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NFL Mock Draft 2009 Draft of 2009 Lacks Star Power NFL Draft 2009: Getting Started Super Bowl Well Worth Tuning In For
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| NBA | |
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Prospects On Center Stage NBA Preview 2008/09: Final Call
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Blazing More Than A Trail By Ron Jumper The sleeper of the NBA season is without question the Portland Trail Blazers. This talented group of young guys has been on fire as of late. However, it is the way they are winning that I find quite intriguing. The Trail Blazers are playing at a high level because of their willingness to share the ball and play the game the right way. Also unusual for a young team is everyone's willingness to accept their role and play within themselves. Most young players are more caught up in their own stats and it takes time before they learn to buy into the system. Not this young squad however, and it is paying huge dividends. The Trail Blazers are lead by the up-and-coming star Brandon Roy. In just his second year, Roy has emerged as one of the best all-around players in the NBA. He scores, distributes, rebounds, and defends to the tune of 19.5 points, 5.7 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and .9 steals per outing. What I like most about his game is his ability to be efficient, as he has only gone over 20 field goal attempts 6 times this season. Most young guys have awful shot selection and don't mind settling for jump shots. Roy has a great mid-range game and makes an effort to get to the rim when the opportunity presents itself. If he doesn't get rewarded for his exceptional play by being selected to the All-Star game, I will be very surprised and utterly disappointed. The other guy that has emerged as a future star is LaMarcus Aldridge. Without question, he has made losing Greg Oden to injury much easier to swallow. Aldridge is averaging 18 points/game and is shooting over 50% from the floor. I still say that the Bulls screwed up big time by not taking him in the 2006 draft and drafting Tyrus Thomas instead. Aldridge would give the Bulls offensive production from the interior that they simply lack right now. What I also like about Aldridge is his work ethic, as he has developed a deadly mid-range jumper. He is by no means a bruiser, but he still gets you 7.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks a ballgame. I can't wait to see how perfectly Aldridge and Oden will complement each other. Oden can play on the block and Aldridge can work the high post. It could be a David Robinson-Tim Duncan like duo in time. The Portland faithful should be salivating at just the thought. As I mentioned before, everyone on this roster seems to be buying into their role. When that happens, you have to give all the credit to the head coach. Nate McMillan has done a great job of getting such a young team to play the game the right way and not worry about numbers. Roy and Aldridge are constitently the leading scorers, but then it could be any number of guys providing the spark on a given night. Travis Outlaw has finally turned into a productive player and is averaging 12 points/game, after a few years of looking like a bust. Martell Webster has begun establishing himself as one of the purest shooters in the league, shooting 37% from 3-point range and well on pace to make over 100 threes for the season. They also have a few "veterans" in James Jones, Jarret Jack, Steve Blake, and Channing Frye that all average at least 7 points per outing. If you have 8 guys that play unselfish and can give you great production on any given night, it can be very tough to defend for the opposition. They still act like a young team on the road, as they are only 5-10 away from home. That being said, the Rose Garden has become a great arena to play in once again. The Trail Blazers have always had great fan support, except for those few "Jail Blazer" years. It is good to see that arena rocking and rolling as it did in the past. The players seem to like it to, as they are an impressive 15-3 at home so far this season. When Greg Oden injured his knee, most gave up on the Trail Blazers and felt they had no chance of being in the playoff race. The problem the NBA faced was that Portland was scheduled to be on national televison multiple times because they wanted to get Greg Oden on as much as possible. Fortunately, the NBA caught a break and the Trail Blazers have been worth watching anyways. It takes the luster off their matchups with Seattle, as the Oden-Durant showdown will have to wait until next season. None the less, I certainly enjoy watching the Trail Blazers play and am glad they are going to be on national television a few times. If you see Portland on television, don't change the channel but, instead, take a look at a young team playing phenomenal team basketball. It is kind of refreshing, to be perfectly honest. Now, can they sustain this pace? The answer is simply no. This club has a tough 7-game road trip spread out over just 10 days starting January 13th. However, if they can manage to get 3 or 4 wins during that span, they will earn some respect in my book. It also could keep them in their division race, as they are only a 1/2 game behind the Nuggets in the Northwest Division. After that tough road trip, they have a nice 6-game homestand so the opportunity to pass the Nuggets in their division is there if they handle their business on the road. However, asking such a young team to win consistently on the road is a tall order. Head coach Nate McMillan has surprised us all so far, so anything is possible at this point. Putting all the facts to the side, isn't it just crazy that the Nuggets are holding off the Trail Blazers in their division race? Gotta love the NBA... January 6, 2008 |
| NCAA Football | |
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Be Careful What You Wish For
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| NCAA Basketball | |
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Jumpology: My Bracket Jumpology: Scouting The Heavyweights Jumpology: Reviewing The Bracket
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