The Blazers had what was essentially a skeleton crew on the floor last night. The team was already without LaMarcus Aldridge for the rest of the season, but ended up sitting starters Joel Przybilla (illness) and Raymond Felton (Achilles), as well as sixth man Jamal Crawford. Nicolas Batum was also limited due to a strained quad, playing only 16 minutes. Predictably, Portland was beat up inside, as they were outrebounded 49-39 by the bigger, more physical Jazz frontcourt. Ultimately, the Blazers fell to the Jazz 112-91 to close out their home schedule.
Three Good
1) Jonny Flynn - After struggling against the Suns as the starter, Flynn came off the bench against the Jazz on Wednesday. Flynn played 25 minutes in the game, and largely made good decisions with the basketball, finishing with 7 assists against only two turnovers. Flynn was 3-7 from the floor, but did a great job of attacking the basket, attempting 7 free throws (making five). While it would be a stretch to call Flynn a starting-caliber point guard, he's still just 23 years old, and could be a decent backup.
2) Luke Babbitt's confidence - It's been amazing to see the difference in Luke Babbitt since becoming a rotation player under interim coach Kaleb Canales. While his shooting numbers weren't great (6-17 FG, 2-7 3PT), he's decisive with the basketball, and isn't afraid of getting pulled should he miss a shot. He also worked hard on defense, though he lacks the lateral quickness to guard some elite small forwards and the bulk to bang with big power forwards. Like Flynn, Babbitt is probably never going to be a starter for the Trail Blazers, but if he's able to continue to shoot the three with confidence and accuracy (46.4%), then he could be a solid contributor as a scorer off the bench.
3) Wesley Matthews - Matthews continued his stretch of solid play for the Blazers, logging a team-high 21 points. This stretch has done wonders for his confidence, as he's been more consistent in squaring his shoulders on his shot release, and has seen his three-point shooting numbers improve considerably. Whether Matthews is better-suited as a starter or coming off the bench long-term, his energy, effort and improved performance have been good to see.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Jazz @ Trail Blazers Preview
After the team's 125-107 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday, the Blazers (28-34) were officially eliminated from the playoffs. While the team was a long-shot after the trades of Marcus Camby and Gerald Wallace, they've played hard for interim head coach Kaleb Canales. Portland's 8-11 record is hardly indicate of poor effort, and more due to the team suffering from a lack of depth due to the trades, as well as injuries to LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum.
The Jazz (32-30) currently sit just a half-game behind the Phoenix Suns for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West after a thrilling triple-overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks. Utah is a team that relies heavily on points in the paint, and do a great job of getting to the free throw line (7th in attempts/game) and rebounding (3rd).
It's unclear whether Raymond Felton will play in the game after sitting out to rest his sore Achilles. With the team out of the playoffs, it's probably in both Felton and the team's interests to allow Jonny Flynn and Nolan Smith to split the point guard duties again. Smith looked as much like an NBA player as he has all season against the Suns, showing confidence and decisiveness when running the offense. Flynn did a good job distributing the ball, but still makes some head-scratching decisions passing, as well as with shot selection.
Nicolas Batum is another big question mark for the team, as he also sat out Monday's game to rest a balky quad. If Batum can't go, Luke Babbitt will likely start in his place. Babbitt scored a career-high 18 points against the Suns, and showed a confidence in his game and decision-making that's been lacking in most of his first two NBA seasons. The kid is a lights-out three-point shooter, and if he can work on his dribble-drive game mroe, Babbitt could be a solid stretch-4 option off the bench in the future.
The Blazers lack depth in the frontcourt, as behind Joel Przybilla and J.J. Hickson are the ancient Kurt Thomas, the short Craig Smith and tall-but-inconsistent Hasheem Thabeet. I expect Thabeet to get his most significant run as a Trail Blazer, as Joel Przybilla is playing through an ankle injury, and could get his fair share of blocks, as both Jefferson and Millsap get their shots blocked fairly regularly.
For Portland to have a chance to win this game, they'll need to close up the paint and make Utah hit open jumpers. The Jazz run a legitimate four-deep frontcourt, with starters Al Jefferson (19.6 points, 9.6 rebounds) and Paul Millsap (16.6 points, 8.7 rebounds) leading the team in scoring and rebounding. Behind them are second-year power forward Derrick Favors (8.5 points, 6.5 rebounds) and rookie center Enes Kanter (4.3 points, 4.2 rebounds). The Jazz will relentlessly hit the boards, and as a result, are prone to allowing some fast break points. The Blazers need to try and get the Jazz to play an up-tempo game, which would negate their significant size and skill advantage in the frontcourt.
The Jazz (32-30) currently sit just a half-game behind the Phoenix Suns for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West after a thrilling triple-overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks. Utah is a team that relies heavily on points in the paint, and do a great job of getting to the free throw line (7th in attempts/game) and rebounding (3rd).
It's unclear whether Raymond Felton will play in the game after sitting out to rest his sore Achilles. With the team out of the playoffs, it's probably in both Felton and the team's interests to allow Jonny Flynn and Nolan Smith to split the point guard duties again. Smith looked as much like an NBA player as he has all season against the Suns, showing confidence and decisiveness when running the offense. Flynn did a good job distributing the ball, but still makes some head-scratching decisions passing, as well as with shot selection.
Nicolas Batum is another big question mark for the team, as he also sat out Monday's game to rest a balky quad. If Batum can't go, Luke Babbitt will likely start in his place. Babbitt scored a career-high 18 points against the Suns, and showed a confidence in his game and decision-making that's been lacking in most of his first two NBA seasons. The kid is a lights-out three-point shooter, and if he can work on his dribble-drive game mroe, Babbitt could be a solid stretch-4 option off the bench in the future.
The Blazers lack depth in the frontcourt, as behind Joel Przybilla and J.J. Hickson are the ancient Kurt Thomas, the short Craig Smith and tall-but-inconsistent Hasheem Thabeet. I expect Thabeet to get his most significant run as a Trail Blazer, as Joel Przybilla is playing through an ankle injury, and could get his fair share of blocks, as both Jefferson and Millsap get their shots blocked fairly regularly.
For Portland to have a chance to win this game, they'll need to close up the paint and make Utah hit open jumpers. The Jazz run a legitimate four-deep frontcourt, with starters Al Jefferson (19.6 points, 9.6 rebounds) and Paul Millsap (16.6 points, 8.7 rebounds) leading the team in scoring and rebounding. Behind them are second-year power forward Derrick Favors (8.5 points, 6.5 rebounds) and rookie center Enes Kanter (4.3 points, 4.2 rebounds). The Jazz will relentlessly hit the boards, and as a result, are prone to allowing some fast break points. The Blazers need to try and get the Jazz to play an up-tempo game, which would negate their significant size and skill advantage in the frontcourt.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Trail Blazers @ Suns: Three Good, Three Bad
With Nicolas Batum a no-go for tonight's game due to a balky quad and Raymond Felton sitting (possibly the rest of the season) to rest a sore Achilles, the Blazers were up against it against the Phoenix Suns, falling 125-107. With the loss, the Blazers are now officially eliminated from the playoffs, and are guaranteed to have their first losing season since the 2006-2007 season.
Three Good
1) Three-point shooting - The team was again solid from beyond the arc, led by Luke Babbitt's 4-9 shooting from distance. Wes Matthews had another strong outside shooting performance, connecting on three of his five attempts, while Nolan Smith also notched a make (1-2 for the game). Flynn and Crawford combined to miss all five of their attempts from deep, but you'll take 38.1% shooting (8-21) from deep any day.
2) Nolan Smith - Smith has gone through plenty of growing pains in his rookie season, but looked much more like a rotation player tonight. While the Suns aren't exactly a great defensive team, Smith looked decisive on offense, and provided the best on-ball defense of any player on Steve Nash. 14 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals on 6-14 shooting with no turnovers in just under 33 minutes. Probably his best all-around game this season, and a definite confidence booster for both him and the front office.
3) J.J. Hickson - While his double-double streak ended at four games, Hickson was again the team's most active (and only) rebounder in the game. Hickson's jumper was solid tonight, and while the team needed more than 8 rebounds in 36 minutes from him with Joel Przybilla leaving early due to an ankle injury, the onus is on more than just him. 22 points (9-15 FG) and 8 rebounds (7 offensive). Management will likely do everything within reason to retain Hickson, who should be a valuable rotation player next season.
Three Bad
1) Team defense - Portland had so many defensive breakdowns (especially early) that led to easy buckets for the Suns. Any time a largely perimeter-oriented team like the Suns is able to shoot 60% from the field, you should be ashamed. Steve Nash was able to do whatever he wanted early, recording seven first quarter assists (13 total), giving the Suns an 11-point lead after one, and were never seriously threatened after.
2) Przybilla's ankle - While Joel isn't the player he once was, a turned ankle forced him out of the game early. While he returned briefly in the second quarter, Przybilla didn't return to the game after halftime. Coach Canales decided to go small, and the Suns were able to take advantage, getting far too many uncontested buckets against the undersized (and undermanned) Blazers defense. If the Blazers don't acquire at least one rotation-caliber defensive big man this offseason, I'll lose my mind.
3) Usage of Hasheem Thabeet - With Przybilla out, the team was sorely lacking interior defense. While Thabeet still struggles with the mental part of the game some, he would have given the Blazers a big body on the interior that could have altered shots. Thabeet did play 13 minutes tonight and was fairly productive, recording 5 points, 4 rebounds and a block in that time. The team is now officially eliminated from the playoffs, and should give the big man a little more run to see his long-term viability to the Blazers.
The Blazers will fly back to Portland tonight, and have an off-day before their home finale against the Jazz on Wednesday. Coach Canales will need to figure out a way to figure out how to shore up the team's interior defense, as the Jazz have a four-deep frontline that could cause the Blazers all sorts of headaches. Look for the preview, which will be posted tomorrow evening.
Three Good
1) Three-point shooting - The team was again solid from beyond the arc, led by Luke Babbitt's 4-9 shooting from distance. Wes Matthews had another strong outside shooting performance, connecting on three of his five attempts, while Nolan Smith also notched a make (1-2 for the game). Flynn and Crawford combined to miss all five of their attempts from deep, but you'll take 38.1% shooting (8-21) from deep any day.
2) Nolan Smith - Smith has gone through plenty of growing pains in his rookie season, but looked much more like a rotation player tonight. While the Suns aren't exactly a great defensive team, Smith looked decisive on offense, and provided the best on-ball defense of any player on Steve Nash. 14 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals on 6-14 shooting with no turnovers in just under 33 minutes. Probably his best all-around game this season, and a definite confidence booster for both him and the front office.
3) J.J. Hickson - While his double-double streak ended at four games, Hickson was again the team's most active (and only) rebounder in the game. Hickson's jumper was solid tonight, and while the team needed more than 8 rebounds in 36 minutes from him with Joel Przybilla leaving early due to an ankle injury, the onus is on more than just him. 22 points (9-15 FG) and 8 rebounds (7 offensive). Management will likely do everything within reason to retain Hickson, who should be a valuable rotation player next season.
Three Bad
1) Team defense - Portland had so many defensive breakdowns (especially early) that led to easy buckets for the Suns. Any time a largely perimeter-oriented team like the Suns is able to shoot 60% from the field, you should be ashamed. Steve Nash was able to do whatever he wanted early, recording seven first quarter assists (13 total), giving the Suns an 11-point lead after one, and were never seriously threatened after.
2) Przybilla's ankle - While Joel isn't the player he once was, a turned ankle forced him out of the game early. While he returned briefly in the second quarter, Przybilla didn't return to the game after halftime. Coach Canales decided to go small, and the Suns were able to take advantage, getting far too many uncontested buckets against the undersized (and undermanned) Blazers defense. If the Blazers don't acquire at least one rotation-caliber defensive big man this offseason, I'll lose my mind.
3) Usage of Hasheem Thabeet - With Przybilla out, the team was sorely lacking interior defense. While Thabeet still struggles with the mental part of the game some, he would have given the Blazers a big body on the interior that could have altered shots. Thabeet did play 13 minutes tonight and was fairly productive, recording 5 points, 4 rebounds and a block in that time. The team is now officially eliminated from the playoffs, and should give the big man a little more run to see his long-term viability to the Blazers.
The Blazers will fly back to Portland tonight, and have an off-day before their home finale against the Jazz on Wednesday. Coach Canales will need to figure out a way to figure out how to shore up the team's interior defense, as the Jazz have a four-deep frontline that could cause the Blazers all sorts of headaches. Look for the preview, which will be posted tomorrow evening.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Trail Blazers @ Suns Preview
The Blazers playoff chances are basically sitting somewhere between "minimal" and "none'' after their loss to the Kings. While a fourth straight postseason berth isn't out of the question, the Blazers have a great chance over their last five games to play spoiler, as all of their remaining five games will be against teams fighting for their playoff lives, or seeding.
The Suns fall into the first category, as they currently sit one game back of Houston for the Western Conference's eighth and final playoff spot. Phoenix has been playing great basketball since the All-Star break, posting a 17-9 record to put themselves squarely in the thick of the race for the playoffs. While they have the good fortune of finishing with five of their final six games at home, a victory against the Blazers (playing in the second of a back-to-back) is a necessity. After Portland, the Suns finish against the Thunder (Wednesday), Clippers (Thursday), Denver (Saturday), at Utah (Tuesday) and against the Spurs (Wednesday).
Portland will be without starting point guard Raymond Felton for this game, and could see a reduced role the rest of the season. While the Blazers could start Jamal Crawford, they'll likely choose from rookie Nolan Smith or Jonny Flynn, as the team is likely going to use Felton's reduced role to evaluate both Smith and Flynn's long-term viability to the team.
For the Blazers to win, they'll need to contain Suns point guard Steve Nash. Despite being 38 years old, Nash has still been a very effective point guard in the league, averaging 12.7 points and 10.9 assists per game this season. After Nash, the team's most important player is center Marcin Gortat (15.8 points, 9.8 rebounds). The team also has six players averaging in double figures, including wings Jared Dudley (12.4), Shannon Brown (10.5) and Grant Hill (10.4), as well as perimeter-oriented big man Channing Frye (10.4). While head coach Alvin Gentry doesn't place a major emphasis on defense, Dudley, Hill and Robin Lopez all are adequate to above average defenders.
Portland will need to dictate the pace of the game. Being on the second of a back-to-back, Portland will need to make Phoenix a half-court team and avoid a run-and-gun game. The team will also have to find a way to get Hickson more involved, as he managed just eight field goal attempts against the Kings. Since replacing LaMarcus Aldridge, Hickson has been seeing a significant amount of defensive attention, as he's Portland's only true low-post scoring option.
Along with Hickson, the Blazers will need to get a 48-minute effort from Nicolas Batum. At times, Batum has been the best player on the floor for the Blazers this season, while on other occasions he almost completely disappears. Batum is the best wing on either team, and needs to take advantage of any potential mismatches.
The teams have split their season series thus far, with the Suns notching a 25-point win at American Airlines Arena on January 6th. The Blazers got the better of Phoenix three weeks later at the Rose Garden, hanging 109 on the Suns in a 38-point win. If the Blazers are able to keep the Suns out of transition and can stay close with Phoenix on points in the paint, Portland could very well record their 9th road win of the season.
The Suns fall into the first category, as they currently sit one game back of Houston for the Western Conference's eighth and final playoff spot. Phoenix has been playing great basketball since the All-Star break, posting a 17-9 record to put themselves squarely in the thick of the race for the playoffs. While they have the good fortune of finishing with five of their final six games at home, a victory against the Blazers (playing in the second of a back-to-back) is a necessity. After Portland, the Suns finish against the Thunder (Wednesday), Clippers (Thursday), Denver (Saturday), at Utah (Tuesday) and against the Spurs (Wednesday).
Portland will be without starting point guard Raymond Felton for this game, and could see a reduced role the rest of the season. While the Blazers could start Jamal Crawford, they'll likely choose from rookie Nolan Smith or Jonny Flynn, as the team is likely going to use Felton's reduced role to evaluate both Smith and Flynn's long-term viability to the team.
For the Blazers to win, they'll need to contain Suns point guard Steve Nash. Despite being 38 years old, Nash has still been a very effective point guard in the league, averaging 12.7 points and 10.9 assists per game this season. After Nash, the team's most important player is center Marcin Gortat (15.8 points, 9.8 rebounds). The team also has six players averaging in double figures, including wings Jared Dudley (12.4), Shannon Brown (10.5) and Grant Hill (10.4), as well as perimeter-oriented big man Channing Frye (10.4). While head coach Alvin Gentry doesn't place a major emphasis on defense, Dudley, Hill and Robin Lopez all are adequate to above average defenders.
Portland will need to dictate the pace of the game. Being on the second of a back-to-back, Portland will need to make Phoenix a half-court team and avoid a run-and-gun game. The team will also have to find a way to get Hickson more involved, as he managed just eight field goal attempts against the Kings. Since replacing LaMarcus Aldridge, Hickson has been seeing a significant amount of defensive attention, as he's Portland's only true low-post scoring option.
Along with Hickson, the Blazers will need to get a 48-minute effort from Nicolas Batum. At times, Batum has been the best player on the floor for the Blazers this season, while on other occasions he almost completely disappears. Batum is the best wing on either team, and needs to take advantage of any potential mismatches.
The teams have split their season series thus far, with the Suns notching a 25-point win at American Airlines Arena on January 6th. The Blazers got the better of Phoenix three weeks later at the Rose Garden, hanging 109 on the Suns in a 38-point win. If the Blazers are able to keep the Suns out of transition and can stay close with Phoenix on points in the paint, Portland could very well record their 9th road win of the season.
Blazers vs Kings: Three Good, Three Bad
The Blazers led almost the entire way, but Sacramento closed up the paint late in the game and forced the team to shoot jumpers. In spite of that, a Wesley Matthews three-pointer with less than 10 seconds left put the Blazers up one. Kings SG Marcus Thornton promptly hit a floater with just a few seconds in the game, and the Blazers (without a timeout) had to settle for a desperation heave from just inside mid-court that didn't go in.
Three Good
1) Wesley Matthews - While his defense wasn't particularly good on Marcus Thornton (20 pts on 9-17 shooting), Matthews was in rare form on offense tonight, connecting on 10 on his 16 shots from the field. He was even more effective behind the three-point line, nailing 8 threes on 10 attempts, including what appeared to be the game-winner (before Thornton's floater went in) on a step-back three. While he won't score like this every night, it has to boost his confidence heading into next season.
2) Three-point shooting - The Trail Blazers were simply on fire tonight, draining half of their 32 attempts from deep. While most of the time you see that many attempts from three it would be due to poor shot selection, the Kings were hell-bent on defending the paint, and good ball-movement gave Portland a bevy of wide open looks.
3) J.J. Hickson's energy - Hickson finished with a game-high 13 rebounds, and his effort and athleticism are likely continuing to earn him brownie points with the Portland front office. While his defense may be a work in progress (though he did have two blocks), he's the only real threat to score in the frontcourt, and saw a lot of defensive attention (only attempting 8 shots). It shows maturity to not let the low number of shots affect his effort, which makes me hope that Hickson can be retained this offseason.
Three Bad
1) Perimeter defense - While the Kings weren't absolutely lights out, starters Isaiah Thomas (18 pts, 8 ast), Marcus Thornton (20 pts, 9-18 FG) and Tyreke Evans (20 pts) largely had their way with Portland's perimeter defenders, beating them off the dribble. While Portland didn't foul a lot, perhaps they should've let the Kings know there won't be any easy buckets in the game.
2) Ball control - The Blazers got sucked into an up-tempo game, which led to a lot of sloppy turnovers. Perhaps no turnover was more costly than Felton having the ball stolen by Kings reserve Terrence Williams in the final minute of the game. Felton was far from alone in blame, as Matthews (4) and Flynn (3) both had some head-scratching moments. The Blazers can't be -11 in turnover differential and expect to win many games, especially with the team as thin as they are.
3) Rebounding effort - For anyone not named J.J. Hickson, tonight's game illustrated how thin the Blazers are up front. Przybilla had his hands full defending DeMarcus Cousins, and needed his teammates to crash the boards. Instead, the team got caught up in an up-tempo game and often forgot to secure the ball before fast-breaking, leading to 14 offensive rebounds.
While the last-second loss may sting, the Blazers will quickly have an opportunity to remove the bad taste from their mouth, as they next play at Phoenix tomorrow night.
Three Good
1) Wesley Matthews - While his defense wasn't particularly good on Marcus Thornton (20 pts on 9-17 shooting), Matthews was in rare form on offense tonight, connecting on 10 on his 16 shots from the field. He was even more effective behind the three-point line, nailing 8 threes on 10 attempts, including what appeared to be the game-winner (before Thornton's floater went in) on a step-back three. While he won't score like this every night, it has to boost his confidence heading into next season.
2) Three-point shooting - The Trail Blazers were simply on fire tonight, draining half of their 32 attempts from deep. While most of the time you see that many attempts from three it would be due to poor shot selection, the Kings were hell-bent on defending the paint, and good ball-movement gave Portland a bevy of wide open looks.
3) J.J. Hickson's energy - Hickson finished with a game-high 13 rebounds, and his effort and athleticism are likely continuing to earn him brownie points with the Portland front office. While his defense may be a work in progress (though he did have two blocks), he's the only real threat to score in the frontcourt, and saw a lot of defensive attention (only attempting 8 shots). It shows maturity to not let the low number of shots affect his effort, which makes me hope that Hickson can be retained this offseason.
Three Bad
1) Perimeter defense - While the Kings weren't absolutely lights out, starters Isaiah Thomas (18 pts, 8 ast), Marcus Thornton (20 pts, 9-18 FG) and Tyreke Evans (20 pts) largely had their way with Portland's perimeter defenders, beating them off the dribble. While Portland didn't foul a lot, perhaps they should've let the Kings know there won't be any easy buckets in the game.
2) Ball control - The Blazers got sucked into an up-tempo game, which led to a lot of sloppy turnovers. Perhaps no turnover was more costly than Felton having the ball stolen by Kings reserve Terrence Williams in the final minute of the game. Felton was far from alone in blame, as Matthews (4) and Flynn (3) both had some head-scratching moments. The Blazers can't be -11 in turnover differential and expect to win many games, especially with the team as thin as they are.
3) Rebounding effort - For anyone not named J.J. Hickson, tonight's game illustrated how thin the Blazers are up front. Przybilla had his hands full defending DeMarcus Cousins, and needed his teammates to crash the boards. Instead, the team got caught up in an up-tempo game and often forgot to secure the ball before fast-breaking, leading to 14 offensive rebounds.
While the last-second loss may sting, the Blazers will quickly have an opportunity to remove the bad taste from their mouth, as they next play at Phoenix tomorrow night.
Step-by-step rebuild for the Trail Blazers
Here's a link to my Sports Junkie Online article regarding the Blazers potential for a one-year rebuild.
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