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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.

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.

Although the Portland Trail Blazers were able to put away the Charlotte Bobcats tonight 80-74, securing their fourth straight win within their current road trip, it certainly came at a cost. In the first quarter, Travis Outlaw left the game with a foot injury which occurred as he made a sharp plant with his left foot while defending Gerald Wallace. X-rays later confirmed that Outlaw’s injury was a stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his left foot, not unlike Martell Webster’s injury which kept him out nearly all of last season. Outlaw is set to return to Portland immediately to have his injury evaluated.

This is certainly a disappointment for both Outlaw and the Blazers, as he was expected to anchor the scoring within Portland’s second unit. Outlaw had struggled with his shot throughout this young season, only shooting 37.6%, but Outlaw has always been an offensive threat for the Blazers as one of their few players who can effectively create shot opportunities for himself. It will be interesting to see what impact this injury may have on Outlaw’s future, as he was eager to bolster his stock in this final year of his current contract with the Blazers.

While we began the season wondering where all of Portland’s wing-players would find time to get on the floor, with the exit of Nicolas Batum and now Outlaw the Blazers will have to adjust their game plan. Now is when the Blazers’ “problem” of too much depth will pay the highest dividends. Outlaw’s departure will open up over 20 minutes a game to disperse amongst the current roster. The most obvious beneficiaries of Outlaw’s abandoned minutes should be from Rudy Fernandez and Martell Webster, both of whom have the ability to score in bunches when given the opportunity. Fernandez has more one-on-one scoring potential between the two, but both he and Webster are at their best when playing off of collapsing defenses — not breaking down defenses individually. Outlaw’s injury could also call for a bit more floor time for Brandon Roy (who is currently starting at the small forward spot), and potentially LaMarcus Aldridge as well given that Outlaw occasionally get spot minutes at power forward.

This loss stings for the Blazers, but ultimately I think they will be able to compensate for Outlaw’s (and Batum’s) injury. This is precisely why teams should stockpile talent and ignore potential logjams and the conflicts that these could provide.  Since the core of Roy, Aldridge and Greg Oden is still in tact, I’m confident that they’ll still be able to take care of business as usual.

Who do you think will be the biggest beneficiary given the loss of both Outlaw and Batum?

Leading up to the season, one of the greatest positional debates for the Blazers was at the point guard position, with fans everywhere arguing the merits of starting either Steve Blake or Andre Miller: Blake, the proven starter who helped lead the team to a 54-win season last year with a shooting touch that complements the game of Brandon Roy perfectly, and Miller, the prize acquisition of the offseason with a keen sense for running an offense and getting his teammates involved. However, given Miller’s limited shooting range, his style of play was often questioned as far as how it would be utilized alongside Roy.

Steve Blake began the season the starter, and while his play couldn’t be directly attributed to the team’s slow start, the team has clearly been trying to track down its collective identity. Coming off the bench, Miller struggled with his shot in Portland’s stagnant offense, but has effectively managed the pace of the game and has been successfully getting his teammates involved.

Needing a change in the on-court dynamic, Nate McMillan tweaked the starting lineup yesterday against the Spurs in a highly unexpected way. He started Miller at point guard…and Blake as well. While a two point-guard backcourt is somewhat unorthodox, it addressed McMillan’s desire to get more ball-movement and speed on the floor. The new-lineup worked to perfection as the Blazers launched out to a 29-14 lead. Although the move seemed to address some of the glaring weaknesses of the early season, this change has deeper implications for the rest of the year.

I think the Blazers know what they have in Miller, and they also know that they haven’t been getting the most out of his talents. I think they know how deadly they could be if they could figure out how to find the best way to utilize Miller and Roy on the floor together (a pairing that has been nothing short of awkward thus far). I think that Miller has yet to find his comfort level within this team, and it is having an adverse effect on his shooting touch.

It seems as though Miller still doesn’t quite know where he fits in, what his role is, or what he has to do to put the team in the best position to win. Miller has always been the starter, the play-maker and the initiator. We saw McMillan preaching to his squad to play fast and push the ball up the floor, something that Miller can and will do if given more freedom within the offense. I would imagine that the Miller-Blake tandem start is likely a short-term adjustments to increase the comfort level of Miller and buffer his eventual transition to the sole starting point guard on this team. Blake is still there as a beacon of consistency, an outside shooting threat, and a familiar face for Roy to defer to when he gets caught in a jam. Miller can mentally approach the game as a starter and have an immediate impact on the game’s tempo from the opening tip. I think you will see that as Miller’s minutes increase, so will his shooting percentages. We’ll also begin to see more of those crafty moves and creative finishes in the paint.

I’ve always believed that Blake is the perfect back-up point guard in this league. That isn’t to say that he hasn’t been a good starter for the Blazers or that he isn’t a good fit in the lineup. He’s a great team player who knocks down the shots he’s supposed to, always plays hard and can direct the offense seamlessly.  Blake is also the type of player who will accept his role and will make the most of it whether that is in the starting lineup or coming off of the bench. However it ends up, Blake will play an incredibly important role for the Blazers this season. Still, I think the Blazers owe it to themselves to give Miller a real chance at being successful – and take this team to another level.

It will be interesting to see how long Blake and Miller continue to start alongside one another. It could even come to a stop tomorrow against the Minnesota Timberwolves who start the 6′9″ Corey Brewer at shooting guard. Regardless, don’t be surprised to see the Blazers continue to put these two point guards on the floor together when the situation allows. The sooner the Blazers can define their players’ roles and decide how they want to play this year, the sooner they can return to their winning ways.

To wrap up our coverage, we’d like to present two exclusive interviews. OSL’s Mike Whitman discussed the team’s immediate future with shooting coach John Townsend and assistant coach Joe Prunty.

John Townsend -

OSL: There are only a few teams in the league who employ a shooting-specific coach. Talk about how your role has expanded with this year’s team.

JT: I don’t know if it’s expanded so much as it is me being more hands on. You know, my first year year with the team, I went with Taurean Green and Josh McRoberts to the D-league and spent some time with them…especially Josh who was probably one of my main assignments. Compared to now, you know, last season, I traveled quite a bit with the team. I was on every trip except for one, where I had an intestinal virus, and they wouldn’t let me fly. So it wasn’t like the team wanted me to stay back. So I would say it’s just more hands on now. I mean, my first year, I would still get all the players who needed some work, needed some reps, or needed a little tweak, and I’ve done that last season as well. So it’s probably just a little more hands on, where I can get some reps with the guys before games or on days off.

OSL: You say “the guys.” I’ve heard you’ve been working a lot with Martell during his downtime as he recovers from his injury. Is that correct?

JT: I haven’t spent that much time with Martell. Martell is a gym rat as it is. He’s in the gym a lot. If I’m there, and he has any questions, obviously I’m available. The way I coach, it’s more like [I'll say], “Hey, Martell, everything looks great, and these are the two things that you’re doing really well. I don’t know if he’s lost weight, but he’s really lean. He’s light on his feet. He’s jumping well on his shot. He basically has his shot back from what it was this time last year.

OSL: Somebody else who has slimmed down is Brandon Roy. A concern could be that him being lighter could hurt him going to the hole and banging bodies. Do you think him being lighter will help his jump shot?

JT: Yeah, I think it’ll definitely help his jump shot. I think for him, just watching him shoot…he had a repetition this fall where I think he had 16 in a row…four in a row from four different spots. It’s just a matter of him getting his timing back and jumping. I mean, he shoots better with a hand in his face, because you jump up, and you don’t think about it. You just shoot it. Compared to if he’s left open, he just doesn’t have that timing yet where he just jumps up and lets it fly. But he’s been shooting the ball really well. I think lighter for him all around is going to be better, and even on his jump shot.

OSL: Has anybody else taken a big stride so far, or is there anything that’s jumped out at you as a coach that’s a big improvement for somebody?

JT: I think Steve Blake has maintained his consistency. He’s an unbelievably smart worker, and you could translate that as being a hard worker. But he knows what he’s going to do and how he’s going to do it. Whether or not somebody else is doing something different, well, that’s somebody else. That’s not Steve Blake. He’s very, very smart. He’s very consistent at what he does. So I would say it’s very impressive considering he shot basically 43 percent – a career year from three – with a major injury to that shooting shoulder. And coming of the surgery, I think he’s maintained consistency.

I think Jerryd Bayless is shooting the ball a lot better. He was working with [former Phoenix Suns head coach] Frank Johnson. Frank got him to do some of the things I couldn’t get him to do in regard to jumping, which transferred into a higher lift and a better, more consistent jump shot. So, he shot the ball really well in some of the scrimmages that we saw this fall.

I think Travis and Martell have both shot the ball really well. So, we’ll see.

Joe Prunty -

OSL: I’ve heard this year that the Trail Blazers are going to try to play faster and get more fast-break buckets. The last couple of years, the Blazers have been one of the slower-paced teams in the league. Is there any truth to that?

JP: Well, that’s the funny thing. I think a lot of teams around the league always say, “Oh yeah, we’re going to run, or we’re going to do this or that.” What you end up doing is what fits best with winning games with your personnel. I think there might be a few more opportunities to run [for us]. We did improve last year from the previous year.

To backtrack a little, when I was [an assistant coach] in San Antonio, we were known as a slow-down [style team]. And the fact of the matter was, it wasn’t that we didn’t run, we just didn’t run like Phoenix did. So, we were always willing to look for a great way to get an easy basket. So if there was an opportunity to run, then we would do it. But we weren’t going to do it at the expense of throwing the ball all over the gym. And I think it’s very similar here. We’d love to run if that’s going to produce an easy basket. But if it’s not, then we’re not going to do it for the sake of just getting a shot up in five to 10 seconds if we can get a better shot in 15 seconds. If there are opportunities, we’ll take them, but not at the expense of turning the ball over.

OSL: Do you think that running might be more of a focus due to the acquisition of Andre Miller?

JP: Well, that’s what we’re going to find out. Does he help our guys…throwing the ball ahead? And Steve does a very good job with that. Do our guys get out and run the wings better? We did a really good job at the end of last year running lanes, LaMarcus in particular on what we call a rim run, and running the floor hard. And so there’s a lot of components to doing it, and you never want to put it on just one person. We think he can help, because he gets the ball up, and he does make other people better, but it requires the wings running, and it requires the bigs running and having good floor balance.

OSL: That was one of the things last year that really jumped out at me was LaMarcus making that rim run right down the center of the floor at sort of a strange time where defenses weren’t really expecting. You’ve got your wings running full-blast and the five trailing the ball, and then LaMarcus just in front of the ball scoring easy buckets. What can we expect from LaMarcus’ game this year? Has he put on any muscle? Are we going to see anything different out of him?

JP: You know, I haven’t seen him recently, but I will soon with camp starting [Monday, Sept. 28]. One thing, and this is important for all our guys, you can’t rest on anything that you’ve done in this league. Whether it’s winning 20, 30, 40, 50 or 60 games. You know, the Lakers are the defending champions this year. They’re not resting on being the defending champions. Every team wants to go out and get it done this year. So it’s not just LaMarcus. It’s everybody. We want to take another step. Improve at least one facet of your game, and maintain all the other ones. Whether it’s being a better defender and still shooting 40 percent from the three, or getting 10 rebounds instead of 7 and blocking a few more shots. If we can increase it and improve it, we want to do that. And that’s everybody, not just one guy.

OSL: Brandon is coming in much lighter this year, right around 203 lbs. I also heard from shooting coach John Townsend that Martell is a little bit lighter. He thinks that’s going to help them with their outside game as far as jump shooting, getting more lift, things like that. Do you think that will hurt them driving in the lane, Brandon especially having less meat on his bones?

JP: Obviously in this league, being in great condition is of paramount importance. You can never underestimate that. Playing the game the right way, sharing the ball, playing good defense requires you to be in excellent physical condition. One of the things that great players do is they adjust their games as need be to improve it. So Brandon isn’t going to do something that’s going to be a detriment to one area of his game. If he’s lighter or heavier, then he’s going to do things a little bit differently based on that.

A guy like Tim Duncan, for example, has never been a tremendous athlete. But if something is bothering him, then he doesn’t go to that as much, or he’ll find a different counter to it. So I use a guy like him because he’s been an MVP, because he’s won championships. Well, that’s what we’re trying to get to with our guys. And so that’s something for a guy like Brandon to do. How can I improve in one phase of my game without being a detriment to another part. So, I don’t think it’s going to hurt him in the post or something like that. And I think he’ll figure those things out, because he’s that smart, and he’s that talented.

But I also think a guy like Martell is going to have to figure his niche out. He only played five minutes last year. And I know for me that I don’t want to put too much pressure on him to begin the season. You can’t make up for one year in one game. It’s going to take time to get back into the rhythm, feel comfortable, get re-acclimated with the system. Don’t put any pressure [on yourself] other than getting better everyday. And I think that if we do that as a team, that will take care of a lot of that stuff. If we just get better as individuals and as a team, all these other things, whether it’s weight or conditioning, they will take care of themselves.

Just an FYI that the players portion of media day is Monday.  We’ll be in attendance as well.  Feel free to chime in with suggestions for questions or something you’d like to know from the Blazers squad.   Tune in to OSL for more Blazers content, podcasts, and more exclusive content.

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