Game 35 Recap: Blazers 95, Clippers 105
by Dave on Jan 4, 2010 11:17 PM PST
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PrintGiven the circumstances this was not that bad of a game for the Blazers. Don't get me wrong, Portland was in no danger of winning this thing. But the Blazers played L.A. tough, made them work for most of what they got for most of the game, and held tight for all but the final 15 minutes or so. It wasn't a great effort but it wasn't a game to lose sleep over either.
The game started with a near-perfect storm for Portland. The Clippers, in typical Mike Dunleavy fashion, decided that the best way to break down the Blazers would be to take advantage of individual matchups. Since L.A. suited their regular lineup for this game and Portland had to call several temp agencies just to field a team it appeared they had matchup advantages most everywhere. In practice, though, this looked like Baron Davis going 1-on-1 a bunch, supplanted occasionally by other perimeter guys. The lack of passing and decision-making made defense relatively easy for Portland. If you pore back through the early game recaps of this season you'll see that this is something I tabbed Portland doing a bunch at the beginning of the year. If you watch the first quarter of this game you can see what it looks like from the beneficiary's perspective. The Clippers also obliged the Blazers by turning the ball over like it burned them and failing to get back on defense.
Portland, meanwhile, ran hard behind Andre Miller, who not only pushed the break but led the charge attacking the rim and getting close shots. His wingman was Martell Webster who started lighting up the game from distance and dunking range both. Throw in some decent Portland rebounding and you had just about everything you could ask for.
However, looking up at the scoreboard after the first period revealed a 21-20 Portland lead. The difference, despite the near-ideal quarter, was 1 measly point. At that point you started to get the idea how this game was going to go.
The Clippers ratcheted up the defensive intensity in the second period, at least trying to get back and prevent Portland from scoring at the cup. They blanketed Brandon Roy and took their chances with everybody else...a sound strategy. Portland still scored--in fact they scored more in the second period than they had in the first--but they had to manufacture points instead of being granted them. The only thing the Clips continued to botch was their ball-handling, but it wasn't bad enough to make a difference. Fortunately for the Blazers Webster continued his torrid offensive performance. Unfortunately Baron Davis got a burr under his saddle and began going off as well. L.A. only scored 25 in the period but the Blazers only scored 24. The game was tied going into the half.
Both offenses got on track in the third quarter but the Clippers must have had a wake-up pep talk at the half, because they finally figured out that their most severe mismatches were in the frontcourt. Chris Kaman took the bull by the horns by rebounding but his teammates soon rewarded him with shots as well...shots that nobody on Portland's side had the height to stop. As soon as the Blazers were forced to help inside their goose was cooked. They scrambled to stop the slow leak inside and got burned big time by the Clippers' perimeter shooters, especially Eric Gordon who hit a wheelbarrow full of threes (ending up 4-6 for the game). Portland countered with more Miller and Webster plus a few Juwan Howard jumpers thrown in but the Clips had more height, more weapons, a more cohesive offense, and more rebounding. They pulled ahead by 4 by the end of the period.
After three quarters of having to scratch and claw for everything and still finding themselves behind in enemy territory the Blazers pretty much gave up the ghost in the fourth. By this time a double-digit lead looked like about a million points and the Clippers achieved that by the 7:45 mark in the period. They scored inside and out, simply running through, around, and past the overmatched Blazers. They had an 18-point margin with a little over 2 minutes to go before the garbage time crew scored a few in a row. The fight was well over by that point. The Clips win by 10.
Between Kaman's 20 points, Eric Gordon's 19, Marcus Camby's 15 rebounds, and Baron Davis' 15 and 9 (plus 8 turnovers though...yikes!) L.A. had too much star power for the Blazers. Portland shot 50.6% but the Clippers ended up at 57.7%, most of the good numbers coming in that second half. Shooting 61.5% on threes didn't hurt. Neither did outrebounding the Blazers. All of that added up totaled more than the egregious turnover total.
Individual Observations
Brandon Roy had a really rough game. Part of it was him being the only guy the Clippers were truly interested in guarding. But he seemed to be actively passing up shot attempts as well. He wasn't getting any love on the drives and the jumpers weren't falling. He looked to be the slowest of the Blazers on the court for much of the game. He just looked tired out there. I wonder if the long minutes are starting to catch up to him. He ended up 3-12 with 6 assists and 3 turnovers, never really trying to take over the game or even fight what the Clippers were doing to him.
Andre Miller, on the other hand, was a ball of fight from the word "go". The dude was relentless in running the ball down , penetrating, looking for his shot, and breaking down the defense then looking for teammates. He had 22 points on the night but the more impressive number was his 16 assists. Having the roster cleared out some seems to have done his game some good. He gets more time with the ball and more chance to be aggressive.
Speaking of aggressive, Martell Webster took his responsibilities seriously tonight. He was feeling it, and for more than just the usual one quarter too. Once Miller got him a couple of dunks his three-point shot started falling and then he was off to the races. He even hit a high degree of difficulty runner at one point, which is not really classic Martell. 25 points on 9-15 shooting, 5-9 threes, and 6 rebounds in an active game overall.
Juwan Howard had the jumper working again. I swear he just goes to that corner "Around the World" spot and waits for the ball. He's probably been hitting that thing since he was 11, which was several decades ago. He was money tonight, hitting 8-11 (including one monster dunk that had Portland's bench on their feet and laughing) for 16 points. The man's not meant to be playing 36 minutes per game against quicker or bigger guys though. He had 4 rebounds and looked spent by the time the evening was over.
Jeff Pendergraph hustled, fought for rebounds as best he could, and hit every jumper he put up for a 4-4, 8 point, 7 rebound performance in 30 minutes. I like the guy's attitude and effort.
Dante Cunningham played the most minutes off the bench tonight with 24. There are still holes in his game but he gave a credible performance, going 3-5 for 7 points and collecting 3 rebounds and 3 steals. Decent hustle.
Right now Jerryd Bayless is like an instrument that's tuned a half step below the rest of the band. Even if he's tuned accurately to himself the resulting sound isn't pretty. He struggled on the offensive end as he wasn't able to make plays or hit shots. He made a couple good individual on-ball defensive plays but his off-ball defense the last few games can best be described as "unaware". The Blazers really need his scoring right now but even more than that he has to get his head back in the game. This stretch is the clearest, and likely the best opportunity he'll get this year. Carpe minutem!
Patty Mills got a couple of shifts tonight. In the first one, as you might expect, he was just trying hard not to make any mistakes. The second one, in garbage time, saw him take and miss 3 jumpers. Not much to tell yet.
Shavlik Randolph played 3 minutes and made a shot, hit two free throws, had a rebound, an assist, and a turnover while scoring 4 points. At that rate if he got to play the whole 48 he'd score 64 points. The Blazers need that.
Final Thoughts
It'll be interesting to see how the Blazers respond physically and emotionally tomorrow versus Memphis. They'll be at home, which should provide a lift. But Memphis has athletes and skill players both and they're quick and springy. If the Blazers are fatigued, ground-bound, and slow it could be a long night. Somebody slip some Red Bull in those Gatorade coolers.
Read the Clippers' assessment of their victory at ClipsNation.
Check out your Jersey Score results here and enter tomorrow's form here.
--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)
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Two thoughts:
Brandon and Boomtho.
Brandon has got to get to the line every game. Granted, the refs swallowed their whistles for long stretches both ways, but Brandon needs to do that when his game isn’t going as planned in other areas. Hopefully this is a learning moment in that regard.
Love Pendergraph’s game, and he can really ball with a good number of centers in the league. Not Kaman, though. Not several others, either. So here’s one more shout for Boomtho, Rod Benson, even if it’s just echoing into nothingness. His blog caught my eye today.
In theory, I don’t mind this loss. But watching all those awful turnovers, and seeing Brandon MIA like he was tonight, I’m left pretty upset about the game. Very win-able game with Martell playing like he was (and Andre), and I realize that was partially due to the Clips’ focus on Roy.
I've watched a couple of his games lately
He doesn’t look like an NBA player at all. Too skinny, not “springy” or quick enough even though he’s got length … basically he’s got a great personality and not quite enough game.
Nice effort, but you can tell the emotional high may be wearing off.
Tomorrow night looks pretty bleak, even with a hobbled LMA back on the court. They’re going to need Pendergraph and Dante to play out of their minds.
or give some burn to Shav and avoid fatigue
""..Sometimes the songs that we hear are just songs of our own . . . "
We did not play a bad game tonight.
The Clippers were at home and shot the lights out. I don’t think we should be discouraged about this game. It is time to move on to tomorrows game.
I thought Patty showed a couple of things tonight. He showed speed, moved the ball ahead well, and got his shots off easily with that extremely quick release. He also looked bigger than I expected—maybe he grew some since that last comments about his size that I read. The next step is to put the ball in the hole.
Brandon looked/was sluggish tonight, and I am not giving all that much credit to the defense. Again, I would not worry about it too much, every player has low energy nights. Nothing has changed, if Brandon had of been on his game tonight we just might have won this game also and kept our streak going.
This team can win ballgames with the players we have available. They were at home and came to play, we should remain confident. Bayless is going to be just fine, and we can beat Memphis tomorrow night if we bring it. Go Blazers!
#52
He also looked bigger than I expected—maybe he grew some since that last comments about his size that I read
Did you compare him in size to Telfair? Bassy is at the “small end” of NBA PGs and he was noticably bigger than Mills. He was also licking his chops when Patty was guarding him…if Telfair was breaking him down and scoring “and ones” it doesn’t speak well of his on-ball defense. But (as Nate would say) Mills can “do some things” at the offensive end
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Hoopshype has Telfair listed at 5’11", Variety has him at 5’10". Patty Mills was listed at 6’.25" by draft express. Face it, Patty towered over Telfair last night!
There were no, “and ones,” last night against Patty. If you are going to do player evaluations, they at least ought to be somewhat objective???
1
#52
Dawson and the MSP boys made the same observation this AM re: Mill's D on Bassy
I suppose they were being “subjective” as well?
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
What are you claiming the specifics of their observations were? (as it applies to what I said)
Again, remember your observations are not gospel anymore ; > )
1. I Doubt that anyone credible or knowledgeable was saying that Telfair towered over Patty (a relatively silly thought).
2. I doubt that anyone had anything to say about an and one, (you used a plural, “and ones”) because there were none.
3. I doubt that anyone reputable was talking about Telfair, “licking his chops,” as being anything more significant than the treatment a rookie receivers, especially in his first NBA game.
#52
they said Telfair went around Mills, easily
which is what I also noticed. OK, so maybe Bassy’s lay-in’ spooned off and it wasn’t an “and one” but in the 2nd quarter Telfair was fouled by Mills and sent to the line. (I can’t remember every detail) but my point remains:
Despite his straight-ahead footspeed, Patty isn’t a premier PG defender, any more than Bayless or the other Blazer PGs. If he struggled staying in front of Telfair, he will struggle even worse when defending larger PGs. Once Blake is back, Patty will either ride the pine or (more likely) return to the D-League
BTW, don’t expect me to respond to all of your “content” I have never sold any of my takes as “gospel” They are my opinion and I can express ’em just like any other Bedger
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
which is what I also noticed. OK, so maybe Bassy’s lay-in’ spooned off and it wasn’t an "and one" but in the 2nd quarter Telfair was fouled by Mills and sent to the line. (I can’t remember every detail) but my point remains:
Your point does not remain! First of all, there were no and ones and you used a plural! Second, at no time did ST go around PM. Did not happen! The shot you are referring to was characterized by Patty moving his feet well maintaining good chest to chest position with his hand up and Telfair initiating contact. The refs called a foul like they usually will on a rookie. It was good position defense. Again, your point does not remain, and it looks like an over active imagination has been at work.
You continue on with:
If he struggled staying in front of Telfair, he will struggle even worse when defending larger PGs
.
What? Patty did not struggle with staying in front of a very quick Telfair. Taller guards are generally slower, not faster, it will be their size and strength that will be the biggest test for Patty.
Next you issue a denial:
BTW, don’t expect me to respond to all of your "content" I have never sold any of my takes as "gospel" They are my opinion and I can express ’em just like any other Bedger
Yes you have a right to your opinion, but when you state your perceptions in the form of facts it does take on the appearance of preaching. In the above example you have exhibited a blatant disregard for the facts. Up to this point I had been relying on your observations in the form they were stated in, i.e. as facts. I am sure others have been “believing” your perceptions as well.
It would be nice if you would just say, “It is my opinion or my perception, or I am not sure if this actually happened. but this is how I remember it,” before you start into one of your criticisms of Patty Mills, a member or our Portland Trail Blazers! Go Blazers!
#52
I think the only proper response to this is
“whatever”
I’m two4larue, not the “KING” of anything. If anyone “believes” what I write then it’s their decision, not mine to make. I think you’re “reading” intent to my comments re: Mills that isn’t there, and nothing I say will convince you that I’m not a Patty-hater. Facts are facts, observations are observations. The purpose of chat pages or forums is to speculate, and I have no expectation that anything that I read (outside of on-the-record reporting from Dave or Ben) will ever be 100% accurate or free of any personal opinions.
Good day to you
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I know you are better than, "whatever," two4larue.
Please just think about it a little bit??? If you can feel good about your screen namesake LaRue Martin, then you must have a soft spot in you for Patty Mills as well. I remember when LaRue was drafted number one and then took such a hard time afterword. And it was never his fault. I remember the fans screaming, “Two for LaRue!” when he would score one of his rare and uniquely prized baskets.
#52
yes, out team played well, with numerous guys stepping up
The Clippers were all over Roy, so slowing him was understandable.
I noticed on the big Howard dunk, Roy was double teamed, then triple as he went under the hoop, passing off to the open Howard for the big dunk. That’s what we have to do to counter the “swarm Roy” defense plan.
Clips were hitting a lot of shots, and had a good game.
Patty does look interesting, but, in particular, if he can get that 3 point shooting going, that would be really nice.
Probably needs a bit of time to settle in and get comfortable. Nate did a nice job letting him get his feet wet tonight.
Just maybe we have another “Bayless surprise” on tap. He had “doubters” too.
"Travis went all wang-dang diddly wubba SPROING wow-wow on everybody " Dave's recap, season opener
Just maybe we have another "Bayless surprise" on tap. He had "doubters" too.
Jerryd is 6’3 and solidly built. Mills will have to “do more with less” to make the same contribution as Bayless. OTOH, Patty’s jumper is more developed than Rex’ was, at this point
in other words, they’re apples and oranges
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Blazers will be fine
B-ROY has been logging a ton of minutes and was due to take a night off, Or at least have an off night. 82 games a year is tough when its all on your shoulders… thats why I think he should be in contention for MVP. He’s been playing out of his mind while being keyed on by every team in the league. Once we get back a few of our players with them shooting decent, the floor will spread and b-roy will have his way whenever he likes. Until then, we need everyone to play like their lives depend on it!
why why
do you think Nate didn’t recognize this and move to playing some other guys longer minutes and giving Roy a rest?
Right now, Roy resting = Blazers lose
He will have more chances to rest up once we get some of our other guys back. Right now, we need him on the court.
Portland Trail Blazers, Future World Champions 2010-2021.
No need to get discouraged
The team is to be a little up and down with the roster as-is right now. I’m not entirely surprised we lost tonight especially with Brandon having a down evening. I think they’ll bring it tomorrow night against Memphis and we’ll get back on track for Cleveland and LA at the end of the week.
How many Bayless "2 Fer Games" can we handle
Yes, Roy was MIA, but Bayless has really not been having his shots fall for awhile.
We got manhandled on the boards tnight. It improved thier FG percentage and gave them too many second chance opportunities.
Roy did a nice job of passing out of the double teams. We needed a few more boards and one more player to step up. I am feeling that player should of been Bayless. I say that being a Bayles fan.
Jared, Steve, Rudy and Batum are heading back. With Batum, Roy will have fewer of his minutes at forward, but will still have his minutes. They will simply be a the Guard. If you want your minutes, now is the time to earn them.
Bayless is going to be up and down, but he must continue to get consistent minutes
Some nights, his confidence is going to wane and he’s going to struggle. We knew that. Even as he was putting up 29 points in 29 minutes and eviscerating San Antonio on their own court, we knew that.
The key, though, is that the kid has to continue to get consistent minutes (at least 20-25) even if he struggles. If the Blazers want to contend for a championship, they have to give the kid minutes this season and see how he develops over the long haul.
Shouldn’t be an issue for the next few games, of course. But after that, color me concerned. Benching Bayless just because he has a cold stretch (and Rudy, Blake, et al return) is just about the worst thing the franchise can do to affect its long term ability to contend.
This team should continue to play its butt off this year, win as many as they can, and scrape into the playoffs – but the end game is championship contention, and Nate shouldn’t let short term variations in Jerryd’s play trump the big picture.
Q: Is Greg favoring his knee?
Frye: He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors.
The key, though, is that the kid has to continue to get consistent minutes (at least 20-25) even if he struggles.
That’s going to be difficult to do, once Rudy returns. Unless there’s a deadline deal that moves either Miller or Blake
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
This is what I have been afraid of for some time.
The Blazers just ran out of gas. When you have so many injuries you are on the verge of suiting up some of your cheerleaders, you know guys are working overtime. Players who, at the beginning of the season, were projected to play a few minutes at most, or maybe even log more DNP’s than minutes are suddenly getting serious court time.
They had a great run, but it could be starting to catch up to them. Roy’s hammy is acting up, they are on the second game of a back-to-back, who knows if LMA can bring anything…. It could be another loss.
How many more gut checks can this team have?
why why
wasn’t Pendegrahp in there for those long minutes? Howard can not handle these kind of minutes long term, he’ll be toast tonight.
Maybe Howard will be fine. He didn't play very much in the beginning of the season and he's in great shape cardio wise.
He KEPT himself in shape. He also seems to play smart vs. run himself and jump himself silly.
Of course it could be another loss
There was not a single game this week that was easy, or that we should be favored. Not one.
That doesn’t mean we will lose, but we’ll need another stellar effort to pull out a win tonight.
The Clips are a horrible matchup for us right now, because they start not one but two centers. Memphis starts a center and a POWER forward. Tough matchup again.
#5 #10 #52 #88
Shavlik Randolph .......................
“played 3 minutes and made a shot, hit two free throws, had a rebound, an assist, and a turnover while scoring 4 points. At that rate if he got to play the whole 48 he’d score 64 points. The Blazers need that.”
^^^^^^^^ THAT, made my week…. And with that good, hearty laugh I am ready to put this loss behind me.
"You can lose lots of money chasing women, but you will NEVER lose women chasing money. " - Mr.Landis
Tough to beat the same team twice in short succession
LA did a good job of game planning. They took Roy right out of the picture. Roy’s going to have to figure out how to contribute against this defenese because he’ll see it in the playoffs, if not this year then next.
I have mused recently about how badly the team really needs LMA but he definitely would’ve helped some last night.
On a slightly offbeat note, I thought Bayless’s T for not tucking his shirt in was completely idiotic, and I mean on Bayless’s part. What an utterly dumb thing to do.
Blazer Fan
Roy’s going to have to figure out how to contribute against this defenese because he’ll see it in the playoffs
I agree, we talked about this last spring, and that was one of the reasons why Hedo and Miller were pursued as FAs, so they could be alternate “creators” whenever Brandon is trapped. I thought Roy “made the adjustment” well last night and Andre/Martell stepped up, big time. Unfortunately, the team couldn’t score “enough” and the Clips shot the lights out
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Pedergraph isn't available as a 3rd leading rebounder choice in the Jersey contest
Are we all assuming he’ll just lead the team?
#52
I think that 7th player out of the rotation...
is just enough to kill the Blazers. Guards are playing big minutes, bigs (what’s left of them) are playing big minutes. Hopefully they get back LA tonight and Steve soon and just around the corner are Rudy and Batum. Great game from Andre and Martell. And also Juwan. Bad loss but it was made better by the monster jam from Howard. Kaman got posterized by a 36-year old and it made the highlight reel. You know he’s hearing about that in the locker room.
How I relate the blazers to my time as a waterfowl retriever dog trainer(Trying to use only active players, or very soon to be active)...
I honestly look at the blazers players like I look at the labs I used to train to retrieve ducks and other waterfowl. As I see it, we(my boss and I) had 6 kinds of dogs, some didn’t give a rats ass, some wanted to just have fun, some wanted to please, some were up there in age, some were too spastic for their own good, and some were just pups…
Right away, we can do away with one category in relation to the blazers. Nobody on this team doesn’t give a rats ass. Good bye and good riddance, those are far and away the worst to train. Thank you KP…
The dogs that just wanted to have fun were fairly easy to train. They enjoyed fetching, but didn’t like being told to do so. Give them some discipline and they fall in line pretty easily, and prove to be quite valuable(This is your LMA, Webster, and Rudy)
The dogs that were up there in age always made me laugh when an owner would pay for us to “train” them. Like the saying goes, you cant teach an old dog new tricks. But you are damn stupid if you don’t recognize what is in front of you. Luckily, these dogs haven’t forgot their tricks(This is your Juwan Howard, Andre Miller, and I suppose Blake)
Next you have the pups. So eager, so desperate to please for the most part. These dogs are a challenge because you really dont know what kind of dog you are working with. You give them all the same upbringing(sort of), you try to give them all the same opportunities, but its tough. You hope several shine above the rest. (This is you Pendy, Dante and possibly even Patty)
The dogs that wanted to please are by far the best. Their training always went smoothly, they didn’t bother barking, they didn’t run off, they didnt act up in early training sessions. They caught on to new drills faster than one could hope(This is Broy, and Oden when healthy) It is what you dream for as a trainer, dogs like these.
My point finally will be made though, even if it took forever. THE SPASTIC DOGS. These dogs have uber high potential, it requires a ton of refinement, but no dog will give a better effort and more tomfoolery at the same time. They are the type that you don’t encourage them to stay, you demand that they sit, you grab their collar and hold them back. Yet, when you throw a decoy, they rip the collar from your grasp, and hunt down the bumper. It was the wrong move, but it is just their nature. Despite the fact that they appear to be of a top notch pedigree, they are wild, they are rambunctious, and they hurt the overall product of a highly respected kennel with their out of control ways. This is the dog you spend the most time training, because they really do have something special, and it is tangible, despite many mistakes. A kennel owner wants it full of Andre Millers, but the guy that wants the waterfowl trophy is looking for that out of control pup with incredible pedigree.(This is your Jerryd Bayless, and its why I am firm believer that nothing should be given to him, he will take it eventually for good) I ride him harder than any other blazer, because the potential is straight up palpable and he is the type that needs the bumpy road to reach it…
RUDY > MJ
by Rudiculous on Jan 5, 2010 8:31 AM PST reply actions 7 recs
Rec
both for the cool content and because you didn’t feel the need to make a fanpost for it (though you easily could have trumped some of the stuff in the sidebar).
"One of the bright spots of the young season has been rookie point guard Jonny Flynn, whose name sounds like he should be the lead character in a Broadway Musical. "What are you doing here, Jonny Flynn?" "Why I'm here to court trouble, and woo a girl, and build the most fantastical contraption the world has ever seen!" -- Dave, Game 7 Blazers versus Timberwolves preview
by BlazersOrBust on Jan 5, 2010 9:09 AM PST up reply actions
Great to see miller have good game
Maybe we will get some value out of him in the open market. We need to keep him on the floor so he can post 20 dimes and then pull the trigger while his value is high. Go to work KP!
by KRAZY on Jan 5, 2010 9:11 AM PST via mobile reply actions 1 recs
I feel like we're playing with house money. I think there should be a fine balance
between staying focused, hungry and playing hard, not giving up on the season and getting delusional about the actual prospects this year. I’d like to see this year used to develop Bayless – he’s going to need lots of minutes – rather than try to squeeze out every win at the expense of building for the future.
And I also think that as sooon as it's humanly possible to do so, roy's minutes should get cut back
to some reasonable number that doesn’t run the risk of using him up in a lost cause.
It looked like a ratball game at the Y.
It was a Miller-pace game, not a Roy-pace game. If that was what Miller meant when he told Smith he wanted to run the team, then Roy may as well sit.
Brandon should be sitting more anyway. He’s got a bad shoulder and a bad hamstring, but he keeps on playing 40 minutes a game. Blazer management is short-sighted and inviting further injuries playing Roy and LMA 40 minutes a game. KP should be looking hard to deal Miller (with Outlaw or Blake’s expiring contracts) for someone that can really will help us 2 years from now (Miller can’t), and not let our best players be run into the ground when we aren’t going anywhere in the playoffs this year.
KP waited on RLEC last year at the trade deadline and ended up with Miller. Now he will probably sit on Miller through the trade deadline this year and get even less for him this summer (without Outlaw and Blake’s expiring contracts to help facilitate a better deal) just so we can get make the playoffs and get bounced in the first round again. We need another core player (besides Roy, LMA, and Oden) for next year and beyond. KP needs to find a way to turn Miller’s $6.7M salary and Outlaw($3.6M) and/or Blake($4M) expiring contracts into another core player. We could take back up to $18M in salary now (using the 125% rule) for a top quality player and a bad contract (if necessary) using those assets.
Move Miller now, who isn’t going to be around to help us in 2 years when it counts. Let Bayless play (and Mills too). Let Rudy play some PG too when he comes back in a few weeks. Let’s find out who (if any of them) can play with Roy two years from now when we should be contending. Let’s decide who we want to keep this summer (Bayless, Mills, Rudy) based on giving them quality playing time this year.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jan 5, 2010 10:21 AM PST reply actions
long time no hear from
What’s your opinion re: Mill’s on-ball defense? Some Bedgers are hoping he can stay in front of quick PGs (Nash, Parker, etc) but what I’m seeing from him so far isn’t promising
Agree re: the Miller trade. You get props for suggesting “Andre was signed to flip him later” the earliest
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
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