Because the world really needed another blog dedicated to the Portland Trail Blazers. We're a group of journalists and fans who've grown up with--or have grown to love--Oregon's only professional franchise (and this won't change when MLS comes to town). Plus we're convinced that--if given the chance--we could totally hit the Toyota halfcourt shot. Until then, we're stuck here in the Portland Roundball Society.
Doesn’t this picture just make you hate Blaze the Trail Cat? He’s worthless.Just stop already.
The Blazers have already played the most games of any NBA team, but the blows keep coming, and now the NBA’s most exhausted team (there really is no fact to back this up, but if you watched the game last night, you know what I speak of) has a back-to-back game on the road against a Phoenix Suns team that has won five consecutive games. Sure, why not? Also, the Suns will be playing with a nerf basketball on a six foot hoop (finally, Steve Nash will dunk) while the Blazers will be forced to use a medicine ball and shoot upon the novelty 25-point basket—last seen in the MTV Rock and Jock game—in the rafters.
As Portland barrels towards eight losses in their past dozen games without Brandon Roy, the Suns are basking in a win streak that has (temporarily) muzzled the deafening Amare Stoudemire trade chatter. Unless Stoudemire is moved this afternoon (*crosses fingers, suggestively rubs Steve Kerr voodoo doll*) the Suns will enter the All-Star break firmly in the middle of the playoff hunt with their leading scorer still on the roster. The Suns are the team you want to play after posting a weak 77 points the previous night, but with Nash all-but guaranteed a double-double, Stoudemire scoring at will, and the hulking Robin Lopez under the net, this is not an ideal matchup for a Blazers team running on fumes. Let’s just get this over with.
Tip-off: 6pm TV: Comcast Las Vegas Line: Phoenix -9
Nathan Begley | Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 10:16AM
Your daily (Mon-Fri) roundup of links from around the blogosphere, typically Trail Blazers related.
• A quick note, last night LaMarcus Aldridge had 15 rebounds, four assists, and four steals. All three of those statistics are very good for any power forward, much less one haunted by the finesse label. That said, Aldridge gets crucified a bit for last night’s debacle in the articles below. He deserves to be criticized for being hesitant offensively, that is true, but the entire team deserves criticism for an absolute failure to get the ball to Aldridge in advantageous positions. Credit the Thunder for executing a great defensive game plan, but far too often the Blazers looked like Washington Generals, throwing terrible passes often right into the hands of a defender. Kelly Dwyer summed it up best in his Behind the Boxscore:
22 turnovers for the Blazers, murder in a slowish game like that, as that represented nearly a quarter of the team’s possessions. Oklahoma City already defends like mad, and you’re going to hand them the ball one in every four times down the court?
• John Hollinger covers last night’s game as the centerpiece of today’s ESPN Daily Dime.
Forget about their youth, their inexperience, and the difficulty of the Western Conference. Forget all that, and just know this: The Thunder are going to the playoffs.
Well, if Hollinger is right, that’s one more seat taken in the game of musical chairs that is the Western Conference playoff race. I hope Portland is not one of the teams left standing when the music stops.
• The Oregonian’s Jason Quick says Portland may have started the All-Star break a bit early. Of course, as Quick notes in the article, the Blazers will have played a league-leading 55 games before the break after tonight. Between the sheer volume of games and all the injuries, the Blazers need the All-Star weekend more than anybody. [Note as of this writing, the Oregonian link says “Blazers_Hornets” if the link is corrected, my link will be no good.]
• Mike Barrett gives his take on last night’s contest and notes the death of a streak, before last night, Portland had won 44-consecutive games when holding their opponents to 90 points or less.
• Something that annoys me about Aldridge is that if he bobbles the ball, or if it gets poked away and he recovers it, he will immediately look to pass. Without fail, all a defender has to do is poke the ball and they erase Aldridge as an offensive threat. If Aldridge would fake the pass and then go for the turnaround jumper, I would be happy. If Aldridge would fake a pass out toward the three point line and then turn, put the ball on the floor and take a dribble towards the rim, I would be elated. I think Aldridge just doesn’t have any confidence in his ball handling abilities and until he remedies that, what you see is what you get.
For Arizona State University basketball fans, it might seem strange to see one of the program’s greatest players ever in anything but maroon and gold.
No, not James Harden, who spent just two years in Tempe and now dons blue and orange for the Oklahoma City Thunder. I’m talking about Jeff Pendergraph, the four-year forward/center who finished his career at ASU having played and started more games than any player in Sun Devil history.
• As a final note, the trade winds are a-blowin’. What trade rumors from around the league would most help, or hurt, Portland’s playoff chances? Let us know in the comments below.
After Oklahoma City suffocated the Blazers 89-77 at the Rose Garden Tuesday evening, coach McMillan half-joked that the cans of Red Bull his players were sucking down before the game weren’t doing the trick. Maybe they led to a second half “crash,” he said. But whatever the Blazers are taking, it’s not enough.
So, as the sports idiom goes, it’s time for someone to “step up.” And Don Roberts, the Blazer’s doctor, your team needs you. Everyone from the coaches on down, requires a prescription: Prozac—and if you’ve got anything stronger, capable of raising energy levels and washing away the blues, fill those as well.
Now, for a moment, forget the division. Forget that the Blazers are in an air-tight Western Conference playoff race. The rash of injuries would alone warrant treatment, but something worse has happened in these last two games:
First, the Blazers lost to the hated Lakers at the Rose Garden for the first time in ten games, then they got straight smoked by Kevin Durant, the one they passed over as their guy, Greg Oden, again watched from the couch, a cane no doubt nearby
Take away even the naked photos and this still stings.
People say they moved on. But they haven’t. Portland fans wouldn’t boo Durant if everything in the Rose Garden was fine. And when the Blazers brass say that, had they the chance to do it all again, they’d draft the same, well, that’s nothing but a political trick.
And if Portland had moved on, the talk radio airwaves wouldn’t be full of chatter, nor would fans on ESPN’s Daily Dime be asking how sweet it would be to see Roy and Durant together.
There’s only one person who can legitimately say they’ve moved on, and it’s Durant himself. After all, he just laid a 33 point, 11 rebound whooping on the team that could’ve drafted him and moved ahead of Oklahoma City in the playoff chase. It was the Thunder’s sixth straight victory.
I asked Durant if it’s special to have a big game in Portland. He said no, which rings true since he’s had his hands full turning around the Oklahoma City franchise. And now, selected for his first All-Star game—not to mention scoring 25-plus points for a staggering 25th consecutive game—Durant is finally experiencing the payoff. He is at peace:
Durant also talked about the Thunder covering specific Portland players, and how his team’s defensive intensity forced the Blazers into a whopping 24 turnovers, and a season low 77 points (16 of which came in the fourth quarter—-which ties a season low):
With the exception of Andre Miller, Portland’s lineup looked afraid to take shots down the stretch. No one wanted to be The Man. Miller tried, of course, but the veteran is more comfortable and effective in setting others up than finishing himself. Miller led the Blazers with 22 points. I asked Nate if he saw players some players who were unwilling to step-up.
Again, the Thunder—like the Lakers Saturday—must be credited for their defense. They denied the Blazers the ability to play inside out.
Nicolas Batum, who had swooping fast-break dunk that looked downright Durant-esque, scored 12 points after being inserted into the starting lineup before the game. All his scoring came in the first half, and tonight isn’t the first time his numbers have tapered off in the final quarters. Coach McMillan attributes this to opposing team’s defensive shifts on the players that Batum plays off, most notably LaMarcus Aldridge. And indeed the Thunder cranked down on the Blazers’ power forward in the second half—constant double teams on Aldridge basically shut down Portland’s entire offense.
As you can see from the many questions in the Coach’s post game conference, there is a feeling that the Blazers may have packed up a little early for the (much needed) All-Star break. McMillan tried hard to resist calling his team out, spending more time harping on Portland’s 24 turnovers and Oklahoma City’s 17 steals. But signs of the fold were there. Maybe the sense that the Blazers could win any game—at any time, no matter who was playing—has since dried up. If that’s true, Roy’s return couldn’t come soon enough.
Again, like in Saturday’s loss to Los Angeles, Martell Webster, Steve Blake and Rudy Fernandez contributed next to nothing. On Tuesday they shot one for fifteen combined, for a total of three points. Over the last two games the trio is shooting four of 33, or 12% from the field. (In Webster’s defense, he took a ridiculously hard fall after being undercut by Nenad Krstic, though he did return.)
The Blazers were dismal from the three point line, making just three of their 20 tries (15%).
Tonight’s loss kept the Blazers in the eighth place slot in the Western Conference playoff race.
Perhaps the one hurting most from these two defeats was Brandon Roy, who was watching from the bench. Not because of what could’ve been, but because Roy is close—but not too close—to returning, and he seems to be the only one capable of captaining this forlorn ship.
Before Tuesday’s game Nate McMillan was asked where he stood in the coach’s dilemma of wanting to win now versus management’s plan to build for the future. The Oregonian’s Jason Quick inquired how long could the coach convince his undermanned squad to keep giving their all against healthy competition? McMillan was ponderous. But after a game like tonight, one must wonder if we have the answer.
If so, the question changes: On the back of these two very emotional losses, will the fire burning beneath Kevin Pritchard to make a deal heat up? Will he acquiesce, or suffer the flames in hope that Roy’s eventual return will sweep depression, anxiety and inadequacy from the Blazer consciousness?
His decision, come February 18th, should tell Blazer Nation a whole lot about two things: how far Pritchard believes Brandon Roy alone can really carry this team; and how bad the injuries to Roy and Portland’s two centers truly are.
• Neil Paine of Basketball Reference contemplates the hired gun superstar. I think the closest we’ve come to a “hired gun superstar” is Shaq. Non-superstar, you have to give that award to Robert Horry.
I would have never guessed this day would come so soon. The Portland Trail Blazers take on the Oklahoma City Thunder…and the Thunder have a better record. Pretty disappointing but let’s put it in perspective. OKC is at full strength with Durant playing at an extremely high level. The Blazers are missing multiple key components and are trying to stay afloat.
“Petteri will play in the NBA next season, whether in Portland or not.”
• NBA Playbook breaks down a couple great plays from the Spurs/ Lakers game. Now, the part I find relevant to Portland is the first play, the Parker/McDyess pick and roll. When you have a guard that can penetrate and a big who can shoot, it makes it very hard on the help defense. Imagine Oden/Przybilla setting the pick—a la’ McDyess—and Aldridge/Outlaw playing the role of Duncan. With the shooting ability of Portland’s power forwards, it forces the help defenders to stick close, almost all the way to the corner three point line. This spacing allows the guards more room to operate. It is my belief that Pritchard and MacMillan have shown a clear preference for power forwards who can shoot the ball to help take the pressure off Portland’s guards. Keep this in mind as the team heads toward the trade deadline and later on, the draft.
• I’d like to personally welcome Bill Ryan to the PRS. As a Blazer fan in exile myself, I appreciate his article.
• As I’m sure you’ve heard, the League has sent a proposal regarding the 2011 CBA negotiations to the players association. However, you haven’t heard a whole lot about it from us here at Portland Roundball Society. The reason for that is there really isn’t much to say, the owners put forth an offer that was, in the words of Adonal Foyle “ludicrous.” This proposal will obviously not be the final incarnation of the CBA, this is just the first offer. Right now, this far away from the deadline, the league has no incentive to do anything other than ask for the moon. Think of it like a game of “chicken” where both cars are at the starting marks. Right now all that is happening is both drivers are revving their engines in the hopes of intimidating the other driver. As far apart as the two cars are, neither driver has any incentive to swerve or to tap the brakes. As we get closer to the deadline, there may indeed be much more swerving and screeching of tires, or at least we all hope so, because in negotiations of this nature, as in the game in real life, nobody wins when the cars collide.
A sweet thing happened at practice today, but it slipped my mind until now:
Jeff Pendergraph had a special guest at practice Monday: his mom. The two hung out after practice ended, chatting together on a sideline bench.
After Monty Williams wrapped up a full-court drill with Patty Mills and Travis Outlaw, Pendergraph brought his mother, LaDona Orcutt, over to meet the assistant coach. Williams had kind words for her son, adding that sometimes when rookies get playing time they think they know it all, but not Jeff—he’s continued to work hard and listen.
Just before they parted, Williams asked about their plans for the evening. “You gonna take her out?” Williams wondered, ready to share his knowledge of haute Portland cuisine. “You know the good spots?” Williams prodded, cracking a big smile, “you know, now that you got that NBA cheese?”
Pendergraph became bashful. No, they wouldn’t be going out. “We’re gonna be doing some home cooking tonight,” he said. Mom was seemed both excited and insistant—she would indeed cook for her son.
A sweet moment, one which sheds light on the deeper character that is Jeff Pendergraph. He’s all teeth on the court, but more than glaring off it.
(Editor’s note: Welcome Bill Ryan, a former Oregonian and Blazer season ticket holder now hacking out life in the Big Apple. His semi-regular column will explore what it’s like to follow the team from afar, and to be surrounded by two of the NBA’s most dismal franchises.)
“If you can’t be
with the one you love,
honey,
love the one you’re with.”
I grew up listening to bands like Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. Any time a song from that era springs forth from an arena’s PA, I settle into a numbing and dream-like contentment, even if, as was the case in Madison Square Garden this evening, the Knicks’ featured DJ is “mashing” the song with something hip and contemporary (and auto-tuned), using the dulcets of CSN&Y for an irony laugh.
It’s a fitting song for tonight, sitting in club seats built for what feels like circus midgets. I’m an Oregon Ex-Pat transplantee living in legendary Hell’s Kitchen, whose “legend” murdered my late-night comings and goings for the first two months of my new New York Life. Seriously.
But I survived to be here in Madison Square Garden; however, I sadly cannot be with the ones I love—the Trail Blazers. The Blazers and I have enjoyed an 18-year relationship, filled with the usual ups and downs of any torrid affair. I grew up in the Duckworth/Drexler/Porter era. I remember very distinctly my dad screaming in dismay when Kevin “****worth” (rhymes with “Duck,” synonym of “mom and dad’s special hug”) was so unlucky as to shoot free throws. Turns out my dad can’t abide poor free throw shooters.
Move the team to Oklahoma City? Who? Me?Portland Trail Blazers 2009-10, I’d like you to meet the Portland Trail Blazers 2007-08. The Oklahoma City Thunder are basically the Blazers, just a few years removed. Granted, there are plenty of differences between the two teams (plus don’t even get me started on a city vs. city competition), but similarities are clear: an exciting foundation of young players that is capable of taking teams by surprise, yet is still one or two pieces away from doing some damage in the postseason.
It’s like when Marty McFly sees his younger self in “Back to the Future II”, although hopefully this game will not tear a whole in the fabric of the space time continuum. The Thunder are on a five game win streak (against solid opponents, too: Atlanta, at New Orleans, Denver) and Kevin Durant has become not only the greatest scoring threat in the NBA, but the most consistent as well. Over the past 24 games Durant has scored at least 25 points a night. The Blazers must salvate at those numbers, since this team rarely has 25 point nights from any one player, and sadly a streak of 24 consecutive games from seems like a luxury.
If the sight of Durant isn’t enough to conjure up the ghosts of what-could-have-been, the Thunder know Portland’s other weakness—speedy point guards. Russell Westbrook is averaging 20 points and nine assists during the team’s winning streak and he dropped 23 against Portland during these two team’s only other meeting, the 84-73 Blazers victory on November 1st. While his game is still ironing out some kinks (like those nine turnovers he had against Portland), Westbrook could call his shot—by pointing a path to the basket in advance—and still dribble the ball around Steve Blake or Jerryd Bayless. He is like Aaron Brooks, but with the option of passing to Durant at will.
Portland has a four game winning streak against the Thunder, yet they are looking up at them in the standings. It’s a weird enough sensation to see the words “Oklahoma City” in the Northwest Division, but it’s even more bizarre to seem them with a higher winning percentage than most NBA teams. Despite having played three less games than the Blazers, this matchup is the Thunder’s final game before the break—while the league schedule has one final swift kick to Portland’s dignity, a back-to-back road game in Phoenix—so perhaps Durant’s All-Star mind will be in Dallas, instead of scoring on the kid from Dallas.
- Coach McMillan is on the mend. After injuring his achilles tendon in December, Nate was walking without a boot for the first time.
- Although Brandon Roy will not play in the All Star game, NBA policy dictates that he must attend the weekend of festivities. It seems a bit counter-intuititve when the Blazer star is hoping to rest his balky hamstring (he’s shut down ALL basketball-related activities). Although it’s not the best prescription, Roy said he is still excited to travel to Dallas and spend some time with guys like Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, and even his former teammate Zach Randolph.
- The media has been lobbying for Nic Batum’s return to the starting lineup ever since that first game he played since returning from shoulder surgery. It seems as if their wish may finally come true. Coach McMillan wouldn’t say concretely, but he did offer a few hints, admitting that he considered starting Batum Saturday against the Lakers. Not exactly Smooth Jimmy’s Lock of the Week, but it certainly could happen.
- During practice Travis Outlaw was wanting to go harder but was held back a bit. After the media were let in, Travis was working up quite a sweat, going heavy full court one-on-one with coach Monty Williams. Travis said he feels fine, and now it’s just a matter of working his endurance back into shape. He’s still shooting for a return one week after the All Star break.
- Los Angeles Clipper Chris Kaman was selected as an All Star alternate to play in Brandon Roy’s place. Talk about a downgrade…
- And just in case you missed it, here’s some video from a Laker celebration at the Rose Garden Saturday that’s become a pretty testy exchange in the youtube.com comments:
Ezra Ace Caraeff | 
Doesn’t this picture just make you hate Blaze the Trail Cat? He’s worthless.Just stop already.
