HoopsHype.com Rumors

Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com reports on Twitter that Blazers TV color commentator Mike Rice did not select Babbitt as one of his finalists on a recent TrailBlazers.TV episode. Last year, Rice was identified on Blazers.com as the organization's "only broadcaster or employee who has a vote" on year-end awards. Update: A league spokesman has ruled out any possibility of error in the voting process. The vote for Babbitt, which was tabulated by accounting firm Ernst & Young, was "submitted and counted like all votes." Blazers Edge

Portland Trail Blazers, Luke Babbitt 

Ben Golliver: A league spokesman says the Luke Babbitt vote, tabulated by Ernst & Young, was "submitted and counted like all votes". Twitter @blazersedge

Portland Trail Blazers, Luke Babbitt 

Mike Prada: Someone gave Luke Babbitt a third-place vote for Sixth Man of the Year. Twitter @MikePradaSBN

Portland Trail Blazers, Luke Babbitt 

Ben Golliver: "It's always an open door. There's not the greatest chance I'll be back but it's not a closed door either." Luke Babbitt Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Free Agency, Luke Babbitt 

In the grand scheme of the Blazers’ master rebuild, it seems clear a proverbial turning of the page from Babbitt to Claver is unfolding. The Blazers signed Claver to a three-year contract in July; roughly three months later, they declined to exercise a 2013-14 team option on Babbitt, guaranteeing that the No. 16 pick of the 2010 NBA draft will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. It seems clear that the Blazers are poised to let Babbitt walk after the season. “You can read into it,” Babbitt said, responding to a question about what his diminishing role says about his future with the Blazers. “I don’t read into things. I didn’t play my first two years and that wasn’t an indication (of my future). So I just go game by game. I don’t think about anything because things change very quickly in this business. I don’t really consider things too far down the line.” Oregonian

Portland Trail Blazers, Luke Babbitt 

So Babbitt is determined to remain in the present. There are 23 games left this season, 23 opportunities for him to factor into a Blazers victory. “As a bench this year, we’ve played a lot of different guys and this is part of that,” Babbitt said. “So I’m just going to stay ready and things will change. There’s still 20-something games left in the season and we’re still kind of in the playoff race, so everyone’s got to stay ready.” Oregonian

Portland Trail Blazers, Luke Babbitt 

It seems clear that the Blazers are poised to let Babbitt walk after the season. “You can read into it,” Babbitt said, responding to a question about what his diminishing role says about his future with the Blazers. “I don’t read into things. I didn’t play my first two years and that wasn’t an indication (of my future). So I just go game by game. I don’t think about anything because things change very quickly in this business. I don’t really consider things too far down the line.” Oregonian

Portland Trail Blazers, Free Agency, Luke Babbitt 

Three-point specialist Luke Babbitt wants in on the 2013 NBA Three-Point Shootout in Houston, TX. The Portland Trail Blazers' forward says he's been a fan of the contest since he was a young child and says he always dreamed of one day competing in it. “It would be an honor if I was selected,” Babbitt told CSNNW.com. “It's something that I watched growing up and it would be great if I had the opportunity to be a part of it.” He has the support from his teammates. “My money would be on Luke,” Nicolas Batum said. “I know how good he can shoot and I know he'll probably win it if he was in it. Hopefully, he can get picked.” CSNNW.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Luke Babbitt, All-Star 

Ben Golliver: LaMarcus Aldridge praised Luke Babbitt's post-dunk "swagger." Babbitt's response: "I don't know what you're talking about there." Twitter @blazersedge

Portland Trail Blazers, Luke Babbitt, LaMarcus Aldridge 

The Portland Trail Blazers will decline to exercise the fourth-year option on forward Luke Babbitt and he will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2012-13 season, a source close to the situation has informed CSNNW.com. The Trail Blazers had until Oct. 31, to elect whether to pick up or decline Babbitt's option worth $2.9 million. Babbitt had a slow rookie campaign only participating in 24 games and shooting a miserable 27 percent from the field and 18 percent from three-point range. CSNNW.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Free Agency, Luke Babbitt 

Chris Haynes: #Blazers GM Neil Olshey says he will not make decision on exercising options on Luke Babbitt, Nolan Smith, Elliot Williams until very end. Twitter @ChrisBHaynes

Portland Trail Blazers, Elliot Williams, Luke Babbitt, Neil Olshey, Nolan Smith 

Babbitt's agent, Bill Duffy, when asked about the Trail Blazers possibly picking up his client's option, in a text message, he told CSNNW.com “There have not been any discussions.” CSNNW.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Luke Babbitt 

There's plenty of time for sides to begin talks, but in the meantime, Babbitt wants to make sure he doesn't put too much pressure on himself like he did during his rookie year. “I know it's a business, but, I got to play and have fun,” Babbitt said. “If they bring me back [next year], I'll be happy to be here. If it's somewhere else, I'll have to adjust, but I have to have fun playing regardless.” CSNNW.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Luke Babbitt 

Babbitt, 23, admits that when looking back, the burden he placed upon himself, might have affected his performance. “I think coming in [the league], I put a lot of pressure on myself and it had a negative impact on my play as a rookie,” Babbitt said. “Last year, I was able to move past that and just have fun.” CSNNW.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Luke Babbitt 

Scott Howard-Cooper: Elliot Williams: "I'm very concerned." Forward Luke Babbitt:"We're worried about him. All we can do is wait and pray and hope for the best." Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Elliot Williams, Luke Babbitt, Injuries, Nolan Smith 

Steve Nash: Well, what happened to Baron [and Rose] were freak injuries, but it’s impossible to rule out the condensed schedule as a factor. It was a very demanding season—it was a grind. There’s no doubt there’s been wear and tear from the schedule. SLAM

Phoenix Suns, Steve Nash, Luke Babbitt, Injuries, Baron Davis 

Jason Quick: Buchanan said there are 4 certain members of the Blazers Summer League team: Nolan Smith, Wesley Matthews, Jon Diebler and Luke Babbitt. Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Luke Babbitt, Summer League, Wesley Matthews, Nolan Smith, Jon Diebler 

But if Babbitt had known that his shot would prompt the city’s top-rated sports radio show to open its broadcast the next day with a five-minute dissection of the Chalupa, if he had known that Yahoo Sports would later plug a highlight video featuring him and myriad images of the flat-bread-wrapped entree, if he had known that fans would tag him “Cha-Luke-a” for the remainder of the season, or that his roommate would encourage him to seek a Taco Bell endorsement deal, or that Wesley Matthews would dub him the team’s designated Chalupa shooter, well ... “If I had known,” Babbitt said, “I would have missed the shot on purpose.” To say that Babbitt made this statement half-jokingly would be a bit generous to the joking portion. In all likelihood, he was 30-percent kidding at best. Columbian

Portland Trail Blazers, Luke Babbitt 

But Babbitt also confessed that by then, he had grown accustomed to being a punchline — a scrub whose haircut and dance “moves” had elicited more ink than anything he’d accomplished on the court. So even though most of us would sit on the end of the bench with the Taco Bell chihuahua in our laps for $1.7 million a year, Luke saw that particular association as one solidifying his jester status. “There are guys like that on every team, where it becomes a joke. That’s what I was, and to some people, I still am. I’m trying to bust out of that,” said Babbitt, 22. “I play to be a winner, to be a contributor, not a guy who comes in and makes Chalupa shots. ... Still, we’ve got the best fans, and I can’t really blame them because for a year and a half, I hadn’t really done anything else.” Columbian

Portland Trail Blazers, Luke Babbitt 

“The only reason I’m in the NBA is because of God. It’s nothing that I did,” said Babbitt, who lists faith as his top priority, family as his second, and basketball as his third. “If you look at the statistics, it’s not very common for a 6-8 white guy from Reno, Nevada, to be here. This is an opportunity for me and I’m going to use it to glorify God.” Columbian

Portland Trail Blazers, Luke Babbitt