# Impressions from the press conference...



## NateBishop3 (Jul 22, 2003)

Alright guys, just got back from the conference. I got a chance to talk to Martell Webster and Jarrett Jack. Here's what I thought:

Martell Webster: I am VERY impressed with Martell. I think he's very sharp, very mature. Reminds me a bit of LeBron in how he caries himself. He looks happy to be a Portland Trail Blazer. All throughout the press conference he was smiling (and not a fake smile either). He was involved in the conference, and seemed opinionated. 

I don't know if this kid can play, I sure hope so, but I really like what he brings to the team as far as a personality. He has the right kind of attitude, and I think he will be a great influence. He has a swagger about him that I like. He is mature beyond his years.

I've seen three high school kids so far come to the Blazers. Outlaw, Telfair, and now Webster. I've talked to all three the summer before their rookie season. I am by far the most impressed with Webster. I thought Telfair was polished, but this guy is straight up cool. 

Jarrett Jack: I got a bad feeling off this kid. I don't know why. He seemed rather detached from the conference. He didn't seem like he wanted to be here. His attitude left a bit to be desired. I'm not sure if that's because of a long flight to get here, or what, but he just rubbed me the wrong way. 

From what I've seen so far from Jack, I just get the feeling he is going to creat chemistry problems next season. This isn't a guy who is going to be happy backing up Telfair. He thinks he's starting material, and he won't be happy backing up a kid who is 2-3 years younger than he is. 

I just see problems down the road for Jack as a Blazer. I know I'm basing this off very little actual evidence, but I've just got a bad feeling. 

John Nash: Yes, he said Theo isn't going anywhere. Yes he said that the Utah trade rumors are false. The rumor he did not deny was DA being cut with the amnesty. Basically the feeling we all got was "Bye Bye DA". 

Martell will be wearing #8 next season, and Jack was holding a #4 jersey, but when Nash asked him about it he mumbled something about Damon leaving, so we can probably expect to see him in a #3 jersey before the start of the season.

Anyway, it was a very short conference, and I only got a couple minutes with each kid. I'll be writing an article for tomorrow that will have more quotes and actual info. These were just some impressions I wanted to share right away. 

thanks guys...

-Nate


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

Of course Jack isn't going to believe he should be backing up Telfair. He's a competitor. He's coming in with the mindset that I've been starting my entire life and I'm taking his spot. Telfair better be ready to hold on to that spot.


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## sabas4mvp (Sep 23, 2002)

I didn't know you were there Nate, I was too. I felt the exact same way about the 2. Jack didn't seem like he wanted to be there at all, seemed bored and uninterested. However; he did tell me that he literally came straight from the airport to the press conference and showed up about 10 minutes before it started. I don't even know why I feel this way about him, he was happily signing autographs (with the #3 beside his name) but for some reason something just seemed off about him. I'm sure he was tired. Webster did seem to be very mature, I felt that he truely felt honored to be a Blazer and had a giant smile for most of the time he was there. When I got my pic taken with Webster I kinda cracked a joke and told him that I go to U of O and was glad he was wearing a Blazer Jersey and not a Huskie Jersey. 

Here is a link to my pics if you didn't catch the thread I made.
http://community.webshots.com/album/383127083DwpwJt

The way he adressed the DA situation was very straight forward. I definitely got the feel that it also meant Bye Bye DA, also when asked about Damon it seemed clear that Damon would not be back, but he tried to not make it seem that way.


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

Sorry to hear that about Jack. That is very disappointing. 

Is it possible he was just nervous? Some people clam up and get a little defensive when they're anxious or stressed out. I hope that's it.

After all, the guy is now an NBA player and will soon be making millions of dollars. If he can't get excited about that, somethings wrong.


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## Blazer Freak (Jul 11, 2004)

Talkhard said:


> Sorry to hear that about Jack. That is very disappointing.
> 
> Is it possible he was just nervous? Some people clam up and get a little defensive when they're anxious or stressed out. I hope that's it.
> 
> After all, the guy is now an NBA player and will soon be making millions of dollars. If he can't get excited about that, somethings wrong.


I think, like sabas stated, it's probably because he had just gotten off of a plane. I hope we dont judge him on the way he acted today, give him a little and see how he acts first.


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## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

Jarrett Jack is the most well-connected rookie right now. I don't know if you guys caught the story in SI, but he's friends with a lot of pro players, perhaps a few former Blazers. Portland is thought to be a difficult city for ballplayers to live in because of it's segregated culture. Jack, coming from a southern background, may be less than thrilled to be in Portland because of this(over and above the Telfair situation). 

Hopefully he'll warm up to the idea of living in the NW, I know I hope he does.


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## CatchNRelease (Jan 2, 2003)

*Thanks for Sharing...Gentlemen!*

:clap: 

It would be a damned shame if Jack is coming hear with an attitude. I'd hope he'd come here with the attitude that if ST doesn't bring it, he'll be picking splinters out of his butt.

I'm not sure I'm buying the 'Blazers are committed to ST' line of thinking. I'd hope that the best player plays, period. I'm a huge fan of Sabastian, but there shouldn't be any free lunch, IMO.

Go Blazers


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## FanOfAll8472 (Jun 28, 2003)

HKF said:


> Of course Jack isn't going to believe he should be backing up Telfair. He's a competitor. He's coming in with the mindset that I've been starting my entire life and I'm taking his spot. Telfair better be ready to hold on to that spot.


Agreed. Jack plays with so much passion and so much heart that he won't be content with being a backup. Hopefully, if he is a backup, he is content with about 20 mpg. The kid is a great player.


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## Public Defender (May 5, 2003)

How soon can Jack be traded again? I'm not saying I want that to happen, but the demeanor you're describing sounds more like someone who's been told he's not going to stay than someone who's tired or has something against Portland (as Talkhard said - the guy's got a guaranteed NBA contract, he should be at least somewhat happy). The only good explanation I can think of for this behavior is that he's annoyed that he's got to go through the motions of a press conference, knowing that he won't be in Portland very long. 

As for "segregated" Portland, there are lots of NBA cities that have very few people of color living in the richer neighborhoods. Seattle, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco/Oakland just on the west coast... Boston has its own race problems Back East, and it's not like Denver (his original destination) is overflowing with people of color. Not everyone can play in Miami or Atlanta.


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## Tince (Jul 11, 2004)

I could see Jack and Telfair playing on the court at the same time. If Jack gets 20-30 minutes a game 3 years down the road I think he'd be ok with that.


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## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

Public Defender said:


> How soon can Jack be traded again?


He can be traded immediately. Once he signs a contract, at least under the old CBA, there was a waiting period.



> As for "segregated" Portland, there are lots of NBA cities that have very few people of color living in the richer neighborhoods. Seattle, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco/Oakland just on the west coast... Boston has its own race problems Back East, and it's not like Denver (his original destination) is overflowing with people of color. Not everyone can play in Miami or Atlanta.


I don't know if Portland is more segregated than those cities you list, but the African American population is smaller as a percentage of the population, if I remember correctly. 

Ed O.


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## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

What did Nash say about Jack? He has clearly been effusive of Webster, but I haven't had a chance to hear Nash's thoughts.

It's clear he targeted Jack, but targeting a backup PG when we spent a lottery pick on a PG last year still strikes me as somewhat peculiar.

I guess I'll download the press conference audio and listen.

Ed O.


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## BBert (Dec 30, 2004)

From the film I've seen of Jack he seems like a tough, very physical, uber competitive player. I hope he doesn't go all "Ruben" on Telfair in practice. I'm sure he plans on starting. I just hope he can deal with it if/when he doesn't.

As far as the impressions related by Nate, I was already worried about that after seeing his ESPN interview: he didn't seem like the nicest guy. I am not however passing judgement this early.

What I've heard Nash say several times about Jack, including in front of him at the news conference, is that he was the 3rd best point in the draft. He's also said that maybe in 3 years it could turn out that he's the best. Wait and see.


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## Schilly (Dec 30, 2002)

I listened to mos thte PC, and I have to say based on what I heard I was impressed by Jack, now that said, I didn't have the chance to view his body language and what not.

But let's be honest the last 4 days or so have probably been a little overwhelming for him.


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## 22ryno (Mar 17, 2003)

Sebastian Telfair is going to destroy Jack like he did Raymond Felton, Sean Dockery, and Anthony Roberson in high school. Now I know this was a long time ago but I believe a lot of people are underestimating Telfair's talents. This kid was the first small high school point guard taken. He held down the number 1 one player in his class until Dwight Howard got good. At the end of the season he was outplaying 10 year veterans. Jack wasn't even the go to player on his college team at the end of games(it was Will Bynum). I'm not saying this to diss him but give Bassy a little more credit. He is and will be the starter for the next few years barring injury.


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

Ed O said:


> It's clear he targeted Jack, but targeting a backup PG when we spent a lottery pick on a PG last year still strikes me as somewhat peculiar.
> 
> Ed O.


 Center? -- I think Nash is on a mission to keep Przybilla. Given Ratliff and Ha, I could see it not being a pressing need.

Power Forward? -- That would seem like perhaps the most obvious weak point but, *if* Zach's back and healthy, he's a surer and more seasoned vet than Telfair. Behind Zach are (in no particular order) Przybilla, Ratliff, Miles, Khryapa, and Patterson. Behind Telfair?

Small Forward? -- We all know how stacked the team is here.

Shooting Guard? -- Perhaps it'd have made sense to someone else there but again, there's DA, Monya, Webster, Outlaw, Patterson, and even Frahm as potential options.

Point Guard? -- Telfair.

Particularly if Nash has someone in his sights for PF, I think the pick of Jack makes as much sense as any other, particularly given how well his strengths seem to cover Telfair's weaknesses.

Last season I think I was one of maybe five Blazer fans with no personal contact with Dickau who was sorry to see him go. I'd pictured him growing along side Telfair, each one bringing different things to the table. Jack seems even a better fit with Telfair than Dickau. I'm hoping it works out.
:cheers:


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## B_&_B (Feb 19, 2004)

What exactly did Nash say about Damon and DA? I missed that part.


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## FanOfAll8472 (Jun 28, 2003)

22ryno said:


> Sebastian Telfair is going to destroy Jack like he did Raymond Felton, Sean Dockery, and Anthony Roberson in high school. Now I know this was a long time ago but I believe a lot of people are underestimating Telfair's talents. This kid was the first small high school point guard taken. He held down the number 1 one player in his class until Dwight Howard got good. At the end of the season he was outplaying 10 year veterans. Jack wasn't even the go to player on his college team at the end of games(it was Will Bynum). I'm not saying this to diss him but give Bassy a little more credit. He is and will be the starter for the next few years barring injury.


Did you watch Jack guard Paul in two WF-GA Tech games during the season? Jack is a great defender. Paul isn't as quick as Bassy, but he has some real quicks too. Plus, Paul has some savvy and is arguably the better or equal player right now. Let's give _Jack_ some credit.


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## furball (Jul 25, 2004)

I absolutely hated the trade of the 3 for 6 and 27. But when we got Jack, I thought it was a pretty good trade. Jack was the main reason behind GT getting to the final four two years ago. He was an absolute stud. Big, physical and has a bit of a swagger. I love the fact that Bassy will be pushed. It will make him a better player. I don't see Jack as a long term starting type anyway. He is a perfect change of pace backup. I hope we don't go out and get a Payton type guard.


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## Utherhimo (Feb 20, 2005)

you guys for the most part are freaking out! 4 hour flight to jump off the plane to a new conference, I wouldnt be most thrilled either more like burnt out tired. Jack and Telfiar will be fine when they start rolling on teams, Jack crushed Paul last year and flipflopped with Williams. 

Paul could be the over rated Pg out of the 4, teams will have a helleva time with T-Jackbe nice to see the team gell


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## sabas4mvp (Sep 23, 2002)

BEER&BASKETBALL said:


> What exactly did Nash say about Damon and DA? I missed that part.


Someone asked about buying out DAs contract, he kina ignored it and said that he doesn't want to talk about that because of the potential embarassment for the player or players. The way he worded it made it seem like that is kind of the plan for DA. 

Someone else asked about Damon potentially resigning. Nash said he hadn't talked to Damon or his agent and that there is a possibility of him coming back... YEAH RIGHT! Again the way he worded it made it seem like there was no chance of him coming back. When Jack was presented with his #4 Jersey Nash said, "These the numbers you wanted?" and Jack kinda wispered something to him, presumably about Damon leaving and Jack taking #3. He was signing autographs with #3 after his name.


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## 22ryno (Mar 17, 2003)

Just because you play better than someone doesn't meen you are a better player. I think backup point guard in the NBA is important but a player like Jack isn't going to want to be that. He invisions himself as a starter and Telfair in my opinion will never allow that to happen. Also if have them playing together you can't play Outlaw because that means you have three guys on the floor who aren't a threat behind the three point line. I hope it works out though.


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## stupendous (Feb 17, 2003)

Samuel said:


> Portland is thought to be a difficult city for ballplayers to live in because of it's segregated culture. Jack, coming from a southern background, may be less than thrilled to be in Portland because of this(over and above the Telfair situation).
> 
> Hopefully he'll warm up to the idea of living in the NW, I know I hope he does.


Well, I would imagine that it is no worse than living in say... Denver!


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## Spoolie Gee (Feb 3, 2005)

Jack vs. Telfair is going to be epic.

I have no problem with Jack having a bit of a chip on his shoulder.


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## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

Not everybody has a bubbly personality. 

Jack seems like an intense, focused, no-nonsense type of guy. 

So what if he didn't smile enough or crack a bunch of jokes? He's trying to be an NBA point guard, not the next American Idol.


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## ebott (Jan 7, 2003)

22ryno said:


> Sebastian Telfair is going to destroy Jack like he did Raymond Felton, Sean Dockery, and Anthony Roberson in high school. Now I know this was a long time ago but I believe a lot of people are underestimating Telfair's talents. This kid was the first small high school point guard taken. He held down the number 1 one player in his class until Dwight Howard got good. At the end of the season he was outplaying 10 year veterans. Jack wasn't even the go to player on his college team at the end of games(it was Will Bynum). I'm not saying this to diss him but give Bassy a little more credit. He is and will be the starter for the next few years barring injury.


Preach on Brother!!!!

Why are people treating Telfair like he’s made of glass? He’s a grown man being paid millions (well 1.676 million to be exact) of dollars to play the game of basketball. He’s been pushed and tested and continued to excel his whole life. You think he’s gonna stop now because we draft a guy that’s gonna make him work for his job?

It’s not. He’s gonna continue to work on his game and improve and do everything he can to be the best. If he fails to do so it will be because he just isn’t good enough. Players that can’t cut the mustard eventually show their stripes. Guys like Rod Strickland and Kenny Anderson looked like sure fire HOFers for years until they cracked. If Telfair’s gonna crack I’d rather it was soon so we can go in another direction.

It’s entirely possible that the competition makes Telfair lose a little confidence and he’ll have to work to get it back. But them’s the breaks kid. It’s not like we’re bringing in a guy like Gary Payton who’s approach to working with Telfair would be similar to parents that burn their kids with their cigarettes.

Ps. I did not come up with the Gary Payton = cigarette burns analogy. I’d like to credit who ever did since it’s such a kick *** analogy. I can’t remember who did though and for some reason when I do a search for cigarette it doesn’t find the post where some one came up with this analogy.


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## vadimivich (Mar 29, 2004)

That's going to be the hard part for Jack. Even when he and Bosh were freshmen at GT, he was "the man" on the team, and the clear cut leader from the day he walked onto campus. It's pretty obvious Telfair is the PG of the future for the Blazers though, and he'll have to settle into that, even if he thinks he's better suited to start.

That being said, Jack would rather deck you than let you beat him off the dribble. With those insanely long arms and good footwork, he's going to give Telfair fits in practice every day. He completely smothered Chris Paul in college, to the point of WF taking him out of games - and he roughed Felton up pretty good as well. There were 6 ACC guards taken in the top 40 picks (Paul, Felton, Jack, Hodge, Ewing, Wafer) so it wasn't like he was destroying scrubs on a regular basis.

Telfair is the long term starter for Portland, and I think that's going to be the adjustment period for Jack ... the first time in his life he'll back somebody up. He's a classy guy and won't cause trouble, but it'll probably bother him a lot at first.


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## CanJohno (Feb 11, 2005)

It's not who starts the game(s), it's about making a contribution to the game while you're in there (regardless of a given # of minutes on any particular night). Not that you don't already know this, I'm just saying that the new coach will need to hammer this out to the guys from day #1. I'm sure Jarrett will be able to get 12-15 minutes right out of the blocks if he busts his arse in camp, and I see no reason that that won't happen. Dude's a stud, but I think he's smart enough to realize that he is in, (*key word*) potentially, a really good situation where he could flourish. Because he's such a good defender, he could play the '2' for us against some of the smaller '2's in the league, so I'd think there'll be plenty of time for him to seize, should he work hard as heck to get it. I think he will fit in fine, once he gets adjusted to NBA life and the city of Portland.


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## NateBishop3 (Jul 22, 2003)

22ryno said:


> Just because you play better than someone doesn't meen you are a better player. I think backup point guard in the NBA is important but a player like Jack isn't going to want to be that. He invisions himself as a starter and Telfair in my opinion will never allow that to happen. Also if have them playing together you can't play Outlaw because that means you have three guys on the floor who aren't a threat behind the three point line. I hope it works out though.


Actually T-Law is a very good three point shooter. He just hasn't been pulling the trigger, which is more of a confidence issue than it is a talent issue.


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

I don't find any reason why Jack would have negative feelings about being acquired by Portland....I see this situation as a safer bet for him to get playing time than he would've gotten behind Andre Miller and Earl Boykins in Denver...

I think Jack will be a solid backup or maybe even starter for us..Nothing should be gauranteed to anybody, especially when the players are so young...


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## Utherhimo (Feb 20, 2005)

i say you flip flop the starting role depending which team you are playing and who they have as starting.


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## Goldmember (May 24, 2003)

Thanks for the report Nate. Any word from Nash on Zbo's rehab?


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## ProudBFan (Apr 29, 2003)

I wouldnt read too much into Jarretts demeanor at the PC. Dude just got off the plane, is brand new to a strange city in a strange part of the country about as far away as you can get from his college home, is sitting next to the most popular kid on the podium, and knows hes got stiff competition for the starting gig in Sebastian. Ive seen lots of video of the kid doing his thing on the court, and hes a very firey and emotional player. Give him a chance to settle in. I think were gonna love him.

PBF


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## BlazerCaravan (Aug 12, 2004)

I'll definitely reserve judgement until the end of the season. BUT, that said, there are quite a few players who are firey on the court and surly with the press -- Rasheed Wallace, anyone?

No way on earth this guy is half the cancer Sheed was at his worst, but if he's getting "advice" from disgruntled former Blazer buddies, he may have an attitude coming in. I don't know how to fix that if it happened, but I'd be on Yellow Alert right now... then again, I am one who worries about things.

It's too bad, because the town wants to really get behind these guys. Hopefully, Jarret will see what Webster seems to see.


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## YardApe (Mar 10, 2005)

Here's another thought guys that I hate to even mention cause I love us getting Jack; what if he already knows he's being traded again with a couple of our vets? This could explain a ton as to why he's not to eager to embrace this city and it's fans.

He has cell phone #s of every top player in this league, maybe he knows something that we fans don't. Maybe Phil's already talked to him.

I'd have to say if I was coming out of college and had a chance to be a Laker under Phil playing with Kobe in LA that might trump being in Portland that has a bad rep and no coach!

What do you think?


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## BlazerCaravan (Aug 12, 2004)

Does LA still have a team? I thought they sold the franchise after Shaq moved. :biggrin:


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## crandc (Sep 15, 2004)

> Does LA still have a team? I thought they sold the franchise after Shaq moved.


No, they gave it away to Kobe Bryant.


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## tlong (Jan 6, 2003)

Who knows, Jack may end up being better than Telfair. It's clear that he has a better NBA body. I am very pleased that we have both of these guys to push each other in practice. I like big point guards so I hope Jack ends up starting and Telfair comes off the bench.


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## vadimivich (Mar 29, 2004)

> but if he's getting "advice" from disgruntled former Blazer buddies, he may have an attitude coming in.


I would say the most likely Blazer player for Jack to have been previous contact with would be SAR, who's from Atlanta, very nearly went to Georgia Tech in college, and is still in the area frequently


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

Like I said earlier. I didn't say that Telfair would lose his spot to Jack. I said Telfair better be ready to compete for it, because Jack isn't going to come in and say sure let this be Sebastian's team. I mean the Blazers were horrible last year. He's thinking I should be the starter and I'm going to get it. That doesn't mean he's better than Telfair, it just means that competition is good. The man is about his business.


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## PorterIn2004 (Jan 1, 2003)

crandc said:


> No, they gave it away to Kobe Bryant.


 :rotf: :greatjob:


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