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Mike Barrett
Television play-by-play voice of the Blazers on KGW-TV 8 and Fox Sports Net
Stream Courtside LIVE on Thursday's at 6:00pm on 750am KXL
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Atlanta Shoots Down Blazers
Grant Hill Hits Game Winner
The Beast from the East
The Beast from the East
Defensive Breakdowns Blamed
Przybilla Likely to Return Tuesday
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Hot-Shooting Kings Storm Blazers
Another Gutty Effort, Another Dramatic Win
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It sure will be good to get Joel back. I'm sure he will be a tad rusty for a few quarters since he hasn't played in over two weeks, but just his presence in the lineup should put a little fear into opposing teams.
When Joel comes back at full strength, do you know how the Center rotation will play out now that we've seen what LaMarcus can do, Mike? I think Travis Outlaw will drop down to the three spot and LaMarcus will come in for Zach off the bench at the 4 spot. And of course Jamaal backing up Joel. I'm entrigued to see what Coach Nate does with the lineup.
Hy guys, Spain is here!
Again we saw Sergio enjoing himself and improving day after day. He finally achieved one of his dreams that is to play against Steve Nash. Congratullations.
Sunday was a bit strange day. In the morning Estudiantes lost against Lagun Aro, with Nacho Azofra managing them. It was exciting to hear "la Demencia" singing all over the match "Nachocho, Nachocho, ..." At night we could saw Sergio playing for Portland, still a bit difficult for Estudiantes fans. Hopefully in a very near future Portland's fans will shout his name in Rose Garden Arena. Try to do so and you will see how he can improve. We've bought Spanish Christmas Lottery of number 11011, that will be the winner this year "El Gordo" so we can earn enough money to travel to Portland and make some fun with Sergio. Just wait and see.
Good luck for the week.
Mike, do you know if Portland has any exhibition games against international competition planned in the future? That would be a lot of fun.
I think Zach is going to have a huge night, tonight. I hope Joel has been able to keep up at least a little bit with conditioning. It'll be interesting to see what happens with the rotation once we get all our guys back. I'd like to see Aldridge and Sergio to continue to get minutes, but i also want to win. I think Nate is still coaching to win at this point, and i trust he'll get the best rotation figured out.
Also, is Zach having problems with his knee?
mrblazer,
We know the NBA continues to send teams overseas for exhibitions against foreign teams. Sooner or later, the Blazers will get the call. Spain perhaps?
Zach isn't having trouble with his knees. He left the game on Sunday and had them iced, and we showed a shot or two of that on TV. Several people have asked me about this. Everyone ices after games, and being Zach's night was over early, he just got a jump start on that process. He has been taking an pounding, but he's healthy.
MB
Hi Mike! It is going to be great to see Joel back in action. I think Mike Rice's Key to the game tonight should be Joel Przybilla. We have such a promising team this year and I am very glad to see where the organization is heading. Good luck tonight!
Maria :-)
Its funny,
people have seen what portland can do in the beginning of the season but since then we have almost lost the respect around the NBA i think with joel and lafrentz back and soon roy we will have our playoff team back in full swing and show everyone what rip city is all about
your fan
Andrew
I absolutely love travis outlaw! I have been watching the Blazers the past few years and when he first started playing I knew he would eventually be a star! Joel Pryzbilla and Dairus Miles are great too. I am glad you got rid of damen.
By the way, I never get to see the Blazers anymore since I moved back to Texas. It has made me very, very sad. I love the Blazers!
Hard to believe. Another awesome exibithion of talent of PG Sergio Rodriguez ang again you do no comment anithing at all.
Let's hope we bounce back when Roy and Pryzbilla are healthy. Fans might start thinking last season never ended unless something happens quickly.
its incredible!! can you talk about Sergio?He did 10 assists and 9 point in 22 minutes and nobody talks about him!!
Does anybody still have doubts about Rodriguez?
Has coach McMillan thought about starting Sergio and Jack? It doesnt seem like any of the other guards are doing that well. Maybe Sergio at the 1 and Jack at the 2 (or vice versa). At least until Roy gets back.
And just the other day someone was giving me a hard time for gushing too much about Sergio. He has even laughed and said he's going to start paying me to be his publicist. I love that he has so many fans, and if you're a regular reader, you know I'm one of them.
yellowjackets,
Not a bad idea. Jarrett played the two-guard spot a lot last season, and is big enough to guard some bigger shooting guards. They'd be a quicker team with that combination on the floor, that's for sure.
MB
I was at the Phoenix game and love our young guys and the potential of this group, but I find our offense vey dull and one dimensional. We try to get it into Zach, then when he cant't force up a shot due to double covergage, we jack up an outside shot before the clock expires. We do not run plays for the other 4 on court that result in any easy baskets. Until we get production from the others on court, we are going to be very easy to defend.
Mike: Aldridge, Sergio, and Roy -- The only thing that is working against them is their experience level. I say give them as much chance without burning them out as we can. As earlier sugguested Jack can easily play the 2. Tell nate I Dare him to start Sergio like he has Aldridge and Roy,, I Guess with three rookies i can make that a "Tripple Dog Dare" lol.
I think a speedy offense would help overcome some of the dragging that has come about lately. Think of the speed the offense would have with a lineup of Serge, Jack, Outlaw, Aldridge, and Randolph. Uptempo would be a understatement.
Starting both PG wouold be interesting but let's not give up on Martell. I would like to see Martell get some confidence taking the ball to the basket. I think Webster is the future of the org. just as much as any youngster.
Sergio's passes are accurate and on time. It looks easy, but it isn't. Jack's passes to Martell and other shooters often are a hair late, making it difficult for shooters to get their shots off. I think Martell should get his minutes with Sergio whenever possible. This may be suicide, defensively, but when we can get away with it, we should take advantage.
Sergio is not only the best passer on the team, but his vision is matched by very few in the league. Soon, defenses will start adjusting to Sergio and force him to prove he can score. He kept the defense honest, last night, and i know he can score on a consistent basis. Offensively, i think he's the most talented player we have outside of Randolph and Roy.
There just aren't many players in the league that make players around them better. Depending on what kind of ball you want to play, you have to consider Sergio as the future PG of the franchise.
I wonder if Phoenix's front office and owner were puking, last night, while thinking of their fantastic decision to give us Sergio for a small contribution to their bottom line. There is no other player in the league who's game mirrors the aging Nash's as much as Sergio's. I will never understand what they were thinking.
I'm still waiting for Rodriguez, Aldridge, Outlaw, and Roy to all be on the floor at the same time. Seems like that could be a team that could really run the floor, with Roy stretching the court with his ability to hit the jumper. And Outlaw and LA (his new nickname) running and dunking. The Blazers look like a totally different, and better, team when they push the ball. They are not a jump shooting team period. Coach Mac needs to loosen the reigns just a bit, and yet still micromanage until these young guns get some experience.
Mike,
I caught the game last night on KGW. One of the "Keys to the game", was INTIMIDATION! I think when we found out Miller and Artest where playing in the game, for some reason it felt like the motivation had disappeared. Miller and Artest where more decoys than anything. But Kevin Martin! Wow! Where did he come from!
If the Kings come out shoot 68% in the half, that really tells me the Blazers couldn't find there mojo on defense. I'm a bit of a complainer, but I would of like to see Sergio Rodriguez run the point and Dan Dickau on 2. Instead of the other way around. Just because Dan is better at making buckets, not plays. Thats only if one is looking for other options.
I'm not even going to talk about the Blazers offense last night because I could of built a home with all the missed buckets. Any team will have a bad night, and the Blazers had it last night. The other thing I would of liked to see from Z-bo is to draw out the defense, when doubled hit the cutter. It could of worked for him a few times.
Blazer fans! it's still early and we have a lot to look foward too! This is a great team! Be patient!
Prepare for the THRILLA!!!!!!!!!!
hey Mike,
I thought announcers were supposed to announce a game with a open mind and not choose favorites?. All I could hear during the first half of the Portland and Phoenix game were u and and ur partner giving excuses to why the Suns were scoring. "if you notice there, he pushes off", "and the Suns get away with another travel", "watch how he leads with the elbow". Jalen Rose went up strong for lay-up. Im sorry, but i did not hear one time u comment on how Z. Randolf leads with his off-hand almost every time he drives, or any of the times the Blazers traveled. I saw the game being called even. Portland did not come out to play and the Suns did, and your taking that away from them. This is the only place i could find where i knew you would get my message. I know you have been announcer for a while now and I would appreciate it if you try not to down the opposing team just because ur 2nd rate blazers aren't getting the job done.
wow is all i can say. why is no one at the games. 13000.......pathetic. oh well i have the TV on and the radio on listening to both. What a great game. Zbo jack and aldrige all great. jammal is playing better. I'm proud of the team
Mike,
Thanks for the great article. You hit the nail on the head when you talked about this blazer team's heart. This is something that was duly missing in last year's team-the will to fight and come back against any odds to win a ballgame. The Blazers have shown this on several occasions already this year, even without Roy and Pryzbilla in the lineup. In what is considered a re-building year I think this is a great sign.
I am blown away by the strong play and maturity of Aldridge thus far. I initially questioned the Blazers moves to draft him with the No. 2 pick, but let me just say that those doubts have been erased very quickly since he has returned to the lineup. I now have the long lost feeling of not only having confidence in the players but the front office as well.......I think a .500 season would is realistic and would be a huge step in the right direction. GO.
McMillan said after the game that "maybe we won a game that we should have lost." I disagree. I think that perhaps the Blazers won a game they were destined to win.
Each game, each quarter, each possession this team plays together means something now. And what makes that particularly special is that the players recognize and embrace it. You can actually see the will to win in their eyes. Rice said the team grew up a little tonight. "Matured" is the word I think he used. Sometimes the old coach knows what he's talking about it seems.
It's a special time to be a Blazer fan. These will be the days we look back on with the eyes of a proud parent when we hoist the NBA championship trophy once again in Portland.
And that day will come.
We need to wear those white jerseys against the Nets more often. :)
Just because of this game tonight I made my personal message on my IMing service "These Blazers are for REAL!!!" And that is true. If you don't believe it, now's the time to start believin'. This team comes into the 4th quarter and makes the push to win the game, which is unblike last season, where the 4th was where the game was lost. I think the Blazers are, and will be, a quality team. We are on now, an overcoming team, and will be, when our men come back like ROY, Przybilla, LaFrentz, man we'd have it made. Isn't Joel supposed to be back on Saturday's game against the Kings? If he is, we'll be unstoppable on the defensive end, mostly... with Joel just coming off that injury and all.
Nobody cares about the 1ºrank assists-per-48min Portland player? Sergio is 'terrific' at passing!
The Spaniard (is a Rookie!) also has the 5º rank at assist-per-turnover.
WOW. A great game in the 4th Quarter. The 13,000 of us were so noisy we helped force the clutch 24 second turnover. imagine what 20,999 could do. Yeah I'm a proud sixth man for my Blazers.
It's sad to see so few people at the game when Portlanders claim that they care about having a team with character. If we care so much about character, we need to prove it. Oh yeah, and there's also the fact that we're actually winning. But the Garden was as loud as a packed house in the 4th quarter because the people who actually show up are the ones that care. I'm really impressed with Sergio except he has to get used to the NBA 3-point line which I know can be a challenge. I know it was hard for me going from college to the slightly longer line in Europe. And Aldridge (hook 'em horns!) is an incredible player. I think these guys will continue to compete all year and .500 is not out of the question. I'm already excited for next season.
TRUST SERGIO!!!! just look at the stats, first in nba assists per 48 minutes, that´s unbelievable for 18 years old guy what could he do with 35 minutes per game... I know it´s hard to trust a young european guy and jarrett is doing a good work too, but nobody ever tought that tony parker would run the spurs so well, Popovich couldn´t miss the evidence I hope Nate give SERGIO more minutes.
You're absolutely correct, Mike. I have yet to figure this team out as well. After the first couple of double digit comebacks I thought to myself "I don't mind a little luck every now and again." But now as I see this team fight back from every single double digit deficit they've had this season thus far, I no longer believe it's luck.
They've beaten some very quality teams this season and I think it's safe to say that we would have never seen that from last year's team. But I don't like to talk about the past, only the present and future, which by the way look very promising for the young Blazers squad. Let's hope that the Blazers can go into Sacramento and give them a tough game tomorrow since I think Sacramento's still a little shaken after Utah came from behind to beat them last night.
Oh and by the way, I was watching some random reality t.v. show the other day and I noticed TWO people from New York were wearing Portland Trailblazer jerseys. Looks like a lot more than just the Portland natives are starting to notice and believe in this young and exciting team. Happy Thanksgiving!!
that first comment was one of the most hypoctitical comments i have ever read
great blog mb!
I think the results are bringing to fruition what coach Nate said to begin the year, the team needs to scrap for everything for 48 mins every night. Even with slow starts the never give up attitude is refreshing for a seasoned Blazers fan, who follows the games on the net from Australia!
A happy and fit Zach don't hurt either1
Go Team!
Mike,
I appreciate very much the information in this blog. Its a good way for non US people to go through NBA. We saw last weekend game in Canal + and we really did love to see Sergio again. why don't you suggest coach McMillan to get him play a little more. Unfortunately Portland is not getting very good results so maybe its time to try and leave him playing. ¡Be a good mate and give him additional minutes! Hopefully you will win ...
BY the way, do you know if Sergio has any kind of Blog where we can also write him? Maybe the answer is that he has no time. Only for basket and english.
Kisses from Spain.
I know Zach has had a great begining this season but he still seems to be looking the other direction when opposing player drive to the bascket. On offense he sould be our first option but not the only option. The offense is bogging down trying to run everything through Zach. As good as Zach is he still appears to be part of the problem, not the solution.
Mike Barrett's Blogs are so much better than John Canzano's from the Paper, Mike writes the facts and John just write negetive stuff only. Good Job Mike!!! They will learn to play Defense, There still playing good these are just championship caliber teams there playing right now. I am real happy to watch Portland this year because they actually look like they care about this season more than last. Hopefully they keep trying and the wins will come with experance. Go Blazers!!! I believe in you.
Well, coach Nate did what I thought he should have done last night by playing Joel and Jamaal at the center and having LaMarcus come in at the 4 spot while Travis moved down to the 3 spot. It would have worked out just fine if Portland could have made some shots. When you out rebound your oppnonent by 10, you should not lose. Portland needs to play more of a 2-3 zone. I guess it doesn't help all that much that our best perimeter defender is still out with the heel injury.
If Roy's injury doesn't look any better after this next MRI scan, than I suggest he go in for surgery to completely fix the problem. If his heel does look better, I would think that there's still a very high possibility of re-aggrivating the heal and we'll all be in the same position we're in now. Hopefully Roy can get back out on the court soon! By the way MB, I love your blogs! Keep up the good work.
Thanks for keeping the Blogs going, Mike. As usual, a couple of comments:
1. I'm sure you didn't mean to state that the Pacers were averaging 25 points per game coming into last night's game.
2. It's not just defense. It's offense, too. The Blazers simply do not have dependable perimeter shooting to compliment their decent inside game. If Nate isn't drilling the boys on their perimeter shooting - with hands in their faces - he should be.
3. And it's not just defense and offense. It's the transition game too. As in, the Blazers have almost NO transition game. They constantly take their time getting the ball up the court, and letting their opponents set up defensive shop all the while. And they are getting beat back down the court on fully half of their opponents' possessions when their opponents employ a full-court attack.
4. And it's not just defense, offense, and transition game. It's rebounding, too. The Blazers are dead last in the NBA in total rebounds per game at this point in the season.
5. And it's not just defense, offense, transition game, and rebounding. It's the Blazer Dancers, too. They just aren't trying hard enough!
6. On the serious side, I still can NOT figure out why Brandon, the Blazers, and the physicians didn't just decide to do the surgery as soon as the pain became an issue. It's not like that bone is going to shrink all by itself. He could be well on his way to recovery by now, instead of still being lost in uncertainty.
I know the boyz will improve and that it's going to take time. I didn't expect them to really begin clicking until the 2nd half of the season, anyway. We have had a number of great stories and pleasant surprises already this season, and I'm sure more are in store for us.
So I'm not giving up on the boyz, but I AM concerned that many of them may become discouraged as the losses pile up. The only way they are going to turn things around is to grit their teeth and rededicate themselves to doing just that, no matter how many games they lose.
GO BLAZERS!!!
PBF
For God Sake!!! When is going Portland coach to realize that Sergio Rodriguez deserve much more minutes on the court??? Sergio has everything a point guard needs ... I know he is very young but he has a huge experience playing complicated games and he doesn´t hide when his team needs him (if you want a good example of that, you should see the semifinal against Argentina in the last World Championship in Japan).
Defense, defense, defense. Everyone is saying it, and yet no one seems to be thinking about where the problem is coming from. It's easy, his name is Z-Bo. He never gets back, he rotates slowly or not at all, his footwork is too slow, and mostly he just saves his energy for offense.
Speaking of which, his offense is predictable, it slows ball movement, disrupts the offensive flow, causes needless turnovers, and generates buckets less than half the time.
He has talent, but also has an oversized ego, very little court vision, horrific ball handling skills, and most importantly, a massive contract.
My advice. Let Randolph have his 30-12 at the expense of winning. When Roy comes back, give him the oppurtunity to find his role as a #2 option. If not, get rid of him.
It doesn't matter if he goes somewhere else and plays well, he's not playing well here. Period. Stats don't mean jack, if you can't play as a team, you can't win. Period. Go Blazers. Period.
The problem with this Blazers team is that they rely way too much on Zach, also Dixon. Last night in the 4th. Zach, an Dixon continued to shoot the ball. Dont get me wrong they did hit some, but the point is when they take that many shots in a row like they did an do, it isnt very hard for the other team to figure out who to guard and who is going to get the ball. In my opinion Jack is the go to guy, he has a higher field go percentage. I think most of the better teams in the NBA are good because of the point guard as well as defence...
The reason the Blazers lost last night was not because of a defensive breakdown, it was from Joel not being 100% in shape, and Brandon sitting on the bench. Once everybody gets back, it will all take shape.
Go Blazers.
Oh ... my ... gosh! Shut up about Sergio already. I know there are a lot of fans of this kid, but let's try to be a little objective here! He has some talent and he'll be a good player for the Blazers in a year or two. But if Sergio were to play more minutes than he is now, it would actually stunt his progress. He has a lot of bad habits that will only correct themselves through consistent repetition in practice. Nate McMillan is much, much smarter than all the Sergio lovers on this board, so trust his coaching instincts and stop clamoring for more minutes for Sergio. Nate is giving him as much time as he deserves!
I disagree, in part, with realisticfan. First of all, i think Sergio is good, right now. I suspect he'll only improve over the next couple of years. Also, i don't think more time would stunt Sergio's development. Sergio has been playing at a high level for a long time, now. It's not like he just became a McDonald's all-star. The guy is a world champion.
These bad habbits of his must have slipped my mind when he was dropping 10 dimes and scoring 9 points on 4 of 5 shooting in 22 minutes. I wish Jack had some of those bads habbits, as well. It seems Sergio has a bad habbit of leading the league in assists per 48 minutes.
I agree that we should be patient with Sergio, but i don't think Jack needs to be playing 40+ minutes a game. My main problem with the minute distribution at PG, however, is just that Dickou continues to get minutes handed to him he hasn't earned. I can only think of one decent game he has had all season. Why should Sergio be splitting back-up minutes with him?
realisticfan, saying that coach McMillian is always right with his decisions is not really realistic, in fact is very relative... I mean, what about the time when McMillian had Dickau as the second PG of the rotation and Sergio was the third? Was it a "smart" decision? If you're correct and the coach is sooooo smart and always fair with the decisions he has made, then both Dickau and Sergio deserve to be at the same time the 2nd point guard of the team, and that's a sort of contradiction.
In my opinion, the fact that Sergio has progressively been playing more and more minutes is the evidence that coach McMillian, initially, was not sure about Sergio's skills to play NBA games, but now Nate has realised that he does have those skills. Maybe Nate understimated Sergio when he said he should go to the D-League before the season had started; I'm pretty sure Nate has changed his mind a little bit on that and now he doesn't think Sergio should go the D-League.
Of course, Jarrett Jack is, today, a better PG than Sergio, and Jarrett is starting. No doubt about it. Probably Sergio will be able to improve his NBA skills and get experience if he plays 20 minutes every game (and that's something normal, like any other 2nd PG of the league), and when people say that he should play more, I think they're just refering to this, to play 20 minutes, and not to start Sergio.
By the way, I can't really understand what you're refering to with "he has a lot of bad habits". As far as I remember, McMilian said in September that "Sergio knows where to be on the court" and said that was because "his natural basketball IQ", but he never said anything about "a lot of bad habits"... and if McMillian is so smart, then he is smarter than you and me, and if he has not said anything about those bad habits, then Sergio hasn't got them. I'm just following your way of thinking about it.
The only "bad" thing he's said about him is that as he's still learning English he loses a bit of communication in the court... which is not a bad habit to be corrected in practice, and still, despite of it, his numbers in assists are really high, and drives the team to play better when he's on the court, which is basically the purpose of a true PG.
I just can't imagine how good Sergio can be in a year or two.
P.D Mike, any updates about Brandon Roy's heel?
Couple things here...
First, the defense is glaringly the biggest problem. We really need to improve the interior defense, (during the Suns game it looked like they were performing layup drills on us)so hopefully with Joel back that will help. Also, with soo much youth on this team, we should NEVER be getting beat soo often in transition!
Second, what is the deal with Martell? Teams are clogging the middle and playing Zack tough, only way to stop that is effective outside shooting and Martell is supposed to be the guy for that. He has been almost invisible lately. He needs to get start creating shots for himself and not be soo tentative. Dixon shoots almost twice as often with less minutes. With Martell, Outlaw and Jack shooting from outside, Zack would have a lot more room to move inside and create lanes for Outlaw and Jack to get to the rim also.
When you mention being last in the NBA in rebounding, there arent a whole lot of rebounds to be had when your opponent is shooting +50% from the field.
It's not only defense (watching Pacers walk the ball by Zebo and score while he watches on makes me want to vomit) but just plain experience. The Pacers are a veteran group and know how to milk a call, execute just a bit better when needed... all the things we will do in a couple of years.
Ok, so throughout the years I have had a ruff time being down here in L.A. yet remaining a die hard Portland fan. But it has really given me the chance to look from the outside in. I have noticed that there is something that seems to happen with us blazer fans when we have some small snafu's in our game play. We immediately become bitter and start blaming whomever we can. Except ourselves.
The one main reason why I totally love Portland is the immense feeling of heart that the city portrays. Now there have been small blurbs where it seemed that the team was also reflective of the cities character, but not often enough. Basketball is a game that is highly dependant on skills. But in my opinion the greatest skill has nothing to do with ball handling, or shooting, or even conditioning. It has to do with passion! I believe that a team has to be just that, Passionate. When you look at all the teams that have been champions throughout the years you can recognize one thing. Teamwork/Unity. Now maybe if we see more of Rasheed Wallace type passion with less Ruben Patterson type complaining or blaming, then the team would find its niche; Start to gel and see that problems can be fixed when a Portrait in turned into a Mural. Let’s rally behind the blazers. Lets show that heart which has made the Rose Garden one of the loudest Arenas in sports history. Let’s just say "hey we have our lineup now let’s throw all in a bowl, mix it round and come out with a playoff caliber cake". What do ya say Portland, do you have the heart I always admired and relished in, or are you going to implode once more. I firmly believe that the sixth man sitting in the stands or 1,200 miles to the south listening on KXL, really make a team or a city what it should be.
Having watched Jarrett Jack for 3 years at Georgia Tech, I can vouch for his leadership, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Sergio Rodriguez may be a talented player, but to place the burden of leadership on him at this early stage of his career would be wrong. Furthermore, to point to Sergio's 9-point 10-assist outing as reason for more minutes is absurd. Before you blindly accept statistics, consider the context in which they were obtained. Those 9 points and 10 assists were earned in a 119-101 blowout loss to the Suns (a team that likes to run) in "garbage minutes" as some like to call it. Spectacular statistics do not always equate to spectacular performances.
Sergio has played well lately, yes. It can be difficult to improve young players, but Sergio has made it easy in his case by being good enough to play real back-up minutes. Be sure that the staff is watching him carefully.
With regard to bad habits and earlier caution on McMillan's part, well, remember the pre-season? One box score near the end showed Sergio with 8 turnovers in 19 minutes. I can't remember ever seeing such a thing before, and Dickau is an established, steady player who dropped 40 on Portland two years ago. So the staff should be excused for being cautious with Sergio, while on the other hand their recent use of him proves that they didn't lose sight of or forget him. He's already helping the team and should get better and better.
WHAT IN THE WORLD is going on with Brandon? I sat and watched him for awhile (through binoculars) during the first half of the Phoenix debacle and let me tell you, the expression on his face was of someone that looked very uncomfortable and, dare I say, confused. My whole big fear about his situation is that he was improperly diagnosed, which is not uncommon and happens all the time. I feel like someone in charge got the wrong info, made the wrong call, didn't seek secondary medical advice, something. I strongly feel the Blazers need to address the public with the exact course of events surrounding his condition over the last three weeks and why they chose to pursue the method of treatment they did. Sorry for the rant but this just reeks of a pathetic treatment that has resulted in a major waste of time.
In Sergio's first meaningful action this season, he had 8 assists in the final quarter against Minnesota who kept playing in fear of losing a lead, once again. The very next night he had 8 assists again in 26 minutes of meaningful action in a game where JJ played poorly for 21 minutes. Against NJ, in the first half, Portland was -22 with Jack on the floor and +9 with Sergio. Jack recovered and had a nice second half, but we would have had a much bigger hill to climb for a win had Sergio not performed as he did. In the 5 games that Sergio has played at least 12 minutes, he's averaging about 6.6 assists in about 18.4 mpg. That's 17+ assists per 48 minutes. Numbers like that at any point in the game are remarkable.
Do know what you're talking about, and watch more than one game, before calling one's campaign absurd. Thinking Sergio is incapable of handling a backup role on this team, independently, is what is absurd. Anyone who watched the World Championship tournament and all his games thus far in the regular season could easily see he's capable.
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