BlazersTruth Blog

Martell Webster... The Hype Is Real.

2007-10-15T23:51:00.000-07:00

I did attend the pre-season opener last Wednesday, so here are some thoughts. First off, let me just say that the new scoreboard is AWESOME. Jason Quick and Dwight Jaynes were not exaggerating in the least. Even nosebleed seats aren't that bad anymore because you probably see the game clearer from the HD scoreboard than the front row fans see with their bare eyes.

After the first three pre-season games, the big hype is on Martell Webster. I'm not surprised, but I'm sure many fans are. In fact, I wish I would have revealed my expectation for Martell's breakout season sooner. Perhaps Martell read a post I wrote last season Martell "Future" Webster, I where I gave him a few pointers. Anyway, I reassert my claim that Martell can and will be a star in this league.

It's That Time Again!

2007-10-08T22:39:00.000-07:00

Trail Blazer training camp is underway, so it's time to start blogging again. Last time I left off, the Blazers had just gotten #1 pick. Well, as you all know, a few things have happened since then. Here are a just few comments on some of the notable off-season events.

Zach Randolph is traded to New York. This was a good move by the Blazers. While Zach was a 20/10 guy, he was stunting this team's growth. Even last year, the team played better without Zach. The fact is, Zach wasn't that guy to lead us to the promised land. Aldridge might be.
Blazers sign Steve Blake. This is also a great move by the Blazers. Steve Blake is one of the most underrated point guards in the league. Personally, I think Blake is exactly what the Blazers needed. He can push the ball, distribute the ball, and hit shots when he needs to. Plus he is a great defender. Steve's signing, and the logjam at point guard is an unfortunate situation for Sergio Rodriguez... but we'll see.
Oden is drafted, then has surgery. First off, Oden was the correct choice. Oden's surgery, and lost rookie season, is just horrible for everyone: the team, the fans, for Greg, the Blazers organization, the league, etc. Even the Blazers-Media-Machine, who hyped Oden so much and downplayed the surgery, seems to have been humbled since the news. Since the surgery the BMM have been much more honest and transparent... we'll keep an eye on this.
Blazers resign Travis Outlaw. I do not understand this move. Travis Outlaw is not “that guy”. Sure, he had some 18 point games late last season, but that's when we were playing our 3rd string and trying to lose. Some reason the Blazers really like him, and have been hyping him hard. I believe the Blazers' expectations for Travis are way too high, and as the rest of the team improves, he'll be pushed further and further out of the rotation.

Many people are saying that this season will be the same or worse as last year, citing Oden's injury and losing Randolph's points. On the contrary! The Blazers will be better than last year, quite a bit better. In fact, I'm not looking for just some improvement, I'm expecting break-out seasons by a couple of choice Blazers.

I will be at the Blazer's first pre-season game on Wednesday, and will report my observations here. Take care. Go Blazers!!!

Trail Blazers win the lottery!

2007-05-23T23:11:00.000-07:00

Amazing! The Blazers defy the odds and get the #1 pick! Wow.

I am still in shock, as is most of Portland. In fact, Portland is in such shock that hundreds of residents suddenly decided they needed season tickets. It’s funny to me that on Tuesday morning, many of these new season ticket holders thought the Blazers would get 6th pick; investing in Blazer tickets was probably the last thing on their mind. Then all of a sudden, because of a ping-pong ball, they decide they need spend the thousands of dollars it takes to be a season ticket holder.
It doesn’t make much sense to me, but if it helps to fill the Rose Garden, I’m not going to question it!

In fact, on Tuesday night alone, after the lottery(5:30pm), the Blazers sold over $1,000,000 in season ticket sales. They then sold another million dollars in tickets today (Wednesday). This means that in just 2 days, the Blazers already made over half of our #1 pick’s rookie year salary ($3,885,000).

Who will and/or should that #1 pick be? We’ll leave that for a future post.

Carmelo Anthony vs George Karl

2007-03-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

As forseen in my 2007 predictions post, some turmoil is brewing in Denver. It seems Nuggets coach George Karl is fed up with Carmelo Anthony competing with Allen Iverson and feels Carmelo should just "forget about scoring". Just as I predicted, having two 30+ point players on the same team will cause problems. Something has to give.

By the way, if you do look back at my 2007 predictions post, go ahead and ignore everything except the Iverson/Melo prediction.

Anyway, you can read about the Carmelo situation here at espn.com. Here are some great quotes from George Karl:

--"I've told Melo in the last two weeks, 'I don't think you're listening. I don't think you're listening as well as you need to listen.' For me, the next step is to change the democracy back to a dictatorship."
-- "And, right now, what you're saying is basically, 'When is Melo going to get it? Is it going to be next month?' As a coach, there's no one more frustrated, there's no one more angry than me, because I feel the pain."

(Spurs Game) Ginobili

2007-03-07T23:55:00.000-08:00

I think I speak for all Blazer fans when I say, I hate Manu Ginobili! Every time we play the Spurs, Ginobili picks us apart in the 4th quarter. He is just a big time player.

I know it's not very pretty, but I really like Martell Webster's recent effort to get to the rim more. Though he's not great at it yet, I still like him driving instead of only looking for three-pointers. Watching this game against the Spurs got me thinking that Martell Webster could model his game after Michael Finley (in his prime). Like Martell, Finley was athletic and could beat his man off the dribble, but when he needed to he could snipe you from the 3-point line.

Thats it for now. We just ended another block of 5 games and were 1-4. This means that while the Blazers still have a chance to make the playoffs, it's literally going to take a miracle. We have to win 16 of our next 21 games.

Comments on Steve Patterson's Resignation

2007-03-06T00:47:00.000-08:00

I know. It’s been a while since my last post. And there have been some notable events that need commenting on.

Today we’ll focus on Blazer President Steve Patterson’s resignation last Thursday. I have refrained from commenting on this matter as I didn’t think it was that big of an event. I mean, what percentage of Trail Blazer fans even knew this Blazer President’s name? Or even knew that the Blazers had a President? But due to reader demand, here are a few remarks.

As you all know, Steve Patterson resigned because Paul Allen decided not to renew his contract. Steve Patterson obviously saw this coming as he made some last ditch efforts to get a renewal. The obvious one was the Fred Jones for Juan Dixon trade. Steve Patterson knew his contract extension was on the line, so he had to do something. So, when the trading deadline came and none of his other deals went through, he had to pull the trigger on this lackluster lateral move. Seriously, this trade was basically a wash. Both are 4th year undersized shooting-guards. One can shoot but is a liability on defense, and the other is big enough to play D but can’t shoot.

The other last-ditch effort is evident in the timing of the Season Ticket renewal effort. Normal protocol is for the Blazers to begin this effort in April. But this year, for some reason, they began the renewal effort in February, two months early. The Blazers acknowledge this by saying “(the renewal effort is) earlier than previous years, but we wanted to offer as many flexible payment options from which to choose.” But the truth is, the payment plans are the same as they were last year. Obviously, Steve Patterson needed to get some early renewal numbers to bring to the negotiation table.

Both the trade and the early renewal effort show that Steve Patterson was a desperate man, and saw his contract extension slipping away. But it’s not like Steve Patterson didn’t have it coming. Remember his selfish act of firing John Nash only to name himself General Manager? Or when he fired upwards of 40 Blazer employees (including Darnell Valentine) only weeks before Christmas?

Will Steve Patterson be missed? Probably not. History may give him credit for the 2006 draft class of LaMarcus Aldridge, Sergio Rodriguez, and Brandon Roy. And also give him credit for signing of Nate McMillan. But the truth is that for most Blazer fans, Steve Patterson’s resignation is a non-event.

Anyway, tomorrow the Blazers play the Spurs, who are on a 9 game winning streak. This is a big game in that if we lose, we will probably be out of the playoff race. Go Blazers!!!

Goodbye Juan Dixon

2007-02-22T22:35:00.001-08:00

Last nights game against the Lakers was another awesome performance by the Trail Blazers. I am still in shock after these last 2 games, the Blazers look like a totally different team. They are moving the ball to the right spots, shooting good shots… it’s just good basketball.

The Playoff Race
It’s funny… the Blazers win two games in a row, and now everyone’s talking about the playoffs again. Well, we might have a chance if the Blazers continue to play the way they played the last 2 games, but they still have their work cut out for them. According to the standings, it may look like we’re just 2 games back from a playoff spot, but in the end I still think we’re going to have to have a .500 record to even get a chance.

So, since the halfway point I’ve been taking it 5 games at a time. We need to win 3 out of every 5 games and we’ve just finished the 3rd round. The records have been: 3-2, 2-3, and 3-2. This means we are down only 1 game… but it also means that we need to get at least one five game record of 4-1. The point is that hope is still alive for my playoff prophecy to come true!

Goodbye Juan
As I’m sure you all know, Juan Dixon has been traded to Toronto. Blazers, in return, got the 6-2 Portland native, Fred Jones. I’ll talk more about Fred Jones later. Now I’d just like to reminisce about Juan Dixon.

I must say that I will miss Juan. Last year when the Blazers were struggling, Juan emerged as one of our best players. He could actually put the ball in the basket! I started calling him “Big Shot Juan” because he wasn’t afraid to take (and make) big shot’s at the end of games.

But as the team around him got better, Juan had to realize that he wasn’t the best player anymore. But many nights this year, Juan Dixon was the bright spot when the rest of our team was forgettable. He got a bad rap for being inconsistent, but Sergio helped show us that Juan is actually pretty consistent if you deliver the ball to him in rhythm. And being an undersized shooting guard, Juan always had to work harder, and play smarter than most which is very respectable. I’m sure this rubbed off onto our young guys and they are better players and better people for it.

I never blogged much about Juan Dixon, but I’ve always liked him and I liked his game. So on behalf of myself, and all the BlazersTruth readers, I’d just like to say:
--Thank You Juan, we'll miss you!

(Jazz Game) A Respectable Division Win

2007-02-21T10:33:00.000-08:00

The Blazers finally play a good game… and win! For the most part, the ball moved to the right places, guys took pretty good shots, and we looked like a basketball team again. This is in sharp contrast to the last 4 or 5 games that were almost unwatchable.

With the exception of his stint as sole point guard in the 1st quarter, Brandon Roy played a very good game. He played within himself and got his team involved. And contrary to his recent performances, Brandon’s shot selection was surprisingly good… he shot a respectable 11-15. This is the type of game you expect from the Rookie of the Year frontrunner.

There were a few other things that made this a good Blazers performance. No Magloire. Other than the end of the 1st quarter (see above), Nate McMillan had an actual point guard in the game. Heck, even LaMarcus Aldridge stuck to good shots this game (instead of that weak elbow jumper).

The pace of this game was perfect, and you can tell by the fact that we scored over 100 points on almost 50% shooting. This is definitely a game that the Blazers can build on.

Tonight the Blazers face the Lakers. The Lakers lost their last 5 games, so they will be out for blood. But we played good last night, and we didn’t even play our most potent weapon (and I’m not talking about Jamaal Magloire).

ROY in the Rookie Game

2007-02-18T22:26:00.000-08:00

The Rookie-Sophomore game was last Friday. This was the chance for Brandon Roy, the leading candidate for Rookie Of The Year, to shine on a national stage. His chance to show the world that he is not just hype, and that he is undoubtedly the best rookie in the league. So how many points did he score?? 6 whole points!

Brandon Roy had a disappointing performance, to say the least. He just didn’t really do anything. He should have dominated this game, or at least stood out… but instead it was like he wasn’t even there. I can’t wait for the Blazers media army to downplay this next week. I can just hear it now: “These rookie games don’t really matter”, “It wasn’t Brandon Roy’s kind of game”, “Brandon’s hand was hurting him”, etc. The truth is that these games do matter, and they expose the relative talents among peers.

Anyway, this is undoubtedly a setback in his bid for the Rookie of the Year award, which in turn is a setback for the Blazers. With our playoff birth looking less likely with each passing game, and Zach Randolph not making the All-Star team, the Trail Blazers desperately need Brandon Roy to win the Rookie-of-the-Year…at all costs. Look for this to be the Blazer’s #1 priority for the rest of the season, even higher than winning games. I predict Brandon will get even more playing time (is that possible?), and even more plays called for him.

I must say that I do feel sorry for Brandon Roy. The expectations for him are so high, and he has enormous pressure to be the Blazer’s savoir. Every step along the way is going to be scrutinized by the media (especially by certain blogs). For Brandon Roy, turning out to only be a “Pretty good” player or a “Solid” player will be a failure. He has to turn into an “Elite” player and a “Superstar” to succeed. I hope he can.

Courtside Seats for $34

2007-02-08T00:05:00.000-08:00

Now I don’t normally post news, but this is pretty interesting.

PortlandFeed.com reports that a new and interesting line item had to be added to that the City Official’s Report. (This report audits gifts received by City of Portland officials). The line item is: Courtside Seats gifted by Trail Blazers to Mayor Tom Potter, value of $34.

Exerpt from City Official's Report:

Potter, Tom

11/4/2006

Unregistered Lobbyist Field - Other

$34.00

Entry passes to Rose Garden.*Courtside seats gifted by Trailblazers. No assessed value; seat locations never sold to public

That's not fair! Tickets I buy that are 20 rows up cost me over $50... each.

Anyway, I do not personally delve into politics, but I'm interested in any comments that you readers may have.

-Blase31

Sergio and LaMarcus cheated out of Rookie Challenge?

2007-02-07T23:46:00.000-08:00

As you must know by now, Brandon Roy was the only Trail Blazer rookie named to the Rookie-Sophomore game at this year’s All-Star weekend. This means that our other rookies were left off: Sergio Rodriguez and LaMarcus Aldridge.

Of course, the Trail Blazers organization, Nate McMillan, and many fans are up in arms that the Blazers only got one player into that game. They claim that it’s because our team gets no love and no respect. While this may be true, it is not the reason these rookies were overlooked.

This one is easy: the reason Sergio and LaMarcus didn’t make the team is because Nate McMillan never played them! Look at minutes played through February; the rookies that beat out our players played significantly more minutes.

At the point guard position: Sergio Rodriguez played only 477 minutes, while Jordan Farmar played 725 minutes and Marcus Williams played 923 minutes.

At forward: LaMarcus Aldridge played only 673 total minutes, while Paul Milsap played 738 mins, Andrea Bargnani played 989 minutes, and Adam Morisson played a whopping 1435 minutes.

I will state that our rookies probably have more talent than those others. But honestly, no coach is going to vote for someone they never gotten to see play. Sergio and LaMarcus played good minutes when they got them, but once again, you have to blame Nate for keeping their playing time to a bare minimum.

Please enjoy these quotes from Nate McMillan on this subject of Sergio and LaMarcus not making it into the Rookie game. They are especially funny because Nate McMillan is the main (sole) reason they didn’t make it!

--"I personally think that we got cheated cause we got 2, we got a couple guys that should have been considered… LaMarcus (and) Sergio"
--"I felt like we should have had maybe one more guy on that team, you look at minutes and possibly stats. "
--"Number two pick in the draft is normally there, because he’s the number two pick in the draft."

Sergio vs Nash?

2007-02-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

Sergio vs Nash?

The Trail Blazers face the red-hot Phoenix Suns tomorrow. Unfortunately, Sergio Rodriguez is still out with the ankle sprain and will not play. So I posted this picture so you can all at least imagine what could have been if Sergio was healthy.

Phoenix Preview
Tomorrow's game is really a must-win to continue on our 3 wins out of 5 games goal. But after the Blazer's performance last game against the Bulls, I have my doubts whether we can pull this one off. However, these Blazers never cease to suprise me and so I still have a glimmer of hope.

I believe we may see some Dan Dickau in this game. Brandon Roy's stints at point-guard didn't look to good last game (netting -9 points in 7 minutes). But it's not really his fault, it's just that
Brandon Roy is not a point guard.

Nate McMillan will, of course, once again go with the 'slow the tempo' strategy. But Nate did have an interesting quote on the Oregon Live Blog: "By us being at home, you don't want to totally walk the ball up the floor and put our people to sleep," This is pretty funny because in the middle of the sold-out Chicago game, a lady sitting behind me had actually fallen asleep.

Anyway, Phoenix has proven that they are human by finally losing 2 of the last 3 games. So, well, ummm, we do have a chance.

(Denver Game) Big Division Win

2007-02-01T10:29:00.000-08:00

Last night, the Trail Blazers won a HUGE division game against the Denver Nuggets. Ime Udoka put the lock on Carmelo Anthony (contrary to what the box score reads). Plus Zach Randolph did play pretty well.

The Rose Garden was sold out, but the crowd was pretty passive all night. They obviously didn’t realize the importance of this big division game as we scrape for a chance at a playoff birth. At least there wasn’t much cheering for the other team as there usually is when there’s a sell-out.

One reason the crowd was so quiet was because it was kind of a boring game. Sure it was close the whole way, but I swear that the half-time score was like 40-40. Not exactly an exciting game. So naturally, I had written off Chalupas at half-time, but leave it to the Blazers to score 34 points in the 4th quarter to finish the game with a respectable 100 points.

Sergio Rodriguez went down with what looked like a real bad ankle injury. The crowd gasped as he walked off the court. Luckily, the rest of the Blazers roster were able to step up and still get the win even though Sergio was out. Sounds like they’ll have to do that for the next couple of games.

With Sergio out, the point guard situation becomes a ‘situation’ again. There are no real good options for Nate McMillan. He can play Brandon Roy, who is a shooting guard, at point, or he can tap Dan Dickau, or he could do what he seems to always want to do and just play Jarret Jack at point for the whole game. None are great options, but we NEED to win games. I guess that’s why we pay Nate the big bucks. (Note that I do not get paid for commenting on Nates decisions).

Anyway, another HUGE game tomorrow against the same team.

-Blase31

Still On Track For Playoffs

2007-01-30T10:31:00.000-08:00

I was not able to watch the Hornets game last night, so I can’t comment too much on it. Sounded like the Hornets just hit some big, tough shots in the 4th quarter.

Anyway, in my State of the Blazers Address post, I said that to have a chance at playoffs, we need to play 60% ball for the second half of the season. This means winning 3 out of every 5 games. It is now 5 games into the second half of the season, and we have won 3 games. Right On Track!

The next 5 games though, will be tough… we play Denver twice, then Chicago, Phoenix then Charlotte. The Denver games are HUGE division games, and come at a critical time in the season. We should be able to beat Charlotte and maybe Chicago too. Anyway, we need to win 3 out of 5 of these games.

There were already a couple reader comments on my last post about a rumored trade: Pau Gasol for Jamaal Magloire, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Sergio Rodriguez. Let me just state the obvious. For the Blazers, trading LaMarcus Aldridge is probably a bad idea. ANY trade involving Sergio Rodriguez is a HORRIBLE idea. I wonder how hard Blazer GM Steve Patterson was laughing when Jerry West made this offer. Um, I hope Patterson was laughing.

Two big games against Denver coming up. Can Allen Iverson and Carmelo co-exist? They did lose to Charlotte yesterday, with Melo shooting 11-26. Will Steve Blake go for 30 points this time? Will Sergio go for 30? Will Martell Webster finally play good (Travis will be back any day)?

I can’t wait to find out…

-Blase31

(Grizzlies Game) Credit Where Credit Is Due

2007-01-29T00:01:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. My last posting was pretty critical, so I will now follow it up with a more up-beat optimistic post. Blazers win in double overtime!!!!

I must give credit where credit is due. Zach Randolph and Brandon Roy really carried the team late in this game.

This huge 42 point outburst by Zach came at the perfect time for him. The coaches will vote soon for the All-Star game reserves. I’m sure most coaches were seriously considering voting for Randolph, but leaning towards not giving him their vote. But, with this 42-point performance, all the coaches will have to reconsider giving him their vote. (Hopefully they can overlook the fact that it was a double overtime game with the worst team in the west, and the fact that he was only 16-40 on field-goals.)

Ultimately, I do not think he will make it to the All-Star team, but he will come close. He did earn it! It will be too bad if (when) he doesn’t make it because this will probably be his only real chance. His numbers are destined to decline as the Blazers further adopt the up-tempo style. That is, unless Zach can adapt.

Overall, this is a great road-win for the Blazers. It does show some character being that they came off a 30-point loss the night before. Tomorrow we play the Hornets… a team with a very similar record as ours. We need a convincing win by our Blazers to prove that we are now much better than our record shows. Go Blazers!

-Blase31

P.S. Look at that, an entire post without mentioning Sergio Rodriguez (or his 7 assists & no turnovers in 18 minutes) a single time.

(Rockets Game) Same Story, Different Game

2007-01-27T15:48:00.000-08:00

Ouch… this game hurt. But, I guess at least we have an excuse: they had to cancel Thursday’s practice.

You could say we got T-Mac’d in the third quarter… but the Blazers are equally at fault as they only scored 14 points in that quarter. Was the Rocket defense really that bad?

Nate McMillan is also not to blame. In the third quarter, when the Rockets were pulling away, Nate continued his stubborn ways. He was right in that he needed to substitute Jarret Jack at point-guard. But his error was that he moved Brandon Roy to the point-guard spot instead of the obviously correct choice of Sergio Rodriguez. When Roy moved to point guard, Blazers were down 13… by the end of the third we wouldn’t score again and were now down by 20.

Sergio finally entered the game when we were already down by 20 points. Now Sergio can definitely work with a 13 point deficit, or maybe even 15 points. But 20 points is asking a little too much for the rookie.

This same story has repeated so many times. Nate McMillan stubbornly refuses to put Sergio Rodriguez in the game and makes his team, and the fans, pay the price.

On the bright side, we did get to see Raef LaFrentz and Dan Dickau play again. And we got a good and strong reminder of why they are not in the Blazers rotation.

Now, I this was a bad loss for the Blazers, but I think it was just a hick-up, or growing pains if you will. The Blazers need to just learn from their mistakes and move on from here.

Go Blazers,

-Blase31

State of the Blazers Address

2007-01-24T00:09:00.000-08:00

President Bush gave his State of the Union Address today, so I thought I would take this opportunity to provide my State of the Blazers Address.

It is now half way through the season and the Trail Blazers are 17-25, just over 40%. We do still have a chance at the playoffs if we play some exceptional basketball for the rest of the season. I believe the Blazers just need to keep playing the attacking, fast-paced, (Sergio-based) style that we’ve seen in the last couple of games.
Playoff chances
In my 2007 Predictions I predicted that the Blazers would make the playoffs this year, and I think it is still possible. We need to play 60% ball, meaning we win 3 out of every 5 games (streaks of 3). The key is to win our division games!

People often ask why I think division games are so important. Division games are important because you play teams in your division so many more times… and in context of the playoff race, you go up a notch, but also, they go down a notch. Just look at the standings: With the exception of Detroit, the top 8 teams in each conference have winning records against teams in their division. All other teams have losing division records. This means we have 3 BIG GAMES coming up in the upcoming weeks: tomorrow against Minnesota, and next week when we play Denver twice.
Up-tempo vs Plodding
The biggest story-line for the Blazers right now is whether Coach Nate McMillan can adapt and develop a more fast-paced style. As the story goes…when Jack got hurt, Nate was forced to play Sergio Rodriguez. Sergio gave us a glimpse into the future. Sergio, somewhat defiantly, pushed the ball on every play, and delivered the ball to open guys. The rest of the team fed off of this and played some great basketball. We unselfishly passed the ball, we shot (and made) open shots, we attacked the rim, we played defense. Playing this open style finally let our young players finally use all that talent and potential that we’ve been told that we acquired.

With our personnel, an upbeat offense that pushes the ball just makes sense. I think everyone in Portland agrees. It’s funny, because ever since Nate became coach, we’ve had to listen to him constantly preach about slowing down the game, controlling the tempo, and insist that we don’t have the personnel to play an up-tempo game. Well, anyone that watched the Sacramento game saw the exact opposite.

I do think Nate McMillan is a good coach, but he cannot let his pride get the best of him or his team. If Nate continues to insist on playing a slow, plodding offense, and we do not do any better in the second half of the season, the fans will turn on him.
Talent-wise
A related storyline has to do with who fits into the future of our Blazers. In other words, the immense talent and potential of certain players is starting to overshadow other so-called ‘key’ players. Let me explain… at the beginning of this season, the Blazer media machine tried hard to make prop up Zach, Jack, and Outlaw as the main pieces of the puzzle. Nate backed this up by basically running the offense around those guys.

But as the season went on, certain players have emerged from the folds to show an almost unbelievable potential. These players are Sergio, Roy, Webster, and even LaMarcus Aldridge. They all have real talent, but even scarier, they have what seems to be unlimited potential. This combination of talent and potential just overpowers anything that a Zach, Jack, or Outlaw could ever provide. This trio is not essential to our team. The sooner Nate and Blazers management realize this, the sooner we can get on with developing a contending team.

The rest of this season rests soley on Nate McMillan’s shoulders. He has the power and influence to decide how his team will play (and trade). So the question from here on out is: Can Nate swallow his pride and let his players play the up-tempo basketball that everyone knows they should?
I can't wait to hear your comments...
-Blase31 (blazerstruth@gmail.com)

(Cavs Game) LeBron who?

2007-01-17T23:04:00.000-08:00

Another outstanding game by our Trail Blazers. I love when the Rose Garden is packed, even if all those people showed up to watch the other team.

The Cavs were led by some guy named LeBron Something-rather that must think he is an All-Star because they called the play for him almost every single possession. But Ime Udoka was able to contain the LeBron guy who shot an impressive 8-21 for field goals, 6-13 on free throws, and also had 4 turnovers. All this of course led to my girlfriend to ask “I thought you said LeBron James is supposed be good?”

And again, like in the last 3 games, Sergio Rodriguez was the catalyst. The last 3 games, the Blazers have been playing a much different style of basketball. And as a result, they finally actually look like a good team, and are very fun to watch (even when we lose). They even get fast break points! The players look like they’re having fun too, which in turn makes them work harder on defense, and move the ball more on offense. Heck, even Zach seems to be having fun, and is working harder because of it.

We play Phoenix on Friday, and Jarrett Jack should be back. It is going to be real interesting how Nate decides to divvy up the point guard minutes. I think for a lot of fans, his reputation is on the line.

(Kings & Nuggets Game): Sergio!

2007-01-16T01:12:00.000-08:00

Wa-hoo! These were two of the most entertaining games I’ve watched in a while, for one reason… Sergio Rodriguez. Sergio put on a clinic in the Nuggets game. And the Blazers finally looked like a good team when he was in (but horrible when he was out).

This of course means that Nate McMillan’s worst nightmare has come true. Over the last couple months Nate has tried everything to squeeze Sergio out of the rotation. Seriously, Nate tried everything: he tried playing Jarrett Jack whole games, he tried moving Brandon Roy to point guard, he tried going to a three-guard rotation. And when Jarrett went down, he decides to start Dan Dickau!&$#?

The Nugget’s game was quite comedic in this regard. The first unit could not do anything in the first quarter, then Nate put Sergio in and we score 37 points in the second quarter. Nate of course wrote this off as a fluke, and started Dan Dickau for the second half and before we knew it, Denver goes on an 11-0 run in 4 minutes. Nate, reluctantly, has to put Sergio back in… and can’t take him out (though the look on Nate’s face was that he wanted to). The post-game interview (which you can view on blazers.com) was pretty funny too. Nate McMillan just seemed uncomfortable talking about Sergio’s amazing performance.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Nate, and I think he is a great coach. But some of his recent coaching decisions have been a bit baffling. Does he not see the immense talent and potential that Sergio Rodriguez has? Possibly the most of anybody on this team.

Nate should be cultivating this guy as the future of the Blazers. Sergio is going to be a star in this league, and hopefully it is in a Blazer’s uniform. It’ll be interesting if Nike, Addidas, or Reebok snap Sergio up in an exclusive deal anytime soon, because this kid is very marketable.

We’ll see in the next game how stubborn Nate McMillan is, or if he will allow himself to adapt to the talents his team has. All I know is that if we are going to lose, I’d rather do it with Sergio at the helm.

(Mavs Game) Same as yesterday

2007-01-10T22:59:00.000-08:00

My thoughts on this game are the same as for yesterday's game. Please just refer to yesterdays post.

(Spurs Game) A Single Note

2007-01-10T08:53:00.000-08:00

I will only say one thing in my analysis: Sergio Rodriguez did not play (except for 3 minutes of garbage time). Blazers Lose. Coincidence?

Nate, WAKE UP! At least give yourself a chance to win. Play Sergio!

Oregonlive.com has an interesting piece on Rotation. I must say it's a bit disturbing to hear Nate McMillan talk about who he thinks should (and shouldn't) play, and why.

Trust me Nate, Sergio is not the problem. And tightening up the guards to three players is not the solution. There are a few other glaring problems you need to address first.

All I'm saying is that not playing Sergio doesn't seem to be working, maybe we should try doing the opposite.

-Blase31

Heat Game: Brandon Roy is Really Good

2007-01-07T23:38:00.000-08:00

I just got back from the Heat game. And even though we lost, it was easily the most entertaining game I've attended this year. Blazers played 36 minutes of awesome basketball, Dwayne Wade showed why he is second in all-star voting, and Blaze even did a front-flip dunk! But all this just made the Blazer's losing effort hurt even worse.

I did, however, come away with one realization: Brandon Roy is really good. Up until this game, I hadn't really jumped on the Roy bandwagon. I mean, I knew he was good, but not this good. He scored his 18 points with ease... and without going to the free-throw line a single time. Once Brandon starts to get some respect from the referees... watch out. If he just works on his shot selection a bit, he will easily be a 25 point a night scorer.

Brandon Roy becoming the 25+ scorer that he is destined to be, will cause an interesting situation between Roy and Randolph. As you may have read in my 2007 predictions post, there is just not room for two 25+ scorers on the same NBA team. And from what I saw tonight, Brandon Roy will beat out Zach Randolph as the team’s first option by the end of the year.

Remember how the Miami Heat became a force when Shaq turned the team over to Wade. Well, the same needs to happen here in Portland. But Zach is too immature to turn the team over to Roy. This will cause a big problem when Roy ultimately surpasses Zach‘s scoring numbers. I predict Zach will lose all his drive and will be crying (and probably be asking for a trade) by the end of the season. (More on this in a later post).

Oh, and by the way, Coach Nate still hasn’t played Brandon Roy with Sergio Rodriguez on the floor at the same time. Won’t that be interesting! Maybe Nate thinks the fans just aren’t ready for that just yet.

-Blase31

Martell “Future” Webster: Your Time Is Now

2007-01-05T23:13:00.000-08:00

As you probably have heard, Travis Outlaw is out for 10-14 days with a sprained ankle. This is sad. But it may also be a blessing in disguise! Now is Martell’s chance to emerge as a force for the Blazers.

In my circles, we nickname Martell the “Future”. It is fitting because he is definitely not “the present” but has so much potential that he is destined to be great. Seriously, Martell just oozes potential. He will be a star.

Why is Martell not living up to the hype right now? I can only put some blame on the Blazers’ coaching staff. The coaches must tell him: “just go stand in the corner behind the 3-point line and wait for the ball… if you get bored then run over to the other corner.” It’s pretty ridiculous.

So, Martell, if you’re reading this:

Dear Martell,
You obviously think that you are a spot-up 3-point shooter. Sorry to tell you, but spot-up 3-point shooters do not become great in this league. Old players are 3-point shooters, white players are 3-point shooters, short players are 3-point shooters. Martell, you are none of these! If you live by the three, you will die by the three.

Martell, you are definitely blessed with a sweet shoot, but also with some athletic ability and an NBA body. You should be breaking down defenders, drawing fouls, dunking over people! Drawing the defense and kicking it out for the assist. Then when they finally back off you hit them with that deadly 3.

Kobe is your favorite player… you should be playing just like him. Be confident, aggressive, and even a little arrogant.

And now, with Travis out of the lineup, The Blazers need someone to step-up. That person is you Martell! 10-14 days Martell. This may be one of your last chances.

-blase31

As you can tell, I am real high on Martell “Future” Webster. I am also real high on Sergio. I am real excited for this weekend’s games as Nate McMillan begins his “shake-up”. If he gets real minutes, I am sure Sergio will emerge as a force. Nate will start to look foolish if he keeps sitting Sergio on the bench.

Go Blazers!

Did we really lose to the Knicks??

2007-01-04T08:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I've already blown one of my predictions... the Blazers lost to the Knicks. Which doesn't help my Blazers will make the playoffs prediction at all.

Since I couldn't make it to last night's game, and it wasn't televised, I have enlisted a guest blogger, BlazerJay. BlazerJay did attend the game, and here are his thoughts...great stuff.

BlazerJay:"I was anticipating a good old whooping by the Blazers, you know, since they were playing the Knicks. And since all of the Blazers said they going through an attitude adjustment of working hard and getting back to the 5-game win streak Blazers.

They started out by posting Zach, but he got double-teamed then threw it right to Jamal Crawford which led to a fast break dunk. Then they posted him again, and this time he tried to hit Jarret Jack cutting to the hoop, but he threw it to another Knick. He did this three times in a row. One time even trying to pass to Joel, who passes to Joel anyways? That’s why I equate Zach to one of those players that you just let him shoot over double and triple teams (You know the type, “Steve” players) because a turnover that leads to a dunk is worse than a bad shot, at least the shot might go in.

The Blazers actually played a decent first quarter, they kept feeding Zach the ball, and he was able to make a bunch of outside fade-aways off one leg. That’s how he shoots even in warm ups now. But defensively, they couldn’t stop Jamal Crawford and Eddy Curry. But the game was close, and everything should be good, because the second quarter means Sergio’s coming in.

But the second quarter started, and no Sergio, this time Jack came back at point guard. By halftime they were already down by 11. The third quarter was worse. The Knicks just outworked the Blazers. David Lee got every rebound, Eddy Curry was dunking, and Marbury was hitting threes. It got so bad the crowd was booing and asking to substitute all 5 starters, and asked to put in Todd, yes, that guy who runs around the stadium with Blaze.

Sergio and Lamarcus finally came in the Blazers were down by 20 entering the fourth. The fourth quarter lineup that included Sergio, Lamarcus, and Martell actually played pretty good, cutting the lead down to 12 with Sergio pushing the ball down the court on every possession. But with a chance to cut the lead further, Martell took an alley-oop from Sergio and dunked it in between the rim and the backboard, and got it stuck. The Blazers never really recovered from there, and ended up losing 81-99."

2007 Predictions

2007-01-02T21:46:00.000-08:00

As promised in my last post, here are my predictions for the Blazers (and the Nuggets) in 2007. If I get 4 out of 5 right I’m going to call it a success.

1. Brandon Roy will be named Rookie of the Year: Barring injury of course. (I am still kind of worried about him not having surgery on his foot.) I know this prediction is kind of weak, so onto a more bold prediction...

2. Blazers will make the playoffs: I actually made this prediction before the last 3 losses, but I’m sticking to it.

3. Travis Outlaw will not be a Blazer come Dec 31, 2007: I do not understand the sudden fan support for Travis, but he is a failed project. He is doing OK right now, but we all know who the real Outlaw is, and so does the Blazer’s management. There is no way Steve Patterson would re-sign him for any real money. So I believe he will either be traded to some unsuspecting team that thinks he still has potential, or he will sign with another team this summer.

4. Either Iverson or Carmelo will not be a Nugget come Dec 31, 2007: Denver simply saw an offer they couldn’t refuse and took advantage of a desperate 76’ers team. Miller and J.R Smith for Iverson… a no-brainer! But there is just no room for two proven 30 point scorers on the same NBA team. Denver will have to make another big move sometime this year.

5. Blazers will beat the Knicks tomorrow: We can’t lose to the Knicks… can we? Nate must realize that he has to change up the rotations: play Sergio and Joel more, and play Maglore and Jack less. This should lead to a Blazers win.

New Year, New Blog

2007-01-01T16:35:00.000-08:00

This New Year brings with it the birth of a new blog for Trail Blazer fans called: BlazersTruth! In this blog, I will attempt to sort through the plethora of biased opinions, articles, news, stats, etc, about our Trail Blazers to get to the truth… the Blazers Truth.

And who better to do it than one of the biggest Blazer fans in Portland! I live inside the Portland city limits, attend over half the games, been a fan my whole life, and have an extensive network of friend’s and family who are all Blazer fans as well. By tapping into this experience, and getting comments from the readers, I believe this blog can arrive at (or at least approach) a consistent Truth about our beloved Blazers.

Of course, from time to time, some will disagree with some of my “Truth"s but that is what this blog is all about: “Truth lies in the eye of the beholder”. I am hoping that this blog can spark some spirited conversation to gain some real insight, and unique perspective on our team. So please feel free to comment on my posts and/or provide your own “Truth"s. Please post a comment or email me at my new G-mail account… blazerstruth@gmail.com

I actually just got back from the Blazers vs Celtics game. A very heart-breaking and disappointing loss. The Blazers really need to learn how to play with Brandon Roy (or vice-versa?).

Anyway, later this week I will publish my predictions for 2007. I also plan to write about Sergio’s talents, Martell “The Future” Webster, and maybe break down a few games.

I am very excited for the Trail Blazers in 2007! The last couple of years have been tough. The last 3 games (all losses) have been tough. But as I always say, “Without the bitter… the sweet ain’t as sweet”. I think this year will be sweet!