My buddy Jeff was good enough to take me to the Blazers/Sonics preseason game last night, so I thought I would leave a brief report and then hopefully comment on a few other sports related items. Jeff has fantastic seats which always adds to the experience and in general, I just find the Rose Garden a nice venue.
Last night was great. Greg Oden finally hit his stride after struggling some in the preseason. It is obvious that on this team, GO doesn’t have to score much, but last night it all came together in a 22 point, 14 rebound 5 block performance that had the Rose Garden buzzing with anticipation for what this team will do when he is in his prime with Roy and Aldridge. Almost all of his points came off vicious lob dunks and put back and he so dominated the paint on the defensive end that Ridnour actually started to cringe when he entered the paint in anticipation of another volleyball spike block.
On the other side of the ball, Durant was slightly less spectacular as it is clear he will have to carry a large load on the talent depleted Sonics. Still, after hitting back to back 3s late in the game to bring the Sonics back, he had a chance to bring the score within 4 when he beat his man off the dribble and went in with a mind to throw down. Unfortunately for Durant, he was met at the rim by Mr. Oden who not only blocked the dunk attempt with both hands, but simply ripped the ball out of Durant’s hands with a growl that made the hair on the back of everyone’s neck stand up. It was amazing. This will be a great duel for years to come.
So, that’s what this recap was supposed to say. It was supposed to be the first meeting of the two most heralded rookies since Lebron and maybe the most heralded 1-2 picks in the history of the NBA. Instead, GO is out for the season and Durant sprained his ankle and missed last night’s game. So sad. I'm still trying to get over it.
So, instead we were treated to the sometimes forgotten talent that is Portland’s future and in one game saw the good and bad of this new Portland team.
In the first quarter, with Roy, Jack, Webster, Aldridge and Przybilla on the floor, the Blazers looked good. The defense could have been better, but the offense was flowing and Aldridge appeared unstoppable. The choice was to let him score or put him on the line. When the starters sat down, it all went down the drain until the 4th quarter when the “finishing” lineup of Jack, Roy, Webster, Outlaw and Aldridge were on the floor and Roy went Roy and scored 14 points on clutch basket after clutch basket and had one of the prettiest assists I’ve seen in a while. He drove right and got stuck in a double team. He started pivoting around looking for a teammate and one of the defenders left him thinking he was now bottled up. So he juked and stepped under the remaining defender and went up for what looked like it would be a tough leaning jumpshot. He hung there long enough for a new defender to come help and then slipped the ball around him to the now open Aldridge who dunked and sent the crowd into a pretty good frenzy for a preseason game. It was oh so nice.
Anyway, as I’m sure you’ve read elsewhere or maybe saw, Roy and Webster hit some clutch baskets and the Blazers won. Since this is preseason though, the more important aspects of the game were what we saw from the other players.
Here’s a player by player look:
Jack – By FAR the best PG last night. He is a good defender and it showed early in the game. Ridnour got loose a couple times, but for the most part, Jack played good D. He was also in control the entire time. He made solid entry passes and controlled and directed the offense. He didn’t shoot a lot, but when he did he only took good shots and made several that he just created when the offense had bogged down. I don’t know or care what his numbers were, Jack played really well in limited minutes. Jack was definitely a stabilizing force and did everything you could ask of a your PG.
Roy – All the papers are talking about it, so I won’t just rehash, but he really got in a groove in the 4th quarter after looking somewhat lost in the first 3. His shot wasn’t falling and he couldn’t seem to decide when to be aggressive and was not looking for his own shot nearly enough. When he came back in unexpectedly in the 4th, he was a different player. For a long stretch he looked like he was playing against Jr. High kids. He would simply get the ball at the top, make a little move and overpower anyone trying guard him until he made an easy shot right at the rim. He is a remarkable player. He doesn’t need to play that way all the time because he is also good at getting his teammates involved, but he does need to look for his own shot much more often than he did earlier in the game. Still it was a relief to see last year’s magic reappear when the Blazers needed it. He’s a stud. Have no doubts. I could go on and on about this, but I’ll leave it at that.
Webster – Who is this guy? 19 points on 7 for 12 shooting including 3-5 from behind the arc and a late go ahead 3 that gave the Blazers the game? What? Are you kidding me? I don’t know where he found the confidence he is playing with now, but I hope it sticks around. And it isn’t just the numbers. He is just so much more aggressive looking for his shot. That’s the good. I still noticed some bad as well. There are still times on the floor where he looks genuinely lost. I noticed this especially during out of bonds plays. He just didn’t know where he was supposed to be. This was evident at times when the Blazers played zone as well. Also, I don’t know if he just can’t dribble or doesn’t like to, but he never tries to take his guy one on one and I mean never. The thing is, if he is ever going to take the big step from designated shooter to all around player, he is going to have to at least pose the threat of driving the ball. Haven’t seen that yet. To be honest though, I would be happy if he were just a really good designated shooter at this point. Also, he has to start so Travis can be the go to guy off the bench. It is the only way the lineups work.
Aldridge – We all know the good. I think he’s going to replace Randolph’s numbers a whole lot sooner than anyone expected. He’s amazing in all facets of the offensive game. As I’ve been saying for a while, he has the body and talent of Rasheed with the discipline and head of someone like Duncan. You think that might work out for him if he stays healthy? My only concerns are: 1) there are still times when he is out of position on D and either has to foul or just gets beat badly. He’s a decent help defender and shot blocker, but he gave up 2-3 dunks last night that were just him being in the wrong place. Fixable, but not fixed yet. 2) Rebounding. I know, I know, he had double digits last night, but he and Frye both need to work hard on this aspect. I see it as their biggest defensive liability at the moment. Joel is the only one who consistently beats other people for rebounds.
Przybilla – He rebounds, he draws charging fouls, he sets good picks, he doesn’t turn the ball over and now he hits his free throws. If he can just do those things all season, it will make a huge difference for this team. He doesn’t need to score, but he does need to defend and rebound like his life depends on it. He showed last night that he still has it in him, though he didn’t play long minutes. I think this will be a big bounce back year for Przybilla and I bet the Blazers start getting good enough offers for him around January, that they will have a real decision on their hands.
Outlaw – Outlaw played great. Didn’t force it, shot the ball well and hustled on defense. I think he will be the power forward at the end of games with Aldridge moving over to the 5. They present a good defending, super fast and versatile front line. The only question will be, can they rebound. Outlaw really looks like he is picking up where he left off last season which is great.
Blake – Blake looked horrible last night. I know he can play better and I’m certain that he will, but there were a couple things that were a concern. I thought he was a decent defender, but Ridnour and West chewed him up as did anyone in the shooting guard spot. It was to the point that I’m not sure the Blazers can play man against a team with aggressive guards while Blake is on the floor. I also really question whether he can play shooting guard unless Roy is also on the floor playing point at the end of games. I can see Blake out there to stretch the D with his shooting, but his D is so bad, I don’t think he can play the 2 as Roy’s backup. So that raises questions about when and how you play the guards.
Sergio – Sergio played pretty well and actually outplayed both Blake and Green last night. He didn’t do anything special, but he hit a 3 which was surprising and wasn’t a turnover machine. That said, he and Blake can never, I repeat never be on the floor together. Sergio is, without a doubt, one of the worst guard defenders in the league. He puts out the effort but he is the wrong combination of short, weak and confused. Last night they ran some time in the disastrous second quarter with Sergio at the point and Blake at the 2. Suddenly, it was if the front line was playing 3 on 5. They can’t play the pick and roll because they can’t fight over screens or cover a bigger cutter. They can’t stay in front of their men, or at least hey couldn’t last night. It was a real concern. If either of them were playing with Roy, or even maybe with Jack, it would have been better, but never together…..never.
Green – Green looked worse than I have seen him play in the 2 prior preseason games, summer league games and scrimmage that I have watched. His shot wasn’t falling and he took some ill advised outside shots that did not come within the flow of the offense. He played pretty good defense, but also threw some terrible passes. Overall, he really looked like a rookie for the first time. I still like him. I still say he is already much better than Sergio, but he had a bad game last night and will clearly have some growing pains.
Lafrentz – He is no longer a serviceable player. I hate to admit that since the Blazers could use his size and shooting, but he just looks overmatched even against guys like Swift and Petro. I don’t think he will be a rotation player for this team.
Frye – Frye didn’t look good at all. He doesn’t really seem to know his role yet. And he looked slow and he does not rebound well. He seems to get decent position, but whether it is his timing or desire or strength, something is keeping him from getting the ball. He has a nice looking shot, but it hasn’t been falling all preseason. I still have hope for him, but he’s been a bad groove for a while now.
In general, it was a great game and good to win and even better to see Aldridge (I’m not on board calling him LA, because LA is our rival) and The Natural get it going like they did. Not everyone played well, but this team is not going to finish 4th or 5th in the division as many are predicting. The only real disturbing things I saw last night besides the fact that the Blazers have 5 guards to play but only one shooting guard, were: 1) Darius Miles and GO were hanging out and chatting it up throught the whole game. NOOOOOOOOO. someone stop this now. Can't we ban Miles from the arena or something? 2) they replaced the Blazer dancers last night with something they called the "Jam squad" that was completely unwatchable. Just awful. Bad move.
Other sports thoughts:
• Seattle is going to be bad this year. They look like they have some talent, even without Durant, but they do not look like a team. I predict they win at least 10 fewer games than the Blazers.
• I knew Kevin McHale was among the worst GMs in the league, but even given that, the trade with Miami surprised me. How in the world does that benefit Minnesota? They traded Ricky Davis, a talented, but expendable player for a completely washed up Antoine Walker. Then they traded a younger, more talented backup center for an older less talented one. And then they picked up an injury case and a conditional (sure to be late first round) pick. Why? Weren’t they lots, lots better just keeping Ricky? For Miami, I think it was brilliant. Both Blount and Davis can help and Davis is a big upgrade from Walker or Posey. Especially while Wade is out, they are going to enjoy having Davis there. I also think Riley and Shaq can keep him in line. This is exactly what Miami needed.
• I think things could very well work out to have Oregon as the number 1 or 2 team in the nation after this weekend. That would be fun.
• I can’t wait until my fantasy hoops draft. Right now, my goal is to avoid drafting players I hate just because they fall to me at the right place.
• I think the Giants will go after a big time offensive player to replace Bonds. Not sure even who is out there, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they talk to Tori Hunter and maybe even A-Rod.
• I’m still too upset to talk about the NFL. It hurts too much. I’m not even excited that Alex Smith is coming back this week. It’s just all so depressing.
• But not even the NFL is going to get me down. I’ve got Blazermania!!!
Last night was great. Greg Oden finally hit his stride after struggling some in the preseason. It is obvious that on this team, GO doesn’t have to score much, but last night it all came together in a 22 point, 14 rebound 5 block performance that had the Rose Garden buzzing with anticipation for what this team will do when he is in his prime with Roy and Aldridge. Almost all of his points came off vicious lob dunks and put back and he so dominated the paint on the defensive end that Ridnour actually started to cringe when he entered the paint in anticipation of another volleyball spike block.
On the other side of the ball, Durant was slightly less spectacular as it is clear he will have to carry a large load on the talent depleted Sonics. Still, after hitting back to back 3s late in the game to bring the Sonics back, he had a chance to bring the score within 4 when he beat his man off the dribble and went in with a mind to throw down. Unfortunately for Durant, he was met at the rim by Mr. Oden who not only blocked the dunk attempt with both hands, but simply ripped the ball out of Durant’s hands with a growl that made the hair on the back of everyone’s neck stand up. It was amazing. This will be a great duel for years to come.
So, that’s what this recap was supposed to say. It was supposed to be the first meeting of the two most heralded rookies since Lebron and maybe the most heralded 1-2 picks in the history of the NBA. Instead, GO is out for the season and Durant sprained his ankle and missed last night’s game. So sad. I'm still trying to get over it.
So, instead we were treated to the sometimes forgotten talent that is Portland’s future and in one game saw the good and bad of this new Portland team.
In the first quarter, with Roy, Jack, Webster, Aldridge and Przybilla on the floor, the Blazers looked good. The defense could have been better, but the offense was flowing and Aldridge appeared unstoppable. The choice was to let him score or put him on the line. When the starters sat down, it all went down the drain until the 4th quarter when the “finishing” lineup of Jack, Roy, Webster, Outlaw and Aldridge were on the floor and Roy went Roy and scored 14 points on clutch basket after clutch basket and had one of the prettiest assists I’ve seen in a while. He drove right and got stuck in a double team. He started pivoting around looking for a teammate and one of the defenders left him thinking he was now bottled up. So he juked and stepped under the remaining defender and went up for what looked like it would be a tough leaning jumpshot. He hung there long enough for a new defender to come help and then slipped the ball around him to the now open Aldridge who dunked and sent the crowd into a pretty good frenzy for a preseason game. It was oh so nice.
Anyway, as I’m sure you’ve read elsewhere or maybe saw, Roy and Webster hit some clutch baskets and the Blazers won. Since this is preseason though, the more important aspects of the game were what we saw from the other players.
Here’s a player by player look:
Jack – By FAR the best PG last night. He is a good defender and it showed early in the game. Ridnour got loose a couple times, but for the most part, Jack played good D. He was also in control the entire time. He made solid entry passes and controlled and directed the offense. He didn’t shoot a lot, but when he did he only took good shots and made several that he just created when the offense had bogged down. I don’t know or care what his numbers were, Jack played really well in limited minutes. Jack was definitely a stabilizing force and did everything you could ask of a your PG.
Roy – All the papers are talking about it, so I won’t just rehash, but he really got in a groove in the 4th quarter after looking somewhat lost in the first 3. His shot wasn’t falling and he couldn’t seem to decide when to be aggressive and was not looking for his own shot nearly enough. When he came back in unexpectedly in the 4th, he was a different player. For a long stretch he looked like he was playing against Jr. High kids. He would simply get the ball at the top, make a little move and overpower anyone trying guard him until he made an easy shot right at the rim. He is a remarkable player. He doesn’t need to play that way all the time because he is also good at getting his teammates involved, but he does need to look for his own shot much more often than he did earlier in the game. Still it was a relief to see last year’s magic reappear when the Blazers needed it. He’s a stud. Have no doubts. I could go on and on about this, but I’ll leave it at that.
Webster – Who is this guy? 19 points on 7 for 12 shooting including 3-5 from behind the arc and a late go ahead 3 that gave the Blazers the game? What? Are you kidding me? I don’t know where he found the confidence he is playing with now, but I hope it sticks around. And it isn’t just the numbers. He is just so much more aggressive looking for his shot. That’s the good. I still noticed some bad as well. There are still times on the floor where he looks genuinely lost. I noticed this especially during out of bonds plays. He just didn’t know where he was supposed to be. This was evident at times when the Blazers played zone as well. Also, I don’t know if he just can’t dribble or doesn’t like to, but he never tries to take his guy one on one and I mean never. The thing is, if he is ever going to take the big step from designated shooter to all around player, he is going to have to at least pose the threat of driving the ball. Haven’t seen that yet. To be honest though, I would be happy if he were just a really good designated shooter at this point. Also, he has to start so Travis can be the go to guy off the bench. It is the only way the lineups work.
Aldridge – We all know the good. I think he’s going to replace Randolph’s numbers a whole lot sooner than anyone expected. He’s amazing in all facets of the offensive game. As I’ve been saying for a while, he has the body and talent of Rasheed with the discipline and head of someone like Duncan. You think that might work out for him if he stays healthy? My only concerns are: 1) there are still times when he is out of position on D and either has to foul or just gets beat badly. He’s a decent help defender and shot blocker, but he gave up 2-3 dunks last night that were just him being in the wrong place. Fixable, but not fixed yet. 2) Rebounding. I know, I know, he had double digits last night, but he and Frye both need to work hard on this aspect. I see it as their biggest defensive liability at the moment. Joel is the only one who consistently beats other people for rebounds.
Przybilla – He rebounds, he draws charging fouls, he sets good picks, he doesn’t turn the ball over and now he hits his free throws. If he can just do those things all season, it will make a huge difference for this team. He doesn’t need to score, but he does need to defend and rebound like his life depends on it. He showed last night that he still has it in him, though he didn’t play long minutes. I think this will be a big bounce back year for Przybilla and I bet the Blazers start getting good enough offers for him around January, that they will have a real decision on their hands.
Outlaw – Outlaw played great. Didn’t force it, shot the ball well and hustled on defense. I think he will be the power forward at the end of games with Aldridge moving over to the 5. They present a good defending, super fast and versatile front line. The only question will be, can they rebound. Outlaw really looks like he is picking up where he left off last season which is great.
Blake – Blake looked horrible last night. I know he can play better and I’m certain that he will, but there were a couple things that were a concern. I thought he was a decent defender, but Ridnour and West chewed him up as did anyone in the shooting guard spot. It was to the point that I’m not sure the Blazers can play man against a team with aggressive guards while Blake is on the floor. I also really question whether he can play shooting guard unless Roy is also on the floor playing point at the end of games. I can see Blake out there to stretch the D with his shooting, but his D is so bad, I don’t think he can play the 2 as Roy’s backup. So that raises questions about when and how you play the guards.
Sergio – Sergio played pretty well and actually outplayed both Blake and Green last night. He didn’t do anything special, but he hit a 3 which was surprising and wasn’t a turnover machine. That said, he and Blake can never, I repeat never be on the floor together. Sergio is, without a doubt, one of the worst guard defenders in the league. He puts out the effort but he is the wrong combination of short, weak and confused. Last night they ran some time in the disastrous second quarter with Sergio at the point and Blake at the 2. Suddenly, it was if the front line was playing 3 on 5. They can’t play the pick and roll because they can’t fight over screens or cover a bigger cutter. They can’t stay in front of their men, or at least hey couldn’t last night. It was a real concern. If either of them were playing with Roy, or even maybe with Jack, it would have been better, but never together…..never.
Green – Green looked worse than I have seen him play in the 2 prior preseason games, summer league games and scrimmage that I have watched. His shot wasn’t falling and he took some ill advised outside shots that did not come within the flow of the offense. He played pretty good defense, but also threw some terrible passes. Overall, he really looked like a rookie for the first time. I still like him. I still say he is already much better than Sergio, but he had a bad game last night and will clearly have some growing pains.
Lafrentz – He is no longer a serviceable player. I hate to admit that since the Blazers could use his size and shooting, but he just looks overmatched even against guys like Swift and Petro. I don’t think he will be a rotation player for this team.
Frye – Frye didn’t look good at all. He doesn’t really seem to know his role yet. And he looked slow and he does not rebound well. He seems to get decent position, but whether it is his timing or desire or strength, something is keeping him from getting the ball. He has a nice looking shot, but it hasn’t been falling all preseason. I still have hope for him, but he’s been a bad groove for a while now.
In general, it was a great game and good to win and even better to see Aldridge (I’m not on board calling him LA, because LA is our rival) and The Natural get it going like they did. Not everyone played well, but this team is not going to finish 4th or 5th in the division as many are predicting. The only real disturbing things I saw last night besides the fact that the Blazers have 5 guards to play but only one shooting guard, were: 1) Darius Miles and GO were hanging out and chatting it up throught the whole game. NOOOOOOOOO. someone stop this now. Can't we ban Miles from the arena or something? 2) they replaced the Blazer dancers last night with something they called the "Jam squad" that was completely unwatchable. Just awful. Bad move.
Other sports thoughts:
• Seattle is going to be bad this year. They look like they have some talent, even without Durant, but they do not look like a team. I predict they win at least 10 fewer games than the Blazers.
• I knew Kevin McHale was among the worst GMs in the league, but even given that, the trade with Miami surprised me. How in the world does that benefit Minnesota? They traded Ricky Davis, a talented, but expendable player for a completely washed up Antoine Walker. Then they traded a younger, more talented backup center for an older less talented one. And then they picked up an injury case and a conditional (sure to be late first round) pick. Why? Weren’t they lots, lots better just keeping Ricky? For Miami, I think it was brilliant. Both Blount and Davis can help and Davis is a big upgrade from Walker or Posey. Especially while Wade is out, they are going to enjoy having Davis there. I also think Riley and Shaq can keep him in line. This is exactly what Miami needed.
• I think things could very well work out to have Oregon as the number 1 or 2 team in the nation after this weekend. That would be fun.
• I can’t wait until my fantasy hoops draft. Right now, my goal is to avoid drafting players I hate just because they fall to me at the right place.
• I think the Giants will go after a big time offensive player to replace Bonds. Not sure even who is out there, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they talk to Tori Hunter and maybe even A-Rod.
• I’m still too upset to talk about the NFL. It hurts too much. I’m not even excited that Alex Smith is coming back this week. It’s just all so depressing.
• But not even the NFL is going to get me down. I’ve got Blazermania!!!
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