West Becomes Tougher

The Blazers agreed in principle Tuesday to acquire Camby from the Clippers in exchange for forward Travis Outlaw, guard Steve Blake and $3 million. A source close to Camby says that while he recognizes the benefits of playing for a better team, he is upset because his family is comfortably settled in Los Angeles. He had hoped to re-sign with the Clippers this summer. Camby also was similarly upset when the Denver Nuggets traded him to the Clippers before the start of last season. The Nuggets made an unsuccessful last-ditch attempt to bring back Camby before the Clippers’ deal with the Blazers was finalized. The Blazers had to do something to cover the hole left at center by Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla’s injuries. Camby would help preserve possessions and protect the rim on D. Sucks for Camby but hey man that is the pros man. He is not the only player hurting from this. The person Brandon Roy sat next to on team plane rides, the player he regularly dined out with on the road, the player he made sure to walk out of the locker room with after every game, was gone. Roy said Outlaw’s departure is another obstacle during a tough stretch in which he has battled a nagging right hamstring injury. Once he gets back on the court, Roy says, he is hopeful the emotions of losing a friend will eventually fade. At least Roy recognized that the game is still a business and he understood why general manager Kevin Pritchard made the move