So Zach Randolph returned to the Rose Garden, and in a hail of boos from the crowd, puts together one of his better performances of the season. But seriously, did anyone think he wouldn't? But unfortunately for Zach, it is the same scenario he has had his entire career, sure he had a great game, but who won? It was the stellar second half performance from Brandon Roy that woke up the Trail Blazers and led them on a mission in the second half to win this game. How often last year would we put the ball in Zach's hands and give him the shot at this, to let him lead our team. Well, I hate to say it as a former Zach supporter, but the guy is not a leader, he is selfish, and while he may say things about wishing it had been a victory for his team, does he really? I don't think so, I think he is selfish and just wants stats for himself. He was on a mission last night as well, a mission to have a great game, he wanted to come back and say, "Fuck you for trading me." Well I don't think one Blazer fan missed him at all last night, and in the shining performance of our resident All Star and the TEAM we pulled out another gritty, gutsy, come from behind win.
I am not going to link to the Oregonians article, it says basically what I just have. But I do want to share Martell Webster's quote from last night:
"This is something amazing, something special," Martell Webster said. "It is history in the making, a sign of a new era. A team that has totally changed, that has gone 180 (degrees) from where it used to be. Everything is looking up now, the future is bright. We have two great players on our team who are representing us in All-Star weekend, and that is something the fans have been wanting. Something positive, something to go home and talk to their friends about. That's what we want to bring, and that's what we have been doing."
I think that is one of the most profound and clearest ways to describe this franchise I have ever read. Martell summed up everything surrounding Portland this basketball season. Ladies and gentlemen I feel he has finally 'gotten' it. We can talk about the play of Roy, we can talk about the late game heroics of Outlaw, we can talk about Aldridge, Blake, James Jones, Joel Przybilla, and they are all very key pieces in all of this and worthy of praise (or boos depending on who you talk to..... Nat!). But I think one of the most underrated players on this team and in the league is Webster. He doesn't necessarily have flashy stats, he is not always an offensive juggernaut, but as I discussed in my earlier piece about Roy, Martell brings a lot of intangibles to this team. He is a solid rebounder, great shooter, mucks up the passing lanes, plays good team D, but most of all I have seen so much growth in his defense over the past couple of months.
I am becoming more and more impressed with this kid, and think he will blossom into a wonderful all around player. He is kind of looking to me like Udoka did last season, with one major difference, Martell has all the tools to become an absolute stud in this league, and it looks like maybe the biggest question mark about him is finally coming out, his mind.
And last but not least, congrats to Roy for his first NBA triple double, mark my words, it will not be his last.
I think my friend Jimmy said it best in an email to me and Nat, "that's right-- respect for roy". Brandon Roy made it to the All Star team at an insanely crowded position in the Western Conference. I mean the starters are Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson, then of course CP3 with the season he's having, and Steve Nash, arguably the best true PG in the league are going to get in. After that however, you have Baron Davis, who is having a stellar year, Tony Parker, Deron Williams, Manu "Skunk-Stripe-Balding-Pattern" Ginobli, and a slew of other forwards and centers as depicted here. Which I mention the other positions, because for the reserves, coaches pick 2 guards, 2 forwards, one center, and 2 wild cards. Roy was a wild card along with New Orleans PF David West. So of all the deserving players in the NBA's Western Conference, why Roy?
If you look at Roy's year, the story cannot be told by stats alone, he is averaging 19.3 points per game, 5.6 assists per game, and 4.5 rebounds per game, good numbers sure, but not the greatest. And that is one reason I think this story is so important. Roy didn't get in based on his numbers alone, John Canzano wrote about intagibles in a column I linked to below, and he was right. Roy is the leader of the Blazers, in the locker room and on the court. He plays the game with such respect, that any time he receives any honor, he deflects credit to things like his coach, his teammates, or his desire to give his team a chance to win. Truly unselfish you can just tell he doesn't care about stats, he cares about making his team better. And he does make his team better but not for the obvious reasons, not only will he take a game over when he has to, but he can also recognize when someone else on the team has the hot hand and lets them do it instead.
Early in games, you might see him hit a couple of shots, but then he starts to defer to his teammates, I think this is because he wants to know who is going to help him on any given night, he wants to see which teammates are on and which ones are off. He also does it because he wants his team to win just as that, a team. Now Blazer fans have seen Roy take games over when it mattered most (see the Atlanta victory last week), but I think almost as important is that we have seen Roy pass to teammates that were 'on' in clutch moments many times as well. He is clutch in every sense of the word, he has an uncanny ability to find the open man, and the silent confidence to trust him as well. This is a rare quality, and one that I think has propelled him to new heights in the NBA.
Yet the most endearing quality of Brandon Roy is something we do not see very often in the NBA. He is humble. He is also becoming a superstar. And these are two qualities rarely, if ever, seen in professional sports. He never seems to put himself above anybody, coach, player, anybody. He accepts blame, takes responsibility for his actions, good or bad, and always has praise for his coaches and teammates. He doesn't seem to have an ego, just seems like a very down to earth guy, and one who respects, the NBA, the game of basketball, his coaches, his teammates, his town, and his fans, these are who Brandon always gives credit to. Because of this I will tell Brandon, it is time for you to get the credit you deserve Brandon, you have earned this All Star berth, not just by how well you play basketball, but also by the kind of person, player, and teammate you are, soak it up and enjoy it, because you are our superstar, because of your play, but more so because of your person. As long as you hold this town up, we will hold you up. Finally a class act in sports, and of all places, he landed in Portland, the one city that needed him the most.
So once again it's not like I am breaking this story. But rumors are swirling about a 3 team trade, Portland, Dallas, and New Jersey:
Dallas would get Jason Kidd, perennial All Star, triple double machine, great playmaking point guard, wife beater, so all around good guy. Not to mention he is mentally tough something Dallas has lacked in recent years (Dirk), instantly puts them into serious contender status for the championship. I mean the problem with Dallas, is that JET (Jason Terry) has really lost a step over the past year, I don't know if this is due to his religious fervor, his new contract or what, but he just isn't playing at a level one would expect of him. Dirk is good but not a leader, and he needs someone to set him up for shots, insert J-Kidd. So with Kidd, Dirk and Josh Howard, this Mavericks team would be formidable.
New Jersey would get, Travis Outlaw, Channing Frye, Jarrett Jack, Jerry Stackhouse, and some 1st round draft picks. Alright, the 1st rounders are gonna suck, I mean, just read the paragraph above, because those pick sure as hell aren't coming from Portland. Jersey will most likely buy out Stackhouse, but I don't really get this from their standpoint, they have Richard Jefferson, why get Outlaw? Jack will be good for them, but not great, and Frye well, he's alright. I just don't think they are getting very much in return for Kidd.
Portland would get, Devin Harris and Brandon Bass. Now I like this from the Blazers standpoint, for a couple of reasons, Harris is good, not great, but he is the same age as Roy, he is a good person of character, and I think he would thrive on this team, he could definitely be the point guard of the future for us, and I see him being an upgrade over all of our point guards, and he's young and not exceedingly expensive. Also, Brandon Bass would become the perfect backup PF for us, you know like late in the game when Nate won't play Joel anymore and prefers to have LaMarcus at center and Outlaw at PF, well, lemme tell you, if he had Bass in there, we would have a lot better defense, a good offensive post player, and most importantly someone who wouldn't have their head so far up their ass that they wouldn't be able to rebound, this kid could be really good, and I think is the perfect complementary player that this Portland squad needs. Really I would like it if the Blazers didn't make this trade but somehow pried away Bass from Dallas, one scenario I used on the ESPN Trade Machine was to trade Channing Frye to Dallas, Dallas would then send Maurice Ager and the Juwan Howard to Charlotte, and Dallas would give us Brandon Bass, it doesn't make sense, but damn, I really would like us to get our hands on Bass.
So after a lot of deliberation, the only team this trade does NOT make sense for is NJ. They just aren't getting very good assets in return. I know there is some cap relief for them, and a couple of decent prospects, but it just doesn't seem like they are getting much in return. The draft picks are crappy, they get three young players, but who knows how long it will take Outlaw to relearn their offense, Frye is soft, and Jack is decent, but I only see him as a backup in this league. As far as from the Blazers standpoint, sure it seems like they are giving up a lot, but they really aren't, they get a great young point guard, and a rugged and rebounding backup PF, something that they really need. Basically looking at this team, I know LaMarcus is playing very soft right now, and has started to receive some criticism for this, but he still has time to develop, and he will. So because of that this team needs a player like Brandon Bass, not only for his toughness, but also because, like Outlaw, he can put up some points, in a different fashion for sure, but it works and it is what the Blazers need.
Here is another trade suggested, and this would be fucking horrible for the Blazers, okay so we dump D-Miles salary for what? To have fucking Jamaal Tinsley on our books until 2010-11? How does this make sense for the Blazers? Not to mention his problems with guns in the past, this article mentions a couple of times he was involved with gun related incidents. Yeah I bet the Blazers make that trade.
Alright, I have been kind of dormant these last couple of days, and for that, I apologize. So I am just going to spit out a bunch of links to the various going ons concerning the Blazers the past few days.
Nice backhanded compliment column about former Blazer Zach Randolph. Speaking of Z-Bo, the Oregonian had a quote from him in the paper today regarding his return to Portland since the trade and how Zach felt the crowd would respond, "I don't know....... a standing ovation?" Probably not Zach, now I know people liked Randolph, hell, I did, it's easy to get seduced by his talents (scoring and rebounding), but as the column suggests there are a lot of intangibles he does not bring to the table, and now that he is gone I finally get it. The man is clueless, which is obvious from his quote, Zach played well for us, but the fans did not really like him that much, never bought into his style, which is why he is gone. And I say good riddance.
Since I have been slacking I promise some monster updates, especially with the Devin Harris rumors, as well as links and much more, sorry again, just been busy but I will work on it tonight!!
So I will admit it, I did NOT watch the game between Portland and Cleveland, I know, I know, I am a bad fan I guess, but it just didn't fit into my schedule. So anyways I won't be griping about what the Blazers did or did not do in the game, I really have no idea, in fact I haven't done much today at all, including reading the paper or any articles on the Blazers. However, don't fret, Nat sent me a fairly lengthy email about LaMarcus Aldridge, and so I am just going to put that up for you all instead, for Nat it might be good to reread his words, but for others enjoy, good work Nat!
"How bad is LaMarcus? His numbers look like he had a pretty good game last night, but I would beg to differ. Other than his two and-1s in the 1st quarter he was pathetic. And even those seemed pretty lucky – the first one should have been smothered by big Z as it was shot at the level of his armpits! I can see that from a PG, but a goddamn 7 footer!?! As Big Red would say, “Throw it down, big man! One time!” I had to laugh on that fast break where LaMarcus passed off to Webster – he knew that he wouldn’t be able to finish because he’s so soft…at least he had the presence of mind to find Martell to throw it down!
The problem with Lamarcus’ offense is that it’s benign. It never comes at a point in the game where it could change momentum, or put the nail in the coffin. He’s never made a clutch basket. He might get some points – but it’s only when he’s purposely left open by defenders leaving him to focus on Roy. He hardly ever scores when he’s defended – it’s open jumpers or the rare cut to the hoop for an uncontested dunk. (And did you know that Joel outscored LaMarcus in the 4th quarter? Where’s this offense that Nate keeps using as an excuse for playing him?)
But last night the biggest problem was his defense. Was he at home on the couch watching LeBron lay the ball in with .3 seconds on the clock? That’s what it looked like. For some reason Nate put him in (rather than Joel!) to defend the rim. And what’s he do? He steps aside and lets LeBron – a fairly poor free-throw shooter – get all the way to the rim untouched. Was he afraid that LeBron would make a faster-than-light pass to Gooden who would be able to touch-shoot the ball through the hoop before time expired? What a moron! And prior to that when LeBron was drilling 3s where was LaMarcus? He should have been jumping the screens like our opponents have been doing to Roy, but instead he was sagging back giving LeBron 5+ feet to get his shot off. Wasn’t our defense supposed to improve when we traded Zach?
Watching LaMarcus play basketball is like watching a neutered dog lick his missing balls. I think it’s about time someone buys LaMarcus a pair of prosthetic testes to implant in his empty sack.
Anyway - I think our chances of making the playoffs are slim and hinge on other teams diving rather than us doing well. Unless a major injury happens to Houston, Golden State, Denver or Utah - actually two of those four have to sustain a major injury - there's no way we make the cut. Shouldn't be disappointed I guess - we're better than anyone would have thought. We just played better than we're capable of playing during the month of December. Right now I think we're playing at our true level."
I particularly like the part of the neutered dog licking his missing balls....
I am just sick and tired of this team not getting credit, John "Mr. Stat" Hollinger wrote this piece about 'under the radar' players, I mean I know that with the win streak and the fact that the Blazers are playing well and finally getting some national attention but they don't have any players 'under the radar'??? I mean he had David West and Devin Harris on there, what you couldn't slap Charles...er....Bo....er......I mean Travis Outlaw on this list??? You have that damned Josh Childress, but not Martell Webster or James Jones??? I mean come on dude! I've never really been a fan of his stuff, even when I can read it, I just think the guy is way too into his numbers. I mean it's a good thing ESPN has Henry Abbott around to pump up Blazer fans, well, I like Mark Stein as well, he has been noticing the Blazers fairly well. But I mean practically the entire Blazer roster is underrated 'sleepers'!
Sorry all, busy morning, and wasn't really home yesterday to blog about the game last night. But a few different articles to check out, I already pointed you towards the Jason Quick blog about chemistry, but here is the article that was in the Sunday paper about chemistry, it is going to be a five part series I guess, but I also saw that parts 1 and 2 were already printed, on the same day, weird. Anyways also click the polling item at the top of that article to see the Blazers list their best friends on the team, good stuff, what caught my eye is that LA and Serge are best buds, 0nce again, weird, but cool.
Also Henry Abbott of TrueHoop apparently catches some flak for writing about the Blazers, but I like how he defends himself as being a fan as well as a sportswriter and being honest about it. And honestly, he hasn't had too many great stories to write about concerning the Blazers the last few years, so I say more power to him. Along that same line of thought, I mean if you go to any blog, most bloggers show who they are fans of and often do team-centric blogs, I mean look at me! So I don't begrudge him for doing it, and it is one of the main reasons I started reading TrueHoop religiously in the first place, I was excited that he was a Blazer fan. I would say it is easier to find Blazer fans now, but not when he started.
One word: Amazing.
I will say this, I was watching that game (in HD, sweeeet) and the entire thing was miserable until about four or five minutes left. I mean we kept scoring in the second half but so did they, and then once again with a fever, Brandon Roy just took OVER that game. I mean I watched some highlights reels here and they don't even show the drive he had where he dribbled in the lane, took the ball up right and then brought it back to the left and layed it in WHILE Al Horford was holding onto his left arm, I mean this kid is insane! That was one of the best game changing performances I have ever seen and just tells me that Roy is indeed one these great superstars who not only will their teams to victory but play them there as well. He played some of the best perimeter defense I have ever seen on Joe Johnson at the end of that game (see 'Amazing' above), blocked a shot by elite shot blocker Josh Smith, and just literally didn't want to lose. The way he slowly starts to drive and then just bursts past defenders once he reaches the key is uncanny. The kid is amazing! Yes, I'm gushing, and yes, it's alright that I do.
One other thing of note late in the game, LaMarcus Aldridge had some HUGE rebounds, kept us in it, and I was glad to see it.
Finishing up with a little housecleaning, I realize my readers are few (thanks Nat and Jimmy and any other faithfuls lurking), but I noticed that my links don't show up with the text they are in, I don't quite know what to do about this yet, but obviously whenever I am writing and say something is 'here' you should find the correct link. Anyways thanks again, and I will get better at this as time goes on.
