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Around The World: May 5

05/05/11

Written by: DHawes22 / avg. rating: 4.5

May 5

DIME: Who’s Better: Zach Randolph Or LaMarcus Aldridge?
"No post players took bigger leaps this year than LaMarcus Aldridge and Zach Randolph. For LA, it was about taking control of a team that desperately needed leadership once Greg Oden and Brandon Roy were both lost to injuries. For Z-Bo, it was about changing a perception that he was selfish, a guy who never passed once the ball came down to him."

Trail Blazers: Memories of 2010-2011
"The play-offs would mirror the regular season’s ups and downs. I really think the loss in Game 1 at Dallas when the Blazers had a 6-point lead with under 6 minutes to play was the turning point in the series. A win there and the Mavs might have crumbled under the pressure of achieving some first round success. But instead, they followed up that win with another one in Game 2. To their credit, the Blazers came back home and captured Game 3 to get back in the series."

Oregon Live: You be the GM: Armon Johnson
"Drafted in the second round (No. 34 overall) out of the University of Nevada, Reno, Johnson entered summer league not knowing exactly what his future with the Blazers would be. But his performance in Las Vegas, averaging 11.6 points, 4.2 assists and 2.2 steals, was enough to earn a contract from the Blazers. Shortly after, his feisty defense and athleticism in training camp earned him some playing time early in the regular season."

Portland Tribune: Now What?
"The core of players looking to the future includes LaMarcus Aldridge, Gerald Wallace, Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews. Brandon Roy is untradeable, given the condition of his knees and his contract ($68 million during the next four years). The other players are expendable in the mind of the Blazer brain trust."

ESPN: Portland Trail Blazers Offseason Prescription
"Yes, it seems torturous to bring Oden back, but the Blazers likely won't have the flexibility to invest elsewhere. They could shop in the clearance aisle for a stopgap center, but despite the injuries, Oden's upside is too high to let go at this point. If there's some form of a midlevel exception in the next collective bargaining agreement, they could use that to find a center, but as fragile as Oden might be, it's better to have a bird in the hand."

Ball Don't Lie: Video: Ron Artest gets physical, ejected as the Lakers drop Game 2
"The league office will review the play, which places Artest's status for Friday night's Game 3 in serious jeopardy. TNT analysts Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith initially took opposing views when discussing the play after Game 2, with Barkley adamant in the belief that Artest will be suspended for Game 3, while Smith thought the Lakers forward would merely receive a fine. (Later in the postgame show, Smith changed his tune and said he thinks Artest will be suspended, although he disputed Barkley's argument that Artest essentially punched Barea in the face.)"

The Basketball Jones: Pick-and-Pop: Going back to Memphis
"I’ve been infatuated with the Grizzlies since they started playing well after jettisoning Allen Iverson (yeah, remember him?) early in the ‘09-’10 season, and I always knew they were capable of this — although my vision of the team’s playoff breakthrough certainly didn’t include Rudy Gay in street clothes on the sideline with his arm in a sling, or OJ Mayo playing just 23 minutes a game off the bench. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of their first-round upset of the Spurs, especially as it became obvious about half way through how much of a misnomer the term “upset” was to describe the eventual series result. Now after heading back to Memphis with a split in OKC in their second-round series against the Thunder, some think they actually have a chance to make the finals—and I agree. It’s absolutely incredible for an eighth-seeded team, much less one that nobody seemed to realize existed before April."

SLAM: Andrew Bynum: ‘We Have Trust Issues’
“I don’t even know the root of it at this point,” Andrew Bynum said. “Obviously, we have trust issues and unless we come out and discuss them nothing is going to change.” Bynum says trust issues have been there all season “individually between all 13, have trust issues.”

Star Tribune: In pursuit of Ricky Rubio
"A Timberwolves contingent led by David Kahn are spending the next week in Spain for this weekend's Euroleague Final Four and to continue work they intend will get Ricky Rubio signed to a NBA contract within a month."

ESPN: Who wins, advances to NBA Finals?
"False. The Celtics have never gone away quietly in the Big Three era. With three days off to rest their creaky limbs and sharpen their game plan against LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, the Celtics will make this the hard-fought series we all expected in Boston."

ESPN: Daily Dime
"He made 9 of 16 shots, good for 24 points, including some patented clutch shots off the wrong foot as Dallas took a 93-81 Game 2 win in the West semifinals over the two-time defending champion Lakers."

Tags: LaMarcusAldridge, ArmonJohnson, zachrandolph, Grizzlies, ronartest, GregOden, Celtics

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Around The World: May 5

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