I was just going with the Conley trade thread, but I think it does spell someone going out once he comes back. I just don't see how we can play that deep of a team, I'd like to see a solid PG at this point, I'm thinking that Batum, Outlaw or Webster is a pretty solid rotation at the 3. Sergio is play a lot better and we really haven't had a chance to see Bayless play meaningful minutes yet. I say we cross that bridge when Webster comes back and see what happens.
I don't understand how Batum's performance could affect Webster's contract situation, especially since he was extended Oct 31, when Batum only had a pair of decent pre season performances under his belt. Personally I think KP just didn't want to lose a decent asset in Webster to free agency. Even KP probably doesn't know who he prefers, but he'll have a lot of flexibility down the road.
I have been trying to think what it is about Nic that is so impressive. I think that I have it -- He has such poise for not only a 19 year old, but for anybody. The kid is just good. Solid fundamentals.
Bayless is 19. He can sit one year and learn. Frye is a free agent at the end of the year. Maybe you let him walk. I prefer Travis over Frye. Webster and Batum at SF. If they run into a big physical team where Travis can't match up at PF....give Oden some minutes at back up PF and Pryz more minutes at center. And you will have the Englsih dude next year too.
What a win. Played a top team and beat them by 15. This team is really looking good, and without Oden looking great yet. I'd like to see Oden play well, but this is his first season in the NBA and he's very young...it should be expected that this year he'll be very inconsisten with a lot of awful games, statistically. The team doing this well with Oden still so far from his potential shows that the Blazers still have significant upside beyond where they are now. Batum, wow. He could easily be the steal of the draft. A 19 year old playing like a valuable veteran, as a rookie? His ceiling is enormous.
Let me say that this was the first game I was really happy with Sergio. His defense looked really respectable tonight, he did not force the fast-break when it was not there. Good. Loved it.
Seconded. He still couldn't hit the ocean if he fell out of a boat (3 pointer tonight not withstanding) but his defensive awareness is way ahead of where it was last year and his decision making in the half-court is looking so much better. I always thought if he could just develop 2 out of 3 skills from the following: running the offense, keeping his man in front of him, and/or hitting open shots, he'd have a chance to at least be a solid rotation guy. Good for Chacho (better for the Blazers).
A very telling quote by Byron Scott on the respect teams now have for Brandon Roy... I love this quote from the postgame press conference: What are you impressions of Roy? "He's just a very, very good basketball player. Very smart. Very heady. He can do a little bit of everything on the court. As coaches, when we scout Portland we kind of put him in the same category as Kobe (Bryant), LeBron (James), Dwyane Wade. We treat him the same. He's that good." http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2008/11/postgame_mcmillan_and_scott_on.html
Just back from the game.... Another impressively easy win at home over a talented New Orleans team. As happy as I was that the city of New Orleans got to enjoy the Hornets amazing season last year, I'm REALLY starting to hate this Hornets team. Flop and whine, whine and flop and whine some more. Man it gets old, and it must be contagious. Peja is one of the worst - EVER, but West does it, too as does Devin Brown, and Tyson Chandler is one of the biggest whiners I've ever seen (at least he doesn't flop as much as his teammates - he just whines about EVERY call). I was at the home opener last season when Chandler got ejected for two technical - and he's lucky he lasted as long as he did. He was actually getting ALL of the calls and STILL complaining non-stop. I was glad to see him foul out tonight. Yeah, they won 56 games last year, but that doesn't mean guys like Tyson Chandler and Devin Brown are suddenly entitled to superstar treatment - but they sure think they are. I loved it when Brown would flop and the the Blazers would score on him while he was laying flat on his back. Get up and play defense Devin. I know Chris Paul is an amazing player, but he never seems to play his best in Portland - which is fine with me. Joel's hot shooting seems to have expanded to include his FTs as he was 5-5 from the line tonight. We got there very early tonight and watched the players shooting. I focused on Joel for a good five minutes and the only shot he missed was one FT. In addition to shots around the basket, he also knocked down a few 14-16 ft. jumpers. I don't want him shooting those in the game, but he suddenly seems to have discovered a soft touch that seems to have improved his shot from everywhere (well, everywhere he shoots from during the games). Oden still takes too long to gather himself and gets stripped too easy, but that will come with time. He's still not in tip top condition and not used to the speed and quick hands of NBA players. Batum, on the other hand covers an enormous amount of ground without even looking like he's going full speed. With his long arms and gazelle like stride, he just eats up the court. I know people like to compare him to a young Scottie Pippen, but the ATHLETE he reminds me of most is Gary Maddox, the center fielder for the Phillies back in the 1970s and early 1980s. Anybody else remember him? His long, smooth stride made him one of the best fielding outfielders in the history of the game, and led to the famous quote: "Two-thirds of the Earth is covered by water, the other one-third is covered by Garry Maddox." That's who Batum reminds me of. Speaking of Batum, I bought my youngest daughter, Lil' Bit, a black Batum jersey tonight. My older son and daughter both got black Rudy jerseys tonight, too. So, now in addition to our red alternate road jerseys (dad = Oden, son = Aldridge, oldest daughter = Roy, Lil' Bit = Oden), we now have a set of black jerseys to bust out once in a while. Look for them to debut at the Clippers game on December 12. And, in case you didn't know, if there is any jersey you want, in any size, that they don't have in stock, they will make it for you during the game. I needed a youth small black Batum for Lil' Bit. It's not one they normally stock. So, we ordered one before the game and picked it up after the game was over (they said it would be ready at half time, but I figured it would be easier to just pick it up on our way out of the stadium). You order the custom jerseys at the shop near entrance A-15. Oh, and one more thing - CHALUPAS BABY! BNM
+/- for tonights game: LMA Plus 23! Frye Minus 8 Not sure what it means but no one else was close to either.
I didn't phrase that correct at all. What I meant to say was the Martell perhaps would not have been extended since Batum has been such a surprise. My bad.
I got there really early and watched both Webs and Sergio on their pregame workouts. Sergio was with the shooting coach (Townsend? Something like that?) working on situation shooting...off the dribble, step-backs, drive-the-fadeaway, etc. Sergio looked really good doing that Iverson "Drive the Lane then Fade Away" jumpshot. Then he started shooting threes. He was perfect 12-12 from the corners and titties. Once he got to the 3 top-of-the-key positions, he was only 11-18. I think part of his problem (the whole "can't hit ocean falling out of a boat" thing) is that the majority of his 3's are taken late in the shot clock and from the top of the key, which I think may be just outside his range. He's been pretty decent hitting shots from the corner.
I get it that he's only getting 2 or 3 shots per game and it's kind of hard to get in a rhythm shooting when you have so few opportunities, but if the 24' 3 pointer is out of his range I'd love to see him come inside more and make more runners or step back 18' shots. I'm glad Sergio is still working on his shot, but it sure would be nice to see him going for shots he's capable of making at a higher clip, rather than taking lots of 3s (right now he's had 56 shot attempts, 28 of which were from behind the arc). if he could even develop a decent mid-range game he'd be a legit starting quality point guard.
Totally concur. I'm not defending his shot selection, but trying to point out that it seems in his head rather than a hitchy shot he can't recover from or something. I've been happy to see him taking it into the paint and taking the shot a little more, though not nearly enough. Him doing that is going to open up much more dump-off/alley-oop ops with Greg and Joel, or pulling back to hit a cutting Webster/Rudy/Outlaw along the baseline.
