Let it G.O.
Brandon Roy, Dime #40Sometime during this latest Greg Oden-less stretch of Blazers games, we’ll all stop talking about Oden’s foot and start talking about how good Portland could be with or without him. Last night the Blazers looked like the team everyone was sprung on over the summer, knocking off the Spurs in their home opener. Brandon Roy (26 pts) and LaMarcus Aldridge (23 pts) went shot-for-shot with Tony Parker (24 pts) and Tim Duncan (27), the difference coming by way of Roy’s go-ahead free throws in the final minute and some clutch jumpers by Aldridge. As bad as the Blazers looked against L.A. earlier in the week, that’s how sharp they looked against San Antonio. Roy was unflappable (1 turnover) in carving up the D, while Aldridge was going at Duncan like he was a 10-year vet, sticking several J’s in his face and exuding a swagger the whole time that said he should have been getting buckets like that. At times Aldridge was a little too quick to shoot from the outside, because his post game is too good to ignore. You don’t want him to turn into 34-year-old Rasheed at just 23 years old … Despite the loss, the Spurs may have found what they need during their Manu-less stretch in Roger Mason. Because Mason was more confident going for his — and because Mike Finley was sticking threes — Duncan and Parker didn’t have to do everything. Mason (14 pts) made some big catch-and-shoot threes in the second half, but more importantly he created and made shots for himself in crucial situations. Along with the long-ball threat, that’s the element Manu would normally bring that the Spurs didn’t have in the season-opening loss to the Suns. Plus, Mason already has his Spurs signature Whiny Face in postseason form … Color analyst Jon Barry after Parker sent Steve Blake to the deck with a pump-fake in the lane: “Stop the grinnin’ and drop the linens!” … Nic Batum (12 pts) was surprisingly good in the first half. He rejected Duncan at the rim when it looked like he was gonna get snapped in half, and later he made a couple smooth finger rolls and hit a three. Kid looks like he’s 14 years old, but he’s got some game … Before Rudy Gay decided to step up and be the hero, Grizzlies/Magic was a clinic on what not to do at the end of a close game. Tied up in the final minute, Stan Van Gundy gave Keith Bogans the green light (despite Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis being right there), and his drive was snuffed out by Gay and Marc Gasol. Because Marc Iavaroni didn’t stop the clock following the block to make the offense/defense substitution, O.J. Mayo was on the bench watching as Quinton Ross bricked what could have been a go-ahead shot, and when the Grizzlies got another crack at it, Rudy’s pull-up hit rim before sailing over the backboard. Orlando ball, and Hedo overshot Dwight Howard on an inbounds lob that Kyle Lowry intercepted (Gasol helped by discreetly locking up Dwight’s arm), giving the Memphis one more chance with 1.8 on the clock. They got it right this time, as Gay got open on the baseline and dropped a fadeaway over Bogans for the game-winner … And we loved Rudy (29 pts) in the post-game interview when he said, “When it comes down to it, I think I should get the last shot.” In case you didn’t know, the Grizzlies are unquestionably his team … During that last Memphis timeout before the game-winner, you could see Antoine Walker in a suit, not paying attention at all to the huddle and instead watching the dancers … Speaking of guys getting paid big-time money to watch games (no, we’re not talking about ourselves), the Stephon Marbury saga took another turn when Steph went from DNP-CD to the inactive list before yesterday’s game at Philly. The Knicks got destroyed on top of that for good measure. Apparently it was just too much pressure for the Knicks to be drama-free and mildly successful for a couple of days … On the flip side, one deserving guy got papered off with a contract extension just before yesterday’s deadline, as Danny Granger re-upped with the Pacers for five years, $60-65 million. The Blazers also extended Martell Webster for an inoffensive four years and $20 million … Does any #1 option have it as rough as Kevin Martin? From what we’ve seen this week, if Martin doesn’t go off every night, the Kings might actually go 0-82. Martin had his Ralph Ellison game going last night, scoring just nine points (2-for-8 FG’s) and committing five turnovers while the Kings got cracked in Miami. Everyone has their bad shooting nights, but if you also added up K-Mart’s rebounds, assists, and steals from Friday, your grand total would be one (rebound). Meanwhile, it was like there were two D-Wades on the floor. He had 20 points, eight dimes, four blocks and four steals in just 26 minutes, including one rejection on Spencer Hawes that looked exactly like Nate Robinson’s block on Yao last year … Forget KG, Boston’s defensive MVP last night was the rim. The Bulls couldn’t hit ANYTHING, to the point where them hitting 80 on the scoreboard was something of a shocker. Tyrus Thomas went 2-for-17 from the field, and the Gordon/Deng combo combined to go 5-for-20. About the only bright spot was Derrick Rose, who scored 18 and would’ve had more than one assist if somebody on his team could make shots … When did Leon Powe turn into Alonzo Mourning? As Rick Kamla put it on NBA TV’s highlight show, “Leon Powe leads the League in howling at the moon.” … Gunning = Al Harrington taking 12 threes by himself, while the Raptors (who like the three) took 12 as a team. Gunning, Pt. 2 = Stephen Jackson taking 11 threes in the same game. Gunning, Pt. 3 = When you can look at a team and say Corey Maggette is its third-most prolific jacker. Again the Warriors were in a crazy nail-biter, taking the Raps to OT but eventually losing. Harrington hit a huge three with about 20 seconds left when Jermaine O’Neal swatted a shot right to him beyond the arc (think Robert Horry’s famous shot against the Kings), but it came down to GS not having anyone to handle Chris Bosh, who finished with 31 points and nine boards … And again, the Raps had rebounding issues, getting out-boarded 46-36. Against the Warriors. As long as they’re winning you can’t talk too bad about them, but it’s gonna bite them one of these days … Typical Clippers: they were up by 18 at halftime, at home, and still found themselves not only getting taken to overtime, but getting blown out in OT and losing by double-digits. Oh yeah, and Baron Davis hurt his back in the first half and didn’t return. Can somebody please get Al Thornton and Eric Gordon out of there before something bad happens to them? There’s still time to save them before they catch the disease. And why did Gordon only play two minutes? … The Tim Thomas (20 pts, 7 rebs) vs. Kenyon Martin (13 pts, 13 rebs) back-and-forth was interesting to watch — kind of like if Shep and Nutso from Above the Rim played one-and-one without anyone falling off a roof at the end. Tim actually showed a pulse; one time he hit a turnaround J over K-Mart and pulled his jersey over to point to his heart. If K-Mart can get Tim Thomas to get fired up, he needs to be a coach when his playing days are up … We’re out like Steph …
November 1st, 2008 at 5:37 am
Phileus says:
Wow, is Danny Granger really worth that kind of money?
As for Steph, I feel bad for him. Didn’t he say all the right things and try to do all the right things when D’Antoni came? Steph is handling it as best as he can, and D’Antoni is throwing him under a bus.
It’s not like Steph is Steve Francis, a once-franchise PG with nothing left in the tank. Steph has legitimate good years left in him.
Maybe it’s time to fulfill his dream to go to Europe, but who would take him there? And he said he’s not taking a buyout. Just a sad situation for a PG in his own hometown.
November 1st, 2008 at 5:41 am
the_don_mega says:
“Stop the grinnin’ and drop the linens!” – LOL!!!
got to say… that was one slick move by TP… he had steve blake down on his ass on that move…
November 1st, 2008 at 5:56 am
Jo says:
D-Wade is simply amazing…a physical anomaly
http://www.squidoo.com/DwyaneWade
November 1st, 2008 at 6:03 am
sirak says:
“no, we’re not talking about ourselves…” whateva…
ps. move the clippers to seattle.
November 1st, 2008 at 6:09 am
Fox says:
To Phileus: Yea I think he’s worth it. That’s Kirk Hinrich money and Danny G. is much better and valuable than Kirk.
And please don’t feel bad for Steph. There’s an old saying that goes “You made your bed now sleep in it”. The dude is making like $250,000 to watch a game!?!?! Granted he has been saying the right things since Mike D. came and he’s still saying the right things, but what about the things we can’t see? Like maybe his actions in practice? Maybe his influences on younger players? Steph has been a disruptive force on his respective teams for years so Lady Karma is just coming back to bite him in the ass!
November 1st, 2008 at 6:16 am
bill says:
didn’t tim thomas wanna box kmart at some stage a few years ago?
November 1st, 2008 at 7:17 am
smity far away says:
what really HAS gotten into tim thomas this year? wasnt he just chilling on the bench all last year or did he actually play AND produce in games. i remember him not doing anything (last year) but all of a sudden he has remembered how to contribute to a team (and their attempts to win games)
getting out rebounded by the warriors when you have more than one 6′11-7′0 foot player on your team is inexcusable regardless of whether you win or not.
@ Phileus
i agree with you about marbury. he (seemed) to really try and do what the knicks expected him to (in terms of acting like a professional)…i’m starting to think that d’antoni is wack…and if his goal is to just coach exciting teams (and get paid mad money) then that is a goal that he has accomplished but dude can’t believe that he will win a chip in the league with any team playing the way he wants them to.
November 1st, 2008 at 8:11 am
sans says:
Man, BRoy has a crazy fake dribble-pull up workin all night last night. It looks like he’s about to try and step around you, then POP, right in the eye of whoever’s defending him. It’ll be crazy if that becomes his go-to move…
The Blazers need to do with Oden what they do with Pryzbilla–don’t pass him the rock and let him do his thing. That was why the Blazers were so out of rhythm against the Lake Show–Feeding the Fragile.
November 1st, 2008 at 8:30 am
schoops says:
@ Phileus… yes Marbury has done what he’s supposed to do (this is somehow news?) since D’antoni and him started training camp. That does not change what he’s done over the past 4 years, nor what his teammates think of him.
Marbury isn’t in the NYK’s long term plans, so why waste any PT on a guy who won’t be around next year? If the Knicks were contending for the top of the eastern conference hen I would agree and say Steph should get some more PT, but this is a long road to rebuilding, and a 30 something, shoot-first PG isn’t in the mix.
On a related note, I turned on the game last night and it looked the same as last year. By the end it was a 30 piecing. At least Curry wasn’t out there blacking most of the TV screen. Even though philly owned NY yesterday I still think these guys can compete to be in the playoffs.
@Bill… back when Timmy thomas was playing for NY (where almost every bad contract of the last decade has [played at some point) he called out Kenyon (playing for NJ) and said he was Fugazi. Hilarious exchange. I’m fairly sure Kenyon could rip of his head.
November 1st, 2008 at 8:42 am
rangerjohn says:
the only “ray of light” with the spurs right now, they are still working on rotation, with manu and oberto out they have to go pretty deep (read: farmer played some minutes last night) once the rotation gets set a little better things will settle down.
the other thing, she “boring” spurs have played the 2 most exciting games of the season to date and i dont care who you are, those games where GOOD!
November 1st, 2008 at 8:45 am
Nora says:
Love the tiny snippit about the Celtics-Bulls game. Glad it was deemed worth of a line. LOL
November 1st, 2008 at 9:49 am
strangler says:
Tim Thomas once called Kmart a “fake tough guy”.
November 1st, 2008 at 10:28 am
Andrew Katz says:
Powe “leads the League in howling at the moon” – love me some Kamla
November 1st, 2008 at 10:36 am
Peter Robert Casey says:
I didn’t realize how nasty B-Roy is. I need to order NBA League Pass.
November 1st, 2008 at 11:25 am
DZ says:
I watched Celtics-Bulls on ESPN last night and I just have to add sthg about how atrocious those announcers are. I’ve read people praise Jeff Van Gundy for his commentator skills but he was just an idiot, and boring too. At one point he claimed Amare was better than KG, until Mark Jackson made him take it back. Meanwhile, all kinds of stuff is going on on the court and they’re running their mouths not paying any attention. Morons. And even worse is Stu Scott in the studio. They showed halftime highlights of the Warriors game and when Stephen Jackson shot a three he crooned “I’m sorry Miss Jackson….” What a dork.
And Derrick Rose was awesome.
November 1st, 2008 at 11:51 am
Celts Fan says:
Watching Rose in person is impressive. The guy just flies by everyone on the court. He’s aggressive as hell and gets to the rim AT WILL (and that’s against us, who, not to be a homer, is one of the best defensive teams – on ball and especially team d -in the league and he just carved us up!) And ya Dime, if ANYONE had been making shots, he’d've had a lot more than 1 dime. He does something that I noticed Rajon Rondo doing a lot that I love. When he passes to a shooter who’s relatively close, he runs in front of the guy to stop any defenders from getting there and challenging the shot. Those little things, along w/ everything else we alredy know about the kid will make him a STAR before long. Really, really impressed with how good he is already…
When the hell did Tyrus Thomas think he became David West?!?!? That guy jacked up at least 10 jumpers, then, later on he ends up airballing a layup wide. I liked the kid coming out of LSU a lot, but christ. Dude doesn’t seem to “get it” at all yet. Still young, but you’d like to see a little more. You’re athletic as fuck. Run some back cuts, drive a little, and stop settling for jumpers! He does have a constant motor underneath and fights like hell for the boards though. Considering that had been one of hte knocks, that seems to be changed.
Also, one of the first possessions of the game, it was fun to watch Ben Gordon dribble out 22 seconds of shot clock and jack up a contested 20 footer. Way to be BG. Shoulda taken that $50 mil when you had a chance. You’re a rich man’s Eddie House, without any playmaking abilities or defense. If he comes anywhere close to the $10M per that he turned down I’d be SHOCKED (and I LOVE UConn and genuinely like Ben, but it’s like he’s a different player than he was 2 years ago. Too much stress over $$$ and going for his. He needs to be the 6th man for a contender or he’s kinda useless – too small to be a starting 2 unless he’s w/ a HUGE point and he can’t play point at all. Shoulda taken that first big set-for-life deal while you could. I hope he puts it back together and gets his, but it’s not looking good yet. How do you say, “I’m open!” in Polish?)
November 1st, 2008 at 11:56 am
BxBaller says:
It shouldn’t matter what Steph did last year. Walsh said everybody was going to get a clean slate. Knicks fans including myself are pissed cause this should’ve been handled in the summer if they knew they weren’t going to play Steph. Besides, dude is the best guard on the roster and he would help in this new offensive system. You can’t tell me you rather have Mardy Collins playing over Steph.
November 1st, 2008 at 12:19 pm
karizmatic says:
I think Portland plays better without Oden. I watched them against the Lakers they spent too much time trying to get Oden the ball and it threw off their rhythm. Greg Oden is injury prone they shouldn’t waste anymore time trying to build on him as a center piece, if I’m Mcmillan when Oden comes back he doesn’t start. Bring him along slow off the bench and let him work himself into the starting lineup if he’s that good. Portland plays better without him right now. They had all last season to jell. Also I like Batum didn’t Houston have him first? They shouldn’t have let him go. He would be nice coming off the bench for them right now especially since McGrady isn’t playing major minutes due to his injuries.
November 1st, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
@ Fox
Just because the Bulls front office fucked up and set a ridiculous precedent by overpaying for Hinrich doesn’t mean that every player better than Hinrich is worth it. The L has many players who are not worth their salaries but luckily for them ludicrous deals like Igoudalas helped Granger request more money. I thought $10 million/year for Danny was pushing it but $13 million is insane. Danny is good but this deal announcing him as thier franchise player will keep the Pacers in the perennial cellar of the Midwest division for years to come.
November 1st, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Amar says:
Oh my god . . . a nutso reference, without a doubt, best smack in a very long time Dime. Well done. (that was one of my fav, if not fav, movie back in high school)
November 1st, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Blazermark says:
Blazers looked great last night!!!! I think Batum is going to turn into a very special player. He may be the three that we have been looking for. maybe we trade Travis Outlaw and start Batum and use Webster off the bench! I loved that LA and Roy were back to their old selves last night. I hope when Oden comes back, they let him do what he does best…. defense and board! Let him get his offense off of the occasional pass, but a lot off of the offensive boards!
November 1st, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Ian says:
to the manu haters
that say yeah the spurs dont need him they are gonna be ok. guess what fuck u
November 1st, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Steve Nasty says:
D-Wade looked freakishly good last night….some of his crossovers were sik. Make no doubt about it he is on top of his game and will have an absolute monster year. Is he playin at level better than his title run?
November 2nd, 2008 at 12:41 pm
LakeShow84 says:
He could play better than the his title year Steve Nasty, and he aint going nowhere..
Whatever happened to Marion being the Matrix? I think the run and gun HINDERED Marions’ growth.. Dude hasnt sharpened any skills but transition and hasnt even had a string of 20-10 games.. His stats are weak for second option material..
But Beasley should be one of the elite in a couple of years (scoring wise).. that man is insanely talented..