Dang! Get there early if you are going! Doors open at 5:00 and its first come first serve. The early bird gets the best seats.
Do the door actually open at 5? The tickets say 5:00 pm and I assumed that was start time so I thought they doors must open before then.
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If anybody goes please post something about how the scrimmage went and especially how Oden, Rudy and Bayless looked. Thanks
I am just back. Watched the first half and a little bit of the 2nd half - had to run and get my little girl from babysitting so left early. My early impressions are: 1. Oden - A bit rusty. Missed a couple of shots he should have put down. At one possession Roy went out of his way to set him up for a dunk - maybe it broke the ice for later when I missed the rest of the game, I do not know. 2. Bayless - Quick, quick, quick. Shoots some things he should not - but boy, is he quick and able to get anywhere in the paint he wants. Seems that the instructions to make life on him hard are still on - as Sergio was playing him very physically and pushing him a lot. 3. Sergio - played the first half on the starter's team (black) - and the 2nd on the bench (white) - he switched with Jarryd at half time. His shot is a little better - but he was really much better suited for the 2nd team - he was pretty much invisible playing next to Roy. I still think that the entire idea of him being the 2nd PG ahead of Bayless is unreasonable. He seems better than last year - but Bayless has star written all over him. 4. Rudy - might be the best rookie in the upcoming year and might be the leading scorer on this team. He shoots the 3 ball very very well. Better than Martell, better than Jones did last year as well, I think. In addition - amazingly good passer for a 2, better on defense that I expected. The crowd loves this kid and he seems to really enjoy himself in Portland. 5. Aldridge - money in the bank. If there is something very nice to see is just how well he feeds of Greg (and Greg seems to do a fine job of finding him for easy jumpers as well). 6. Roy - his usual self. Quiet quiet - but he can put the ball in the hole efficiently and set people up. Everything seems very easy for him. 7. Martell - still seems as if he is invisible there. He was a bit more active than last year and went hard to the rim one time - but he really does not stand out. 8. Outlaw. Still a gunner - and still a very good jump shooter. Also gets the 1 or 2 dunks that everyone ooh and ahh about. Rudy seems to love finding him on the break. 9. Ike - Not really all that impressed, to be honest. He is like a much less capable version of Zbo. I am not sure he will see much time once Frye is back in the line-up. 10. Battum - Has all the tools to be the SF of the future. He really impressed me - a lot more efficient and a lot less of a project than I thought he would be. A much better natural defender than either Travis and Webster and not lost on offense as well. Over all - it was fun and this team, once everyone clicks - is going to give league a lot of trouble.
Just got back. I got to shake's Oden hand as I walked in. He's got soft hands. Anyway, here are some observations: -It was Brandon, Aldridge, Oden, Steven Hill, Jamaal Tatum, Martell, Sergio, and Luke Jackson on the black squad to begin the game. For the white squad, it was Bayless, Rudy, Outlaw, Batum, Joel, Ike and Randolph. I could have some of the bit players on the wrong team, but I don't remember for sure. Besides, a few of the players switched at intermission. -Oden didn't dominate. I didn't expect him to, but it bears mentioning. He had one nice dunk on an assist from Roy and another dunk off a double dribble that the referee missed. He wasn't rebounding too much, either. But he did have an assist or two. And he blocked the first shot of the game - an Ike Diogu dunk/lay-up attempt. Also, whenever Oden got into the paint, the guys fouled him like crazy. He would get triple-teamed every time he caught the ball. And when the white squad fouled him, they just bounced off of him like Shaq. He's crazy strong. -Bayless looked like a man out there. He is what Jarrett Jack would have been if Jack didn't turn the ball over and made good decisions with the basketball. He drove to the hoop, played some tight defense on Sergio, hit a few shots, didn't force anything and found the open man. You know that fear of Bayless becoming a shoot-first, shoot-second, pass-third guard? No worries. He's unselfish. He's smart. He reminds me of Roy as a rookie, at least a little bit. Fans will love him this year. I already do. -Rudy hit about four 3-pointers during the game. My rough estimate is that he shot 50% for the game. He had a few nice passes, too. One was a behind-the-back to Outlaw and the other went through Luke Jackson's legs. He moved well without the ball and definitely looked like he belonged. He's got swagger to spare. He's going to be a great addition to this team. -Aldridge looked like a new-and-improved version of last year's LaMarcus. He was a monster in the paint, pulling down boards and backing down his man for a few inside shots. He also displayed a feathery touch from the perimeter. -Batum didn't look that bad, but he didn't do anything to stand out. He was an energy guy. -Outlaw was a chucker in the first half but calmed down and had a better shot selection in the second half. -Ike didn't do much of note. -Joel actually caught a few passes and pulled down some boards. -Sergio looked surprisingly good. He got into the lane, found the open man, finished a few times and even hit a few perimeter shots. He looked like the rookie version of Sergio, only better. -Brandon Roy was unbelievable. The game just comes to him. He hit a few shots, threw around a few assists and just played a smooth game. There was no sign of his injury at all. -Martell didn't hit many shots, but he did a good job of getting to the hoop and finishing, as well as pulling down some rebounds. -Overall, the guys looked good, if not a little sloppy. That's to be expected, though. Bayless and Rudy is going to be a sick backcourt. Oden and Aldridge play well together, and Oden was born for McMillan's pick-and-roll game. -I think this team's going to run a little bit more, but the big difference will be how fluid their offense is. This team is full of guys who move well without the ball but who can also drive when they find an opening. It's going to be hard to defend this team. I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE SEASON.
I can't believe there isn't more activity on the board following the scrimmage. Somebody more articulate will probably summarize the game better, but here are my impressions: 1. Good turnout. I was on the 3rd level and they announced around ~11,300 in attendance. 2. Rudy!!! Both Rudy and Aldridge were the standouts from a statistical point of view, but they also looked the most fluid and comfortable in my opinion. They both look in midseason form. Bayless and Oden are getting a lot of media attention, but from what I saw, Rudy will be the rookie with the most impact. At least early on. He passes similar to Sabonis. Visually awesome, but also very effective in that a lot of his daring, showboat passes end up in easy scoring opportunties for the recipient. He also shot well. Something like 4-7 from three. He looks like he'll be able to handle the point when required. Aldridge looks to have the veteran comfort level now. He was active around the hoop, ran the floor, picked his spots. I didnt notice a discernable difference in his bulk size, which is fine. He seems the perfect size right now. 3. Oden was underwhelming to say the least. He looks out-of-shape. He's gigantic though. Even from the 3rd bowl. The photos and video clips dont adequately capture his true size. But for the purposes of this scrimmage, he was reminiscent of Jamaal McGluire. A large body, impossible to move, with little agility and no full court speed. Kind of discouraging, honestly, but a reminder that he is still in the early stages. And to be fair, they didnt force feed him in the post and he probably didnt play half the game. Bynum--from how he played before his injury--looks to be ahead of Greg. He also looks to possibly being a superior athlete for the time being. 4. Martell looks trimmer. He still isn't automatic from long range, but finds ways to contribute. I think it's a mistake at this point to start him. Rudy should be starting in my opinion. Until Oden becomes a reliable offensive option, I dont think there's enough firepower on the first team. 5. Travis and Bayless were the greenlight chuckers. Bayless does overdribble at this point, but he also attacks the hoop with ferocity and has the strength and athleticism to finish. He's not nearly as polished as Rudy in my opinion, and his minutes should be limited early. I bet as a rookie point guard, he actually does win us 4-5 games later this season when he has fresh legs and is able to punish some depleted teams. 6. Everyone else looks pretty good. From this game, I dont see Diogu uprooting Channing's place in the rotation. Sergio played pretty well. They allowed handchecking, so he didnt get abused on defense. 7. It was just a scrimmage, but I thought a lot could be gleaned. Should be a great season!
Fun game tonight... Rudy looked pretty good on offense. He had a sick pass that he threaded between Luke Jackson's leg's for the assist. On the replay it looked like he started throwing the pass before Jackson's legs were open. Good feel for the game. On defense, he was blown by a few times by Roy. Outlaw looks good - more athleticism than skill. Webster couldn't hit a shot.. took it to the hole strong a few times. Ike diogu looks chubby. The rookies (minus Oden) came and danced at half time. They really hammed it up. Nice to see the guys that will be waived out there having a good time. Even Rudy. The announcer referred to Steven Hill as Steven of Nazareth once - kind of slipped it in there. Maybe I'm old, but the Blazer dancers came thisclose to having their boobs pop out. I'm not quite sure the point of the blazer dancers... not like people only show up to catch a nipple slip. Tickets are a bit too expensive for that. Tough to reconcile some of that for the folks who brought kids with them. Even the ladies throwing t-shirts into the crowd had there shirts tucked all the way up to their bras. (GET OFF MY LAWN!). Sorry. You can see the potential in Batum. Roy just went with the flow of the game and got his. Bayless was getting bumped off the ball a lot. Sergio was even moving him. Aldridge (who won MVP) looked like the best out there by far. His shots were smooth and effortless. Oden looked sloppy - was fouled a lot and fouled others a lot. Overall I couldn't tell who was taking it seriously or not, but it was a fun function. Randolph was one of the players that had a recorded video saying thanks for coming... wonder if that is a sign of intention to keep that guy. Lafrentz/Blake/Frye were there, but didn't play, of course.
By the way, the announced attendance was right around 11,000. To get that many fans out on a rainy Friday night for a meaningless scrimmage says a lot about how in love with this team Portland is.
The Oden reports concern me a bit, but I suppose he isn't in shape yet. The LMA reports have me dancing.
I'd be curious to know if the coaches told Greg to take it easy ... then again it's been a year and a half since he last played competitive hoops, rust is almost a guarantee for a while.
