Jul 16 2008
Ugh! (Post-game reactions from Blazers vs. Kings)
That game was like watching a friend’s cousin’s high school graduation. Completely uneventful, overlong, and too many whistles.
What is there to say about this shitheap of a game? Neither team looked particularly good, but it seemed like the Kings were in control the entire game, even when the Blazers took leads on 12-0 runs. It looked like they assembled a team made to win the summer league, with all of their starters having some NBA experience. For the deer-and-headlight Blazers, it would have been a miracle to overcome that. That, and the Kings also had a center, something that Josh whatever just can’t handle.
Which takes us to the individual player reviews. I’ll preface the PG section by saying that without a center (or any other big man, for that matter) the PGs’ numbers will be changed substantially. PK Flash and Rex are the best players on the team, and they’re expected to pick up the scoring load because, really, no one else will. They’re trying to win more than show that they can throw a few good passes (which they can). Bayless, like before looked great, just as he did the game before, and is a frontrunner in Summer League MVP talk. He can slash through defenses with ease, and is fearless going up with his shot in the lane, somethng that can really separate a good guard from the pack.
PK Flash (formerly known as Petteri Koponen) put on a decent show tonight, doing the same good things as before. It’s pretty easy to look good though, when you’re the only player that can hit an outside shot. Koponen revealed a nasty habit last night that I suspect might be a permanent problem. He telegraphs super lazy passes. It’s a given that the guys in this league are quicker than the ones in Finland, and I doubt that Koponen’s used to that kind of speed and effort being used to jump his passes . Highlight for Koponen tonight, probably when they played “Mortal Kombat” and I imagined the voice saying “Finnish him.”
Nicolas Batum is just a horrible ugly project. He’s supposed to be a first round pick and he just is clueless out there, with no idea what exactly he’s supposed to be doing. If he’s on the Blazers this year, I’m afraid he’ll struggle to be a starter on the Idaho Stampede. About letting the guy go back to Europe for the next four years, I’m somewhat in favor of it. I don’t see him contributing in any substantial way for four years, so why not let him simmer a bit?
Most of all, I’m just happy that endless, horrible exhibition was mercifully ended.
