The best Blazers beat writer ranks 'em ... (pretty solid analysis). http://www.columbian.com/article/20090216/SPORTS01/702169958/1001/SPORTS01 LaMarcus Aldridge Aldridge's numbers haven't changed dramatically this year, but his approach has taken an impressive shift. More assertive and aggressive, Aldridge has found a balance in his game that was previously missing. He is more comfortable banging in the low post, and his shot selection has been balanced throughout his range. They are all positive signs of maturation. Grade: A Nicolas Batum The year's biggest surprise has also been an important discovery. Batum has done an admirable job stepping in for the injured Martell Webster and provided a solid defensive presence on the wing. He is not yet much of an offensive threat, though, shooting only 31 percent (50 of 157) on any shots taken outside point-blank range, which limits his usefulness. It's partly why he is one of only three Blazers to play fewer than 100 fourth-quarter minutes (72). He holds a great deal of potential, but it still needs to develop. Grade: C+ Jerryd Bayless Bayless struggled mightily early in the year, but he has taken advantage of his opportunity with Steve Blake on the mend and shown why the Blazers acquired his draft rights last summer. His ability to attack with dribble penetration has given the offense a more aggressive dimension, and his ball-pressuring defense has helped the Blazers contain opponents’ penetration from the perimeter. His off-ball defense is still a work in progress, and Bayless’ mid-range offensive game is not much to brag about (he’s hit only 23 percent of his attempts from 1 to 23 feet). But the potential is unmistakable. Grade: B- Steve Blake Blake was identified during September workouts as the Blazer who had most impressed, and he has largely lived up to that hype, averaging career highs for scoring (11.3 ppg), steals (1.1 spg) and 3-point shooting (43 percent). Not bad for a sixth-year veteran — a point in a career when players are expected to have already peaked. Blake has been an important steadying force in the Blazers’ starting lineup — the type of piece you appreciate in the playoffs. Grade: B+ Ike Diogu What is irritating about Diogu’s season is that he joined Portland by making bold statements about never being given a chance to show what he can do, then followed up by showing little in times when he had a opportunity. He is often the only Blazer in the team’s locker room before games while others are on the court warming up and working with coaches. And he has shown little on the court, making only 3 of 10 layup or dunk attempts while getting four of those seven misses blocked. He has managed to get to the free-throw line frequently (20 attempts in only 73 minutes) and has been a fairly efficient rebounder. But Diogu has lost the ability to talk big about lack of opportunities. Grade: D Rudy Fernandez Only Greg Oden entered the year with more hype than Fernandez, but the Spaniard has largely lived up to expectations. He has provided the most lethal perimeter threat the Blazers have had since Damon Stoudemire and shown himself to be a multi-faceted playmaker with exceptional court vision and passing skills. The one knock: His mid-range shooting, particularly off the dribble, is weak. Fernandez may be dangerous at the rim and behind the 3-point line, but he is quite mortal everywhere else, making just 23 of 90 shots (26 percent) from 1 to 23 feet. Grade: B Channing Frye Frye has been by far the biggest disappointment of the season after finishing last year on a strong note. Even Frye was pushing himself to be an impact player off the bench. Instead, he lost his spot in the rotation and has yet to earn it back, seeing double-figure minutes in only three of his last 16 appearances. And in the last two months, Frye has shot just 29 percent (12 of 41) from the field and grabbed a total of 13 rebounds in 18 appearances. To say Frye has fallen below expectations is a gross understatement. Grade: F Greg Oden On many levels, Oden has had a fairly impressive year. He leads all rookies with 16 double-doubles, and when he stays out of foul trouble he can impact the game without scoring. It’s consistency that has caused a problem. You never know what to expect from him from night to night. Will he be available for 30 minutes? Or 15? The answer dramatically swings how the Blazers set up against an opponent. And this is important, because Oden is a key to lifting Portland to a higher level of competitiveness. They don’t necessarily need him to score, but they do need him to be available. And that has been tough to count on this year. Grade: C+ Travis Outlaw Outlaw’s detractors will tell you that he doesn’t guard on the perimeter very well, and often doesn’t score much early in games. But what is often left out is that the stuff Outlaw does wins you games. He is the Blazers’ second-leading scorer in the fourth quarter this year (4.6 ppg) and his 3-point shot has become a viable weapon. He has already made 22 more than his previous career high of 40, which he set last year, and his 41 percent shooting from behind the arc is the second highest on the team. Grade: B+ Joel Przybilla Przybilla just might be the most important intangible piece on this team. He has been a steadying force despite an ever-changing role, which can swing him from playing 30 minutes if Greg Oden gets into foul trouble to 15 minutes if he doesn’t. Yet the veteran’s performances have remained a constant. His 7.8-rebound average leads the team, as does his whopping 68 percent field goal shooting (100 of 147). Oden’s foul troubles may have been a crippling issue if Przybilla wasn’t available to provide the type of stability he has lent. Grade: B Shavlik Randolph It would be nice if Randolph were playing a little bit more just to see if he truly is back to the form he was showing before his devastating ankle injury. But all we have seen is eight minutes in three games, during which Randolph made all three of his shots, and a great work ethic for a player who rarely sees the court. He spends almost all of his pre-game time on the court working, and often enters the locker room sweating only to sit on the bench the rest of the night. He is an easy player for which to root. Grade: Inc. Sergio Rodriguez It has been easy to root for Rodriguez, but after nearly three seasons it is getting harder to see him as the Blazers’ future answer at point guard. His numbers have shown little growth over the previous two seasons, and while his jump shot has improved, it is still a point of weakness. He has been solid while starting in place of Steve Blake — Rodriguez’s best opportunity yet to make a statement — averaging 7.3 points and 4.9 assists in 24 minutes, but he also averaged 2.1 turnovers in that time. Rodriguez has improved, but is it what you want to see from a third-year guard? Grade: C Brandon Roy Grades don’t come easier than this. Back-to-back All-Star Game appearances, Averages of 22.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists. A career-high 52-point game. Need we go on? If this was school, Brandon wouldn’t need to bother taking the final. Grade: A+
Pretty spot on - but I think Joel deserves better than just a B for his work this year. He's been a savior in multiple ways in multiple games . . . pretty much throughout the whole season. His effectiveness was down when he hurt his hand but, even then, homeboy played through injury.
Yeah, I would probably give Joel a B+ or A- - but otherwise, spot on. Nice to see that despite the idiotic Travis hate that sometimes goes on these boards - BH can see just how valuable Travis is for this team.
Outlaw still gets a lot of time in the end of the game playing the SF position next to Aldridge/Odebilla - and he is still the 2nd best scorer we have at the end of these games next to Roy (You can check it at 82games.com - you will see that Outlaw plays the SF on the 4th-7th most common Blazers line-ups - and they are usually the rosters that end the games). The problem is not that Travis is bad as a SF - it is that he is not effective as a 3rd option (or lower) on offense - and at the end of the games - usually Travis becomes 2nd option over Aldridge - while Portland usually goes into Aldridge at the start of games - making Travis less effective. What Nate did, smartly - was to give Travis more time as the 1st or 2nd option. In the first half he usually comes as the backup PF and is the go-to guy next to Rudy. He also gets plenty of minutes in the end of the game at the SF position but he is elevated to #2 behind Roy on the scoring hierarchy. This, BTW - also shows how good Aldridge is and what a great team-mate he is - he usually concentrates on rebounding/defense at the end of the games.
Are these grades based on an absolute or relative scale? That is to say, are these grades with respect to how well they are playing compared to what we expected, or compared to all players in the league, with say, a C, being average for the league? If they are relative, then I think Joel and Batum should be higher. Remember, most people didn't think Batum would even see the court. Also, people on this board were trying to trade Joel before the season. We would not have the record we currently do without Joel. Also, if grading relatively, I would say that LMA should be lower. With a C being "as expected", I would say LMA would be a B.
the problem is he's a bad perimeter defender and our whole team defense often breaks down because of it. net on/off court SF -5.3 (playing 37% of the time for a 32-20 team, that's horrendous) PF +5.1 (playing 17%)
