RipCityRevival's Blog

Feb 23

 Well, it's apparently been about two months since my last blog and a lot has happened in the mean time. No more Steve Blake, no more Catfish, and the introduction of a whole new Block Party named Marcus Camby. Brandon Roy was injured through his third NBA All-Star weekend, and the Blazers got snubbed in the special categories once again. The Blazers are now in the middle of a two game losing streak hoping to snap it tonight against the New Jersey Nets. 

   To start off, I'd like to interject my opinion on the trade. I know it's old news now, but it's the first time I've had a chance to talk about it. Frankly, I give the Blazers an A on this trade. There was no guarantee that either would resign at the end of this season and Portland had a need to fill with Oden and Joel out. What has happened, and I saw it coming as soon as the trade was made, was that all our perimeter players who had been focusing so hard on defens because there was no shot blocker now took a sigh of relief. It happened everytime Oden came back and it's been a pattern of these players over the last few years. Just because we have a shot blocker in the paint does not mean you can rest on defense. Play a full 48 guys, "I mean come ON!" It isn't fair to Camby, he's doing a great job on defense and rebounding which is exactly what we needed him for, but it makes him look bad when he is really the only lineup change and we drop two in a row. Granted it was the Celtics and the Jazz, but that doesn't phase the critics. Keep playing defense guys and play like you were playing before the trade. He's a safety net so you can go after more steals and play more aggressively, not an excuse to relax on D. 

    What can I say about Nicolas Batum. The kid is growing into a man in front of us. I hate to say it Martel, you have skills, but if you keep looking over your shoulder then Batum will only pass you sooner. Keep your focus on the game. Right now, I am changing my starting 5 to include Nic. Unfortunately for Martel, that now puts him at the 7th man spot because Rudy or Bayless are that 6th man. On that same note, it's good to see Rudy becoming more active on moving around. Once his confidence is back he should be draining that three soon enough. 

    The team is fine, they've made the right moves. It's not Nate, it mostly comes down to the guys have relaxed on the defensive end now that they have a known shot blocker and rebounder in the paint. Hopefully they realize this themselves and will overcome it. It is time to get hungry boys. This road trip starts out with three games that SHOULD be W's. Feast on these three to build momentum, put them away hard and don't look back. We're coming down the stretch now and I would love to see us move up in the Western Conference and start making some noise. Put the petal to the metal and leave your woes behind. This is the hand you are playing with and it's time to go all in.