We’re about a week away from the trade deadline and I think that this time around, the Trail Blazers are going to pull the trigger on something.

Two reasons:

First, the obvious — the team needs another big man. And make no mistake, this is a long-term need, not just a temporary fix. Last summer, Portland chased free-agent Paul Millsap — indicating the team felt then that there was a distinct need for another big body who could rebound, play defense and provide inside scoring.

Now, with Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla out for the season, that need is magnified. So there is a definite need for another “big.”

But on top of that, the more serious motivation for a deal is the pending logjam at the smaller positions as Travis Outlaw and Brandon Roy return to the lineup after the All-Star break. Already, there are too many players for the available minutes. We saw at the beginning of the season how hard it is to keep everyone happy with playing time.

It’s not fair to coach Nate McMillan to keep making him deal with those issues. And the team’s roster is seriously out of balance with way too many small players and not enough big ones.

And really, doesn’t this team know by now who it wants to keep and who it is willing to deal? I would certainly hope so. My guess is that Martell Webster, Outlaw, Steve Blake and Jerryd Bayless are all available.

Who will come back in a deal? Your guess is as good as mine. There are undoubtedly players out there available who we didn’t know about. Kevin Pritchard will find somebody. I would guess there’s a young big man, perhaps a little more untested than we’d like, out there who could grow with this young team.

With the deadline now less than a week away, it’s going to be a fun time.

Tweet This Post

Tags: Dwight Jaynes, Jerryd Bayless, Kevin Pritchard, Martell Webster, Portland Trail Blazers, Steve Blake, trades, trading deadline, Travis Outlaw

Finally, there is no other choice.

Yet it’s still taking some measure of agony, apparently, to get that starting lineup changed. Martell Webster to shooting guard, Nic Batum sliding in at small forward, right? What other choice is there with Brandon Roy out?

Yet, here we are again, with Coach Nate McMillan doing the same old waltz when it comes to an obvious lineup change. Just do it, man. What’s the delay? What are we waiting for?

This should have been done a couple of weeks ago, but hey — what do you expect. Lineup changes around here come hard. At the start of the season, if Andre Miller had just been put into the starting lineup alongside Brandon Roy — one point guard, not two — the team would have probably picked up three to five more wins by this point of the season.

Instead, we were subjected to all the hand-wringing involving Steve Blake and the problems of the “second unit” and who Brandon Roy could play with best. All of it was silly. The best point guard was Miller — from Day One. But it sure took a long time to get there.

Batum was the starter all last season and his improvement this season is obvious. Man, he’s needed at both ends of the court and he needs to get a lion’s share of his minutes alongside Miller — who will reward all his off-the-ball movement.

Just do it, Coach.

Tweet This Post

Tags: Brandon Roy, Dwight Jaynes, Martell Webster, Nate McMillan, Nic Batum, Portland Trail Blazers, Steve Blake

Loved the Trail Blazer defense most of the game. They did a nice job stopping what the Spurs do best, ganged up nicely on Tim Duncan (who, by the way, isn’t moving a lot like Tim Duncan used to move) and after a slow start, held their own on the boards.

Loved the big play that resulted in Martell Webster’s open three-pointer that (should have) sealed the game. Andre Miller got great penetration, found Nic Batum in the corner, who didn’t hesitate in getting the ball to Webster, who had plenty of time to get his feet under him and settle into his three-pointer.

It was a smart play by smart players.

I didn’t like the misses at the foul line late. I expected more from Miller and LaMarcus Aldridge than that.

All in all, though, big game for the team to win against a Western Conference rival. A couple of other thoughts:

– The Spurs look so old and broken down. Their stars have so many miles on them.

– I think Batum is much more effective playing with Miller. His game is moving without the ball and Miller looks for him. I think, too, he’d fit better in a motion offense, rather than the standing-around stuff the Blazers do while watching pick-and-roll isolations.

– Huge game from Juwan Howard that was mostly overlooked by the media. He hasn’t made shots like that in a while.

– Brandon Roy needs to get back soon. I’m not sure how much longer the team is going to be able to hang on without him. Points are getting hard to come by.

– That may have been the Spurs’ A game last night. Not sure they have a whole lot left. They defend well at times, really well. But they can’t seem to do it consistently for the entire game. The energy just may not be there any more. Those guys have a lot of mileage on them from all those deep playoff runs.

Tweet This Post

Tags: Andre Miller, Dwight Jaynes, LaMarcus Aldridge, Martell Webster, Nic Batum, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Tim Duncan

Chris Paul wide open at the end of a game for the eventual game-winner? The ball in Jerryd Bayless’s hands in the waning seconds for a jump shot? That’s what we saw last night. And in the end, the Trail Blazers gave back one of those hard-fought road wins they got last week.

Ugh.

Paul got open in a bit of a freaky play, falling down — and apparently out of sight — before getting up and finding himself open for what amounted to a free throw to win the game. It was like one of those football plays where the tight end goes to the ground as if to block and then gets up and into a pass pattern.

Then the Trail Blazers inbound to Bayless — way out almost near the halfcourt line. Now Brandon Roy might be able to get you a makeable shot in that situation — since just about any shot is makeable for Roy — but Bayless? Well, if he isn’t going to attempt to get the ball to the basket, I’m not sure I like his chances with a jump shot.

But that game was lost in the minutes before those last two possessions. The Trail Blazers, no doubt fatigued from their trip, didn’t seem to have enough energy to finish. Andre Miller, especially, seemed to have nothing left in the tank.

Next time around, I’d love to see Martell Webster or Rudy Fernandez get that final shot, by the way. It was another excruciating loss, quite obviously. And with the upcoming schedule, there may be more to come.

The All-Star break can’t get here soon enough for this team. It needs a few days off.

Tweet This Post

Tags: Chris Paul, Dwight Jaynes, Jerryd Bayless, Martell Webster, New Orleans Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, Rudy Fernandez

I’m hearing from all over that this may be Nate McMillan’s best coaching job. You know with the injuries and all that maybe he ought to be the Coach of the Year. But there are those who disagree and it seems many of them comment on this blog.

And I can kind of see where they’re going with their arguments. I mean, at the start of the season, this team had two big tasks — to integrate Greg Oden into the offense, thus moving to more of an inside-outside attack AND to somehow decide on a proper player rotation with all the talent on this roster.

I’m not sure either problem was ever appropriately dealt with. And in fact, the injuries eliminated them as problems. Rather than go inside-outside or really change their style of play at all, the Trail Blazers are now back to playing the way they’ve always played.

You could also make the case that McMillan’s stubbornness in regard to starting Andre Miller hurt the effort early in the season. In fact, the thing that seemed to get Miller straightened out was confronting the coach. I mean, if Miller doesn’t go off on McMillan, does that thing ever really going to get straightened out?

So you give McMillan credit for that?

Again, I’m not sure. You could say that in the face of all the injuries, he kept the team together, but really? Really? It seems to me that if you say that, you’re saying that the character of this team somehow was so weak that these guys wouldn’t have played hard if not for the coach. I don’t buy that.

I think it’s more the case that even though Portland has been hurt by an absolute avalanche of injuries, what’s left is still pretty good. In fact, it’s real good. And by lowering expectations, thus the pressure, they’ve prospered in an environment where they knew they had guaranteed minutes.

Martell Webster, for instance. This is a guy whose minutes always seemed to be jerked around. Often, when he made a mistake or two he was pulled out of the game in a hurry. Now, given the situation, he’s playing no matter what — because they have nobody else. And he’s been sensational.

It’s been one interesting season. And any coaching evaluations would probably be best delayed until the end. Let’s see how it all works out.

Tweet This Post

Tags: Dwight Jaynes, Greg Oden, Martell Webster, Nate McMillan, Portland Trail Blazers

Man, that was something. I loved the defensive effort. The “bigs” did a great job, for the most part, of rooting Dwight Howard out of the lane all night and everyone else contributed to hounding Howard when he attempted to operate at the post with the ball.

Martell Webster continues to show what he can do with regular minutes and a consistent role. I mean, this guy is showing signs of either becoming a very, very good player or becoming an outstanding trade piece. He’s already a player other teams are talking about as someone, depending on Nic Batum’s development, who could be available.

Andre Miller and Steve Blake were terrific . . . oh, what’s the point of trying to single out individuals? This one was a great team win from start to finish.

One thing I must say, though, about the Orlando Magic: I’ve been around the league for a long time now and what I saw from them Friday night was downright shameful. And I haven’t seen it too often from what is a high-level team that was in the NBA Finals last season.

The Magic just sort of quit. Rolled over. And it appeared to me that the reason is simple — those guys want to get their coach fired. They aren’t listening to him and they’re actually embarrassing him with their on-court actions. Their effort level and attention span were just not there.

Stan Van Gundy has the reputation of a guy who grinds on his players and I’m afraid he’s gotten to this group. They appear, at least for the time being, to have tuned him out.

And once that happens, it’s usually only a matter of time before the coach finds himself on the street.

Tweet This Post

Tags: Andre Miller, Dwight Howard, Dwight Jaynes, Martell Webster, Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers, Stan Van Gundy, Steve Blake

Am trying hard not to post on weekends. Using them to rest up and since most people check this blog on the boss’s time Monday through Friday, I have been able to get away with it.

But that was some game. Probably the best one I’ve seen the Blazers play against a quality opponent in some time. Great focus at both ends of the court and an excellent defensive job.

Martell Webster was terrific on Kobe Bryant and is playing with great energy. He got plenty of defensive help, too, and Portland’s scheme on Kobe was terrific.

Andre Miller was solid, as he’s been for the most part lately and you have to give everyone who played a lot of credit. Brandon Roy, of course, was special. He seems to save his best for the best teams.

You just wish they came out with that kind of focus and energy all the time. Make no mistake, it was a special night.

(An interesting sidebar to the game: Jerryd Bayless did something in  the first half I don’t think I’ve ever seen. He hit four straight shots when he was basically behind the three-point line but had his toe on the line — getting credit for only two points. Each shot looked so close to a three-pointer. Man, look down next time, kid. You cost yourself four points.)

Tweet This Post

Tags: Andre Miller, Brandon Roy, Dwight Jaynes, Jerryd Bayless, Kobe Bryant, Martell Webster

Yes, I have to admit that Greg Oden was probably my biggest source of joy in watching the Trail Blazers this season. To see him improve on the floor right before our eyes was a delight. So with him out, what are we to watch?

Here are just a few things of interest:

– LaMarcus Aldridge. Will he now step up into that all-star class that he’s always talked about? The time is ripe. The team needs more from him now. He’s a key cog — he’s got to play like that consistently.

– Brandon Roy. Obviously, an all-star already. I’d like to see him take that next step and do more to get his teammates involved. Make sure that Martell Webster and Steve Blake not only get shots but get those shots from the spots where they can make them.

– Jerryd Bayless. OK, all the fans are on your side — as they always are for the young kid on the bench. You’re going to get time on the floor now. Make your shots. Show you can get the ball to other people. And quit being such a foul machine. Actually guard someone without hand-checking.

– Steve Blake. Make a few shots, OK?

– Andre Miller. Keep doing your thing. I know you’re not used to coming off the bench but try not to stink it up in the first five minutes you’re out there. Take the shots you can make. Only.

– Kevin Pritchard. I know you don’t want to make a deal now. And I’m not advocating you deal from weakness just to make a short-term  impact. But if this thing doesn’t get better soon, you’re going to have to do SOMETHING.

– Nate McMillan. If your front office can’t turn one of those guards into a big player, you might have to use all those guards at one time and play some small ball. That means fast breaks, spreading the floor, getting to the basket. Repeat — fast breaks. Play fast. If you need some help with this, pull out that Golden State tape from a few weeks ago.

Tweet This Post

Tags: Brandon Roy, Dwight Jaynes, Jerryd Bayless, Kevin Pritchard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Martell Webster, Nate McMillan, Steve Blake

He took one shot in the first quarter last night. He scored points in runs, but for the most part didn’t get the ball in comfortable spots or often enough. He’s not getting the ball enough, either.

Simple point — Roy is NOT a small forward, he’s an all-star off-guard. One of the best in the business. I do not believe he’s even an all-star at small forward and they’re doing him a disservice by playing him there.

On top of that Portland is now at a disadvantage on the boards. Roy tries, but he’s overmatched against the bigger small forwards and spends so much time boxing them off, it’s wearing on him.

And on top of that, we saw once again last night that decent defensive teams — and the Pistons looked like one — are NOT going to let Roy go one-on-one at the end of games. Detroit ran an extra player at him, took the ball out of his hands and limited his ability to influence the game.

Look, you can use that flat 1-4 offense in the final possession of a game, if you want. But trying to use it any more than that is a total, futile joke. Just run the offense, make teams defend FIVE players instead of one — then any of the five has a chance to get open and score. Maybe even get an easy basket. This is a good TEAM — this is not D-Wade or LeBron running around carrying a pack of stiffs on his back. It’s a talented bunch.

I’m getting real tired of having to complain about this stuff. Man, it gets old watching it. Didn’t this team learn anything from the playoffs last season?

Get Andre Miller (funny aside — they introduced Miller on the PA last night before the game as the starter at “forward”) at the point full-time where he belongs and Roy back to the off-guard. Get Martell Webster at small forward, get off his tail and see if he can handle it over a 10-game span.

Look — Webster missed an entire season last year. Cut him slack for his inconsistency. He plays hard and he needs just to get comfortable. Nobody was all over Oden when he stumbled around for a good part of the season last year — because he’d sat out the year before.

Why doesn’t Webster deserve the same understanding?

And besides, he’s probably the only small forward on the active roster right now so why not use him? Even playing Rudy Fernandez there causes all sorts of problems defensively and on the boards. I know they need to find minutes for Rudy, but cut to a three-guard rotation with Miller and Roy — that will do it.

Yes, their record is fine. Not great, but fine. But come on — the mission this season is to be a better, improved team. And this team isn’t playing as well as it should — and still has yet to play most of the key teams it needs to pass in the Western Conference.

Man. It’s that old definition of insanity again — keep doing the same old things and expecting a different outcome.

Tweet This Post

Tags: Andre Miller, Brandon Roy, Dwight Jaynes, Martell Webster, Portland Trail Blazers

First, let me say that I hope, for his sake (it’s a contract year for him!), that the six-to-eight-weeks prognosis is correct. But it may be a little optimistic, I’m afraid. The tiny bones in your feet — particularly when you’re very tall — do not heal quickly because the blood flow to that region isn’t very strong.

They heal slowly, as we saw with Martell Webster last season. And they’re fragile enough that if you come back too soon you’re a prime candidate for reinjury, which we also saw last season with Martell Webster.

I don’t think this one has a huge impact on the Trail Blazers’ wins and losses this season. Yes, Outlaw is a proven off-the-bench scorer who has made big shots. But he’s not improved much on the defensive end and isn’t a particularly energetic rebounder. In the long run, this should mean more minutes for Webster, Rudy Fernandez and even Juwan Howard — which is a good thing.

And I think there are other shotmakers on this team who will step up in the fourth quarter. Andre Miller, Fernandez, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden are all solid options.

I believed at the outset of the season that if all the Portland players stayed healthy it could be a nightmare season for Coach Nate McMillan, trying to get minutes for all his young players. The injuries help thin the rotation out to a manageable number, though. And the defense should be better without Outlaw staggering around trying to remember who he is guarding.

One thing, though — they can’t handle many more injuries. Any more and it WILL impact the wins and losses.

Tweet This Post

Tags: Andre Miller, Dwight Jaynes, Greg Oden, LaMarcus Aldridge, Martell Webster, Nate McMillan, Portland Trail Blazers, Rudy Fernandez, Travis Outlaw