Pick and Scroll
Nathan Begley | Wednesday, February 17, 2010 at 11:11AM Your daily (Mon-Fri) roundup of links from around the blogosphere, typically Trail Blazers related.
• I’m sure by now you’ve all seen this article on Brandon Roy’s hamstring. First off, allow me to state that, even with Marcus Camby in the fold, the rest of this season and the playoffs are not worth endangering Brandon Roy’s career. Also, anybody calling Roy “soft” over the whole ordeal needs to read this article and take a long look in the mirror (then punch themselves in the head).
• Mike Barrett agrees that the Roy injury takes just a bit of the luster off the Camby trade:
Clearly, the trade is a positive, and Camby will give this team a huge lift on the front line, but without a healthy Roy none of this probably matters. Time will tell on this injury, and when he’ll give it go again, but he’s very frustrated.
• Coup from the Rip City Project has this to say about last night.
Yes, Portland almost gave up another big lead, but we’ve been over this time and time again: this roster isn’t made to hold leads. It sure would be nice if the Blazers had a shotblocking center who could also help deter the Clippers from grabbing 14 offensive rebounds, wouldn’t it? I’m not saying recent changes with act the Cure All for the late-game defensive problems, but with how efficiently the offense is operating, a bandage is all that’s required.
• Ben Golliver from BlazersEdge had this quote about DeAndre Jordan’s jumpshot.
It never ceases to amaze me that players like DeAndre Jordan are able to make the NBA without someone fixing their horrible herky jerky shot releases. His uncontested jumper pre-game warm-up routine was rated R for violence. The ball should not change direction four times in the palm of your hand during your release. Hire a shooting coach and start from scratch. His dunking form, however, needs no work.
• Is Mike Dunleavy tampering with Marcus Camby? Henry Abbott thinks he might be and I’m inclined to agree. Article XIII Section 2 of the 2005 NBA collective Bargaining Agreement states:
No Unauthorized Agreements.
At no time shall there be any agreements or transactions of any kind (whether disclosed or undisclosed to the NBA), express or implied, oral or written, or promises, undertakings, representations, commitments, inducements, assurances of intent, or understandings of any kind (whether disclosed or undisclosed to the NBA), between a player (or any person or entity controlled by, related to, or acting with authority on behalf of, such player) and any Team (or Team Affiliate):
(i) concerning any future Renegotiation, Extension, or amendment of an existing Player Contract, or entry into a new Player Contract;
Both the Anti-Collusion articles and the Circumvention articles could apply to Dunleavy should he toe that line any harder. Of course, the league has looked the other way so hard on the whole “LeBron, Wade, Bosh to New York or wherever” furor that they might look a bit silly to crack down on Dunleavy’s infraction.
• TrueHoop Network sister blog NBA Playbook asks if the All Star game may have shed light on how to defend LeBron. Step one, field an All Star team?
• You know it’s a good deal when one of the players that is being dealt thinks it’s a good trade! The Oregonian’s Jason Quick has this and more about how the trade went down.
On Tuesday afternoon, hours after the trade had been completed, McMillan phoned Blake, his trusted point guard through two stints with the team. Blake played part of a season with Camby in Denver, and couldn’t help but give his input to McMillan.
“Blake praised him. Said he loved him. Said he’s going to be good for us and that he’s what we need,” McMillan said. “So it was good to hear that.”
• The Basketball Jones likes the Camby trade for Portland.
• You’ll be pleased to know that according to Ryan J. Parker, the Basketball Geek, Camby is the third best defender in the league.
• Bust a Bucket likes the win, and the Camby acquisition.
• I’m not a big fan of his metrics and the conclusions he draws from them, but Dave Berri likes the Camby trade too. Even if Wages of Wins is a poor metric to use as a standard or single number to evaluate the value of all players, it does have its uses. For instance, when looking for a rebounding big man, WoW may help identify diamonds in the rough.
• Andre Miller’s 52 point explosion is one of the top 20 games so far.
• Henry Abbott talks about why picks are so important. He’s right too, the Suns traded away picks that could have been Luol Deng, Rajon Rondo, Rudy Fernandez, and Sergio Rodriguez.
• The NBA in 3-D in your living room? What next? The players will be nine feet tall, blue, and eco-friendly?
Reader Comments (1)
Paul Allen didn't spend 3 million dollars to rent Camby for 27 games to NOT make the playoffs. And that's why Roy is going to play. I think it's incredibly short sighted.