Oregon Sports Live

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.

Juwan Howard was excited to be a Trail Blazer on media day.

It occurred to me today while listening to the most recent OSL podcast that I might have sounded like a bit of an idiot during one part of the broadcast in particular. And for good reason. I am not, after all, the sharpest tool in the proverbial shed of sports-commentary.

What I said on Three Guys on a Couch was this: signing Juwan Howard will prove to be a tremendously intelligent move on the part of Kevin Pritchard because Howard’s experience will benefit the front court trio of Przybilla, Aldridge and Oden.

What I MEANT to say was this: Howard will make the young bigs better this year, even if he doesn’t play a single minute, and Przybilla will benefit as well.

Of course I know that Pryz is an old pro. He doesn’t need anybody to show him anything as far as I’m concerned. He’s the modern-day Dave Cowens. He knows how to prepare himself for an 82-game season, and he’ll fight you tooth-and-nail for all 82 games.

But that doesn’t mean Howard can’t help him in other ways.

Most obviously, the Howard signing means that Przybilla is no longer the only Old Lion on a team full of cubs. The media no longer have a sole target when asking questions about leadership and experience in relation to the team’s youth and on-court hiccups.

To put it briefly, Przybilla can now put more energy toward his own game and focus a little more on his own performance.

But that doesn’t mean he won’t still play the role of big brother. He will. A lot.

It’s just that now he isn’t the only guy in the locker room with answers to questions. I don’t know about you, but that type of news would cause me to let out a sigh of relief. I’d feel relaxed, focused, and I’d play more aggressively knowing there’s a solid replacement off the bench if I pick up a couple cheap fouls early. But hey, that’s just me.

Of course, Brandon and LaMarcus will continue to grow, and eventually they’ll become Old Lions themselves. It’s the circle of life. But for now, despite their obvious talents as fourth-year players, they’re still perceived as young guys. Howard is a voice of experience that provides stability and security right now, and his advice and criticism may mean even more, as Juwan most certainly isn’t gunning to get his own numbers this year.

In addition to helping to ease Pryz’s load, Howard performs functions that Pryz simply cannot. And that’s not a dig against Joel. As I stated previously, I think the world of The Thrilla, but Joel has never made an All-Star team.

He’s also never averaged 20 a game, inked a $100 million contract, or had to bear the hopes and dreams of a fan base as The Franchise Guy.

LaMarcus is having trouble deciding when to draw his man out and pop and when back him down? Hey, Juwan, you got a minute? Greg’s frown is relapsing and he’s feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders again? Hey Juwan, what’s up? Travis finally wants to learn how to set a screen and look for his jumper? Yo, Big Cat, can I holler at you?

Well, Travis probably wouldn’t call him “Big Cat,” because that’s kind of our thing. But you get the idea.

When I met Juwan Howard on media day, I knew immediately that he would be important to this team. I can’t exactly put my finger on it, but if I had to use one word to describe Juwan that day, it would be “real.”

He was genuine in everything he did — the way he walked, answered questions, and especially the way he expressed his delight to be in Portland.

Howard may not get any minutes, and to the casual observer he may just be a name – an old warhorse that does little except increase the average age of the young Trail Blazers.

But he’s going to do more than that for this team. Bet on it.