Despite, as of 5:07 PM today, still being up in the total vote count, The Oregonian called the gubernatorial election against former Trail Blazers center Chris Dudley, in favor of former (and future?) governor Kitzhaber.
I have a very concrete view point on this subject, but I'm going to try to take the middle road, and suggest some of the good that came out of Dudley's run, regardless of your political leanings.
Opened the door for other former Blazers to hold office in the state. Maybe it wasn't that a Blazers center couldn't run Oregon, it was that Dudley was the wrong center. Bill Walton could be the candidate the lefties yearn for, with a strong baby boomer connection. Perhaps Joel Przybilla could have a future as more of a folksy centrist candidate, known for his prudent financial mind (after all, he's the player that teaches his teammates about the NBA's 401(k) program). Most obviously, though, it's a portent of Arvydas' forthcoming campaign. The posters have been made. It's only a matter of time.
No awkward moment on Thursday night. If Dudley were to win, he would probably make an appearance at the game on Thursday against the Thunder, prompting a round of boos from the mostly blue Portland crowd. In the RG (except on Civil War night), we're all on the same team. We need to focus our collective outrage on Clay Bennett, not a political candidate.
The OLCC is in danger. I promised I wouldn't get political, but I don't think there's a single person in Oregon who thinks the OLCC is a good idea.
This picture:
Once again, if you're confused as to where the recaps are, I'm writing them on Bust a Bucket this week, so check them out there.
If you're looking for the Bulls game recap, I've posted it over on Bust a Bucket, as I'll be guesting there this week, writing recaps. Don't let that make you think I'll be leaving Trail Post high and dry this week, as I will most certainly be posting content here as well.
The Blazers played only one game over the weekend: a tight win at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks.
Yet again, the team took an early lead and allowed the other team to eventually get back in and take over the game. Of course, it ended with the Blazers going on a huge run to finish the game. Though winning is nice, I think just about every Blazer fan would take a wire-to-wire win right now than a heart attack.
A large piece of happened on Saturday night was the presence (and non-presence) of Nicolas Batum. The Blazers appeared to be a different team when he was on the floor, with the offense flowing more easily, as Batum was able to do what he pleased on offense against the point guards that D'Antoni was putting on him. Obviously, he brought the defensive spark as well. He got us that lead in the first quarter, and when he came in again when we were down nine in the fourth, our fortunes changed quickly. I don't know how much longer Nate can continue to play Nico for less than 30 minutes per game.
This game wasn't nearly as bad as LaMarcus' suicide watch game against the Mavericks when Andre went crazy, but it was close. He was missing open shots and worse, free throws. He hasn't quite put it together again, yet. LaMarcus being able to hit big shots again could be the difference between a close loss and a close win, or during Saturday's game, a close game and a runaway.
Brandon Roy did what Brandon Roy does.
Andre is looking better integrated into the offense than ever. He's going about his business, and at the end of the game, you realize he has 19 and 10. Just beautiful to see.
The Wesley Matthews bandwagon keeps getting bigger.
Finally, we had to see Fabricio Oberto play for 17 minutes due to Camby's foul trouble. That could be a reason why the game was closer than it should have been. Okay, it was a reason. Okay, Oberto is kind of terrible. Okay, he had two good plays, and was pretty much terrible otherwise. One rebound in 17 minutes when you're seven feet tall? Still, a valiant effort and a constant reminder why we should all be rooting to have Oden and Przybilla back on the floor.
"Yeah, well, we all know where the words come from," says 6'9", 215-pound Maurice Lucas, the quintessential power forward and enforcer of the Portland Trail Blazers. In Lucas' case, the word got out and around three years ago when, as an ABA rookie, he decked 7'2" Artis Gilmore and dared to duke it with Julius Erving, which is roughly akin to spitting on the flag. "A lot of people think I'm just one of these mean guys," he says indignantly. "Well, I just play rough. That's the way you play when you're in my game."
Can I watch Blake Griffin during every Blazer game? I just want to see him play basketball always. I have an unabashed basketball man crush on the guy. If the Blazers could trade LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden for him, I would do it in a heartbeat. He's like Joakim Noah if Noah wasn't overrated and didn't frighten small children. Noah wakes up in cold sweats each night after dreaming of Griffin's freckles, knowing that he'll never be the insane rebounder that Griffin is. He's just good. I never would have guessed that someone who came back from season-ending knee surgery would fly around the court like that.
Apparently there was a game last night, too.
So, the team itself had a mediocre performance through the first three quarters, just like the Phoenix game, and during the fourth quarter, it flipped a switch, went on a huge run, stop me if you've heard this one before. Road wins are worth their weight in gold (weight of a road win: 3.43 kg) and the Blazers picked up one that maybe they shouldn't have gotten.
As Mike Rice suggested, if they kept a stat called "Most Improved 3-Point Shooter" (by the way, I think you can do that, easily - just subtract last year's percentage from this year's), Nico Batum would lead it. I think Batum would be happy to win Most Improved Player this year instead. On a bad shooting night for everyone else, Batum went 6-7 and 3-4 from deep, along with a few rebounds and a couple of steals. I guarantee there's some suburban Portland kid who decided to start studying French in middle school just to be more like Nico. Vous faites le travail de Dieu, Nicolas.
Brandon Roy put up a Brandon Roy-like line of 22-10-2. Dude is automatic. The three pointer over Gomes was some cold blooded business.
LaMarcus also had a double double, and played a large role in the fourth quarter spurt that won the game. He was abused early by Griffin, but came back and held his own. You can talk about how soft you may think LaMarcus is, or how he doesn't charge after rebounds enough, but the dude seriously knows how to pass out of a double team. It is a now-regular occurrence, and LaMarcus easily sees and recognizes it coming, finding the open man. It's a great way to be in the flow of the offense, even if he's not making his shot.
The other double double came from Marcus Camby, the ghost of Clipper rebounding past. He took Griffin's activity as a challenge, going for 11 and 14. During the first quarter he was driving from the top of the key for lay-ins, something he probably hasn't done for six years.
In terms of +/-, Andre was the game's MVP with an absurd +19, and he contributed with a bit from everywhere, as he got 14 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals. His offensive rebounding extended some key possessions late.
The bench was really nothing special at all. Johnson and Cunningham were beset by foul trouble. Matthews didn't come close to duplicating his opening night performance (the countdown to the next Simmons Matthews insult starts now), and Oberto looked lost. Rudy looked good again, hitting half of his three point attempts.
Now, we have a long break until the next game, a time where we can reflect on the fact that instead of waiting three months for another game, we only have to wait three days. My recommendation for the downtime: play NBA 2K11 or read the Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History.
No, that's not the number of turnovers that Steve Nash committed. It's the number of fans left in Portland who still think that the Jerryd Bayless trade was a bad idea.
The debuts of new guards Wesley Matthews and Armon Johnson were the polar opposite of Andre Miller's coming out party last year. Whereas before it was a storyline of uneasy coexistence with Brandon Roy, last night's opener was a perfect example of right sized pieces for right sized holes. Both Matthews and Johnson played the defense we expected of them, living in the jerseys of Phoenix's guards, and picked their spots on offense. One account compared Matthews' performance to a rave, which is odd, because I would never figure a large warehouse to be that strong of a defender or three-point shooter.
The Blazers and Suns started the season off like they ended the last, with a back and forth game that was very much in doubt throughout the first three quarters. The Blazers held a lead from the first quarter through the third, but it was never that large. Then, the third quarter run from the Suns got them the lead going into the fourth. Then Nicolas Batum happened. And Brandon Roy happened. A balanced (huhwha?) attack to end the game put the Suns away with ease and gave the Blazers their first win on the way to an 82-0 season.
Nicolas Batum put together a double double, absolutely making the Suns pay for putting Steve Nash on him, grabbing offensive rebounds by the sackful.
LaMarcus Aldridge was double-teamed every time he touched the ball, so he never really had a chance to get anything going. That being said, he never made any dumb mistakes when the double-team came, so that should be taken as net victory. He also ripped down nine rebounds.
Marcus Camby was the night's other double-double man, and he was a force again on the defensive end. Camby's wandering hands were everywhere, tipping passes and rebounds to create new possessions and keep possessions going.
Brandon Roy played like Brandon Roy. The 20-5-5 is just what he does.
Andre only played 27 minutes, and didn't stand out as much as the other guards, but still had a near double-double with 10 points and 9 assists.
Finally, Wes Matthews had a +22. Holy crap, what a steal.
Tonight, we have the Clippers, and a chance to see Blake Griffin's surreal ability to pull down rebounds first hand. Aside from Roy, our starters didn't log too much playing time last game, so we can hope that everyone will be fresh.
There is literally nothing left to say at this point.
(Except the rest of this blog post.)
The last six games the team played were against the Suns. They were beat through an array of...just kidding, Jason Richardson killed the Blazers at the three point line and that was that. The Blazers were injured as all hell and simply couldn't keep up.
Today, the team is still not 100%, but doing a lot better than back then. The players certainly think better of their team than Steve Nash thinks of his. Basically, The Blazers are expected to win.
Now comes the waiting game. We're only 12 hours away from tipoff, and you feel like the kid from the Disneyland commercial. "I'm too excited to sleep!" Work is going to be a slog, as you glance at the clock every two minutes, and feel like time is actually going backward. When you eat lunch, you'll get red pepper and roast beef on your sandwich, just to do the closest approximation to Blazer colors.
Finally, you'll get the last seat at the local watering hole, and pour a little of your Total Domination out for departed players Jerryd Bayless, Juwan Howard, and Steven Hill.
It's opening day. Anything can happen in a season. The last two years have proven that, for better or worse. Let's enjoy the ride.
One of the great joys in being a sports fan is choosing someone to blame it all on. Every bad bounce, every missed shot, every horrifying knee injury. It feels natural. Sure, there's a reasonable part of you whispering, "Don't be overreact, don't be stupid," but who wants to listen to that? Blazer fans are as capricious as any in the league, and that's what makes it so fun to be one. We love to place blame.
Past lightning rods included Travis Outlaw during the 08-09 season (until his improvement then injury last season), Andre Miller at the beginning of last season (until the Dallas game), and Juwan Howard to finish out the year. Of course, there are always mainstays in the Blazer fan haterade, such as Nate McMillan, Paul Allen, and of course, the refs.
These rankings are not my own opinion. Someone being on here doesn't mean I personally have anything against them. They are simply a (not really) objective interpretation of the state of mind of Blazer fans at large. Who do they think is going to destroy the team at any given moment?
5. Nate McMillan - The "Fire Nate" warcry has existed as long has he's been here, and has almost never been justified. Still, his one year deal looks ominous to the national media (even though he signs one every year), and his performance against Phoenix last spring still stings.
4. Paul Allen - It was Paul Allen who lobbied for Patty Mills over Wesley Matthews in the draft. And again, we have Patty Mills, cutting Pendergraph to do so.
3. Brandon Roy - Brandon's calls for the ball have been read by much of the fanbase as egotistical, as if he's the bastard son of the unholy triumverate of Stephon Marbury, Vince Carter, and Allen Iverson.
2. Rudy Fernandez - If there's one thing Portlanders hate, it's insults to the city. Remember the time when New Yorkers tried to tell us that their food carts were better? Bloodbath. Rudy's preseason suggests he won't be on the list for long, though.
"Yesterday we celebrated Sir Isaac Newton's discovery of gravity. Today, Fabricio Oberto is defying it."
Quote comes from the newest issue of GQ, which was published from Free Darko's The Undisputed Guide to Pro Basketball History, which drops tomorrow at bookstores everywhere. If you are reading this blog, you need to buy that book.
(I am not conflating my level of writing with Shoals and co., I'm just saying that if you are willing to delve this deep into the world of Blazer blogdom, you obviously love basketball with a nearly unhealthy passion.)
"I feel like someone just traded my cat for a bag of goldfish." - Wilson Peery
While I'm not of such a strong opinion, it really does hurt. The Blazers lost someone that seemed like he was being groomed to be a core player. And for what? A pick in the 13-15 range. Hey, we need the space, and if we don't have to do the cold-blooded move of getting rid of Pendergraph, that's worthwhile enough, right
(Update 6:30 PM: Jason Quick reports Pendergraph is gone. Well, doubly cold-blooded, I guess. Maybe Patty Mills is the PG of the future, because, he hasn't already been beaten out by a rookie or anything.)
The trade can be read as serious vote of confidence in the abilities of Armon Johnson and Wes Matthews at the point guard position. Beyond that, Rudy Fernandez' strong performance in preaseason probably made it reasonable to have Wes play more minutes at the 1.
Basically, all we can hope is that Andre remains the Injury Vampire that he's been throughout the last decade and play all 82.
After a summer full of speculation and drama, you know what to expect from a Blazers season preview. Before previewing it the right way, I'll post a preview review, in bullet form, TrueHoop style.
The Blazers lost approximately 7,024 player games to injury last year. At one point, they started a Tigard child who had recently graduated from the Larry Steele Basketball Camp at the 2 guard.
Greg Oden gets injured like all the time, what's the deal with that? Basically, the fact that Oden is oft-injured is obvious, cliched, and necessary to any preview. It's like three-word sentences in Canzano columns. It really is. It really is.
Batum will make the leap this year. Everyone's told him. You know, it's a good sign when a player buys into the hype surrounding them. That's never gone wrong, ever.
The Blazers have been terrible in preseason, yet Wesley Matthews has been great. Many are trying to take this as a sign that Matthews is a hell of a player, yet we shouldn't be worried about our terrible record. The truth: you can't have it both ways. Our preseason is irrelevant, and Matthews' play, though encouraging, is just as irrelevant. Depend on it the way you depend on reports of LaMarcus Aldridge gaining 20 pounds in the offseason.
Brandon Roy is the offspring of the unholy triumvirate of Stephon Marbury, Vince Carter, and Allen Iverson. He plans on taking every single shot for the Blazers this season, and some for the other team, too.
The Thunder really aren't that good, except when they're challenging the Lakers at the top of the conference. Evidently, having everything go right and only getting 50 wins means that you're jumping up to 70 wins the next season.
I think those are all the main storylines that we've been reading throughout this offseason in a desperate, flailing attempt to get any possible news about this team we all love so much.
Now onto the real preview.
The Blazers are the team with the largest presence on the internet, with the Raptors gasping behind them for second place. Blazer fans spread across the web, an army that attacks anyone who says anything negative about the team, taking over comment sections on ESPN.com and Yahoo.com. There's another group out there that's just as volatile and dogged as Blazers fans. They've gone after Apple, AT&T, Verizon, and Sarah Palin. That group? 4chan.
For those of us who aren't fans of corporate sabotage or images which you can't unsee, 4chan's greatest contributions to culture are memes. With two such large groups, there's no surprise that there's some overlap. That overlap: the Trail Post 2010-11 Memeview.
Nate McMillan: Serious Cat
Only one internet meme could ever hope to match Sarge's no-nonsense approach to basketball. That computer in the back matches well to assistant coach Kaleb Canales' sophisticated video review system.
Leeroy Jenkins: Jerryd Bayless
Jerryd Bayless charges in, no matter how heavy the defense is. So does Leeroy.
Dancing Baby: Andre Miller
Both have been around forever. Also, Andre Miller had a 2-episode arc on Ally McBeal.
Sad Keanu: Rudy Fernandez
So much bench-related ennui.
Trololo: LaMarcus Aldridge
Eduard Khil's smooth breed of singing matches the matches the smoothness of LaMarcus Aldridge. Still, you feel like something's missing. In Khil's case, it's actual words. In LaMarcus', it's post game.
Watermelon Head Shot: Armon Johnson
Did you see the way that watermelon face-guarded her? Armon taught it everything it knows.
Yo Dawg Xzibit: Marcus Camby
Just as the Xzibit meme has the rapper constantly stuffs cars into other cars so you can drive while you drive, Marcus Camby stuffs the stat sheet.
Zidane Headbutt: Nicolas Batum
They're French. Of course, Batum's not particularly violent, but we can hope him to become to French basketball what Zidane was to French soccer.
Keyboard Cat: Brandon Roy
There's only one match for the Blazers' ultimate finisher: the internet's ultimate finisher. Brandon is the one who plays the team off during games, and we all know what Keyboard Cat does.
After all of that, what do we have? What can we expect from this team? Well, anything less than 50 wins would be a disappointment. There have been statistical projections that put our ceiling at more than 65 wins. That doesn't pass the smell test, either. Basically, we should expect at least 52 wins. Ideally, if everything comes together, our ceiling is at 59. Why can't this week be over?
My favorite part of preseason? The desperate pleas for cash on Craigslist from season ticket holders. The flood of tickets going for 60, 70, 80 percent off of face value says it all about fans' reaction to preseason. Sure, it has its value. After all, you have all the stars back after what felt like years off, but it's not quite right. It's like the season of The Hills after they got rid of LC. Why even do it?
Just this morning, the Blazers hit my inbox with an ad on Groupon for half off tickets to the (now annual) preseason game at the Memorial Coliseum. I love what the Blazers did here. Every preseason game should be half off. The teams are giving half effort, why should the fans be asked to pay full price? The games themselves are a competition between coaching staffs praying that the players don't get hurt before October 26.
Basically, preseason is the worst kind of sample taste. Sure we get actual basketball at the Rose Garden, but all it does is leave you with the knowledge that the season still doesn't start for yet another three weeks.
Late last week, the NBA unveiled a new set of rules that define what conduct leads to a technical foul being called. New additions in that release included asking about the call, demonstrating emotion about a call, or aggressive gestures. The NBA has since released a few more technical foul-worthy offenses.
Wearing a jersey with the word "Wallace" on it.
Winking
Low Fives
References to the movie Sharktopus
Not hashtagging "#nba" during your in-game tweets
Speaking Spanish
It's fair to say, that's a bold new stance for the NBA.
NBA Jam occupies a special place in the hearts of every NBA fan of a certain age. Sure, the 2K and Elite (formerly Live) games can have intricate plays, and special right stick moves that make you do elbow passes and turn into a panda. Too bad they missed out on what counts: dunks, shoving people around, and high drama.
Thank goodness the one game that had that is finally back. Every game in NBA Jam ends in a last-second shot attempt. Or at least that's how I like to remember it. You play for ten minutes, and then it comes down to John Stockton throwing a last second underhand heave across the court. The best possible result is time to run out during said shot, Stockton frozen in time, the ball resting on his fingertips, never to know if the shot when in or not.
In the original game, the Blazers were one of the better teams you could play as. Drexler was as good an all-around player as you could find, and you could choose from solid supporting castmates in Terry Porter and Uncle Cliffy. My personal favorite was the overwhelming offensive onslaught of Porter and Drexler, with Drexler tossing dunk-passes to Porter in the corner for three. Of course, they couldn't play defense a lick, but the idea was that they could both take care of the ball and hit an open shot.
Imagine my disappointment when I learned that I couldn't reunite my favorite NBA Jam team of all time. While teams such as the Hawks (huh?), Bulls, Cavaliers (double huh?), Pistons, Warriors, Heat (Rony Seikaly! By the way, I would love to play against the guy who went with the Rice/Seikaly duo over LeBron and Wade), Nets, Knicks, Magic, Sixers, Suns, Spurs, and Jazz got two greats, we were left to make due with the Glide. I can only imagine the possibilities of a two towers combo of Oden and Walton, or combining LaMarcus and Porter.
Still, if you're a true Blazer fan, you'll play as the home team when you get the game. Now to choose the team for the style you want to play.
Beginner: You have never played the game before, and you just want to have fun and dunk a lot.
Drexler and Roy: The past and present greatest 2-guards the Blazers have are your best options if you are a beginner. They lack in three-point shooting but will be able to get by anyone of the dribble and attack the basket. They will keep you in a game no matter what. This is also your best offensive option for the team.
Defensive Juggernaut: You know what you like, and that's blocks.
Oden and Aldridge: As the video that has already circulated on YouTube can account, Oden is one of the game's best blocked shot artists. Use that to your advantage, while the rangy and quick Aldridge D's up on the opposing guard. With this team, you can also run a football offense, with one player shoving defenders as the other goes for an easy dunk.
Overall Best: You want to win the right way: great defense, and heart (aww).
Oden or Drexler at all times: Use the lineup combinations depending on situation each quarter. If you're looking to hold a lead or cool off a run, use Oden. If coming back, give Drexler a shot. No matter what, one of these players should be on the floor at all times.
Now, all we need is a proper Blazer fan NBA Jam tournament while we hold out hope that the Seattle Supersonics will be an unlockable team.
With the win today, France won a chance to advance from its group in the World Championships. Sports.fr spoke to Batum about the tournament so far and his future. I translated.
Sparkling against Canada (68-63) Tuesday night in Izmir, Nicolas Batum has taken matters into his own hands to enable the French team to qualify for the knockout stages of the World 2010.But, instead of looking backward, the tricolors look ahead. "Want we want is to finish first in the group," he assured, even if the next game against Lithuania is "still more difficult."
Nicolas, you are already in the fourth round. Is that your dream scenario? Dream, I don't know. Let's say it's a good first step, the best start, even. We had a great performance.It wasn't the best way, for sure, but the win is what counts. Now, we are not going to be satisfied with that.What we want is to finish first in the group and we will continue like this until the end of the first round.We really want to show that we must be counted on in the future
In any case, Team France can count on you! You were able to take your responsibilities this evening ... My self confidence helped me a lot. I was able to adjust to what Canada gave us, I had to take matters into my own hands because I knew babaca (Boris Diaw) and Mike (Gelabale) were a little tired from the first two games. I tried to get the game to my style in the second half and I was decently helped by the interior players. They defended Joel Anthony well, and kept him from getting rebounds. It was scary, we had a lot of luck, but, for once, it's on our side, and we won't complain.
Personally, we imagine that it is very satisfying ... It's true that it reassures me a little. In preparation, particularly in Villeurbanne, I tried to do stuff like that but it wouldn't work. The fact that I succeeded this evening makes me feel good about my game and allows me to be even more confident next time.
Do you feel more sure than before in your offense? I try to keep a cool head. I had the chance to evolve throughout the year with a player who masters composure, Brandon Roy. I watch a lot, and when I see his sureness and composure, I admire him. And when I play at the end of a game like today, I copy him. I have a good teacher, I think.
Can this kind of game become a reference for this team? Yes. Last week, a game like this, we probably lose by twenty points. If we had played like this against Canada two weeks ago, it would have been thirty. We've reached a new level, we've matured a lot in one week.We didn't panic, we played our defense, they made a run at the end, and we stole the victory.That's the most important part.
Did you think you would start so well before arriving in Turkey?
We did.You didn't.Compared to what we showed during the practice, we aren't too surprised.
Was the intensity that Canada showed you surprising? They were missing Andy Rautins but it wasn't obvious.For them, the game was the last chance. With the outcome of Lebanon-New Zealand, they were screwed if they lost, so their lives were on the line this game.Now, they'll be going home, it's pretty much mathematic. It was complicated for us.
Les Bleus (the nickname for team France) have had trouble with free throws.How can you explain it? I don't know, there maybe was a slight lack of concentration, a feeling of complacency. The rest day ruined our flow a little bit.There was a lack of rhythm, a lack of legs compared to the first games. Today, we weren't very rigorous, whether it was offense or defense. But we obtained the essential: the win. We have to forget that and think only of what awaits us tomorrow (Wednesday against Lithuania, ed.). We have to get back to "Spain mode."
What type of game are you expecting against Lithuania? It may be more difficult because Lithuania is still more organized.They have experienced players, Linas Kleiza really is a great scorer.We will really have to be careful.We know them, the Lithuanians, they shoot from everywhere and it's a three pointer every time. We will have to be very serious to be able to beat them.But if we want to finish first in the pool, we have to beat them.
Have you looked at Group C? Logically, it will end with Russia and Puerto Rico.But I do not want to calculate, to think about the future.As long as I avoid Turkey, that's fine with me.I'm not looking forward to playing against them.As late as possible.
The Emmys have the silly effect of not mattering at all, yet still getting my guile up. Lists or rankings are catnip for my ill-informed criticism. The show's end, with Modern Family taking home the honor of the top comedy, immediately made for an easy NBA comparison.
ABC's new beloved sitcom is the Oklahoma City Thunder. It's based on a good ensemble cast, has two breakout stars, with one of which is one of television's funniest characters. Still, it's not even one of the top five comedies on television right now, but is a critical darling nonetheless.
Which brings me some of the other big Emmy nominees, and their television counterparts.
Mad Men = The Lakers: They win every single year.
Lost = The Celtics: A powerhouse over the last few years, their title chances are over.
30 Rock = The Suns: Formerly the fastest show on television, and has lost a step over the past couple of years.
Glee = The Heat: The most hyped show on television.
The Office = The Mavericks: Always good but not great, past its prime, and each has a terrible boss.
Friday Night Lights = The Blazers: High drama, plenty of tragic injuries, and completely unwatched around the country, save for a devoted fanbase.
It's damn nice to know that the Blazers are back in good hands. I've made my argument earlier for why and how Rich Cho is the perfect fit as a GM for this team, and how choosing him is the ideal move not just from a strategic perspective but also a public relations perspective. It's just great to see the organization make the right move. More than being the guy we wanted, Rich Cho is the guy we needed.
Despite the team's impressive record, this year's summer league came down to a point guard duel between two (as of right now) marginal NBA talents. Sure, it was fun to watch this team march to a 4-1 record (with that only blemish due to three last-second misses). Even better, it was great to see Caleb Kanales pick up the record in only his first year coaching. Still, the league's there for player evaluation, so let's get to the evaluatin'.
Jeff Pendergraph was a little lost out there. His last game of the tournament was his best, as he was everywhere, and completely owning the glass. In his second year, his shot still has not come around yet. That's going to make it difficult to get any playing time. If he can't play past Dante Cunningham, good luck trying to get past Marcus Camby. As he showed last year, though, he's a decent spot replacement for the big man position, a great practice player, and the best hype man in the league.
Dante Cunningham seems like the same player he was a few months ago. He's the guy that can knock down the open shot and hustle for the ball. He was the team's most veteran influence.
Luke Babbitt has work to do. He led the team in scoring a couple of times, but his field goal percentage, save for the last game, was in the crapper. Due to the last game, his free throw percentage bounced back to a respectable 85%. I feel like I didn't see enough of Luke during this to peg down a real judgment on him. He needs to be against real NBA talent to be judged.
Patty Mills is done. He is not the right player for this team. He's far too selfish, which will not mesh with the team at any time. No matter who he's with on the floor with the Blazers, he won't even be one of the top three options. He's a good player, and a fun player, but not one for the Blazers. He's a Nate Robinson All-Star, a guy that's fun to watch, but you would never want on your team. I heard a story about how he wanted to lead the league in assists coming in. That idea went out the window after his first game, when he tallied 9. He never topped 4 the rest of the way. The Blazers need someone who can defend, create for others, and stay out of the way. Patty doesn't do that.
Armon Johnson does do that. He hit his shots at a better clip than Patty, racked up more assists, and played much better defense. If there's one way Johnson could make an impact, it's through his D, which is already comparable, if not better than that of Bayless. And this is his first go-around in the league. Patty has played in the NBA for a season, and has years of international play under his belt, yet was totally outperformed by a rookie. I wish the best to Patty in his NBA future, and hope he catches on with a decent team, but he needs to be jettisoned, and Armon needs to be signed soon.
Though I'm sure that the last blog post had little to zero to do with the decision (most likely zero or below), the Blazers have added the Thunder's assistant GM, Rich Cho, to the list of candidates to be interviewed for the GM position here.
It's good to see that the organization is looking at new guys, rather than the staid options we've had shuttled into the city so far during this process. Hiring Cho is good karma.
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