TRADE?

The Tacoma News-Tribune ran this today as part of a larger piece on possible Sonics Trades:

Two sources confirmed that the Portland Trail Blazers called the Sonics in an attempt to obtain Robert Swift.

Sund told the Blazers that Swift, out for the season with a knee injury, was not available, according to the sources.

It is unclear who the Blazers offered, though they have been attempting to trade Jamaal Magloire all season. In that case, another player like Danny Fortson would have to be included to meet the NBA’s salary requirements. Magloire makes $8.3 million while Swift makes $1.9 million.

Let me know what you think leave me a comment:

Zach Comes to Life... in an Ugly... WIN!

The 135 points were a season high for a game, for the Trail Blazers, as were their 27 assists.

Randolph shot only 16-of-40 from the field but scored 13 points in two overtime to help the Trailblazers rally from their 16-point deficit in the second half. He even shot a 3-pointer with 38 seconds left to clinch Portland's third win in the last four games. Zach Randolph scored dude, he had a career-high 42 points on the night, and he grabbed 12 rebounds. The Trailblazers rallied to beat those woeful Memphis Grizzlies 135-132 in a double overtime game on Saturday night.

The opposition even complimented their work ethic after the game. "They did a good job of pounding the ball inside," Memphis coach Tony Barone said. "They caught the ball in the paint 31 times and that led to 34 points, whether it was field goals or free throws. The one stat the killed us tonight was second-chance points. ... You can't give up that many second-chance points in any game."

The Trailblazers outscored Memphis 72-52 in the paint, showing evidence of their inside dominance. Portland had 16 offensive rebounds! That is how they built a 23-8 advantage, by getting second chance points! A sweet victory on the road!

It wasnt weasy, it took an explosion in the Blazers' locker room at halftime with coach Nate stomping and swearing, to challenge his team. The Blazers had just been traumatized 59-47 by the Grizzlies, heck, they own the worst record in the NBA! Nate called the defense lethargic.

Then Zach took over. He got the message. He kept shooting and shooting and shooting, kinda like the energizer bunny out there. Randolph shot 40 times, he set a new franchise record for attempts, breaking the record of 37 set by Geoff Petrie, way back, in 1973. Everyone was impressed. The Blazers won again, imagine, three of the last Four!

OregonLive forum has this reaction:

323687.1.1. by next year

by JETBlack06, 1/28/07 1:42 ET
Re: Sergio 7 more assists by JETBlack06, 1/28/07 he should be our man at the point playing 30 plus minutes dishing out 10 dimes a game

323687. Sergio 7 more assists

by JETBlack06, 1/28/07 1:32 ET

and no turnovers. His A/T ratio has got to be out of this world by now.

323681. Zach's 3 pointer. Check this out

by iverigma, 1/28/07 1:00 ET

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMyndHtj_Qs
323682. Zachy franchise by timr1088, 1/28/07 1:07 ET

They came out and gave the ball to Zach Randolph, and he did what all franchise players do in this league. He delivered," Memphis guard Chucky Atkins said. "He made big plays. He got big rebounds for them and putbacks, and he did everything he needed to for his team to win.

Good stuff! If you have anything to add, lemme know!

Undefeated! At Least, in the Second Half the Year!

Two in a row!!

Zach Randolph struggled, scored just two points by halftime- but finished strong with 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers edged the Mighty Kevin Garnett and his Minnesota Timberwolves, 101-98, in overtime.

It was another game showcasing the rookie trio that the Blazers picked on draft day 2006!

Sergio Rodriguez even scored 18 points, he was hoisting his shot at the direction of Coach Nate, who said that this prevented the T'wolves from sagging off & have them defend the "Spanish Chocolate"- and his incredible passes.

Brandon Roy too has recently been given that green light to handle the offense. He has not let the team down, you can hear the pride in his voice while he talks of having his own number called in recent vital scoring situations. He rewarded the team for that confidence in him, he did this while contributing 13 points. He has been really coming through recently, in closing seconds. It has been said that Brandon Roy knows when he needs take over, so he’s not afraid to do it. The results- the Blazers have won back to back games for the first time this season!

LaMarcus Aldridge too is getting his minutes, in this contest he struggled with his shooting, throwing up a lot of misses. But in the closing minutes he came through like a veteran. He shot 2/2 at the free throw line keeping the Blazers in dominance, (read about them below!) while gathering 2 more blocks at the defensive end, saying to the T'wolves, 'No, not here, not tonight.

From Oregonlive.com and the Blazer forum

322922. Roy

by timr1088, 1/25/07 13:08 ET

Is there any doubt who the leader is on this team. This kid is going to be a star. Love the fact that he wouldn't go out of the game even with back spasms. I get them at least twice a year and I can barely move, of course a little vicadin (sp?) always helps but it's still pretty stiff and hard to do daily activities, can't even imagine trying to play an NBA game with them. We have the player we can build around. Amazing that the player we go to in the clutch has really only played 25 NBA games.......

Re: Aldridge
322832.1. he WON the game for us, bro by ZBo, 1/25/07 1:15 ET
Re: Aldridge has got to by JETBlack06, 1/25/07

his free throws LITERALLY won the game for us.

322829. LMA freethrows

by BrailleTaser, 1/25/07 1:11 ET

did LMA call Ricky Davis a bi.tch after draining that second FT? As he backed away, I thought I saw him say bi.tch in RD's direction, since Davis had been trying to psych him.

Let me know what you think leave me a comment:

Well it Wasnt a Breakout Game, but it was a Fine Win!

Well the New Exciting Portland Trailblazers opened up the second half of the season last night. As expected they made a statement. ESPN noticed, FOXsports did too. Brandon Roy continued uploading his application process for the NBA Rookie of the Year, with a marked vengeance.

Our own, Brandon Roy was the leading scorer against the struggling Milwaukee ballclub. He contributed a healthy 39 minutes, shooting 10-15 from the field, added 9 rebounds, 2assists and made 2 steals. Roy incidentally made a devestating, heart ripping three in the final minutes to stop any run that the Bucks could have made.

Coach Nate was impressed... again. He witnessed the Buck heart becoming disemboweled in the final minutes. "When they came back on us, he (Roy) made play after play and was able to stop their streak by scoring himself on the other end," McMillan said. "He makes something happen."

The Trailblazers NBA All-star also offered an insight that few talked about. "We would have lost this last year," said Portland's Zach Randolph, who added 19 points and 12 rebounds for his 24th double-double of the young season. "This year we fought back and won."

Yes this team is willing and able to make a statement for the foes who would walk into the Rose Garden looking for that "easy win". Up next. Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves visit Portland and Ime Udoka will be take on the Midwest's number one scorer. Lets see if Garnett winds up getting his hands cuffed for the next 4 quarters.

From the OregonLive.com Blazer forum.
321765. Play Sergio More

by NoCal, 1/22/07 0:08 ET

Sergio had 6 assists in only 13 minutes. He came in the game when the Blazers were up 5 and when he came out they were up 20. Jack played the rest of the game and the lead evaporated and they nearly blew the game.

Jack had only 3 assists in 38 minutes and the offense was stagnant with him in there. He is not bad, but the team plays better with Sergio. I would like to see them split time at PG over the next month to see how they fare with equal playing time.

321765.2. Sergio only got 13 minutes because he

by Smoothy07, 1/22/07 0:11 ET
Re: Play Sergio More by NoCal, 1/22/07 can't guard a rock placed in cement

321765.3.2. Does that translate to 'I like Jack"?

by Marazul, 1/22/07 0:30 ET
Re: Play Sergio More by NoCal, 1/22/07

321765.4. Jack

by salesteacher, 1/22/07 0:29 ET
Re: Play Sergio More by NoCal, 1/22/07

Not as sharp as the Spaniard but the future is bright with both of them on our team.


Well opinions are like nosebleeds, everybody has had at least one! Let me know what you think leave me a comment:

The Second Half of the Season Starts Tonight!

After playing their hearts out against Phoenix the other night, in a game in which they battled to pull within three on three different occasions during the final two minutes, the Blazers are hopeful. Their new young squad has proven time and time again in recent weeks that despite their inability to prove themselves consistent, they are demonstrating teamwork and patience against some of the teams toughest opponents.

Coach Nate is applauding the secondary line up. He is putting the town on notice that perhaps this team may run the ball much more often in the second part of the season. That second part starts tonight! The damaged Milwaukee Bucks are coming to town hobbling, without two of their top scorers and now showcasing Rueben Patterson an ex Blazer and one fellow named Andrew Bogut, whoever that is! In other words, we should have a young team on the floor and all over this Buck ballclub. They lost in Seattle 99-72. We had better blow this team up sooner and by a bigger margin, otherwise the Sonics will not let us forget it come time for our next face to face.

Coach Nate has had this to say this week. "When you are talking about building the team for the future, I think that conversation definitely has to come up,"(about an up tempo game) adding, "This was something we had to make a decision on last year, w/ Sebastian (Telfair), because he and Zach didn't work. Sebastian wanted to be in the open floor and play with the ball, and Zach is more of a halfcourt player, so you have to slow things down and play off him.", he concluded that "... I still think you need a low-post presence in this league in order to win"

From the Oregonian this Sunday, January 21, 2007

JASON QUICK

Meanwhile, Aldridge, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2006 draft, has become one of those rare commodities in the NBA: a big man who has feathery touch from the outside, polished moves inside and the wherewithal to block shots. He has also established himself as one of the top disciples of strength and conditioning coach Bobby Medina, who predicts Aldridge can sculpt his body quicker and better than former Blazers prodigy Jermaine O'Neal.

Yes! This team is prepared for a breakout game, a statement game tonight, a game that will open the second half of the season showing the league what every team they face will be in for, coming to Portland, the latter half of this season will mean.

Wow, What a Game!

LaMarcus Aldridge had 14 points off the bench, and Sergio Rodriguez added nine assists. The Trail Blazers rolled to a 94-76 victory over the road-weary Cleveland Cavaliers.

On the win: "When he's making his jump shots, he's almost unbeatable," said Roy, speaking of the Cavaliers All-star LeBron James, who had 19 points and 10 rebounds in the Blazers' 94-76 victory over the road-weary Cavaliers on Wednesday night. "Tonight he wasn't making those shots," Roy added.James scored 23 points for Cleveland, which is 2-3 on its seven-game road trip. The Cavaliers were coming off a 101-96 loss in Seattle.

The win was number 16 on the young season for these Portland Trailblazers. The season is about halfway over marked by the game on this Friday. At any rate, the Blazers are assured of finishing their first half with a better record than last season, when they were 15-26.

A crowd of 19,228 at Portland's Rose Garden saw what could be a promising future, as the Blazers' three rookies, Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Sergio Rodriguez stood out last night. They again came in and picked up the game when the starters stagnated.

It was the largest winning margin for a home victory in the latest, "McMillan era". It also tied the largest victory of the season, earlier in New Jersey.

The Blazers had an ides. The key was the Blazer defenders keeping the Caveliers, especially James and Hughes in front of them. Ime Udoka, the Blazer forward guards every opponent's top scorer each and every game. Udoka, spent his entire game, frustrating James by constantly touching him.

"I would just make sure I kept a hand on him, and I don't think he liked that," Udoka said. "There was some pushing, and I got in his face, because I wanted to make him shoot contested shots. It didn't seem like he ever got into his groove until late in the game." These guys think they can beat people. When Brandon Roy took his turn defending LeBron, he too admitted he had shared the attitude, "I wanted to measure up to him," Roy said of James. "And the biggest thing for me was to treat him as an equal, not as a superstar."

Friday night the Blazers close the first half of the year against the Phoenix Suns. Can they catch
the Suns napping while taking this new game on the road? We will just have to see.

They are hungry again.




Let me know what you think leave me a comment:

Who is this Sergio guy from Europe?

Sergio Rodriguez is twenty years old. The youngest PortlandTrailblazer. He is he third pick of those Blazers, in this years in the NBA draft. He struggles to find playing time, as a rookie. Sergio has been a professional basketball player in Spain, since he was 14yrs old. His team there played regularly against teams from all over Europe.

He has always had his heroes of the game. He constantly attempts to model his game after several familiar names, NBA stars Gary Payton and Jason Kidd, Steve Nash and yes, “The Pistol,” he says, Pete Maravich.

He has acquired his own nickname since his playing days back in Europe, “Spanish Chocolate” he says is a takeoff on another player he has great respect for Miami Heat guard Jason Williams.

The team is noticing, the fans are noticing, and yes, after his performance the other night Allen Iverson had this to say, “He played great,” said the new Denver superstar, “If you can judge him off of tonight’s game, I mean, wow. It’s a long, grueling season, but if he stays with it, the sky’s the limit for him. This one will do a lot for his confidence. It’s a game that can make him feel good about himself and know that he can play and be successful in this league.” Thats is a high praise from the man who lives off praise.

Denver Coach George Karl was impressed too. Speaking of Sergio, he said that for twelve minutes in the second quarter, “He was a dominating player,” that, “He controlled their offense and our defense in the second quarter. He looks like he’s going to be a player", adding ,“We wanted him to go to the rim more than shoot a jump shot, but he’s clever. He finds guys open. A big part of NBA basketball is the pick-and-roll, and he seems to have a knack for it already, which for a young player is unusual.”

This is big, to be a rookie, struggling for minutes this is big. Lastly, former Blazer Steve Blake told reporters, “I was impressed with his court vision,” regards Sergio and his game. “He obviously understands the game, and he was knocking down shots, which made it easier for him to find open teammates. If he can consistently do that, he’ll be a very good player in this league.”

Sergio has found a philosophy that has worked for him, He says, “I know I must shoot, to keep the defense honest,” then “But I prefer an assist to a score. The most important thing is to play with my teammates, and that my teammates are happy with me. They have to have confidence in me. When you find this, other things fall into place.” It sounds like it is paying off incredibly well.

Teammates on the Blazers are often amazed at his unique ability. “He gets people the ball in the right places,” Joel Przybilla, the struggling center, says. “The first time I played with him in a pickup game, I called a couple of buddies and said, ‘He’s gonna be a player, man.’ He’s so unselfish. He’s so under control already. His future in this league is just unbelievable.”

Coach Nate has a dilemma, more and more fans in the city of Roses are being convinced that his style is suited for the game of ball movement. They pause and consider all the young legs that are being restricted by the half court offense, rigid, under discipline. The offense that value utmost the time of possession as most important, with an emphasis on defense.

Sergio is not quite ready for Nate. Sergio needs to work on his defense. Sergio will wait.

Can the fans wait?



Let me know what you think leave me a comment:

"That was Beautiful Basketball, Man."

Juan Dixon was shaking his head. His teammate, the new hero in town, had just returned his gun to the holster. Sergio Rodriquez, the amazing third draft pick of this young and explosive season turned in the finest game of his short NBA career.
Sergio last night, came off the bench to make his statement against the Denver Nuggets. Juan Dixon was still in awe, "We haven't played like that all year, any year,". The Blazers had just lost their 10th game in the last 12 events. Heads however, were NOT bowed, anything but. Rookie Sergio Rodriguez scored a career-high 23 points shooting the ball 11-14, and had 10 assists for Portland. Rodriguez had at one point, hit a pull-up jumper and then a layup to help to give the Blazers a 51-43 lead. Then Portland did actually outscore the Nuggets 37-18 in the second quarter, with the help of Sergio, and led 56-49 at the half!

Oh Yeah. Denver won the game when the starters came back in and the excitement waned. It was Denver 109-93. The Blazers' starters were just so obviously ineffective in the game, they en masse, contributed a total of just 20 points.

Herer are some good quotes from my friends in the OregonLive Blazer forum:

319959. Sergio is quick
by NachoLibre, 1/15/07 0:39 ET
as all get up. I dig how he just rips apart a D & get them all flustered... & before you can blink he throws some incredible pass!!! CRAZY

319959.1. Sergo = Steal
by pepsikat, 1/15/07 0:55 ET
Re: Sergio is quick by NachoLibre, 1/15/07
of the draft. Roy and Alderage may be better overall players (time will tell on that one) BUT given their draft positions Sergio was the steal. Booyah. Go Blazers.

More:

319960. Aldridge
by blazerfan11, 1/15/07 0:40 ET
I think the sky is the limit with him. He's very athletic, good range for a big, and has that incredible wing span. He's our future 5....but I think the future should be now. Quit giving his minutes to Maglore.

319960.1. Amen to
by NachoLibre, 1/15/07 0:43 ET
Re: Aldridge by blazerfan11, 1/15/07
that!!! Magloire... I fell (at times) as if I'm watching the play unfold in SLOW-MO!!!! It shocks me that more of his shots are not blocked into the 3rd level.

It is clear this team is struggling at times in the Slo-mo half court game. The bench is making its value more and more apparent to the coach and yes coaches and NBA foes. Many in the forum were asking that the second team be given a chance to start the next contest. Those blogging fans actually are asking coach Nate to consider bringing the veteran players off the bench to score more easily, while the opponents second team struggles to score!

It is food for thought.
Somehow though,
I dont think coach Nate will keep it down,
so to speak!!


Let me know what you think leave me a comment:

Yes...The Pryz and the Blazers start Anew with the Evening Tide

The Pryz picked up his game and Zach Randolph paved the way for the win Friday night at the Rose Garden. The Sacramento Kings rolled into town optimistic, after hearing the news that Jarret Jack, Portland's starting guard, suffered a concussion after an automobile accident in the Blazers parking lot early in the afternoon. The rest of the team picked up the pace, Dan Dickau scored from the bench shooting 4-8 from the field including a coupla threes, contributing 23 minutes.

Yes, Im sure you all want to know if Pryz was able to snap his dreadful streak mentioned forever in the last post. He was 100% from the field last night, shooting 1-1 and adding a free throw shot for 3pts in the game. He spiced up his "nightline" adding a steal and 2 blocks. Now that is progress. Slow, but hopefully sure.

LMA (Aldridge) collected measurable minutes,23 to be exact. He was a contributor for sure,but posted moderate numbers. He shot 2-6 with two free throws. He added 4 rebounds 2 assists and also had 2 blocks defensively.

Charley Rosen from the Fox sports page
had this to say about the Blazer Rookie's game last night:
LaMarcus Aldridge has good hands, quick feet, and excellent defensive instincts. Can he pass? Put the ball on the floor? Shoot? Have a go-to move? No. No. So-so. Perhaps a jump hook.

The single most impressive play in Aldridge's performance occurred in the 4th quarter. That's when Ron Artest decided to shoot first and ask no questions, thereby rendering both Bibby and Martin useless, and singlehandedly losing the game for Sacramento. Anyway, as Artest squared up with the ball along the left baseline and prepared to take the rookie to school, Aldridge got wide and low, made several quick sideways crab-steps, and forced Artest out-of-bounds.

With some off-season body work, along with spending long hours in a gym expanding his offensive capabilities, the young man could eventually become a dynamic man in the middle.


Portland improved to 8-11 at home on the season. The Blazers had an impressive 10 steals, holding the Kings to only four. Portland made only 13-of-23 (56.5 percent) of its free throws, or it could have been much worse for them.

The Denver Nuggets are up next tonight at the Rose Garden, can the Blazers offer the Denver squad their third loss in three games? The Nuggets are already on a skid of their own. Can Portland make a statement here?
Will the Trailblazers defend this new winning streak against that team that looms just ahead of them in the standings?
Afterall, this Marcus Camby dude has been cleaning the glass for his team from the Rockies, wow, he had a career high 24 rebounds last night! Then there is the ex-blazer Steve Blake, last night he compiled an impressive 29 minutes off the bench last night and totaled 13pts including three 3's and six assists.
Be ready Blazers, be very ready.

Let me know what you think leave me a comment:

Seattle's got Company Coming... in the Cellar!

Eddy Curry dunked right past the Trail Blazers.

Yep, the Eastern Conference found another hero last night. They stopped by Portland Oregon for a little pick me up, but it wasnt at Starbucks. Eddy Curry, the Knicks latest leading scorer, found he had 27 points coming to him, against the Blazers. He had even more success, including six dunks, 10 more career rebounds and oh yeah, 2 blocked shots came his way too. As youve guessed by now, the New York Knicks snapped a three-game losing streak on their West Coast swing with a dominant 99-81 victory over Portland on Wednesday night.

Curry wasnt real finesse about it in his post game remarks. "I'm so used to having a couple of guys on me and trying to put something in the air and get it to go in," then adding, "I'm not used to having such open lanes to the basket,''
Well.
At least he didnt say WIDE open! (right Pryz?)

Oh yeah too,
The team is in disarray, "Our offense looks bad, our defense looks bad, our body language looks bad right now," Blazers guard Brandon Roy said. "We're having too many moments when we're not scoring, not defending. They had like 20 dunks on us tonight,'' adding, We were just embarrassed tonight," Roy said. "We can't seem to find our effort.

"Oh yeah excuse me again, Hey Brandon, didnt you play against the Knicks Jamal Crawford the Seattle Wa native? Didnt he outscore you? Brandon struggled to get 14 pts shooting just 4-11. The Knicks meanwhile got 25 points from Jamal- when the game was over, Jamal had definitely outplayed his old friend Brandon Roy!

Puzzled?
Coach Nate thought maybe his tough practice the other day would create in his team, a little resentment, it did, but not towards the other team. The result?
This Blazer coach was so baffled after their pitiful game, he started his post-game team meeting with questions. "I asked them, 'What's wrong? What's going on?" he said. He was telling THEM to give him the answer.
Point guard Jarrett Jack stood up. "I spoke up, told them, 'Everybody's not playing," Jack said
He has a pretty savvy squad.

At least they were three weeks ago!

Let me know what you think leave me a comment:

Blame it on the Damn Leather Ball! (No, ...Afraid that one won't ((even)) Work!)

Everyone musta stayed up way too long watching the Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve Holiday New Year Special. Heck, just sayin' the title took long enough! But anyhow, the Blazers pulled of another "exciteless NoShow" performance at home last night. Honest to God, this team gets so many people hyped for them, so pumped... then... they fail to put "together" any effort.!


Even the record low crowd for the season reflected the "failure to show" attitude of most fans in the city. Coach well he had few words to say. He offered no excuses, explained nothing, He said only "Come to Tuesday's practice ready to work, or don't bother showing up at all." The Sarge has returned and is ready to work. Pay Attention boys.


Yep, the Blazers have lost three straight, and three of the last four at home in the Rose Garden. Pitiful, just pitiful. Hell, they at least work hard on the road!



OK!Here's the joke of the week!
See if you can crack a smile at this one-
latenight chat from the OregonLive.com "Trailblazer Forum".

316526. Magloire is TERRIBLE!

by PrtlandSport, 1/2/07 3:21 ET

316526.1. He is sooo fun to watch.

by noscat, 1/2/07 3:24 ET

316526.2. Magloire is the BEST Blazer!!!!

by dubzC, 1/2/07 3:33 ET
He was an Allstar right? ahaha.. I really don't see how he was an Allstar. Even if he is getting old or whatever, he still should be playing better than he is now! He can be a good rebounder, but that's about it.. Pretty clumsy big guy!

316526.2.1. ok...

by blazer30, 1/2/07 4:06 ET
if u call a good rebounder stealing the boards from his own teamate jus to make his stats look a lil better than crap on a stick

Great line, Blazer30!

Back to the Grim Details:
I guess it was close I guess until about one minute to go 83-79 Boston. After that nothing! The Blazers offered 2pts, went what, 1 for 4 shooting and added 4 personal fouls, and one turnover! Oh yeah, they gave up 6pts in that final minute to give the game away, after eating one dunk shot- the Celtics made 4 straight free throws...
Oh Well. Who's up next? NY Knicks... hmm... maybe we CAN snap this streak!

Oh Yeah. About LaMarcus Aldridge... he Did Not Play again, Coaches Decision.

OTHER NOTABLE QUOTES:
Coach Nate McMillan- "We are not playing hard," adding "If you don't compete hard enough in this league, you're not going to beat anybody."
All Star Zach Randolph- "We had no energy" adding "We had blank looks on our faces."
Coach Nate McMillan-"If you don't play hard and compete, you won't even be able to beat a ... college team"
Martell Webster-"I can't explain it..." then "But we need to get back to where we were at the beginning of the season."
the last notable is from Sabastian Telfair the former Blazer, now Celtic "I miss playing in this building," Telfair said. "I loved playing here."
Evidently things haven't changed much.
I think He still must.


I dunno...
Let me know what you think leave me a comment:

Oh these Blazers Give Me a Lotta Woes to Write About!

Utah 96 Portland 86. Coach Nate McMillan seems to be twisting in the wind after the Blazers lost again, against the division leader, Utah Jazz on the road. He lamented this time, after his clubs' now 5th loss in a row up in the mountains. To make things uglier, they have been defeated in 11 of the last 12 contests at Salt Lake City. The coaches substitution patterns are constantly being questioned on this young mistake prone team. Tonight it was no different.

"I was just trying to get something going," McMillan said when asked. -Again. "Sergio again came in and brought some energy and got something going." Sergio's creativity as well his innate ability to build on rhythms helped cut a woeful 24pt deficit to within 10. We were able to get some type of momentum." McMillan added. "Then I went back with Roy. I've got to go with guys who can get something going."

This is at the expense of Jarret Jack the young 6'3 point guard who has been averaging 34min per game. Last night he complained, questioning the inability to get a foot in the game in the fourth quarter. He played ONLY 24min last night. He scored but 5pts. Shooting 2 for 7 and 1-2, with NO free throws.

Nate's young team was out rebounded a total of 44-35. It played poorly at times, giving up alot of layups and slam dunks to the powerful Jazz ballclub on their homecourt, heck, they gave up 50pts in the paint! The young and indecisive Trailblazer defense seemed porous at times and couldnt stop anyone, but yes, give them credit, they hustled. They hustled to close that huge deficit while playing like their coach used to, tenaciously, managing to erase that one time huge 24pt lead. That must have been the time in which when they collected most of their total of 9 steals and 6 blocks, finally moving their feet, defending the boards, and closing to the 10pts that turned out to be the winning margin for Utah.


Did you see the game?
Let me know what you think leave me a comment:

Portland Rookies make their Presence Known.

The NBA Rookie watch

The Blazers' three rookie draft picks are among the NBA's finest, according to the statistics, compared to other rookies of the same class. This week, Aldridge, who has played in only five games since his debut less than two weeks ago, is third in scoring (10.8 points) and second in rebounds (5.6). In addition, our Injured rookie point guard, Brandon Roy, who missed all of last week's games, is second, scoring (11.6) and third in assists (3.4). The last of the three, young point guard Sergio Rodriguez, leads all of his 06' class of rookies- in assists (3.8) despite his limited playing time.

This all bodes well for one of the league's youngest teams. I guess when three rookies get that much playing time they are bound to be in the top of somebody's list. Coach Nate is happy with the production thus far, and the front office is beaming- rightfully so!

Lets see if the smiles get bigger after the San Antonio Spurs come to Portlandtown tonight. The Spurs are a perfect 5-0 on the road thus far this season. Oh well. Someone has to stop the skid... or maybe they will crash!!

I only wish I could be there!

Let me know what you think leave me a comment:

There are a few interesting takes from the Blazers fourth consecutive loss.

from
Oregonlive.com
Trailblazer forum last night
after the loss to Boston on the Road

306115. Aldridge not getting the ball enough. That's

by Yojimbo, 11/17/06 23:02 ET

my opinion. He shot 5-5 two games in a row now. Did Jarrett Jack really have to take that 3 point shot when LA was open in the paint? That's just one example.

306115.1. Aldridge is shooting so well...

by PHATGUYSRULE, 11/17/06 23:05 ET
Re: Aldridge not getting the ball enough. That's by Yojimbo, 11/17/06

because teams don't expect him to get the ball. They aren't gearing their defense to him. Start giving him the ball more and his percentage will quickly drop, he'll lose confidence, and you'll be complaining about how he can't hit shots.

306115.1.2.1. It's a problem we don't want.

by PHATGUYSRULE, 11/17/06 23:12 ET
Re: Aldridge not getting the ball enough. That's by Yojimbo, 11/17/06

The last thing we need is Aldridge's confidence to be shaken right now. We need to take our time with him. That's what Nate's doing. People are just being impatient.

Let me know what you think leave me a comment:

Lack of bodies hurt the Blazers-fall 100-87

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Lebron James took care of the ailing Portland Trailblazers after valiant efforts from Zach Randolph and LaMarcus Aldridge failed to keep it close enough. It sounds like LA will ge his first start at center Friday night against the Boston Celtics. Coach Nate has not been pleased with the production of Magliore who has struggled with his shooting percentage. This will be a good test for Aldridge to check his contributions with major minutes.


from Oregonlive.com "Blazers Forum", some contributors thoughts:

305512. Lamarcus in the offense
by AK08, 11/16/06 1:07 ET
With limited practice and training for the season, Aldridge has been quite impressive. There is so much raw talent built into this kid... it gets me pumped up for the future. Right now, he is lost on offense. We aren't able to utilize his greatest offensive traits because he is so unfamiliar with how the offense moves. Once he picks up on the offense and our distributors get him the ball in the right spots, he'll be a scoring machine. Nobody can stop his shot... it is impossible to defend. He can hit from anywhere on the floor with anybody in his face. I envision Roy and Lamarcus being a deadly combo for years and years to come.

and

305511.1. Lamarcus nickname:
by AK08, 11/16/06 1:10 ET
Re: Brandon Roy by CtwnBlzerFan, 11/16/06
The Gazelle. He hops around the court like a gazelle. He will only get more active and aggressive as the season goes on. Scary potential... absolutely scary

one more

Re: Lamarcus in the offense by AK08, 11/16/06

he plays very hard on both sides of the court. The two rookies have a lot of pride and play to win. It's kind of refreshing to have two players do what they do.



It sounds like the fans are impressed! I have been since the day of the Draft!

Let me know what you hope for for this team, leave me a comment:

Another tough loss on the road

Zbo did his part but found he had to work for it! LaMarcus got time and did some. Sergio even played and made his first NBA bucket... but in the end the score was 101-89 and we came out on the losing end!




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LaMarcus battles for a rebound!
Words of Inspiration! Again, from the mouth of Ricky Davis as the Blazers venture into Minnesota to meet the Timberwolves. Again, tonight!

an excerpt from - Mike Tokito of the Oregonian:

"Ten days ago, Minnesota guard Ricky Davis, when he was near the Blazers' bench, called the home team a "pack of roaches." The words fired up the Blazers. Asked about it when the Timberwolves were in Sacramento last week, Davis didn't back off, telling reporters, "They're in our division. They're not going to win the division, put it that way. We just have to make sure next time, when we get up 15, we bury them."

Davis then almost added more fuel to the fire. He started to say that when the Blazers played in Minnesota he might "bring my Raid." But he stopped, saying, "No, no."


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LaMarcus Aldridge -- should return tonight!

The word is around the Blazer Camp that LaMarcus Aldridge should come off the injured list in time for tonights Dallas Maverick game at the Rose Garden in river city. That is good news for the 4-2 Blazers who are still without Brandon Roy who takes his place on the bench. LaMarcus will be making his pro debut after recovery from a minor shoulder surgery which has kept him out of most of the fall camp and had him miss the first six exciting games of the season.

His teammates have been picking up the slack, and Zach Randolph has been leading the team as the "go to guy". Impressive, that is how all the opponents have described "Zbo" this year. he is averaging monster monster numbers with four of the six games resulting in double doubles. Randolph took a minute to describe his shot recently... I just hold it, three dribbles, get that (knee) bend, follow through," Randolph said. "I have a nice, soft touch. I just try to keep the same rhythm."

Well, it works for me Zach, keep hitting those free throws too! Hey he is tied with Allen Iverson for the most attempts and looking at a better shooting percentage. I guess coach was right about "working" the low post, huh dude!!! Smile

Lets hope for a good game tonight too.

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17,000 in Portland watch the Lakers get Humbled!

Oh, yeah, Kobe got his 32- but in a losing cause.
The Portland Trailblazers moved to 3-2 on the year and 2-0 at home in the Rose Garden, while the Lakers went south with their 2nd loss of the season. Before Kobe left town he had a few good things to say about Zbo, "Randolph had a monster game," Kobe Bryant said. "He commanded the paint area, drew fouls and got easy opportunities."


The Oregonlive.com Trailblazer forum hosted by the Oregonian newspaper is an excellent way to get in touch with the fans in Portland. Those fans also had some pretty good things to say about this game ...all night! Smile!

Here are a few of the comments offered by the visitors to the site:


by dubzC
Zach has been playing like an Allstar!
Had a great time at the game. Zach is playin extremely well! Good stats and only two TO? He's had a good season thus far. Damn, it feels good to win. Blazers are definitely changing their image.. We are slowly, but surely, gaining our respect back! Keep up the game.


by Blazenstein,
So many....
...reasons why beating The Lakers is special.
So many reasons to hate them! Nice to have the win, and enjoy a forum free from Laker Cap lock trolls using the term BLOSER like it was intelligent.
Thanks Blazers for winning one for a long time Laker hater!


by duckblazer
Eating Crow...
I will eat my crow and like it! Now, I wasn't one of those idiots saying that we should trade Zach for Kenyon, but I did say that Zach was largely a bust and could never be a force for this team, and that if we could unload him for picks and salary relief that it would be good. I am an idiot, and the crow is mighty tasty.
Now that they are afraid of Randolph, I can't wait to unleash Roy on them too!

Please, take a moment to visit the site, Oregonlive.com you will be impressed!


Next up, Friday night, the 4-1 NO/Oklahoma City "whatevertheyares"! They bring a strong team to the Garden for a 7pm tip-off. Hopefully, by then they will have garnered their second loss of the year after a game at Golden State on Thursday night. They bring in a talented group featuring starters -- PG Chris Paul, G Peja Stojakovic, SF Desmond Mason, F David West, and C Tyson Chandler.

A good game on tap. The Blazers could get a little more respect with a win. Come on Portland fans, sell it out and show up on fire!



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Blazers lose to Clippers and lose Brandon Roy too!

The hardest part of the Blazers road loss to the Los Angeles Clippers came in the third quarter when Brandon Roy the Blazer candidate for Rookie of the Year went down with injury.

Roy played just 14 minutes before telling McMillan he couldn't go any more. He wants everyone to know, "I didnt get hurt tonight," Roy said. "I have been having some difficulty lately. A bone next to my Achilles' is bothering me.

He injured it at first back in training camp, then against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the home opener, he felt it give, just a little. Tonight, "It just hurt too much to play. The doctor said I needed to rest and get it looked at. I am going to have an MRI tomorrow when I get back to Portland."

Until then, Coach MacMillan will do what he does, get his team ready to play. Nate was impressed in the loss by a few things. Nate was pretty impressed by Zach Randolph's play, saying, ``I thought he was fabulous with his post presence.'' The Los Angeles' victory overcame a 35-point, 13-rebound performance by Randolph, who also blocked three shots.

Randolph thinks he is growing as a player already this year. `I did better in the second half on getting the ball out quick,'' said Randolph, alluding to times when he was double-teamed. ``It's something we work on in practice, getting the ball out quick and finding an open man.'' MacMillan wants Randolph to stay and play at the low post almost exclusively, not only to dish the ball out, but to battle the boards and increase his shot percentage. The outside shot will improve as a result. Zach is buying into this. He is responding, much to his benefit as a player and a scorer.

Ime Udoka had 10 points and 11 rebounds in the loss, doing well to earn a double double. The Portland State star is evolving. and Jarrett Jack finished with 17 points, only seven after the first quarter.

This team is hurting but adapting. Wednesday night we host the Lakers at the Rose Garden. Be assured. We will sell out again, and the team will respond to the 20,000 hopeful fans that cheer them on that night!

Maybe we can pick it up on TNT or ESPN, I have to check the schedule!!



...Meanwhile
At the Oregonlive.com Portland Trailblazer site, the bloggers are unsettled arleady!
Here is a small piece of their recent posts:
from: BIazergod22
Absolute Nightmare!. Both of our draft picks are injured now? Not to mention our starting center (who we gave a huge contract) is bedridden? And Miles is out for the season? Oh and on top of that Webster's back is hurt? Could things get ANY worse?

from:BlazerFan22
So we lost to a better team. Sence when did everyone expect the Blazers to make the playoffs. I mean peaple get down over a loss to a better team like this? It's stupid.



There is always more. This is a very energetic bunch on this site!
I encourage everyone to come in and participate! It is a kick!!

Please. Visit. Then let me know what you think, then, leave me a comment: