A Pulse Calls for More

FIRST, SOME FUN!

Definitely late to the party on this one but fuck it, I'll weigh in with bushels of joy.

Channing Frye has taken up the banner of "Keep Portland Weird," which I guess is cool for an athlete to do.
But for real, he needs to talk to his boy LaMarcus Aldridge, who no doubt had run-ins with the legacy of "Keep Austin Weird."

Like LaMarcus could say "Channing, ease up. You're going to do nothing but undermine and displace everything that makes Portland's weirdness worthwhile."

"To wit, here's what makes Portland Portland: Vegan strippers, green roofs everywhere, those fucked-up donuts with Tums on them, warehouse parties, and a bunch of bands that have attractive followings."

"Here's what Austin got out of their campaign: A legacy of stupid clown hats, ice cream places where they won't stop singing, bad public art and well-meaning but lazy artists, homeless dudes who think they hold some sort of public office, a bunch of crowded swimming holes where dogs abound."

"Be careful about spreading this movement, or else you might be this town's undoing."



MORE AGE LIMIT STUFF

Brandon Hoffman has a great column up on RealGM that breaks down the success rate of HS draftees. None of this is new information, but it's good to have it all in one place.

The only thing I'd take issue with here is the 76% "success rate." Now, everything is rosy. But for some of them, it's been a long, bumpy road. Monta wouldn't have rather gone in the first round? J.R. Smith couldn't have used a year at UNC? I know that this pool is largely self-selected, so it's not unexpected that most turned out well. And in terms of their money, leaving early was smarter; hell, in some ways, being a second-rounder who makes an impression puts you in an excellent earning position (though I really have no idea what the post-Arenas rules say).

For every player who can enter free agency with that POTENTIAL tag intact, there's the flipside: Wouldn't they be better off if they'd already been christened real starz? Josh Smith would be a max player if anyone was convinced of his intelligibility as a pro. J.R., well, he could be an All-Star free agent right now. That so many of these guys enter their second contract as partly unknown may enhance their appeal, but it's also fucked up negotiations for Josh Smith, Iguodala, and everyone else who was in talks last summer.

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Is anyone for real in the West?