Nov 25 2008
Ugly.
How wonderful is it to just be better than the other team?
I mean, the Blazers are by no means perfect at this moment. There are so many things that are going wrong and some of the problems appear more chronic than others. Still, it’s nice to release that last gasp during a game and know your team came out on top when it really shouldn’t have. The team looked extremely flat again, but this time they were able to turn it into a win, mostly because Sacramento isn’t Phoenix.
Onto the problems:
Growing Pains - Oden needs some help. No one is biting on his post moves and the refs are whistling every time he moves. Give him some Bengay or something to loosen him up. Maybe he needs a laxative? Just throwing that out there.
Slump - LaMarcus is by many accounts the most talented and gifted player on the team (he even goes to special classes where he learns pre-calc before everyone else) but he is just playing all kinds of horrible. I’m sure it’s some sort of mental block, but seeing your potential All-Star power forward struggling to hit 20% of his shots gives me nasty Richie Sexson memories. Who knows, maybe a bar will have beers that cost the same as LaMarcus’ shooting percentage?
Les Minutes - Play Nic Batum. He’s consistently the most energetic player on the team, and it seems like some of the team’s best stretches come with him in. And you know we won’t be seeing him again once Martell comes back (not a bad thing).
Frio - Rudy’s in stage 2 of his development. Everyone knows he’s one of the most dangerous outside shooters in the league. Now what? He should be creating open looks for the other guys, but some (looking at LaMarcus) can’t knock them down to save their lives.
Beasts - Joel, Steve, and Brandon. There’s no better way to revive a career than putting the most hyped player at a position in the last 15 years right behind you. I mean, ask Joel Przybilla. Last season, he was some sort of golem, half-cinder-block, half-man. This season, he catches passes and has the best shooting percentage in the NBA. Let’s get super hyped rookies at every position, if not for the benefits of making our vets better. Steve Blake spent the whole off-season hearing that he was not enough, that Sergio and Bayless would shoot past him on the depth chart. Right now Blake’s doing the only shooting that counts. He’s kept the team afloat over some nasty slumps, and this is going down as a great audition not just for the present starting job, but also for future playoff runs. Brandon’s awesome. What else can be said? When we need an All-Star, he plays like one. I think his skin glitters like one of those Twilight vampires. He’s that magical.
Hey, a win is a win. Hopefully we can take down Miami like we did a few weeks ago.
