SB Nation User Blog: ucatchtrout

Win 2 tickets to the Denver game

ucatchtrout — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:19:27 -0000

WIN 2 FREE TICKETS TO SEE THE BLAZERS PLAY DENVER, ON OCT 29, AT THE ROSE GARDEN

To win you must accurately predict the total score of the Blazers first regular season game, on Oct 27 vs Houston.(if the score is Blazers 102, Houston 98, and you picked 200, you would win.)

There are two tiebreakers. The first tiebreaker is predicting who will win the game. The second tiebreaker will be picking a number between one and one hundred.

Entries should look like this.

Total score-200
Game winner-Portland
Number-32

Good luck!

TO ENTER, CLICK ON THIS LINK AND POST YOUR ENTRY

Breaking down the Blazers......Part Five

ucatchtrout — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:12:13 -0000

The center position is one of the strongest spots on the Blazers roster. And if you combine last seasons stats for Joel Pryzbilla and Greg Oden the numbers look pretty good. 13.4 pts, 15.7 rbs, 2.3 bks. What team wouldn't be happy with that?

Last season began with the Trailblazers annointing Greg as their starter at the 5 spot. It was and up and down year for the youngster from Ohio State. He started 39 games for Portland, had a career-high 24 points and 15 rebounds in a win against the Milwaukee Bucks on January 19. If he'd averaged 36 minutes of PT his PER for the year would have been 14.8 pts, 11.6 rbs, and 1.9 bks. The season also had its low points for Oden. Not only did he have trouble staying in games due to foul trouble, ( if he'd averaged 36 minutes his PER for fouls would have been 6.5) he had physical problems as well and suffered an injury to his foot during his first game against the Lakers, and fractured his kneecap in February during a collision with Corey Magette and missed three weeks.

Much was made of the fact that Greg was only able to play in 61 games last season. But if you compare that with Joel Pryzbillas 11 year NBA career, there were only 4 seasons in which Joel was able to play more than 61 games. And it was only the second time in his five years in Portland that he was able to do so. Fortunately for the Blazers, last season the grizzly veteran was a bit of an iron man and played in all 82 games for the first time in his career.

Portland will begin the season with two legitimate starting caliber centers in Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla. LaMarcus Aldridge will also likely see a bit of PT at the 5 spot if the Blazers go small. Rookie Jeff Pendergraph will likely do little more than keep the bench warm during games and provide a big body to practice with.

Despite the fact that this position looks solid on paper there are some questions left to be answered. Who will start? Will Joel (who can opt of his contract next summer) be traded at the deadline for cap relief or another player to backup Greg Oden? And with either of these players or any other big man, you have to wonder about whether or not they will be able to remain healthy all season.

Coach McMillian has often said a player won't lose his starting job due to injury. And he has also said isn't going to change the starting lineup from last season because the team won 52 games and made the playoffs. As much as I like the coach I have to point out that what he says and what he does are often two different things. Just two summers ago he proclaimed that Taurean Green was going to win some games for the Blazers. And Green as we all know didn't play much and ended up with a ticket out of town.

Joel Pryzbilla probably had the best season of his career last year, after it appeared he was headed for the shelf in favor of the Blazers number one pick Greg Oden. Oden, as we all know, had his problems last year and the team really needed the solid play and leadership it got from the Thrilla. Joel had a chance to leave town last time he was a free agent and instead chose to remain in Portland for less money and play on a losing team that had fallen out of favor with its fans. At the time, much was made of his decision to stay here, and one could argue that it was one of the turning points for this franchise. In my mind the biggest question about Joel is his contract status. He has a chance to opt out next summer, and will probably do so. At thirty years old this will likely be his last chance at a fat long term deal. A seven foot center with his credentials isn't easy to come by in the NBA, and there is no doubt there are teams out there who will be willing to offer him more money than the Trailblazers will be willing to pay. It's not that Joel hasn't earned it. He has. But with the salary cap shrinking and the max deal Brandon Roy just got, the near max deal LaMarcus Aldridge will be signing shortly, and the need to sign Greg Oden to an extension the next year there is only so much money that can be spread around. Will the Blazers go over the cap and re-sign him? Will he chose to stay here and play here for less? He is a midwest boy, who lives modestly, and will still wind up with more money than he can ever spend. Will the team trade him? Or will he simply decide to NOT opt out?

I'm hoping the team and he are able to find a way for him to remain a Blazer. No matter which player starts, clearly he and Greg make each other better. They take a lot of pressure off each other. And as Joel transistions from starter to backup, he can remain an impact player. He said more than once last year he liked coming off the bench and playing a few less minutes. He said he didn't have to worry as much about fouls and could be more aggressive.

Greg Oden is coming off a tough rookie season. There were high expectations for Greg, and him not being an overnight sensation led to dissapointment for him and his fans. It also fed critics who labeled him a head case, injury prone, a bust, and the worst draft pick since LaRue Martin.

To be fair in analyzing last season you have to factor in the many difficulties and challenges he face. First of all, he was coming off microfracture surgery. And despite the fact that he did indeed play last year, that surgery commonly takes 24 months to fully recover from. Just ask Kenyon Martin, or Amare Stoudamire. The additional time is needed for a player to regain his lift, his lateral movement, and explosiveness. After a year layoff I also don't think Greg was in good shape last season, and he often appeared fatigued or winded. I'm not trying to be an apologist for Oden here, but I do think before the jury is out on his play we need to factor in some of these things and then see what he is able to bring to the table this year.

I know the team and Greg got together at the end of the season for an evaluation and looked at what needed to happen for him to improve. Greg had previously announced a plan of going to summer school at Ohio State, and while he did indeed go to Ohio he ended up chosing to study in the gym rather than in the classroom. He spent most of the summer working on his game and his conditioning with coaches and players. He spent time consulting with a nutritionist. And he also spent time working with a sports psychologist on his mental approach to the game. Much was made of his foul difficulty last season, but I think being in better shape and having a years experience under his belt will be enough for us to see a big improvement in that area.

Oden is in Portland now, working out informally with Coach Lucas, Brandon Roy, Martell Webster and others. He has done and is doing the things necessary for him to take his game to the next level this season. The Blazers have a lot invested in Greg Oden, and for them to get a return on it I believe he should start. I want him playing and practicing with the first unit. And I want the coach to let him play himself through his difficulties. Not only is it time for Greg Oden to step his game up and stand up and be who he is....it is time for the team to stand strong behind him. He has the tools to take a great leap forward this year and I believe he will do so. The team also has the tools to back him in this.

I'd like to see Greg playing 25 to 30 minutes per game this season and Joel 18 to 23. Its enough PT for each to have time to get into a rhythm and be productive and its enough down time to keep each player fresh and injuries to a minimum.

Your thoughts?

Click on this link and join the discussion at Club Blazers

Breaking down the Blazers......Part 2

ucatchtrout — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:01:49 -0000

Breaking down the Blazers…….Part 2

Breaking down the Blazers by position….Part Two

Who is our point guard? And who do we want to be our point guard? These are two questions that have often been asked about our Portland Trailblazers over the last couple of seasons. We’ve had a number of players look to claim that spot over the years, Steve Blake, Sergio Rodriguez, Jerryd Bayless, Petteri Kopponen, to name a few. And we had another hopeful in Summer League camp in Patty Mills until he went down with an unfortunate foot injury.

Our point guards going into the 2009-10 season.
Andre Miller, starter
Steve Blake, backup
Brandon Roy, may pick up a few minutes here and there at the point
Bayless, not likely to see much time at this position unless there is an injury to Blake or Miller.

There may have been more questions about who the Blazers will use at this position than any other. Hopefully some of those questions were answered during the offseason with the free agent signing of veteran Andre Miller. Everyone knows that Brandon Roy will handle the ball, including our opponents. The guy got mugged in the playoffs last year and clearly needed some help. If you are one of those folks who insist Brandon Roy is the point guard on our team I respectfully disagree. He can fill that spot at times, but we are asking him to do so much already, in the long run its probably best if someone else initiates the fast break and starts the offense. Roy admitted as much after Miller was signed and said he was looking forward to fast breaking more. That was good news to me, and I’m sure to other fans who have been disenchanted with Nates ball control offense.

Despite what kind of smoke Nate was blowing around the wagons when he made his recent comments about Steve Blake being the starter, and not thinking it wise to tinker with the lineup of a 54 win team, Andre Miller is going to be our starter at the point guard position. We can say what we want about open competition in training camp, guys having to EARN their spots, or starters having secure jobs until someone takes them away……Andre Miller will take that postion, and he will do so because there is no one close to being as good as he is at the 1 on this team.

In our video locker we have some footage of Andre Miller. I like Steve Blake, but Blakey is not even in the same league as this guy. Has Blake Blocked Jermaine ONeal or Dirk Nowitzki? Nor does he have the inside game, fast break game, finishing ablility, or deadly mid range jumper. If you haven’t watched Miller play all that much or aren’t that familiar with his game check out the highlight reels. Andre can play. And he can play well enough that at one point signed a close to maximum contract with Denver.

The Trailblazers did not cough up the rest of their capspace on Andre Miller to give him the ten to fifteen minutes of PT, that last seasons backup Sergio Rodriguez got. Even though Miller was GM Kevin Prictchards third attempt at signing a free agent this summer he is still a player we wanted and who probably wanted to come here more than the other two did. He is a big upgrade over the incumbent Steve Blake and I, for one, and really looking forward to see what he can do with this team.

Miller is a smart player who has made every team he played for better. He is a leader. He is a teacher. He is a coach on the floor. And despite the fact that his arrival probably means Jerryd Bayless will again be sitting more than playing, Miller might just be the guy that ends up helping Bayless put it all together. Both are tenacious. Both are tough. And neither one of them is afraid of hard work.

LA and Oden probably don’t know it yet, but Miller is going to make both of them better. If they get open they WILL get the ball. Put Miller and Oden out there together, and I guarantee you that we won’t be seeing Greg wandering around wondering why no one will pass him the ball. He will get it. and he will get it on his way to the hoop where he can do the most damage with it.

Fans of Rudys special connection with his pal Sergio need not worry about missing out on those spectacular lobs and dunks. Miller is as good as anyone in the league with that pass. It won’t take long for these two to work that play out.

Miller grew up in a very rough neighborhood in Los Angeles and was raised by a single parent. She worked hard to make sure he learned how to get the things he wanted out of life. She made sure he put in the effort necessary for him to suceed scholastically, and athletically. Neither one of those things was particularly easy for Andre. He had to sit out a year in college so he could become academically eligible. His coach Rick Majerus later said of him that school was so difficult for him that he had to put in A effort, just to get a C. Miller ended up graduating from Utah with two degrees.

For several seasons now Steve Blake has started at point guard. The coach likes him. Kevin Pritchard likes him. His teammates like him. Thats real nice, but the sentiment was always that we could do better at that position. I’ve heard it said many times that people thought Blake was great, but what they would really like is for him to be our backup point guard and that he’d be the perfect backup for this team.

I’m not sure “perfect backup” is the spot Steve Blake envisions for himself as a career goal. He has been a very important part of our team for the last few seasons, and has earned the respect our coach was giving him when he declined the opportunity to handover the starting role to Miller before training camp.

Blake is at times a deadly three point shooter and can easliy transition into a 2 after dumping the ball off to Brandon. Having enough gunners on the floor to help with spacing and keep opponents from clogging the middle is important for our team.

I’m just kind of wondering at this point how the minutes are going to break down because Miller really should get most of them. If Miller gets the minutes that Blake got last year, is the ten to fifteen minutes Rodriguez got enough PT for Steve? I’m not sure it is. Maybe you try to keep Andre at about 30 minutes, Blake ten to fifteen and the remainder to Brandon? Or do you give a few minutes each night to Rudy? Rudy can do a lot more with the ball than he was given the chance to do last season. Until Miller was picked up there was talk of playing him at the point either to start the game, like he did in the last game vs Houston, or having him back up Blake.

Your thoughts?

Join the discussion

Breaking down the Blazers...part 1

ucatchtrout — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:46:39 -0000

Breaking down the Blazers by position....Part One

Its starting to look like the Blazers roster is shaping up nicely for next season and some team officials have indicated they think their won't be any more personel moves before the games begin. Originally, I thought I'd begin this series with the 1 position, but with todays big news about the Brandon Roy contract I found myself thinking about him.

Other than perhaps center, the 2 is the strongest position on the Blazers.
Brandon Roy, starter
Rudy Fernandez, backup
Bayless, & Blake may play limited minutes at this position

All star Brandon Roy, recently rewarded with a five year contract worth over eighty million dollars, is the unquestioned leader of our team. If you look back at the impact Brandon has had on the Blazers one might go so far as to say that the day he was drafted was the end of the Jailblazer era. On and off the court he has been a model of what ownership and fans alike want from a player.

Draw up a list of how many 2 guards in the league are better than Brandon Roy. Or even a list of how many players are better than Brandon Roy. Your list might not be the same as mine, but it in any case it won't be a long list. For the Portland Trailblazers, Brandon Roy has been just what the doctor ordered.

What can we expect from BRoy this year? Brandon is not the kind of person or player whose performance will drop after they get their big payday. I think we can all assume that barring injury he will have another allstar season. With a deeper team, I'm hoping Nate will be able to reduce Brandons minutes just a little bit, and turn over some of the offensive responsibilty to Andre Miller. I think last years playoff series with Houston showed not only how much the Blazers rely on Brandon, but that at times they rely on him a bit too much making them a bit too predictable. Miller will help with that, and I'm looking forward to seeing opponents not knowing from which direction the Blazers are going to attack them.

Second year guard Rudy Fernandez is a player who could start for many teams. Last year he teamed with fellow countryman Sergio Rodriguez to form the Blazers Spanish Armada. Rudys acrobatic dunks and three point shooting were at times spectacular. A seasoned veteran of international and Olympic play, in many respects Rudy was no rookie. However, I do think the physical play of the NBA took some getting used to for him. In some ways I think he may have been underutilzed last year. Much of the time offensively he was little more than a spot up three point shooter. In Europe Rudy was accustomed to having the ball in his hands a little more and has a bit more to his skillset than we shown. He has proven to be a deadly and willing passer, and before the Blazers picked up Andre Miller there was talk of playing him some at the 1. Rudy is never going to be a lock down defender, but has quick hands and is capable of disrupting an opponents offense and picking up some steals.

Its unfortunate for Jerryd Bayless that he didn't grow six inches this summer. During the Las Vegas Summer League he didn't impress anyone with his performance as a point guard. In fact, he was outplayed by Pooh Jeter. What he really is, is an undersized 2 guard. Jerryd is well liked by fans for his hard work in practice and aggressive style of play. He is also in the unfortunate position of having to compete for minutes at the two positions he plays with teammates who are better than he is. His jump shot and three point shot are not what they were in college and need improvement. And these are areas where we can reasonably expect him to improve. Fans enjoy his aggressive drives to the basket, but I think he is overrated as a finisher as he commits a lot of fouls, doesn't pass well off the drive, and often gets his shot blocked. I think it will help Jerryd if his role is more clearly defined as a 2 or a 1, and then put him to work on what he needs to do to earn time at either position.

Steve Blake may also see time at this position due to his shooting ability when Nate runs a three guard lineup.

Your thoughts?

Join the discussion at Club Blazers

WIN A JERSEY!!!!

ucatchtrout — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 02:10:43 -0000

WIN A JERSEY!!!!

Win yourself a Blazers Jersey!

The idea for our new contest came from blazabala30, and he will be managing the contest.

Thank you blazabala30!

TO ENTER CLICK ON THIS LINK

TO WIN A JERSEY....YOU WILL MAKE YOUR PREDICTIONS IN THE GAMEDAY THREADS....
Pick The Spread of each blazers game.
For example:
Blazers @ Lakers
Lakers -4.5
The - means that lakers are favored by 4.5, So if you pick lakers to win, they must win by 5,
If you pick Blazers to win, they must lose by 4 or win.

Free tickets to Thunder game on Wednesday

ucatchtrout — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 23:11:17 -0000

Free tickets to Thunder game on Wednesday

http://www.clubblazers.com/blazers-discussion/who-wants-free-tickets-see-the-thunder-t1704.html

I'm giving away two tickets to the Thunder game on Wednesday night to the person who has the best reason why I should give them the tickets.

What is a career ending injury?

ucatchtrout — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 20:20:58 -0000

The answer to this question is the real problem. After the Allan Houston thing the league attempted to define this and modified the rules to what they are today.

Unfortunately they didn't get it quite right, which is why we have the brouhaha going on over Darius Miles today.

The rule is designed to provide relief to teams whose players suffer career ending injuries. Miles injury is so bad his knee can NOT support a professional basketball career. The team doctor, independant doctors, the NBA doctor, and the players assciations own doctor all agreed upon this. There is simply ZERO chance they got this wrong. If you've never seen them I have to tell you that the quality of todays MRI and XRay exams is nothing short of amazing. You can see every single thing inside the knee. (We just had this done on my sons knee Wednesday night. He has an injured MCL.)

Name one credible MEDICAL source that says Miles knee is okay. You can't, because there aren't any. There are agents and team officials and even Miles himself selling stories about his knee. But they are all FLUFF.

It's not a question of IF Miles knee will break if he plays professional basketball, it's a question of WHEN.

Notice nobodys offering Miles a 2 or 3 year deal? If they were so certain his knee was okay they would. SInce we have this arbitrary ten game rule, teams have found a way to use that to gain a competitive and financial advantage against the Trailblazers by exploiting Miles and his desire to resume the rockstar style life of an NBA player. I don't like what these teams are doing, but they aren't breaking any rules.

I also don't like the ten game rule. This situation has illustrated the problem with it. I'm not saying the Blazers should be given a pass on this. The rules are the rules and everybody has to play by them. But I will say the ten game thing should be changed, and the career ending injury status redifined.

If your mechanic says don't drive your car, but you know it will start and go down the road it doesn't mean your car is okay. It means your car is living on borrowed time. IF you choose to drive it, you know eventually it WILL break.

Miles knee is like that. Whether it's a good choice or not to play professional basketball on that knee, it remains HIS choice.

The Blazers didn't try and force him to play on that knee, they paved the way for him to retire while he was still in good enough health to be able to walk on it, and they made sure through their insurance carrier he will get paid the full 48 million dollars that were on his contract. They acted responsibly. They went through the process with the doctors, the league, and the players association to make this all happen.

Competitors are now trying to use that ten game loophole and Darius Miles desire to resume the lifestyle of an NBA player to their advantage against the Blazers. I don't like it, but that's the way it is, and they are within their rights to do so.

The Blazers had this called right. And they knew the Grizzlies were about to resign Miles. The Blazers knew they were screwed. They did what a lot of people in America do. They had their lawyer write a nasty letter threatening litigation. Most likely nothing will ever come of it. But you never know. You CAN sue anybody for anything. Doesn't mean you will ever collect a dime, but you will force the other party to defend themselves. In the courts you defend yourself by spending money. Who has deeper pockets than Paul Allen? Maybe you don't like what the Blazers did here. But just like with Darius Miles and the Memphis Grizzlies, they were well within their rights to do so.

I doubt the league will ever offer Portland any relief for this situation. I do hope however, they take another look at the rules and see what can be done to make them better. Maybe Darius Miles shouldn't even be allowed to play if a doctor says that his knee is so injured it's likely to break if subjected to the rigors of professional basketball. Of course if you go that route you run the risk of somebody claiming you are taking away Darius right to work. Maybe you don't have the ten game rule. If the doctors say they are broken, they are broken and you get the relief. Or maybe you change the ten games to a full season, which is probably a better measure of whether someone is capable of playing competitively on a regular basis.

Courtside Notes 12/29

ucatchtrout — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 00:34:52 -0000

Trail Blazers Courtside
12/29/08, 6-7pm
Note: only hour show due to Duck basketball
Hosts: Mike Barrett, Mike Rice, Brian Wheeler

Summary

    * McMillian – I see areas we still need to improve on. We just go to focus on it and commit to doing it.
    * Mike Rice – last five years in the West the teams with the best win record on the road advance to the playoffs. Portland is 8th and Utah 9th best of the nine teams contending for 8 playoff spots.
    * Predictions for 2009 – Mike Barratt - “Trail Blazers will make a blockbuster deal right before the trade deadline using Raef LaFrenz’s contract to land a former all-star”
    * John Hollinger, ESPN Analyst – 93% chance Portland will make the playoffs and 38% chance Portland will win the division[/QUOTE]

If you wish to read the rest of Courtside Notes click here

How do we fire up the big guy?

ucatchtrout — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 03:41:28 -0000

How do we fire up the big guy?

Let's set aside for a moment the comments made recently by Jason Quick of the Oregonian and just consider what we have all observed. We've seen a young man having a hard time getting used to playing with the big boys. Thats all it is really.

Add to that, that he is coming off an injury and a year away from the game and you have forced upon a 20 year old a learning curve that is steep enough that he is struggling with it. And I think he is also struggling with those who have been anxious to criticize someone who was for a good many reasons unable to be the overnight sensation they expected him to be.

Jason Quick went too far in what he had to say about our starting center. Way too far. If I were a few years younger and had a few beers in me, and I found him sitting across from me in a bar I might even go so far as to invite him outside so he could hear what I really think of him. But I'm not a few years younger. And I won't off in an alley somewhere flying off the handle spewing my pithy sarcasm into Quicks face. I'm just an old man with a laptop. So I'll sack up and be a man here and see if I can organize my thoughts so rational fans out there in Blazerland can understand them.

Do you kick your dog when he is down?

Do you tell your wife she is an incompetant when she is struggling at work?

Do you tell your kids they will never amount to anything if they get a bad grade or get in trouble?

Or do you support them anyway? And let them know you will be there for them and be behind them no matter what? Then do whatever you can do to let them know it and help them feel good enough to take the next brave step forward in facing whatever is challenging them?

In some ways Quicks observations were not that far off the mark. Especially if you look at his followup comments. He just went too far by making it personal.

The kid is down. Our kid is down. And I mean no disrespect to Greg by calling him a kid. In many respects he is a boy playing a mans game and a boy in a mans body. He just isn't completely grown up yet. And quite frankly I'd hate to see either of my kids who are that age be under the kind of pressure that young man is under.

But if they were, I'd help them. I'd rack my brain trying to think of whatever I could do or say to support them.

Greg is our guy. He IS our number one pick. I wouldn't change that, and I doubt the Blazers would either. So what do they do with him? Clearly he is affected by the pressure. He walks out sullenly when introduced at the beginning of the game. When other players are jumping up and down getting ready for the tip off, he just stands there and looks around. And the charming fellow that always had the press laughing is quiet and distant.

If you are the Blazers what do you do with Greg to get the fires going again?

Do you tell him to push back, when other players push him? Or tell him to pretend he is Karl Malone and throw an elbow or two?

Knowing his love for dancing...do you have him pick the opening song and have him lead the Blazers out on the floor? Or have a Dance Dance Revolution contest between him and his teammates and the fans?

Do you tell him to play his rear off, don't worry about the fouls, and then actually start throwing the ball to him while he is moving towards the basket off a pick and roll?

Do you force feed him at the offensive end until he gets over whatever difficulties he is having and let him feel good about scoring some points?

And lastly, as fans, what can we do to let #52 we are behind him no matter what?

Cheer every time he touches the ball?

Chant his name when he is introduced? and when he enters the game?

Cancel our Oregonian subscriptions?

Have our own Dance Dance Revolution contest and make him the judge?

12/8 Courtside Notes

ucatchtrout — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:13:36 -0000

courtesy of Discovery 69

12/8 - Trail Blazer Courtside - Monday

by discovery69 on Wed Dec 10, 2008 6:41 pm

Trial Blazer Courtside
Monday, December 8, 2008, 6-8pm PST
Hosts: Jay Allen & Michael Holton

Summary

Nate McMillan – he is having Greg focus on defense first and worry about offense later.
Brian Wheeler – since Brandon Roy has been a Blazer they are 25 wins, 9 losses in games decided by 3pts or less
Terry Porter – he had his H.S. jersey, college jersey and now the pinnacle of his playing career the retirement of his pro jersey.
Bill Schonley:
- Without Bobby Gross (similar to Rudy) there would not be any championship.
- Terry Porter the third most popular blazer only behind Bill Walton and Clyde Drexler in his opinion.
- The current Blazers remind him of the great championship team of the 70’s and the finals teams of the 90’s.
Michael Holton
- The great Coach John Wooden once said that it’s amazing what a team can accomplish when no one is concerned on who gets the credit.
- The Blazers have good team quickness in getting out of area rebounds, making plays down the stretch and having key defensive stops.
- Roy, Fernandez, Aldridge, Blake and Outlaw are goto shooters. Most teams only have one or two, but the Blazers have at least 4 to 5 key players to take the shot.

To read the rest of Courtside Notes visit this link