Under the Umbrella

Blazers beat Rockets, but the rotation is far from fixed.

So much for open competition and the old may the best man win mentality.  Last night Nate McMillan rewarded mediocrity when he stuck to his guns and stuck Steve Blake in the starting lineup.

Blake did not earn his starting spot by out playing his counterparts in the pre-season. He did not earn it by having a better resume either. He earned his spot by being subservient to Brandon Roy.

How did Blake take advantage of his golden egg? By giving Blazer fans a lackluster performance remnant of the reason the Blazers went out and signed Andre Miller in the first place.

Blake played 26 minutes last night scoring 7 points off of 2-6 shooting and 1 of 2 from the stripe. He turned the ball over 3 times and if it wasn’t for his teammates efforts to get to balls it would have been more and only got 2 assists. 13 of Aaron Brooks 19 came while he was in the game, which was a major reason we lost the series.

I’m having a hard time believing that Jerryd Bayless would have done any worse. In all honesty Jerryd out performed Blake hand over fist in the pre-season. I know it’s pre-season but Nate did say that no ones job was safe and every one would get a shot at playing time.  Talk about absolute coach speak with no regard for consequences.

Dre on the other hand had a very productive 26 minutes, putting up 9 points, 7 assists and only 2 turnovers. His assists are electric. Travis Outlaw, LaMarcus Aldridge and Rudy Fernandez can all attest to that. They all were on the dunk/layup side of Dre’s court vision. Dre did struggle finding his shot, but let’s face it, it’s hard to find something you have never had.

I understand that this is Brandon’s team and 9 times out of 10 doing what’s best for Brandon is the same as doing what’s best for the team. This is the outlier.

Greg Oden needs Dre on the floor the entire time that Greg is. Dre makes Greg better and that is what is best for this team. Greg relishes the motion that Dre creates on court. Face it when Dre is in and there are Blazers cutting and screening off the ball, it creates space for Greg. Greg is a much better offensive player when given the ball when defenders are out of position and he just has to react.

The game is more enjoyable from a fan perspective when it's not about watching Brandon go one on one every possession. Don't get me wrong I love watching Brandon break some ankles with his beautiful crossover but besides him and LaMarcus no one else creates for themselves. Blake plays a station to station style game that is similar to the WNBA and we all know that no one watches that.

So Brandon is more comfortable with Blake. I can understand that, but Brandon has to realize he is going to get his regardless, might as well have someone out there helping everyone else who needs it.

Last night the Blazers won despite Blake not because of him.

-Kurt Valentine

In Camp and Out of Shape

On Tuesday Andre Miller started his first Portland Trail Blazer training camp and his first training camp with Nate McMillan.

At training camp McMillan holds a conditioning test for all players attending. The conditioning test is five full court down and backs or ten lines. Dependent on your position you are required to finish in a certain amount of time, guards having the least amount of time to finish where centers have the most.

Out of all signed Trail Blazers, Andre Miller was the only one not to finish in the time given. He was allowed 61 seconds and finished at 69 seconds.

What does all this mean? Well first, Miller will be required to spend the next seven days with strength and conditioning coach Bobby Medina for 30 minutes a day. Second, it doesn't help that the ma

n competing with him for starting PG, Steve Blake, set a Blazers record finishing a blistering 37 seconds! Third, Miller is getting paid 7 million dollars a year for his time spent in Portland. Getting paid this much one would expect a work ethic and devotion to being the best you can.

Lets hope Andre Miller will realize that this team is serious and ready to win. Lets hope he wakes up and puts this behind him.

Other then Stevie Blake dominating everyone there were some great times posted. G.O. and L.A. tied for second with a time of 47 seconds. Another great sign that Oden is ready and willing!

Also notable, Webster who previously held the record, finished with 14 seconds to spare. A great sign considering he has been dealing with a foot injury for over a year.

Welcome to Portland!

Fantastic move Pritchard!

 

   

 

You just took one of the youngest teams in the NBA to one of the oldest teams in the NBA with two free agency moves and I’m ecstatic about both. By now we all know what Andre Miller is going to bring, but I don’t think a lot of Blazer fans know how much Howard is going to help this young team.

 

Career Line:

 

GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1043	871	32.8	.469	.122	.763	6.6	2.5	.7	.2	14.9

 

We first saw Juwan hoop it up as part of the fab five at Michigan in 92. He made it to the final four along with teammates Chris Webber and Jalen Rose. Howard was then drafted fifth overall in the 1994 NBA draft by the Washington Bullets, now the Wizards. In 1996 Juwan made his first and only NBA All-star team. Over the 96 season, Howard averaged 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.

 

Now don’t read this and expect that Juwan is going to come in and compete with LaMarcus for a starting spot. Howard is 36 years old and should not expect to play more than 8-10 minutes a game.

 

Howard’s real value to this team is his leadership. He has extensive NBA knowledge. He has played for 6 NBA teams over 15 NBA seasons. Juwan will push Oden and Aldridge while instilling patience and solid post moves. Juwan will play limited minutes as a rebounder and as an intelligent presence. We won’t see many turnovers from him. We will see smart fouls and strong leadership. Juwan also gives the second unit a solid post presence.

 

Howard has already made his presence felt in Rip City.

 

Jason Quick of the Oregonian was on Wheels at Work and quoted Kevin Pritchard as saying the voluntary scrimmage went well and when the participants were seemingly ready to quit, Juwan barked orders to the team saying “We got one more”.

 

Juwan was guarding Greg Oden often in the sessions and was heard ordering the other team to “Get the big man the ball!” This will go along way to getting Greg off to a quick start which could be the difference between another underachieving season for the 7 footer or an All-star appearance.

 

That’s just some of what the Blazers expect from someone that has played in 23 playoff games.

 

End of story, this move makes the Blazers older and wiser!

 

Zach vW

A Special Day For The NBA!

What a day! Michael Jordan, John Stockton, David Robinson, and Jerry Sloan all get inducted in the NBA Hall of Fame. All four of these men are genuinely good men and even better basketball players/coaches. I am blessed that I was able to see them all play/coach.

 

Theme of this class: Hard work pays off!!!

 

We all know the story of Michael getting cut from his high school basketball team, but the success of this whole induction class is a product of their hard work.

 

Michael Jordan:

 

Carrer highlights and awards :

• 6× NBA Champion (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)
• 5× NBA MVP (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998)
• 14× NBA All-Star (1985-1993, 1996-1998, 2002-2003)
• 6× NBA Finals MVP (1991-1993, 1996-1998)
• 1× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1988)
• 10× All-NBA First Team Selection (1987-1993, 1996-1998)
• 1× All-NBA Second Team Selection (1985)
• 9× NBA All-Defensive First Team Selection (1988-1993, 1996-1998)
• 1985 NBA Rookie of the Year
• 1985 NBA All-Rookie Team
• 3× NBA All-Star Game MVP (1988, 1996, 1998)
• 2× NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner (1987, 1988)
• 2x Gold Medal Winner in the Olympics (1984,1992)
• NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
• 1× NCAA Men's Basketball Champion (1982)
• 1982 ACC Freshman of the Year
• 1× ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year (1984)
• 1× USBWA College Player of the Year (1984)
• 1× Naismith College Player of the Year (1984)
• 1× John R. Wooden Award (1984)
• 1× Adolph Rupp Trophy (1984)
• 1991 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year
• 2000 ESPY Athlete of the Century
• 1990s ESPY Male Athlete Decade Award
• 1990s ESPY Pro Basketballer Decade Award

Points – 32,292

Rebounds – 6,672

Assists – 5,633

 

http://espn.go.com/nba/features/jordan23

 

Enough Said!

 

David Robinson:

 

Carrer highlights and awards :

• 2× NBA Champion (1999, 2003)
• 1× NBA MVP (1995)
• 10× NBA All-Star (1990-1996, 1998, 2000-2001)
• 1× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1992)
• 4× All-NBA First Team Selection (1991-1992, 1995-1996)
• 2× All-NBA Second Team Selection (1994, 1998)
• 4× All-NBA Third Team Selection (1990, 1993, 2000-2001)
• 4× NBA All-Defensive First Team Selection (1991-1992, 1995-1996)
• 4× NBA All-Defensive Second Team Selection (1990, 1993-1994, 1998
• 1990 NBA Rookie of the Year
• 1990 NBA All-Rookie First Team
• 1× NBA Sportsmanship Award (2001)
• NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
• 1× USBWA College Player of the Year (1987)
• 1× Naismith College Player of the Year (1987)
• 1× John R. Wooden Award (1987)

Points – 20,790

Rebounds – 10,479

Blocks – 2,954

 

John Stockton:

 

Career highlights and awards :

• 10× NBA All-Star (1989–1997, 2000)
• NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
• 2× All-NBA First Team Selection
• 6× All-NBA Second Team Selection
• 3× All-NBA Third Team Selection
• 5× NBA All-Defensive Second Team Selection
• 2× Bausch and Lomb Court Vision Award Winner
• 2× Allstate Good Hands Award Winner

Points – 19,711

Assists – 15,806

Steals – 3,265

 

Jerry Sloan:

 

Career highlights and awards :

• 2× NBA All-Star (1967, 1969)
• 4× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1969, 1972, 1974, 1975)
• 2× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1970, 1971)

Points – 10,571

Rebounds – 5,615

Assists – 1,925

Number 23's best 23

 

ESPN has put together his royal airness's top 23 highlights. Starting at 23 they will be counting down to number one adding a new video everyday. Check it out!

Jordan's top 23

G.O. on P.T.I

Greg Oden sat down with Tony and Micheal today for a short 5 minute interview on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption .

Oden emphaized the imp ortance of having fun in basketball. He said last season it was hard for him to find the fun in basketball because of injuries and the adjustments in the NBA game.

He said he came into the summer league looking to work strictly on defense and rebounding.

Currently he is spending some time in Columbus, Ohio relaxing and having fun.

The big question came towards the interview when tony asked G.O. if he regrets leaving after his first year. Greg said if he could do it all over again he would.

GO G.O.!

-Ryanhs

What about Bayless?

Last week the Portland Trail Blazers were finally able to make a splash in the 09 NBA offseason when they acquired former 76er Andre Miller. A steal at 2 years and 14 million dollars guaranteed with a third year team option.

The Blazers decided to fill the veteran void that had been missing in the playoffs last year. The Blazers also decided to upgrade their lack of leadership at the Point Guard position. Addressing what needed to be done all of last season.

Assuming, that Miller will be in the starting line up at the beginning of the season with Blake the primary backup it leaves little room to even discuss Jerryd Bayless. A second year guard now who is thought to be more of a combo guard then a true point.

Bayless was the thrid option last year at point behind Blake and Rodriguez. With Rodriguez being dealt away on draft day, it left a lot of hopefuls, hoping Bayless would be the future. That all changed July 24, when the Blazers decided to acquire 33 year old veteran PG Andre Miller.

With Miller averaging 35 minutes a game over his career, Blake as back up PG and Roy's desire to bring the ball up in clutch moments there is no time left for Bayless.

Only 11 points and 5 assists per game in 6 years in the league Blake has yet to prove himself. Missing key free throws in a regular season game last year and making key mistakes in the playoff series againist the Rockets proved hes not clutch nor is he ready to lead a team.

Going into his second season you are going to see a more confident Bayless, with a better understanding of the NBA. Better decision making, more confident in his shot and a better realtionship with his team.

But will this all be for nothing?

Will he sit on the bench and watch Blake try to improve on his already mediocre NBA career?

Or will Mcmillan finally trust in an untrusted player?

-Ryanhs

The Euro's are coming, the Euro's are coming

 

European players are a fixture in the NBA now and will continue to be until playing in Europe is more prominent.

After all the best basketball player in Spain (Pau Gasol) is now officially the third best player on the Lakers. Where contrastingly the best Futbol'er in Spain (Fernando Torres) is quite possibly the best player in the world.

That makes it difficult to get solid basketball development in Europe, especially when players can go pro at puberty.(Ricky Rubio) I don't want this to become a child labor piece so I'll not even get into how wrong I think that is. But every coach who has made the transition from the NCAA to the NBA will tell you, its hard to teach anything to someone who is getting paid to do it. Cash creates ego, that's universal.

Dirk Nowitzki is the most individually successful Euro of all time having been named the MVP in 2007. And still he is regarded as being "soft". "Soft" is is a phrase that is synonymous with Euro. Dirk has all the talent in the world, there is no arguing that. Actually most the European players in the NBA are incredibly talented. Let me put that out there right now because this could get ugly.

I just don't see the heart. Sure some of them are fiery and passionate, but thats not heart, not Rudy Tomjanovich "Never underestimate the heart of a champion" heart.

An average NBA player (Kenyon Martin) was able to completely make Dirk disappear at times in the second round in the playoffs. Kenyon got into Dirk's head by challenging his heart. Forcing over protective mother hen (Mark Cuban) to retaliate by calling Kenyon a thug. Nothing says heart like getting smacked around and having Mommy come to the rescue.

Hedo Turkoglu, the self proclaimed “Michael Jordan of Turkey”, chose to go to a lessor team for slightly more money, which in the end will be less money, as the cost of living in Toronto is significantly higher. Hedo has been quoted as saying the Turkish population and being 5 hours closer to Turkey were main factors.

What about winning?

I know Portland has never been a big free agent draw, but Toronto is terrible and likely losing Chris Bosh in the next offseason.

I'm just saying, would Jordan ever make such terrible basketball decision? Well I mean while he was playing anyway!

So you tell me know, how well would an NBA “All Euro” team fair in a playoff series?

Tony Parker – Point Guard

Rudy Fernandez – Shooting Guard

Hedo Turkoglu – Small Forward

Dirk Nowitzki – Power Forward

Pau Gasol – Center

I know that looks like a good unit on the surface, but that team would have to score at least 140 points a game to pull of a win. They surely aren't going to be winning 90 point battles let alone some scrappy 80 point wars.

I would be willing to put Andre Miller, Brandon Roy, Travis Outlaw, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden on the floor against them. At least we know that the Blazers can force you to play their brand of basketball, could a Euro team do that?

Euro players in the NBA will always have the talent, but really what it comes down to is there is no pride like that of an American. American pride equals “The heart of a champion!”

-Kurt Valentine