[Game Thread] Portland @ Houston

[Spykes]

Or, just remember the Blazers before Brandon.

Ya, just a few seconds after I hit Submit, I thought about that too.

[PDXKnight]

11 days until the trade deadline.. Come on KP!!

Yeah, I'm really hoping that he can get a backup bigman that can pound the boards and defend. I think this team is alright offensively but it's hard to win when you allow layup after layup and/or you give away bail out fouls repeatedly. KP should try to package Jack or sergio for such a player before the deadline. I'm tired of watching this team as it is and a move is definitely needed IMHO.

[taufblazers33]

..i hope another fight happens within the blazers locker room. anybody got chairs for blake?

[PDXKnight]

good game guys

Not to rain on your parade but it wasn't really a good game for us. The rockets dominated the Blazers and I am ahamed by Portland's effort tonight.

[Mr Odd]

Roy is our best post player. He is our PG, SG, SF, and post presence.

LOL Exactly!!

Roy is the only player who can create points.
If Rudy does come over next season I am
really hoping he can help out with that!!

[Spykes]

I'm still sticking with the notion that we're better off standing pat unless some no-brainer of a deal comes along before the deadline.

The biggest thing holding Portland back from being a playoff team isn't necessarily their roster, it's their competition. Even if we made a minor deal that nets us a player who fits the team a little better, we still won't be good enough to jump some of the other teams out West. I just have a hard time believing that there is a deal out there that'll make us better than Houston, Golden State or Denver.

And like I always say, Portland is in a good spot whether they make or miss the playoffs.

[d-train]

There is no way to make 1 trade that will make us a great team this season. We need Greg Oden playing basketball.

[Spykes]

There is no way to make 1 trade that will make us a great team this season. We need Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez and another lotto pick playing basketball.

Fixed. Otherwise, I completely agree.

[JK80]

It's very unfortunate for the Blazers that there are so many good teams in the West this year. Any other year they may have a chance at making the playoffs, but probably not this year. Look at the teams above them and there's not one team that you can say the Blazers are better than.

[PDXKnight]

I'm still sticking with the notion that we're better off standing pat unless some no-brainer of a deal comes along before the deadline.

The biggest thing holding Portland back from being a playoff team isn't necessarily their roster, it's their competition. Even if we made a minor deal that nets us a player who fits the team a little better, we still won't be good enough to jump some of the other teams out West. I just have a hard time believing that there is a deal out there that'll make us better than Houston, Golden State or Denver.

And like I always say, Portland is in a good spot whether they make or miss the playoffs.

I've got a 3 team proposal:

Portland Trades:
Jarret Jack
Raef Lafrentz
Darius Miles
Joel Przybilla
Channing Frye

Portland Acquires:
Lebron James
Tim Duncan

San Antonio trades:
Tim Duncan

San Antonio acquires:
Raef Lafrentz
Joel Przybilla

Cleveland Trades:
Lebron James

Cleveland acquires:
Darius Miles
Jarret Jack
Channing Frye

I don't know how Cleveland and San Antonio could say no to this.

[d-train]

Well, I think Oden, Roy, and LMA are the foundation of the team. We need those 3 playing together so we can get a better idea what else is needed.

[doogul]

Also, I don't think we can overlook just how important James Jones has been. The timeline of Jones and the timeline of the Blazers successes parallel almost exactly....

Yep, I agree! I think his contributions are more than just sharpshooting, too. He's a veteran presence during the game. He knows the tricks of the trade. He came up with some big defensive plays too. He's one of those people that brings the intangibles, and right now I'm not sure if we have anybody like that other than Roy right now. And Roy still has a lot of growing room for stuff like that too, which is scary!

BTW, on another random note, anybody else sick of seeing Joel flopping? What a freakin' joke. I like Joel, and I know he was getting the calls early in the year, but c'mon. It looks so fake now. He's almost like Vlade Jr. out there at times.

[Mr Odd]

-= original quote snipped =-



Fixed. Otherwise, I completely agree.

I think I would replace the lotto pick with a vet who can score.

But thats just me.

Unless that lotto pick is 1-7, then ok.

[Spykes]

Yep, I agree! I think his contributions are more than just sharpshooting, too. He's a veteran presence during the game. He knows the tricks of the trade. He came up with some big defensive plays too. He's one of those people that brings the intangibles, and right now I'm not sure if we have anybody like that other than Roy right now. And Roy still has a lot of growing room for stuff like that too, which is scary!

BTW, on another random note, anybody else sick of seeing Joel flopping? What a freakin' joke. I like Joel, and I know he was getting the calls early in the year, but c'mon. It looks so fake now. He's almost like Vlade Jr. out there at times.

Great points.

[Texas Longhorns]

Good game guys, have a great season. I hope Roy makes a good impression in the all-star game and also that you guys have a chance to make it to the playoffs. Again, good luck, good game, good night.

[Mr Odd]

Good game guys, have a great season. I hope Roy makes a good impression in the all-star game and also that you guys have a chance to make it to the playoffs. Again, good luck, good game, good night.

Thanks!!
We enjoyed you in the chatroom.. .
Like I said, youre welcome back anytime theres a game!!

[taufblazers33]

the problem with our team is we have way too many role players. if u look closely, during our winning streak someone different stepped up each game. that is not good. we need consistent contribution.
and i dont know how much greg oden will improve our team next year. i think our offense is a problem right now, and i dont see oden helping us out in that category much.
we need a scorer on our team.

[Wizenheimer]

the problem with our team is we have way too many role players. if u look closely, during our winning streak someone different stepped up each game. that is not good. we need consistent contribution.
and i dont know how much greg oden will improve our team next year. i think our offense is a problem right now, and i dont see oden helping us out in that category much.
we need a scorer on our team.

are you kidding?...picture Joel Pryzbilla on the pick and roll. Now imagine him bigger, stronger, more athletic, 40% quicker, with the ability to actually catch the ball in traffic and immediately go up with power from about 8' in. Pryzbilla can't catch the ball and he can't dribble once without a high probability of a turnover. Oden will be of a different caliber as far as inside presence. It won't happen immediately of course, but he will, almost certainly, improve the blazers on the offensive end. And it will help open things up for everybody else.

And while some people are getting frustrated with the blazers play of late, I look at this season as what it was described as to begin with: a learning process. And I think the blazers are not only learning a ton, but have also demonstrated that the arrival of their 'potential' may happen a year or two earlier then we could have optimistically expected.

[Papercut]

-= original quote snipped =-
hahaha and im sure hes not at all frustrated by all the wide open shots hes gotten LMA that he has missed tonight... If anything, Aldridge is the one KILLING this team tonight

There was nothing wrong with the shots LMA was taking tonight. I'm positive that Nate was encouraging him to take them, because it's the only way to get Yao out of the lane and open things up for the guards. He stopped hitting them in the second half which obviously doesn't work, but he had to keep shooting for us to have any chance.

What's frustrating for a coach and for Roy (the only guy demanding double teams) is when the roleplayers are given open shots, but don't have the confidence to take them. At that point, they need to come out of the game, because they're just hurting your offense. Witness Jack and his terrible decision-making. If he won't even TAKE a wide-open 3 with the clock running down when Roy produces it for him, he simply shouldn't be in the game.

[Spykes]

are you kidding?...picture Joel Pryzbilla on the pick and roll. Now imagine him bigger, stronger, more athletic, 40% quicker, with the ability to actually catch the ball in traffic and immediately go up with power from about 8' in. Pryzbilla can't catch the ball and he can't dribble once without a high probability of a turnover. Oden will be of a different caliber as far as inside presence. It won't happen immediately of course, but he will, almost certainly, improve the blazers on the offensive end. And it will help open things up for everybody else.

And while some people are getting frustrated with the blazers play of late, I look at this season as what it was described as to begin with: a learning process. And I think the blazers are not only learning a ton, but have also demonstrated that the arrival of their 'potential' may happen a year or two earlier then we could have optimistically expected.

I couldn't agree more, on both accounts.

Oden won't be a scoring machine, but he'll assuredly give us more than what we're getting out of Przybilla. Like Wiz pointed out, Oden is quicker, has better hands, better footwork, better passing, more athletic, and will be 40-50 pounds stronger.

And also as you pointed out, the season started out as and continues to be about learning. Making the playoffs this season was never a goal of Pritchard's.