Portland 103, Utah 89 (boxscore)
This was going to be the night I stopped with the game recaps for a while. But again, this team has a habit of making special things happen, so here we are: A Monument to Martell Webster's third quarter. Let me set the scene a little.
Throughout the first half, Portland was playing horrible for the most part. It was painful to watch an already beat-up Roybot having to contend with the defensive wrath of Jerry Sloan. The crowd kept trying to get into it, but Portland and Utah were keeping things quiet. The score at the half of this ugfest: Utah 42, Portland 39.
Coming out for the third quarter, we learn Roy is going to sit out the rest of the game. Not encouraging. Then Martell started hitting. And hitting. And hitting.
If you didn't see the game, I know what your thinking. A bunch of catch and shoots, Martell got his spot up stroke going and hit from gaps in the Utah zone. Wrong. Wrong! Nailing a few consecutive jumpers gave Martell the confidence to transform into something we've only seen flashes of before. When I described it to a friend via text message, I said he looked like a slightly bigger Kobe. He was absolutely killing the Jazz.
He started moving without the ball, pure fluid off screens to get open. Then he started posting up his smaller defender. He pulled up off the dribble. He took it hard to the rack. And yes, the catch and shoot was sprinkled through all of this. When the horn finally ended the quarter, Portland was up 75 to 64, the Rose Garden was on fire, and Jerry Sloan was nearing spontaneous combustion. Needless to say, the game was all but over. Martell's damage in his 12 minutes of fury? 7-9 from the field (including 3-4 from 3), 7-7 from the line: 24 points. Fitting that this was against Utah and Deron Williams, whom the Blazers infamously passed over to draft Martell. For the first time in Webster's career, people forgot about that, even if it was for just one quarter. Here's to many more. (Watch the video)
A wonderful time to be a Blazer fan.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Circling back: Brandon Roy's nickname
The issue: Brandon Roy's nickname in a state of flux.
Nobody needs a nickname, but its fun to believe they do. Plus, I'm on board with the argument that initialized/abbreviated names are boring, played out, and need to be stopped. In Brandon's case, paying for this over use may hurt since "B.Roy" sounds nice. When you take a firm stand, concessions and exceptions are out, so on we go.
Ever since "The Nanny-Stopper," I've considered Slam Magazine as good an authority as any when it comes to nicknames. These days they do contests to come up with nicknames for players who are lacking, and one subject was Brandon Roy. I never saw it in print (the magazine makes me feel old, so is avoided), but heard the winner was "The Blade." Eh.
On this blog, I've taken to simply referring to him as "Everything," but thats describing what he gives to this team, not really a nickname. Through it all, there has been one option that I have silently approved of. It was suggested in the comments of the Slam post, and made an appearance on Deadspin, so maybe has a chance at gaining traction: RoyBot.
First of all, I really enjoy robots. But even if you don't, there's reasons to support this. For me it starts with the idea thatB.Roy RoyBot has a lot of qualities that remind me of Tim Duncan, who is perhaps the most famous robot since Johnny 5. I've occasionally heard Duncan referred to as "Tim Bot," but it hasn't taken and his claim has surely expired.
Watch a Blazer game with the player similarities in mind and tell me if you disagree. Both are smart, good at everything, team-oriented, systematic, athletic enough, big enough, quiescent, and most importantly, killing machines. I'm not saying Roy has reached the level of Duncan, but he's on his way. I can't help but think the two share the same soul, in this case a ghost in the machine. When I look at RoyBot I see a perimeter Timmy. Perhaps both come from the same Dr. Soong lab.
Nobody needs a nickname, but its fun to believe they do. Plus, I'm on board with the argument that initialized/abbreviated names are boring, played out, and need to be stopped. In Brandon's case, paying for this over use may hurt since "B.Roy" sounds nice. When you take a firm stand, concessions and exceptions are out, so on we go.
Ever since "The Nanny-Stopper," I've considered Slam Magazine as good an authority as any when it comes to nicknames. These days they do contests to come up with nicknames for players who are lacking, and one subject was Brandon Roy. I never saw it in print (the magazine makes me feel old, so is avoided), but heard the winner was "The Blade." Eh.
On this blog, I've taken to simply referring to him as "Everything," but thats describing what he gives to this team, not really a nickname. Through it all, there has been one option that I have silently approved of. It was suggested in the comments of the Slam post, and made an appearance on Deadspin, so maybe has a chance at gaining traction: RoyBot.
First of all, I really enjoy robots. But even if you don't, there's reasons to support this. For me it starts with the idea that
Watch a Blazer game with the player similarities in mind and tell me if you disagree. Both are smart, good at everything, team-oriented, systematic, athletic enough, big enough, quiescent, and most importantly, killing machines. I'm not saying Roy has reached the level of Duncan, but he's on his way. I can't help but think the two share the same soul, in this case a ghost in the machine. When I look at RoyBot I see a perimeter Timmy. Perhaps both come from the same Dr. Soong lab.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Damon Stoudamire not happy with aging, Grizzlies agree
I'm feeling a little restless tonight. Last time, this resulted in the infamously wasteful "Consistent Stat." Tonight, there is a morsel of Blazer-related news to protect you all from a thousand-word post about statistics. Damon Stoudamire isn't getting playing time in Memphis, and he wants out.
The 34 year old Portland native and ex-Blazer has had it with having his playing time cut in the name of a youth movement, and is seeking a release or trade. Damon has defied odds for much of his career, at every level his height (generously 5'10) has fed skeptics. But at this stage, will any team be interested in his services? I've listed the age and the height, but there was also that whole season ending knee injury thing during in 2005-06. His contract has another year and 4.65 million after this one, so he's not yet quite entered the "expiring contract zone of hotness" recently occupied by luminaries like Theo Ratliff.
These elements would seem to make a trade relatively unlikely, at least for this season. If he can gut it out for the remainder of the year, it would likely be open season on that delicious expiring contract. Of course, then teams would be interested in his contract, not his skills, which would mean any opportunities to contribute on the court would be incidental.
So in the short term, Stoudamire needs to pray for a buy out. But there's a slight snag here. The Grizzlies lose 10.9 million a year, more than every other team except the Blazers and the Knicks. Due to the extreme wealth of the owners, the Blazers and the Knicks can deal. With the Grizz? Kind of an issue. That owner has a billion, not 16 billion. I want you to know I threw up a little typing that.
They'll do a buy out all right, as long as it means they don't have to pay nearly as much as the contract promises. Is the situation bad enough that Damon will walk away from millions? Is he ready to face the possibility that even if he does leave, teams may not exactly be lining up to offer him the role he wants? Expiring contract can be a tough role to adjust to, as can "former NBA player." But you never know, things could work out. Best of luck.
The 34 year old Portland native and ex-Blazer has had it with having his playing time cut in the name of a youth movement, and is seeking a release or trade. Damon has defied odds for much of his career, at every level his height (generously 5'10) has fed skeptics. But at this stage, will any team be interested in his services? I've listed the age and the height, but there was also that whole season ending knee injury thing during in 2005-06. His contract has another year and 4.65 million after this one, so he's not yet quite entered the "expiring contract zone of hotness" recently occupied by luminaries like Theo Ratliff.
These elements would seem to make a trade relatively unlikely, at least for this season. If he can gut it out for the remainder of the year, it would likely be open season on that delicious expiring contract. Of course, then teams would be interested in his contract, not his skills, which would mean any opportunities to contribute on the court would be incidental.
So in the short term, Stoudamire needs to pray for a buy out. But there's a slight snag here. The Grizzlies lose 10.9 million a year, more than every other team except the Blazers and the Knicks. Due to the extreme wealth of the owners, the Blazers and the Knicks can deal. With the Grizz? Kind of an issue. That owner has a billion, not 16 billion. I want you to know I threw up a little typing that.
They'll do a buy out all right, as long as it means they don't have to pay nearly as much as the contract promises. Is the situation bad enough that Damon will walk away from millions? Is he ready to face the possibility that even if he does leave, teams may not exactly be lining up to offer him the role he wants? Expiring contract can be a tough role to adjust to, as can "former NBA player." But you never know, things could work out. Best of luck.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Portland vs Chicago: winning and growing
Portland 115, Chicago 109, 2OT (boxscore)
Very tough, exhausting, double-overtime veteranish win. Outlaw was clutch, so I'm going to remind you about this. James Jones was his usual invaluable self. Aldridge did his thing, using Ben Wallace's dogmatic defense of the paint as an opportunity to go automatic with the perimeter jumper. Brandon Roy was, again, Everything. There will be lots of good analyses for this game out there, so I'll sum up by simply writing what was looping through my head during the last five minutes of the fourth and through both overtimes:
"Why is Jack running the offense so much? Why is Jack running the offense so much? Give it to Roy. Give it to Roy! Gaaaaaaa! Nice play, Jack..."
I've been a Jarrett Jack apologist for a long time, and was happy to see him out there making plays. But Brandon Roy is on this team, why go anywhere else down the stretch of a tight game?
Very tough, exhausting, double-overtime veteranish win. Outlaw was clutch, so I'm going to remind you about this. James Jones was his usual invaluable self. Aldridge did his thing, using Ben Wallace's dogmatic defense of the paint as an opportunity to go automatic with the perimeter jumper. Brandon Roy was, again, Everything. There will be lots of good analyses for this game out there, so I'll sum up by simply writing what was looping through my head during the last five minutes of the fourth and through both overtimes:
"Why is Jack running the offense so much? Why is Jack running the offense so much? Give it to Roy. Give it to Roy! Gaaaaaaa! Nice play, Jack..."
I've been a Jarrett Jack apologist for a long time, and was happy to see him out there making plays. But Brandon Roy is on this team, why go anywhere else down the stretch of a tight game?
Darius Miles entertains with his spending
Say what you will about Darius Miles, but there is an area where he never fails us. His spending of that well-earned contract is nothing short of gold. I only wish the two higher paid Blazers this season, Raef and Steve Francis, would step up and challenge Miles to see who can spend their money in the most entertaining fashion. Step it up, guys. Anyways, this blog entry dedicated to D.Miles the donk enthusiast continues to to be one of the most popular on DeceptivelyQuick.
It may be old news, but I just discovered the website of a jeweler by the name of Jason of Beverly Hills. (Its weird saying this, but there is a bizarre intro to that website that is definitely not safe for work. If you plan on risking it, I recommend clicking the "skip intro" link rapid fire Contra style to bypass it.) So of course I was checking out his custom work, since I have been in the market for a diamond charm to go on my platinum chain for a while, and low and behold there's our friend D.Miles:
"Custom 'D-Miles Floating' Pendant made exclusively for Darius Miles. Full cut brilliant white and yellow diamonds pave set onto 14kt white gold."
You think Darius would only be on here once? Please. Here's number two:
"Custom charm bracelet made exclusively made for Darius Miles. Full cut brilliant white and black diamonds pave set onto 18kt white gold."
This is the one that you can sink your teeth into. Why multiple religious charms? Because East St. Louis is haunted. I imagine the star could double as a shout out to his agent Jeff Wechsler, who has done is job fairly well I'd say.
One more thing about the jewelry site, the super rich and/or famous people on that sight make logical sense-- Lil' John, Missy Elliot, Lebron James, --but then....Biz Markie? Nobody beats the Biz, indeed.
It may be old news, but I just discovered the website of a jeweler by the name of Jason of Beverly Hills. (Its weird saying this, but there is a bizarre intro to that website that is definitely not safe for work. If you plan on risking it, I recommend clicking the "skip intro" link rapid fire Contra style to bypass it.) So of course I was checking out his custom work, since I have been in the market for a diamond charm to go on my platinum chain for a while, and low and behold there's our friend D.Miles:
"Custom 'D-Miles Floating' Pendant made exclusively for Darius Miles. Full cut brilliant white and yellow diamonds pave set onto 14kt white gold."You think Darius would only be on here once? Please. Here's number two:
"Custom charm bracelet made exclusively made for Darius Miles. Full cut brilliant white and black diamonds pave set onto 18kt white gold."This is the one that you can sink your teeth into. Why multiple religious charms? Because East St. Louis is haunted. I imagine the star could double as a shout out to his agent Jeff Wechsler, who has done is job fairly well I'd say.
One more thing about the jewelry site, the super rich and/or famous people on that sight make logical sense-- Lil' John, Missy Elliot, Lebron James, --but then....Biz Markie? Nobody beats the Biz, indeed.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Portland vs Minnesota: New Win Streak
Portland 90, Minnesota 79 (boxscore)
I'm setting a bad precedent for myself by doing all these game recaps. This game had an interesting angle of the bounce back. Young teams especially seem vulnerable to coming out flat after coming off a high. Portland just having their win streak ended, coupled with struggles on the road this season, may have lead a few to doubts to be cast on a Blazers victory. But then you realize their playing the Timberwolves.
It was a weird game. First of all, there was a half-hour delay because apparently some wood was missing from the floor. Don't ask. Then there was the fact that the game was in Minnesota, and the Target Center was completely devoid of anything you could consider to be energy or enthusiasm. I went to my neighborhood Target store before Christmas, and it was a madhouse. Maybe they should integrate a store into this stadium and get some movement in the place.
Portland's inability to deliver a knockout punch and end the game early was evident again, although it hardly mattered. The fact that Portland had only 4 turnovers (that number from the Blazers, ESPN reports only 3) is astonishing when you consider how ugly this game was. Sergio had one of his dazzling displays, racking up 8 assists and no turnovers in less than seven first half minutes.
Another ugly win against Minnesota. As they say, you take the ugly win over the pretty victory.
I'm setting a bad precedent for myself by doing all these game recaps. This game had an interesting angle of the bounce back. Young teams especially seem vulnerable to coming out flat after coming off a high. Portland just having their win streak ended, coupled with struggles on the road this season, may have lead a few to doubts to be cast on a Blazers victory. But then you realize their playing the Timberwolves.
It was a weird game. First of all, there was a half-hour delay because apparently some wood was missing from the floor. Don't ask. Then there was the fact that the game was in Minnesota, and the Target Center was completely devoid of anything you could consider to be energy or enthusiasm. I went to my neighborhood Target store before Christmas, and it was a madhouse. Maybe they should integrate a store into this stadium and get some movement in the place.
Portland's inability to deliver a knockout punch and end the game early was evident again, although it hardly mattered. The fact that Portland had only 4 turnovers (that number from the Blazers, ESPN reports only 3) is astonishing when you consider how ugly this game was. Sergio had one of his dazzling displays, racking up 8 assists and no turnovers in less than seven first half minutes.
Another ugly win against Minnesota. As they say, you take the ugly win over the pretty victory.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
New Years Day Finnish Style
In case you didn't hear, the streak officially ended last night. But its New Year's Day, and we're looking forward not back. The future for this franchise is so bright I'm still trying to comprehend it. What better way for DeceptivelyQuick to usher in 2008 than with a shout out to Finland? Invaluable Finnish Consultant H.T. sent some updates and best wishes in the name of very odd pictures from Finland and a reminder that Scottie Pippen will be arriving there soon to play a few games, including one against our vaunted Finnagler, Petteri Koponen. We'll keep you posted on how that turns out.
This picture is from an elementary school, and poses an age-old question:
This one is an add from a Finnish magazing for some product meant to help you clean yourself. This one is just a particularly interesting man walking the streets of Kallio, Helsinki. I wouldn't call these not safe for work, but you would probably have a particularly difficult time at work if any coworkers saw them on your screen. Adjust accordingly.
Happy New Year.
This picture is from an elementary school, and poses an age-old question:
This one is an add from a Finnish magazing for some product meant to help you clean yourself. This one is just a particularly interesting man walking the streets of Kallio, Helsinki. I wouldn't call these not safe for work, but you would probably have a particularly difficult time at work if any coworkers saw them on your screen. Adjust accordingly.
Happy New Year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
