Saturday practice report from BT Smith: LMA and Rudy are "out" of Sunday's game
Lot's of good stuff that's not up at O'live.
Blazers guard Rudy Fernandez (back spasms) and forward LaMarcus Aldridge (knee contusion) will miss Sunday's game according to the team. Both are listed as day-to-day.
Fernandez, who missed Thursday's game against the Utah Jazz and did not travel with the team, watched Saturday's practice from the bench. Aldridge did not practice Saturday, either.
McMillan on Aldridge:
He's got a sore knee; right on that patella. It was sore in the Utah game.
On when Aldridge injured the knee:
He fell on the floor two games prior to that, and that's when he hurt it. I think there's — I don't know if there's much swelling — but there's a lot of soreness there. So, he didn't go today and he won't go tomorrow.
There's another article and video where Nate talks about uptempo style versus turnovers. Check it out
http://columbian.com/article/20091017/BLOGS05/910179990/-1/BLAZERBANTER
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2371636
over 2 years ago
two4larue
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Starters vs. Utah: Blake, Roy, Batum, Howard, Przybilla.
Ouch, that’s one sad looking starting lineup
So, how’s everybody feeling now about Portland’s backup PF depth? LMA should be read for opening night, but you can see how one little boo-boo can make the Blazer’s frontcourt look average, or worse.
Make the Outlaw-for-PF/C deal, KP. You know it’s best for Travis and the team
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
That makes it pretty painfully obvious
LaMarcus goes down for even a bit, and your starting PF is Travis or – shudder – Howard or maybe Dante or Nic. A GregZilla strategy doesn’t work if LaMarcus can’t come in to replace either one and especially not while Jeff is injured too.
Looking at the depth charts of other teams, some are in a worse big men situation, but a significant number of them aren’t.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/teams/depth?team=por
"I think he can still play" - Kevin Pritchard on Juwan Howard
I'd probably consider starting Nic at PF and Webster at SF
before starting Outlaw at PF. But Nate is definitely having a look at what Howard has left in his legs during preseason. He’s played an average of 25 minutes a game in 3 games and may start in place of LMA tomorrow.
But I think Nic would have a better chance of rebounding and defending at PF than Howard, and Webster could help offset the loss of LMA’s scoring better than Howard. None of that is pretty though if we should lose LMA for very long during the season.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Oct 18, 2009 3:03 AM PDT up reply actions
Nic is too skinny
I still have nightmares of Batum getting abused by Ron Artest in the Rocket’s series, and getting replaced by Rudy or Travis a couple of minutes into each half
the answer to the backup PF questions lies “outside” the current Blazer’s roster
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Of course it lies outside, but we're talking emergency here if Outlaw is still around
and LMA goes down for a week or two. Outlaw starting at PF is unthinkable. Depending on who the opposition has at PF, I would look at Nic or Howard to start ahead of Outlaw. Not every PF in the league is banger. Nic could probably defend LMA better than Howard for instance.
There’s a lot more to defense than just matching up weight-wise. Buck Williams was at least 30 pounds lighter, and shorter than Karl Malone. Dennis Rodman regularly defended and out-rebounded much heavier guys. Lucas was much lighter than Darryl Dawkins. Quickness and technique will offset slowness and heft in many instances. I’m not suggesting Nic become a PF, or try to guard Duncan. I’m just saying in an emergency there are some PFs out there that I would rather have Nic defending than Howard, and visa versa.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Oct 18, 2009 11:43 PM PDT up reply actions
Not every PF in the league is banger
And not any PF on the Blazers is a banger. So, either play Oden and Przy together when LMA is out and Howard is pooped, or replace Travis in a trade for someone who weighs 250+ pounds and keep Nic guarding out on the perimeter, where he belongs
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
We have both called for trading Outlaw for a legit backup PF for a long time,
so that isn’t at issue here. This is just about emergency scenario’s if Outlaw is still around.
I don’t think using Joel or Greg at starting PF is possible. That increases the likelihood one will get into foul trouble earlier in the game. Even if you live with their skill sets, as soon as one of them gets in foul trouble you can no longer afford to play them at the same time. So I don’t see that working at all if LMA is injured.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Oct 19, 2009 2:17 AM PDT up reply actions
I wouldn't advocate starting Greg and Joel
maybe start Howard, then sub in Przy for him
cablinasian likes to remind me that “most teams only have 3 quality bigs” but to get a decent 3 “big man” rotation you have to be willing to play 2 of them at the same time. Sure, foul trouble is going to be a problem, which is why I continue to harp on replacing Outlaw with another veteran big man. But as Oden gets better at defending without fouling, he and Joel should get some court time together, otherwise Przy is going to get his PT sliced and Joel’s too young/good to be just a 18-20 mpg backup center
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
The Bulls have terrible big man depth.
Aaron Grey is their backup center. Yikes.
The Warriors, Mavericks, Rockets, Suns, Nuggets, Kings, and Timberwolves all have worse depth in my opinion. So we aren’t that terrible, although the down side of having two legit centers is that neither can pretend to be a PF.
I’m going to be so sad if Outlaw starts any games next season as a 4.
by Nick Van Excellent on Oct 18, 2009 7:37 AM PDT up reply actions
Honestly I'd rather see Cunningham & Oden start If LMA goes down
Greg can take the early post ups that we run for LMA & Dante seems particularly gifted with the pick & pop.
by DephlatorMouse on Oct 18, 2009 8:12 AM PDT up reply actions
& from what I’ve seen of Cunningham he’s consistant with that outside shot unlike Travis.
by DephlatorMouse on Oct 18, 2009 8:15 AM PDT up reply actions
agreed.
I have high hopes for cunningham in the next couple years. His summer league was pretty fun to watch.
I've tried for quite some time to come up with an epic signature. I now realize that I don't post frequently enough for it to really matter.
I'm confident enough in Cunningham THIS year
I wouldn’t cry if we traded TO for a draft pick.
by DephlatorMouse on Oct 18, 2009 12:57 PM PDT up reply actions
During Tim Grg's big man camp in August
there were scouts who were projecting Dante to be a NBA starter in 2 years
Of course, it’s hard to see that happening in Portland. Cunningham is a 4/3 and LMA/Batum will be "blocking " DC’s possibility of moving into the starting lineup. But he’ll be a nice reserve for both of those guys, and give Nate a lot of flexibility in years to come
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Aaron Gray won't see the light of day.
Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas, Brad Miller, and Taj Gibson isn’t a horrid four-man frontline rotation, although the Chicago Bulls would be better off moving Thomas and filler (e.g., Jerome James) for an efficient low-post scorer and proficient rebounder like, oh, Carlos Boozer. While Boozer sucks on defense and the Utah Jazz probably wouldn’t take Thomas for various reasons, Noah would be there to pick up the slack and maybe a third team could jump in to snag Tyrus in a three-way deal.
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yj3595e
In that trade proposal, the Bulls would obtain Boozer, the Jazz would save some money and get a serviceable backup for Paul Millsap at the 4 in Kurt Thomas, and the Milwaukee Bucks could take on a low-risk/high-reward flier of sorts with Tyrus Thomas. The Jazz would also hang onto James, inactivate him throughout the season, and attempt to collect on insurance coverage payments due to his ruptured Achilles tendon.
Stupid people have stupid ideas.
I'd take Brad Miller as a backup PF/C in a heartbeat
but he’s so overpaid (12.5 mil) there’s no equitable deal available for him, this year
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
The Chicago Bulls will use Brad Miller accordingly this year, so he won't go anywhere.
Stupid people have stupid ideas.
I feel pretty great about it, honestly
Howard and Outlaw can hold the fort down just fine.
Outlaw and Howard, against Boozer and Millsap?
Just fine?
Wow
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
by two4larue on Oct 17, 2009 9:08 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
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WOW? is all that can be said.
Truth never was or can be propagated by fire and sword - Albert Gallatin
my last.fm
and we have Oden against their backup big.
Most teams have three good bigs. A fourth is a luxury. I’d love to have one, but let’s not forget that we hold an edge at the backup center in every game.
"If the Lakers are Hollywood, then we are South Central." - Clipper fan.
maybe Juwan or Trav can guard Okur
since Mehmet just likes to hang out around the 3 pt line, anyway
(hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil…what? me worry?)
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Most teams have three good bigs
But how many of those teams have 2 bigs who don’t play “together” much because they’re both centers? (Orlando with Howard and Gortat?) Anyone else?
A fourth is a luxury
I like luxury. Juwan and Travis are economy models. One is too old, and the other is too sporty to take off-roading, and the PF position means getting down and dirty
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Okay, you're right
Let’s sign KG or Dirk. We need a starting calibur backup at every position. Err…No. People are so spoiled with this team…If your starter is a near max level player like Aldridge, you’re not going to have a very good backup because nobody will want to come here and play 10 minutes a game. That’s just how it goes.
nobody will want to come here and play 10 minutes a game
Not if they’re a free agent, but if KP makes a trade to acquire a backup PF/C, then they will have to report to Portland and take whatever role they can get
No one is asking for another “star” forward, here (although Millsap would’ve been sweet!) Just an experienced guy like Turiaf or Foster or Collison that Nate can stick in there who can provide some defense and rebounding, and maybe knock down an open 10 footer, once in awhile.
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Freeman's playing catch-up, will li'l Joe be eating Brian's dust all season?
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/10/trail_blazers_notes_patty_mill_1.html
Smith is like Avis, you “try harder” when your company is “#2” in the market
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Uhhmmm......
The Blazers play Denver tomorrow……not Utah. That’s Tuesday’s game.
well, hopefully LMA wil be back, by then
but the Nuggets have some big guys that Juwan and Travis will have to deal with, as well
I’ll bet it’s busting Miller up inside that he has to come in off the bench, against Denver. After they traded him for AI, he’s on a mission to make sure that Portland wins the NW this year. Then Nate hands the starting job back to Blake? Brutal
Don’t get mad Andre, get even
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Play early, or play late...
Nate’s philosophy is look for the break, but don’t take chances with the ball, and then set it up for a late in the clock hoop…
That’s what I’ve been thinking, now I have a name for it… Let Dre run the break (early), if nothing is there, run a pick and roll, if nothing there (late), give it to Brandon or drive and dish to a wing…
Miller really has us running the fast break now.
At one point it was 25-0 fast break points in favor of Utah in the last game. Miller and Blake played 22 minutes each.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Oct 18, 2009 1:38 AM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, it boggles my mind that folks expect the Portland Trail Blazers to run more than last season.
If a coach can control anything that may occur out there on the court, it’s pace. As is indicated by past performances, Nate McMillan orders his guys to almost always operate at a snail’s pace during each and every game. Yet, that’s fine by me, because I like slow-paced offenses — even though McMillan’s is too simplistic for my taste, but it’s been proven efficient nonetheless — instead, everybody ought to rip “Sarge” for his inability to coach up his guys defensively. It’s therein that lies the problem, as even a blind man could see on his TV.
Stupid people have stupid ideas.
I don't want to run blindly anyway
Only when it’s appropriate, which happens to be one of Miller’s specialties. He dictates tempo like a drum machine. The problem last season was when we had a fast break opportunity Blake didn’t take advantage of it.
Nate wants to play slow except on rare occasions where it pays to run. That’s the way it should be, and I like that about him as a coach. I don’t expect us to be all that much faster, (we will almost certainly be a little faster) but mostly I want us to have the OPTION of running when it suits us. Thank goodness for Miller.
by Nick Van Excellent on Oct 18, 2009 7:43 AM PDT up reply actions
Ak and Nick: you'll see....
Nate didn’t feel comfortable with Blake or Bayless or Sergio running the break last year. But, he still felt it important enough to instill a running mindset with his “20-second rule” last year (all players past mid-court at the 20 second mark on the shot clock).
This year, he will absolutely allow Andre Miller to run the break whenever he has the ball early in the shot clock. But this will happen more than “rare occasions where it pays to run”.. AK, prepare to have your mind boggled…
And why to people like me want to see a running team? Because it’s the best way to leverage our league-best depth, youth, and athleticism!
It boggles my mind that people are so resistant to the style of play that has made many team’s champions, because of the much easier shots available to a running team. Just because you haven’t seen it in Portland for a while, you think this high-school snail-paced jump-shooting offense will win a title, if we just “coach up” the D?
Now that’s mind-boggling…
Brandon Roy is
the best player on the team, but LMA is by far the toughest to replace given the current roster. This doesn’t sound too serious (thankfully) but I think this is the year/position where we see a mid-season deal from KP.
I hate Comcast.
Oden is getting pretty irrreplaceable nowadays as well ....
If you don’t believe that now (not sayin you don’t), you will soon.
The “big 3” is for real now (assumming Brandon is just “warming up”).
Agree
I’m a huge Oden fan, I actually think in the next two years he becomes the “#2” option on offense (or maybe more like 2(a), he and LMA do different things on offense that make our big man game complete). But behind Brandon is Rudy, behind Oden is Pryz. Obviously a step down in both cases, but nothing like the canyon that exists between LMA and Travis/Howard (as much as I like the Howard addition for veteran presence, 10-15 minutes a game, if he has to start, Portland is in trouble).
I hate Comcast.
by blazeraddict on Oct 18, 2009 8:55 AM PDT up reply actions
I'd move your timeline in a bit...
Given what we’ve seen (or at least heard) from Oden, he’s going to be option 1 or 2 THIS year… (Actually, I hope option 1 is fast break, option 2 is Oden on a p+r, and option 3 is BRoy iso…)
But I agree with the central point that the backup for LMA is the biggest drop off, without a doubt. Hence the team’s attempt to sign Milsap, and the team’s eventual signing of Howard (and I hope Collins). KP knows, and he’ll find something…
so much for "real rotations" in sunday
bayless leaves over my dead body
andre miller>hedo, blake
real.baller
R.A.M.B.O (do it nate, if you are smart)
"I could have killed 'em all, I could kill you. In town you're the law, out here it's me. Don't push it. Don't push it or I'll give you a war you won't believe. Let it (last years starting line-up) go. Let it go."
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