That time of year. I'll go with: Blake: B His injury aside, Steve has played one of his best seasons. While he doesn't do any one or more things really good, he does an average, or above average, job on pretty much everything. I think the team's recent slow starts point to the absence of Blakey. Blake = Solid. Roy: A+ What can I say? Brandon has been the bread & butter of this team. His scoring average is up. He's heady and has won more than a few games for us. An All-Star by any measure. Batum: C Hard to rate this guy. A young (lower 1st Round) rookie being thrown into the starting spot on a plyoff-bound team? That said, he's been, well, just out there quite a bit. Has had some nice flashes of very good play, but overall just an average player........for now. Aldridge: B+ Still gets the "soft" label by some but has made some nice strides this season. Beginning to hit that mid-range jumper with regularity. Has even shown some tenacity on the boards. His overall defense is getting better, as well. That said, the team will need continued improvement from him in these areas if they expect any type of success in the post-season. Oden: C+ Still has a long ways to go in regards to defensive positioning, staying out of foul trouble, offensive footwork and post-up moves, but you can't deny his 15 or so double-doubles for the season. Sergio: C- Potential hasn't necessarily equated into reality for this guy. Terribly inconsistent. Tends to over-dribble and appears to struggle getting the team into its offensive sets. Plays pretty weill with his buddy Rudy, but...... Travis: B- Consistently inconsistent, but still seems to hold onto that "Mr 4th Quarter" tag. Still gets lost defensively, but has certainly made improvements over past years. Other than RLEC, probably KP's best (relative) trading asset. Joel: A+ We wouldn't be in a position to make the playoffs without his exellent defensive play. Our unsung hero. Other than Brandon, the team's MVP, IMO. Rudy: B Shown he belongs. Not a great on-man defender, but does a lot of those little things (which don't necessarily show up on the stats sheet) that help win games. Streaky shooter, yet still solid. Can hit the big shot when needed. Bayless: B Once Blake went down, has really shown what he can do. Plays decent defense. Absolutely commands attention on offense. Needs to work on finishing. Arguably, should start over Sergio until Blake returns. Frye: D- Can someone please explain to me what happened to this guy?!
Blake: B Best season so far. He's been very solid imo. Roy: A+ Roy is Roy Batum: C- He's done an admiral job this year, but he's hurting us because we really can't get more than 20 mins. a night from our starting small forward. I'd like Webster back. Aldridge: A- Aside from that horrid January, he's been our most consistent player next to Roy. His leadership is starting to become more evident and he's taken a larger role on the team. Oden: C Foul troubles are his only problem. Unfortunately, it's a huge problem that doesn't seem to be improving. Hopefully we see a new Oden after the break. Sergio: D Poor D, terrible decisions, can't shoot. Shouldn't be on this team. Travis: B- I've got to hand it to Outlaw. He's taken much less "ARGH" shots this year, and is a vital part of the second unit. Defense is still crap but hey, can't have everything. Joel: A Stellar play and our glue guy. Joel/Roy/Aldridge are carrying this team. Rudy: B He's a very streaky shooter and I'd probably give him a higher grade had he not had a terrible January. Has a tendency to make some poor decisions but overall, he's a benefit to the team. Bayless: B He has shown that he deserves minutes in Blake's absence. He could be more consistent, like most of our other players, but he brings defense and effort every night, and that's always nice to see. Frye: D Ugh. Diogu: F Double Ugh. LaFrentz: A+ Keep pumping that trade value!
Blake: A Far exceeded my expectations. He's having a career year, but I still want an upgrade @ PG. Roy: A Yep Batum: B The future of our SF position looks so much brighter because of Batum. Aldridge: B Marginal improvement from last year, but still solid Oden: D Hasn't reached my expectations. Average = c. He's below that. Sergio: B Look at his numbers as a starter and notice how he performs with consistent minutes. He's still being handcuffed by Nate, though. Travis: C Haven't seen much improvement from last year. Still a knucklehead. Joel: A yep. Rudy: B Has slightly exceeded my expectations of him this season. The transformation from the ACB to the NBA has been relatively seamless. Bayless: C The potential is there. But, I expected more PG instincts. Frye, Diogu: INC Haven't seen enough of them to give out a grade. Nate: C I hate how he uses some of our players. And I've not seen much tangible improvement in Nate from last season, either. I really believe our record is much better than we actually are, and that almost all of our wins are due to our talent and depth, rather than coaching. But, in the end, we are playing .600+ ball.
Blake - C+ Shooting/scoring has been very good this year. Defense worse than before, though. Roy - A- Scoring and ability to take over games has improved. Playmaking/finding teammates, and defense have gotten a bit worse, though. Aldridge - B- I believe he's improved over last year. He has more go-to moves in the post and has been much more physical. But he's rarely stepped it up big when Roy was struggling, hence the lower grade. Oden - C He's actually better than I thought he would be when he's out of foul trouble. I predicted - and was criticized for doing so - these kind of foul troubles and unrefined game. Quietly has played in 46 games, which in spite of the recent knee bump is just two less than Roy. Bayless - B+ Dynamite with the ball. Jumper has been a disappointment. Defense even better than I expected. Sergio - C+ Defense is god-awful, but this is not new. Haven't checked percentages but Sergio has been running the offense at least decently. Outlaw - B- Offense has been a lot better recently as he's gotten aggressive and has attacked the rim more. Handles are still weak... but if he can improve on them he'll be an even better threat. 3-pt shooting a surprise. Defense has been about the same as last year. In truth, Outlaw probably deserves a higher grade but he's such a frustrating player that he gets penalized. Still makes a ton of dumb mistakes but his game has improved this year. Rudy - C+ Some games he's great, other games his shot is off and he becomes useless. Batum - B+ Good defense when he can stay out of foul trouble. Love the little things he does. Jumper has become prettier recently, although I'm not sure he's hitting at a higher rate. Love his game and has exceeded all expectations. Joel - B+ Great effort to start the year. Still brings it on the boards and on defense, but the wrist injury has hampered his effectiveness on the offensive game a bit. He and Roy have been our most consistent players, though. Joel has proven why he's so valuable to our team. Everyone else, including Nate, get an incomplete.
Blake: B Career season, he's been basically an average starting point guard. Average point guards are valuable, so Blake has been a benefit to the team and his defense, while poor, isn't exactly devastatingly bad like... Sergio: D Fun to watch at times, he's in his third season and still not starter-level on offense. On defense, he may not even be NBA-level. That's not a good package. He has moments of pure passing sweetness that make you want to believe he'll be a good point guard, but it's just not materializing. Roy: A+ Took the jump from borderline star-level to borderline superstar-level. That's incredible and I never expected it from Roy. I'm very glad to be wrong about his upside. It's also nice that he's a smart, team-oriented player. Batum: B Have to say that the grade is relative to expectations. I anticipated a pure project player who couldn't contribute meaningfully to a good NBA team. Batum hasn't been very good on offense, but he has contributed on defense. He's minimized the damage that his raw offensive skills might have done by being aware of his limitations and not forcing anything. Aldridge: B- He's a well-above average player and he's progressed on defense, which is encouraging. Discouraging is that he hasn't progressed much on offense or as a rebounder. In terms of production, he's stagnated from last season which is in stark contrast to the big leap forward fellow draft-mate Roy took. Aldridge was great for a second year player last year, but his lack of offensive/rebounding gains have dimmed his future prospects a little in his third year. Oden: B For any other rookie center, I'd give him an A. His per-minute efficiency is great for his age and experience level. But this is Greg Oden and it would have been nice to see him make more impact on games, especially on defense. His rookie season has still been quite successful to date. Travis: C He is what he is, and hasn't really improved his game from the last few years. He's a hot-and-cold scorer who doesn't provide a lot of other value. He's basically an average player, but his stand-out tool (scoring) makes him a great luxury off the bench. Joel: A+ Maybe the best back-up center ever! His defense and rebounding have been fantastic, and he only takes shot attempts when he has a good chance to put it in the basket. He's a tremendously valuable player. Rudy: B Rudy is a bit of a mystery. He's sometimes an impact player, with his shooting and passing, and other times he's invisible. Overall, he's been a slightly above average player which is nice for his rookie season. If he can become more consistent, he could rise to borderline All-Star status. Bayless: B+ Very exciting talent. He's a free throw generating machine, which is extremely impressive as a rookie. When the shot that he showcased in college shows up in the NBA, he'll be quite unguardable. His passing skills have been improving with experience and his defense is active and generally quite good. He has shown that he has the chance to be an elite player. Frye: D Purely an outside shooting big man, his value has dropped like a rock. He doesn't rebound, doesn't defend and isn't a particularly valuable passer. He doesn't draw fouls inside, and his outside shot is not good enough to be a consistently dangerous weapon. Diogu: D+ His defense is not very valuable, but he's capable of drawing free throws and getting offensive rebounds. Overall, though, he hasn't contributed much to this team.
Joel + brandon = a = what more could you ask of them? Lamarcus, travis, steve, sergio, rudy = b = consistently bring a wide variety of positives nicolas, greg, jerryd, shavlik = c = about what i expected channing, ike = d = failed to bring it so far martell, raef = f = stats not impressive nate = a = coach of the year
Roy = A+ Joel = A+ Aldridge = A- Blake = A- Batum = B Bayless = B Oden = B- :dancewookiee: Rudy = B- Outlaw = C+ Sergio = C- Frye = D+ Diogu = D Webster = Incomplete Raef = Incomplete Shavlik = A++ Nate = B
It's kind of crazy that you guys would give Pryzbilla the same grade as Roy- is this for effort? I'd say Pryzbilla is more of a B minus- incredibly limited offensive game, good defense.
Incompletes: Webster, LaFrentz, Randolph (I had no expectations of him, so I can't really give him a grade) Rookies: Oden: B- When he's on the court I think he does a very good job. Some rookie mistakes. His points per 36 is sixth best on the team and his offensive rebounding per 36 is better than any Trail Blazer that has ever played more than 400 minutes. His fouling is really bad though, and not having him out there is only slightly better than having him be somewhat of a detriment by being in there. Fortunately we have Joel. He just needs some consistent playing time, and I think when he is out there he deserves more plays run for him. Like I said, though, on the court aside from fouls he's doing great in my book. Fernandez: B He has some pretty amazing offensive skills. He puts out an effort on defense as well, but it's not amazing. Risky player, but his moves pay off more often than not. I would like to see him go for some two pointers more often. If he shows he can gt to the rim, then his shooting game will open up more easily. I actually thought he'd be a little better at this point, but I think I expected a little more than I should have, and I still believe he will become a very good player. Batum: B I didn't expect him to be getting as much time on the court as he has, even if it's only 17.5 minutes a game. He's played in every game, he's always guarding the best wing player, and for a guy with the Euro-equivalent of one college season under his belt his transition to the NBA 3-point line hasn't been that bad. There's usually a nice leap for a player shooting percentage wise between their first and second seasons. Good eye for open players. He makes some rookie mistakes too, but I can see a very indispensable player down the line. Bayless: C I didn't think he'd struggle as much offensively as he has, and I think he's too quick to pass the ball off to a high post and run off. He's had a few moments of brilliance, though. I didn't think I'd see him get 8 assists playing only half a game so soon. He'll have to do that more often, though, before I really judge his passing ability positively. He doesn't make me think he'll be bad, but as with all players under 22, I can't just dismiss him until he comes of age. I want to see him stick around here for a couple of seasons. If he truly is a hard worker, he may be able to compliment Brandon very well. We've finally gotten to see him play some regular minutes, so he's a bit behind in the development process (if you regard on-the-court experience to be of highest value). I really think he's going to be good someday. Third Year Players: Roy: A If we gave Spanish nicknames to all of our guys, regardless of origin, he'd be called El Confiable (reliable/clutch). He really is one of the best guards in the league, and he gets much better every year. I think he has far exceeded our expectations of him. I thought he'd be a career starter, but not a superstar type of talent. I want him to be more vocal with his teammates, though. I think he's earned the right to push them. Aldridge: B It might not be reflected in his stats, but I do think he's a better player than he was last year. He's playing more and more low post than he ever has, and I think we need that. I'm not going to knock his rebounding because we're the best rebounding team in the league, so somebody's getting them. His offensive rebounding is pretty good. I think next year he'll have a veteran mindset. He plays confidently now, and opponents do respect him more, but he's still in transition. Rodriguez: C+ His shot has improved some, especially since Blake has gone out. I don't think there's a player on the team that rides a wave of momentum better than he does, except for Brandon. His defense hasn't gotten any better at all. Right now I'd play him over Bayless, but I don't think that's something that's going to last for very long. I'll give him props for stepping it up offensively lately, but I'm not seeing anything more than a bench player in him. Fourth Year Players: Frye and Diogu: F Neither of them are good enough to get minutes at back-up power forward? Is Frye not improving or is he getting worse? Is Diogu going to get a new contract from anybody when his deal expires? The "Veterans": Przybilla: A- He's the biggest intangibles-guy on this team. He rebounds extremely well, changes shots, doesn't get into foul trouble, sets good picks, doesn't get in any turnover trouble, and is very aggressive and fearless. He's not going to take any shit from anybody. He might not have any shooting ability away from the rim, but he makes what little he does have count. I liked the few times he took matters into his own hands with our own players out on the court, and I wish he'd do that more. He has a lot of fire. Blake: B He's probably destined to be a backup, but I think he'd make a strong one. He's stroking it better than he ever has, and he's very smart with the ball on offense. He is very heady, is a good presence, and I miss having him in the lineup already. I wish he had something better defensively though. He's not horrible there, but he's not good. Outlaw B He is the second option at the end of games. He has a knack for slowly coming into a season (the last two anyway), and he has gotten to being his viable-option self again. His has mental lapses, and putting him against perimeter players always makes me feel uneasy. But when he's defending post players, I'm comfortable. He probably has the lowest court IQ on the team, but he also has the most talent. If he were even average when it came to knowing what to do with the ball, he'd be a star. But I absolutely love his ability to score regardless of how critical the moment is. I can only imagine what other opposing fans think of him when he's busy lighting them up with indefensible jumpers, and, "oh yeah, did he just throw that one down in our guy's face? Oh, blocked shot." But it seems for every two he giveth, there is one that he taketh away. He is the one guy that I won't feel bad about keeping or moving. Outside of the Players: McMillan: B The defensive coach has a fantastic offense going, but we still don't have very good defense. We have great ball control and movement, great rebounding, great scoring, great use of timeouts, great fundamentals, great overall improvement, but not even very intermediate (NBA) level defense. Are they not taking to the lessons well enough, or is there something else? This offense isn't unstoppable either, but it's one of the best in the league. Either way we're still headed upward, and if he truly is a defensive coach I hope that it clicks for us soon. If we could get more stops, this team would be a contender. Pritchard: A+ I still say he's done a better job than anybody in the league. I think he's very patient and hard working, and I think he's always looking for the best deal he can get, even if it takes 1,000 offers and tweaks to get there. If he doesn't make a deal before the deadline, I think I'd rather wait until training camp to see what happens before I'd judge him on it. Allen: B+ The Miles issue may have been blown out of proportion by the media, but I still think he could have had Miller add a little addendum to the notice "...but if you want to give him a serious shot, then by all means sign him." Otherwise, I think he's been a very good owner. He's done an awful lot to bring the status of this team back from the abyss, like choosing to spend and deal when he could have continued his quest to sell the team and lowered its value, and buying back the Garden. The Team: B+ Great offense, great bench, great people working for the team, needs better defense, but the overall growth is moving along pretty well in my opinion. I don't think they'll finish 4th or better in the conference despite our present position, but they won't have to for me to feel like they've succeeded.
Actually, Maris's was better than I thought it was going to be. I thought he would put Sergio in group 1, and Jerryd w/ Channing!
Blake: C - Blake is hard to judge because he's a backup quality player that has been thrust into a starting role. His defense is not good. He is probably the least athletic PG in the NBA and can neither penetrate nor create for his teammates. But he does control the ball and hit timely 3s. Roy: A Nothing needs to be said. Oden: B Oden has done a good job, all things considered. His presence has turned rebounding from a weakness to a strength for this team, and if it weren't for the BS calls he gets, his averages would be higher. Take a look at his averages when he gets at least 26 minutes a game. LA: B His productive, but he's also a pussy. A 6-11 240 PF, should be more of a force on the boards. He should also be able to abuse smaller players down low, but for some reason he can't. Batum: N/A How do you grade a 19 year old rookie who was supposed to be in D league? He certainly hasn't embarassed himself, and has had some great moments, but he's really not ready for this role yet. Sergio: C+ Sergio has done a fair job this season. His shot has improved, and we're even seeing him score on dribble penetration now. The team gets more easy buckets with him running the point. Rudy: C- I think Rudy has been simply awful since December. This guy is athletic, very intelligent, a great passer, yet all he does is jack up 3pt shots, and since December, he has not been shooting a good percentage. Anything that is not a dunk or a 3pointer is sure to miss from this guy. I was expecting a lot more from him, and with his skill set, he should be better. But of course, he's a rookie, can't judge him too harshly. Frye: F What the F happened to this guy?? This season, he looks like some tall guy the Blazers drug out of a YMCA Joel: B+ I'd give him an A if he hadn't hurt is wrist. Since the injury, he's been dropping a lot of balls and missing easy shots inside. Outlaw: C- Outlaw is a tremendous liability on defense and on the boards. He is constantly blowing it! On offense, he takes too many ridiculas shots and his overall FG% is not very efficient. However, have to give him something for his great 3pt shooting this year...and he's really come through for us in a few games. Bayless: N/A He hasn't played enough to grade him. And right now, this guy is wound up so tight! He is almost out of control. But I LOVE game, and think he'll be a great player.
2008-2009 Portland Trail Blazers Brandon Roy Grade:A+ What else can we realistically expect from the 3rd year player this year? Yea, that's what I thought too. He is doing everything possible to lead this team. The past few games he has got well over 30 points and making it look so fluid and easy. He is already a top 10 player and in my mind, a top 5-6 player. Joel Przybilla Grade:A The heart and soul of our team. He is playing with a banged up wrist and still going all out. Where would we be without him? We can guarantee either he or Greg will have a great night. They are such an invaluable duo. Realistically, he is at his peak right now, but we could use more guys like Joel who are no-nonsense, tough players. Travis Outlaw Grade:A- Over the past 2 years, he has taken 7 game winning shots and made 6 of them! That is an incredible percentage, especially for a bench player. He has taken the next step in becoming more of a team player. He is passing the ball a bit more, showing more effort on the glass, and even showing the will to take the ball to the hoop. Sure he has his bad games, but his good ones are starting to outnumber the bad ones. LaMarcus Aldridge Grade:B+ I'm not going to lie, I expected more consistency and bigger numbers out of Aldridge this season. In his 3rd year, he hasn't made the jump that guys like Garnett and Bosh made. He really needs to become a better free throw shooter if he is going to continue to be part of the big 3. He has so much potential, it is kinda frustrating to see him disappear in games at times. I do like him getting a little more physical this year and not backing down to guys like Garnett. If we want a good seed, we will need him to step it up in the 2nd half. Greg Oden Grade:B This grade would be higher had he been able to cut out the foul trouble and his teammates actually feeding him the ball. His free throw percentage is still a work in progress and definitely needs to improve with the way he gets fouled. I do love the progression he is making. He is getting stronger and quicker and showing signs of explosiveness. As long as his post moves continue to progress, the sky is the limit. Steve Blake Grade:B This is as good as it gets for Blake. He is a money shooter and a steady, calming influence on the team. He still can't guard quicker opponents and takes no risks at all, which really is frustrating. If I see him go under the hoop only to come back out again without doing anything, I'll go insane. Jerryd Bayless Grade:B Like Greg, his grade would be much higher if Nate would have actually played him earlier on in the season. He has already shown to be the one Blazer able to attack the rim, not named Brandon. He is a very reliable free throw shooter and scrappy defender. Once he gets his jump shot in rhythm, and gains experience, the sky is the limit. Rudy Fernandez Grade:B- If the grading were to be done earlier in the year, he would have been a solid B, maybe even B-. But he has hit the proverbial rookie wall, and hit it hard. He is only really capable of hitting 3's now. The passes are getting riskier and he hasn't made the big pays like he was earlier in the year (Fade away vs Miami @ Miami, the fly-in putback vs @ Washington). I still like his potential and think his yearly grade will be higher. Nicolas Batum Grade:C+ Who would have thought he would even be in the rotation after watching him in Summer League? The problem is that he is in our rotation. He shows amazing potential on D, but outside of that, we are lucky to get 1 3 pointer from him a game. At time, it feels like 4 on 5 out there on offense when he is starting. I enjoy the progression and think he will only get better. It is not his fault he is thrown into the fire so soon. Can't be too hard on the guy. Ike Diogu Grade:C In his limited action, I liked the hustle I saw. He also has more rebounding bones in his pinkie than Channing does in his entire body. We likely will only see him play in blowouts so his chance to improve his grade is minimal. Sergio Rodriguez Grade:C- He has his highs and he has his lows, too bad they are unbalanced in favor of the lows. He plays no D at all. His shooting is still sporadic. And he dribbles the ball way too much. He is not effective in our system and only flourishes in an open-court, fast breaking system. Whenever we are on the break, he is like poetry in motion, too bad we hardly run. Channing Frye Grade:D+ Wow, maybe the most disappointing player on the team. He looked so good towards the end of last year and even won us a few games during our streak, but has been completely non-existent this season. When you are inconsistent at the one thing you are supposed to be good at, shooting, there is a problem. I wouldn't e surprised to see him moved at the deadline. Shavlik Randolph Grade:INC He hasn't played enough to warrant a grade. Martell Webster Grade:INC He has been out for the year, sans a few minutes in Toronto. Very disappointing to see him out for so long. Raef LaFrentz Grade:INC Contract wise, his grade is an A+, but he hasn't seen the court either or even the damn arena. He isn't even apart of the team anymore.
I don't think I'd put Joel on quite the same level as Brandon, but he has definitely been a rock at C so far this season. I think removing him from the team at this point would be as bad as removing Roy in terms of wins and losses. Maybe worse.
I graded based on performance, expectations, and capability of the player. Joel got an A ,b/c his performance exceeded my expectations and falls in line with his overall capabilities. It's not like he can still find some fountain of potentail to tap into.
