Talking Points, July 1

What's the buzz from the world of sports? Here are some items that will have people talking:

1 — Who will it be, Trail Blazers fans?

Who among the free-agent pool will general manager Kevin Pritchard woo to push the Blazers over the top, turning the young nucleus from fun-to-watch contenders into a bona fide threat to the Lakers, Spurs and Nuggets?

Will it be a veteran point guard to guide Roy, Aldridge and company to championship heights? Another 3-point threat to stretch defenses, making it next to impossible for opponents to contain Roy? A defensive stopper capable of being a pain to many of the go-to guys around the league?

All of the above?

Get those wish lists out. The turnaround project that Pritchard began three years ago reaches a pivotal point beginning today as NBA teams are allowed to negotiate with free agents. They can start signing them one week from now.

Hedo Turkoglu, Andre Miller, Marvin Williams, and Jason Kidd are some of the names that figure to have Pritchard’s attention. Beginning today, he must attract the right player or players if he is to transform the nice foundation he has put together into a special creation.



2 — So, what would the Portland Timbers rather win, the USL First Division championship or the U.S. Open Cup title? Ask a Timbers fan today, and the answer likely would be the Open Cup, because to get that Portland must get past the Seattle Sounders FC in tonight’s contest at PGE Park.

And nothing pleases a Timbers fan more than a win over Seattle.

Tonight’s match, which is likely to be sold out, is significant for Portland on several levels. On the pitch, it is a chance to show casual fans that the USL First Division soccer is quality soccer. (On Tuesday, four MLS teams fell to lower-division teams in Cup play, and Kansas City needed penalty kicks to oust the Minnesota Thunder.)

For Portland, however, the real opportunity comes off the field. This is a chance to put some legitimacy back into the Soccer City USA title it claimed decades ago.

The timing is fortuitous. The fan interest and enthusiasm for today’s clash can only give momentum to Timbers owner Merritt Paulson in his effort to secure financial support for stadium renovations. Those are renovations that MLS is demanding before Portland joins Seattle in Major League Soccer two years from now.

So, just by getting their shot at the Sounders today, Timbers fans are already winners.