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Notes from Practice, Day 2

As you've read by now, we were lucky enough to briefly see some full-court 5 on 5 scrimmaging over at the Practice Facility this afternoon. The pace to the game was quick and it was relatively competitive.

The lineups that we saw during 5 on 5:

  • Bayless, Roy, Jackson, Aldridge, Przybilla  vs. Rodriguez, Rudy, Batum, Randolph, Hill
  • Bayless, Roy, Webster, Aldridge, Przybilla vs. Tatum, Rudy, Outlaw, Randolph, Hill
  • Bayless, Roy, Webster, Aldridge, Przybilla  vs. Tatum, Rudy, Jackson, Ike, Randolph
  • Bayless, Roy, Webster, Aldridge, Przybilla vs. Rodriguez, Batum, Outlaw, Ike, Randolph

Keep in mind: Blake went down with an injury (reported to be cramping by Coach McMillan afterwards) almost as soon as the media was allowed in. As mentioned below, Oden sat and watched the practice and did not participate due to injury.

I would love to be able to give you a detailed breakdown of each player, but during the allotted time we only saw a short amount of play.  Also, the game was, for the most part, guard-dominated and played around the perimeter.  With that said, here are some thoughts:

-- Yes, everyone's ravings are accurate, Aldridge looks like a beast.  Playing big on both ends, his size is even more noticeable without Greg in there.  Then, after practice, he was draining 3 pointers one after the other.  Totally automatic.  It was ridiculous.  My eyes were popping.  Blazers officials that have been seeing him do this for weeks barely reacted.  So, yeah, totally automatic.  I don't think it's going too far to say that his name will be in discussions for the All-Star Game this year.

-- Brandon looked great today.  I hesitate to say completely 100% because he was starting to drag ever so slightly by the end of the full-court game.  But he looked great.  He was matched up with Outlaw and was really having his way with him.  He hit a beautiful pull up j, had a nice dish to Przy for a dunk, and generally moved very well.  He cut smoothly in his Brandon way.  He does not look injured whatsoever.

-- Nate was instructing the guards to pick up roughly 3/4 court on defense and to really pressure the ball-handler.  With Blake out, Bayless was bringing the ball up the floor for his team and Nate instructed Sergio to "get up" in him.  It seemed like Nate was putting Bayless to the test a little bit.  Perhaps Bayless's ability to bring the ball up the floor is still an open question for Nate. I know that's a question that's been circling around these parts for awhile.  Bayless didn't seem overly bothered by the pressure, but he was giving the ball up almost immediately after crossing halfcourt -- passing-and-moving after turning the offense over to Brandon.

-- Bayless rushed and missed a bad jumper from the top of the key with Sergio's hand in his face.  That was his most memorable offensive play today.  Something to track, for sure.  A love affair with a jumper is a bad, bad thing.  Other than that, Bayless is lightning quick and shows great control and poise when on the dribble.  He doesn't play or act like a rookie at all.  I think when all is said and done, he will be in the rotation because he is doing things Nate's way... with the exception of a few over-eager jumpers.

-- Sergio looked good today.  He hit two shots, had a nice drive-and-dish to Randolph for an easy bucket (which succeeded in making Randolph look good, which is no easy task given that he was being man-handled by Aldridge).  He did have a careless pass that went out of bounds which caused him to look down at his hands in confusion.  His defense was good-- most of it was off-ball as Brandon was dominating possession and Bayless wasn't getting a ton of looks, but he was moving his feet and had his head up looking to read the passing lanes. He was also running hard through off-ball picks that were being set for Jerryd.

-- If you were holding out hope that Tatum would be the 15th man, I would suggest not doing that.

-- Martell seems really comfortable in his skin right now.  To me, this is the best news possible regarding Martell.  I could not have said that last year. He doesn't seem tense.  I think he is enjoying the fact that he isn't the young guy with "something to prove" anymore.  He seems at peace, which is a great place for a shooter to be.

-- Both Brandon and LaMarcus seemed to make a point out of being vocal leaders, leading cheers and high-fives for their teammates.  Encouragement is, apparently, a universal language -- Rudy was also quick with the high-fives for his teammates and Sergio, as mentioned, went over to briefly talk with Greg.

-- As for the 15th roster spot, Tatum is out for sure, Randolph looked like he didn't necessarily belong on the court, and Hill was doing what Hill does. Oh, almost forgot, Jackson hit a nice corner 3 to close out the scrimmage.  I still think the smart money is on Hill but I'm not willing to bet on it.

-- And, almost before it started, the scrimmage was over and it was time for the team to shoot free throws, running down and back whenever there was a miss. I tried to keep count but lost it -- anyway, I did have... Przybilla missed, Luke went 1 of 2, Rudy 2 of 2, Martell 0 of 2, Outlaw 2 of 2, Sergio 1 of 2, Batum 2 of 2, Bayless 1 of 2 (he let out a loud F bomb after the miss, which was, uh... compelling) and then Przybilla made 3 in a row to close it out.  During the sprints, Bayless and Luke seemed to be making a point of leading the pack, with Batum not far behind, and everyone else pretty much running in a group after that.  I think all 3 of those guys were trying to make a statement.

You're probably wondering: what's the deal with Rudy?  First off, he belongs on the court.  Yes, he's thin but I side with Nate in thinking that this will not be a huge liability.  He has very quick feet on defense.  He is also, as you already know, extremely active on both ends.  He hasn't had the ball a ton so it's difficult to meaningfully assess his offense.  He looks to be in game shape.  Hopefully, we'll see more soon.

-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)

PS An unrelated aside: if you haven't been enjoying my posts lately, you're in good company.  In 2004, this man told me that my fiction was "nearly unreadable." So, good job.

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can I ask what "fiction" he was having trouble with,....without being rude?

Thanks for the report ben.

"the Knicks are an ongoing experiment in sporting altruism, with the motto "We suck, so you don't have to." This is the designing principle. Stop overcomplicating things."
-jawaan oldham

by faith on Oct 1, 2008 7:15 PM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

YES!
— Yes, everyone’s ravings are accurate, Aldridge looks like a beast. Playing big on both ends, his size is even more noticeable without Greg in there. Then, after practice, he was draining 3 pointers one after the other. Totally automatic. It was ridiculous. My eyes were popping. Blazers officials that have been seeing him do this for weeks barely reacted. So, yeah, totally automatic. I don’t think it’s going too far to say that his name will be in discussions for the All-Star Game this year.

He only needed to add a couple feet to his range, and it appears he has done that. This is a huge advantage that the Pistons have been able to take advantage of throughout the years with Rasheed Wallace. The same has to be said for Dallas and Dirk’s range. It brings a big away from the paint, allowing Oden to do his thing inside if necessary. Aldridge only really needs to shoot 35% from 3 for it to be effective. I’m so happy this is the facet they decided to add to his game. Its vital that we’re not outside taking long 2 point shots, because the overall efficiency on those is so small even if you’re a very good shooter. Its exactly like the difference between Outlaw two years ago and Outlaw last year. The extra point you get from deep is vital to our teams success, and is worth every effort to extend a players range that couple of feet out there.

by as11osu on Oct 1, 2008 7:21 PM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Dirk's outside game, James Worthy's inside game.

That’s what it sounds like to me.

If only . . .

"Mister Oden is a very, very big human being." - Jerryd Bayless

by QualityPie on Oct 1, 2008 7:29 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

His self-set goal for made three pointers this season was not very high if I remember correctly from media day

Something like 25. Which would still be a significant increase over the 9 taken threes so far in his career.

Sheed and especially Dirk are in a totally different league so far, draining threes under heavy pressure and a lot of them since they were young players. Even when they started out they took ten times as many threes as LMA (about 1.2 per game). Not to say he can’t learn it as good as Sheed and Dirk has scaled back his attempts a bit under Avery, but he still has a long long way to go. He also said unlike Frye he doesn’t want to become a perimeter PF.

We're young in age, but deep in experience - Brandon Roy.

by Norsktroll on Oct 2, 2008 12:52 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   1 recs

You're exactly right here.

As a rookie with the Washington Bullets during the ‘95-’96 season, Rasheed Wallace entered the NBA as a small forward on offense and a power forward on defense.

After a season-ending injury to Chris Webber just 15 games into that season, Wallace was placed into the starting lineup and partnered at forward with the mid-range shooting Juwan Howard, who never gave a damn about defense. Wallace, therefore, not only had to utilitze his strength and athleticism to be a potent interior defender, but also his versatility on offense by draining corner three-pointers and baseline jumpers.

LaMarcus Aldridge, on the other hand, is a more traditional power forward; he faces the basket on offense and frequently shoots 15-feet jump shots from the elbows. Additionally, Aldridge is an average interior defender who, in all honesty, isn’t anywhere near Wallace’s league with regards to sealing up the key. Thankfully, though, Aldridge has Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla to cover for him defensively on the frontline.

by AK1984 on Oct 2, 2008 2:53 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Thanks for the evening read Ben

Most enjoyable.

GO BLAZERS!

"You're really making me feel good about myself, little man," says Oden as he starts dancing after scoring a goal. "You better come harder than that."

by BlueBooYay on Oct 1, 2008 7:45 PM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Thanks for the update

“I still think the smart money is on Hill but I’m not willing to bet on it.” … or is the smart money on going into the season with 14? My money (ha!) is on the latter.

""I am tired after all the travel, but after seeing the fans I just felt like heading straight to the gym to begin practicing." - Rudy 9.22.08

by jorga on Oct 1, 2008 7:47 PM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Great update!

Don’t let anyone get to you, myself included. I think people were just trying bring some attention to the style of writing that can blur the line between factual reporting and speculation.

Hope Oden brings it tomorrow.

BINGO, BANGO, BONGO

by blzrfan on Oct 1, 2008 7:56 PM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Nice to hear that about Bayless

He’s going to have some humbling moments during his first season and it’s good to hear that he seems to be taking everything in stride and acting like a professional (and not taking himself too seriously I hope; I have a vague anxiety about his ego being perhaps a bit overinflated).

Shouting out the F Bomb after missing a free throw seems a bit intemperate. Try and be calm, restrained, Jerryd. Please don’t go all head casey on us.

Look at Martell. He might be a shining veteran presence on the team this year. I am so happy for him because he has found his element and is thriving in his own skin.

The perfect is the enemy of the good.

According to James Kunstler, who writes a well-respected if slightly profane financial blog whose title I cannot repeat here, "The Republicans must be clearly identified as the party that wrecked America... it's hard to imagine the American people giving the clean-up task to the very group that created the mess -- no matter how many cute little faces Sarah Palin can make on TV."

by vavoom on Oct 1, 2008 7:58 PM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Thanks for the update

I hope this is going to be a recurring post throughout training camp.

Life is exhausting when you are this stupid.

by jonestr on Oct 1, 2008 9:09 PM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

ditto....

Thanks for the insight Ben!

RUDY > MJ

by myemic23 on Oct 2, 2008 12:48 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

If you consider you had some "Failed" (I don´t and I think you don´t) ...

… you are also in good company. The last Spanish related Nobel Prize of Medicine had some “Failed” at the Spanish University.

I think you are a journalist while Dave is an editor-journalist. Both doing an amazing work, probably Dave´s one without comparison in the internet. Hope he keeps intact his sense of humor, because “perfection” is a task that can harm him. You walk very next to the edge and not afraid to have a fall. You are impacting people. GO GO GO.

The Midnight Rambler. Born to make mistakes.

by amlmart1 on Oct 2, 2008 12:05 AM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Now, Ben

I see that hidden message in there.

In the same post in which you say nice things about Sergio and bad things about Jerryd, you also talk about your efforts at writing fiction. Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky.

But I’m too quick for you, I picked it up right away. (There’s always somebody, isn’t there?)

Thanks for the report. And don’t get down if some people don’t like your writing, you’ll never please everyone. Learn from the critics where you can, but never be controlled, intimidated, or discouraged by them, just take the lessons, thank them for the lessons, and go on.

You know all that already, of course, just don’t want you discouraged. I’m glad you are here, and so are about 99.9% of the rest of us.

Besides which, I haven’t given you my permission to get discouraged, so it isn’t allowed.

The most amazing thing about my amazing ego is I have amazingly little about which to be egotistical.
The pick and roll this year will emphasize "roll" followed by "dunk", followed by the wailings and lamentations of your women.

by jscot on Oct 2, 2008 12:58 AM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Thanks for the updates Ben.

Hey all, if you haven’t yet check out the video over at blazers.com of the second day practice. Nice to see Rudy hitting some threes.

495,672 seconds until first preseason game!

It’s always Dave this Dave that, Dave Dave Dave!

by DarthBlazer on Oct 2, 2008 1:50 AM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Thanks Ben

Great coverage and great access. I am loving it that ESPN has to read you to get the scoop!

Chrischa has a link update here on Greg in Fanshots.

Aldridge said. "We feel like we can beat any team. We feel like we can beat the Spurs, Suns, Lakers, Mavericks, whoever any night right now, and we'll still be here when those teams get old and their guys retire. We're going to be here for a long time."

by lee3022 on Oct 2, 2008 2:58 AM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Never listen to the critics ... unless they're signing your checks.

Great non-fiction post. Well done.

"They are all human. There's nobody I'm really scared of, or worried about playing against." -- Bayless

http://www.myspace.com/y5k

by Y5k on Oct 2, 2008 6:36 AM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Thanks Ben

I recognize that you only get a brief look and a first impression isn’t always the correct impression, but this is the sort of news I’ve been looking for.

MUCH appreciated.

Ford: Bill, you're claiming victory already? Have you had a "Mission Accomplished" banner printed yet?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/columns/story?page=DraftDebate-080624

by ratbastird on Oct 2, 2008 7:29 AM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Thanks Ben!

Love the updates

When asked about his thoughts during the Olympic games about playing against Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard, Rudy responded "My first thought was respect. My second thought was to kick their ass".

Man I love him.

by twiggs on Oct 2, 2008 8:04 AM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Trumphant Post Ben!!!

Im making you a t shirt it will read:

I<3 Sergio

Sophia

"Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcreaft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. [speech at GOP Presidential Convention 1992] Rev. Pat Robertson

by BlazerFan1 on Oct 2, 2008 8:51 AM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Batum and 15th man.....

Ummmmmm….isn’t he already signed to a year-long contract and is on the active roster? Wouldn’t the Blazers have to cut him to not be one of the 15? Maybe I missed something, but I thought it was between Hill, Jackson, and Randolph for that last roster spot.

by antediluvian on Oct 2, 2008 11:04 AM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

that's Batum, not Tatum

another reason we can’t keep Tatum- too confusing.

by Section323 on Oct 2, 2008 11:22 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

yeah no kidding

My heart skipped a beat untill I re read it 18 times (im dislexic see) and realized that Ben wrote atum w/ a “T” …

Sophia

"Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcreaft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. [speech at GOP Presidential Convention 1992] Rev. Pat Robertson

by BlazerFan1 on Oct 2, 2008 11:28 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Yer Giving Sophia a heart attack!

"They are all human. There's nobody I'm really scared of, or worried about playing against." -- Bayless

http://www.myspace.com/y5k

by Y5k on Oct 2, 2008 11:46 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

He wears #0 and is like 5 inch shorter, so they should be distinguishable

Still, he has the worst chances to make the roster.

We're young in age, but deep in experience - Brandon Roy.

by Norsktroll on Oct 2, 2008 11:57 AM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Guilty as charged....

Man, I guess I need to drink a bit more coffee before I read through Ben’s posts…..when "B"s and "T"s look alike….and I confuse poeple who are only, oh, maybe 5 inches different in height…and one’s French, and the other not so much….

by antediluvian on Oct 2, 2008 2:04 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Interesting that

Bayless/Roy was a combo in every game. Yet Bayless/Rudy never played, nor Roy/Rudy.

Word.

by joelor on Oct 2, 2008 12:41 PM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Ben ony gots to watch a relatively short part of the practice

"You're really making me feel good about myself, little man," says Oden as he starts dancing after scoring a goal. "You better come harder than that."

by BlueBooYay on Oct 2, 2008 12:54 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

This blog is under the radar of the Spanish "El Pistolero".

He reads this blog. Click on the red text “este blog” (at the end of a comment starting “Rudy y Sergio”).

Sergio + Rudy = 16

by amlmart1 on Oct 2, 2008 1:47 PM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Colloquialism alert

that would be “on” his radar. “Under” the radar is used when something goes unnoticed.

by raoulduke on Oct 2, 2008 4:40 PM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Thanks Ben

That was swell. Any info on who has the greatest locker room presence, if you know what I mean?

Blazers Edge has an alarmist vision

by tominhawaii on Oct 2, 2008 7:08 PM PDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

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