One of the main L*kers blogs and member of the new ESPN collective, Forum Blue and Gold has their preview up of the Blazers (Here). I don't want to do a full preview of the game; I'll leave that to our resident Dr. Deckard but I do want to address a few things mentioned on FBG's post.

In regards to Brandon Roy,

...he may be the most physical PG in the league and that allows him to get into positions to get the shots he wants. That kind of PG (think D-Will) has really given the Lakers trouble in the past.

It is interesting to me that other teams are referring to Brandon as a point guard. Just because he runs the point doesn't make him a point guard but that is just my opinion. Over the last two seasons, Roy has not given the L*kers much trouble. If anything, he has been rather average. In the six contests that have been played between the two teams, the Blazers are 2-4. Roy missed both road games last year, the second road game this season and the Blazers lost every one of those. In three games he's played in, he has averaged 19 points on 42% shooting and the Blazers went 2-1. Being at home and Roy's presence definitely helped with the wins but he hasn't broken out with any huge numbers. His high point total was 23. Kobe and the rest of the L*kers have done a serviceable defensive job on Roy.

In regards to the L*kers keys to the game,

This is going to be a high-scoring game. That said, whichever team plays the best defense is going to get the win. For the Lakers, that means protecting the rim. The Blazers are good on offense because they have guys that get to and finish at the rim.

I agree that this is likely to be a high scoring game. Unless Nate can motivate the squad to step up defensively like they did against the Spurs, the Swiss Cheese that was the Indiana and Minnesota games will reign supreme. 

I disagree with the characterization of the Blazers' offense. Aside from Brandon Roy, there isn't one player on our team aside from Bayless, when and if he plays, that aggressively tries to attack the rim. The Blazers are a jump shooting team. If the L*kers can defend the pick-and-roll and rotate to get a hand in our shooters' faces, it could prove to be a long and painful death to our current home win streak.

In regards to limiting offensive rebounds,

The Blazers grab 32.4% of their missed shots, the highest percentage in the league. Aldridge and Przybilla are good on the glass, and this is an athletic and long team. Teams that beat the Lakers tend to do it because they got a lot of easy buckets, often on fast breaks, but another way is offensive rebounds and put backs.

Lamar Odom, since Andrew Bynum went down, has been on a rebounding tear. Had he played as strong during the first half of the season, he would have been an All-Star. During their recent rough patch (two losses in a row is a rough patch) for the L*kers and even their two most recent wins, Odom has been inconsistent and not the aggressive player his team needs him to be. While I would love for that guy to show up tomorrow, Odom seems to get up for Blazer games. I digress.

Regardless of which Odom shows up for the game, one of Portland's keys to this game is going to be second chance points. If our jumpers aren't falling, our bigs are going to HAVE to pull down offensive rebounds for the Blazers to even have a chance.

Read the rest of their post. It is one of the better written blogs in the sporting hemisphere and remarkably objective, aside from the L*ker homers posting in the comment section.

I am going to be at the game tomorrow. If anyone wants to meet up at halftime, how about Schonz's place? The guy that fell on Broyposse's parents already confirmed and he said that he is buying the first round.

KG has it. We saw it. We vilified him because we don’t have it. It is the mentality of a warrior. No matter how hard you push, they are going to push harder.

I see it in Bayless and really no one else on the Blazers, except maybe at times with Joel. Roy doesn’t have it, nor Aldridge or Oden. Rudy is still adjusting but there is some fire there. Channing? Ehhh, not. Travis? Nope. Martel? Still lacking. Batum? Sorry try again. Blake? Maybe a little but maybe not. Ike? Maybe as a gamer but not on the court. Sergio? Creo que no.     

Nate was smart to put Bayless in the game. I don't think he was intimidated one bit by KG's antics. It is the kind of game that I see Bayless thriving in. War. That’s how he sees it and this Blazers team won’t get to the next level without it. I don’t ever see Bayless being the leader of this team but the “I’m going to kill you before you kill me” attitude that he brings to the court can’t be taught and I see it as a must have to beat teams like L.A. and Boston. Bayless has the fire, he just needs to learn to channel it into smart, savvy play. When that day comes, look out. I just hope that this can be developed as our 3rd string point guard, but I doubt it.

Right now Brandon is the team’s leader but even his moral crumbled when facing an insurmountable deficit. He will always be the Blazers’ leader but the team needs someone to throw caution to the wind and charge into battle, one versus one thousand.

Garnett would answer that battle call any day of the week and he does. The interesting dichotomy of the Boston roster is how Garnett has become the leader of that team. As I said, every good team needs to have a warrior but to be a leader, rage and bloodlust has to be tempered with level-headed wisdom, interpersonal skills and respect. I guarantee that Glenn Davis doesn’t respect KG anymore. Dwight Jaynes has an interesting post about this. Paul Pierce was the leader of this team before Ray and KG got into town. If he doesn’t reclaim his team, I could see the team imploding with the weight of KG’s ego in another season (ring) or two.

I am thankful we have Brandon to guide our players but we are going to need an attitude like Bayless' to champion us through the battles.

Ahhh, the Lakers. The Portland versus L.A. matchup is every Blazers fan’s favorite game to look forward to and with a win, favorite win and with a loss, it just fuels the rivalry fire. While not every Laker fan gets as hyped for these games, every long-term Blazer fan remembers the 2000 Western Conference Finals like it was yesterday. Being that that this upcoming Tuesday is the opening game of the season, the Lakers and Laker fans are going to be just as hyped because they want to show the world that they are back and ready to contend for the title again.

The upstart Blazers held their own against the Kobe-led, veteran-savvy Lakers last season winning their two home game and keeping it reasonably close at the Staple Center but lost both, leaving season series tied at two games a piece.

Both teams got better this off-season, although, I will have to say that Portland probably improved more. A healthy but still a work in progress Greg Oden will reshape how the Blazers play and how opposing teams play them. Portland’s other off-season additions were Rudy Fernandez, of the posterization of Dwight Howard fame and the Arizona rookie Jerryd Bayless, who won the Vegas Summer League MVP award. Look for Rudy to have a more immediate impact. This preseason, another surprise on the Blazers squad has been Nicolas Batum, the Blazers 25th draft pick out of France. After a lackluster summer league, Batum has put up an impressive showing in the preseason and is likely to fill the starting small forward position in place of Martell Webster, who is out with a broken foot until at least late December.

A lot of NBA prognosticators are focusing on the loss of James Jones to Miami as a reason why Portland will not see a vast improvement. His three-point shooting was a key to the team’s success last season but Rudy is a bomber, Blake will continue to be a solid outside shooter and both Roy and Sergio have greatly improved this off-season from beyond the arc. The team actually should see their overall 3-pt percentage go up.

A healthy Bynum adds another dynamic to the Laker offense, making them of the tallest frontcourts in the league with Gasol sliding down to the power forward position. The arrival of project Sun Yue will likely be taken as a non-event but I do think the loss of Turiaf will modestly hurt the 2nd unit’s rebounding ability, albeit modestly.

The Lakers and Blazers play a similar style, focusing on an inside-outside game, sprinkled with pick and rolls. The Lakers play a true triangle offense and the Blazers play a modified triangle offense. Nate McMillan is a stalwart about defense and the team is improving but still doesn’t have the lockdown defender on the perimeter that Kobe can be when he applies himself, as in the Olympics this summer. Both teams will push the ball when they have an advantage but pull it back into the half-court when the opportunity to fast break is not there.               

As far as this game goes, the Lakers will likely win by double digits. The Lakers are returning essentially the same NBA Finals team that they had last season, a reigning MVP in Kobe Bryant, a healthy Bynum and an improving Trevor Ariza and Jordan Farmar. Portland will likely have two rookies in its starting lineup, Greg Oden at center and Nicolas Batum at small forward, and are still learning to play as a cohesive unit. The starting five has only started together in two preseason games. The Blazers will be competitive and the Lakers will be a good litmus test but their chance of winning is slim.

Come January 4, this will not be the case. Oden will be in NBA shape, barring injury (I pray every night) and having a couple months of regular-season battle testing under their belt, I could see the Blazers playing it close, if not steeling one in LA. However, my prediction is that both teams win both their home games. The Blazers don’t get the Lakers into the Rose Garden until March, which by then they should be in “We have to make the playoffs” mode and hitting their stride.

Player By Player Matchup

PG – Derek Fischer vs Steve Blake
Advantage: Portland

Fischer is a solid veteran NBA point guard but he is entering the twilight years of his NBA career. He knows the offense, runs it to a T and is an affective outside shooter. Blake fulfills a similar roll for the Blazers. He is not the go-to-guy on offense but he brings the rock up the court and gets the offense moving. He is an affective if not above average outside shooter and sees the court well. Blake has been conditioning like a mad man these last two off-seasons, is in the best shape of his life and can likely get a step on Fischer when he wants it.

SG – Kobe Bryant vs Brandon Roy
Advantage: L.A.

This is a no brainer. While I love Roy and he will likely repeat as an All-Star this season, no one can take over a game like Kobe. He draws attention from every defender on the court and is athletic enough that they all can’t stop him. His maturity on the court over the last two seasons has taken his game to another level, allowing him become the team player the Lakers needed him to be. Brandon is already the consummate team player that Kobe is but he doesn’t the matching offensive or defensive abilities. Roy is still improving and is the best player on the Blazers team but no match for Kobe

SF – Lamar Odom vs. Nicolas Batum
Advantage: L.A.

I am not sure if the staring small forward role has been established for either team but I am going with who I think will be starting. Odom has the ability to be an All-Star year in and year out but has proven to be streaky. Whether it be a lack of focus or the pressure of playing in LA, he seams to have the ability to put up career numbers one night and look like a bench warmer the next. Lucky for LA, still leans more toward the former. Batum is an unproven rookie. He is extremely lanky at 6’9” and a 7’4” wingspan but doesn’t have the bulk to match up with Odom whatsoever. Batum’s strengths are his abilities on defense, a Tayshaun Prince in the making, having a knack for the ball and being in the right place at the right time on offense. He can shoot from outside but has been streaky thus far.

PF – Pau Gasol vs LaMarcus Aldridge
Advantage: Portland

Laker fans may scream at me for this one but LMA has dominated every game that he has played against Pau both as a Laker and with the Grizzlies. Last season, LMA outscored Pau in every game and out rebounded him in all but one. Both are tall and play their best away from the low post. The addition of Oden will free up LaMarcus to operate away from the blocks and allow him more of the mid-range jumpers, which have become his bread and butter. If Gasol doesn’t get a hand in his face, LaMarcus is going to have a field day. Gasol is a better rebounder but LMA is a better defender, which should be the deciding factor in this match up. Aldridge will also likely be the Blazers leading scorer this season. In my opinion, if the Lakers can shut down LMA, they are going to win handily.

C – Andrew Bynum vs Greg Oden
Advantage: L.A.

This is going to be my favorite match up to watch. Seriously, what can be better than watching two of the best up-and-coming centers go to battle? The only thing better would be to throw in Dwight Howard for a three-way game of crunch. Dwight wins but all three would walk away with more bruises than a domestic-abuse clinic. Joel Przybilla knows. Just ask him about the shiner that he is still nursing.

All joking aside, Bynum has the experience. It is going to take Greg half a season or more to fully adjust to the NBA. After that, the NBA is going to have to adjust to him. Greg has more bulk to push around down low but Bynum has a better array of offensive moves and his overall movement is smoother. I don’t think that Bynum is going dominate by any means but the experience will pay dividends. In my opinion, Bynum is better coached. This is not a knock of the Portland staff, they just don’t have a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar that they can call in as a tutor. If Paul Allen could use his money to coax Bill Russell, Wilt or Hakeem to come in, I would be all for it.

Lakers' Bench vs Blazers' Bench
Advantage: Portland

I like the Lakers bench a lot. Farmar will be the starting point guard either late this season or next, same with Ariza at the small forward, who is extremely athletic and exciting to watch. Walton will forever be a quality roll player at SF/PF. Chris Mihm, Vladimir Radmanovic and Sasha Vujacic are adequate but nothing special. Coby Karl and Yue Sun are projects. The Lakers have an 8-10 man rotation but the game mostly revolves around the starting unit and Kobe.

The Blazers are loaded with talent, almost too much talent. The entire second unit could fulfill starters rolls for the right team. McMillan is going to have his hands full distributing minutes. For the first half of the season, I think you could see an 11-man rotation where the entire second unit sees extended court time.

Travis Outlaw will be the first man off the bench and should contend for the 6th man of the year award. He is a scorer and can score against the majority of SFs and PFs in the league but he lacks the playmaking ability and defensive mindset to be a true star. Sergio and Rudy are like peas and carrots. Rudy is a playmaker, has a flair for the game and will likely take up most of the backup shooting guard minutes. He is an All-Star in the making. Sergio has improved this off-season and will take up most of the backup point guard minutes. The You-Tube highlight reel of ally-oops between Sergio and Rudy is already in the making. Jerryd Bayless can do some amazing things offensively but his lack of experience running the point and playing as a true point will limit his minutes. Channing Frye has proven that he can put of 15/10 numbers when given the chance to start. When LaMarcus takes a breather, or if he goes down with an injury, the offense will hardly lose a step, especially now that Frye is consistently hitting from 3pt range. Joel Przybilla, now relegated to the bench, could still start for a vast majority of teams and is likely one of the best backup centers in the league. Ike Diogu and Shavlik Randolph will not likely see much time this season unless starting players get injured.

Martell Webster will start the season on the IR but will likely return as the staring SF once he’s healthy, which is projected to be early January.

**Update**

Almost as i was posting this, I got a response from Kurt, who is the moderator at the Lakers Forum Blue And Gold. The starting lineup for the Lakers is slightly different but his comment addresses what needs to be said.

As for your preview (and Dave's), know that the Lakers will start Fish, Kobe, Vladimir Radmaiovic, Gasol and Bynum. The reason is simple, with two seven footers (even through both run well), this is not a lineup that will fast break all that much. (However, Gasol and Bynum both like to beat their opposing number down the floor and get deep early postion, where they are hard to stop.) What Radman does is spread the defense — Bynum and Pau are good inside, Kobe slashes and if you help off Radman he will bury the three. The Lakers are maybe the best passing team in the NBA, one through nine, and they are familiar with the offense and finding the open man. They move the ball well.

The Lakers use a second unit anchored by Odom, Ariza and Farmar to totally change the tempo, they are aggressive at both ends and like to run. In the preseason, the bench has extended a lot of leads. We'll see what happens when it matters.

In the first game of the Finish League Semi-finals, Petteri took it to a whole new level against the #1 team in the league.

28 Minutes
2pts - 5/7 (71%)
3pts - 5/8 (63%)
FTs - 0/0
Pts - 25
Rebounds - 2
Assists - 9
Turnovers - 0!!!
Steals - 5
Fouls - 1

All in all leading his team to a 92 to 67 victory and taking a 1 to 0 lead in the best of 5 series. Full box score (here) Koponen may not be the Blazers' answer at PG but it's still going to be fun to watch this kid play in summer league this year.      

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf?/base/sports/1207106708137090.xml& amp;coll=7

Mr. Canzano,

I appreciate your editorial comments, which at times, I find to be insightful, entertaining and impactful but your piece on Scott Morrison was the worst I've read in the last few years, only second to your exposé on Darius Miles' trip to the strip club. Your writing style in both these pieces took on an incendiary first person tone, leading your readers to believe that your editorial word carries the utmost truth, as if you yourself were a witness to these events. In my opinion, this has little place in the Op-Ed section of a reputable publication, let alone sports writing. I am not an alumnus of Portland State nor am I a Vikings fan but I am a fan of the legal system of this country and to my knowledge, Mr. Morrison's or Mr. Dominguez's guilt has not yet been established.

Tucked neatly into a second-paragraph sentence you include the phrase "alleged participant." While this may protect you under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, I find it to be highly abusive. These young men are not NBA players. They are not prominent public figures. They are student athletes. Your presumed guilt could cause irreparable harm to their future in our society. If the courts find them guilty, then by all means use your power as a published journalist to reprimand their actions, for the crime committed was a disgusting display of human indignity. However, until then, report the facts. Your story fell well below journalistic standards and is something more along the lines of what I would expect from a celebrity Ezine. If Mr. Morrison and Mr. Dominguez are found innocent, maybe you can find yourself a job working at PerezHilton.com.

An Avid Oregonian and Sports Section reader,

Jake    

When the Blazers aren't playing them, the L*kers, for me, have always been like a bad accident on the freeway that you can't help but stare at. When they play the Blazers, my blood starts to boil. There are very few players in the league that really get under my skin on an individual basis but the L*kers have had more of the those players than any other team. Over the last ten years, there has been no other player that I love to hate more than Rick Fox. He wasn't a great player but he knew how to hit a three right when the L*kers needed it to pull out wins, he would get away with egregious fouls, flop and get charges called and worst of all, he  was so smug about it. I think part of its the swagger of  Hollywood but he would just rub your face in it more. Complete L*kehole! Who is your most hated L*ker?      

If you have not already, check out this link over at O-Live.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/blazers/2008/01/nba_live_roy.jpg

As a disclaimer, I do not know if this is someone having fun with a mock-up or if this is under serious consideration by Electronic Arts but as Blazer fans, we should all be petitioning against it.

For sports players, there is nothing worse than the ERTS curse. While this curse has more commonly been associated with John Madden football (see wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madden_curse)but it has found its way into the NBA. Who was on the cover of Live '08 and who has been injured for most of this season? Answer...Agent 00, Gilbert Arenas. This could be the worst possible thing to happen to Roy and the franchise if this cover goes through.

If you are responsible for this cover art, please redesign it for NBA 2K9, as CP3 has been having a breakout year after his cover shot on 2K8.

Over at the Entertainment & Sports Programming Network website, an article (here) was out yesterday regarding Scottie "Too Hottie" Pippen's recent stent in Scandanavia playing for ToPo, a Finnish-league team and Sundsvall, a Swedish-league team.

It looks to me like Scottie, and Dennis Rodman before him (somewhat strange given the circumstances), are inventing their own version of the ex-NBA speaking circuit, as Pippen got $66k for the engagement.

Pippen had a few comments about the Blazers' Petteri Koponen, whom he played in his second game. "I wasn't too impressed with him on the defensive end, but offensively, he sure puts the ball up." Koponen fished with 18 in the game, shooting 6 of 13, 3 for 7 from behind the arc and 3 of 4 from the stripe.

It's difficult to say where Koponen goes after he finished his time in the Finnish army but I would like to see him move to one of the more difficult leagues in Europe for a year before bringing over. His Asst/Turnover ratio is still too high, almost 1 to 1 and he'll have to learn to play D, if he ever wants to play for Nate.

(Here) are his full year stats.
 

There was another link to the infamous Canz' article yesterday. He has topped himself again today. I was reading Barrett's blog and he made reference to how the Blazers have blossomed both on and off the court and pointed to Canz' article as the best one he has read. (Here). I am not a Canz fan by any means but today, he may be the best writer in the country.  

We did beat some good teams over the last month and half but the upcoming road trip will prove how battle ready Roy's Boyz have become.

What Martell did to put the game away against Utah was something so special that I don't think will repeat itself (for any player) for a long while, if not for the rest of the season. If Roy is healthy, I think 5-2 is achievable and I wouldn't count the Blazers out of any game at this point. We've come along way and I don't think Roy or anyone else on the team will let their collective improvement relapse into a pre-December state.  

Game 1: Toronto (17-17, 7th in the East) - When we played them at home, both teams shot extremely well. This was also LMA's first game back after sitting out with plantar fasciitis. His is defense has improved since then i.e. helping shut down the Boozer and will have more confidence to bang with Bosh. In general Portland's D has continued to improve and overall I don't expect Toronto to be lights out again. This is a W in my book.    

Game 2: New Jersey (17-16, 5th in the East) - Their first match up back in November was painful to be at. Even with Jefferson hanging 30 on us and Nach-who?-bar having a career night, I felt we were in this game. Late in the 4th, we didn't have the composure that the team has now. Vince wasn't 100% but Nachbar hasn't put up 20 points since then as NJ's production mix has shifted more towards Carter. I think Portland has more weapons, the depth to wear down the Nets and now, the composure to close games against mediocre to good teams away. This is a W in my book.

Game 3: Boston (29-3, 1st in the East) - Detroit proved they are vulnerable at home (but then again just lost to them at home) and compared to Detroit, I think we actually match up better player by player within our starting rotations. What Boston lacks is a bench, which the Blazers have in spades. I am chalking this one up as a loss but I would not count the Blazers out of this game by any means.    

Point Guard - The edge goes to the Blazers. Rondo is athletic and crafty but this is offset by his lack of experience and poor decision making at times. Blake is as heady as they come. I don't know if Boston looked at acquiring Blake in the off season, maybe a function of KP signing him before Boston finalized the KG trade but if they had Blake at point, I would hand Boston the Championship and Simmons can have his two days in the sun. Day one being the Pats unblemished record...for now.  

Shooting Guard - This is a hard one but I'm going with Portland. Mr. Shuttlesworth has the name clout but due to Boston's non-reliance on him as the #1 option, his #s are down this year. Over the last month and a half, Roy has been a man-child and is playing as good of a game as anyone in the NBA. I am giving the edge to the Blazers because of what Roy brings to the table for his team. He is the emotional leader and floor general, where Ray Ray is a scoring option but not the heart and soul of his team.

Small Forward - Hands down this goes to Boston. Even with KG and Allen's added production Pierce is still getting his. I think Martell and Travis' athleticism could cause him some problems on the offensive and defensive end but Pierce is for real.

Power Forward - Again this goes to Boston. Aldridge is going to have to work hard to keep KG off the boards. KG has the experience and killer instinct that Aldridge is still working to obtain. It will be a good showing of the now and the future of the elite power forwards in the league. That is for certain.

Center - The edge goes to the Blazers here. Perkins is a four year kid out of HS and his #s are actually pretty weak. I am surprised Boston isn't starting Davis at center. He is the only player I don't the Blazers have an answer for. Pryzbilla has a solid fundamental game and his improved free throw shooting this year is pretty remarkable.

Game 4: Miami (8-28, 16th in the East) - Miami is playing as bad as any team in the league and unless the Blazers have a complete mental lapse, they should win this one handily. A W puts them at 3-1 on the trip thus far.

Game 5: Orlando (22-13, 3rd in the East) - The have been the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde team of the season thus far and right now, they are showing a lot more Hyde. Flip that and you have the Blazers. Pryz is going to have his hands full inside with Howard and if he can stay out of foul trouble, I think the Blaze have a shot. This is also the teams' only back to back but they don't have to travel far and hopefully Miami won't too physically draining. Fry and Aldridge would get abused if they have to guard DH, which may mean that we bring in Raef for some burn. If we are in man-to-man I think LMA and Fry's quickness will help shut down Turg and Lewis, who are both 6-10 and good shooters. Aside from Boston, this is one of the two games I think we could lose but I also think the Blaze could pull it out. I'm splitting it. (3.5-1.5 thus far)

Game 6: Atlanta (15-16, 8th in the East) - The hawks are playing like the Blazers prior to December. A young team with lots of talent but they lack a Roy at this point. Atlanta is fairly tall with SGs through PFs 6-7 to 6-10 but they lack a true center and a good point. Should be a fun matchup to watch and if we had Oden, I think he could drop 25, given their lack of big man. Horford is solid and getting better but defending a true center versus a PF is bit different. Martell and Travis will have their hands full with Josh Smith but we have as much youthful athleticism as they do. This isn't a definite win but I think the Blazer will close the door on this game, especially if they do come off a loss to Orlando.

Game 7: New Orleans (23-11, 5th in the West, tied for 4th by record) - CP has been hot but he has been hot coming into both games at the Rose Garden and we've done a pretty good job of holding down his production (16 PTS 8.67 ASTs versus AVGs of 21.6 PTS 10.3 ASTs). Having played them three times and winning twice, I think Nate and co. know how to play this team. New Orleans will be looking for some revenge, given that we account for 40% of their road losses. I think that this could go either way, so I am splitting it. Final road trip tally (5-2).              

Not sure if this one has been posted yet but over at HoopsAnlayst.com (here), Harlan Schreiber, one of the better NBA stat bloggers around IMHO, has a piece on the three teams that have outperformed expectations thus far in the season. The three being the Blazers, L*kers and Hornets. He states that the L*kers and Hornets success is likely to continue based on a few contingencies but expects both to be contenders come season end.

On the Blazers, "The Blazers are going to be very good over the next five years or so but I don't think they can sustain this pace.  Their 15-1 run is great but they haven't had too many super tough games."

I agree with his statement that Portland's schedule has been somewhat favorable but we have played some good teams; New Orleans, the Jazz, Denver and Chicago. He goes onto discuss the upcoming road trip as Roy's Boyz first real test and that he expects the team to fall off. My homer intuition tells me that our start to the season is in no way indicative of how the team is going to handle itself on the road for the remainder of the season. All bias aside (if that is possible), I think the team can go 5-2 over that stretch. My one caveat to that would be if Roy's T-Bone is still bothering him.

Over the win streak, the team's consistency and playing style have me convinced that Roy is the point guard of the future for this team.

I appreciate the contribution that Blake and Jack have made and will continue make for the rest of the season. Yet, in my opinion, they are only a combination of what Roy already brings to the table. Blake is the better shooter and ball handler, while Jack is a better slasher with a drive to the lane first mentality. In December, Roy has brought the best of both these players and is doing it better than either of them could by themselves.

Sergio has been my personal favorite because of his quickness and flashy playing style but his brand of basketball is up-tempo and yearns for the open court. While some of the players on the current roster are runners, i.e. LMA & Travis, and the Blazers do occasionally push the ball, the team's tendency and Nate's play calling have lent to a more settled half court game.

In the fourth quarter against the Raptors, Nate was playing Roy at the point and moved Blake over to the SG spot. I really like the fluidity of this lineup, as both were initiating the offense but it was Roy who was ultimately creating the teams' looks.

As Roy continues to make the transition to playing the PG roll, probably full time next season, this is how I would like to see things shake out. Rather than keeping a PG on our roster that plays a different brand of basketball, i.e. Sergio, I would like to see a player that has very similar qualities and can step into the game without missing more than half a beat. I foresee our Finnish phenom potentially filling that roll.  

Petteri Kopenen is still 19, will be turning 20 in April, and has the scoring, ball handling and floor leadership that the Blazers are looking for in the long-term backup for Roy. If you look at Koponen's stats this season playing for Honka (here) Because of his size (6'4"), he is also a solid rebounder, which is one of the great things about Roy. He is the go-to player on his current team, which is likely the reason for his high turnovers, but being so young, there is definite room for improvement. Obviously, his point totals are indicative of his scoring and shooting abilities (40% from the 3pt line!!!). For being a scoring PG, his assist numbers are OK and he has shown improvement over Honka's last few games.              

With Roy playing the point, we do not have any other SGs on the roster, until Rudy comes over next season. The way I see things breaking down, Roy will be our starting PG next season. Blake is a capable point guard but doesn't have the tenacity or the scoring abilities that Roy does and I see him either starting at SG or playing a backup to both Roy and Rudy. His recent hot streak from the perimeter has been impressive and I hope it continues.

Depending on how Koponen gels with the team during summer league, I think he potentially could see quality minutes either as the #2 PG or #3 behind Blake, much in the same fashion as Sergio is this year.

As much as I like Sergio, I think his potential is being limited by the lack of minutes and Portland would be better served by trading him, as his potential alone will garner a decent return, maybe for a mid-level exemption so we can gain a roster spot.

I love the energy that Jack brings when he comes in but for all of his contributions, he is equally as reckless. With the talent that the Blazers have, I just don't see him fitting into our championship puzzle.

Simple breakdown:

PG - Roy/Koponen
SG - Fernandez/Blake                                        
           

Set your Tivos, Miracle Whip & Rose will be squaring off in what could be one the best college regular season games of the year. Maybe not, as I expect Memphis to dominate but it will showcase two of the two best talents in collegiate hoops today. USC is traveling to Memphis and tip will be at 6pm PST on ESPN. If the Blazers are staring down another 30 win season, Mayo or Rose could be in the cards. I would much prefer Rose....did anyone see his stat line from the other night? Austin Peay or not - 19pts 12 Asts and only 2 TO's...suit him up!!!

There is some chatter going around the Rose City that the Blazers should trade Raef Lafrentz and Darius Miles for the Knicks' disgruntled Marbury. Casey Holdahl is all over this at OL. I think having the cap space in '09 and the roster spot would be an improvement over our current situation. Even throwing Marbury into the mix rather than buying out his contract wouldn't be as bad as some people think. I don't see any of our current players running with the likes of Marbury as it is. They may even have a grounding affect. If the Knicks would go for it, I say pull the trigger KP.

Getting the roster spot would free up space for Rudy or Freeland next season. I don't know Freeland's current contract stipulations with Gran Canaria but his overall situation is bad, bad, bad. He's seen 5 minutes in one game out of the seven they've played this year. If we can, I say bring him over now and let him backup Prz and Fry at the center spot. He's going to provide more energy than Raef ever could.

What do you think?

With all the preseason optimism, outsiders (being all of us on this blog) are beginning to lose focus of what Nate & co. are trying to build. It's a young team with a lot of raw talent and heart but confidence, maturity and leadership are somewhat lacking. Puting the best starting unit on the court that can win ball games is the right strategy, but there is a reason why Nate chose who he did when the season began. Just because the team is off to an 0-3 start and some starters aren't playing up to potential doesn't mean that they should get benched.  

This early in the season, removing a player from his starting roll is likely to be taken as a vote of non-confidence from the coaching staff, which could prove to be further detrimental to the players' mental development. Jack, Pryz and Webster earned their rolls because they worked their butts off to get ready for the season. Pryz isn't going anywhere because there are no other bigs but Jack should be given a chance to prove himself. His confidence in himself is waning and removing him from the starting lineup isn't going to help. Webster's consistency should keep him in the starting rotation but again, we're only 3 games into the season.  

IMHO, a reevaluation of current starters shouldn't even take place until after Detroit game on the 13th. Minutes to bench players is one thing, but I'm for leaving the starters in place...at least for now.