SB Nation Blog: PtownJake

Sergio to Travis reverse alley-oop, two times over baby!!!! Portland 113 vs Memphis 91, April 15, 2008.

PtownJake — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:05:54 -0000

Koponen Tearing It Up

PtownJake — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:06:16 -0000

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.

OT: Dear John

PtownJake — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 22:38:31 -0000

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

The Most Hated Laker

PtownJake — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:56:04 -0000

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?

Potentially Serious Problem For Roy

PtownJake — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 16:35:25 -0000

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.

Pippen in Sweden and a Few Petteri Comments

PtownJake — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:53:01 -0000

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.

It's like KP reengineered Canzano

PtownJake — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 20:35:23 -0000

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.

Road Trip Thoughts

PtownJake — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 01:56:48 -0000

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).

HoopsAnalyst Has A Good Piece On The Outperforming Teams

PtownJake — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:11:59 -0000

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.

The Point Guard Prognosis

PtownJake — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:15:15 -0000

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