Here's a delayed, abbreviated Full Court Press that got sidetracked, hijacked and re-written thanks to the Marcus Camby signing yesterday. Gone are the 25+ trade rumors. In their place, thoughts on Brandon Roy's post-game comments about his hamstring, my favorite All Star weekend links, Casanova hits the Blazers beat, power rankings and a few interesting features here and there.
For the full experience, peruse these links while you listen to this podcast I did with Seattle's KJR 950AM last week (episode 3).
For all your Marcus Camby link needs, click here and here.
It seems the young star is nearing his breaking point. After weeks of rest-and a limited schedule since experiencing the injury in early January-Roy decided that Tuesday's game against the Clippers would be as good as any to test it. He figured this coming Friday against the Celtics wouldn't be any different-every day he wakes up and it feels the same. This of course begs the question why Roy would have played at all Tuesday, as he and the team already went through the rushed early return only to make things worse.
Roy said his hamstring felt OK in the first quarter, but severely worsened in the second. He stated that he is doubtful for Friday's game against Boston.
Making matters worse, Roy said that he has begun to wonder whether he will be able to play injury free - or even at all - this season if his hamstring problems continue. Roy has yet to bring up the issue with trainer Jay Jensen or McMillan, though.
"It's just something that's in my mind," Roy said. "Because I've been dealing with this since (early January)."
If Roy is done for the season, you can kiss the playoffs goodbye for this club. Even with their admirable performance without him to keep the team afloat, there's just not enough offense, especially with Travis Outlaw and Steve Blake moved to LA for them to keep pace. Losing Roy would be a catastrophic for this team's outlook both short-term and long-term for deciding if this core is on track to contend for the Finals.
At this point, we're headed straight for "The Curse of Darius Miles" territory. Hopefully Roy's hamstring will respond to treatment and he'll be back in time for the final playoff push. But then, we're still looking for something that's turned out right for Portland this year.
Maybe he'll feel better in the morning, perhaps he was just venting, who knows but it is clear there is some frustration coming from #7. There is always the possibility that this hammy might not fully heal up and Roy may not be able to adjust. Roy may not be explosive but he needs to be able to change speeds and be shifty, something that a hamstring would restrict. And from all looks he struggled at times just running up and down the court. It's rough because the best treatment is rest and there simply is not a ton of time for Roy to sit out if the Blazers want to make a playoff push. Any news concerning Roy having to be out is no good for the Blazers. Let's be honest people, if Roy's hamstring does not get any better, this season may be all for naught.
Geoffrey C. Arnold: Brandon Roy settled in over the weekend.
Now that he is a veteran of these affairs, Roy said he's more relaxed when encountering other All-Star players.
"I was in the locker room talking to the guys and it felt so normal. It's totally different from three years ago, when I was a rookie," Roy said before the West team's practice Saturday morning. "Now I know the guys -- been knowing them for years. I'm just a lot more comfortable."
Arnold also believes it's time to sit Roy for real...
Brandon Roy should not play another game, sit out every practice and receive treatment every day until his nagging hamstring injury is completely healed. No more of this "Well let's test it and see how it feels" stuff.
"I felt like it was good enough to try it," Roy said Tuesday night.
Greg Jayne writes...
The most important part of all this is selecting the proper players to spend money on. Portland has done that. But the caveat is this: With a lockout appearing possible and the league's financial structure about to be revamped, the Blazers are in an enviable position because of Allen.
SJ from Rip City Project looks back at Travis Outlaw...
I choose to celebrate the story than debate his fadeaway jumpshots or defensive lapses. He could have been Qyntel Woods. He was a lost puppy surrounding by a terrible atmosphere and on a team that was not winning many games. And he survived that, not only remaining here as the Blazers rose again but becoming a major part of it. He went form a lanky, awkward, "slow", teenager into one of the top Sixth Men in the league. A self-assured and self-confident player who boldly proclaimed that he wanted to be an All-Star. A player who made himself into something no one thought he could be. And that has to be appreciated.
I'd like to sit here and say it's tough to see Outlaw go. It's not. Trades happen.
Brian and Natalie had dinner at Caro Amico and reported that the conversation was good. Said Brian: "She's not someone I would have met had I not done this dating thing because we have some differences." Among them? She doesn't watch a lot of television and said Brian, "She has a VCR."
Natalie reported that Brian was "more artsy" than the typical guy she attracts. "There are a lot of [expletive] bags out there," she said.
Between that and Freebot I'm not sure how Blazersedge is keeping pace in 2010. If Dave asks me to go on 5 dates in 5 nights with various robots and then uploads the whole thing to ustream, I am out!!! OUT!!!!! "
You buy the robot a bottle of wine, Dave, you do it! See how it feels! It feels horrible because MACHINES DON'T HAVE EMOTIONS."
Wendell Maxey hits the nail on the head...
The trouble is, Roy's absence is painfully obvious as Andre Miller and LaMarcus Aldridge attempt to shoulder a load they weren't built to carry without him - even if the two were paid this offseason to do exactly that. Miller can step up his scoring. Aldridge can string together some solid quarters. But if Roy isn't available, Portland's postseason chances could start to slip away in a tough West. No Roy. No chance.
Brian T. Smith with some grades for the Blazers. One that I agree with: a D for Rudy Fernandez...
Along with Andre Miller, Fernandez has been the biggest disappointment of the season. The Spanish native came into training camp tired and overworked, and he has truly never recovered. Initially plagued by back pain, Fernandez has shown flashes of his rookie brilliance. But he has made little to no progress in key facets of his game - defense, shot selection, lane penetration - that already were sore spots. Fernandez, 23, still has time and youth on his side. But he is sliding toward becoming a one-dimensional player. And he is nowhere near to delivering on his promise and potential.
Nathan Begley of Portland Roundball Society compares Brandon Roy to Clyde Drexler...
Now, the caveat here is that Drexler was consistently excellent; his's resume as highlighted above, is long and broad. Roy will have to keep up last year's level of production for the next decade to compare to Drexler. However, Roy has rivaled some of Drexler's single game accolades already. 50+ points in a game? Check. A 40+ point playoff outburst? Check, 10 steals? Check. Triple Doubles? Check. In addition, Roy has shown himself to be a clutch, cold blooded assassin. He is one of the best fourth quarter scorers in the league and has given Portland a highlight reel of last second buzzer beaters and even a few clutch defensive plays. Notably absent from Roy's resume is a playoff series victory, much less an NBA Finals appearance. However, playoff success has more to do with the team as a whole than the individual player. Drexler's supporting cast consisted of Terry Porter, Buck Williams, Kevin Duckworth, and Cliff Robinson; all of these players were All-Stars at some point in their career, all but Buck Williams were All-Stars while with Portland. Roy has yet to have a teammate join him at the All-Star game.
The comments of the day feature over at OregonLive was a questionable idea from the get-go and sounds like it's getting out of control and maybe, just maybe, giving the moderator a brain aneurysm. Some choice cuts...
Response: Yes, it is opinion, as all comments are laced with opinion. The idea is to have others give their opinion on a spotlighted opinion. And FYI: I don't drink.
Response: These 'comments of the day' are not "articles." They are blog posts designed to spotlight a comment and stimulate conversation. This is an "article." These posts do not appear in the paper so canceling your subscription would only cost you a chance to read our great Blazers coverage from Jason Quick and Joe Freeman.
Response: Actually, it's more along the lines of: post a comment that offers a reasonably well thought out opinion minus insults and profanity and you might end up with the comment of the day.
P.S. Sean Meagher is not posting the 'comments of the day'. And the person who is was drafted to do so. After some minimal protest to being assigned the task, he now finds it amusing. It should be fun, not contentious.
David Stern's current position with respect to labor negotiations...
Stern maintained that the NBA's plight couldn't be disputed by the union, and that the league's books are open and available to review by the NBPA. He said the leaguewide loss projection for this season is "about $400 million" and the losses have been "at least $200 million" for the first four years of the current collective bargaining agreement. Those numbers, Stern said, are among the "undisputed facts" that led to the league's initial proposal to the union.
Quick Hits
- Andrew Sharp of SB Nation has some comical stories from All Star weekend.
- As does Blogabull.
- Some of the best pictures from All Star weekend.
- More pictures, video and All Star takes from BustaBucket.com.
- A great new addition to the Blazers blogosphere from Portland Roundball Society: Blazer whips pix.
Power Rankings
- Hollinger: Blazers are 12th
- Schuhmann: Blazers are 9th
- Parker: Blazers are 10th
- Stein: Blazers are 12th (last week)
What did I miss? Leave it in the comments. And, please, frequent the FanShots, which were out-of-this-world awesome this past week.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter