Category: Portland Trail Blazers Blog

The Portland Trail Blazers have waived guard Armon Johnson, it was announced today by the team.

Johnson, 23, averaged 2.9 points, 0.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 7.2 minutes in 39 games over two seasons in Portland. He appeared in one game this season.

The Trail Blazers selected Johnson with the 34th overall pick in the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft.

Greg Oden Knees are made out of pretzels

The Portland Trail Blazers have announced that center Greg Oden underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee today. The surgery was performed by Dr. Richard Steadman in Vail, Colo. Oden will miss the remainder of the 2011-12 NBA season.

“Initially, Greg was undergoing a procedure similar to the one he had a couple of weeks ago to have debris cleared from his right knee,” said Acting General Manager Chad Buchanan . “However, once the doctors were inside Greg’s left knee, they unfortunately found articular surface damage and determined microfracture was necessary.”

Oden, who will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, was selected by the Trail Blazers with the first overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. In 82 career games (60 starts), Oden has averaged 9.4 points (57.7% FG), 7.3 rebounds and 1.43 blocks in 22.1 minutes per game.

“This is not the news we were hoping for Greg or the organization,” said Trail Blazers President Larry Miller. “It’s hard to put into words the heartbreak for everyone involved, but especially for Greg. He’s a young man who has experienced a great number of physical challenges in his playing career and today is yet another significant setback for him. We have a lot of empathy for Greg and his family during this difficult time.”

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Trail Blazers All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge sprained his left ankle early in Portland’s loss to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.

Aldridge let out a yell and fell to the floor after landing on Trevor Booker’s foot less than two minutes into the first quarter.

The Blazers said X-rays on the ankle were negative, but he did not return and will not travel with the team to Golden State on Wednesday.

“I’m going to get back as soon as I can!” Aldridge wrote on his Twitter account after the game.

— Reported by the Associated Press

The 9 p.m. Wednesday deadline for the Trail Blazers and Nicolas Batum to agree on a contract extension came and went without a deal, raising questions about the small forward’s future with the organization and rankling his agent.

After weeks of negotiations that included talks throughout the day Wednesday, the Blazers and Batum’s agent, Bouna Ndiaye, could not find middle ground, guaranteeing that Batum will become a free agent after this season. And Ndiaye says Batum will explore every available opportunity on the market.

“They say they love him but they didn’t offer him something fair, so that’s it,” Ndiaye said. “We tried and there’s no deal. On July 1 we’re going to look at the market first before we come back to the Blazers. That’s for sure.”

Wednesday’s development does not necessarily signal an end to Batum’s tenure with the Blazers, even if Ndiaye lands an offer from another team, but it does create uncertainty. Assuming the Blazers tender Batum a qualifying offer after the season — a virtual lock — he will become a restricted free agent on July 1. At that point, the Blazers would have the right to match any offer from another team.

— Reported by Joe Freeman of the Oregonian

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Raymond Felton can’t shoot. Gerald Wallace isn’t consistent. LaMarcus Aldridge is fading down the stretch. Jamal Crawford has tied his mind into a pretzel. And Marcus Camby is injured.

But the Trail Blazers’ biggest problem?

They are too nice.

The players said so Wednesday night after the Blazers lost 92-89 in Atlanta, their fourth loss in five games.

That character flaw was addressed, some players said, during a players-only meeting following the game. It was organized before coach Nate McMillan came into the dressing area of the locker room and aired his disappointment about the team’s effort. When the coach left out a side door to address the media, where he told the cameras and microphones that “we’ve got to play harder,” the players turned their chairs to face each other. LaMarcus Aldridge then informed a Blazers spokesperson to keep the media out.

Players-only meetings are common throughout sports for struggling teams. The Blazers had one last season during their winless four-game trip in early December. The benefits are debatable. Usually it’s to air grievances about a coach, or the attitude of a certain clique, or to just generally gripe.

— Reported by Jason Quick of The Oregonian

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The Portland Trail Blazers have recalled point guard Armon Johnson from the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Acting General Manager Chad Buchanan.

In five games with the Stampede, Johnson averaged 11.8 points, 7.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds. He put up a season-high 19 points to go along with two assists and five rebounds Jan. 9 against the Erie Bayhawks.

Johnson and teammate Luke Babbitt were assigned to the Stampede by the Trail Blazers on Jan. 4.

Johnson will be available for Monday afternoon’s game against the New Orleans Hornets.

Because of limitations with the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, Gerald Wallace will not seek a contract extension with the Trail Blazers this season, his camp has informed the team.

However, after this season, Wallace will be open to an extension, his representatives said, adding that Wallace loves Portland and is open to retiring in a Blazers uniform.

Wallace is under contract for this season and the 2012-2013 season, but he can opt out of the final year of his contract, which would pay him $11.4 million. The Blazers had hoped to avoid that potential scenario and in December had casual conversations with agent Rob Pelinka to extend his contract this season. However, under the new CBA, the Blazers can only extend Wallace for two more seasons, down from the four-season option in the previous CBA.

— Reported by Jason Quick of The Oregonian

The Portland Trail Blazers have recalled forward Luke Babbitt from the NBA Development League’s Idaho Stampede, it was announced today by Acting General Manager Chad Buchanan.

In three games (all starts) with the Stampede, Babbitt averaged 21.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists. He notched his season-high 35 points, to go with 11 rebounds and six assists, in a 114-104 victory over the Bakersfield Jam on Jan. 7.

Babbitt will be available for tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The agent for Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum said on Thursday that he plans to meet with the team next week to discuss a contract extension for his client.

Agent Bouna Ndiaye attended the Blazers’ 107-96 win over the Lakers on Thursday, but said he didn’t negotiate with the team. He said the plan is to meet next week, although no formal date or meeting has been arranged.

The team has until Jan. 25 to sign Batum to an extension. Otherwise, he becomes a restricted free agent at the end of the season. Both the team, and Batum has expressed a desire to sign an extension.

— Reported by Jason Quick of The Oregonian

The Portland Trail Blazers have waived center Earl Barron, it was announced today by Acting General Manager Chad Buchanan.

Barron appeared in two games with Portland in 2010-11, averaging 3.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 18.5 minutes. He signed with the Trail Blazers on April 12, 2011.