Rumors swirling in Portand

[IceCap]

Would that be Atlanta????Any details?

I'm not talkin'...

Whoa you must really be on the inside track, how do you know exactly?

PANTONE knows all. That's all you have to know.

As for 07-08 NBA changes I think it's safe to say Atlanta's the team going with the overhaul. What they'll go with, however, is anyone's guess.

[oddball]

Would that be Atlanta????Any details?

I'm not talkin'...

Whoa you must really be on the inside track, how do you know exactly?

You don't want to ask. Loss of limbs, or family members might happen if he was to tell you. Plus we couldn't lose a valuable member of this community (every member is valuable), so it's better that you don't know, just sit there and enjoy his knowledge.

[Hoopskid]

haha, exactly.

Believe me, I have tried to get stuff from him plenty of times (before I knew what he had/knew).

Now I don't even bother, I don't blame him either. He is blessed with every logo collector's dream.

[nyk]

Dats why after he said Portland not on that list but one team is on it. I didnt even bother asking was it Atlanta. I know no one is going to get it out of PANTONE. So im going to assume its the Hawks but its not official till either the NBA, Atlanta Hawks or PANTONE says it is

[FiddySicks]

Would that be Atlanta????Any details?

I'm not talkin'...

Whoa you must really be on the inside track, how do you know exactly?

You don't want to ask. Loss of limbs, or family members might happen if he was to tell you. Plus we couldn't lose a valuable member of this community (every member is valuable), so it's better that you don't know, just sit there and enjoy his knowledge.

[TruColor]

Believe me - I'm not the only one on this board who knows what's going on...

There's a (very) small circle of us who know and trust each other...

'Nuff said.

[gosioux76]

PANTONE knows more than you can fathom

Anyways, I really hope the Twolves are makin some changes....

I'm with ya there, Wilson. I was a big fan of their original colors and uniforms. I would hope that someday they would at least take back the old kelly green and royal blue scheme.

[Hoopskid]

Believe me - I'm not the only one on this board who knows what's going on...

There's a (very) small circle of us who know and trust each other...

'Nuff said.

Yah, there are a (very) small amount. You are the only one who actually helps us tho, not very many people know the others.

[FiddySicks]

Believe me - I'm not the only one on this board who knows what's going on...

There's a (very) small circle of us who know and trust each other...

'Nuff said.

Yah, there are a (very) small amount. You are the only one who actually helps us tho, not very many people know the others.

Most of us know who they all are, or at least who most of em are. But PANTONE is the only one who entertains us all by being the Sports Logos Cocktease.

[Gothamite]

Plus they just updated their logos (although slight) a few years ago.

And that was a downgrade, to boot.

A step backwards would be a good move.

[Survival79]

Believe me - I'm not the only one on this board who knows what's going on...

There's a (very) small circle of us who know and trust each other...

'Nuff said.

[CC97]

Believe me - I'm not the only one on this board who knows what's going on...

There's a (very) small circle of us who know and trust each other...

'Nuff said.

Don't feel bad, I'm not in the circle either

[Dnice]

Uh, Pantone I think a 10 must've fell out of your pocket..

[whitedawg22]

When asked if the team changing identities is Portland, PANTONE answers no.

When asked if the team is Atlanta, he declines to answer.

...just sayin'.

[TruColor]

When asked if the team changing identities is Portland, PANTONE answers no.

When asked if the team is Atlanta, he declines to answer.

...just sayin'.

I'm sayin' no to Portland...and declining to answer on the other 29 teams...

[Schilly]

There's been more posted, though it's really a more refined bit about whta I mentioned. It would be unlikely that they would be changing the colors, and I doubt the Logo would change either.

Pantone is it possible for a team to pre-approve and idea, and have it in the fold to have kick in at any time? I had gotten some insight that the Blazers may have already talked to the NBA about a change about 2 years ago.

[Avalancho]

I'm sayin' no to Portland...and declining to answer on the other 29 teams...

Good enough, Sir...

Then, do you know when will we all know what you already know??? I mean, will this mistery team unveil their changes around draft time or closer to next season???

Thanx!!!

[elliott]

I'm sayin' no to Portland...and declining to answer on the other 29 teams...

Good enough, Sir...

Then, do you know when will we all know what you already know??? I mean, will this mistery team unveil their changes around draft time or closer to next season???

Thanx!!!

Yeah, I was kinda wondering when that info was gonna leak out, too.

I think the Hawks projected scheme could be ok if done correctly. What is it, light blue and red? Hmmmm, it will probably be a downgrade but I'll have to see. The jerseys they have now are pretty nice...

[hecticbro]

I haven't heard anything about this. I kinda doubt it.

[pdxuoduck]

This is perhaps where the "rumor" came from. A column by John Canzano.

New-look Blazers need a quick trip to the tailor

Sunday, June 03, 2007

The Oregonian

T hey have a new future. And the franchise soon will have a new face, or two, in the starting lineup. And the Trail Blazers will open the season with a new hardwood floor, and a new state-of-the-art scoreboard will hang from the Rose Garden rafters, and it will be the finest in the league.

It's a new era, right?

Except, it won't look like one.

The Blazers have three game jerseys -- black, white and red. And unless the franchise makes an inspired plea in the coming weeks, and the NBA grants a special exception to its intricate uniform-redesign process, the players of the new, refreshing era, presumably led by Greg Oden, will wear the same uniforms associated with the dark days of the "Jail Blazers."

Something about that doesn't feel right.

Blazers insiders say the team recently has been toying with uniform redesign ideas, including possibly placing a "PDX" in place of "BLAZERS" on the front of the red jersey, but the NBA's redesign process moves at such a painstaking pace it's not going to happen any time soon.

The colors used must be approved by the league. The fonts must be approved. The redesigned logos must be approved. Proofs must be submitted, and resubmitted, and all this takes time, which is why the Blazers are thinking they won't be able to get anything done until 2009 at the earliest.

The NBA must understand that its entry from Portland isn't typical by league standards. I've talked at length with NBA executives who have long viewed the Blazers as the league's eccentric and unpredictable problem child. They've been embarrassed by yellow Hummers, and cries of "CTC . . . " and loading-dock episodes, and suspensions relating to animal cruelty and airport metal detectors.

Trust me, they get it.

So the NBA must then understand that the franchise, and the entire league, is faced with a wonderful repackaging opportunity in Portland. This is the chance to bury an ugly era, once and for all. If there ever was a franchise that merited a rapid cosmetic makeover, it's the one that manufactured a tired stereotype in the last decade.

The franchise is making cosmetic changes in the arena geared at improving the fan experience. The Blazers not only won May's draft lottery, but they also won 2,500 new season-ticket holders who probably would be delighted to see the 2007-08 Blazers players wearing jerseys that didn't have a direct visual association with Bonzi Wells, Isaiah Rider, Qyntel Woods and Co.

The energy from the draft lottery was intoxicating. Executive vice president Mike Golub said he was running around the team's party looking for someone to hug after Golub realized the organization caught a break.

General manager Kevin Pritchard returned from New Jersey with the No. 1 pick, went straight to the team offices and told the staff, "It's our time." And Golub said last week, "We'd love to do something different with the jerseys. It feels like a new chapter."

It's just not going to look like one unless the NBA realizes it's blowing an opportunity here.

There's an easy solution, of course. It's on the wall of the team offices in the form of the 36 team photographs that feature the players from the franchise's 36 seasons in Portland. And if someone with the franchise moves fast, there's still time to get this done by the season-opening game.

The NBA should grant the Blazers permission to go retro in 2007-08. The franchise should put away the tired jerseys it's utilized for the last 15 seasons and bring back the uniforms from the original 1970-71 team, or better yet, the championship-era model from 1976-77.

If the league is going to embrace a franchise's desire to re-invent itself, if it's going to walk to the edge with the Blazers and see this through, there's no valid reason to make Portland wait two seasons for color and font approval. There's money to be made on merchandising with any Oden jersey, but we all know this isn't just some team hoping to introduce a new color or logo for the sake of keeping busy and exploiting its fan base. Certainly, a league focused on dress code off the court understands the value of improving image through packaging. And Portland needs a makeover.

The last two seasons, the NBA celebrated St. Patrick's Day with three large-market teams (Boston, New York and Chicago) wearing special-edition green uniforms. It's a money-driven move. And all 30 NHL teams will switch to new uniforms for the 2007-08 season. The NHL claims the jerseys are sleeker, lighter, more durable and enable players to skate faster and with greater range. But what the new look mostly did was make us believe the league was new, fresh and improved. The teams didn't look much like the money-hungry ones that went on strike.

People will tell you the entire notion of a redesign is psychological, and intangible when it comes to wins and losses on the court, but then again, intangibles win games. And anyone who closes his eyes today and thinks of the Blazers' new-era beginning in old-era clothes and cringes, understands what I'm talking about.

Oden, Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge deserve a fresh start. So do their fans, who undoubtedly would enjoy seeing that trio wear the same style jerseys worn by Bill Walton, Maurice Lucas and Lionel Hollins. There aren't new colors on those retro jerseys. The logos aren't new. The 1976-77 jerseys had lowercase "blazers" draped vertically on the front from the top of the right shoulder down, and I can't think of a better look.

How about you, Mr. Commish?