BlazersInside

LaMarcus Aldridge Sidelined for Tonight's Game

2010-01-02T15:33:00.003-04:00

According to BlazerBanter's twitter, LaMarcus Aldridge will miss tonight's game against The Golden State Warriors. Aldridge sprained his left ankle in the first quarter of wednesday's game against The Los Angeles Clippers.

Steve Blake Hospitalized

2010-01-02T15:05:00.004-04:00

Steve Blake was admitted to a hospital were he is being treated for pneumonia. He is expected to be out a few days. He was one of only two players (Andre Miller) that had played for the Trail Blazers in all 34 games this season.

Blazers Plan to Sign Shavlik Randolph

2009-12-29T21:15:00.005-04:00

The Portland Trail Blazers are expected to sign forward Shavlik Randolph to a non-guaranteed contract, a close source informed BlazersInside.

Randolph is expected to arrive in Portland on Wednesday and could be ready to play tomorrow's game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Rose Garden.

If Randolph is officially signed, it would mark his second sign with the Blazers. The 26 year old 6-foot-10 Randolph, played just 10 games for Portland last year (2008-2009), averaging 1.8 points per game and 1.8 rebounds.

Blazers Waive Anthony Tolliver, Pattrick Mills Sent to D-League

2009-12-29T19:29:00.002-04:00

The Portland Trail Blazers have waived foward Anthony Tolliver and have assigned Pattrick Mills to the NBA Development League's (D-League) Idaho Stampede, it was announced today by GM Kevin Pritchard.

Tolliver appeared in two games for the Blazers. Mills, selected by the Trail Blazers with the 55th overall pick in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft, will join the Stampede on Wednesday.

Blazers Take a Big Step in ESPN's Power Rankings

2009-12-27T17:45:00.008-04:00

The Portland Trail Blazers have made a big leap from #10 (week 8) to #6 (week 9) in ESPN's Power Rankings. This "promotion" has been clearly due to the Blazer's current 4 game winning streak; all coming against playoff teams (Miami, Dallas, San Antonio & Denver.)

Brandon Roy Interview

2009-12-26T18:16:00.006-04:00

ESPN's Marc Stein interviews Brandon Roy about the Blazer's numerous injuries, "curses" & future trades. To read the article click here.

Brandon Roy Active For Tonight's Game

2009-12-25T23:09:00.004-04:00

According to the Blazer's official twitter page, Brandon Roy will play tonight (as a starter) against the Denver Nuggets. Jerryd Bayless, who started last tuesday for Roy against the Spurs, will go back to his normal role coming off the bench.

Brandon Roy: Shoulder Strain Confirmed

2009-12-25T01:40:00.005-04:00

Brandon Roy injured his shoulder in the fourth quarter of tuesday's game against the Dallas Mavericks. Roy sat out last night's game against the San Antonio Spurs. After examining his left shoulder, the MRI confirms Brandon Roy has a left shoulder muscle strain and he is listed questionable for the Christmas day game against Denver.

Joel Przybilla out for season after surgery

2009-12-25T00:56:00.003-04:00

Joel Przybilla had surgery on thursday to repair his ruptured right patella tendon. He is expected to miss the rest of the season after hurting his leg during the first quarter of the Blazer's 85-81 victory against the Mavericks on Tuesday night. Przybilla averaged 4.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 30 games this season.

Brandon Roy's real name is... "Travis?"

2009-12-23T00:30:00.008-04:00

The Associated Press (AP) called Brandon Roy "Travis" after The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Dallas Mavericks 85-81 on wednesday night. What were they thinking? Click here for article.

Point Guard Dilemma

2009-11-23T02:25:00.023-04:00

The Portland Trail Blazers acquired point guard Andre Miller as a free agent from the Philadelphia 76ers this past off-season. Miller, an 11 year veteran, has career averages of 14.5PPG, 7.3APG (7th in the league among active players), & 4RPG. Steve Blake (the team's point guard starter last year) , on the other hand, a 7 year veteran, has career averages of 7.6PPG, 4.2APG & 2.1RPG. Who would you start? Simple, the all-around better player, Miller, right? WRONG. To everyone's disbelief, Blazers head coach, Nate McMillan, decided to start Blake at the point guard position and use Miller coming off the bench. McMillan backed up his actions by saying that Miller's poor 3-point shooting (20.8% over his career) would hurt the team offensively when the Blazers would look to penetrate and dish out for the open three. Blake, a 39.1% 3-point shooter, would help in these situations. He also said that the chemistry between Blake and Roy, was one of the most important areas that helped the Blazers reach 54 wins last season. He stated Miller would bring poise and control to a very young second unit. The Blazers started the season with a mediocre 1-2 record, losing to the Nuggets at home and to the Rockets in Houston. The shaky start made McMillan change the starting lineup. He added Miller alongside Blake, Roy, Aldridge and Oden, bringing Martell Webster to the bench. The new lineup was designed to bring more ball movement to the first unit. McMillan's plan worked to perfection as the Blazers won 8 of the last 10 games (including 6 in a row). After a very disappointing loss to the Warriors in Golden State, McMillan decided to go back to the more traditional 2 guard lineup, bringing Martell Webster to the first unit and Miller back to the bench. Webster responded with 21 points and 13 rebounds against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It appears Miller will now come off the bench for the rest of the season unless an injury, trade or sudden change of thought from the coaching staff happens.

Miller's minutes have been cut from 36 (when he played with the 76ers last season) to 28; 8 minutes less. As an effect, all of his numbers have gone down this season. His points per game are almost six less, his assists per game are 1.5 less and his rebounds are 1.3 less. How much longer will it take for the coaching staff to realize starting Miller is an upgrade for this team? Yes, Miller can't shoot from 3, even wide open, but why not make him the guy who penetrates and dishes to Roy, Webster, Outlaw, Rudy or Blake instead of him being the recipient of the pass? They say he has no chemistry with the team, but how do they expect him to do so if they don't give him the opportunity to prove himself? Miller's impressive résumé should at least be deserving of considering starting him. How long will it take for Miller to demand a Trade? Miller told Yahoo! Sports: “If I was told right out when I had my meetings that I would be a backup, then I wouldn’t have come here." That's definitely not a sign of a happy camper and I don't judge him one bit. The Blazers go in the off-season looking for an upgrade over Steve Blake, they find it, yet they keep starting Blake.

With all due respect to Blake, I like his game, but I think he's more of a role player than a point guard starter for a soon-to-be-contender team. They say Miller can't start because in clutch moments he can't shoot and help our team. Why don't we bring Blake in clutch moments? To explain how this might work i'll compare the Blazers to the Celtics. Last night the Celtics were tied with the Knicks with 5 seconds to go. They had possession so they bring to the court, Garnett(Aldridge), Perkins(Oden), Pierce(Roy) & Allen(Webster/Outlaw). Do they bring in Rondo in clutch moments when they need to score? NO. They bring in Eddy House. Simply because Rondo is all about getting to the rim and he doesn't have a consistent jump shot just like Miller. House on the other hand, is just like Blake, an excellent 3-point shooter. In clutch moments when we need shooters just sit Miller and bring Blake. All of these excuses of why Miller isn't the starter makes me want to think why did the Blazers refuse to go after Kirk Hinrich in the off-season. He can penetrate, shoot from mid & long range and most importantly he can defend, something both of these point guards can't do.

Only time will tell what the future will hold for Andre Miller, but if the Blazers keep this on, I don't see him being a part of this team's future plans.