Friday, February 8, 2008
And to think......
I used to like Rasheed Wallace, what a turd. All I have to say is that the Blazers are in contention for a playoff spot in the west, in the east, even with their current record, they would be in fourth place, probably better since they would have an easier schedule. C'mon Sheed, you guys are second in the east, which is like saying you would probably be eighth in the west. What an ass.
Weighing in
The Shaq trade. Like I said this is such a small story compared to when he was traded a few years ago. My oh my how things have changed. The bottom line for this deal though is that Miami gets some cap flexibility because I really doubt the Matrix will sign there in the offseason, and I'm not even sure Miami really wants him to.
For Phoenix, the trade makes sense, they got rid of the horrible Marcus Banks contract, and he never really fit in with their team, and they also got rid of a huge dissenter in the locker room. Marion wasn't happy there, he and Amare didn't get along, either on the court or off of it, and it was just a huge clash of ego. Although I think Amare's head is about as large as an NBA arena anyways, and that isn't due to his brain, which is, like cats, probably the size of a pea. I mean talk about a dumb kid, he didn't come out after high school solely for his basketball skills, colleges were probably going to have a hard time figuring out how he was going to get a good grade in anything.
As far as Shaq not fitting in there, I dunno, the trade does make sense. One reason Phoenix traded for Kurt Thomas is that they wanted interior defense, and Amare definitely wasn't giving them that. I mean he will kill at PF I'm fairly sure, and Shaq gives them the big body in the middle they have been craving. So to me the trade does make sense for them. Also Shaq is at the point of his career where his ego has been deflated, and he knows he isn't the player he used to be and is able to defer to others. I think it will be good for him.
And really Phoenix can use a lot more Boris Diaw now, who is almost always a triple-double threat. He is versatile, a great passer, a decent scorer, and a good rebounder. He isn't as athletic as Marion, but I feel the points and rebounds Marion provided will be split between Diaw and Shaq. Not to mention Grant Hill coming off the bench, I think this trade suits Phoenix a lot better than people think. There was talk of a Marion for Kirilenko trade, but that is like swapping two very similar players, and Phoenix is on the hook with Diaw for awhile, so they might as well give him some playing time and get the big man they covet. Overall, a decent trade for both teams. Now if only Miami would shut down Wade for the season and let him heal....
For Phoenix, the trade makes sense, they got rid of the horrible Marcus Banks contract, and he never really fit in with their team, and they also got rid of a huge dissenter in the locker room. Marion wasn't happy there, he and Amare didn't get along, either on the court or off of it, and it was just a huge clash of ego. Although I think Amare's head is about as large as an NBA arena anyways, and that isn't due to his brain, which is, like cats, probably the size of a pea. I mean talk about a dumb kid, he didn't come out after high school solely for his basketball skills, colleges were probably going to have a hard time figuring out how he was going to get a good grade in anything.
As far as Shaq not fitting in there, I dunno, the trade does make sense. One reason Phoenix traded for Kurt Thomas is that they wanted interior defense, and Amare definitely wasn't giving them that. I mean he will kill at PF I'm fairly sure, and Shaq gives them the big body in the middle they have been craving. So to me the trade does make sense for them. Also Shaq is at the point of his career where his ego has been deflated, and he knows he isn't the player he used to be and is able to defer to others. I think it will be good for him.
And really Phoenix can use a lot more Boris Diaw now, who is almost always a triple-double threat. He is versatile, a great passer, a decent scorer, and a good rebounder. He isn't as athletic as Marion, but I feel the points and rebounds Marion provided will be split between Diaw and Shaq. Not to mention Grant Hill coming off the bench, I think this trade suits Phoenix a lot better than people think. There was talk of a Marion for Kirilenko trade, but that is like swapping two very similar players, and Phoenix is on the hook with Diaw for awhile, so they might as well give him some playing time and get the big man they covet. Overall, a decent trade for both teams. Now if only Miami would shut down Wade for the season and let him heal....
Trade Machine
All right all there is a new and improved, revamped, easier to use ESPN Trade Machine, and this thing is addictive, seriously play with it for a bit, it's like NBA 2k8, except you can't override a trade. Good times!
Good little article by Jason Quick in the Oregonian here. My thoughts, as it is about finishing, is that in a year or two a lot of these games that the Blazers are in control of in the fourth will start becoming blowouts more often than nought. I mean of course teams can always come back, and usually do, unless the game is way too out of hand, but with the experience of these close games, both the wins and the losses, there is a huge learning curve with how to execute late in a game to ensure victory. And really does anyone think we would be this much better late in games than the last couple of years if this team hadn't suffered all of the close defeats and last minute heartbreaks over the last couple of years. Jack, Outlaw, Webster, Przybilla, as well as Roy and Aldridge to some extent, had to suffer a LOT of late game bungles over the past two previous seasons. Our team might be young, but they have already had a LOT of mistakes to learn from, always a good thing, as tough as it was to watch as a fan. Like Nate said in the article, it just goes to show the kind of growth and improvement these players have had to endure. Anyways I say watch all of this to change over the course of the next few years.
I guess this could bring up bad memories for some Blazers fans, but a funny side note about the Jermaine O'Neal trade on TrueHoop today.
Mike Barrett gives us an update on Roy on his blog. He also talks about the Indiana game on Saturday and talks about how many back to back games we have had against teams who have had a night off. Interesting stuff, apparently the last team we played who was coming off a back-to-back was Chicago on January 3rd, and the next time it happens for us will be on February 29th, thanks schedule gurus of the NBA, thanks a lot!
Great, great, great, great, great, great, great video here, candid interview of Brandon Roy by ESPN's LZ Granderson, once again it just goes to show you who we have with this guy, even if he wasn't our best player he would be our cornerstone.
Good little article by Jason Quick in the Oregonian here. My thoughts, as it is about finishing, is that in a year or two a lot of these games that the Blazers are in control of in the fourth will start becoming blowouts more often than nought. I mean of course teams can always come back, and usually do, unless the game is way too out of hand, but with the experience of these close games, both the wins and the losses, there is a huge learning curve with how to execute late in a game to ensure victory. And really does anyone think we would be this much better late in games than the last couple of years if this team hadn't suffered all of the close defeats and last minute heartbreaks over the last couple of years. Jack, Outlaw, Webster, Przybilla, as well as Roy and Aldridge to some extent, had to suffer a LOT of late game bungles over the past two previous seasons. Our team might be young, but they have already had a LOT of mistakes to learn from, always a good thing, as tough as it was to watch as a fan. Like Nate said in the article, it just goes to show the kind of growth and improvement these players have had to endure. Anyways I say watch all of this to change over the course of the next few years.
I guess this could bring up bad memories for some Blazers fans, but a funny side note about the Jermaine O'Neal trade on TrueHoop today.
Mike Barrett gives us an update on Roy on his blog. He also talks about the Indiana game on Saturday and talks about how many back to back games we have had against teams who have had a night off. Interesting stuff, apparently the last team we played who was coming off a back-to-back was Chicago on January 3rd, and the next time it happens for us will be on February 29th, thanks schedule gurus of the NBA, thanks a lot!
Great, great, great, great, great, great, great video here, candid interview of Brandon Roy by ESPN's LZ Granderson, once again it just goes to show you who we have with this guy, even if he wasn't our best player he would be our cornerstone.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
I am a slacker.....
Once again I have been slacking on my blog, for some reason I just haven't gotten to it, hell I haven't even watched a game since parts of the NY game. In my absence my friends Nat and Jimmy have been emailing me quite a bit of thoughts and articles they read and what have you. Lemme put it this way, Nat hates LaMarcus more and more, but before we touch on this, how about some links.
"There's actually some great LaMarcus-hating content in Quick's blog! First Abbott, now Portland's "finest" - people are starting to take note of how much LaMarcus sucks! (I noticed that last night he scored 10 of his 18 in the 1st quarter. And he didn't do anything - not score, rebound, or block - in the 4th quarter. And he only got 6 rebounds in 35 minutes - I think Martell got 5 in 20 minutes. Beating the Bulls by 3 points without Hinrich, Deng, or Gordon is hardly a win to be proud of.) Nice to see Jack put the pressure on the defense and get to the line for 7 of 8 shooting! Anyway, here's part of Quick's blog post:
The starting lineup isn't the only thing being looked at right now. McMillan said he has spent the past several days analyzing his fourth-quarter rotations, and has reached a point where he is leaning toward playing center Joel Przybilla more if LaMarcus Aldridge continues his struggles.
"The thing is, we gotta get some production there,'' McMillan said of the center position in the fourth quarter. "It will be a read on my part, but we have to look at that, no question. ''There has been so much clamoring about Przybilla's lack of play in the fourth quarters this season, but what people don't understand is that if Przybilla plays, then either Aldridge or Travis Outlaw has to sit.
And if one thing has become certain in McMillan's mind, it's that Outlaw is no longer a small forward - he is strictly a power forward."That's where he gives us an advantage,'' McMillan said.That brings us back to Aldridge, who I think has been very sporadic and at times a liability for this team, particularly down the stretch of games. His jumper has been decidedly off, and his defense has been less than inspiring.
Earlier this year in a double-overtime loss in Toronto, Przybilla did not play in the fourth or in either overtime, even though Aldridge was struggling through a 5-for-17 shooting day and getting killed by Chris Bosh on defense. After the game, McMillan said he stuck with Aldridge because he is one of the franchise's foundations, and he is going to have to learn to play through those types of games. However, those types of games for Aldrdige have become increasingly more common. He enters tonight with a season-low 16.9 scoring average which comes on the heels of some unsightly shooting nights (2-for-9 vs. Denver, 5-for-14 vs. Houston, 3-for-12 at Atlanta, 6-for-21 at Orlando, 5-for-17 at Toronto and 6-for-17 at Chicago).
What is making it worse is that Aldridge has been out of position (LeBron James' game-winning drive) or merely shoved out of the way on defense too many times lately - and at times when the game is on the line.Doesn't there come a time when the coach has to say foundation or not, part of your learning experience will be being benched if poor play persists?"I would have to agree,'' McMillan in respondng to that notion. "And we will have to look at that. It's not out of the question.''"
He has been pestering me to write an anti-LaMarcus post for a few days now, but you know what, the dude is young, could he stand to be tougher, yes, could he stand to be a better defender, of course, does that mean that I hate him, NO! But Quick ends his article just saying he is expecting more from LaMarcus, and I agree, we should be seeing more from him, I think he needs to muck it up, get on people on defense, get a freaking post game. On the other hand, it is his second year in the league and I don't think anyone expected him to be doing what he is even doing NOW before he had been in the league for a few years. So really I don't begrudge him, he is still learning and I think he is in a mental slump as well, so come on lets go easy on the guy!
Anyways I want to write more so I will get to that later, discussing the Shaq trade (does anyone else feel like this is almost no news? I mean I wasn't that shocked/surprised/or cared about this trade in any aspect. Well, more on that later. Also I am going to do a story on what it is really like in the Trail Blazers home office, I will compare my own experiences, and try to contact some folks to get some current insider info. More on that later.
- Here is Joe Freeman's blog post about the Chicago game.
- Mike Barret writes about it in his blog here.
- Here is some post-game audio from Nate, as well as some quotes from coaches and players here, I think Nat will read LA's quote, and then he will laugh and throw up at the same time, but that is just a guess!
"There's actually some great LaMarcus-hating content in Quick's blog! First Abbott, now Portland's "finest" - people are starting to take note of how much LaMarcus sucks! (I noticed that last night he scored 10 of his 18 in the 1st quarter. And he didn't do anything - not score, rebound, or block - in the 4th quarter. And he only got 6 rebounds in 35 minutes - I think Martell got 5 in 20 minutes. Beating the Bulls by 3 points without Hinrich, Deng, or Gordon is hardly a win to be proud of.) Nice to see Jack put the pressure on the defense and get to the line for 7 of 8 shooting! Anyway, here's part of Quick's blog post:
The starting lineup isn't the only thing being looked at right now. McMillan said he has spent the past several days analyzing his fourth-quarter rotations, and has reached a point where he is leaning toward playing center Joel Przybilla more if LaMarcus Aldridge continues his struggles.
"The thing is, we gotta get some production there,'' McMillan said of the center position in the fourth quarter. "It will be a read on my part, but we have to look at that, no question. ''There has been so much clamoring about Przybilla's lack of play in the fourth quarters this season, but what people don't understand is that if Przybilla plays, then either Aldridge or Travis Outlaw has to sit.
And if one thing has become certain in McMillan's mind, it's that Outlaw is no longer a small forward - he is strictly a power forward."That's where he gives us an advantage,'' McMillan said.That brings us back to Aldridge, who I think has been very sporadic and at times a liability for this team, particularly down the stretch of games. His jumper has been decidedly off, and his defense has been less than inspiring.
Earlier this year in a double-overtime loss in Toronto, Przybilla did not play in the fourth or in either overtime, even though Aldridge was struggling through a 5-for-17 shooting day and getting killed by Chris Bosh on defense. After the game, McMillan said he stuck with Aldridge because he is one of the franchise's foundations, and he is going to have to learn to play through those types of games. However, those types of games for Aldrdige have become increasingly more common. He enters tonight with a season-low 16.9 scoring average which comes on the heels of some unsightly shooting nights (2-for-9 vs. Denver, 5-for-14 vs. Houston, 3-for-12 at Atlanta, 6-for-21 at Orlando, 5-for-17 at Toronto and 6-for-17 at Chicago).
What is making it worse is that Aldridge has been out of position (LeBron James' game-winning drive) or merely shoved out of the way on defense too many times lately - and at times when the game is on the line.Doesn't there come a time when the coach has to say foundation or not, part of your learning experience will be being benched if poor play persists?"I would have to agree,'' McMillan in respondng to that notion. "And we will have to look at that. It's not out of the question.''"
He has been pestering me to write an anti-LaMarcus post for a few days now, but you know what, the dude is young, could he stand to be tougher, yes, could he stand to be a better defender, of course, does that mean that I hate him, NO! But Quick ends his article just saying he is expecting more from LaMarcus, and I agree, we should be seeing more from him, I think he needs to muck it up, get on people on defense, get a freaking post game. On the other hand, it is his second year in the league and I don't think anyone expected him to be doing what he is even doing NOW before he had been in the league for a few years. So really I don't begrudge him, he is still learning and I think he is in a mental slump as well, so come on lets go easy on the guy!
Anyways I want to write more so I will get to that later, discussing the Shaq trade (does anyone else feel like this is almost no news? I mean I wasn't that shocked/surprised/or cared about this trade in any aspect. Well, more on that later. Also I am going to do a story on what it is really like in the Trail Blazers home office, I will compare my own experiences, and try to contact some folks to get some current insider info. More on that later.
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