Nicolas Batum News

Paul Allen thinks I hate him. Aside from small talk about the Trail Blazers and Seahawks in the hallways of the Rose Garden, and a couple of brief conversations years ago, I don't really know him.

The Blazers most likely will not have a chance to draft at number 10 again for several years.

Mar 21, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Wesley Matthews dribbles the ball against Chicago Bulls shooting guard Marco Belinelli during the first half at the United Center.

George Sfairopoulos, agent for Kostas Papanikolaou, reportedly doesn't believe his client is in the Portland Trail Blazers' plans for the 2013-14 season.

Korean pop sensation Psy has been making the rounds at various events during the Cannes Film Festival.

Portland Trail Blazers All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge was not named to one of the three 2012-13 All-NBA Teams.

After more than three weeks of meticulously analyzing the Portland Trail Blazers roster, head coach, general manager and owner, the first leg of our You be the GM series has come to a close.

April 17, 2013 - Neil Olshey watches as the Portland Trail Blazers face the Golden State Warriors at the Rose Garden.

Nov.. 16, 2011; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers small forward Nicolas Batum blocks the shot of Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden during the first quarter of the game at the Rose Garden.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, the media's unanimous selection as 2013 Rookie of the Year, has been unanimously selected by the coaches to the All-Rookie First Team.

In the seventh season of his NBA career, LaMarcus Aldridge continued to show why he's one of the best power forwards in the league with his second straight selection to the NBA All-Star team.

The NBA announced its 2013 All-Defensive First and Second Teams on Monday. No Portland Trail Blazers were included but forward Nicolas Batum did garner a vote for the First Team.

Position: PF Height/Weight: 6-11/255 NBA experience: Seven seasons 2012-13 salary: $13,500,000 Contract status: Entering the fourth year of a five-year contract, Aldridge will make roughly $14.9 million next season.

To accompany your You be the GM comments and votes, we've reached out to a handful of local experts who cover the Portland Trail Blazers for their opinions on the value of every player on the 2012-13 roster.

Position: SF Height/Weight: 6-8/210 NBA experience: Five seasons 2012-13 salary: $10,825,000 Contract status: Batum will enter the second year of a four-year, $44 million contract that will pay him $11.3 million.

To accompany your You be the GM comments and votes, we've reached out to a handful of local experts who cover the Portland Trail Blazers for their opinions on the value of every player on the 2012-13 roster.

We'd been told for years that professional athletes are Neanderthals who hate gay people.

From an objective perspective, the Portland Trail Blazers ' situation looks fairly abysmal - they're out of the playoffs for two years in a row, their division is stronger than ever and their players are troubled with injury and fatigue.

For Damian Lillard , winning Rookie of the Year was great, but it is only just the start of how good he hopes to become.

Kaleb Canales had been with the Trail Blazers since 2004, when he was an intern in the video department.