Truth be told, I’m on vacation right now. But dire times require dire blog posts from New York (where, by the way, the Knicks have a better record than the Blazers). For the sixth consecutive game the Portland Trail Blazers lost, falling 83-79 to a miserable Washington Wizards team. While the game should have been about the glorious return of Joel Przybilla, plus the easiest matchup of this road trip (Washington has not beat any opponent with a winning record), it instead marked a new low point of Nate McMillan’s tenure as head coach. That includes his 2005-06 debut where Portland won all of 21 games, but that team was loaded with a cavalcade of superstars like Sergei Monia, Viktor Khryapa, Voshon Lenard, Charles Smith, Juan Dixon, Brian Skinner, and (of course) Ha Seung-Jin. In fact McMillan should have won Coach of the Year for milking 21 wins from a roster like that.
During this current slide the Blazers are averaging less than 39 points in the second half of all six loses. Portland’s sheer offensive ineptness was made evident tonight when the team scored a whopping ten points in the third quarter. Oh yeah, it should be mentioned here that the Wizards have one of the worst defenses in the NBA. The Blazers’ 79 points were 27 less than what the Wizards normally give up in a game. Portland’s rigid offensive formula of jump shots (or else) means that the Blazers come nowhere near the charity stripe—in these half-dozen losses Portland has a freethrow differential of -46.
I know, I know, OdenkneemicrofractureRoykneeinjuriesgypsycurse, etc. It’s impossible to ignore years of consistent/freakish injuries, but that can no longer be an excuse. When it comes to talent, this is not a 8-11 team. That begs the question, what should the Blazers do? Is it a matter of trading for new blood? But the team is too shallow off the bench to make up for losing Przybilla and Andre Miller (and their lucrative expiring contracts). Or do they let go of McMillan? Certainly members of the franchise have been fired for less. Regardless of what is done, this team has some big questions to answer in the coming weeks. Before things get worse.
This team is screwed as long as Brandon Roy and his cartilage less knees are the highest paid player. Five years of mediocrity at best. They need to fire Nate and get a coach that will let the team run instead of running a 1990s iso offense. We can’t win with that now that our good iso player can’t get past defenders because he’s lost a step and can only play 30 minutes a night or he’s out for a week with swollen knees. Finding out about Roy and Greg at the same time was the nail in the coffin for this team’s psyche.
Ha Seung-Jin, the 7 footer with a heart of gold. I’m still reeling from the fact that I never got to see him play.
Without a doubt the greatest player of Korean descent EVER(!) to play in the NBA–no joke
(Vacation? From writing about music? If you say so)
Show Nate the gate! Show Nate the gate!
Paul Allen will move the Blazers to Seattle in a few couple of years. A convoy of Mayflower heading up I-5, and we can forget about the whole thing. (At least until they win the championship in 2017…then we can collectively pull our hair out and fling it in the Willamette.)
Attention Trailblazers advertisers: I watched the Blazers religiously last year, this year it’s becoming just too painful. I recently watched the Cavs vs Heat game and saw Juwan Howard, which made me think about some of the fine players who have left the team while we are saddled with Greg Oden sitting out another entire season, Brandon nursing his knee, and the total collapse of the team in the 4th qtr in every game (the opposite of last year).
I just can’t get used to the idea of “The Seattle Trailblazers. ” I don’t think I could work up much interest in that. Maybe I can work up some interest in pro “futball.” Grrr