khandor’s sports blog

The current standings in the Western Conference look like this, with Portland in the No. 8 position.

However …

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Joel Przybilla signing with Trail Blazers

… chose the Blazers over the Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat and will be signed through the remainder of the season. He played with the Blazers from 2004-11 before he was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats midway through last season. He played only five games for the Bobcats before re-injuring his right knee.

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the addition of a highly serviceable 7-1, 260 center with outstanding character – in particular mental, emotional and physical “toughness” – to the pieces the Blazers already have on their roster:

STARTERS

PG/Raymond Felton + OG-SF/Nicolas Batum + SF-PF/Gerald Wallace + PF/LaMarcus Aldridge + C/Marcus Camby

KEY SUBS

PG-OG/Jamal Crawford + OG-SF/Wes Matthews + PF/Kurt Thomas + C/Joel Przybilla

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RESERVES

PG-OG/Elliot Williams and PF/Craig Smith

EXTRAS/OUTS

PG/Nolan Smith, SF-PF/Luke Babbitt, PF/Chris Johnson and C/Greg Oden

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returns their team to a point of relevance which has been missing since:

i. Greg Oden [C] ruptured his kneecap;

and,

ii. Brandon Roy [G-F] announced his premature retirement from basketball;

and should eventually put them right back into the mix for a Top 4 seed in the playoffs this year.

Related:

Przybilla follows heart back to Portland

If you’re a fan of the terrific work done by Nate McMillan, since becoming head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers … as this corner of the blogosphere most assuredly is … then:

Positive Sign #1 -  Portland expected not to amnesty Roy this season

Positive Sign #2 – Oden set to sign 1-yr option with Portland

Positive Sign #3 – Babbitt ready for step forward this season

these three individual items, in conjunction with one another, should be seen as initial indicators that all may not be doom and gloom, afterall, in Rip City this season.

Depending on the other specific personnel decisions which Chad Buchanan is eventually going to make, prior to Christmas Day, the Blazers should still be expected to field an upper echelon team in the Western Conference this year.

First. The Blazers made a major mistake, when they decided to fire Kevin Pritchard, as their GM, on the eve of last summer’s NBA Draft.

Second. Portland made a second blunder this season, when they traded Joel Przybilla [C] + Dante Cunningham [PF] + Sean Marks [PC-C] + 2 conditional future 1st Round Draft Picks to Charlotte for Gerald Wallace [SF-PF].

Third. The Blazers now look as though they are in total disarray: 

- Nate McMillan does not like what he sees [May 18]

- Blazers GM Cho takes a stand with interesting implications [May 21]

- Blazers dismiss GM Cho [May 23]

It is going to be fascinating to see who the Blazers select as their next GM, given the turmoil which they’ve had at the top of their organization during the last 11 months.

When you take a look at the following extended video clip, it’s important to understand exactly what the Portland Trail Blazers are trying to accomplish this season …

and just how remarkable it would be, if they can actually pull it off, considering that they are playing WITHOUT their:

1. Starting Center, i.e. Greg Oden;

2. Back-up Center, i.e. Joel Przybila; and,

3. Back-up Power Forward, i.e. Travis Outlaw;

completely, and with several other key players like their:

4. Starting Off Guard, i.e. Brandon Roy;

5. Starting Small Forward, i.e. Nicolas Batum; and,

6. Back-up Small Forward, i.e. Rudy Fernandez;

each having spent a fair number of games on the Inactive List this season, due to an assortment of different major and minor injuries.

Yet, somehow, this team is still:

- well above the .500 mark with a W-L Record of 29-21 [i.e. .580]
- in 3rd place in the Pacific Division
- in a tie for 5th place in the Western Conference

in spite of also having to cope with the fact that their head coach, Nate McMillan, is still in ”recovery mode”, himself, from a torn achilles tendon injury, sustained when he stepped into practice earlier this season because the Blazers did not otherwise have enough “healthy” players on their roster to be able to conduct a full scale session.

If Portland can sustain their current level of performance … especially their present Points Allowed Ranking and Rebounding Differential Ranking … now that some of their walking wounded are finally beginning to return to good health, and make the Western Conference playoffs, then, there should be NO DOUBT, whatsoever, which coach should eventually receive this year’s Coach Of The Year Award, in the NBA.

No … doubt … whatsoever!

Prior to the start of NBA training camps this fall, if someone had told you that the Portland Trail Blazers would suffer the following list of injuries to key personnel:

Nicloas Batum, SF – Out for seaon, shoulder surgery
Travis Outlaw, PF – Out for season, foot surgery
Rudy Fernandez – Out indefinitely, back surgery
Greg Oden, C - Out for season, knee surgery
Nate McMillan, HC – Out indefinitely, achilles surgery
Joel Przybilla, C - Out for season, knee surgery

all before December 24, 2009 … and, yet,

their Won-Loss Record would still be 18-12/.600 [2nd, Northwest Division; 6th [tied], Western Conference],

Would you have believed it possible?

Game 30 Recap: Blazers 85, Mavericks 81, and by the way ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?

Breaking News: Joel Przybilla Ruptures Right Patella Tendon & Dislocates Patella; Out Indefinitely

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If this most recent injury to Brandon Roy [OG-SF-PG] turns out to be significant …

Freeman: Brandon Roy to Undergo MRI Thursday

it will simply be astounding, if the Blazers are able to compete effectively in their match-up this evening with the San Antonio Spurs, and then for the remainder of this season.

Whatever “deal with the devil” Paul Allen [owner] and Kevin Pritchard [GM] may have made, in regard to the ridiculous level of NBA talent which Portland has been able to assemble on its roster over the last few seasons, surely, cannot possibly be worth the degree of adversity their franchise is having to endure this season … could it?

If the Blazers can somehow make it through this season without falling aparat, completely … it says here that the old adage which goes like this:

“That which doesn’t kill you only serves to make you stronger.”
- Anonymous

will never have been more accurate/true for any other franchise in the storied history of the NBA.

There’s a world-class champion incubating in the Pacific Northwest … if it can just manage to successfully navigate these incredibly turbulent waters this season.

Related:

Diamond in the rough finally begins to glisten

In response to a most interesting article by David Berri …

The Impact of Losing Greg Oden
The primary purpose of this post was to highlight how good Oden had played this season (to see how good, please read the post).  Certainly it’s possible that the Blazers could overcome this loss.  But it seems fairly likely that Portland’s season is not going to go quite as well as I thought earlier this year. 

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1. The Blazers were NEVER going to be the best team in the West this season.

2. The Blazers’ overall development arc, as “one of the best teams in the West”, will involve a wider sweep than just 2 or 3 seasons.

3. The problems with this year’s Blazers [at least, so far] this season were not rooted in the play of Greg Oden but in the following list of developments from the last 6 months:

i. Unnecessarily soliciting the services of Hedo Turkoglu [SF/Orlando who eventually signed with Toronto as an UFA], which upset/disrupted the flow they had been developing with Travis Outlaw [PF-SF] and Rudy Fernandez [SF-OG-PG];

ii. Unnecessarily signing a superfluous, ball-dominating PG, like Andre Miller [as an UFA/Philadelphia];

iii. The protracted contract extension negotiations with Brandon Roy [OG-PG-SF] and LaMarcus Aldridge [PF-C]; and,

iv. Re-integrating Martell Webster [OG-SF], a top 8 player, returning from an injury-lost season, into their everyday rotation.

v. The injury sufferred by Nicolas Batum [SF-OG], a long and athletic player who can Defend and Rebound at his specific positions;

vi. The injury sufferred by Travis Outlaw [PF-SF], an under-sized but very versatile and effective player who can: A. take/make big [jump] shots [catch & shoots, plus pull-ups] in the 4th quarter; B. Defend, at the #3/SF or #4/PF with good length and athleticism; and, C. Rebound, at the #/SF or #4/PF position with good length and athleticism.

vii. The long term effects of the “health scare” which their owner, Paul Allen, had last season, that artificially “pushed forward” the team’s perceived “development arc” this past summer in a way which their team was unprepared to cope with at this time … i.e. trying to “win now [!]” instead of gradually continuing their “incremental build-up” over an extended number of years [5-7?].

If Kevin Pritchard truly understands what’s been happening with his squad this season, from a team-building standpoint, then, what he’ll do now is:

I. Not try to “replace” Oden from outside his current group of players;

II. Continue to repair their internal relationships with Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Rudy Fernandez;

III. Move Andre Miller for another better-fitting asset, asap;

IV. Allow his group of Core Players to continue to grow together organically … while integrating this off-season’s main additions from the 2009 NBA Draft, i.e. Dante Cunningham [PF-SF], Patrick Mills [PG] and Jeff Pendergraph [PF].

If Kevin Pritchard does things things and then simply waits on the eventual return of Greg Oden … what he’ll have on his hands, 2 seasons from now, is a fully grown team that is ready, willing and able to challenge the Lakers, as the No. 1 outfit in the West, just as Kobe Bryant’s “development arc” is finally beginning to flow downwards its end-point.

On the other hand …

If Kevin Pritchard does not understand these things about the state of his own team, then, what he’ll do instead is “continue to try and rush” the Blazers through this key stage of their “upward arc” … which involves “learning how to lose before learning how to win”, just like Jordan’ Bulls and Zeke’s Pistons and Hakeem’s Rockets and Robinson’s [and Duncan’s] Spurs and Shaq/Kobe’s Lakers each went through before emerging as multiple-time league champions … then what he’ll do is make the WRONG MOVE at the WRONG TIME and end up blowing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which has come his way in Portland, i.e. to construct one of the NBA’s all-time great franchises with the likes of [youngsters] Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Travis Outlaw, Martell Webster, Rudy Fernandez, Nicolas Batum, Jerryd Bayless, Dante Cunningham, Patrick Mills, Jeff Prendergraph and [a healthy] GREG ODEN, plus [oldsters] Joel Przybilla [C], Steve Blake [PG] and Juwan Howard [PF].

The ball is in Kevin Pritchard’s court.

For the Blazers’ sake, it’s important that he doesn’t drop it.

PS. FWIW … Please know that ”curses” do not exist in pro sports. Poor decision-making skills – e.g. bringing injured players back too soon, acquiring ill-fitting players, trying to speed up the development process, etc. - on the other hand, can be found in abundance.

Related:

Latest injury will derail Oden for good

Where to now for Portland?

Blazers confirm Oden’s season is over

Blazers take another small step forward

“A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.”
- Lao Tzu

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Portland 122, Chicago 98: Everything falls into place for Blazers
For a night, at least, order was restored within the Trail Blazers. Brandon Roy was back at shooting guard and controlling the pace and precision of the offense. Andre Miller, steadfastly saying he is accepting the reins of the second unit, played perhaps as hard and determined as he has all season. And the inside combination of Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge was dominant like never before.  

The Blazers didn’t just beat Chicago on Monday, they overpowered them — dunking over, cutting through and stepping all over the Bulls during a 122-98 victory in front of 20,383 at the Rose Garden, its 79th consecutive sellout.

“A number of things are just starting to come together,” said Roy, who had 18 points and seven assists despite sitting the final eight minutes. “I think guys are back in their natural positions and we sensed that we have to get this going, too.”

Oden tied his career high with 24 points to go along with 12 rebounds, and Aldridge recorded his fifth double double of the season, finishing with 24 points and 13 rebounds. While the Blazers’ big men helped create a 50-32 advantage in points in the paint, the perimeter duo of Roy and Miller (16 points, five assists) not only flourished in separate units, they also thrived when they played together.

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Building a championship calibre organization in the NBA is about making small steps forward each and every day … not swinging for the fences.

In Portland … it’s only a matter of time.

Related:

Diamond in the rough finally begins to glisten

KD smacks one over the fence today …

Does Portland know that Hedo Turkoglu is 30?
31, by the time the playoffs start next season.

Portland? By the time the playoffs start in 2010?

Brandon Roy, 25. LaMarcus Aldridge, 24. Rudy Fernandez, 25. Greg Oden, 22. Travis Outlaw, 25.

And when those players are in their primes? 2014 or so? Hedo’s going to be well past his, at age 35. And this was a guy who was made to already look old and slow up against Trevor Ariza in this year’s Finals.

So why, exactly, is Portland throwing its free agent booty at Hedo?

What am I missing here? The team was, statistically, the best offensive team in the NBA last year. Possession to possession, nobody scored more. Defense is this team’s weakness, so they’re spending all sorts of dough on a defensive liability?

The team, for years, has been one of the better closing squads in the NBA. They don’t make a lot of comebacks, not with Nate McMillan’s snail-slow pace, but with Travis Outlaw and Brandon Roy in the fold, they do just about lead the league in game-cinchers in the last 90 seconds. Statheads can talk about Carmelo Anthony, TV talking heads can talk up Kobe Bryant, but no team is better in the clutch than the Portland Trail Blazers.

And they’re trying to add a guy who made his hay as a late-game finisher? Read that again. His value is inflated because of his late-game heroics. The team would be overpaying for something it already has in spades.

What is wrong with this picture?

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Agreed, 100%.

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Related:

Unhappy Fernandez has Europe Suitors

NBA Double Jeopardy, for $2000: Three small ominous words Blazers fans should NOT want to hear right now 

ANSWER IS: What are …

#1. Go

#2. For

#3. It

Or, exactly what Portland’s owner recently told Kevin Pritchard [GM] …

Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen tells his GM: Go for it
Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen has told general manager Kevin Pritchard to upgrade the team’s roster for next season, adding suspense, intrigue and pressure to what already figures to be a critical juncture in the team’s pursuit of a championship.

“Overall, our timeline has moved up,” Pritchard said last week after one of several offseason meetings with Allen. “We need to take it to the next level.”

Although Allen wants improvement every season, this summer’s edict comes at a crucial time. The Blazers are one of the league’s brightest teams on the rise, coming off a 54-win season and the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2003. A bad trade, or free agent flop now could be the difference between a dynasty or a dud.

The big question, of course, is how Pritchard goes about improving the league’s second-youngest roster?

Does he listen to coach Nate McMillan’s desire for experience? Does he flex the team’s enviable muscle in the free agency market? Does Pritchard relent to his daring, go-for-it nature and make a blockbuster trade? Or does he sit on his hands as he did at last season’s trading deadline, when he made no moves in order to let his young team progress “organically”?

“Those propositions haven’t come to the forefront yet,” Pritchard said in the waning days before Thursday’s draft.

It’s a jumbled picture right now, with many possibilities and options open to the Blazers. But this much appears to be certain: The Blazers will be a major player when the free agent market opens July 1, and they are open to trading out of Thursday’s draft.

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Upgrade the team’s talent for next season?

Please ….

As is, the Blazers’ player roster for 2009-2010 is already slated to be amongst the very best in the NBA:

PG – Steve Blake, Sergio Rodriguez, Jerryd Bayless [Brandon Roy?]

OG – Brandon Roy, Martell Webster [Rudy Fernandez?]

SF – Nicolas Batum, Rudy Fernandez [Travis Outlaw?]

PF – LaMarcus Aldridge, Travis Outlaw, Channing Frye

C – Joel Przybilla, Greg Oden

despite being the second-youngest average aged in the league.

Upgrade the team’s talent?

Is Paul Allen joking????????

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The view from here says that now is NOT the right time for the Blazers to attempt their first dive from the High Tower.

Portland [Kevin Pritchard, GM/#1 and Nate McMillan, Head Coach/#2, below] has done a terrific job rebuilding their house, from the ashes which were left following the 2005-2006 season, when they won just 21 games, by:

#1. Drafting and trading in a masterful way, i.e. 2006 NBA Draft; 2. 2007 NBA Draft; and, 3. 2008 NBA Draft …

and,

#2. Posting increasing Win Totals for 3 successive years, i.e. 2006-2007, 2007-2008, and this past season.

Now is the Lakers’ time to shine in the spotlight of the Western Conference, as the Blazers’ young guns gradually acclimatize themselves to life in the Playoffs … by going deeper and deeper each season, for the next 2-3 years, i.e. dabbing their toes in the water this year, swimming for the deep end next season, treading water thereabouts for a while [i.e. bobbing up and down] and ONLY THEN being in an actual position to dive-in, headfirst, for the treasure that lies at the bottom of the sea, where only the very best Jacques Cousteau’s can go … without incurring the bends. 

Yes, the Blazers have 5 picks in Thursday’s NBA Draft [i.e. No. 24, No. 33, No. 38, No. 55 & No. 56] but by swinging for the fences TOO SOON, in their development as a TEAM … instead of simply allowing more of their own players to evolve naturally and then adding key free agents at a later date, as need be, to get over the “proverbial” hump … they run the very real risk of seeing their hard work go up in a puff of smoke, right now, by adding the wrong player [e.g. Hedo Turkoglu] at the wrong time to an already potent mix.

Patience is a virtue … especially in the NBA … for those seeking to become The VERY BEST in their chosen field.

The current situation in Portland fits into THIS category.

Minor tweaks are okay. Seismic ones are not.

Time is on your side. Be Patient. JUST LET IT HAPPEN.

FINAL SCORE: 76ERS 89, Magic 114
Complete Game Info

When the individual match-ups are changed in a NBA playoff series, it can fundamentally alter the outcome of that specific game … which is what happened here last night.

Q1. Did Orlando miss Dwight Howard and Courtney Lee?
A1. Yes, they did … but not nearly as much as they were helped by getting ‘smaller’, ‘more athletic’ and being able to ‘stretch the defense more’ through the increased PT for JJ Redick [OG], Mikael Pietrus [SF] and Marcin Gortat [C] … each of whom is a better shooter than the player he replaced in the Magic’s line-up … versus a relatively small and athletic team like Philadelphia.

While the 76ers had match-up advantages at different positions vs the Magic when Orlando played with its regular rotation in this series … this was not the case last night when the absences of D12 & C-Lee forced Stan Van Gundy to shift his players around.

The better team asserted its dominance last night, as the lesser team was unable to respond appropriately with adjustments of its own. 

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FINAL SCORE: ROCKETS 92, Blazers 76
Complete Game Info

When Brandon Roy injured his left knee in the 1st half of last night’s game, it spelled curtains for Portland. The Blazers are a terrific young team that will soon become a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference but with their ‘superstar’ functioning at less than 100%, they are simply not yet ready to step up and win an elimination game on the road, especially, minus a 2nd important player on their team [i.e. Martell Webster]. Houston was the better team last night and will present a formidable challenge for the LA Lakers in Round 2.