Behind the Blazers Locker Room Door: LA; Oden can take deuces publicly

Rodolfo · Apr 12, 2009

HCP, next time you see Quick first tell him to Fuck off and then tell him to stop talking about the player's bathroom habits.

THE HCP · Apr 12, 2009

Quick is a no-talent ass clown! These players don't really like him anyway!

Nikolokolus · Apr 12, 2009

HispanicCausinPanic said: ↑

Quick is a no-talent ass clown! These players don't really like him anyway!
Click to expand...

I can definitely see that. I really wish the Oregonian would fire Quick and try to get Brian Hendrickson from the Columbian; that guy does such a good job of breaking things down and writes knowledgeably about the game.

Natebishop3 · Apr 12, 2009

HispanicCausinPanic said: ↑

Quick is a no-talent ass clown! These players don't really like him anyway!
Click to expand...

Who does?

Oh, and I'm pretty sure Quick reads this board, so if you have a message for him, he probably reads it.

Natebishop3 · Apr 12, 2009

Nikolokolus said: ↑

I can definitely see that. I really wish the Oregonian would fire Quick and try to get Brian Hendrickson from the Columbian; that guy does such a good job of breaking things down and writes knowledgeably about the game.
Click to expand...

He's a really nice guy too.

STOMP · Apr 12, 2009

Natebishop3 said: ↑

Oh, and I'm pretty sure Quick reads this board, so if you have a message for him, he probably reads it.
Click to expand...

I gave my message to the feedback spot on O-live

http://www.oregonlive.com/contactus/

STOMP

THE HCP · Apr 12, 2009

He does not read this board. I have talked to him and Freeman about this place before. They claim they don't.

Fez Hammersticks · Apr 12, 2009

Take a chillaxative! It was probably in bad taste but Quicker didn't start WW3 with this piece. Lighten up.

Driew · Apr 12, 2009

I enjoyed this article (minus Oden taking a number 2). Good to see how they run the drug testing for players.

maxiep · Apr 12, 2009

For those who didn't read it:

Behind the Blazers Locker Room Door: In Los Angeles

Posted by Jason Quick, The Oregonian April 12, 2009 02:32AM

Categories: Behind the Locker Room Door, Channing Frye, Greg Oden, Jerryd Bayless, Joel Przybilla, Nate McMillan, Sergio Rodriguez, Shavlik Randolph, Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw

What a way to close out the road schedule.

And I'm not referring in any way to what the Trail Blazers did on the court Saturday night, when they struggled, but willed themselves to an 87-72 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center.

Because out of sight from the 18,321 at the Staples Center and the legion of Blazers fans around the world, there was a mini-drama unfolding before the game behind the Blazers locker room door.

When Nature doesn't call

Saturday, you see, the NBA decided to spring random drug tests on four Blazers players: Greg Oden, Jerryd Bayless, Sergio Rodriguez and Joel Przybilla.

NBA players are randomly tested anywhere from four to six times a season. Usually, the tests are administered on a game day, at the team's morning shootaround. Once a player has been notified and engages in the screening process, he is not to leave the supervision of a monitor until the monitor observes him providing an adequate sample of urine.

As the players note, the event can take hours. Sometimes, having a man watch you urinate can be, well, uncomfortable. In locker room vernacular, it's called stage fright. Other times, nature just doesn't feel like calling.

The problem on Saturday was that the Blazers didn't have a morning shootaround because they arrived in Los Angeles in Saturday's early-morning hours after taking off from Portland immediately following their Friday night victory over the Lakers.

So, the tests were to be administered at the arena.

"This is the first time they have just showed up and did it,'' said Blazers athletic trainer Jay Jensen, who is handed the list of players to be tested. "Normally, they tell you ahead of time.''

For Oden, there was little drama ... for him. His monitor, on the other hand, might have a different story.

You see, Oden doesn't like to go No. 1 in the presence of other people.

"I get shy,'' he says.

So in order to provide a sample, he has to go No. 2.

"The poor guy,'' Oden said matter-of-factly. "I apologized to him.''

Przybilla, meanwhile, just didn't have to go. He started chugging Gatorade and bottled water, one after the other, all while pacing around the locker room.

Rodriguez sat in the testing room _ Dressing Room 5 _ which was directly across the hall from the Blazers locker room. Dressing Room 5 has a television mounted from the ceiling, a black leather couch, a mirror with light bulbs around it, and a bathroom. Three men in suits with NBA credentials around their necks follow the players around like secret service men.

Rodriguez is one of the more particular Blazers when it comes to a pregame workout routine. He likes to run on a treadmill when he arrives at the arena to loosen up his legs and get a sweat going. Then he likes to shoot on the court once all his teammates are done with their warmup.

The test is threatening his schedule.

Back in the locker room, Przybilla says he is on his 10th 12-ounce Gatorade. He said he was able to give a sample, but the monitors said it wasn't enough.

"I was that much short,'' Przybilla says, holding his fingers apart the width of a Q-tip. "My problem now is that with all these Gatorades, I'm going to be going back to the bathroom 20 times during the game.''

Travis Outlaw can relate to Przybilla's dilemma. Outlaw a couple of weeks ago reached his four-test minimum with flying colors.

"The last one, I got on out of there,'' he said proudly.

His third test, though, he couldn't come through in the clutch no matter how hard he tried and no matter how much water he drank. He was at the Blazers' practice facility in Tualatin after a shootaround, and after waiting and trying, he decided he might as well go out and shoot baskets. So, his monitor came out and watched him shoot.

"I'm just shy, you know?'' Outlaw said. "I mean, the guy is like looking over your shoulder. It's like somebody at a stall looking over at you.''

If a player is unable to provide a sample before a game, he can not enter the locker room after the game until he has completed the test. If he is still unable to give a sample, he can not accompany the team to the next city. The current Blazers have never had that instance, but during the Maurice Cheeks era a player was unable to provide a sample in Chicago, and his monitor had to spend the night in his hotel room until he filled the cup in the morning.

Rodriguez was becoming more anxious. His inability to provide a sample was now cutting into his time on the treadmill, and he was eager to finish the test because it would be his fourth of the season.

Usually, he says he has no problem. The only other time it was an issue was when he was playing at the World Championships in Japan for Spain. He said when he couldn't fill a cup there, they first gave him six Gatorades and five bottles of water. When that didn't do the trick, they gave him beers.

"I think I had two,'' Rodriguez said, smiling. "After that, I was peeing for three hours.''

Back in the locker room, Przybilla switches from Gatorade to water.

"I think I'm ready,'' he announces before taking two more swigs. "Yep. I'm ready.''

Across the hall in Dressing Room 5, all three Blazers test subjects are now inside. Bayless is awaiting his paper work, having just finished his sample. Rodriguez is waiting for bathroom clearance and Przybilla is absently watching the television, which has a show about dolphins airing.

Bayless is granted clearance, and is presented with a pink slip, which he crumples with some irritation as he hurries out of the room. It's 6:35, less than an hour before game time and nearly all of the warmup time has elapsed.

Assistant Bill Bayno, who usually works out with all four players on the court, roams the back hall with his familiar arm pads, which he uses to swat at the players to simulate game-like contact.

Usually, Bayno is covered in sweat this close to game time. Tonight, there's not a bead on him as he twirls the arm pads our of boredom in the hallway.

"Sometimes you have to wonder about the rhyme and reason of these tests,'' Bayno says.

A peek inside Dressing Room 5 shows Przybilla red-faced and sitting on the black leather couch. Rodriguez has beaten him to the punch and is in the bathroom.

The time is 6:40. The Blazers team meeting is nearing.

Przybilla goes back into the locker room and gets another Gatorade. Five minutes later, Sergio is at the station where he gets his pink slip of freedom.

As he reaches the doorway, he takes one look back at Przybilla, still stewing on the couch.

"Good luck, buddy!'' Sergio says in his upbeat, carefree way. Now out of the room, Rodriguez exhales. "Whoooo!''

"I got lucky,'' he says after the game. "Ten more minutes and the team meeting started. I was hoping, hoping, hoping I could pee. It's usually at shootaround, which is better. You have time.''

Now, the players are starting to flood back into the locker room. Steve Blake, who has had three of his tests administered this year, coughs as he jogs back into the locker room. He has been fighting a cold for three weeks now and is constantly seen sucking on cough drops.

Soon, everybody has reported back, except Przybilla. Assistant coach Kaleb Canales is sent across the hall to check on the starting center's status. One of the suits says Przybilla is in the process of trying again.

Eventually, assistant Joe Prunty comes out into the hall, and he is a little more agitated.

Finally, at 7:05 p.m., 25 minutes before game time, Przybilla emerges. The ordeal is over, but so is the team meeting.

A slow start

While the drug test drama was unfolding, the other players were left in limbo. The Staples Center court was not ready for basketball when the Blazers arrived. In fact, the basketball standards weren't even upright.

Staples Center on Saturday afternoon hosted a National Hockey League game between San Jose and Los Angeles (the Kings won, 4-3), and the arena was late in being transitioned from an ice rink to a basketball court. It left the players to wander the halls or mingle in the locker room when they would usually be out shooting.

Perhaps that's why the Blazers started 1-for-11 from the field and the Clippers 1-for-7. In addition to their field goal woes, the Blazers started by making only 5-of-9 free throws. Two of those misses were by Rodriguez, who blamed them on his fouled up pregame routine because of his drug test.

Keeping perspective

About the only pregame activity that went on without a hitch was Chapel. Before every NBA game, the home team provides a chaplain who holds a quick service for both the home and visiting players.

At home, about 10 of the 15 Blazers attend Chapel. On the road, there are four regulars: Oden, Channing Frye, Shavlik Randolph and Michael Ruffin. Canales, an assistant coach, and Bobby Medina, the strength and conditioning coach, also attend Chapel at home and on the road.

"A lot of guys don't get to go to church at all because of our schedules,'' Medina says. "Now, there's not much we can do in 10 minutes, but it's more of an inspirational type of thing, to keep your focus, and to keep things in perspective. Because it's easy to lose that perspective.''

Medina, who is in his 12th season with the team, says the Blazers have one of the strongest chapel gatherings in the league in the Rose Garden. The sessions are held in the team's weight room and are presided over by Al Egg.

"Al does a great job, and even back when we had Bonzi and those guys, it was always very well attended,'' Medina said. "I like it because it keeps me grounded.''

Speaking of being grounded ...

The Blazers have won four in a row and eight of the past nine, but they are doing it without much help from one of their big offensive guns, Travis Outlaw.

On Saturday, Outlaw was 3-for-14 from the field, which came one night after he went 2-for-8 against the Lakers.

"It's just a slump,'' Outlaw said. "My shot just feels off. But I'm glad it's happening now and not in the playoffs. And you know me, that ain't going to stop me from shooting.''

Outlaw's slump actually extends beyond the past two games and he figures he knows the root of his ails. Ever since he sprained his right pinky finger late in the game against Philadelphia, his shot has been astray.

"My three-ball, definitely,'' Outlaw said. "Brandon says I'm making excuses, but it's tender.''

In the nine games since suffering the injury, Outlaw is 4-of-22 from three-point range (18.2 percent). In the past 13 games, Outlaw is 6-for-36 from beyond the arc (16.7 percent). Inside the three-point line he is fine, hitting 38-of-86 (44.1 percent) since the pinky problem.

Outlaw said he plans to address the slump by shooting more and working harder in pregame warmups.

"I've already started shooting more than normal now in pregame,'' Outlaw said. "And now I'm really sweating out there. Before, I would take five or so shots at one place then move on. But now, I'm really sweating out there.''

And finally ...

Coach Nate McMillan said he has done away with the idea of moving Oden back into the starting lineup. The job will remain Przybilla's throughout the playoffs.

"The lineup is working, so I don't see changing that,'' McMillan said.
Click to expand...

maxiep · Apr 12, 2009

I like the irony of Bayless being pissed off about a pee test.

Natebishop3 · Apr 12, 2009

Hmm.... it was an interesting article because I think it shed some light on whey the team started out so slow last night. They didn't get to warm up. That's a huge difference maker. I know that I've always had trouble playing basketball without at least warming up for a few minutes. I realize the content was a little off the wall, but I think it was another post that gave insight to what's going on behind the scenes for this team. I liked it.

LameR · Apr 12, 2009

Would you rather him make something up? Not every city is going to have a profound storyline.

toutlaw25 · Apr 12, 2009

LameR said: ↑

Would you rather him make something up? Not every city is going to have a profound storyline.
Click to expand...

Good point. Next time I'd like to hear about the toilet paper they stock. The fact that they had drug tests, I get it, tell us the story. I don't need to know who gets nervous or has to drop a deuce to take a piss. I'm not sure how that's relevant to anything, and I would bet as a player you wouldn't care to have that information out there either. If you enjoy it, I hope he does more pieces like them.

LameR · Apr 12, 2009

toutlaw25 said: ↑

Good point. Next time I'd like to hear about the toilet paper they stock. The fact that they had drug tests, I get it, tell us the story. I don't need to know who gets nervous or has to drop a deuce to take a piss. I'm not sure how that's relevant to anything, and I would bet as a player you wouldn't care to have that information out there either. If you enjoy it, I hope he does more pieces like them.
Click to expand...

I'm just saying, it's like posts here that you don't like, or by certain members. No one is requiring you to read it.

free_lafrentz · Apr 12, 2009

It's not everyday we get to read about Greg Oden dropping a digit before a clipper game.

It was probably unnecessary to include so much bathroom talk, but the Drug Testing subject is interesting.

ABM · Apr 12, 2009

Quick is doing his darndest to provide inside/deeper personality aspects on every Blazer he can....which is fine, I guess.

I'm just surprised they're letting him go as far as he has.

andalusian · Apr 12, 2009

ABM said: ↑

Quick is doing his darndest to provide inside/deeper personality aspects on every Blazer he can....which is fine, I guess.

I'm just surprised they're letting him go as far as he has.
Click to expand...

I hope none of these guys needs a Colonoscopy. And if they do - I hope Quick is not allowed to attend.

ABM · Apr 12, 2009

andalusian said: ↑

I hope none of these guys needs a Colonoscopy. And if they do - I hope Quick is not allowed to attend.
Click to expand...

That made me cough.

ehizzy3 · Apr 12, 2009

HispanicCausinPanic said: ↑

He does not read this board. I have talked to him and Freeman about this place before. They claim they don't.
Click to expand...

so you act all buddy buddy with jason but talk shit about him on here? lol

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Behind the Blazers Locker Room Door: LA; Oden can take deuces publicly

Rodolfo Double Stamp>Triple Stamp

THE HCP NorthEastPortland'sFinest

Nikolokolus There's always next year

Natebishop3 Don't tread on me!

Natebishop3 Don't tread on me!

STOMP mere fan

THE HCP NorthEastPortland'sFinest

Fez Hammersticks スーパーバッド Zero Cool

Driew Well-Known Member

maxiep RIP Dr. Jack

maxiep RIP Dr. Jack

Natebishop3 Don't tread on me!

LameR Ha Seung-Jin Approved!

toutlaw25 Member

LameR Ha Seung-Jin Approved!

free_lafrentz Member

ABM Happily Married In Music City, USA!

andalusian Season - Restarted

ABM Happily Married In Music City, USA!

ehizzy3 RIP mgb

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Behind the Blazers Locker Room Door: LA; Oden can take deuces publicly

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Rodolfo Double Stamp>Triple Stamp

THE HCP NorthEastPortland'sFinest

Nikolokolus There's always next year

Natebishop3 Don't tread on me!

Natebishop3 Don't tread on me!

STOMP mere fan

THE HCP NorthEastPortland'sFinest

Fez Hammersticks スーパーバッド Zero Cool

Driew Well-Known Member

maxiep RIP Dr. Jack

maxiep RIP Dr. Jack

Natebishop3 Don't tread on me!

LameR Ha Seung-Jin Approved!

toutlaw25 Member

LameR Ha Seung-Jin Approved!

free_lafrentz Member

ABM Happily Married In Music City, USA!

andalusian Season - Restarted

ABM Happily Married In Music City, USA!

ehizzy3 RIP mgb

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