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News From Around The World: November 15

11/15/12

Written by: DHawes22 / avg. rating: 5.0

November 15

Trail Blazers TV: LaMarcus Aldridge Fan Chat

Trail Blazers TV: Trail Blazers 103, Kings 86

Trail Blazers TV: Damian Lillard Post-Game Interview

DIME: How Damian Lillard Compares To The NBA’s Best Point Guards
"A comparison of their rookie averages, Lillard in his eight games and the other five over the course of their first full seasons, shows some interesting differences and parallels. Lillard is averaging more points per game on a per 36-minute basis (all averages will be on the 36-minute basis moving forward). He’s in the middle of the pack for assists, averaging 6.3, which is below John Wall and Chris Paul, even with Brandon Jennings, but more than Rose and Curry. He’s also shooting about average for this group, 43 percent from the field, tied with Chris Paul, but more than John Wall and Brandon Jennings. Derrick Rose and Stephen Curry both shot over 45 percent from the field in their rookie seasons. However, his three-point shooting is the second-best for the group as he and Curry are the only ones over 40 percent from long range in their rookie seasons."

Blazersedge via Trail Blazers: Blazers F LaMarcus Aldridge: "I've Definitely Lost One Of My Steps"
"Dame, he's cold-blooded. He took one shot last night, coach went 1-4 flat, he dribbled up, he pulled up, nothing but net. He's talented. He has that pace, confidence, that Chauncey Billups, Chris Paul have."

SLAM: Rookie Report: Week 2
"As the videos above show, DLill is filthy. His handle in tight enough that he can hesitate until the last possible second to make a decision on whether to pass or shoot—thing is, once he’s in this position he’s already won the battle because the defense is now frozen and out of sync. And because defenders have to respect his mid-range jumpshot, his pick-and-roll becomes virtually unstoppable once he creates even an inch of separation."

Trail Blazers: Aldridge, Batum and Matthews Make All-Star Ballot
"Voting is open now and and will conclude on Jan. 14, 2013. Just a reminder that the voting only applies to the starting lineups for the All-Star game, which will be announce on Jan. 17, with that the rest of the rosters being selected by head coaches. The 2013 All-Star Game will take place on Feb. 17."

Trail Blazers: Aldridge Practices, Expects To Play Despite Strained Wrist
"It's hard because it's my right hand and I do everything with it," said Aldridge when asked if he was able to block out the pain caused by his wrist Tuesday night. "As you all know, I don't go left (laughs), so it's definitely more dramatic for me. But I think today was good for me."

Trail Blazers: Portland's Big Run Flattens Kings
"We knew J.J. Hickson would be motivated to play in this game against the team that waived him last March. Hickson picked up another double-double, scoring 10 and grabbing 13 rebounds. Hickson becomes just the seventh player in the NBA to post five double-doubles so far."

Oregon Live: Blazers' Wesley Matthews prepared to 'take a lot of bullets' in guarding Rockets' James Harden
“You gotta take a lot of bullets,” Matthews said of Harden. “He’s going to keep coming at you, they’re going to keep throwing the ball at him. He’s going to be aggressive. You’re going to have 7-footers trying to take your head off setting screens to get him open looks. I look forward to that matchup.”

Oregon Live: Blazers' Damian Lillard causing draft regret in Sacramento
“I wasn’t surprised because they took a really good player, Thomas Robinson -- I thought he was going to go earlier,” Lillard said. “When he dropped down, I think it was pretty much, they almost had to take him, because they have so many guards. He’s played well for them, so it could have gone either way.”

Oregon Live: Damian Lillard shines as Blazers get much-needed 103-86 victory over Kings
“I was just focused on winning the game,” Lillard said. “In my mind, the whole time, if we lose this game, we’re going to drop to 2-6. I think as a group, we all came out, and we didn’t want to drop to 2-6. We were desperate for a win, and we came out and made it happen.”

CSNNW: Practice Report: Aldridge says he went left, Stotts happy with rim protection
“I went left like four times so I might try that again,” Aldridge said in a joking matter. “Last game here, I went left like two times and had two turnovers so it's a little different in a game.”

CSNNW Blazers President, McGowan, hopes to sell naming rights to RG within year
“I'm always optimistic. I think it can be done in 12 months,” McGowan told CSNNW.com. “There's a lot of potential partners out there. This is a good market, with a great fan base, and a first-class building. It's an attractive property for someone to put their name on. It's one of my top priorities.”

Blazersedge via Basketball-Reference: Paine: Blazers F Jared Jeffries One Of "Most Underrated" Players In NBA
"A former lottery pick (11th overall in the 2002 draft), Jeffries could be seen as a total bust if viewed through the prism of his career 9.7 PER and 5.0 PPG average, but his career Regularized Plus/Minus is plus-1.8 as well, mainly due to his defensive mobility, length, versatility, and willingness to draw charges. Coaches know all about this -- there's a reason Jeffries has stuck around for 11 seasons and logged more than 13,000 career minutes."

Oregon Live: Sore Brandon Roy sitting out another game for injury-ravaged Timberwolves
"Since it is my knee, we all know they're not 100 percent," Roy said. "Anytime I have something in that area, it's always a little concerning. I just try not to think about it that much and just try to get better. Coach and the team they all tell me to just keep taking my time. Nobody's putting any extra pressure on me."

Oregon Live: NBA High-5: Versatile and feisty Grizzlies making a strong statement in Western Conference
"Gay is in his seventh season in the league and has for several seasons seemed on the cusp of reaching the upper echelon of small forwards. Maybe this is the year he finally gets in the All-Star Game. It would be a good timing as he is in the midway year of his five-year, $82 million deal."

Ball Don't Lie: Andrew Bynum’s hair looks great, everyone
"If nothing else, Bynum's penchant for barbershop reverie has given Philly fans something offbeat to discuss when they don't feel like talking about the Sixers. On a night like Wednesday — when the 76ers shot 29.8 percent from the floor and dropped an 18-point decision to the previously winless Pistons, in a game that frankly wasn't even that close for much of the proceedings — that's just about the greatest gift a man can give. (Shy of actually playing, of course.) It remains to be seen whether Bynum will stick with the conked-and-combed look, return to the Clarence Williams III in "Tales from the Hood"/Mayor Goldie Wilson/Dr. Cornel West style he's sported of late or go in another direction entirely, but one thing seems clear — Andrew Bynum's feeling himself these days."

Ball Don't Lie: NBA investigating possible locker room altercation between Zach Randolph, Kendrick Perkins after Grizzlies/Thunder (VIDEO)
"Exactly what form of discipline could result from such an investigation remains unclear — the NBA rulebook gives the commissioner's office leeway to levy "a fine not exceeding $50,000 and/or suspension" against players who are involved in physical altercations and/or judged to have thrown a punch on the court, but the lines are a bit blurrier when it comes to things that take place off the court; the situation only gets blurrier, one would presume, when police and security on the scene ostensibly say there was nothing to get exercised about here. Then again, the NBA's fresh off forcing DeMarcus Cousins to take a two-game siesta for allegedly acting hostile toward a color commentator, so maybe "people in the postgame interview area [hearing] something being slammed against the door" is enough of a smoking gun to keep Z-Bo and Perk in suits for the rest of their natural-born lives, irrespective of what Johnny Law thinks."

Ball Don't Lie: Robin Lopez doesn’t like Splash Mountain as much as Brook Lopez, apparently
"I can only hope you take solace in the fact that you've been better than many expected in your first six games with the 3-3 New Orleans Hornets, posting career-high defensive rebound and block rates while looking sound enough at defending the post and pick-and-roll in backup minutes for Monty Williams' 10th-ranked Hornets defense. Cold comfort, I realize, but at least it's something."

Ball Don't Lie: Roy Hibbert and the Indiana Pacers are struggling mightily in the face of increased expectations
"Based on the eye test alone, Hibbert is doing well defensively. Heck, the entire Pacers team appears to be holding their own on that end, even down to the routinely in-air Tyler Hansbrough, as they rank fourth out of 30 NBA teams in terms of defensive efficiency. It's a remarkable stat considering the group is last, per-possession, in causing turnovers on that end; but the combination of stout field-goal percentage defense and good enough rebounding keeps teams scratching for air as they attempt to claw their way toward 91 points."

The Basketball Jones: Vinny Del Negro admits his offense is pretty much just Chris Paul
"Of course, the funny thing about this is that Chris Paul has only the fourth-highest usage rate on the Clippers, and is actually third among guards behind Eric Bledsoe and Jamal Crawford, both of whom seem to be involved in every single play for the Clippers’ awesome second unit, which is impossible since they almost always play together but you know what I mean. Even when Vinny Del Negro tries to do the right thing — and yes, putting the ball in Chris Paul’s hands and letting him Chris Paul all over the place — he kind of messes it up."

The Basketball Jones: J.R. Smith is a professional now, wears fewer jeans
"But really, J.R. Smith has been awesome this season, looking like the best possible version of J.R. Smith that anyone could imagine. His PER, True Shooting percentage and Effective Field Goal percentage are all career-highs and he’s currently leading the league in three-point percentage. His usage rate is basically the same as it’s been his entire career and he’s assisting on a higher percentage of teammate’s baskets than in all but one of his eight seasons. So basically, he’s using the same amount of possessions as he always has while making more of the shots he’s taking and moving the ball more effectively when he doesn’t have a look. Oh, and he’s tied for the team lead in steals and has only turned the ball over five times in five games. If Jamal Crawford was never born, he’s the Sixth Man of the Year so far."

SLAM: Post Up: Best In The West
"Are the Grizzlies the best team in the League? Well, that can certainly be argued, but there’s no doubt that they are dangerous and no team wants to see them right now. Memphis has won six straight games and are off to the best start in franchise history. Memphis continues to beat teams up inside with their tremendous frontcourt duo of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. The two combined for 34 points, 17 boards and 3 blocks and helped the Grizzlies lead by double-figures throughout the second half. Memphis withstood 34 points and 10 boards from Kevin Durant and Russ Westbrook’s 17 and a season-high 13 assists thanks to Rudy Gay who finished with 28. In the third, OKC cut the lead to six but Gay scored on three straight 15-foot jumpers to push the lead back to double-figures and end the chances of a Thunder comeback."

SLAM: Dreams And Nightmares
"Marcus Morris, Kieff’s twin brother, a member of the Houston Rockets and Robinson’s other best friend from Kansas, learned about the manchild’s game first-hand. “I used to go at him and kill him when he first came but he’d never stop,” he says on the phone, while his twin listens in. “Every single day, I used to go at him, kill him. And every day he used to want to guard me. Normally if you’re killing somebody they’re like, ‘Nah, I’m cool off that.’ But he continued to keep coming.”

SLAM: Landry Fields Had Right Elbow Surgery; Kyle Lowry Out Longer
“Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry is expected to be sidelined for another one to two weeks after being diagnosed with a bruised cuboid bone in his right foot. […] Guard-forward Landry Fields underwent surgery on his ulnar nerve in his right elbow Wednesday in New York."

SLAM via NY Post: JR Smith Says He Partied Too Much Last Season
“J.R. Smith, in responding to Knicks coach Mike Woodson’s remarks that he has become ‘more professional’ this season, candidly admitted he partied too much last season, swept away by Manhattan’s bright lights. ‘I’m not going to lie,’ Smith said. ‘The New York City nightlife pretty much got to me. I was going out pretty much every other night and not focused on the task at hand.’"

ESPN: How will Kobe Bryant fare under Mike D'Antoni?
"Bryant's hot start could be the biggest casualty of the new regime. Bryant started off the season playing some of the most efficient offensive ball of his career, with Brown's Princeton scheme pointedly sacrificing Gasol and Nash's numbers in favor of Bryant's. But he'll still be a bit more open than usual -- with fewer isolations, efficiency should remain high. Just not quite this high."

Sports Illustrated: The Sixth Man
"A point guard's play is often tied to his franchise's success. Nash, Paul and Williams have taken turns holding the unofficial title of best NBA point guard over recent years, and then Rose had his season as league MVP; now I rate Rondo as the best based on the huge numbers he has put up in the biggest games while leading the Celtics deeper than expected in recent postseasons. I'm in the minority on this one, but point guard is the one position that should be held to the same standard as the MVP. A point guard should be held accountable for wins and losses, and in that regard Rondo is setting the highest standard."

Trail Blazers: Weekend Plan: Specially Designed For Families And The Busy Nine-To-Fiver
"Built for the family-oriented fan with a busy work-week, the 12-game Weekend Pack maximizes the thrill-factor while keeping the competitions to Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A smattering of Western Conference rivals and Eastern Conference visitors during one-offs and key home stands, you can get your hands on this schedule-friendly pack for as low as $11/game and $52/game in the lower bowl."

Trail Blazers: The Rivals Plan: Two LAs, Oklahoma City And The Return Of Roy
"The smallest of the four big ticket plans, the eight game Rivals Pack packs a big punch. You’ll be in the building and eating a corndog while others are wondering how to get their hands on a way to see the return of Brandon Roy and the sure to sell out L.A. Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder."

Trail Blazers: Why The Value Plan Makes 'Cents' For You
"The Value Pack starts at just $5 a game. That’s 12 games for as low as $60! Talk about some serious bang for your buck. But that’s not even the best part about this ticket plan. Four of the 12 games take place in the month of January. And there is absolutely no better place to be during an Oregon winter’s night than inside the raucous Rose Garden. Not to mention this pack gets you into the arena to see some of the league’s biggest names and brightest young stars such as Dwight Howard, Dirk Nowitzki, Kyrie Irving, John Wall, and Rudy Gay."

Trail Blazers: Big Games Plan: 12 Of The Biggest Games
"This game has it all. Season opener, at home, against the loathe-inducing Lakers, in Steve Nash's first game in purple and gold and it's on Halloween night! Any game against the Lakers at the Rose Garden is going to be a lively one, but the confluence of circumstances in this particular game sets the stage for one of the all-time season openers in Trail Blazers history."