Oregon Sports Live

After dropping three straight to the talented but usually disorganized 76ers, the Blazers took care of business Wednesday night despite losing Brandon Roy, defeating Philadelphia on its home court to even the season series at a game apiece.

Notes from the game:

– Did Brandon come back too soon, or was the re-aggravation of his hamstring simply bad luck? Either way, it’s not good news for the red and black.

– I’m making it official. Andre Miller is now in Wade’s Crew. He deserves it. Despite turning the ball over once in crunch time, Dre put forward yet another game-changing effort. He’s really hit his stride, and his big numbers are becoming par for the course. To Miller’s critics who happen to be vegetarians: you don’t have to actually have to eat any crow if you don’t want to. Just suck on one of those blackbirds for a while and spit it out.

– Rudy’s getting that old rhythm back. Do you see it? He’s starting to put it together and feeling the flow again. My hope is to see him back to his old self after the All-Star break. Attack it, Rudy.

– Adam Bjaranson is pure. Comic. Gold. I can’t get enough of this guy. Don’t get me wrong. I love to pause and rewind and review Bob Akamian in slow motion on my DVR, but he can’t hold a candle to the live spontaneity of Bjaranson. He’s like Tyson in the ’80s. You never know when the knockout shot is coming, but you know it’s going to be spectacular. It could be  a glance, a smile, a look of confusion … the possibilities are endless. Take for instance this little clip of Bjaranson at the Civil War in Eugene. Just look at the contempt in his eyes as he grits his teeth and briefly plots that evil knee-patter’s death just before he coolly recovers and remembers that he’s Jim Carrey in “The Truman Show.” I’m making a formal request to have Bjaranson replace Akamian. Who’s with me?

– Anybody else catch the old “one guy’s wearing a ridiculous hat” bit that Mike and Mike pulled off coming out of the half? Classic. Those guys are the new Abbott and Costello, I’m tellin’ ya.

– Speaking of Mike Rice, I’m currently in talks with his agent about writing his biography. The tentative title is “Easies, Freebies and Cheapies: The Mike Rice Story.”

– Isn’t it fun to watch Allen Iverson run around the court now that he’s roughly half as fast as Jerryd Bayless? No? Well, I get a big kick out of it, anyway.

– And how about that Jerryd Bayless? Talk about a fourth-quarter takeover. And in that vein, nearly everybody on the roster has stepped up at one point or another to cover the team’s backside in the last couple of weeks. The younger guys are receiving valuable experience that will most likely help the team down the road. Were all these injuries a blessing in disguise? A precursor to next year’s title run? A preamble to a budding dynasty? Could I possibly jinx it any worse?

That’s all I got for ya, maniacs. Now go say 12 Hail Mary’s and apologize for reading this to the Big Guy upstairs.

Yes, the game was an early one.  Of course, Brandon Roy missed his second consecutive game due to a hamstring injury.  Yet this game falls under the category of a missed opportunity.

The Blazers fell to the Gilbert Arenas-less Washington Wizards 97-92 and LaMarcus Aldridge could’ve done something about it.

I’ve heard that Aldridge isn’t back to 100 percent from his ankle injuries.  He’s not healthy, right?

In this game he played 43 minutes.  He scored nearly at will in the late third quarter, and he rebounded the ball fantastically on the offensive side of the ball.

He had great stats.

But Aldridge wanted no part of the action in the late fourth quarter.

This is a big story.

The great folks at BE wrote about Portland’s deficiencies defensively, but the bigger story to me was Aldridge’s unwillingness to seize the spotlight Monday.

Portland’s season has bordered on Shakespearean drama thus far.  Despite the loss of their two centers and two dynamic forwards the Blazers have stemmed the temptation to slide toward mediocrity.

In fact they’ve excelled.

Brandon Roy leads the charge – but the tonic that mesmerizes the rabid Blazers fanbase is how the Blazers embody the definition of a “team.”

Roy is the superstar, but he leads an ensemble worthy of the big stage.  Aldridge is supposed to play the role of wingman.  He’s done an adequate job of filling that role thus far, but that sense of urgency just simply isn’t there – especially late in games.

Aldridge doesn’t “bring it” for an entire game, and his opponents take note of that.

About a week ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers came to Portland and the Blazers had a typically great effort that led to defeat.  They fought back into the game when the outcome seemed decided.  Yet, there’s one play that sticks out in my mind.

Lamarcus Aldridge corralled an offensive rebound with nothing but Anderson Verajao and a couple feet of air between the Blazers and a one possession game.  Aldridge declined to put his considerable offensive skills to the test, and passed up the shot.  The Blazers didn’t score on that possession, and ultimately fell to the Cavaliers.

The Blazers need a second option to show up consistently in the fourth quarter, or else Brandon Roy’s burden grows.  Martell Webster, Rudy Fernandez, Jerryd Bayless, and every other role player will play a role, but only one player holds the key to the elusive “second banana” moniker.  That’d be LaMarcus Aldridge.

Watching the Blazers humiliate the defending Eastern Conference Champions was astounding.  Like – can’t believe my eyes type of stuff.  No Brandon Roy.  Who cares?  This team is all about heart.  And smarts.  And guts.  And intestinal fortitude and all that jazz.

Yes, they shot the lights out from 3 point range, and Orlando couldn’t shoot the broad side of a barn most of the game.  Yet, that didn’t tell the whole story.  The story was team defense, and an overall team approach from the Trail Blazers.

Just an FYI (and this might be an abbreviated list) in the past two years the Blazers have bested the Spurs, Celtics and Magic without their best player in uniform.  That’s a veritable Murderer’s Row of opponents slayed without Brandon Roy.

The Magic never had a chance.  Effort, heart and desire have a heck of a lot of influence in the NBA.

The Blazers used those traits to their advantage in the first half, oh and second half too.  Jeff Pendergraph, Juwan Howard, Dante Cunningham and virtually every Blazer guard played tremendous team defense and tipped balls to their teammates on their way to an overall rebounding advantage against the immense Dwight Howard and company.

Howard (the Orlando one) was so exasperated he snapped at diminutive Steve Blake at the end of the first half.  The defending Eastern Conference champs lost their cool, and ultimately couldn’t recover.

Portland won because of incredible shooting and timely buckets from virtually every Blazer in the second half.  That is undeniable.

But I was struck by the sheer effort made in the first half in particular on the defensive end.  The Blazer bigs accepted their physical limitations and focused on simply tipping balls to teammates in better position to secure rebounds.  This is remedial basketball, but it’s incredibly important, and an example of good coaching.

I don’t know if this coaching comes from veteran expertise (read Howard, Juwan) or from the coaching staff.  That is irrelevant.  It’s simply tangible evidence of a team showing profound growth and ability to adapt to their opponents on a nightly basis.  The Blazers knew they had no chance of bodying Dwight Howard on the low blocks.

Thus they adapted and used superior positioning and effort so they could tip balls to teammates.  This is good basketball, and the hallmark of great coaching and players who are amenable to said coaching.

The cumulative effect of this is exciting for fans of good basketball.  Nate McMillan is truly using what he has in personnel to the best of his ability.  Thus far, the results are astounding.

Tonight brought an unfamiliar sight for the current group of Blazers: a blowout win that was never really in question. The Blazers took care of business against Milwaukee with a 120 – 108 victory – a final score that doesn’t clearly represent how dominant the Blazers were in this game. The Bucks were undermanned themselves, having recently lost star-guard Michael Redd with a season-ending knee injury, and looked unfocused an aimless for a majority of the game.

• It’s good to see Rudy back in action, if for no other reason than seeing an image of Portland’s healthy past return to the court. While he was limited to just 15 minutes and was largely ineffective, he should provide a much-needed scoring punch off of the bench once he’s regained he gets his legs back and finds his rhythm. It should also mean a reduction in Martell Webster’s minutes, who’s been run ragged  lately with most of the other wing players sidelined. Hopefully this results in more consistent, sustainable play for the Blazers as a whole.

• The Blazers were on fire in the first half, but as hot as they were, the Bucks equally horrendous. They had nine turnovers in the first half, several from lackadaisical passes and backcourt blunders. It seems as though the Bucks’ offense tonight consisted of shooting three-pointers and hoping Andrew Bogut gets the rebound. The Bucks are at their best when milking the Brandon Jennings pick and roll, and making Bogut a point of emphasis in the post – both of which were glaringly absent tonight.

• It was nice to see Brandon Roy assert himself early tonight. He had 12 points in the opening period, and seemed as he was trying to establish Portland as the aggressor from the tip. Too often we see Roy defer to his teammates in the first quarter, so this was a nice change of pace. He ended with a highly efficient 22 points on 7 of 10 shooting in just 27 minutes of play.

• Jeff Pendergraph continued to prove his value to this team, and had a few very memorable moments. Most notably, he  had two emphatic blocks on the defensive end. The kind where the ball is swatted so far away that it seemed unneccessary. Unnecessary as it may be, it sure is fun to watch. He also hit a nice 15-footer from the charity stripe. Good form, good spin on the ball…it all looked smooth. Could Pendergraph one day develop a solid mid-range game to go with his bang-and-bruise style of play?

• Lastly, have you noticed the crazy guy who sits (or stands, rather) behind the hoop, and just goes all sorts of crazy during Blazers opponent free-throws? I’ve noticed him since the opening game this year. The most entertaining part is how he often looks truly disappointed or defeated when the opponents do make their free throws – as if he didn’t do his job. Well, apparently he has really taken his role to heart, as tonight’s broadcast featured a telling close up of him. What was he wearing? A “The Free Throw Guy” T-shirt. Where can I get one?

Note to Nate: Andre Miller is not Sergio Rodriguez. No offense to Serge.

The word around our local corner of the Internet is that Andre Miller and Nate McMillan engaged in a heated argument after Thursday’s practice.

The dispute supposedly centered on (what else?) Andre Miller’s seemingly always changing role within the team. Naturally, team officials are either denying the confrontation took place or dismissing the argument as nothing major. The Columbian’s Brian T. Smith, however, quoted both Miller and McMillan during the overheard exchange, and not all of the language was G-rated.

So, the real question is this: if in fact said argument did take place, and if in fact Andre did use said colorful language to express his dissatisfaction with his place on the team, does the veteran point guard have a legitimate point?

You bet your ass he does.

If you’ve watched these last few games, I bet you agree with me. Finally allowed to play significant minutes due to a bevy of Blazer injuries and poor Steve Blake catching pneumonia, Dre has played his best basketball of the season. Attacking with veteran versatility, Miller has put the team on his back at times and kept them in close ballgames by scoring in double figures (23, 22 and 16 in his last three games).

But the points have been a bonus. What the team was looking for when they signed the former Ute was veteran leadership and floor generalship. And that’s exactly what he’s given the Blazers in the month of January. Against a humongous Clippers squad in LA, Miller dropped 16 dimes in a tough loss. Finally feeling the flow of the game, Dre looked up the floor, got into the lane, blew past Baron Davis hundreds of times…and all his teammates had to do was cut to the basket or step out to the three point line. That’s easy basketball. That’s fun.

At home against a red-hot Grizz team, Andre showed his commitment to hustle and scrappy play (and his intelligence. He had the diminutive Mike Conley on him most of the night) by snagging 10 rebounds, five of them offensive. Considering the way Memphis crashes the offensive glass, without the Miller-instigated extra possessions, Portland would have been toast. As it was, they nearly won the game.

And yet, despite his excellent play, Miller is consistently being left out in the cold during crunch time. This is baffling to me. I’m baffled.

Why not give the man some late minutes and see if he can’t win you a ballgame or two?

Yes, Andre is a high-risk, high-reward type of player, and yes, he’s going to turn the ball over sometimes while trying to make plays (six turnovers against the Warriors on Jan. 2). But let me pose a question: are y’all, as Blazer fans, really more comfortable with Jerryd Bayless playing those fourth-quarter minutes?

Bayless is an impact player at the moment. He’s not quite ready for primetime, but he has as much raw ability and athleticism as one could hope for. Doesn’t it make more sense to give him big second and third-quarter minutes and turn him loose on the D? Let him attack the rim to his prehistoric heart’s content without concern of saving fuel for crunch time. In short, let him do what he does best, and let Andre take a leadership role on this team.

I get the feeling that there’s insecurity not only within the organization but also within the city as a whole. It seems like people are afraid that if Miller assumes a position of power that it will somehow diminish the leadership of Brandon, LaMarcus and Blake, and the Blazers will suddenly all run around the court, flailing their arms wildly, screaming at anyone within earshot, “PLEASE GOD TELL ME WHAT TO DOOOOOOO!!!!!”

This sounds similar to the idea that allowing gays to marry will somehow make straight marriage less good. I’ll give you a second to let the idiocy of both statements sink in.

The bottom line is this: if Andre Miller is complaining about his playing time, his role, his purpose on this team, then good.

Maybe somebody will listen.

While the depleted Blazers have continued to surpass everyone’s expectations, winning eight of their last 10 games, I have maintained that as long as Brandon Roy is in the game Portland has a good shot at winning. While the Los Angeles Clippers couldn’t keep Roy off the floor tonight, they made a concerted effort to center their whole defensive scheme around him. The fronted him, brought double teams when he received the ball, and used Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby to help off of their man to deny Roy the ball or help out once he received the rock. While this strategy often freed up other Blazers for wide-open looks, it was successful in disrupting Roy’s rhythm – holding him to just 6 points (on 3-12 shooting).  Without a reliable Roy to turn to in the fourth quarter, the Blazers’ offense became stagnant and eventually led to a 105-95 loss.

That isn’t to say that tonight’s game was without bright spots. For the first three quarters, the Blazers played up-tempo, free-flowing, and inspiring basketball. With Roy’s struggles, the Blazers saw several players step up to keep Portland in this game.

Andre Miller, in particular, was fantastic tonight. Dueling with Baron Davis all-night, Miller had an electrifying first half (10 points and 10 assists) and finished with a 22 point and 16 assist evening. We saw Miller stealing passes, finishing at the rim, and making great decisions with the basketball. Not a bad return for the L.A. native and former Clipper.

Martell Webster had his second great game in a row, finishing with 25 points (5-9 from downtown). He was also active on the fastbreak, and was the recipient of two Miller passes that resulted in emphatic dunks. Webster is proving that when he gets consistent minutes he is capable of being a significant contributor. After scoring 17 first-half points, he was a bit more quiet in the second half. Webster again proved to be a player who thrives on positive team momentum when the defenses have to key on other players (like Roy, Miller, etc.), allowing him to find the open spot on the floor or the open cutting lane.

The other truly notable Blazer tonight was Juwan Howard. He did a great job of knocking down open mid-range shots when his defender would leave to help on Brandon Roy. At one point, Chris Kaman looked to coach Mike Dunleavy in dismay as if to say “Coach, if we keep doing this Juwan is going to have the night of his life.” While it wasn’t the night of his life, it was definitely one of his most productive games as a Blazer. In 36 minutes of play, Howard chipped in 16 points (8-11 shooting) and four boards. He also had one of the best highlights his aging career. Roy drove baseline drawing in Kaman and Camby, dished it off to a cutting Howard who threw down a posterizing dunk on Kaman. Posterizing is not an overexaggeration.

In the end, the Blazers just didn’t have enough in the tank to finish of the Clippers. Their hot start fizzled, and their defense became absent, but the Blazers gave an admirable effort given the players they had available. I think we can excuse an out-of-the-ordinary performance from Roy, who had averaged 27.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 4.9 apg throughout the month of December.

The Blazers won’t have to wait long for a chance to bounce back from tonight’s loss, as the Memphis Grizzlies come to town tomorrow. LaMarcus Aldridge is expecting to make his return, which should alleviate some pressure off of Roy, but I would imagine his mobility will still be somewhat limited if he does play. Still, the Blazers will welcome Aldridge back with open arms if only to have another big in their lineup. We’ll see if the second night of a back-to-back shows a fatigued Blazers squad, or if they approach it as an opportunity for redemption.

The Unlikely "MVP"

The wacky, heart-wrenching, and bizarre year couldn’t have ended on any other note for the Portland Trail Blazers.  The Blazers bounced back from Monday’s loss to the 76ers with a victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, but they almost frittered away a double digit fourth quarter lead in the process.

Oh, and franchise pillar LaMarcus Aldridge sprained his ankle after just six minutes of play.

You get the feeling the Blazers will sign “Auld Lang Syne” in the New Year’s dawn.

“This has gone past crazy,” head coach Nate McMillan said about the team’s rash of injuries.

McMillan calmly steadied his crutches on the Blazers press conference wall before talking about yet another Blazer injury.  He said it’s”nerve-wracking” anytime his players step on the court.

It’s not clear when Aldridge (arguably the team’s most indispensable piece) will return in the new year.  He wore a protective boot after the game, but McMillan thinks it’s just a precautionary measure.

The rest of the Blazers showed extraordinary grit and heart to pull out another victory.

They were led by (who else) Brandon Roy.  Roy hit left handed floaters, layups, up-and-under makes, and a variety of mid-range jumpers on his way to 25 efficient points.

Despite carrying a double digit lead, the game seemed headed to a nail-biting finish.  Then Roy drilled an elbow jumper to make it 103-97, and  the Clippers never got within four points.

Coach McMillan credited his two rookie second round picks (Dante Cunningham and Jeff Pendergraph) for “huge” and stellar play in lieu of Aldridge.

He also anointed one of the league’s oldest players as the team MVP thus far.  McMillan said Juwan Howard is having a profound influence on Pendergraph and Cunningham (click here for McMillan talking about Juwan).

Howard had 10 points and 9 rebounds in 38 minutes of action.

The wily veteran talked about his young post players like a proud father.  Howard credited Pendergraph’s “basketball IQ” for enabling him to produce on such short notice (click here for more audio).

The rookie Pendergraph ripped down a career high 14 rebounds.  In the locker room he was asked if he foresaw this much success this year considering his preseason surgery.  “Heck no, I was broke.  I didn’t know I would play at all,  I thought I might miss the whole season.”

Pendergraph said he couldn’t pinpoit specific advice from Howard.  Howard  just encourages the rookie  to enjoy playing the game (click here for more audio).

Jerryd Bayless provided more spark off the bench for the Blazers.  He added 14 points and 8 assists.  Remarkably, the Blazers are in a tie for first place in their division with the Denver Nuggets.

Other Notes:

- McMillan said halftime was a bizarre experience.  He saw a “whole bunch of empty seats” and he said the team couldn’t help but laugh “for about a minute” at the ridiculous string of injuries and his depleted roster.

- Pendergraph said he didn’t do anything special before the game.  He said he felt really tired.  He should be tired more often.

- Dante Cunningham had some nice mid-range jumpers.  He said his shot is feeling good.  I asked him about Howard’s influence.  He said a lot of it centers around how he carries himself.  You know, fashion (click here for more audio).

- McMillan said he hates saying it, but the team is playing good basketball right now despite the loss of so many key players.

- Howard said Derrick Smith (assistant coach when he was with the Bullets) served as his mentor and taught him the little things about being a professional.

- Howard’s New Years resolution: “I probably just need to try and read more books.”  He said he needs to “stay away from the USA Today all the time.”  I agree with the USA Today thing Juwan.

A frigidly cold fourth quarter sealed the Blazers fate in Orlando.

It’s only fitting that a torrid shooting display by soon to be 3-time all-star Brandon Roy pulled the Blazers to victory against the Miami Heat Sunday evening.

The smiles on the faces of the players and coaches told the story.  This was a huge victory for their consciences and morale.  Bigger battles still lie ahead, but the team showed a blueprint for future success.

The story was more than just Roy, but the Blazer leader put on his best Kyra Sedgwick performance (that’s the first and last “Closer” reference on OSL I hope) in the final stanza.

Roy was efficient and dynamic.  His fifth three pointer proved to be the dagger.

Basketball outcomes are often dictated by how the ball caroms off the rim on a given night.  When a shooter is hitting nothing but nylon like Roy did all night, that limits the possibility of errant and untimely bounces.

Dwyane Wade must’ve felt cursed by the rim Gods Sunday.  He had several jumpers rimm in and out late in the game.

The difference for Portland Sunday was effort and energy from Przybilla, Webster, and productive minutes from Andre Miller.  The role players filled their roles adequately,  Lamarcus Aldridge showed up, and Roy closed the deal.

Roy summed up the performance to Mike Barrett well: this is the way the team has to play going forward.

Two more brutal games remain on the current road swing (Mavs and Spurs).

It bears mentioning that Portland has played only 8 games thus far without Greg Oden.

It sure feels like more than that.

They are 4-4 in those games.  One of those losses the team never really showed up (the Knicks game).  The other 3 (Cavs, Bucks, Magic) the Blazers had chances to win but didn’t capitilize late in the game.  Despite the shaky feeling that some fans understandedly still have, you have to be encouraged by the team’s effort.

If they can play .500 ball (as they’ve done in the past 8 games) the playoffs are still a distinct possibility.  The games will only get tougher and a depleted roster forces fewer bodies to shoulder the scoring load.  As a predominately jump-shooting team Portland is susceptible to scoring droughts and shooting slumps like the fourth quarters against Cleveland and Orlando.

The Blazers rode a hot-shooting Roy to victory Sunday, but the Natural admitted to being tired early in the game so he picked his spots.

The effort is inspiring, but you wonder whether the few Blazers left can keep this type of energy going in February and March.  It’s a long season and games like Sunday’s only illuminate that fact.

What are your biggest concerns about the team right now?  Is the point guard situation still as muddy as it seems to be?  I don’t see the team making any sort of deal with one of its three point guards unless it’s a no-brainer.

On some teams, select players don’t get the chance to shine because there are proven commodities playing in front of them. This has been the case for the Portland Trail Blazers’ reserves for the past couple of years, but has come to a crashing halt with their litany of serious injuries in the past two months. The wounded Blazers have had to look down the bench for production, and a good thing they did, because they have now seen what Jerryd Bayless is capable of.

The Blazers spent all summer honing Bayless’ point-guard skills with the promise that as their primary backup (behind Steve Blake) he would truly get his chance to shine. In the Las Vegas Summer League, the Blazers urged him to focus on his playmaking skills and his ability to “run a team.” They already knew that Bayless could score at will in a summer league setting (as he did the previous year), but they wanted to see the floor general within him emerge. Bayless proved himself to be serviceable at the point guard spot, but still never really felt like the conductor of the orchestra.

After failed attempts at various offseason targets, the Blazers signed free-agent point guard Andre Miller – one of the game’s best playmakers and passers. It was clear that with Miller’s resume, alongside Blake’s experience and chemistry with star Brandon Roy, that Bayless would find himself buried in the depth chart once again. However the Blazers have a unique logjam at the point guard position, with all three players bringing distinctly different positive attributes (as well as glaring weaknesses) to the table. Even though the Blazers’ injury problems have not been at the point guard spot, Bayless has used his differentiating attributes to carve out time for himself within the Blazers’ rotation.

The Blazers may have come to realize that maybe Bayless isn’t going to be the prototypical point guard they hoped to mold him into. Bayless is a scorer. That isn’t to say that Bayless can’t handle the ball efficiently or get his teammates involved – he can – but when he comes in the game distribution shouldn’t be his primary duty. This is what we saw in tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns. The Blazers gave Bayless the ball, trusted in him, and allowed him to create his own shot. Largely spurred by his relentless hustle, Bayless poured in a career-high 29 points to help lead the Blazers to a much-needed win.

Bayless has demonstrated that he has one of the (if not the) quickest first steps on the Blazers, and he uses it to take the ball to the rack with reckless abandon. His strength allows him to finish after contact, and take a beating after diving into the land of the trees. He clearly has worked on his shooting touch as well, as several of his shots tonight came from pull-up 20 footers. He was also two of three from behind the arc. Most of all, Bayless plays with more outward intensity than anyone on the Blazers. It’s easy to see that he is hungry to make his mark not only within the Blazers, but to prove himself to the league.

It could be argued that Bayless is an even better backcourt counterpart to Roy than Blake is. Blake’s primary strength playing alongside Roy is his ability to knock down three-point shots once Roy has forced the defense to collapse. While Blake knocked down four of seven from downtown tonight, he has struggled with his outside shot much more this year than we’ve seen in years past. While Bayless’ outside shot is currently nowhere near as reliable as that of Blake, his stroke is improving and should continue to improve. Given Bayless’ scorers mentality, the Blazers’ can rely more heavily on Roy to be the primary playmaker on the floor – which caters to Roy’s preference as well. Bayless can attack the defense when called upon on offense, and chase around the other teams’ quick point-guards on defense.

It will be interesting to see what the Blazers do with their roster once it is on the mend. Even the return of just Rudy Fernandez will require the Blazers to be creative in doling out playing time while still managing the individual egos within the roster. It’s clear that the Blazers have more than a full rotation of players that deserve to play, which has been a blessing in light of all of their injuries. However, at some point, something’s got to give. What’s also clear is that the Blazers haven’t found their comfort zone in the backcourt yet, and that spot is still very much up for grabs. It would seem as though one of the Blazers’ three very-capable point guards needs to be traded for a different piece, likely a frontcourt player. Continuing to use this “point guard by committee” will prolong the Blazers confusion of playing styles, and frankly, there just aren’t enough minutes to go around for this experiment to be sustainable. Bayless’ performance tonight was a healthy reminder of a “good” problem to have, but a problem that needs to be dealt with at some point none the less.

Also posted on NBA Noise

It’s no secret, the Blazers have struggled to find their identity and style of play while coping with the loss of so many integral players on their roster. Their last two losses came in heart-wrenching fashion, revealing a multitude of weakness including a lack of rhythm and purpose offensively in crunch time. Tonight against the Sacramento Kings, the Blazers looked like a team that was beginning to feel comfortable in their new skin and were able to come away with a 95-88 win.

While the Kings aren’t a top-tier opponent, the Blazers can’t complain about where they get their wins. That, and the Kings are better than they’re given credit for. They have a Rookie-of-the-Year candidate in Tyreke Evans, and talented (and competitive) players in Jason Thompson, Beno Udrih and Andres Nocioni, among others. These guys are no pushovers. What I liked most about the Blazers’ performance tonight was that each player filled their role effectively. Brandon Roy handled much of the offensive playmaking responsibilities, and had an efficient 25 points and 10 assists. Roy also looked assertive on offense, taking what the defense was giving him without overthinking his options. He also worked the pick-and-roll beautifully with LaMarcus Aldridge, who battled through an ankle injury to have another solid game with 25 points and 9 rebounds. When the Blazers can get this type of performance out of their stars, they will always be in a position to be successful.

But it wasn’t just the stars who were on point tonight. Joel Przybilla manned the glass, Martell Webster was an active contributor (and threw down another monster baseline dunk tonight), Juwan Howard and Dante Cunningham provided valuable spot minutes off the bench, and Steve Blake decided to dust off his long-lost shot in the fourth quarter when the Blazers needed it the most.

But the most notable contributor from the role players tonight was Jerryd Bayless. Amidst trade murmurs and speculation, Bayless’ aggressive brand of basketball elevated the Blazers in the fourth quarter and put them over the top. Especially as the game’s tempo began to escalate, it was Bayless who

was able to put the pressure on Sacramento by attacking the defense and taking it hard to the rack. Interestingly, Andre Miller (even more subject to trade rumors right now) started the game but was ice-cold from the floor and never got into sync during the game. While Miller logged the most minutes of the three point-guards, it was Blake and Bayless who took over during the final stretch. Clearly the Blazers have yet to establish a comfortable rotation in the backcourt, and Bayless’ recent emergence makes the distribution of playing time even more difficult. The Blazers will have to keep tinkering until they find a combination that truly clicks. Otherwise, a trade certainly wouldn’t be out of the question.

This game was extremely important for the Blazers to win. They are depleted, yes, but if they hope to make it to the playoffs this year these types of games are must-wins. They are also heading into a very difficult stretch, and need to build up as much momentum as possible. After they play Phoenix at home on Thursday, the Blazers will head out on a treacherous road trip where they will make stops in Orlando, Miami, Dallas and San Antonio…only to come home to have division-rival Denver waiting for them. Tonight’s win helps bolster their confidence and should help to establish a productive rhythm within the group.

The Theen Machine made some excellent points regarding the Blazers’ most recent roadtrip, but Ol’ Mike has a couple of things to add before the Rose Garden is one again populated by thousands of hoop-ites on Tuesday:

The Blazers absolutely must find some source of low-post scoring.

Obviously, the most logical source of inside buckets could and should be scored by LaMarcus Aldridge. It’s a mystery to me why LA doesn’t use his jump hook more often. Everything is either fading away or an attempt to draw contact. Actually, this might work better if I just address him directly:

Dear LaMarcus:

Dude, you’re 6’11”. There aren’t a whole ton of guys who could block that jump hook if you just go straight up and use your left forearm to protect your space. Use the glass. Two hard dribbles to the paint and then kiss it, dig? If they double down on you, kick it out to Martell or Brandon or Blakey for an easy three. You can be a force with your back to the basket, big man. I know you can. You’re frail, but you’re not made of porcelain. Get in there and shoot some six-footers. They push? You push back. Last night in Milwaukee was beautiful. I want to see more of that.

Sincerely,

Some Dork At His Laptop

One thing is for certain: the Blazers cannot continue to live by the jump shot, or they will surely die. Whether it be Aldridge, Cunningham or Howard (or Miller?), Portland must generate an inside threat worthy of the defense’s respect to free up Blazer guards and facilitate ball movement.

Run, Run, Run like the Velvet Underground.

This is meant to be a supplemental strategy to my first point, but it might be able to serve as a contingency plan if option one fails to materialize. The Blazers’ half court sets right now are…how shall I say this?

Stinky. They’re stinky.

Portland’s easiest buckets are coming in transition. Simple, smart basketball plays have kept Portland in ballgames, and opportunities to make plays are most prevalent either on the break or in the few seconds immediately after the defense gets set and Portland’s trailer is approaching the three-point line. If nothing is there, the team will reverse the ball and start the offense (one guy dribbling and four guys standing and watching). Want good shots with an undersized and undermanned lineup? Move the ball out of the break and don’t hesitate to pull the trigger. Time spent waiting is time wasted at this point.

Agree? Disagree? Let people know how much smarter you are than them in the comments.

The Blazers return home for two games against the Kings and Suns, then hit the road for a brual four game swing (Magic, Heat, Mavs, Spurs).  Will the fracturing disjointed squad still be above the .500 mark in the New Year?  It’s a worthy question.  We’ll tackle that question later on this week.   Here’s four things we learned from the latest road trip.

1. LaMarcus Aldridge needs to stoke the fire – The Bucks game ended with disappointment and mild controversy, but LA finally showed the inner rage he needs to channel on a nightly basis.  He ripped down rebounds in traffic, threw down alley-oops, and generally made his presence known.  Aldridge needs to rebound like that more often and he needs to play angry more often.  Like, try “always often.”  When Aldridge plays as if the entire arena is questioning his manhood, there’s no end to his potential.  So go ahead basketball fans.  Call up LA and question his manhood.  Call him a sissy.  Say he is soft.  It may be the only way to bring out the fire.

2. Jerryd Bayless needs more minutes like Tiger needs a vacation – We all know BE chronicled this issue extensively.  His jumper IS looking better, and it’s clear the Blazers need a burst of energy.  Bayless still struggles with decision-making, but those issues can only be addressed with more playing time.  Steve Blake is to energy what molasses is to viscosity.  Look at it this way, Travis Outlaw hasn’t played a game in almost a month.  Yet he’s still logged more minutes on the year than Bayless.  Give the guy his time.

3. Steve Blake is broken.  Blake provides two essential traits as a point guard.  He doesn’t turn the ball over, and he makes three pointers.  Blake is not doing one of those things consistently right now.

3a. Dean Demopolous is a handsome man.  Just saying.

4. Andre Miller started ahead of Steve Blake in Denver.  He is unquestionably playing better than his point guard counterpart.  Also, Miller and Roy are playing well off of each other.  Miller made some turnovers in the Bucks game, but those issues pale in comparison to the way Blake is playing.  The time is nigh.  Make that time Tuesday night

What did you learn from the road trip?

Editor’s Note: Tim Lane is a recent transplant to NYC, a teacher, a writer, and a life-long Blazers fan.

I had the Blazers against Knicks game circled on my calendar for months. Here was my  chance to see a hometown team do good in one of the most historic arenas in the world. I was going to experience my new city with a slight flavoring of my old. I expected heated rivalry, crazy fans and a tension-rich environment.

My first disappointment came when I found out New Yorkers treat going to a Knicks game like going to a coworker’s birthday party: you show up a little late, you leave a little early, and it’s something to talk about at the water cooler the next day.

They fill half the seats, spend most of the game in line for beer and only really get loud when the t-shirt gun comes out. They tend to hold circular conversations about LeBron James, and if or if not he will be wearing the orange and blue next year. For a team whose motto this year is, “Declare Your Team,” they tend to focus on declaring and declaring and declaring a team that has yet to exist (next year’s team) starring a guy under contract for a completely different organization (the Cavs).

Within the first five minutes of play, I was certain that my Northwest boys were going to show these city kids how to play. Some hard work. A little grit. You know. Plus, the Knicks are basically that creepy older Uncle who lives in the basement this year, only coming up out of the shadows at the temptation of free beer or pizza. Or in this game’s case, Danilo Gallinari coming alive somehow. It would be a cakewalk.

However, in what has seem to become a yearly Blazer tradition, we were hit hard with the injury curse. Oden down with a knee injury, Rudy sidelined with a faulty shoulder, and Coach McMillan bedridden with a ruptured right Achilles tendon. Added to the Travis Outlaw and Nicolas Batum injuries, it’s beginning to get a little bit spooky. By my count we’re a good month and a half past Halloween, so let’s quit with the tricks already and get some treats.

Still, we put up a fight. For a while. But for the most part we were sloppy, we were lazy and we spent more time on the floor pleading for calls than making plays.

In one series of events, when the Blazers had managed to pull within eleven points with a little under six minutes to play, Jarryd Bayless tried to split the defenders on his way to the hoop only to lose control of the ball and wind up on the ground. As the Knicks galloped to the other end of the floor to a smattering of applause (which judging how the fans behaved the entire night, a smattering of applause is HUGE in Madison Square Garden) he held out his palms to the ref like a child instead of getting up and going after the ball.

Then, a little bit further on in the game, Brandon Roy started to heat up. He was making his signature tear-drops in the lane and his change of speed was giving the Knick defense fits. I started checking Knicks fans in my periphery, excited to finally show off how my Blazers get down. After rattling off two buckets in a row he split the defense again, but this time dished off to Joel Przybilla for what should have been an easy dunk, but which was instead volleyball spiked into the ground (it was a serious, I-miss-Oden moment). As Chris Duhon ran the ball down to the other end, Roy dragged his feet and let his head drop. He knew it. I knew it. Even most of the New York fans, despite spending more time gossiping about appearances by Celine Dion, Rihanna and the guitarist from Def Leppard than watching the game, knew it.

We had our chance, we had our shot, and we blew it. We blew it in the most famous arena in the country.

With three minutes to go, Knicks fans began streaming for the exits. Some were excited, but most were simply not.

“Yeah, yeah,” I heard one guy say, “it’s like this is the one night we can be happy this whole season.”

Well it was for me, too, and now it’s been taken away. I DO NOT want to talk about this at the water cooler tomorrow.

Tim Lane is a writer, teacher, photographer, and life-long Oregonian.  Check out his thoughts at loman.blogspot.com

“What the hell was that?”

My apologies to anyone offended by the H-E-Double Hockey Sticks word, but I thought you all deserved to know my gut reaction to the last two games the Blazers have played. Everyone clear on how I’m feeling? Good. Odds are if you’re reading this, you’re empathizing with my present attitude. Let’s try and break this down, shall we?

A few days ago, fellow OSLer Stu Holdren postulated that the Blazers’ cupcake schedule thus far was going unnoticed, and that the team’s 12-5 record was a little misleading.

“Strongly disagree!!!” I shouted from my couch between giant handfulls of Smartfood popcorn.

Two games later, and I’m still reluctant to admit defeat. My thinking now, as it was then, is that the schedule is inconsequential. As it did last year, the team is playing down to the level of its competition. That’s something that needs to be corrected but is such an abstract coaching concept that it’s difficult to implement. Seriously, you try getting everybody on your team to play hard for 48 minutes with flawless execution. It’s tough.

What I took from the first 17 games of the season was this: the Blazers may be trying to give these easy games away, but they’re winning. Close games matter. Hard-fought games matter. You’re not going to be perfect every night, and you need to prove to yourself that you can beat Oklahoma City, even when you’re playing like the Swiss National Girl’s U-18 team.

But these last two games … I don’t even know where to start. The lack of effort, especially in Utah, was incredibly discouraging. Help defense was either slow or nonexistent. That beautiful ball movement we saw in the last five games? Adios. In the words of Bill Walton, “Exactly what IS the OFFENSE???”

The simple answer: Brandon Roy dribbling in isolation with the shot clock winding down (or, as we saw in both games, dribbling in isolation, unaware that the quarter is about to expire).

These two embarrassing losses could be blamed on any number of Blazer personnel: LaMarcus Aldridge got beat down by Z-Bo, Booz and Millsap. Nate McMillan, for some reason, refused to look to Greg Oden for offense when the rest of the team was sputtering. Steve Blake is still shaky with the ball. Andre Miller hasn’t been taking care of it much better. But pointing fingers isn’t the answer, nor does two games a season make.

I’ve said it before, so please forgive the redundancy, but there’s no need to lose your cool. The fact is, Utah is back healthy, and they blitzkrieged the bejeezus out of Portland. The Blazers never saw it coming, which was foolish, because underestimating a team like the Jazz is just bad for business. And Memphis? Man, if they ever figure out how to play together on a consistent basis, they are going to be scary. Jerry West laid a fine foundation for the Grizz, and they’re a talented team. The game they played against Portland might have been the best effort I’ve ever seen out of any Grizzlies team. Ever.

The most disconcerting aspect of the two beatdowns was the half-dead bodies slogging up and down the court in red and black. Die-hards who recall last year’s pitiful transition defense in Boston must be having some scary deja vu right about now.

The bottom line is this: the talent is there. We know that for a fact. Fix the problems in effort and execution, and this team can blow out anybody in the league on a given night. So no, Blazermaniacs, you don’t need to hit the panic button. Yet.

What do you guys and gals think? In your opinions, what went wrong these last two games, and how can the Blazers get back on track? Shout it out in the comments, Rip City.

Happy Thanksgiving OSL fans.  Here’s what we are thankful for this year.

Whitman I’m thankful for…MMA’s continuously growing popularity

I’m not going to lie. There was a time not so long ago that I felt a little ashamed to be an MMA fan. After all, no civilized or educated person should want to watch two men grapple and strike and bleed within the confines of an octagonal cage, right? Wrong. Fighting is a sport like any other, and I finally realized that I had absolutely no reason to turn away and pretend to cough when asked what the hell I was watching. MMA has arrived. Case in point, the other day at work, I was discussing the results of UFC 106 to a coworker when a customer overheard and injected with a question:

“You talking about that WEC? The boxing…wrestling stuff, right?”

Oh boy. Get ready for the snort and the headshake. Middle-aged guys LOVE the snort and the headshake. Well, actually, sir, yes. I was just talking about mixed martial arts to my friend. See, it’s not quite as bad as you think it is, bec–

“It’s pretty cool, isn’t it? How one little mistake can turn the momentum of the whole thing?”

Um…Excuse me? I mean, yeah. Yeah, that is pretty cool. Uh…you have yourself a nice day, there, sir.

MMA fans, give thanks. Hold your heads up high. And take off those stupid Affliction long-sleeve T-shirts.

Portland being an NBA city - This one came to me while reading Bill Simmons’ most recent mailbag. Two things that caught my eye:

And the best way to describe the crowd’s support for Oden: It’s like watching 15,000 parents rooting for their kid, only all 15,000 parents fathered the same kid. If he ever explodes for 30 points, 20 rebounds and eight blocks in a game, you’ll have to carry each deliriously passed-out Portland fan out of the Rose Garden individually like they were victims of smoke inhalation in a burning house. (The funny thing is, everyone in Portland is nodding right now…)

Truth. No argument here. Second:

During a second-quarter timeout, my buddy House and I ran into the concourse to grab beers and noticed there was NOBODY else in line for anything. We felt like Will Smith in “I Am Legend.” There was no sign of human life other than the workers. Everyone else stays in their seats. At halftime, those same people pour into the concourse like it’s halftime of a football game. I’ve never seen anything like it. I don’t know whether the Blazers have the most loyal, passionate, dutiful fans in the NBA, but at the very least, we can say nobody else tops them.

Couldn’t agree more. Be proud, Portland, and give thanks for your fellow Maniacs.

Food Stamps - They make it so that I can survive. And if I survive, that means I can write in this space. Thank you, government.

Mike Rice - This one requires no explanation. I’ll just leave you guys with a Thanksgiving quote from the Ricer:

MB: So, Mike, doing anything special for Thanksgiving?

Ricey: Ohhhh, you know, just a turk. Gotta have a turk.

Yes you do, Mike. Yes you do.

May everyone enjoy their turks. Happy Thanksgiving, y’all.

Holdren I’m thankful for… The development of Greg Oden

Blazers fans have waited a long time to see the Greg Oden who we thought we had drafted, but we’ve had to settle for glimpses here and there between injuries, foul trouble and what seemed to be a steep learning curve. Oden is turning into a real game-changer for the Blazers on both ends of the floor. On defense, when he isn’t sending ill-advised shots packing, he’s warding off those who would otherwise dare take the ball to the paint. On offense, he’s yet to find any sort of groove, but he draws double teams, is a solid offensive rebounder, and is getting better at not turning the ball over. I’m also thankful for the amount of stank he lays down on those two-handed leg-rocking monster dunks we see every game.

A Ducks team we can cheer for - The LeGarrette Blount fiasco to start the season was easily the most embarrassing moment Ducks fans have endured in recent memory. Chip Kelly and the Ducks made the best out of a bad situation, and rallied around making this team into a classy contender. I’ve loved how they’ve fought through injuries and adversity and haven’t missed a beat. They’ve played with heart on both sides of the ball and put themselves into Rose Bowl contention. The Ducks have majorly surpassed my expectations for this season, so I’m thankful for that!

Depth of the Blazers - Where would we be right now without our highly touted depth? The injuries to Nicolas Batum and Travis Outlaw seriously put a wrench in how the Blazers like to operate, but luckily, all it really meant was more opportunities for those who were wondering where their deserved minutes were coming from. Thanks to Martell Webster, Rudy Fernandez, and even guys like Dante Cunningham and Juwan Howard to ensure that the Blazers don’t miss a beat!

HD Television - This is my first year with HD. Seriously, how have we ever lived without this? I know that is probably grossly overpriced, but I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the Blazers, Beavers and Ducks all in the crisp beauty that is HD television. It is one of those things that once you’ve had it, it’s difficult to go back. Not to sound snooty, but I cringe when i flip over to standard def during these games. It’s nice to be able to see names, numbers, and even facial expressions that would otherwise be lost in the ethers with standard def. Sports fans – if you can – get HD. The sports nodule in your brain will thank you.

The pipeline of Texas high school running backs to the state of Oregon would make oil executives blush.  Larry David would say it’s prettay, prettay, prettay, prettay good.  First football fans in the Beaver state watched in amazement as diminutive Jacquizz Rodgers tore apart USC’s “greatest defense ever’ en route to the Pac-10 player of the year honor.  The following year, the Ducks of Oregon debuted their own pint-sized Texan running back (an astute reader noted LaMichael James is a couple inches taller than Quizz…my bad).  LaMichael James went on to break Quizz’s freshman running record.  Now the two Texan sensations will go head to head in the biggest Civil War ever.  My, am I thankful for both of them.  The best part?  We’ve got another couple years of them to go.  Sit back and enjoy the show.