# Travis Outlaw: Worst player in the NBA?



## Yega1979 (Mar 22, 2003)

I've never seen a player as pathetic as Travis Outlaw. He has a 45 inch verticle jump, yet when he gets the ball in the key, it's like he wets his pants and can't do anything with it. He'll get rejected by some 6-4 SG standing flat footed.

Remember that play when he arched his back like a scared cat, then tried to flip the ball up like an uncoordinated toddler? He has a decent jump shot for someone of his athletisism, but that is IT.

He doesn't grab rebounds like a real basketball player, he'll bat them to himself like a little girl then go chase it. I mean, he seems like a nice guy, and I had high hopes for him, but he's just aweful.


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## BlazerFanFoLife (Jul 17, 2003)

travis has improved by leaps and bounds and i expect to see him break out next year.


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## Oldmangrouch (Feb 11, 2003)

Going into this season, many "experts" predicted Travis as a breakout player. It didn't happen, and likely never will.

Travis is becoming exhibit A on the wisdom of the age limit. In high school he could coast on raw talent alone. He didn't need to work hard or develop his game. After a couple of years of college competing against players at his own level, he might have "gotten it". Instead, he is in danger of turning into another Darius.


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## Yega1979 (Mar 22, 2003)

BlazerFanFoLife said:


> travis has improved by leaps and bounds and i expect to see him break out next year.


No, he has actually regressed. I thought he was going to break out this year, but seeing him in extending minutes, it's obvious he's just not a basketball player. He has a basketball player's body, but he just doesn't have a knack for the game.


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## Blazer Freak (Jul 11, 2004)

Yega1979 said:


> No, he has actually regressed. I thought he was going to break out this year, but seeing him in extending minutes, it's obvious he's just not a basketball player. He has a basketball player's body, but he just doesn't have a knack for the game.


Did you watch the last game. He just needs confidence now, and with more playing time, comes more confidence.


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## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

There's still time on Outlaw, but I think that if he were going to be a special player he probably would have showed more by now.

I just need to remember that he was a late first rounder (as opposed to a lottery) player for a reason... he was a project and a gamble. If he would have developed into something special it would have been a bit of a shock.

Ed O.


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## For Three! Rip City! (Nov 11, 2003)

I really think Outlaw will ultimately be a better player than Darius Miles (for example). What that means to everybody probably depends on each person's evaluations of Miles but I think he'll ultimately end up being a good pick given where we drafted him.


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## Scout226 (Sep 17, 2003)

Wow.. I'm a little shocked at the such a negative view of Travis. I wish he progressed faster, but I think he's improved a lot this year. Like someone else said, a lot of it is confidence. Also, I think it's his youth. He seems like he's awkward, like a young puppy that has huge legs and feet he's learning to control. 

Travis is to passive and Nate is starting to pull that out. I still hold out a lot of hope for him. I think at worst he'll turn into a solid player in the league for years to come. It might be as a role player, but it might be even more. I guess we'll wait and see.


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## ThatBlazerGuy (May 1, 2003)

At least he is better than Ndubi Ebi.


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## wastro (Dec 19, 2004)

Outlaw has regressed this year without Grgs, but is still incredibly young and has shown some flashes of promise lately (how about those offensive rebounds against Denver?).

He's certainly not the worst player in the NBA; he's not even the worst player on the team.


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## Paxil (Jan 1, 2003)

I won't give up on Outlaw like I did J O'neal. I learned my lesson. About this time in O'neals career I was thinking what a bust he was. Whoops! Outlaw seems ahead of what I though about O'neal too... Jermain couldn't even shoot back then. I think in Outlaws 5th year we will know what he will amount to in the league. I won't throw in the towel before then.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

Blazer fans are so strange in many regards. Some think he sucks, yet still don't want to see him traded. 

Team stinks and the young guys still don't play the bulk of the minutes. This franchise is a mess.


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

> There's still time on Outlaw, but I think that if he were going to be a special player he probably would have showed more by now.


Yeah, I'm afraid you're right. Guy's in his third year in the league and he still looks confused most of the time. Not a good sign.


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## adotjames (Jun 21, 2005)

He's only averaging 16 minutes per game. How do you expect anybody to be able to get into any sort of a groove with that kind of PT. Im impressed that hes been able to shoot the percentage that he has (.426). The only thing Outlaw has done wrong was being drafted by a team with so many projects.


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## BrooklynBaller (Jun 25, 2003)

Yega1979 said:


> I've never seen a player as pathetic as Travis Outlaw.


I have. His name is Viktor Khryapa. Talk about a pathetic player. What exactly does Khryapa do on offense or defense that makes him so much more valuable than Outlaw? All I see is matador defense and a non-existent offensive game. Oh sure, Khryapa has a 'breakout' game every once in a while, but so does Travis.

Worst player in the NBA? Nah man, not even close to being the worst player on his team.


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## GNG (Aug 17, 2002)

BrooklynBaller said:


> I have. His name is Viktor Khryapa. Talk about a pathetic player. What exactly does Khryapa do on offense or defense that makes him so much more valuable than Outlaw? All I see is matador defense and a non-existent offensive game. Oh sure, Khryapa has a 'breakout' game every once in a while, but so does Travis.
> 
> Worst player in the NBA? Nah man, not even close to being the worst player on his team.


Agreed. Khryapa is terrible.


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## chromekilla (Aug 21, 2005)

I think law will become a role player he could be a good player.He needs confidence and i would be willing to give him a 2 year deal for around 450k a year or whatever the lowest he would take.


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## ProZach (Oct 13, 2005)

I've kept high hopes for Travis for several years now, but it's just not happening. Unlike Jermaine, He's been getting good playing time for over a year and hasn't really improved. He still looks like an unsure, scared rookie half the time. His athleticism is amazing, which is probably why I really wanted him to succeed, but his basketball IQ is significantly less than average. 

As someone else said, I think it hurt Travis more than others to not have Grgs this year. Not to mention that last year for the first time he was getting some playing time and then a new coach comes in with a completely different philosophy. I think it takes Travis longer to adapt than others. 

So I wouldn't rule out him becoming a pretty good player, but I don't think he'll ever be as good as I had hoped. I really wouldn't mind seeing him packaged with someone like Zach, Miles, or Theo if we get someone good back. I say trade him now, while his 'potential' may still lure other teams to take one of the three I just mentioned.


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## GNG (Aug 17, 2002)

Zidane said:


> I think law will become a role player he could be a good player.He needs confidence and i would be willing to give him a 2 year deal for around 450k a year or whatever the lowest he would take.


And then he'll laugh at you and accept millions of dollars elsewhere.


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## chromekilla (Aug 21, 2005)

Rawse said:


> And then he'll laugh at you and accept millions of dollars elsewhere.


Why would anyone pay him millions of dollars that is dumb.He is only worth around 1mil 500k a year if that.


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## GNG (Aug 17, 2002)

Zidane said:


> Why would anyone pay him millions of dollars that is dumb.He is only worth around 1mil 500k a year if that.


He wouldn't get that. Ever.

He a 21 year old former first-rounder with incredible athleticism and a great attitude. Do some research on the kinds of contracts those kinds of guys have gotten over the years. Teams take flyers on guys like that. What had Gerald Wallace really proven before Charlotte resigned him to three years, $16.5 million? Travis isn't getting an MLE deal, but he also sure as hell won't get 900K over two years (which would be below the minimum salary) like you suggested.


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## Tince (Jul 11, 2004)

BrooklynBaller said:


> I have. His name is Viktor Khryapa. Talk about a pathetic player. What exactly does Khryapa do on offense or defense that makes him so much more valuable than Outlaw? All I see is matador defense and a non-existent offensive game. Oh sure, Khryapa has a 'breakout' game every once in a while, but so does Travis.
> 
> Worst player in the NBA? Nah man, not even close to being the worst player on his team.


Even Outlaw fans probably wouldn't agree that he's better than Victor. 

Defensively, Victor is 10x better than Travis, it's really not even comparable. The only aspect of defense Outlaw is even close to Victor would be shot blocking. I offense, neither of them impress me much. The major difference to me are that Outlaw has a much nicer looking jumper. On the other hand, Travis look completely lost within our offense and often is standing the wrong place, while Victor's basketball IQ is so much higher he'll often make plays by finding the right spot on the floor at the right time. 

Outlaw still plays like a rookie, while Victor plays like the guy in his 3rd year.


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## Tince (Jul 11, 2004)

Rawse said:


> Agreed. Khryapa is terrible.


 I'm confident Nate would take Victor over Outlaw without even thinking twice about it.


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

I'm noticing a trend here...The only posters saying that Khryapa is worse than Outlaw are the one's who aren't Blazer fans and don't see him on a regular basis, every single game...

Khryapa by no means is a star, in fact I don't even think he's starter material...But I think he will be a career 6th man on some good teams...He's smart, hustles and does all the dirty work needed to win...Personally Viktor is one of my favorite Blazers as of right now...He's a breathe of fresh air on a team with a couple knuckleheads...


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## toutlaw25 (Aug 7, 2005)

Tince said:


> I'm confident Nate would take Victor over Outlaw without even thinking twice about it.


That's not saying a whole lot. I'd ask if I could just blow my brains out instead of taking either one. They both suck.


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## handclap problematic (Nov 6, 2003)

I am a fan of Travis and Viktor...
I still hold hope for Travis, but I wouldnt exactly bet money on his impovement. 
I basically consider Viktor another Andres Nocioni. They are THE hustle guy on the team, who plays the right way and gets the job done. I fully expect Vik to get better as he ages...

Prunetang


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## ThatBlazerGuy (May 1, 2003)

I used to be an Outlaw bandwagoneer, but their is NO way I would take him over Viktor. VK is one of my fovorite players. He hustles, can shoot a bit, can rebound a bit, can steal and block a bit and most of all plays as hard as he can on D. He is also a decent passer. He is a hustler, and we need a player like that to come off the bench as a 6th man much more than an athletic freak that has a low BBall IQ. I honestly think we should deal Travis while some teams still think he is still the next Darius Miles minus the attitude issues, we could get some real value.


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## handclap problematic (Nov 6, 2003)

toutlaw25 said:


> That's not saying a whole lot. I'd ask if I could just blow my brains out instead of taking either one. They both suck.



That is really quite hilarious given your damned screen name..... talk about an ironic post. 
I feel saddened for your poor post, as it was doomed to failure before it was even conjured.

Prunetang


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

zagsfan20 said:


> I'm noticing a trend here...The only posters saying that Khryapa is worse than Outlaw are the one's who aren't Blazer fans and don't see him on a regular basis, every single game...
> 
> Khryapa by no means is a star, in fact I don't even think he's starter material...But I think he will be a career 6th man on some good teams...He's smart, hustles and does all the dirty work needed to win...Personally Viktor is one of my favorite Blazers as of right now...He's a breathe of fresh air on a team with a couple knuckleheads...




I think you're wrong Zags. Viktor would make a good starting PF with another 20-30 pounds on him. He by no means would make a good starting SF. Maybe a better way to describe what I think is he would be a good Forward. The guy rebounds, hustles and blocks shots like the wolverine nickname he has recieved and tries to play very good defense. The only real knock on him is that he is an inconsistant shooter and tries to force passes. If the Blazers take Morrison and aren't able to upgrade at PF I would much rather have Viktor at that possition rather than Randolph. Remember for all intents and purposes this is his rookie and a half season.


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## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

To be honest, both Viktor and Outlaw stink. If Portlands players were half as good as they were made out to be on many of these threads, Portland would win more games. Hustle only means something if you have the skill to make something positive out of it in the end. Athleticism is the same, it only does you good if you do something positive with it. Viktor is a SF with a lot of desire and very little athletic ability and skill to make something positive happen when he does hustle. Outlaw is a very athletic SF who lacks the killer instinct to make use of it properly, or to use it to finish plays. The only thing that Travis has going for him, is that he is only about 22 years old. He would not even be out of college yet, and a jumper as long as he isn't behind the 3 point line. I haven't given up on him yet, but at the same time I wonder if he will ever be starter quality. Both of them play better when Zbo and Miles aren't in the game, amazingly enough. I think its because they actually look for their shot instead of looking to pass the ball to the Antoine Walker clone. :biggrin: 

Now that being said, I also think Viktor plays much better as a PF then a SF.


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## GNG (Aug 17, 2002)

Tince said:


> I'm confident Nate would take Victor over Outlaw without even thinking twice about it.


Well, he'd just be taking mediocre over raw. Nate preferring Kryhapa doesn't change my opinion in the matter.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

Should just move Outlaw to the Bobcats in the offseason.


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## iverson101 (Mar 4, 2006)

HKF said:


> Should just move Outlaw to the Bobcats in the offseason.


yes, please. the Trailblazers don't exactly have a great record developing youngsters. similar to the hawks, I suspect there are a number of guys that would at least semi-breakout if they were to be moved to a real franchise.


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## sa1177 (Feb 18, 2005)

iverson101 said:


> yes, please. the Trailblazers don't exactly have a great record developing youngsters. similar to the hawks, I suspect there are a number of guys that would at least semi-breakout if they were to be moved *to a real franchise*.


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## Malnutritious (Nov 30, 2002)

Oldmangrouch said:


> Going into this season, many "experts" predicted Travis as a breakout player. It didn't happen, and likely never will.
> 
> Travis is becoming exhibit A on the wisdom of the age limit. In high school he could coast on raw talent alone. He didn't need to work hard or develop his game. After a couple of years of college competing against players at his own level, he might have "gotten it". Instead, he is in danger of turning into another Darius.


You either have it or you don't. A couple years in college will most likely show NBA GM's that he doesn't have it. This would have caused him to be picked lower posibbly in the second round. Thus freeing up salary or even a roster position. On top of that it would have kept him out of the league for a couple of years, so he doesn't waste our time developing at the _games_ expense.

Better for the NBA and it's fans.


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## Blazer Maven (Sep 27, 2005)

Travis is far from the worst player on this team, that would be Ha.

Travis needs to play to his strengths. Unfortunately, what he wants to do is work on his 3 point shot. What he needs to to is hit the weights and work on a post-up game.

The kid is 6'9" with a 40+ vertical and 7'4" wingspan! Unfortunately he has "slow feet" which hurts him with defense on the perimeter. If he can develop some post up moved and a jump hook, he could be a devastating offensive player, mixing in his jump shot when needed to stretch the defense.

He can already block shots inside and out, but is rarely in a position on defense to make a steal and go the length of the floor (back to the slow feet). He can fly once he gets a head of steam going, but is not "quick". He has a V8 motor in a turbo charged 4 cylinder game.

If he can redefine himself, he will be successful, but he needs to get away from being a perimeter player and needs to go inside/out like KG.


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## Kmurph (May 7, 2003)

Fans of other teams coming in and commenting on how POR players suck is pretty funny to me...POR has accomplished more as a franchise than several other franchises have accomplished COMBINED...SO please tell em again, why this franchise is worse that the CHA\MEM\ATL of the world...I'd love to hear it....

Khryapa does not suck...far from it, and if any of you actually watched a POR game you would know that...

Now is he starter material? I don't think he is....He is and will be a very good bench player though, he does a lot of little things that most players don't want to do...Plays good defense, is a good passer\rebounder, sets good screens, and is not a total offensive liability out there (he can drive and score and he can make an outside shot)...and the coach never has to worry about him NOT knowing the plays call either...

Outlaw is another story, he has great athleticism but does not have the IQ or temperment to take advantage of it...I agree, there is a sucker born every minute and there are plenty of suitable NBA suckers who would take a leap at this kid, and if I were POR mgmt I would take advantage of that fact and peddle him....His level of play will NEVER...let me repeat that...NEVER come close to matching his athleticism....but let some other team find that out for themselves....

Again, I have to question whether several of you have even watched Outlaw play more than once or twice....The guy after 3yrs in the league is STILL clueless out there...all he does revolves around his athleticism...and if I had a $1 for every time I saw Outlaw get instructed by a teamate of where he SHOULD be or every time he lost his man on defense, or screwed up an offensive play b\c he was out of postion, I'd be vacationing for free in Hawaii right now... :grin:


And worst player in the NBA?

Please....

You were joking, right?


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## Backboard Cam (Apr 29, 2003)

Outlaw has more missed dunks than any player I can think of. He still looks scared when he gets the ball, like Martell did at the beginning of the season. Martell got over that quick.

I haven't given up on Outlaw, but I'm close. If I was GM and someone offered me something good for him, I'd take it- potential be damned. 

Khryapa... I need another year to make up my mind about him.


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## Yega1979 (Mar 22, 2003)

Vicktor is not a bad player, he's just backup material. I'd be compeltely satisfied with him as a backup SF. He doesn't force his game, he's intelligent, passes, defends, handles the ball well and can score within the offense.


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## ThePrideOfClyde (Mar 28, 2006)

Naysayers suck.

With that said, does anybody remember how long we had Jermaine O'Neal before we shipped his "will never amount to anything special" *** outta town? That's right, 4 years. Now, how many years have we had Outlaw? yes, 3 years. So, I'm willing to give him even another year of developing before I lose hope. Because, that would really suck to see him become a superstar on another team.


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## BBert (Dec 30, 2004)

I agree with Blazer Maven and ThePrideofClyde.

First off, it is still my opinion that Travis was very young for his age when he came into the league, if you know what I mean. I'm talking about a very tall 15 year old, 17 year old with amazing jumping ability. 

My only knock on Travis is that he is such an amazingly nice guy that he may not be enough of an aggressive, egomaniac killer instinct guy to ever be a star. But he can still be corrupted, I think, at least enough to be an effective player for a long time. (If he weren't a good natured soul, all the other players wouldn't be picking on him as described in another thread.)

He's a late bloomer. He needs more time and training to reach his potential. I doubt he'll ever be a star, but he can still be good with the right training. I've just about given up on him being a great SF because of his BIG FEET (and forget about the SG pipedream some people had last year). He can't move his feet quickly enough. But if he muscles up he could swing between PF and SF depending on matchups and really be a nighmare for other teams. 

Also, in the last two games he's shown what Rice has been preaching all season. If he goes bananas and gets aggressive and hits the glass, he can make a niche for himself as a very valuable rebounder and hustle guy -- and the team could really use that. I could see him averaging double digit rebounds once he gets his game together, ala as described by Blazer Maven above.

I want to see him hit the weights with Medina and work on an inside game. In two years his physique and his game could change considerably.


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## Verro (Jul 4, 2005)

They just need to transplant Khryapa's brain into Outlaw's body, then we'd really have something.


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## ballinblazers33 (Apr 15, 2006)

Does any remember a guy named Detlef Schrempf? Or how many 6th man of the year awards he racked up in his career? I see Khrayapa as a Detlef type player. Not a perennial all star, but a guy who definitely knows his niche and plays within his abilities. Solid defender, scores when he needs to, and an excellent team player. 

As for Outlaw, i'm still deciding on him. I think he is great at times, but i think i tend to agree that he has go to hit the weights. If he could put 30lbs on him he'd be a force to be reckoned with if he could also keep that vert above 40". This is the first year he has gotten any real PT so it is basically his rookie season to me. It takes a special player to blossom as a rookie, so i'm willing to let this experiment go another 2 years before we take a flyer on him.


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## BrooklynBaller (Jun 25, 2003)

zagsfan20 said:


> I'm noticing a trend here...The only posters saying that Khryapa is worse than Outlaw are the one's who aren't Blazer fans and don't see him on a regular basis, every single game...
> 
> Khryapa by no means is a star, in fact I don't even think he's starter material...But I think he will be a career 6th man on some good teams...He's smart, hustles and does all the dirty work needed to win...Personally Viktor is one of my favorite Blazers as of right now...He's a breathe of fresh air on a team with a couple knuckleheads...


Are you referring to me zags? I've watched almost every Blazer game available for the past 12 years, so don't tell me that I'm not a Blazer fan. How many games have you watched? Honestly, I usually don't watch the Blazer broadcast but the broadcast of Portland's opponent. Why, you ask? Because it gives me insight into how others view the Blazers.

And, you know what? The other teams announcers almost always wonder why KHRYAPA (not Outlaw) is on the floor so much. His defense is garbage and overrated by posters like you. He has ONE good defensive game against Kobe a year ago, and people jump on the KHRYAPA IS A DEFENSIVE JUGGERNAUT bandwagon. Watch Khryapa closely next game. His man will blow by him without any sort of resistance. His feet are slow and, honestly, I don't know what makes you think he has a high basketball IQ? The one thing I will say is that Khryapa plays hard - but so does Travis. Give Travis Khryapa-type minutes and you will see that Travis' production will be far superior in comparison.

You think Khryapa is a career 6th man ... I see him as a fringe NBA player and benchwarmer at best, The only reason he gets so many minutes is because the Blazers are so ridiculously bad this year.


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## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

Outlaw doesn't look like the worst player in the NBA tonight.


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## Backboard Cam (Apr 29, 2003)

He had another missed wide-open dunk.


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## B_&_B (Feb 19, 2004)

I am amazed that a thread with a title as BS as this has gotten this many responses.


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## Blazer Freak (Jul 11, 2004)

Where is the poster now?


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## Tince (Jul 11, 2004)

Threads that state truths don't get any responses, so it's no surprise that this one has four pages worth.


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## ThePrideOfClyde (Mar 28, 2006)

Another thing I was thinking about was that I heard Mike Rice talking about meeting Outlaw's father, and he said that the guy was almost as tall as Travis, but he was built like a brick. So, we do have a lot to look forward to in Travis Outlaw's future game frame. He will most likely play PF one of these days. I see him being the second coming of the "Reign Man," (best case scenario) if he can get more aggressive and play above the rim rather than settle on turnaround jumpers. He will be something special, you mark my words.


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## Blazer Freak (Jul 11, 2004)

ThePrideOfClyde said:


> Another thing I was thinking about was that I heard Mike Rice talking about meeting Outlaw's father, and he said that the guy was almost as tall as Travis, but he was built like a brick. So, we do have a lot to look forward to in Travis Outlaw's future game frame. He will most likely play PF one of these days. I see him being the second coming of the "Reign Man," (best case scenario) if he can get more aggressive and play above the rim rather than settle on turnaround jumpers. He will be something special, you mark my words.


I don't think Outlaw would be better with more weight. He should still fill out some, but he doesn't need to pack it on. And Outlaw isn not a PF..


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## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

He didn't look that fantastic last night, to be honest. I kept waiting for him to take it to the freaking rack. He hit some clutch jump shots which were nice, but until he learns to draw fouls and go to the line, he'll be nothing.

For when he drafted him, Bob Whitsitt wasn't thinking 'man, with such athleticism, he could be a great jumpshooter in this league.'


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## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

Travis can hit shots when he is open and such, but a lot of the time he is out there sometimes he looks like he is "Afraid of the ball" so to speak. I don't know if you know what I am talking about, but its kind of like when some kids get introduced to baseball or football for the first time, and every time they touch the ball they look nervous to take it. Thats why so many passes and rebounds to him end up hitting the floor once before he does eventually gather them in.


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## For Three! Rip City! (Nov 11, 2003)

I just think that right now we're watching Travis Outlaw the "boy" and someday we're going to be watching Travis Outlaw as a grown man and we're all going to wonder what we were worried about. Some people mature at different rates. He's uncertain because he lacks experience. Patience grasshoppers.


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## ThePrideOfClyde (Mar 28, 2006)

Blazer Freak said:


> I don't think Outlaw would be better with more weight. He should still fill out some, but he doesn't need to pack it on. And Outlaw isn not a PF..


Yes he is.


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## Yega1979 (Mar 22, 2003)

hasoos said:


> Travis can hit shots when he is open and such, but a lot of the time he is out there sometimes he looks like he is "Afraid of the ball" so to speak. I don't know if you know what I am talking about, but its kind of like when some kids get introduced to baseball or football for the first time, and every time they touch the ball they look nervous to take it. Thats why so many passes and rebounds to him end up hitting the floor once before he does eventually gather them in.


Ha and Travis have the worst hands I have ever seen. Even I at 5'9 can grab a freaking rebound. These guys have to pat it around a few times before they chase it down.(if it doesn't wind up back in the hands of the opponant) GRAB THE FREAKING BALL!!!! This is the NBA, not the special olympics.


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