Pick and Scroll
Nathan Begley | Monday, March 8, 2010 at 10:50AM Your daily (Mon-Fri) roundup of links from around the blogosphere, typically Trail Blazers related.
• The Oregonian’s Jason Quick cuts right to the chase:
If Sunday was supposed to be a gauge of where the Trail Blazers stand in the Western Conference playoff conversation, the result was short and to the point:
The Blazers do not belong with Denver in the West’s high-rent district.
• Dwight Jaynes is frustrated. He does understand that the Portland Trail Blazers started Juwan “The Headlock” Howard at center against one of last year’s Western Conference Finalists, in their own building where the Blazers have lost 12 of the last 13, right?
• Mike Barrett is not surprised, and not discouraged:
It was a disappointing loss for the Blazers, but given the history of this series in Denver, probably wasn’t shocking. The Blazers have now lost 12 of the last 13 games played in the Pepsi Center.
When looking at the crucial games down the stretch for Portland, this probably wasn’t one of them. It would have been great to get, but again, you don’t ever expect to win in Denver, especially when the Nuggets are this hot offensively.
•Rip City Project agrees that this was expected.
• Brian T. Smith of The Columbian has a statement of “facts”:
Fact: The Portland Trail Blazers’ offense runs through three-time All-Star guard Brandon Roy.
OK, I’ll go with this one. With a usage rate of around 25%, Roy does indeed have the ball in his hands quite a bit.
Fact: The Blazers run a methodical half-court offense that prizes shot selection and possessions over points.
Excuse me while I spit my coffee out all over my keyboard. What? I’m pretty sure this is an exaggeration of some sort. Last time I checked, points were the thing that counted at the end of the game, not how long you held the basketball. I’m pretty sure that if Nicolas Batum was taking half-court granny shots taken with 20 seconds on the clock, and hitting them, Nate McMillan would be okay with that. Now, does McMillan value controlling the ball and taking good shots? Yes. Over points? Don’t be silly.
Fact: Portland’s defense wins games, while the Blazers’ offense merely fills in the gaps.
Oh, ho. You have me going there Mr. Smith. I didn’t realize that this article was satirical. According to Basketball-Reference’s defensive rating and John Hollinger’s defensive efficiency rating, both pace-adjusted statistics, Portland’s defense is middling at best. Instead, it is the Blazers’ sixth ranked offense that wins games, filling in the gaps left by porous perimeter defense and a Greg Oden shaped hole in the middle.
Brain T. Smith then goes on and writes a very good article about Portland’s offense and how it has evolved with the injuries this season. He also owes me a cup of coffee. And a new keyboard.
•FanHouse’s Chris Tomasson takes a look at Marcus Camby’s upcoming free agency and thinks Camby’s chances of staying a Blazer are pretty good.
“My top priority is to come back [to the Trail Blazers] if things work out the right way like we all want them to work out the rest of the season,” Camby said in an interview with FanHouse before Sunday’s game at Denver, one he sat out due to a sprained left ankle. “This is my first choice. They really wanted me here, and they got me here. So hopefully things can work out.”
• With Joel Przybilla’s recent unfortunate shower incident, one would think that the Blazers may have extra incentive to retain Camby, however, Geoffrey C. Arnold of The Oregonian has questions about Camby’s own ability to stay healthy.
• Speaking of Przybilla, according to Larry Coon’s CBA FAQ (Question 60), the NBA’s insurance contract picks up 80% of a player’s salary once he has missed 41 straight games with the same injury. That clock began to run when Joel went down in Dallas. If Joel is out for next season, it could create a “JPEC,” an expiring deal covered by insurance, a la’ Raef LaFrenz’s (infamous) expiring contract. Oh, RLEC, how I miss you.
• Wendell Maxey has a wonderful article on George Karl’s battle with throat cancer and the Blazers reaching out to him:
“The basketball family has an interesting way of hating each other during competitive moments and has an incredible way of loving you when you need them,” Karl said recently, after learning he had treatable throat and neck cancer in early February.
George Karl has coached Andre Miller, Juwan Howard, Marcus Camby, and Portland head coach Nate McMillan. We at PRS wish him a speedy recovery.
• Check out the Denver perspective at our similarly nomenclatured TrueHoop Network sister blog Roundball Mining Company.
Reader Comments (5)
There is so much accuracy and journalistic integrity in this post.
tiffany uk
tiffany online
tiffany outlet
Her son Tahj, then 6, took the acCoach Factory Storecident especially hard. He fell behind in school and needed counseling to work through the trauma.
Ms. Cupid, wChanel Handbagsho had been living in Brooklyn since emigrating from St. Vincent when she was 8, felt it was time for a change. She and Tahj mCoach Outletoved to Florida, spending two years in Hallandale Beach, near Fort Lauderdale.
The time away fLouis Vuittonrom New York was therapeutic for mother and son,LV Outlet and during a visit with her family in St. Vincent, Ms. Cupid reunited with a childhood sweetheart, Franklyn Edwards. The two began dating, and after visiting New York together, they mCoach Outletarried and stayed in the city.Ms. Cupid, who has never felt comfortable usingCoach Outlet a prosthetic, gets around with a combination of crutches, an electronic scooter, a computerized chair and sheer determination. Being mobile has never been more necessary than since the arrival of her youngest sons, Zion Edwards, 2, and Josiah Edwards, 1. Last year, when doctCoach Outletors recommended a Caesarean section for Josiah’s birth, Ms. Cupid asked that the operation take place four days before his due date, on the anniversary of her accident.
Her son Tahj, then 6, took the acCoach Factory Storecident especially hard. He fell behind in school and needed counseling to work through the trauma.
Ms. Cupid, wChanel Handbagsho had been living in Brooklyn since emigrating from St. Vincent when she was 8, felt it was time for a change. She and Tahj mCoach Outletoved to Florida, spending two years in Hallandale Beach, near Fort Lauderdale.
The time away fLouis Vuittonrom New York was therapeutic for mother and son,LV Outlet and during a visit with her family in St. Vincent, Ms. Cupid reunited with a childhood sweetheart, Franklyn Edwards. The two began dating, and after visiting New York together, they mCoach Outletarried and stayed in the city.Ms. Cupid, who has never felt comfortable usingCoach Outlet a prosthetic, gets around with a combination of crutches, an electronic scooter, a computerized chair and sheer determination. Being mobile has never been more necessary than since the arrival of her youngest sons, Zion Edwards, 2, and Josiah Edwards, 1. Last year, when doctCoach Outletors recommended a Caesarean section for Josiah’s birth, Ms. Cupid asked that the operation take place four days before his due date, on the anniversary of her accident.
Her son Tahj, then 6, took the acCoach Factory Storecident especially hard. He fell behind in school and needed counseling to work through the trauma.
Ms. Cupid, wChanel Handbagsho had been living in Brooklyn since emigrating from St. Vincent when she was 8, felt it was time for a change. She and Tahj mCoach Outletoved to Florida, spending two years in Hallandale Beach, near Fort Lauderdale.
The time away fLouis Vuittonrom New York was therapeutic for mother and son,LV Outlet and during a visit with her family in St. Vincent, Ms. Cupid reunited with a childhood sweetheart, Franklyn Edwards. The two began dating, and after visiting New York together, they mCoach Outletarried and stayed in the city.Ms. Cupid, who has never felt comfortable usingCoach Outlet a prosthetic, gets around with a combination of crutches, an electronic scooter, a computerized chair and sheer determination. Being mobile has never been more necessary than since the arrival of her youngest sons, Zion Edwards, 2, and Josiah Edwards, 1. Last year, when doctCoach Outletors recommended a Caesarean section for Josiah’s birth, Ms. Cupid asked that the operation take place four days before his due date, on the anniversary of her accident.