Subscribe Feed (RSS)Blazer Fan Fest reaction
October 3rd, 2008 by Dwight Jaynes | Filed under NBA, Trail Blazers.A very nice event, by the way. It allows a lot of people who otherwise couldn’t afford to see this team in the flesh watch it go through a scrimmage. And do it while sitting in seats they probably would never otherwise afford (I know I couldn’t).
A few reactions to players off just this one night:
LeMarcus Aldridge: The player seemingly most ready for the season to start. More confident and comfortable than last year. On his way to fulfilling his great potential. His shot looks better than ever.
Brandon Roy: So good he can just sit back and survey the game, then fill in wherever needed. The ultimate handyman. His shot isn’t there yet and he’s probably not quite physically ready. But what a player.
Greg Oden: On this night, honestly — he looked a lot like Clifford Ray. He’s just not ready yet. He’s walking on eggshells — tentative in just about everything he does. Not explosive, either. It’s going to take time for him to find himself and to get comfortable with everything. It’s going to happen for him, but everyone is going to have to be patient. He’s not in top shape yet and needs to play enough to forget his injury and just let it all hang out.
Rudy Fernandez: Good grief, he was really something. I knew he could shoot but he’s also creative and sees the floor like a seasoned point guard. He’s going to be an outstanding player.
This is going to be a good team. At the very least.
Tags: Brandon Roy, Clifford Ray, Dwight Jaynes, Greg Oden, LeMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers, Rudy Fernandez
agreed across the board.
rudy stole the show. won’t be the last time this year.
Rudy gets it. To me, it’s almost like he’s playing possum just trying to blend in and go with the flow right now. He is a really gifted player and smarter than most of guys on the court as that was a high level of play exhibited from a guy who has been here a week and a half. The Rose Garden will be very good to him! Likewise, he will be good for the Rose Garden. He needs major minutes and deserves them.
I appreciate your observations. I’m wondering if your ratings have really declined from very very good to very good to good (above) are indicative of observations as in practices (which you don’t get to see all of) as well or are they really not as good as you expected?
I am not one to want over hype. I didn’t comment below but I did watch practices in Vancouver as a member of the public. I still remember seeing Jerome Kersey as a rookie and fell in love with his potential which he fulfilled. However as I remember you and others did not write about what you saw there. Today there is no way to differentiate writers because somebody will write negative stuff and it will be all over the internet immediately, leaving others explaining to their editors.
My question: Can Rudy and Roy start together? Against all but those teams with super quick point guards that combination with the other offensive weapons might almost eliminate double-teams for anyone for the damage they will do if left alone.