NO BASKETBALL, G.O.D.E.! A bit refreshing though, isn't it? Dude's gone so batty sitting in the apartment he sneaks off to a 24-Hour Fitness as soon as the bosses go on a roadie. I'm betting he'll be summoned to attend all games with the team for the rest of the season.

(Oh, and this fellow who posted the account online -- apparently under his real name? Might want to find a new place to get some run, boss.)

The Blazers announced that All Star guard Brandon Roy will likely miss two weeks with groin and hip injuries, and could potentially miss the remainder of the season after getting hurt in the game against the Wizards last night, when he landed on the floor and Caron Butler subsequently landed on him.

'I'm not saying there is a guarantee I will be able to come back and play, but if I can, that's my goal,' Roy said Wednesday. 'Even if it's the last two games, I want to give it a try and finish the season.'

That's a great attitude to have for Roy. Of course, it's not surprising that a professional athlete wants to compete and win. In fact, it's actually refreshing to hear most of the time. But for Blazer fans and Portland GM Kevin Pritchard, it probably would seem nicer if it was just what Roy is supposed to say, instead of actually how he felt.

Roy is, after all, the integral part of what appears to be a budding dynasty in waiting (or at least a very competitive team in an already stout Western Conference). In other words, don't be surprised if Roy has played his last game of the season already.

Things to do in Portland when you're out for the season include, but are not limited to, making internet videos. Because, frankly, that seems like the only thing Greg Oden's been doing all season (although he's still healthier than Andrew Bynum somehow!). But it's hard to knock Oden for his vids, because he's pretty freaking talented at the movie industry. Take for example, the latest creation, in which Oden drops Anchorman quotes at the grocery store ("I'm kind of a big deal") and just generally kicks it to Latin salsa music.